ICE MAKER WITH BUCKET FILLING FEATURE
An ice storage bin assembly comprising an ice storage bin having a cavity for the storage of ice and an opening for access to the cavity. An ice dispensing chute is disposed internal to the ice storage bin and comprises an inlet and an outlet. Ice can be directed into the inlet where it is carried by gravity down to the outlet and deposited in a bucket disposed below the outlet. An ice dispensing chute closure means closes the inlet of the ice dispensing chute. The closure means can comprise a scoop adapted to be received in and seal the inlet of the ice dispensing chute or a raised portion disposed on the back side of a door which is adapted to seal the inlet of the ice dispensing chute when the door is closed.
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This invention relates generally to ice making machines and, more particularly, to an ice storage bin that comprises an improved bucket filling design.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIce making machines, or ice makers, typically comprise a refrigeration and ice making system that employs a source of refrigerant flowing serially through a compressor, a condenser, a thermal expansion valve, and an evaporator assembly. Thermally coupled to the evaporator assembly is a freeze plate comprising a lattice-type cube mold. Additionally, typical ice makers employ gravity water flow and ice harvest systems that are well known and in extensive use. Ice makers having such a refrigeration and ice making system are often disposed on top of ice storage bins, where ice that has been harvested is stored until it is needed. Such ice makers have received wide acceptance and are particularly desirable for commercial installations such as restaurants, bars, motels and various beverage retailers having a high and continuous demand for fresh ice.
In these ice makers, water is supplied at the top of a freeze plate which directs the water in a tortuous path toward a water pump. A portion of the supplied water collects on the freeze plate, freezes into ice and is identified as sufficiently frozen by suitable means whereupon the freeze plate is defrosted such that the ice is slightly melted and discharged therefrom into an ice storage bin. Typically, these ice machines can be classified according to the type of ice they make. One such type is a grid style ice maker which makes generally square ice cubes that form within individual grids of the freeze plate which then form into a continuous sheet of ice cubes as the thickness of the ice increases beyond that of the freeze plate. After harvesting, the sheet of ice cubes will break into individual cubes as they fall into the ice storage bin. Another type of ice maker is an individual ice cube maker which makes generally square ice cubes that form within individual grids of the freeze plate which do not form into a continuous sheet of ice cubes. Therefore, upon harvest individual ice cubes fall from the freeze plate and into the ice storage bin. Various embodiments of the present invention can be adapted to either type of ice maker, and to others not identified, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Ice storage bins typically have an upwardly swinging door located near the top of the ice storage bin which can be opened by swinging the door upward to provide access to the ice stored within storage bin. Ice must generally be retrieved from the ice storage bin by opening the door, reaching into the ice storage bin, and moving ice into a bucket or other receptacle that is placed on the floor or ground. When the ice storage bin is nearly full of ice, and particularly when the ice storage bin is filled with a small amount of ice, one must lean over into the ice storage bin and lift the ice out with a scoop or other tool. This process can be time-consuming and involves bending over numerous times. Ice and/or water are often spilled onto the floor or ground during this process, which can create a hazard. Reaching into the ice storage bin can be difficult, particularly for someone of short stature, and repetitively lifting scoops of ice from the ice storage bin can be difficult or uncomfortable.
Prior art ice makers that provide for filling of an ice bucket have been attempted in the past. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,758 to Hawkes, provides an apparatus for filling a bucket or receptacle with ice from an ice storage bin using an ice discharge gate that can be pulled to allow ice to fall via gravity out of the ice storage bin and into a bucket or cart. In the Hawkes design, a slidable ice baffle is used to ensure that ice is pulled off the bottom of the bin such that the ice is removed in a first-in, first-out (FIFO) sequence. The Hawkes design is complicated and expensive to produce.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a cost effective and simple solution for filling a bucket or other receptacle from an ice storage bin which also provides for less ice spillage. Likewise there is a need in the art for a cost effective and simple solution for a filling a bucket or other receptacle from an ice storage bin that is more ergonomic and does not involve repeatedly bending over and lifting ice. Finally, there is also a need in the art for a cost effective and simple solution for a filling a bucket or other receptacle from an ice storage bin which allows the bucket to be filled more quickly than with the traditional method of lifting ice out of the bin one scoop at a time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONBriefly, therefore, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to an ice storage bin assembly comprising an ice storage bin having a cavity for the storage of ice and an opening for access to the cavity. The ice storage bin further comprises an ice dispensing chute disposed internal to the ice storage bin comprising an inlet and an outlet. Ice can be directed into the inlet where it is carried by gravity down to the outlet and deposited in a bucket below the outlet. The ice storage bin further includes an ice dispensing chute closure means adapted to close the inlet of the ice dispensing chute.
