Abstract: A sump for use in an ice maker, the sump adapted to hold a mass of water, wherein the ice maker freezes some or all of the mass of water into ice. The sump includes a recirculation area and one or more additional areas separated from the recirculation area. The recirculation area and the one or more additional areas are in fluid communication via one or more passageways. The recirculation area is adapted to hold and receive a first portion of the mass of water having a first mass. The one or more additional areas are adapted to hold a second portion of the mass of water having a second mass. Thus, if the first portion of water forms into slush, the second portion of water can be recirculated to melt the slush.

Abstract: A sump for use in an ice maker, the sump adapted to hold a mass of water, wherein the ice maker freezes some or all of the mass of water into ice. The sump includes a recirculation area and one or more additional areas separated from the recirculation area. The recirculation area and the one or more additional areas are in fluid communication via one or more passageways. The recirculation area is adapted to hold and receive a first portion of the mass of water having a first mass. The one or more additional areas are adapted to hold a second portion of the mass of water having a second mass. Thus, if the first portion of water forms into slush, the second portion of water can be recirculated to melt the slush.

Abstract: A commercial ice making machine having an electronic monitoring device which captures the operating status and production history of the ice machine. The ice production history of the machine is communicated via telephony and/or the Internet on a regular recurring basis to a remote computer. The production history is used to generate invoices to the user of the ice machine, so that the user is charged based on his or her actual ice consumption. Failure of the ice machine is detected by the monitoring device and communicated immediately to a service company so that the ice machine can be repaired before the end user realizes the machine has failed.

Abstract: Ice making machine that uses PETD harvest technology, evaporators, ice molds and cooling system. One evaporator makes thin layers of ice that are laminated to form a larger ice piece. Other evaporators include an ice forming surface on a material that has good thermal conductivity for forming ice in a freeze mode and good electrical conductivity to serve as a resistive heater during a harvest mode. One evaporator has a plate and an array of freezing sites that extend above a surface thereof. Another evaporator has a plate that is divided into strips of good and poor thermal conductivity by. Another evaporator has a refrigerant tube that is sandwiched between a pair of corrugated sheets that have ice forming surfaces. Another evaporator has a waffle style pan that is constructed of a dielectric layer sandwiched between a pair of copper layers. Another evaporator forms an ice slab on an inclined flat surface, which after harvest is diced into cubes with a wire grid.

Abstract: An ice making machine comprising: a thermally conductive plastic or aluminum evaporator assembly comprising an array of ice forming surfaces; a water supply, a refrigerant supply and an electrical energy source; and a controller that during a freeze mode operates the water supply and the refrigerant supply to form ice on the ice forming surfaces and during a harvest mode operates the electrical energy source to apply electrical resistance energy (e.g., pulsed energy) to the evaporator assembly to melt an interfacial layer of the ice such that it is freed from the surfaces. Alternatively, the thermally conductive plastic or aluminum evaporator can include freezing tubes with resistance energy deicing (e.g., pulsed energy) or shell and tube type evaporators with pulsed energy deicing.

Abstract: An ice-making machine comprising: an evaporator comprising at least one ice-forming surface; a water supply, a refrigerant supply and an electrical energy source; wherein the water supply supplies water that forms ice on the ice-forming surface during an ice-making mode, and wherein the electrical energy source applies an electrical pulse energy to the evaporator to melt an interfacial layer of the ice such that it is freed from the ice-forming surface during a harvesting mode.

Abstract: An ice making has an ice making mold with a plurality of ice making cells opened at the bottom, a water tank, water spray nozzles adapted for spraying the water contained in the water tank towards the ice making cells, an ice bin adapted for storage of ice cubes formed in and harvested from the ice making cells, and an inclined plate having water spray openings and recovery openings and mounted between the ice making mold and the water spray nozzles. The ice making cells are each attached to a serpentine evaporator tube, which is cooled by a refrigeration system and also heated by way of electrical pulse energy. The electrical pulse heating of the ice making cells allows ice to be quickly and efficiently harvested from the cells.

Abstract: A flexible loop thermosyphon is provided having a flexible, hermetic, outer tube and a flexible, non-hermetic, inner tube, positioned concentrically within the outer tube, forming an annulus between the outer tube and inner tube. The annulus acts as a vapor conduit transferring vapor to the loop thermosyphon condenser while the inner tube acts as a condensate conduit returning liquid to the loop thermosyphon evaporator.

Abstract: A flexible loop thermosyphon is provided having a flexible, hermetic, outer tube and a flexible, non-hermetic, inner tube, positioned concentrically within the outer tube, forming an annulus between the outer tube and inner tube. The annulus acts as a vapor conduit transferring vapor to the loop thermosyphon condenser while the inner tube acts as a condensate conduit returning liquid to the loop thermosyphon evaporator.

Abstract: A flexible loop thermosyphon is provided having a flexible, hermetic, outer tube and a flexible, non-hermetic, inner tube, positioned concentrically within the outer tube, forming an annulus between the outer tube and inner tube. The annulus acts as a vapor conduit transferring vapor to the loop thermosyphon condenser while the inner tube acts as a condensate conduit returning liquid to the loop thermosyphon evaporator.

Abstract: A flexible loop thermosyphon is provided having a flexible, hermetic, outer tube and a flexible, non-hermetic, inner tube, positioned concentrically within the outer tube, forming an annulus between the outer tube and inner tube. The annulus acts as a vapor conduit transferring vapor to the loop thermosyphon condenser while the inner tube acts as a condensate conduit returning liquid to the loop thermosyphon evaporator.

