DEVICES AND ASSEMBLIES FOR CUTTING CLEAR ICE PRODUCTS AND RELATED METHODS

Abstract

Methods and devices for cutting ice are described that include at least one infeed assembly configured to guide movement of at least one ice ingot through a first saw assembly, a second saw assembly, a third saw assembly, and a production saw assembly. The devices may include at least one brace table having a table drive means and at least one channel to receive and guide an arranged set of ice ingots to a production saw assembly, wherein the production saw assembly is configured to perform a plurality of cuts to shear the set of ice ingots into multiple distinct ice structures as the table drive means guides movement of the set of ice ingots through the production saw assembly.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/490,606, filed on Mar. 16, 2023, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entireties.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

All publications and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety, as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to the field of ice manufacturing, and more specifically to the field of clear ice manufacturing. Described herein are devices and methods for cutting and/or planing ice.

BACKGROUND

From the end of the prohibition era to modern day, craft cocktails remain a mainstay in most restaurants and bars. To enhance the overall experience, some restaurants and bars add garnishes and/or specialty ice to the cocktails. Currently, these restaurants and bars buy large blocks of ice that are then manually chipped off in-house to the appropriate size for each drink. This process may mar the ice and produce unexpected fragility and misshapenness of the ice when placed in liquid. Producing high quality ice cubes is a challenging process due to the high fragility of ice and the climatic requirements for proper handling and storage of ice.

SUMMARY

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an ice cutting system including: a first infeed assembly configured with an infeed drive means to guide movement of at least one ice ingot through a first saw assembly; an outfeed assembly spaced from the first infeed assembly with the first saw assembly mounted therebetween, the outfeed assembly being configured with: a first outfeed drive means to guide movement of the at least one ice ingot from the first saw assembly to a second saw assembly; and an end portion configured to couple to a first endwall of a second infeed assembly, the second infeed assembly including a second endwall opposite the first endwall, the second endwall being coupled to at least one additional infeed assembly and to receive the at least one ice ingot from the second infeed assembly and arrange the at least one ice ingot in a predefined formation on the second infeed assembly; and at least one brace table including a table drive means and at least one channel to receive and guide the arranged at least one ice ingot to a production saw assembly, wherein the production saw assembly is configured to perform a plurality of cuts to shear the at least one ice ingot into multiple ice structures as the table drive means guides movement of the at least one ice ingot through the production saw assembly.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an ice cutting system, wherein: the at least one ice ingot includes a plurality of ice ingots; the at least one channel includes a plurality of channels; and the production saw assembly includes at least one blade configured to switch between cutting across the plurality of ice ingots in a first direction and cutting across the plurality of ice ingots in a second direction.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an ice cutting system, wherein the first saw assembly is aligned to perform a cut that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal plane of the ice cutting system and configured to plane a first surface of the at least one ice ingot.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an ice cutting system, wherein the first surface is a top surface of the at least one ice ingot.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an ice cutting system, wherein the second saw assembly includes a second saw assembly and a third saw assembly, the second saw assembly and the third saw assembly include at least a portion of respective cutting elements oriented in a plane substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal plane and substantially perpendicular to a cutting plane of the production saw assembly of the ice cutting system, wherein the second saw assembly is offset by a fixed amount from the third saw assembly.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an ice cutting system, wherein the second saw assembly is configured to cut a second surface of the at least one ice ingot and the third saw assembly is configured to cut a third surface of the at least one ice ingot, the second surface being substantially parallel to the third surface.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an ice cutting system, wherein the production saw assembly includes at least one blade configured to switch between performing a cut across the at least one ice ingot in a first direction and performing a cut across the at least one ice ingot in a second direction.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an ice cutting system, wherein the at least one additional infeed assembly is configured with a pusher bar to arrange the at least one ice ingot in the predefined formation on the second infeed assembly and move the arranged at least one ice ingot from the second infeed assembly to the at least one additional infeed assembly. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an ice cutting system, wherein the at least one ice ingot is an elongate ice ingot having about 0.8 meters to about 2.0 meters in length.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an ice cutting system, further including: a first adjuster means for adjusting the first saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a first side of the at least one ice ingot; a second adjuster means for adjusting the second saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a second side and a third side of the at least one ice ingot, the second side being substantially parallel to the third side; and at least one additional adjuster means for the production saw assembly to control a length of the plurality of cuts that shear the at least one ice ingot into the multiple ice structures.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an ice cutting system, further including: a first adjuster means for adjusting the first saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a first side of the at least one ice ingot; and a second adjuster means for adjusting the second saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a second side and a third side of the at least one ice ingot, the second side being substantially parallel to the third side, wherein a length of the plurality of cuts that shear the at least one ice ingot into the multiple ice structures is a predefined step index performed by a brace table.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an ice cutting system, wherein the second infeed assembly includes a plurality of slots for holding the plurality of ice ingots according to the predefined formation, and is configured to move laterally to align each of the plurality of ice ingots with an open channel of the plurality of channels of the brace table.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system for processing a plurality of ice ingots, including: a first saw assembly, mounted proximally to a first conveyor; a second saw assembly, mounted proximally to a second conveyor; a third saw assembly, mounted proximally to the second conveyor; a brace table, including a first end opposite a second end, wherein the first end is adjacent to the third saw assembly; a production saw assembly, operatively coupled proximally to the second end of the brace table, wherein the first saw assembly is configured to make a horizontal cut on each of the plurality of ice ingots as the plurality of ice ingots is conveyed along the first conveyor and to the first saw assembly, the horizontal cut being performed on a first side of a respective ice ingot in the plurality of ice ingots, wherein the second saw assembly is configured to make a vertical cut on a second side of the respective ice ingot in the plurality of ice ingots and the third saw assembly is configured to make a vertical cut on a third side of the respective ice ingot in the plurality of ice ingots, the second side being opposite the third side and substantially perpendicular to the first side, wherein the production saw assembly is configured to traverse across the plurality of ice ingots in a first direction to perform a cut on the plurality of ice ingots to generate ice portions.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, wherein the brace table secures the plurality of ice ingots using a plurality of guides to align the plurality of ice ingots while the production saw assembly performs the cut of the plurality of ice ingots.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, wherein the second conveyor is configured with a pusher bar to arrange the plurality of ice ingots in a predefined formation and move the arranged plurality of ice ingots from the second conveyor to the brace table. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, wherein the plurality of ice ingots are elongate ice ingots having about 0.8 meters to about 2.0 meters in length.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, further including: a first adjuster means for adjusting the first saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a first side of the plurality ice ingots; a second adjuster means for adjusting the second saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a second side and a third side of the plurality of ice ingots, the second side being substantially parallel to the third side; and at least one additional adjuster means for the production saw assembly to control a length in which to cut the plurality of ingots into ice portions.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, further including: a first adjuster means for adjusting the first saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a first side of the plurality ice ingots; and a second adjuster means for adjusting the second saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a second side and a third side of the plurality ice ingots, the second side being substantially parallel to the third side, wherein a length of the plurality of cuts that shear the plurality ice ingots into multiple ice structures is a predefined step index performed by the brace table.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system for processing a plurality of ice ingots, including: a first saw assembly; a second saw assembly; a third saw assembly; at least one conveyor; a brace table, including a first end opposite a second end, wherein the first end is adjacent to one or more of: the third saw assembly, the second saw assembly, and the first saw assembly; and a production saw assembly, operatively coupled proximally to the second end of the brace table, wherein the first saw assembly is configured to make a horizontal cut on each of the plurality of ice ingots as the plurality of ice ingots is conveyed past the first saw assembly, the horizontal cut being performed on a first side of a respective ice ingot in the plurality of ice ingots, wherein the second saw assembly is configured to make a vertical cut on a second side of the respective ice ingot in the plurality of ice ingots and the third saw assembly is configured to make a vertical cut on a third side of the respective ice ingot in the plurality of ice ingots, the second side being opposite the third side and substantially perpendicular to the first side, wherein the production saw assembly is configured to traverse across the plurality of ice ingots in a first direction to perform the cut to generate ice portions.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, wherein the brace table secures the plurality of ice ingots using a plurality of guides to align the plurality of ice ingots while the production saw assembly performs the cut of the plurality of ice ingots to generate the ice portions.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, wherein the at least one conveyor includes a first conveyor and a second conveyor, the first conveyor being configured to convey ice ingots onto the second conveyor, the second conveyor being configured with a pusher bar to arrange the plurality of ice ingots into one or more predefined formations and to move the arranged plurality of ice ingots from the second conveyor to the brace table.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, wherein the second conveyor includes a plurality of slots for holding the plurality of ice ingots according to the predefined formation, and is configured to move laterally to align each of the plurality of ice ingots with an open channel of the plurality of channels of the brace table. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, wherein the plurality of ice ingots is conveyed past the first saw assembly, the second saw assembly, and the third saw assembly by the first conveyor.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, wherein the plurality of ice ingots include elongate ice ingots having a length of about 0.8 meters to about 2.0 meters.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, further including: a first adjuster means for adjusting the first saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a first side of the plurality of ice ingots; a second adjuster means for adjusting the second saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a second side and a third side of the plurality of ice ingots, the second side being substantially parallel to the third side; and at least one additional adjuster means for the production saw assembly to control a length of the plurality of cuts that shear the plurality of ice ingots into multiple ice structures.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a system, further including: a first adjuster means for adjusting the first saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a first side of the plurality of ice ingots; and a second adjuster means for adjusting the second saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a second side and a third side of the at least one ice ingot, the second side being substantially parallel to the third side, wherein a length of the plurality of cuts that shear the plurality ice ingots into multiple ice structures is a predefined step index performed by the brace table.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing is a summary, and thus, necessarily limited in detail. The above-mentioned aspects, as well as other aspects, features, and advantages of the present technology are described below in connection with various embodiments, with reference made to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example schematic of a system for planning and/or cutting ingots of ice.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an ice ingot being provided to an ice cutting system.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example schematic of an ice ingot interfacing with a saw assembly of an ice cutting system.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example embodiment of an ice cutting system.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example brace table of an ice cutting system.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example saw assembly of an ice cutting system for cutting ice ingots into production portions.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example method of cutting and dividing ice ingots into production portions.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example pusher bar assembly for moving ice ingots in an ice cutting system.

FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of an example production saw assembly receiving a plurality of ice ingots.

The illustrated embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the disclosure. The schematics are drawn to illustrate features and concepts and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The foregoing is a summary, and thus, necessarily limited in detail. The above-mentioned aspects, as well as other aspects, features, and advantages of the present technology will now be described in connection with various embodiments. The inclusion of the following embodiments is not intended to limit the disclosure to these embodiments, but rather to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the claimed subject matter. Other embodiments may be utilized, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. Aspects of the disclosure, as described and illustrated herein, can be arranged, combined, modified, and designed in a variety of different formulations, all of which are explicitly contemplated and form part of this disclosure.

It is an object of the present disclosure to describe devices, systems, and methods for cutting (e.g., planing or trimming), sawing, and/or etching ice ingots. For example, the devices, systems, and methods described herein may be configured to cut and/or plane along multiple surfaces of clear ice ingots. In some embodiments, the systems and methods described herein may cut, plane, or etch the ice ingot to prepare the ice ingot for additional processing before being cut into a variety of shapes that are ready for use. In some embodiments, the devices, systems, and methods described herein function to prepare ice ingots for cutting the ingots into a number of different shapes and sizes. An example preparation may include strategically cutting portions (e.g., one or more surfaces or edges) of the ice ingot using a cutting assembly with a number of cutterheads with blades, knives, and/or any number of similar or different saws (e.g., bandsaws, circular saws, etc.), etc.

This disclosure describes devices, systems, and methods for cutting (e.g., planing, trimming, slicing, shearing, sawing, etching, etc.) ice ingots along one or more surfaces. In general, the ice ingots that are cut by the devices, systems, and methods described herein are elongate ingots of ice generated by an ice making machine. The ice ingots may be fed into and/or otherwise received by the devices described herein in a partially or completely clear, crystalline form. Because ice can be melted into water during processing, the components of the systems described herein are generally made of waterproof or water wicking materials. Components that are not waterproof may be protected by shrouds, coatings, and/or within waterproof casings that partially or wholly cover such components. Because the ice is for human consumption, food contact and non-food contact components are generally food-safe, such as stainless steel or anodized aluminum.

In some embodiments, the ice ingots cut by the devices described herein may measure about one meter to about four meters in length. In some embodiments, the ice ingots have a bottom surface, a first side surface, a second side surface, and a top surface and measure about 2.5 centimeters to about 10 centimeters in height on a side. In some embodiments, the ingots are cylindrical or semi-cylindrical and may have a radius of about 2 centimeters to about 10 centimeters. In some embodiments, the ice ingots are shorter in height than in width. In some embodiments, the ice ingots are taller in height than in width.

As used herein, the terms “cutting” and/or “cut” may include planing, shearing, trimming, shaping, embossing, etching, shaving, sawing, or any other subtractive manufacturing approach (i.e., layer-by-layer/multi-layer removal of material from an ice solid) of producing ice having a desired shape, form, or appearance. As used herein, the term “conveyor” may include conveyor belts and may additionally include cleats coupled to conveyor belts for added control of ice ingots. Such conveyors may be positioned as infeed or outfeed assemblies of the ice planning systems described herein.

Cutting one or more surfaces of an ice ingot may provide an advantage of forming elongate (e.g., elongated) ice blocks with substantially orthogonal surfaces (i.e., about 90 degree angles for each corner moving between adjacent surfaces). Cutting ensures that resulting ice structures that are cut from the ice ingots have substantially orthogonal surfaces even if the initial ingots did not. Thus, ice produced by the systems and methods described herein may be aesthetically uniform in shape.

The devices, systems, and methods described herein may be configured to feed an ice ingot through any number of cutting/planing assemblies and/or transport the cut/planed ice to an output location. During cutting of the ice ingot, ice pieces and shavings produced by the cutting process may be removed from the cutting field via both a mechanical mechanism (pushing or sweeping) and a vacuuming mechanism (not shown). The expelled ice pieces and shavings may be swept or vacuumed into a collection container (not shown). The collection container may be configured to melt the ice pieces and shavings and remove resulting water from the collection container using a drain associated with the collection container. Additionally, or alternatively, ice pieces and shavings may be removed with compressed air streams and/or otherwise melted with an electric heating device. Removing ice pieces and shavings from the cutting field can provide an advantage of maintaining an unmarred (e.g., undamaged, unblemished, etc.) ice surface. For example, ice pieces and shavings that are not removed from the cutting field may cause ice to re-adhere to ice surfaces. In addition, ice pieces and shavings that are allowed to remain in the cutting field may unexpectedly impact the ice surface when being cut from the ice ingot, which can cause surface flaws, cracks, and/or breaks in the ice ingot.

The embodiments described herein may include processing methods and systems for handling and cutting elongate ice ingots. The ice cutting systems described herein may include one or more conveyors, saws, pusher bars, fingers, pusher pins, or the like. Before being processed in the cutting system described herein, the elongate ice ingots are produced in flumes, and the result is the bottom surface of the ice ingot is particularly high quality, while the sides and top may be of lower quality than or not orthogonal to the bottom surface. In some embodiments, the cutting system may be intended to cut three sides and then perform a cut on the ice ingots to produce production portions. As used herein, a “production portion” may refer to ice structures cut or planed from a larger ice ingot. The ice structures may have a shape including, but not limited to an ice cube, an ice cuboid, an ice rectangle, an ice triangle, an ice rhomboid, an ice sheet, and an ice block.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example schematic of an ice cutting system 100. As shown, the ice cutting system 100 includes a conveyor 3, a conveyor 5, an optional conveyor 8, an optional one or more conveyor 9, one or more brace tables 10, and a conveyor 14. The ice cutting system 100 also includes a first saw assembly 2, a second saw assembly 4, a third saw assembly 6, and one or more production saw assemblies 12. The one or more production saw assemblies 12 may represent one or more saw assemblies in a manufacturing process for cutting ice ingots. For example, the production saw assemblies (e.g., production saw assemblies 12) may represent a saw or a set of saws that cut the ice ingot(s) (e.g., ice ingot 1, ingot set 402a, ingot set 404a, and/or ingot set 406a, etc.) to generate production portions (e.g., ice structures) that are complete and ready for storage, sale, packaging, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ice cutting system 100 is arranged with the conveyor 5 aligned substantially perpendicular to an end portion of each of conveyor 3, saw assembly 2, saw assembly 4, and saw assembly 6. The saw assembly 2 may be arranged between the conveyor 3 and the saw assembly 4. The saw assembly 6 may be arranged between optional conveyor 8 and saw assembly 4. The optional conveyor 9 may be arranged between optional conveyor 8 and one or more brace tables 10.

