Abstract: An ice cube making machine having a vertically oriented ice forming mold over which water is circulated from an underlying sump. The ice forming mold includes an endless conveyor for delivering the formed ice upwardly to a chute which communicates with an adjacent, laterally spaced ice storage bin.

Abstract: A crane and an attachment comprising a counterweight support beam including a plurality of connected segments movable relative to each other, and having a fore end adapted to be connected to the crane upper works, and an aft end rearward from the rear portion of the upper works. The attachment also includes a moveable counterweight carrier adapted to carry a counterweight when the counterweight is supported thereon. The carrier is mounted on the support beam for movement along the length thereof. The attachment also includes a cylinder for selectively moving the counterweight carrier fore and aft along the beam, landing gear for normally supporting the aft end of the beam on the ground, and a backhitch pendant and a pendant cylinder interconnecting the aft end of the beam and the top of the mast for raising the landing gear from the ground incident to lifting a heavy load from the boom.

Abstract: An ice making system having a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator, and having freeze and harvest cycles. During the harvest cycle, vaporous refrigerant is circulated from the compressor to the evaporator through a discharge line, and is thereafter returned to the compressor through a supply line. A predetermined amount of refrigerant is condensed in a reservoir during the freeze cycle and expelled therefrom during the harvest cycle to augment the amount of refrigerant circulating in the system.

Abstract: A compact, efficient, and economical ice machine is provided which allows rapid production of ice chips. The preferred ice machine includes an elongated, flexible member formed as an endless loop which is rotated through a freezing tube by means of a harvesting pulley. The freezing tube includes an evaporator therearound in order to freeze water in the tube and around the flexible member portion located therein. After an ice column is formed, hot refrigerant gas passes through the evaporator to loosen the ice column from the tube interior whereupon the pulley rotates to withdraw the flexible member portion from the freezing tube and the ice column attached thereto upwardly therefrom. The ice breaking element adjacent the pulley engages the ice column and fractures it into ice chips as the flexible portion passes over the pulley.

Abstract: A compact, efficient, and economical ice machine is provided which allows rapid production of ice chips. The preferred ice machine includes an elongated, flexible member formed as an endless loop which is rotated through a freezing tube by means of a harvesting pulley. The freezing tube includes an evaporator therearound in order to freeze water in the tube and around the flexible member portion located therein. After an ice column is formed, hot refrigerant gas passes through the evaporator to loosen the ice column from the tube interior whereupon the pulley rotates to withdraw the flexible member portion from the frezing tube and the ice column attached thereto upwardly therefrom. The ice breaking element adjacent the pulley engages the ice column and fractures it into ice chips as the flexible portion passes over the pulley.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for welding hollow elongated beams wherein the plates forming the beam are tack-welded together in proper relationship and all corners of the beam are simultaneously and continuously welded by moving a multiple head welding carriage along the length of the beam in order to minimize warpage and longitudinal deflection of the beam due to the welding heat.

Abstract: An ice machine control having a dump valve in the water circulation system for diverting water from the mold so that the system is cleared of unwanted water at the start of an ice making cycle, while the ice mold is allowed to cool to well below freezing before water begins to circulate over the mold.

Abstract: An ice making system having a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator, and having freeze and harvest cycles. During the harvest cycle, hot vaporous refrigerant is circulated from the compressor to the evaporator through a discharge line. The refrigerant is thereafter returned to the compressor through a supply line. To ensure that a predetermined amount of refrigerant is circulated between the compressor and the evaporator during the harvest cycle, a harvest pressure regulating valve automatically adds vaporous refrigerant to the supply line from the condenser when the pressure therein falls below a predetermined level.

Abstract: A pump assembly for use in circulating water from a reservoir to an ice forming mold in an ice making machine, the pump assembly comprising an unvented, unit bearing electric motor having a downwardly extending drive shaft, a pump having a housing with an inlet and an outlet, a fan secured to the drive shaft between the motor and the pump, a support structure interconnecting the pump and the motor, said support structure including a cylindrical upper portion encircling the fan and having an upper edge which is spaced from the bottom of the motor to define an annular slot, said interconnecting structure also including a lower portion with openings near the surface of the water in the reservoir, and a substantially cylindrical collar encircling the motor which defines a substantially axial extension of the annular slot, through which cool air from the surface of the reservoir is directed to the motor to prevent the motor from overheating.

Abstract: An attachment for increasing the lifting capacity of a crane having a mobile lower works with an upper works including a rear portion rotatably mounted thereon and having a pivotally mounted boom and an upwardly and rearwardly projecting mast carried on the upper works with means for lifting a load from the top of the boom and rigging means interconnecting the top of the boom, the top of the mast and the rear portion of the upper works, including a counterweight support beam detachably connected to the crane upper works and extending rearwardly therefrom, a counterweight assembly including a movable carrier mounted on the support beam for movement along the length thereof, an actuator for selectively moving the counterweight carrier fore and aft along the beam, a leg for normally supporting the trailing end of the beam on the ground, and a rear pendant interconnecting the trailing end of the beam and the top of the mast for raising the leg from the ground incident to lifting a heavy load from the boom.