In one embodiment of the present invention, ice dispensing chute closure means comprises a scoop adapted to be received in and seal the inlet of the ice dispensing chute. In another embodiment of the present invention, ice dispensing chute closure means comprises a raised portion disposed on the back side of the door which is adapted to seal the inlet of the ice dispensing chute when the door is closed.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, wherein the drawings illustrate features in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and wherein:
FIG. 3CC is a right cross section detail view of an ice dispensing chute according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.
As discussed above, U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,758 to Hawkes, provides an apparatus for filling a bucket or receptacle with ice from an ice storage bin using an ice discharge gate that can be pulled to allow ice to fall via gravity out of the ice storage bin and into a bucket or cart. In the Hawkes design, a slidable ice baffle is used to ensure that ice is pulled off the bottom of the bin such that the ice is removed in a first-in, first-out (FIFO) sequence. Furthermore, the ice discharge gate closes or seals the ice discharge spout. However, the ice storage bin according to embodiments of the present invention provides for the removal of ice stored in the ice storage bin in a last-in, first-out (LIFO) sequence. That is, the ice which is at the top of the ice stored in ice storage bin and that which was produced most recently is the first ice to travel through an ice dispensing chute and into a bucket or receptacle. Furthermore, Hawkes does not permit the opening of successive chute doors to accommodate low ice levels within the ice storage bin. Embodiments of the present invention are simpler and less expensive to fabricate, and are also simpler to disassemble for cleaning.
Referring to
Ice storage bin assembly 30 further includes door 40. Door 40 may be rotatably connected to ice storage bin 31 by one or more hinges 47 which permit door 40 to swing from a closed position (
Optionally, an ice maker having a refrigeration and ice making system may be disposed inside of a cabinet 16 which may be mounted on top of ice storage bin assembly 30. In certain embodiments, however as illustrated in
Referring now to
Referring now to
In various embodiments, as illustrated in
By including chute doors 60a, 60b that can swing open, the depositing of ice into bucket 70 can be easily performed with varying levels of ice stored within ice storage bin 31 by opening the one or more chute doors 60a, 60b. By opening one or more chute doors 60a, 60b, inlet 54 of ice dispensing chute 52 can move downward. For example, as shown in
Accordingly, in each of these embodiments, ice that was most recently produced is the first ice that is removed from ice storage bin 31 through ice dispensing chute 52 and deposited into bucket 70. That is, the last ice in is the first ice out (LIFO).