Abstract: A flexible loop thermosyphon is provided having a flexible, hermetic, outer tube and a flexible, non-hermetic, inner tube, positioned concentrically within the outer tube, forming an annulus between the outer tube and inner tube. The annulus acts as a vapor conduit transferring vapor to the loop thermosyphon condenser while the inner tube acts as a condensate conduit returning liquid to the loop thermosyphon evaporator.

Abstract: A thermal management system for an electronic device is provided a first thermal energy transfer assembly that is thermally coupled between a heat generating structure located on a circuit card and a first thermal interface surface that is spaced away from the heat generating structure. A second thermal energy transfer assembly includes a second thermal interface surface which is arranged in confronting relation to the first thermal interface surface. A clamping mechanism is arranged to move the second thermal interface surface between (i) a first position that is spaced away from the first thermal interface surface, and (ii) a second position wherein the second thermal interface surface is pressed against the first thermal interface surface so as to allow the busing of thermal energy from the first thermal energy transfer assembly to the second thermal energy transfer assembly by heat transfer from the first thermal interface surface to the second thermal interface surface.

Abstract: A thermal management system for an electronic device is provided a first thermal energy transfer assembly that is thermally coupled between a heat generating structure located on a circuit card and a first thermal interface surface that is spaced away from the heat generating structure. A second thermal energy transfer assembly includes a second thermal interface surface which is arranged in confronting relation to the first thermal interface surface. A clamping mechanism is arranged to move the second thermal interface surface between (i) a first position that is spaced away from the first thermal interface surface, and (ii) a second position wherein the second thermal interface surface is pressed against the first thermal interface surface so as to allow the busing of thermal energy from the first thermal energy transfer assembly to the second thermal energy transfer assembly by heat transfer from the first thermal interface surface to the second thermal interface surface.

Abstract: A shuttle hopper system for loading and unloading commercial washers and dryers is provided. The shuttle hopper is equipped with a bucket for receiving laundry items and further includes lift and tilt assemblies which lift and rotate the bucket into a dumping position for discharging the laundry items into either a washer or a dryer. The shuttle hopper is adapted to move between at least one washer and one dryer such that the shuttle hopper can be utilized to transfer wet laundry items from the washer to the dryer. The shuttle hopper also may include a pulling fin assembly which selectively deploys a plurality of pulling fins in the shuttle bucket. The pulling fins are operable to move the laundry items contained within the shuttle bucket so as to facilitate the loading of items into the bucket and the discharge of items from the bucket.

Abstract: A shuttle hopper system for loading and unloading commercial washers and dryers is provided. The shuttle hopper is equipped with a bucket for receiving laundry items and further includes lift and tilt assemblies which lift and rotate the bucket into a dumping position for discharging the laundry items into either a washer or a dryer. The shuttle hopper is adapted to move between at least one washer and one dryer such that the shuttle hopper can be utilized to transfer wet laundry items from the washer to the dryer. The shuttle hopper also may include a pulling fin assembly which selectively deploys a plurality of pulling fins in the shuttle bucket. The pulling fins are operable to move the laundry items contained within the shuttle bucket so as to facilitate the loading of items into the bucket and the discharge of items from the bucket.

Abstract: A rotary washer/extractor for use with textiles and other materials includes a dynamically controlled suspension system for supporting the washer/extractor from a stationary frame to minimize forces exerted onto the frame and transmitted to the floor or other structure supporting the washer/extractor. The suspension system includes a plurality of supports extending between the frame and the washer/extractor at spaced apart locations in relation to the spin axis. At least one of the supports is a variable length member which may be continually adjusted to vary the distance between the frame and the washer/extractor and thereby minimize the forces caused by eccentric masses of textiles and washing fluids contained in the washer/extractor. A force sensor is provided for measuring the force acting between the washer/extractor and the frame.

Abstract: A rotary washer/extractor for use with textiles and other materials includes a dynamically controlled suspension system for supporting the washer/extractor from a stationary frame to minimize forces exerted onto the frame and transmitted to the floor or other structure supporting the washer/extractor. The suspension system includes a plurality of supports extending between the frame and the washer/extractor at spaced apart locations in relation to the spin axis. At least one of the supports is a variable length member which may be continually adjusted to vary the distance between the frame and the washer/extractor and thereby minimize the forces caused by eccentric masses of textiles and washing fluids contained in the washer/extractor. A force sensor is provided for measuring the force acting between the washer/extractor and the frame.

Abstract: A machine controller apparatus provides simple, effective, efficient and reliable control operation, facilitates repair and periodic maintenance and eliminates the need for either an operating manual or a service manual for the machine being controlled. The machine control apparatus includes a processor device for performing a plurality of predetermined control and logical operations. Memory is coupled to the processor means for storing predetermined machine characteristic data and a user input device is coupled to the processor device for receiving user input selections. The processor device is responsive to both the predetermined machine characteristic data stored by the memory and a received predefined one of the user input selections for performing at least one of the plurality of predetermined control and logical operations.

Abstract: A washing and extracting machine includes a programmable controller for controlling a variable speed drive to control and vary the speed and direction of a rotating laundry cylinder containing a load of materials to be laundered. The cylinder is first loaded and then driven to rotate in a predetermined manner during a washing phase, followed by a rinsing phase and is then accelerated to a relatively high speed for extracting liquid from the laundered materials in an extracting phase. The laundry cylinder is accelerated and/or decelerated in accordance with a changeable, predefined acceleration/deceleration profile so that the laundry materials are movable radially and circumferentially in the cylinder in a controlled manner substantially eliminating unbalanced loading of the cylinder and contents during the washing, rinsing and extracting phases, thus eliminating the need for costly and complex shock mounting systems for supporting the rotating cylinder.