In some embodiments, the saw assembly 4 and saw assembly 6 may represent a second saw assembly and a third saw assembly that include at least a portion of respective cutting elements for assemblies 4, 6 oriented in a plane substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal plane L (FIG. 2) and substantially perpendicular to a cutting plane of the production saw assembly 12 of the ice cutting system described herein. In such examples, the second saw assembly 4 may be offset by a fixed amount from the third saw assembly 6. The fixed amount may include: the second saw assembly being distanced about 10 centimeters to about 50 centimeters along the direction of arrow 26 from the third saw assembly 6; about 10 centimeters to about 15 centimeters along the direction of arrow 26; about 15 centimeters to about 20 centimeters along the direction of arrow 26; about 20 centimeters to about 25 centimeters along the direction of arrow 26; about 25 centimeters to about 30 centimeters along the direction of arrow 26; about 30 centimeters to about 35 centimeters along the direction of arrow 26; about 35 centimeters to about 40 centimeters along the direction of arrow 26; or about 45 centimeters to about 50 centimeters along the direction of arrow 26;

The production saw assemblies 12 may be arranged between the brace tables 10 and the conveyor 14. The ice cutting system 100 may be configured to process one or more ice ingots as the ingots are conveyed through the ice cutting system 100 along the direction shown by arrow 26. In operation, one or more ice ingots (e.g., ice ingot 1 of FIG. 2) may be loaded onto the conveyor 3 (e.g., an infeed assembly). The conveyor 3 includes the capability of conveying one or more ice ingots to the conveyor 5 (e.g., an outfeed assembly). The conveyor 3 may convey ice ingots, with respect to the direction of arrow 26, from position A to position B, from position A to position C, from position A to position D, or from position A to position E (i.e., to replace or substitute use of conveyor 5). After leaving the conveyor 3, the ice ingot 1 may be engaged and supported by the conveyor 5. The ice ingot 1 may be engaged by the conveyor 5 and moved in a direction of arrow 26 and from position A to position B, position C, or position D. Some embodiments may include an unsupported span between the conveyor 3 and the conveyor 5 with the first saw assembly 2 therebetween (i.e., from position B to position C). Some embodiments may include at least a portion of the saw assembly 2 installed above the conveyor 3 or above the conveyor 5.

The first saw assembly 2 may include at least a portion of a cutting element (not shown—e.g., the band of a band saw) oriented to project a cutting plane 34 (FIG. 2) that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal plane L. The longitudinal plane L is dimensioned by the z-axis 20 and the x-axis 22, and illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example cross-sectional view of the ice ingot 1 being provided to an ice cutting system, such as ice cutting system 100. The view of FIG. 2 depicts the ice ingot 1 being provided normal to the z-axis 20 and y-axis 24, as the ingot 1 is conveyed through the ice cutting system 100. As such, the cutting planes 34, 36, and 38 of respective saw assemblies 2, 6, and 4 of the ice cutting system 100 are illustrated.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting plane 34 of the saw assembly 2 is dimensioned by the Z-axis 20 and the x-axis 22. In operation, the cutting plane 34 of the saw assembly 2 (illustrated in FIG. 1), positioned (i.e., adjustable by an adjuster for the saw assembly 2) at a y-axis 24 position less than the y-axis 24 height dimension of the ice ingot 1 being conveyed. As such, the conveyed ice ingot 1 may be divided into at least two portions by the saw assembly 2. For example, the first portion may include a main portion 40 and the second portion may include a first removed portion 32. The main portion 40 of the ice ingot 1 is lower in measured height, with respect to the y-axis 24, than the height of the cutting plane 34 of the saw assembly 2. The first removal portion 32 of the ice ingot 1 is the portion of the ice ingot greater than or equal to the measured height, with respect to the y-axis 24, of the cutting plane 34 of the saw assembly 2. As such, after the ice ingot 1 interfaces with the saw assembly 2, the main portion 40 remains for further conveyance through system 100, and portion 32 is removed forming a first surface 92 (illustrated in FIG. 2).

Further illustrated by FIG. 1, the ice ingot 1 may be conveyed past the first saw assembly 2, and the ice ingot 1 may be conveyed to the second saw assembly 4 and third saw assembly 6. The second saw assembly 4 includes at least a portion of a cutting element (e.g., the band of a band saw) oriented to project the cutting plane 38 (e.g., seen in FIG. 2) dimensioned by the x-axis 22 and the y-axis 24, and, thus, substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal plane L (dimensioned by the z-axis 20 and the x-axis 22, and illustrated in FIG. 3). In general, the ice ingot 1 may be conveyed past each of the saw assembly 2, the saw assembly 4, and the saw assembly 6 at a speed of about 0.1 m/s to about 0.4 m/s (about 20 ft/min to about 80 ft/min).

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the cutting plane 38 of the second saw assembly 4 may divide the ice ingot 1 into at least two portions: the main portion 40 and a second removal portion 35. As such, the portion 35 is removed forming a second surface 94 (illustrated in FIG. 2) and the main portion 40 of the ice ingot 1 is conveyed further for additional processing. The position of the second saw assembly 4 may be adjusted by an adjuster (not shown) for the second saw assembly 4, resulting in an adjusted position of the cutting plane 38 with respect to the z-axis 20.

Further illustrated by FIG. 1, the ice ingot 1 may be conveyed past the second saw assembly 4, and the ice ingot 1 may be conveyed to the third saw assembly 6. The third saw assembly 6 includes at least a portion of a cutting element (e.g., the band of a band saw) oriented to project a cutting plane 36 (e.g., seen in FIG. 2) dimensioned by the x-axis 22 and the y-axis 24, and, thus, substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal plane L (dimensioned by the z-axis 20 and the x-axis 22, and illustrated in FIG. 3).

As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting plane 36 of the third saw assembly 4 may divide the ice ingot 1 into at least two portions: the main portion 40 and a third removal portion 30. As such, the portion 30 is removed forming a third surface 90 (illustrated in FIG. 2) and the main portion 40 of the ice ingot 1 is conveyed further for additional processing. The position of the third saw assembly 6 may be adjusted by an adjuster (not shown) for the third saw assembly 6, resulting in an adjusted position of the cutting plane 36 with respect to the z-axis 20.

While the cutting of any of the saw assemblies described herein is described to include distinct cuts being performed by one saw at a time, multiple saws may perform cuts on the ice ingots simultaneously. For example, as ice ingot 1 is conveyed through saw assembly 2 and into saw assembly 4, both saw assemblies 2, 4 may be performing cuts on different locations, with respect to the direction of arrow 26 (shown in FIG. 1), of the ice ingot simultaneously. Similarly, saw assembly 4 may perform simultaneous cuts with saw assembly 6 when the ice ingot is being conveyed from saw assembly 4 to saw assembly 6. Further still, saw assembly 2, saw assembly 4, and saw assembly 6 may be performing cuts on different locations, with respect to the direction of arrow 26 (shown in FIG. 1), of the ice ingot simultaneously.

The adjusters described herein may be for adjusting any of the saw assemblies described herein to control a depth of cutting of a first side, second side, and/or third side of one or more ice ingots. In some embodiments, an adjuster may be for controlling a length of cuts that shear the ice ingots described herein into multiple production portions/ice structures.

Once the ice ingot 1 has completed processing at each of the first saw assembly 2, the second saw assembly 4, and the third saw assembly 6, the ice ingot 1 may have a substantially square shape (e.g., from a cross-sectional view normal to the y-axis 24 and the z-axis 20 of FIG. 2). The ice ingot 1 may be further conveyed to an optional conveyor 8. The conveyor 8 may include the capability and componentry (i.e., conveyor belts, pusher bars, etc.) for conveying the ice ingot 1 in direction substantially parallel to the x-axis 22, and for conveying ice ingots 1 in a direction substantially parallel to the z-axis 20. The ice ingot 1, or a plurality of ice ingots, may be conveyed to one or more optional conveyors 9. The one or more optional conveyors 9 may include the capability and componentry (i.e., conveyor belts, pusher bars, etc.) for conveying the ice ingot 1 in a direction parallel to the x-axis 22, and for conveying ice ingots 1 in a direction substantially parallel to the z-axis 20. For example, the pusher bar may move ice ingot 1 forward in a direction substantially parallel to the x-axis 22 and/or side-to-side in a direction substantially parallel to the z-axis 20 along optional conveyors 9 to arrange each ingot 1 for provision into one or more brace tables 10. In some embodiments, the pusher bar may be a pusher bar assembly 120 that includes a number of fingers that convey ingots forward, backward, leftward, and rightward to align ingot 1 (or plurality of ice ingots) to be conveyed throughout the ice cutting systems described herein. The ice ingot 1 (or plurality of ice ingots) may be conveyed to one or more brace tables 10. The one or more brace tables 10 may include one or more channels 50 (illustrated in FIG. 5) with dimensions approximately matching the dimensions 102, 104, and 106 of at least three sides of the ice ingot 1 cross-section (illustrated in FIG. 2).

