US2547389A - Grid for ice trays - Google Patents

Description

April 1 R. L. HALLok 2,547,389

GRID FOR ICE TRAYS Y Filed June 9, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 o l INVENTOR, 4 0m W ATTORNEY.

April 3, 1951 R. L. HALLOCK GRID FOR ICE TRAYS Filed June 9, 1937 s Sheets-Sheet 2 v 7;; I NVENTOR,

4;, ATTORNEY.

April 1951 R. HALLOCK 2,547,389

GRID FOR ICE TRAYS Filed June 9, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 7 I NVENTOR, BY 7 in ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 3, 19 51 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE GRID FOR ICE TRAYS Robert Lay Hallock, Larehmont, N. Y.

Application June 9, 1937, Serial No. 147,238

13 Claims.

My invention relates to grids for ice trays. The object is to provide an improved gridwhich is effective in operation and readily manufactured.

My improved grid is shown in preferred form in the accompanying drawings, whereof:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-section through an ice cube tray, showing the grid therein, in elevation;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the grid;

I Fig. 3 is an elevational cross-sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a bottom view, partly in section, taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 3;

Fig. '7 is an elevational view of a transverse grid wall or wall piece;

Fig. 8 is an elevational view of a longitudinal wall piece; I

Fig. 9 is an end view; Fig 10 shows the grid bowed;

Fig. 11 shows how the lever is connected to the spring member;

Fig. 12 is taken on the line I2-I2 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 13 is a plan view of a modified form of grid embodying the invention;

Fig. 14 is an elevational view of an element of the grid shown in Fig. 13; and

Fig. 15 is a sectional view taken on the line I5I5 of Fig. 14.

The grid shown in Figs. 1-12 includes a U- shaped spring member I0 which extends longitudinally of the tray H and touches the bottom and end walls. Member II] is formed with shoulders or ears I2 in which are transversely spaced apertures or holes I3. Member I0 is provided with long apertures or slits l4. Slits I4 are longitudinally aligned and are in the plane of the longitudinal wall or dividing member of the grid. The apertures I3 are in the planes of the transverse grid walls. Member ID may be stamped .out 'of flat stock and then bent to form and tempered. It may be made of suitable steel stock. It is looped at the ends to provide journals or eyes for pivot pins l5 on which are mounted levers or handles I6.

The transverse walls I! are alike and are shown in Fig. 7. They may be punched from fiat stock and may be, for example, made of steel, aluminum, brass or other metal, or even non-metallic material, treated electrically, chrome or nickel plated, and/or waxed. I prefer stainless steel.

head.

cesses l8.

and 2? on one side.

Walls 3? extend the width of the tray and are apertured at I8 and I9, that is, at the top and bottom center, to provide recessesfor reception of projections on the longitudinal wall pieces. Wall I? is cut at 2!] to straddle spring bar Ill. The intermediate projections 2| slip into apertures I 3. Projections 2| are upset (like heading a rivet) in apertures I3 to position wall l! on the spring bar. The apertures I3 may be tapered outwardly downwards, as for a countersunk rivet It is desirable that the bottom edges of wall I? and the bottom of spring member In and the bottoms of projections 21 be aligned and substantially in contact with the bottom of the tray. O-n punching, projections 2| are preferably somewhat extended beyond the bottom edge of the wall in general to give additional material to permit the upsetting.

The longitudinal wall pieces are of two kinds, the end pieces 24 and the intermediate pieces 25. One wall member 25 is shown in Fig. 8. These pieces may also be formed from flat stock in a punch press. Wall 25 has ofiset bottom projections 26' which fit into apertures I9 of transverse walls I'i. The projections are oppositely offset so that projections on adjacent wall pieces 25 can be held in the same aperture I9 in over.- lapping relation. Similarly, offset projections or extensions 2'! are provided at the upper corners of walls 25. These projections are hook-shaped to provide movement limiting abutments. The necks of projections 21 are positioned in apertures I8. Theends extends below the bottoms of re- As in the case of projections 26, projections 2i on adjacent walls 25 overlap in the same recess 8. The lower parts of walls 25 have central extensions 28 which extend into slits I4. End wall pieces 24 are made to fit the spring bars i0. They are provided with projections 26 The other side sets into slotting in spring bar H]. The pin I5 passes through plate 24.

In assembling the grid, the projections 21 of walls 25 are first slipped over walls I! and projections 26 slid into recesses i9, after which projections 2I may be pushed into apertures I3 and upset.

Levers I6 are provided with hand grips SI] and abutments 3| (Fig, 11) which, on lifting levers I6,

contact the outside of spring bar II) ,at points below the .axis of the levers, whereby, onpushing the levers further apart, the spring bar I!) is bowed, as shown in Fig. 10. End walls 24 are provided with upstanding parts 32 which constrtute rests for levers 3B in lowered positions.

It will be seen that the walls 25 are held in position because the projections 25 are held between walls 11 and spring bar ill. Projections 2'! also act as positioning guides. The walls are tied at their lower parts and are otherwise free for relative movement, though limited by the length of necks of the projections 21. Fig. illustrates how the hook-like projections 2'! limit the spread or flare oi the wall parts. t will be seen that there is a uniform distribution of bending movement in the grid as the levers are spread.