While in these embodiments, ice dispensing chute 52 and recessed area 50 may be semi-circular in cross-section, it is to be understood that in other embodiments, for example, ice dispensing chute 52 and recessed area 50 may be any shape including, but not limited to, circular, rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, etc. without departing from the scope of the present invention. Additionally, while embodiments of ice dispensing chute 52 comprising two chute doors 60a, 60b are illustrated herein, it is to be understood that in other embodiments, for example, one or more chute doors may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. In one embodiment, for example, ice dispensing chute may comprise one or more chute doors 60. In yet another embodiment, for example, ice dispensing chute 52 may comprise two or more chute doors 60. In yet another embodiment, for example, ice dispensing chute 52 may comprise three or more chute doors 60. In yet another embodiment, for example, ice dispensing chute 52 may comprise four or more chute doors 60. In yet another embodiment, for example, ice dispensing chute 52 may comprise five or more chute doors 60. In yet another embodiment, for example, ice dispensing chute 52 may comprise six or more chute doors 60. In yet another embodiment, for example, ice dispensing chute 52 may comprise seven or more chute doors 60. In yet another embodiment, for example, ice dispensing chute 52 may comprise eight or more chute doors 60. In yet another embodiment, for example, ice dispensing chute 52 may comprise nine or more chute doors 60. In yet another embodiment, for example, ice dispensing chute 52 may comprise ten or more chute doors 60. In other embodiments, ice dispensing chute 52 may be a chute which is fixed such that it does not swing open; accordingly, in certain embodiments ice dispensing chute 52 does not have any chute doors. It should be understood that embodiments having chute doors 60, that chute doors 60 may not close or seal ice dispensing chute 52 and thus without some means of closing or sealing ice dispensing chute 52, there will be an opening into ice storage bin 31 through ice dispensing chute 52.
NSF Standard NSF/ANSI 12-2009 for “Automatic Ice Making Equipment,” paragraph 5.1.1 states that “equipment shall be designed and manufactured to prevent the harborage of vermin and the accumulation of dirt and debris, and to permit the inspection, maintenance, servicing and cleaning of the equipment and its components.” In order to meet this NSF requirement, to prevent vermin from gaining access to the food zone of ice storage bin 31 and to prevent cold air from escaping ice storage bin 31 through ice dispensing chute 52, an ice dispensing chute closing means is employed. Referring now to
Turning now to
Thus, there has been shown and described novel methods and apparatuses of an ice storage bin with an ice dispensing chute, which overcome many of the problems of the prior art set forth above. It will be apparent, however, to those familiar in the art, that many changes, variations, modifications, and other uses and applications for the subject devices and methods are possible. All such changes, variations, modifications, and other uses and applications that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.
Claims
1. An ice storage bin assembly comprising:
- an ice storage bin having a cavity for the storage of ice and an opening for access to the cavity
- an ice dispensing chute disposed internal to the ice storage bin comprising an inlet and an outlet, wherein ice can be directed into the inlet where it is carried by gravity down to the outlet and deposited in a bucket disposed below the outlet; and
- an ice dispensing chute closure means adapted to close the inlet of the ice dispensing chute.
2. The ice storage bin assembly of claim 1, wherein the ice storage bin further comprises a recessed area adapted to receive a bucket;
3. The ice storage bin assembly of claim 1, wherein the outlet of the ice dispensing chute is in a wall of the ice storage bin.
4. The ice storage bin assembly of claim 3, wherein a spout is at the outlet of the ice dispensing chute.
5. The ice storage bin assembly of claim 1, wherein the ice dispensing chute is further comprised of one or more chute doors.
6. The ice storage bin assembly of claim 5, wherein the one or more chute doors are rotatably connected to the ice storage bin such that the one or more doors are adapted to be opened to facilitate the depositing of ice into a bucket based on a level of ice in the ice storage bin.
7. The ice storage bin assembly of claim 1, wherein the ice dispensing chute closure means comprises a scoop adapted to be received in and seal the inlet of the ice dispensing chute.
8. The ice storage bin assembly of claim 1, further comprising a door rotatably connected to the ice storage bin by one or more hinges which permit the door to swing from a closed position to an open position;
- wherein when the door is in the closed position, the door closes the opening and when the door is in the open position, the cavity of the ice storage bin is accessible.
9. The ice storage bin assembly of claim 8, wherein the ice dispensing chute closure means comprises a raised portion disposed on the back side of the door which is adapted to seal the inlet of the ice dispensing chute when the door is in the closed position.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 21, 2013
Publication Date: May 22, 2014
Applicant: True Manufacturing Company, Inc. (O'Fallon, MO)
Inventor: John Allen BROADBENT (Denver, CO)
Application Number: 14/086,522
International Classification: B65B 1/04 (20060101); F25C 1/22 (20060101);