In some embodiments, the one or more brace tables 10 may include one or more conveyors for conveying an ice ingot 1 (or plurality of ice ingots) in a direction substantially parallel to the x-axis 22 and in a direction of arrow 26 towards the one or more production saw assemblies 12. The one or more production saw assemblies 12 may be located on a second end 108 of the one or more brace tables 10, opposite a first end 110 of the one or more brace tables 10 that is nearest the optional one or more conveyors 9. The one or more production saw assemblies 12 may be operatively coupled to the second end 108 of the one or more brace tables 10, or operatively coupled to a support structure mounted proximally to the second end 108 of the one or more brace tables 10. In some embodiments, the production saw assemblies 12 may be restrained to a movement direction substantially parallel to the z-axis 20 (i.e., substantially normal to the x-axis 22 and the y-axis 24). Additionally, the one or more production saw assemblies 12 may include at least a portion of a cutting element (e.g., the band of a band saw) oriented to project a cutting plane 44 (illustrated in FIG. 3) dimensioned by the z-axis 20 and the y-axis 24, and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal plane L (dimensioned by the z-axis 20 and the x-axis 22).

FIG. 3 illustrates, the cutting plane 44 of the one or more production saw assemblies 12. The ice ingot 1, or plurality of ice ingots, may be conveyed to position F (illustrated in FIG. 1) at which the ice ingot 1, or each ice ingot of the plurality of ice ingots, is divided into two portions by the cutting plane 44 of the one or more production saw assemblies. The two portions may include a main portion 46 and a produced/production portion 42. Actuation of the one or more production saw assemblies 12 along the cutting plane 44 may divide the ice ingot 1 of FIG. 3 into the main portion 46 and the production portion 42.

The one or more production portions 42 may be received by the conveyor 14, and conveyed for further processing (e.g., for packaging, storage, polishing, etc.). This process, of conveying the one or more ice ingots 1 to a position in which each individual ice ingot 1 is divided into a main portion 46 and a production portion 42, may be repeated until each ice ingot being provided to system 100 is divided into ice structures that have predefined dimensions. For example, the ice cutting system 100 may be programmed to cut ice to a predefined specification that includes particular shapes and/or dimensional characteristics.

The cutting element, or portion of the cutting element of the one or more production saw assemblies 12, oriented to project cutting plane 44, may include the capability of cutting in one direction, for example, with a single sided band saw or a cutting wheel. Alternatively, the cutting element, or portion of the cutting element of the one or more production saw assemblies 12, oriented to project cutting plane 44, may include the capability of cutting in two directions, for example, with a dual sided band saw or a cutting wheel. The cutting element, or portion of the cutting element of the one or more production saw assemblies 12 may move in the cutting plane 44 while cutting, thus, dividing the production portion 42 from the main portion 46. For some embodiments (e.g., those with single direction cutting capabilities), it may be advantageous to remove contact between the cutting element, or portion of the cutting element of the one or more production saw assemblies 12 and the main portion 46 when the cutting element, or portion of the cutting element of the one or more production saw assemblies 12 is returned to an initial position prior to performing a cut. For example, a single sided bandsaw may perform a cut along cutting plane 44 in a first direction but may travel in a second direction along a path defined on the production portion 42 side of the cutting plane 44 so as to avoid contact with the main portion 46 while moving in a second direction. Avoidance of contact in the second direction may eliminate unwanted marring of the main portion 46. Additionally, or alternatively, the brace table assembly 10 may convey the main portion 46 in a direction parallel and opposite of the direction of arrow 26, away from the one or more production saw assemblies 12 prior to the cutting element, or portion of the cutting element of the one or more production saw assemblies 12 moving in a second direction. The position of the one or more production saw assemblies 12 may be adjusted by an adjuster (not shown) for the one or more production saw assemblies 12, resulting in an adjusted position of the cutting plane 44 with respect to the x-axis 22. In the example of a single sided band saw, the ice ingots may be cut at a speed of about 5.1 cm/s to about 76.2 cm/s. In the example of a dual sided band saw, the ice ingots may be cut at a speed of about 20 cm/s to about 50.8 cm/s.

Referring again to FIG. 1, some embodiments of system 100 may include the conveyor 3. Conveyor 3 may convey an ice ingot 1 through interfaces with the first saw assembly 2 (e.g., between position B and position C in FIG. 1), the second saw assembly 4 (e.g., between position C and position D in FIG. 1), and the third saw assembly 6 (e.g., between position D and position E in FIG. 1), which may eliminate use of the conveyor 5.

In some embodiments, the system 100 includes a sequence of cutting components that include, in order, the first saw assembly 2, the second saw assembly 4, and the third saw assembly 6. Other sequences of cutting components are contemplated. For example, other sequences may include, but are not limited to an ordering that includes: saw assembly 6, saw assembly 4, and saw assembly 2; saw assembly 4, saw assembly 2, and saw assembly 6; saw assembly 6, saw assembly 2, and saw assembly 4; saw assembly 2, saw assembly 6, and saw assembly 4; saw assembly 4, saw assembly 6, and saw assembly 2. Additionally, it has been contemplated that, with reference to the x-axis 22, the second saw assembly 4 and the third saw assembly 6 may interface with a conveyed ice ingot 1 at the same location along arrow 26. Put another way, the second saw assembly 4 and the third saw assembly 6 may be arranged between position B and position C to cut both respective sides of the ice ingot 1 simultaneously as the ice ingot 1 moves from position B to position C in the direction of arrow 26.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example embodiment of an ice cutting system 400. The ice cutting system 400 may be arranged to cut a number of ice ingots 402. For example, the ice ingots 402 may be conveyed, transported, or otherwise moved through the tables/conveyors and saw assemblies of system 400 to produce production portions of ice structures from elongate ice ingots (e.g., ice ingots 402).

The ice ingots 402 may have a length of about 0.5 meters to about 3 meters; about 0.8 meters to about 2 meters; about 1 meter to about 1.5 meters. The ice cutting system 400 includes the conveyor 3, the conveyor 5, the conveyor 8, a first conveyor 9a, a second conveyor 9b, and the conveyor 14. The system 400 also includes a first brace table 10a, a second brace table 10b, a third brace table 10c, and a fourth brace table 10d. The system 400 further includes the first saw assembly 2, the second saw assembly 4, the third saw assembly 6, a first production saw assembly 12a, a second production saw assembly 12b, a third production saw assembly 12c, and a fourth saw assembly 12d.

In the depicted example of system 400, the conveyor 5 may be positioned between the conveyor 3 and the conveyor 8, with a first end 11 coupled to, or mounted proximally to, the conveyor 3. In addition, a second end 13 of the conveyor 5 may be coupled to, or mounted proximally to, the conveyor 8. The conveyor 8 may include a first endwall 15 coupled to, or mounted proximally to, the conveyor 5. In addition, the conveyor 8 may include a second endwall 17 coupled to, or mounted proximally to, the first conveyor 9a and/or the second conveyor 9b.

In operation, an ice ingot 1 may be conveyed from the conveyor 3, acting as an infeed, onto the conveyor 5, acting as an outfeed. The conveyor 3 may convey the ice ingot 1 through the first saw assembly 2. The first saw assembly 2 may perform a substantially horizontal cut on the top surface (as described for FIGS. 1 and 2) of the ice ingot 1 (i.e., cutting the top surface and forming the surface 92). The ice ingot 1 may then be conveyed by the conveyor 5 through the second saw assembly 4. The second saw assembly 4 may perform a substantially vertical cut on one side (as described for FIGS. 1 and 2) of the ice ingot 1 (i.e., cutting one side of the ice ingot 1). The ice ingot 1 may then be conveyed through the third saw assembly 4. The third saw assembly 4 may perform a substantially vertical cut on the side opposite the side planed by the second saw assembly 4 (as described for FIGS. 1 and 2). In some embodiments, the cutting of the ice ingot 1 by the second saw assembly 4 and the third saw assembly 6 may be simultaneous in time and/or in position along the sides of the ice ingot 1. In some embodiments, the cutting of the ice ingot 1 by the second saw assembly 4 and the third saw assembly 6 may be performed offset in time and/or position along the sides of the ice ingot 1. In some embodiments, the cutting of the ice ingot 1 by the second saw assembly 4 and the third saw assembly 6 may be consecutively or serially performed in time along the sides of the ice ingot 1. The ice ingot 1 may then be passed onto the conveyor 8.

In time, a number of additional ice ingots similar to ice ingot 1 may be provided to system 400 for processing through saw assembly 2 and saw assembly 4. Upon reaching a predefined number of ice ingots at conveyor 8, the system 400 may be programmed to arrange ingots in a particular predefined formation. For example, when the predefined number (e.g., set) of ice ingots (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc.) ice ingots are available at conveyor 8, the system 400 may begin to arrange the set of ice ingots for further processing using optional conveyor 9 (e.g., conveyors 9a, 9b). For example, a set of six ingots (e.g., ingot set 404a) and a set of six ice ingots (e.g., ingot set 406a) are shown on conveyor 8. The ingot set 404a and the ingot set 406a are organized in an example predefined formation of six ingots per set. In this example, the ingot set 404a may be arranged with each of the six ingots (ingot set 404a and/or ingot set 406a) substantially in parallel and/or substantially evenly spaced.