Abstract: A single stage, twin valve, variable torque converter has a vaned input impeller, a vaned, single stage output turbine and a twin valve all disposed in a fluid filled, generally torroid-shaped chamber of a housing. The torque converter by means of its twin valve provides a variable forward output torque for a constant input speed and also provides a low reverse torque. The twin valve consists of two connected, concentric cylindrical sleeves which can be moved axially into and out of the torroid-shaped chamber so that the first sleeve can be interposed between the vanes of the input impeller and the vanes of the output turbine and the second sleeve can surround the vanes of the output turbine and thus seal off the output turbine from the fluid within the torroid-shaped chamber of the torque converter and provide a low reverse torque.

Abstract: Front and rear pairs of crawler assemblies are provided for supporting concentric ring segments disposed forwardly under the boom and rearwardly under the counterweight so the crane can travel under load and swing through at least a partial horizontal arc. One and preferably both crawler assemblies are selectively and reversely powered to facilitate forward and reverse as well as turning movement during travel under loaded and unloaded conditions. The inner ring segment is at least partially surrounded by a rotatable cage structure which provides a connection point for a frame element extending to the forwardly disposed crawler assembly to permit independent steering of the rear crawler assembly.

Abstract: An ice machine control having an on-delay timer in the circuit controlling the circulating water pump so that, at the start of an ice making cycle, the evaporator-ice mold is allowed to cool well below freezing before water begins to circulate to the mold.

Abstract: A submerged arc welding machine in which the edges of plates to be butt welded are supported on a channel fixed on a long rigid foundation beam. The plates are otherwise held on inverted caster wheel assemblies. A long rigid bridge spaced above the beam carries a track on which the arc welding apparatus carriage rides. The plate edge portions are held by vertically movable electromagnets, and the channel forms a magnetic shield so that the magnets do not affect the welding arc. Vertically movable rollers allow the plates to be positioned without interference from the channel. A copper backup bar in the channel has a groove that is filled with flux, and the bar is raised to hold the flux under the weld line. A shoe on the carriage lays flux in the groove when the carriage returns after a welding pass, and a vacuum pickup head cleans the groove for the shoe flux delivery. During the welding pass, the pickup head removes flux on opposite sides of the weld.

Abstract: An ice cube dispenser with a cylindrical bin having a bottom arcuate ramp leading to a side opening through which ice cubes are pushed by rotating agitator blades. The cube dispensing rate is adjusted by positioning a deflector plate from the ramp to a selected vertical position in the opening, thus effectively changing the opening size. The dispensed cubes are guided by plates defining a flexing wall chute. A glass trigger, when pivoted by a glass, opens a door over said opening and trips a switch that actuates the agitator blades.

Abstract: An ice cube making machine having a vertical, open-faced freezing mold over which water is circulated from an underlying trough to build up ice. When the mold is full, the pump circulating the water is stopped and the ice is harvested. Harvesting is facilitated by a plunger that is biased to push ice from the mold. Water pressure from the pump holds the plunger against its bias until the pressure is released for the harvest cycle. The mold open face is covered by a water curtain having a lower lip underlying the mold open face so that the underlying trough need not extend substantially out from the mold, thereby permitting similar such units to be vertically stacked.

Abstract: A vertical ice cube mold chilled by a refrigeration system has a water stream pumped into its open vertical face to build up ice cubes in the mold. A probe hangs over the open mold face at an adjustable spacing. When the mold fills with ice and the water stream contacts the probe, an electrical circuit is completed to cause a control to stop the water pump and heat the mold, thus harvesting the ice cubes. A timer restarts the icemaking cycle in case ice is not delivered for some reason. Casual water contact with the probe is prevented from tripping the control through the use of a simple integrator device.

Abstract: A lift crane having a separated transporter-supported front ring segment and a transporter-supported rear works including a counterweight. The front ring segment is connected by a frame element to the rear works and supports a carrier which pivotally mounts a forwardly-inclined boom and a rearwardly-inclined mast. Movement of the carrier across the front ring segment is permitted by two equal-length links pivotally connected to opposite sides of the carrier and the respective opposite sides of a horizontal bracket mounted on the frame element. The center of rotation of the carrier as it traverses the front ring segment is substantially coincident with the imaginary vertex of a truncated isosceles triangle formed by the carrier and lines running axially along the links. When the carrier is centered on the front ring segment, the center of rotation is also substantially coincident with a vertical axis running through the rearward-most point of the mast.

Abstract: A turntable bearing device having a quick release mounting including inner and outer ball bearing races with the inner race fixed to the lower works and the outer race is detachably connected to the upper works of a load handling device. Gear teeth are provided along the inner circumference of the inner race to engage a pinion gear of the upper works. The quick release feature includes an arcuate beam which is slidably carried on support rails and engages the outer bearing race on one side while a latching means is provided to engage the outer bearing race on its opposite side. The arcuate beam and the latching means prevent rocking or tipping motion of the upper works during machine operation as well as providing the quick release means.

Abstract: A traveling attachment including two pairs of crawler assemblies and frame elements are provided for interconnection to the ring of a ring supported crane so the crane can travel under load. The crawler assemblies may be pivotally mounted and reversely and independently powered to facilitate turning.