It will also be seen that the parts of spring bar [0 to the sides of the slits are bowed and that their middle parts move upwardly to exert a shearing force between the wall and the ice block attached thereto.

Levers 38 may be, and are in the form shown, made to bear against the tray in their initial movement to cause the grid with ice cubes attached thereto to be removed from the tray. lhe

levers may press the ends of the tray from the iceblock to peel the tray from the ice block.

The grid illustrated in Figs. 13 to 15 differs from that shown in the preceding figures in that the transverse walls are double, being made up of separate plates 4E! and 4! which are placed side by side and are mounted as a unit in apertures l3. Parts 45 and Al are spot-welded at 43 near the outer ends and not at intermediate points. If sheets 40 and ll are made of aluminum or similar metals it may be desirable to wax or otherwise treat the contacting surfaces. This is not necessary if stainless steel is used having at least a medium polish.

'When the ice is frozen it sticks to the walls 48 and 4|. As the levers it are spread apart the grid is flared and upper parts spread apart. Ihe least resistance to spreading is at the inside contact surfaces between walls m and 4|. Consequently these walls tend to separate at the top of the grid. Since they are held at 23, the ends will stay together as the center portions spread due to adhesion to the ice. Thus there is a progressive separation of the ice and walls 4B, 41 beginning at the outer ends and the walls are gradually peeled away from the ice working inwardly from the outer edges. The walls thus bow apart. However, as the walls 46 and 4! are separated, projections 2'! approach each other. When the walls All and 4! are separated a certain amount, the projections 27 contact the walls and, as the grid is further flexed, the projections 2'! pull the walls 40, 4! together again, thus pulling these walls away from the ice blocks. Thus walls 41! and M are first spread apart due to sticking to the ice, and then their movement is reversed and they are brought together due to the prongs 2'! approaching each other. Thus the ice blocks are removed from the transverse walls. The bowing of the parts of the spring member between projections l2 causes an upward compressive force on the ice block, shearing it from the longitudinal wall.

It will be understood that variations may be 1;.

2. In a grid for ice trays, a distortable longitudinal member, individual wall pieces mounted on the longitudinal member, and overlapping extensions on some of the wall pieces for limiting their relative movement on distortion of the longitudinal member.

3. In a grid for ice trays, a spring member having apertures, wall pieces having projections loosely positioned in some of said apertures, and other wall pieces having projections fixed in other apertures and holding the first-mentioned wall pieces in place.

4. In a grid for ice trays, a longitudinal spring member having slits, longitudinal wall pieces loosely mounted to in part project into said slits, and transverse wall pieces directly mounted on the spring member, said longitudinal wall pieces having overlapping projections iii) for holding the longitudinal Wall pieces in position and limiting movement thereof.

5. In a grid for an ice tray, a flat wall, a crossing wall having a slit, at least a part of the fiat wall passing in or through the slit, the flat wall and crossing wall being tied together beyond the ends of the slit, and means to bow the crossing wall to exert shearing force on ice attached to the flat wall.

6. In a grid for an ice tray, a longitudinal single-piece spring member, one or more levers mounted on said spring member, and transverse and longitudinal dividing members mounted on said spring member, said spring member extending longitudinally along edges of the longitudinal wall members and being bent at its end so as to be of generally U-shape.

7. In a grid for an ice tray, a longitudinal single-piece spring member of generally U-shape, one. or more levers mounted on said spring member, and dividing members mounted on said spring member and having overlapping and interfitting projections and recesses receiving said projections for positioning and limiting movement thereof.

8. A grid adapted to be bowed having doublewalled members, means to spread ice pieces stuck to said walls to spread the Walls, and means to move the walls together to remove them from the ice pieces.

9. A grid having sets of contacting transverse Walls, longitudinal Wall members extending between said transverse walls, means to hold the parts so that the sets of transverse walls may be spread in flaring fashion, the transverse walls of a set being fastened in part and not fastened in part, so as to separate on flaring the grid with ice formed thereon, and hook-like extensions on the longitudinal wall members passing across the transverse walls and adapted to pull transverse walls of a set together.

10. A grid having a longitudinal spring mem her with apertures therein, sets of contacting transverse walls held in said apertures, the walls of a set being secured at outer points, and hooklike members passing over the sets of transverse walls in pairs to limit separation of and pull together the walls of a set.

ll. In a grid, structure for mounting pocket forming walls thereon, said structure being adapted to be bowed, walls mounted on said structure in .a manner to separate, and means to reverse the relative movement of said walls on bowing the grid in one direction.

12. A backbone for a grid comprising a gen erally U-shaped piece of relatively narrow flat and forming therewith the walls of said compartments, the longitudinal partition being made up of a series of sections, means connecting said sections together to be movable through a limited arc with respect to each other, means other than the connecting means for limiting such movement of the sections, each of said transverse partitions being so related to one of said sections that the movement of said section causes an enlargement of the corresponding ice cube compartment and a breaking of the ice bond between the ice cubes formed therein and the grid.

ROBERT LAY HALLOCK.

REFERENCES CiTED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 7 Date Re. 20,656 -Geyer Feb. 22, 1938 2,009,803 Hallock July 30, 1935 2,011,849 Chilton Aug. 20, 1935 2,037,517 Saler Apr. 14, 1936 2,037,520 Anderson Apr. 14, 1936 2,449,743

Hallock Sept. 21, 1948

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