The ingot sets 404a and/or ingot set 406a may then be moved off to a first side (e.g., a left side) or a second side (e.g., a right side) of the conveyor 8 to await further processing. For example, the ingot set 404a and the ingot set 406a may be received from the conveyor 5 and pushed onto the conveyor 8 where a pusher bar (e.g., pusher bar assembly 120 of FIG. 8) can push ingot set 404a to a first side of the conveyor 8. Similarly, the pusher bar can push ingot set 406a to a second side of the conveyor 8. The conveyor 8 in this example may function as a second infeed for the ingot set 404a and the ingot set 406a, which may move one or more ice ingot in the ingot set 404a in a side-to-side and/or forward fashion to, for example, arrange each ice ingot from set 404a in a track, slot (or other indentation or formed holder) of the second infeed assembly (e.g., conveyor 8), for example, onto conveyor 9 (e.g., conveyors 9a, 9b) and eventually into channels of the brace tables 10a, 10b, 10c, or 10d. For example, the second infeed assembly 8 may include a plurality of slots for holding and/or arranging a plurality of ice ingots in a predefined formation, as described elsewhere herein. The conveyor 8 may be configured to move laterally along the y-axis 24 to arrange the plurality of ice ingots to be received at conveyor 9 and/or directly into an open slot in the plurality of channels of the brace table 10, for example, when conveyor 9 is not included as part of the system 400. Each slot may be shaped or adapted to receive each ice ingot in the plurality of ice ingots.

When the ingot set 404a and the ingot set 406a are arranged on the conveyor 8, the ice ingot set 404a can be conveyed onto the first conveyor 9a while the ice ingot set 406a can be moved onto the second conveyor 9b.

The ice ingots sets 404a, 406a may be conveyed from the conveyor 8 onto the first conveyor 9a and the second conveyor 9b, respectively. The ice ingot set 404a may be pushed by another pusher bar to a first side of the first conveyor 9a. Similarly, the ice ingot set 406a may be pushed by the other pusher bar to a first side of the second conveyor 9b. The conveyance of a third set of ice ingots (e.g., ingot set 408) and a fourth set of ice ingots (e.g., ingot set 410) may be processed through saw assembly 2, saw assembly 4, the conveyor 8 to be further pushed to conveyors 9a, 9b, respectively.

Each ice ingot set 404b, 408, 410, and 406b may be conveyed into respective brace tables 10a-d. The brace tables 10a-d support the respective ice ingot sets 404b, 408, 410, and 406b. For example, each ice ingot within each of the ice ingot sets 404b, 408, 410, and 406b may have a channel (not shown) on tables 10a-d in which to be conveyed into. Each table 10a-d (or each channel) may include a spring-loaded support guide assembly (not shown). The support guide assembly may provide a support guide (e.g., support guide 52 of FIG. 5) for each ice ingot being processed along brace tables 10a-d. The support guide 52, for example, may be located above an ice ingot (e.g., ice ingot 1) and may be configured to brace against two sides of the ice ingot. In some embodiments, each channel along with the spring-loaded support guide 52 (illustrated in FIG. 5) may brace a respective ice ingot when the ice ingot is pushed through a respective saw 12a-d (as described for FIGS. 1 and 3). The brace tables 10a-d may index the ice ingots forward beyond a respective cutting plane for a particular saw 12a-d (as described for FIG. 3). The indexed amount may be about 1 cm to about 15 cm; about 2.5 cm to about 8 cm; about 4 cm to about 6 cm; about 5 cm to about 6 cm; about 6 cm to about 6.5 cm, etc.

In some embodiments, the conveyor 9 may be the first conveyer to receive ice ingots. The conveyor 9 (e.g., conveyor 9a, 9b) may then organize received ice ingots into sets, and convey ingot sets to the brace tables 10a, 10b, 10c, and/or 10d. The conveyor 9 may include a conveyor belt which conveys ice ingot in one of two directions parallel to the z-axis 20 (shown in FIG. 1). As such, the position of an ice ingot received from the conveyor 5 may be adjusted with respect to the z-axis 20 (shown in FIG. 1) allowing the organizing of ice ingots into organized sets (e.g., ice ingot set 404b, ice ingot set 408, ice ingot set 410, and/or ice ingot set 406b shown in FIG. 4). Once organized into predetermined ingot sets (e.g., ice ingot set 404b, ice ingot set 408, ice ingot set 410, and/or ice ingot set 406b), the conveyor 9 may advance the ice ingot sets onto respective brace tables (e.g., brace table 10a, 10b, 10c, and/or 10d) for further processing. The conveyor 9 may advance the ice ingot sets onto respective channels of a brace table 10a, 10b, 10c, or 10d via one or more pusher bars, as described elsewhere herein.

The respective production saw 12a-12d activates and actuates across the protruding ice ingots thereby severing a production portion 42 (as described for FIG. 3) off of each ice ingot in a set of ice ingots (e.g., ice ingot set 408). The production portion 42 lands on the conveyor 14, which conveys them along for further processing, or to a final location (e.g., into packaging). In some embodiments, the production portion 42 may instead be conveyed, dropped, or otherwise provided to a carrying structure that may function to move the production portion 42 to another location after processing by system 400.

In some embodiments the system 400 may represent a system for processing and/or cutting any number of elongate ice ingots. The ice ingots may be elongate ice ingots with a length of about 0.8 meters to about 2.0 meters. The system 400 may include a first saw assembly 2, mounted proximally to a first conveyor 3, a second saw assembly 4, mounted proximally to a second conveyor 8, and a third saw assembly 6, mounted proximally to the second conveyor 8. In such an embodiment, the system 400 may further include a brace table 10a, including a first end 110 opposite a second end 108, wherein the first end 110 is adjacent to the third saw assembly 6. The system 400 may further include a production saw assembly 12a operatively coupled proximally to the second end 108 of the brace table 10a. In some embodiments, the brace table secures the ice ingots using guides (e.g., guides 52 of FIG. 5) to align the ingots while the production saw assembly (e.g., assembly 12a) performs the cut of the ice ingots.

The first saw assembly 2 may be arranged to perform a horizontal cut on each of the ice ingots as the ingots are conveyed along the first conveyor 3 and to the assembly 2. The horizontal cut may be performed on a first side (corresponding to cutting plane 34 of FIG. 2) of a respective ice ingot in the ice ingots. For example, each of the ice ingots may be singly fed through the first saw assembly 2 to receive a cut on a first side (e.g., cutting plane 34) of each respective ice ingot.

The second saw assembly 4 may be arranged to perform a vertical cut on each of the ice ingots on a second side (e.g., associated with cutting plane 38 of FIG. 2) of the respective ice ingot. The third saw assembly 6 may be arranged to make a vertical cut on a third side (e.g., corresponding to cutting plane 36) of each respective ice ingot. The second side (e.g., cutting plane 38) is opposite the third side (e.g., cutting plane 36) and is substantially perpendicular to the first side (e.g., cutting plane 34). The production saw assembly 12a may be arranged to traverse across the ice ingots in a first direction to perform a cut on each of the ice ingots to generate ice portions.

In some embodiments, the second conveyor 8 may be coupled to a pusher bar (e.g., pusher bar assembly 120 of FIG. 8) to arrange the ice ingots in a predefined formation and to move the arranged ice ingots from the second conveyor 8 to at least one brace table 10a, 10b, 10c, or 10d, etc. In operation, the pusher bar assembly 120 may arrange and push ice ingots on conveyor 8 into a predefined arrangement. The pusher bar assembly 120 may guide the ingots along or into one or more slots, guides, fingers, or the like to place the ingots into the predefined arrangement. In the depicted example, the ice ingots 404a, for example, are arranged side-by-side and in parallel with about 0.635 centimeters (about 0.25 inches) to about 5.1 centimeters (about 2 inches) between the ice ingots. The ingots may be provided to an optional conveyor 9a, 9b or may instead be directly conveyed onto at least one brace table 10a, 10b, 10c, or 10d.

In some embodiments, the system 400 further includes a first adjuster means for adjusting the first saw assembly 2 to control a depth of cut of the first side (corresponding to cutting plane 34 of FIG. 2) of each ice ingot. The system 400 may also include a second adjuster means for adjusting the second saw assembly 4 to control a depth of cut of a second side (e.g., associated with cutting plane 38 of FIG. 2) and a third side (e.g., associated with cutting plane 36 of FIG. 2) of each ice ingot. The system 400 may further include at least one additional adjuster means for the production saw assembly (e.g., assemblies 10a, 10b, 10c, and/or 10d) to control a length in which to cut the ingots into ice portions.

