Abstract: An ice dispensing apparatus having a storage bin with a paddle wheel which moves the ice from a storage bin to a delivery chute. A straight door is utilized to selectively open and close the delivery chute. A drip pan is provided on the outside of the chute to collect the melt water from the ice, which is in the delivery chute.

Abstract: An ice dispensing apparatus having a storage bin with a paddle wheel which moves the ice from a storage bin to a delivery chute. A straight door is utilized to selectively open and close the delivery chute. A drip pan is provided on the outside of the chute to collect the melt water from the ice, which is in the delivery chute.

Abstract: An ice dispensing bin has an inward and rearward sloped front wall and a downward and forward sloped semi-cylindrical bottom wall. The rear wall and side walls and an upper portion of the front wall are generally vertical. A paddle wheel is positioned in a recess in the sloping front wall. The paddle wheel has a circular plate lying along a central portion of the annular recess. A truncated conical plate converges axially about 10 degrees from the circular plate. Paddles extend radially from the conical plate. Turbine blade-like paddles curve circumferentially and then axially and stop short of the front wall to trap and move ice along the front wall of the recess as the paddle wheel is rotated. A shaft extends through the paddle wheel and rearwardly to a bearing in the rear wall. An angular arm on the shaft breaks ice bridges as the shaft rotates with the paddle wheel.

Abstract: Effective active storage volume of an ice dispenser is increased by an upward and forward sloping bottom wall with a compound curve. A stainless steel helically bent auger rod has a conical shape and closely fits within a trough having a relatively large radius at a rear and a relatively small radius at a front. Larger radius curved lateral areas complete the bottom wall. Ice moves upward toward the front of the bin and then upward at an obtuse angle toward the top of the bin and then tumbles rearward and downward. The rotating auger prevents bridging and continually pushes more ice forward than is dispensed. A helical auger with solid flytes radially extends from a forward portion of the shaft to move ice cubes through the dispensing opening in the front wall at the front end of the trough.

Abstract: Ice from an ice-making source is loaded into a bin and rests upon a curved liner which is spaced above the bottom of the bin. Ice is moved through the bin and above the liner by a wire auger toward a discharge opening. Ice gravitationally feeds through openings in the liner to a cold plate which forms the bottom of the bin. The ice chills the cold plate, chilling beverages flowing through passages in the cold plate. As ice resting on the cold plate takes up heat, the ice melts. Water is drained from above the cold plate. Foamed-in-place polyurethane insulation surrounds the bin. A motor is mounted on the front of the bin. A drive connected to the motor drives the ice-moving auger and discharge equipment. A motor controller is mounted near an ice-discharge chute. Beverage-dispenser valves are connected to the front of the cold plate and are aligned with the dispenser chute.

Abstract: Ice is stored for dispensing in a semicylindrical bin. A cone-shaped wire auger is mounted on radial extensions from a sloped axle near the bottom of the bin. A large flyte of the auger pushes ice from the rear of the bin toward smaller flytes near the front of the bin. Distal ends of generally radially extending fingers sweep an opening in the front of a bottom wall. Interchangeable plates with varied size openings control dispensing rate from the bin. The large flyte pushes the ice toward the front where some of the ice drops through the dispensing opening and some of the ice is recirculated upward. Ice clusters near the dispensing opening are broken by the fingers which extend generally radially and slightly rearwardly from the axle on which the conical auger wire is mounted.