In some embodiments, the length in which to cut the ice portions is determined by a predefined step index associated (and performed by) the brace table assembly (e.g., assemblies 10a, 10b, 10c, and/or 10d). Such a step index is used to determine a length in which to shear the ice ingots into multiple ice structures.

In some embodiments the system 400 may represent a system for processing and/or cutting any number of elongate ice ingots. The ice ingots may be elongate ice ingots with a length of about 0.8 meters to about 2.0 meters. The system 400 may include a first saw assembly 2, a second saw assembly 4, and a third saw assembly 6. The system 400 may further include at least one brace table assembly 10 (e.g., assembly 10a, 10b, tec.), including a first end 110 opposite a second end 108, where the first end 110 is substantially adjacent to one or more of: the third saw assembly 6, the second saw assembly 4, and the first saw assembly 2. In such an embodiment, the system 400 may further include at least one conveyor v (FIG. 1) that traverses a path substantially along locations of each assembly 2, 4, 6, and 10. The system 400 may further include a production saw assembly 12 (e.g., assembly 12a, 12b, etc.), operatively coupled proximally to the second end 108 of the brace table assembly 10, In some embodiments, the brace table secures the ice ingots using guides (e.g., guides 52 of FIG. 5) to align the ingots while the production saw assembly 12 performs the cut of the ice ingots.

The first saw assembly 2 may be arranged to perform a horizontal cut on each of the ice ingots as the ingots are conveyed along the first conveyor 3 and to the assembly 2. The horizontal cut may be performed on a first side (corresponding to cutting plane 34 of FIG. 2) of a respective ice ingot in the ice ingots. For example, each of the ice ingots may be singly fed through the first saw assembly 2 to receive a cut on a first side (e.g., cutting plane 34) of each respective ice ingot.

The second saw assembly 4 may be arranged to perform a vertical cut on each of the ice ingots on a second side (e.g., associated with cutting plane 38 of FIG. 2) of the respective ice ingot. The third saw assembly 6 may be arranged to make a vertical cut on a third side (e.g., corresponding to cutting plane 36) of each respective ice ingot. The second side (e.g., cutting plane 38) is opposite the third side (e.g., cutting plane 36) and is substantially perpendicular to the first side (e.g., cutting plane 34). The production saw assembly 12a may be arranged to traverse across the ice ingots in a first direction to perform a cut on each of the ice ingots to generate ice portions.

In some embodiments, the at least one conveyor includes a single conveyor v as described elsewhere herein. In such examples, the ice ingots may be conveyed past the first saw assembly 2, the second saw assembly 4, and the third saw assembly 6 by the conveyor v. Such a conveyor v may be controlled by a motor 120 to move ice ingots through the system 100, for example.

In some embodiments, the at least one conveyer includes the first conveyor 5 and the second conveyor 8. In such examples, the first conveyor 5 may be arranged to convey ice ingots onto the second conveyor 8. The second conveyor 8 may be coupled to a pusher bar to arrange the plurality of ice ingots into one or more predefined formations and to move the arranged ice ingots from the second conveyor 8 to the brace table assembly 10. In this example, the second conveyor 8 may include slots for holding the ice ingots according to the predefined formation. The second conveyor 8 may also be capable of moving laterally (i.e., laterally along the longitudinal plane L of FIG. 2) to align each of the ice ingots with an open channel of the brace table assembly 10.

In some embodiments, the system 400 further includes a first adjuster means for adjusting the first saw assembly 2 to control a depth of cut of the first side (corresponding to cutting plane 34 of FIG. 2) of each ice ingot. The system 400 may also include a second adjuster means for adjusting the second saw assembly 4 to control a depth of cut of a second side (e.g., associated with cutting plane 38 of FIG. 2) and a third side (e.g., associated with cutting plane 36 of FIG. 2) of each ice ingot. The system 400 may further include at least one additional adjuster means for the production saw assembly (e.g., assemblies 10a, 10b, 10c, and/or 10d) to control a length in which to shear the ice ingots into multiple ice structures.

In some embodiments, the length in which to cut the ingots into ice portions is determined by a predefined step index associated (and performed by) the brace table assembly (e.g., assemblies 10a, 10b, 10c, and/or 10d). Such a step index is used to determine a length in which to shear the ice ingots into multiple ice structures.

Although the system 400 illustrates four substantially parallel saw assemblies 12a-d and four brace tables 10a-d, other quantities have been contemplated. For example, the system 400 may instead include 8 saw assemblies 12a-d and 8 brace tables 10a-d; 16 saw assemblies 12a-d and 16 brace tables; or 32 saw assemblies 12a-d and 32 brace tables 10a-d have been contemplated. Other embodiments with quantities other than those described have been contemplated as well.

FIG. 5 illustrates a brace table assembly 10 that may be used in any of the ice cutting systems described herein. The brace table assembly 10 may represent any or all of brace table 10a, brace table 10b, brace table 10c, or brace table 10d. The brace table assembly 10 includes 6 channels, a conveyor 60, and 6 spring-loaded support guides 52. The guides 52 may be formed of or constructed of an appropriate material, such as, metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum, etc.), plastic (e.g., polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polycarbonate, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), etc.) or the like.

In some embodiments, a conveyor 60 of the brace table may include a cleat (not shown) mounted to the belt and dimensioned to push an ice ingot through a respective channel 50. The brace table assembly 10 shown in this example includes six channels for the containment of six ice ingots simultaneously. Each channel 50 may form a trough approximately the shape and size of a particular ingot. For example, each channel 50 may be a size that may receive and at least partially cradle a bottom side and one or more of the ice ingot sides planed by the second saw assembly 4 (described in FIGS. 1 and 2), the ice ingot side cut by the third saw assembly 6 (described in FIGS. 1 and 2), and the ice ingot side opposite the ice ingot side planed by the first saw assembly 2 (described in FIGS. 1 and 2). At least a portion of each channel may be constructed of an appropriate material, such as metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum, etc.), plastic (e.g., polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polycarbonate, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), etc.) or the like.

In some embodiments, the brace table assembly 10 also may include spring-loaded support guides 52 to support each ingot side as the ingot is moved/advanced into place for cutting (e.g., when the ice ingot is provided and advanced to saw assembly 12a, 12b, 12c, or 12d). The spring-loaded support guides 52 may include a cam element (not shown) with a radius portion biased into the path of an ice ingot in a respective channel 50. The cam element may be biased by, for example, a torsional spring at the interface of the cam element and its respective axle. When an ice ingot is conveyed to and beyond a respective spring-loaded support guide 52, the ice ingot may force the cam element of the spring-loaded support brace 52 upward, causing the torsional spring to exert force onto the side of the ice ingot planed by the first saw assembly 2 (described in FIGS. 1 and 2).

FIG. 6 illustrates a saw assembly 12 that may perform a final cut on the ice ingot 1, or, as illustrated, on a plurality of ice ingots (ice ingot set 404b, ice ingot set 408, ice ingot set 410, and/or ice ingot set 406b). The saw assembly 12 may perform a cut on any number of ice ingots (e.g., ice ingot set 404b, ice ingot set 408, ice ingot set 410, and/or ice ingot set 406b). The ice ingots may be indexed forward at a predefined amount by the brace table 10. The predefined (forward) step index protrudes each ice ingot across the cutting plane 44 (described in FIG. 3) by the predefined step index amount, which may be about 1 cm to about 15 cm; about 2.5 cm to about 8 cm; about 4 cm to about 6 cm; about 5 cm to about 6 cm; about 6 cm to about 6.5 cm, etc.

The cutting element 66 (e.g., blade) of the saw assembly 12 may be, for example, a dual sided bandsaw that may be arranged to cut in a first direction and arranged to cut in a second direction. In some embodiments, the cutting element 66 (e.g., blade) of the saw assembly 12 may be, for example, a single sided bandsaw that may be arranged to cut in a first direction. As such, the production saw assembly 12 may cut off production portions 42 from the ice ingots 1, (described in FIG. 3) at the predefined index length (e.g., per the predefined step index amount) while traveling along the direction of arrow 62. The brace table assembly 10 may then index the ice ingots in a forward direction (shown by arrow 63), and the saw assembly 12 may then cut off production portions 42 from the ice ingots, (described for FIG. 3) at the predefined index length while traveling along the direction arrow 64. In this fashion, the cutting element 66 may travel in a first direction (e.g., a direction of arrow 62) to perform a first cut and travel in a second direction (a direction of arrow 64) to perform a second cut. Additional cuts may be performed with the same forward and backward travel of the cutting element 66 as the ice ingot is indexed forward, as shown by arrow 63. For example, the cutting element 66 may switch between performing a cut across (e.g., by traversing across) one or more ice ingots in the direction of arrow 62 and performing a cut across (by traversing across) the one or more ice ingots in the direction of arrow 64. In some embodiments (e.g., those with single direction cutting capabilities), it may be advantageous to remove contact between the cutting element, or portion of the cutting element of the one or more production saw assemblies 12 and the ice ingot(s) 1 when the cutting element 66, or portion of the cutting element of the one or more production saw assemblies 12 is returned to an initial position prior to a preceding cut. For example, a single sided bandsaw may perform a cut while traveling along the direction of arrow 64 but may travel back along the direction of arrow 62 defined on the production portion 42 side of the cutting plane 44 as to avoid contact with the main portion 46 (shown in FIG. 2) while moving in the direction of arrow 62. Avoidance of contact in the second direction may eliminate unwanted marring of the ice ingot 1. Additionally, or alternatively, the brace table assembly 10 may convey the ice ingot 1 in a direction parallel and opposite of the direction of arrow 63, away from the one or more production saw assemblies 12 prior to the cutting element 66, or portion of the cutting element of the one or more production saw assemblies 12 moving in the direction of arrow 62.

Methods

FIG. 7 illustrates a method 700 for cutting an ice ingot and dividing the planed ice ingot into production portions. The method 700 includes cutting a first side of an ice ingot in block S20; cutting a second side of the ice ingot in block S30; cutting a third side of the ice ingot in block S40; and cutting the ice ingot into production portions in block S50. The method 700 functions to produce high quality production portions of ice (i.e., substantially uniform shaped ice)

The method 700 includes, at block S20, cutting a first side of an ice ingot. For example, the saw assembly 2 may cut a first surface of the ice ingot 1. As described above for FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the first saw assembly 2 cuts a horizontal surface 92 of the ice ingot 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, one embodiment of a method 700 for cutting an ice ingot and dividing a cut ice ingot into production portions includes block S30, which recites cutting a second side of an ice ingot. Block S30 functions to cut a second surface of the ice ingot. As described above for FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the ice cutting system planes the vertical surface 94 on the side of the ice ingot with the second saw assembly.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, one embodiment of a method 700 for cutting an ice ingot and dividing a planed ice ingot into production portions includes block S40, which recites cutting a third side of an ice ingot. Block S40 functions to plane a third surface of the ice ingot. As described above for FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the ice cutting system planes the vertical surface 90 on the side of the ice ingot with the third saw assembly. Although blocks S20, S30 and S40 are described in a particular order, surfaces 92, 94 and 90 can be performed in any contemplated order.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, one embodiment of a method 700 for cutting an ice ingot and dividing a planed ice ingot into production portions includes block S50, which recites cutting an ice ingot into production portions. Block S50 functions to produce production portions from an ice ingot. As described above for FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 6, the ice cutting system performs vertical cuts substantially perpendicular to the length of one or more ice ingots with the production saw assembly producing production portions. The production portions may be further conveyed for further processing or packaging.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example pusher bar assembly 120 for moving ice ingots in an ice cutting system (e.g., system 100, system 400, etc.) The pusher bar assembly 120 may include a threaded portion operatively coupled to a lead screw 129. The lead screw 129 may be coupled to the output shaft of a drive means such as an electric motor 122 (e.g., a stepper motor, etc.). The electric motor 122 may include position sensors (e.g., one or more potentiometers, one or more encoders, etc.) to detect/measure a position of the pusher bar assembly 120. Additionally, the pusher bar assembly 120 may be substantially parallel to the ice ingot 1 being pushed. The pusher bar assembly 120 may be supported by one or more linear guides 124, which support the orientation of the pusher bar assembly 120.

The pusher bar assembly 120 may be positioned by the system 400 prior to the reception of the ice ingots on the conveyor 9a or 9b. When receiving each ice ingot on a particular conveyor, the pusher bar assembly 120 may move the ice ingot into a predefined position to begin organizing sets of ice ingots (e.g., ice ingot set 408, ice ingot set 410, etc.) one ice ingot 1 at a time. For example, and as illustrated, if the received ice ingot 1 is desired to be organized for the ice ingot set 408 of the first conveyor 9a, the pusher bar assembly 120 may be positioned closer to a first side 126 of the conveyor 8 than an incoming ice ingot. Once the ice ingot 1 from conveyer 8 is positioned on conveyor 9a or 9b, the pusher bar assembly 120 may be translated from the first side 126 towards the second side 128 of the conveyor 8. As such, the ice ingot 1 is pushed to an appropriate position as measured by the position sensors of the drive means, such as electric motor 122. The described process of organizing ice ingots may be repeated until an organized set of ice ingots are positioned to be transferred onto the first conveyor 9a and the second D conveyor 9b.

FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of an example production saw assembly 12 receiving a plurality of ice ingots. The production saw assembly 12 may represent one or more saw assemblies in a manufacturing process for cutting elongate ice ingots. For example, the production saw assembly 12 may represent a saw or a set of saws that cut the ice ingot(s) (e.g., ice ingot 1, ingot set 402a, ingot set 404a, and/or ingot set 406a, etc.) to generate production portions (e.g., ice structures) that are complete and ready for storage, sale, packaging, etc.

In general, the production saw assembly 12 may be arranged between the brace table 10 and the conveyor 14. The brace table 10 may include one or more conveyors for conveying a plurality of ice ingots in a direction substantially parallel to the x-axis 22 and in a direction of arrow 26 (shown in FIG. 1) towards the production saw assembly 12.

In some embodiments, the production saw assembly 12 may be restrained to a movement direction substantially parallel to the z-axis 20 (i.e., substantially normal to the x-axis 22 and the y-axis 24). Additionally, the production saw assembly 12 may include at least a portion of a cutting element (e.g., the band of a band saw) oriented to project a cutting plane 44 (illustrated in FIG. 3) dimensioned by the z-axis 20 and the y-axis 24, and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal plane L (dimensioned by the z-axis 20 and the x-axis 22).

The cutting element, or portion of the cutting element of the production saw assembly 12, oriented to project cutting plane 44, may include the capability of cutting in one direction, for example, with a single sided band saw or a cutting wheel. Alternatively, the cutting element, or portion of the cutting element of the production saw assembly 12, oriented to project cutting plane 44, may include the capability of cutting in two directions, for example, with a dual sided band saw or a cutting wheel. The cutting element, or portion of the cutting element of the production saw assembly 12 may move in the cutting plane 44 while cutting, thus, dividing the production portion 42 from the main portion 46.

In some embodiments, the conveyors (e.g., tables, infeed assemblies, and/or outfeed assemblies represented by conveyor 3, conveyor 5, optional conveyor 8, optional conveyor(s) 9, 9A, 9B, etc., one or more brace tables 10, or conveyor 14) described herein may function with a single drive means such as a motor (e.g., motor 122), cam(s), and/or other components to transmit a drive force to cause rotational movement of the cam(s), components, and such conveyors.

In some embodiments, each of the conveyors (e.g., tables, infeed assemblies, and/or outfeed assemblies represented by conveyor 3, conveyor 5, optional conveyor 8, optional conveyor(s) 9, 9A, 9B, etc., one or more brace tables 10, or conveyor 14) described herein may function with a separate drive means such as a motor (e.g., motor 122), cam(s), and/or other components to transmit a drive force to cause rotational movement of each respective cam(s), components, and conveyor.

The methods of the embodiments and variations described herein can be embodied and/or implemented at least in part as a machine configured to receive a computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions. The instructions are preferably executed by computer-executable components preferably integrated with the system and one or more portions of the processor on a computing device in communication with various components of the device for producing clear ice, such as but not limited to its various valves. The computer-readable medium can be stored on any suitable computer-readable media such as RAMs, ROMs, flash memory, EEPROMs, optical devices (e.g., CD or DVD), hard drives, floppy drives, or any suitable device. The computer-executable component is preferably a general or application-specific processor, but any suitable dedicated hardware or hardware/firmware combination can alternatively or additionally execute the instructions.

As used in the description and claims, the singular form “a”, “an” and “the” include both singular and plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, the term “saw” may include, and is contemplated to include, a plurality of saws. At times, the claims and disclosure may include terms such as “a plurality,” “one or more,” or “at least one;” however, the absence of such terms is not intended to mean, and should not be interpreted to mean, that a plurality is not conceived.

The term “about” or “approximately,” when used before a numerical designation or range (e.g., to define a length or pressure), indicates approximations which may vary by (+) or (−) 5%, 1% or 0.1%. All numerical ranges provided herein are inclusive of the stated start and end numbers. The term “substantially” indicates mostly (i.e., greater than 50%) or essentially all of a device, substance, or composition.

As used herein, the term “comprising” or “comprises” is intended to mean that the devices, systems, and methods include the recited elements, and may additionally include any other elements. “Consisting essentially of” shall mean that the devices, systems, and methods include the recited elements and exclude other elements of essential significance to the combination for the stated purpose. Thus, a system or method consisting essentially of the elements as defined herein would not exclude other materials, features, or steps that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed disclosure. “Consisting of” shall mean that the devices, systems, and methods include the recited elements and exclude anything more than a trivial or inconsequential element or step. Embodiments defined by each of these transitional terms are within the scope of this disclosure.

The examples and illustrations included herein show, by way of illustration and not of limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein individually or collectively by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept, if more than one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.

Claims

1. An ice cutting system comprising:

a first infeed assembly configured with an infeed drive means to guide movement of at least one ice ingot through a first saw assembly;

an outfeed assembly spaced from the first infeed assembly with the first saw assembly mounted therebetween, the outfeed assembly being configured with: a first outfeed drive means to guide movement of the at least one ice ingot from the first saw assembly to a second saw assembly; and an end portion configured to couple to a first endwall of a second infeed assembly, the second infeed assembly including a second endwall opposite the first endwall, the second endwall being coupled to at least one additional infeed assembly and to receive the at least one ice ingot from the second infeed assembly and arrange the at least one ice ingot in a predefined formation on the second infeed assembly; and

at least one brace table comprising a table drive means and at least one channel to receive and guide the arranged at least one ice ingot to a production saw assembly, wherein the production saw assembly is configured to perform a plurality of cuts to shear the at least one ice ingot into multiple ice structures as the table drive means guides movement of the at least one ice ingot through the production saw assembly.

2. The ice cutting system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one ice ingot comprises a plurality of ice ingots;

the at least one channel comprises a plurality of channels; and

the production saw assembly comprises at least one blade configured to switch between cutting across the plurality of ice ingots in a first direction and cutting across the plurality of ice ingots in a second direction.

3. The ice cutting system of claim 1, wherein the first saw assembly is aligned to perform a cut that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal plane of the ice cutting system and configured to plane a first surface of the at least one ice ingot.

4. The ice cutting system of claim 3, wherein the first surface is a top surface of the at least one ice ingot.

5. The ice cutting system of claim 1, wherein the second saw assembly comprises a second saw assembly and a third saw assembly, the second saw assembly and the third saw assembly include at least a portion of respective cutting elements oriented in a plane substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal plane and substantially perpendicular to a cutting plane of the production saw assembly of the ice cutting system, wherein the second saw assembly is offset by a fixed amount from the third saw assembly.

6. The ice cutting system of claim 5, wherein the second saw assembly is configured to cut a second surface of the at least one ice ingot and the third saw assembly is configured to cut a third surface of the at least one ice ingot, the second surface being substantially parallel to the third surface.

7. The ice cutting system of claim 1, wherein the production saw assembly comprises at least one blade configured to switch between performing a cut across the at least one ice ingot in a first direction and performing a cut across the at least one ice ingot in a second direction.

8. The ice cutting system of claim 1, wherein the at least one additional infeed assembly is configured with a pusher bar to arrange the at least one ice ingot in the predefined formation on the second infeed assembly and move the arranged at least one ice ingot from the second infeed assembly to the at least one additional infeed assembly.

9. The ice cutting system of claim 1, wherein the at least one ice ingot is an elongate ice ingot having about 0.8 meters to about 2.0 meters in length.

10. The ice cutting system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first adjuster means for adjusting the first saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a first side of the at least one ice ingot;

a second adjuster means for adjusting the second saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a second side and a third side of the at least one ice ingot, the second side being substantially parallel to the third side; and

at least one additional adjuster means for the production saw assembly to control a length of the plurality of cuts that shear the at least one ice ingot into the multiple ice structures.

11. The ice cutting system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first adjuster means for adjusting the first saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a first side of the at least one ice ingot; and

a second adjuster means for adjusting the second saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a second side and a third side of the at least one ice ingot, the second side being substantially parallel to the third side,

wherein a length of the plurality of cuts that shear the at least one ice ingot into the multiple ice structures is a predefined step index performed by a brace table.

12. The ice cutting system of claim 2, wherein the second infeed assembly comprises a plurality of slots for holding the plurality of ice ingots according to the predefined formation, and is configured to move laterally to align each of the plurality of ice ingots with an open channel of the plurality of channels of the brace table.

13. A system for processing a plurality of ice ingots, comprising:

a first saw assembly, mounted proximally to a first conveyor;

a second saw assembly, mounted proximally to a second conveyor;

a third saw assembly, mounted proximally to the second conveyor;

a brace table, including a first end opposite a second end, wherein the first end is adjacent to the third saw assembly;

a production saw assembly, operatively coupled proximally to the second end of the brace table,

wherein the first saw assembly is configured to make a horizontal cut on each of the plurality of ice ingots as the plurality of ice ingots is conveyed along the first conveyor and to the first saw assembly, the horizontal cut being performed on a first side of a respective ice ingot in the plurality of ice ingots,

wherein the second saw assembly is configured to make a vertical cut on a second side of the respective ice ingot in the plurality of ice ingots and the third saw assembly is configured to make a vertical cut on a third side of the respective ice ingot in the plurality of ice ingots, the second side being opposite the third side and substantially perpendicular to the first side,

wherein the production saw assembly is configured to traverse across the plurality of ice ingots in a first direction to perform a cut on the plurality of ice ingots to generate ice portions.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the brace table secures the plurality of ice ingots using a plurality of guides to align the plurality of ice ingots while the production saw assembly performs the cut of the plurality of ice ingots.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the second conveyor is configured with a pusher bar to arrange the plurality of ice ingots in a predefined formation and move the arranged plurality of ice ingots from the second conveyor to the brace table.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of ice ingots are elongate ice ingots having about 0.8 meters to about 2.0 meters in length.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a first adjuster means for adjusting the first saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a first side of the plurality ice ingots;

a second adjuster means for adjusting the second saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a second side and a third side of the plurality of ice ingots, the second side being substantially parallel to the third side; and

at least one additional adjuster means for the production saw assembly to control a length in which to cut the plurality of ingots into ice portions.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a first adjuster means for adjusting the first saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a first side of the plurality ice ingots; and

a second adjuster means for adjusting the second saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a second side and a third side of the plurality ice ingots, the second side being substantially parallel to the third side,

wherein a length of the plurality of cuts that shear the plurality ice ingots into multiple ice structures is a predefined step index performed by the brace table.

19. A system for processing a plurality of ice ingots, comprising:

a first saw assembly;

a second saw assembly;

a third saw assembly;

at least one conveyor;

a brace table, including a first end opposite a second end, wherein the first end is adjacent to one or more of: the third saw assembly, the second saw assembly, and the first saw assembly; and

a production saw assembly, operatively coupled proximally to the second end of the brace table,

wherein the first saw assembly is configured to make a horizontal cut on each of the plurality of ice ingots as the plurality of ice ingots is conveyed past the first saw assembly, the horizontal cut being performed on a first side of a respective ice ingot in the plurality of ice ingots,

wherein the second saw assembly is configured to make a vertical cut on a second side of the respective ice ingot in the plurality of ice ingots and the third saw assembly is configured to make a vertical cut on a third side of the respective ice ingot in the plurality of ice ingots, the second side being opposite the third side and substantially perpendicular to the first side,

wherein the production saw assembly is configured to traverse across the plurality of ice ingots in a first direction to perform the cut to generate ice portions.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the brace table secures the plurality of ice ingots using a plurality of guides to align the plurality of ice ingots while the production saw assembly performs the cut of the plurality of ice ingots to generate the ice portions.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one conveyor comprises a first conveyor and a second conveyor, the first conveyor being configured to convey ice ingots onto the second conveyor, the second conveyor being configured with a pusher bar to arrange the plurality of ice ingots into one or more predefined formations and to move the arranged plurality of ice ingots from the second conveyor to the brace table.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the second conveyor comprises a plurality of slots for holding the plurality of ice ingots according to the predefined formation, and is configured to move laterally to align each of the plurality of ice ingots with an open channel of the plurality of channels of the brace table.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the plurality of ice ingots is conveyed past the first saw assembly, the second saw assembly, and the third saw assembly by the first conveyor.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of ice ingots comprise elongate ice ingots having a length of about 0.8 meters to about 2.0 meters.

25. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a first adjuster means for adjusting the first saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a first side of the plurality of ice ingots;

a second adjuster means for adjusting the second saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a second side and a third side of the plurality of ice ingots, the second side being substantially parallel to the third side; and

at least one additional adjuster means for the production saw assembly to control a length of the plurality of cuts that shear the plurality of ice ingots into multiple ice structures.

26. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a first adjuster means for adjusting the first saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a first side of the plurality of ice ingots; and

a second adjuster means for adjusting the second saw assembly to control a depth of cut of a second side and a third side of the at least one ice ingot, the second side being substantially parallel to the third side,

wherein a length of the plurality of cuts that shear the plurality ice ingots into multiple ice structures is a predefined step index performed by the brace table.