U.S. patent number 3,570,563 [Application Number 04/789,189] was granted by the patent office on 1971-03-16 for ice cubing machine.
Invention is credited to Thomas Frank Hall.
United States Patent |
3,570,563 |
Hall |
March 16, 1971 |
ICE CUBING MACHINE
Abstract
An ice cubing machine designed to produce ice cubes from large
blocks of ice stacked within a carriage which is made to move in a
reciprocating motion beneath a rotating gang of saws. Upon initial
movement of the carriage, the blocks are moved upwardly a distance
equal to the size of the cubes desired. The ice is then scored in
one direction as the carriage first moves under the saws, and in
another direction perpendicular to the first as the carriage is
rotated and returns for movement again under the saws. A
horizontally rotating cutting blade severs the cubes which have
been scored at the end of the carriage return movement. Before the
carriage again begins movement beneath the gang saws, the stacked
blocks are made to move upwards to repeat the cubing cycle.
Inventors: |
Hall; Thomas Frank (New Smyrna
Beach, FL) |
Family
ID: |
25146849 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/789,189 |
Filed: |
January 6, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
83/719;
125/13.01; 83/915.3; 299/15 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25C
5/14 (20130101); Y10T 83/6518 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
F25C
5/00 (20060101); F25C 5/14 (20060101); B27b
005/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;143/38.1,38 ;83/408,411
(A)/ ;125/12,13 ;299/15 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Husar; Francis S.
Assistant Examiner: Coan; James F.
Claims
I claim:
1. A machine for cutting blocks of ice into substantially uniform
cubes comprising:
a frame;
a carriage supported on said frame, said carriage including;
a horizontally disposed baseplate,
a bearing plate on said baseplate,
bearing means between said base and bearing plates and
a center pin on said bearing plate whereby said carriage may be
turned relative to said baseplate;
means for reciprocating said carriage along a horizontal path
within said frame;
a pair of rails mounted on said frame parallel to said horizontal
path;
wheels provided on said carriage for supporting said carriage on
said frame;
said reciprocating means comprising;
a bracket on said carriage having a pair of spaced-apart legs
depending from said carriage perpendicular to said horizontal
path,
drive chain means on said frame comprising a first and second
sprocket adjacent said rails mounted for rotation about an axis
transverse to said horizontal path and being located at one end of
said frame and near the other end of said frame, respectively, a
first endless chain located about said first and second
sprockets,
a drive motor on said frame for driving said chain means, said
chain means further comprising a second endless chain located
between said drive motor and said second sprocket, and
link means on said chain means positioned between said legs and
bearing against one of said legs nearest said one end of said frame
for moving said carriage toward said one end, and bearing against
the other of said legs for moving said carriage toward the other
end of said frame through said drive motor;
means on said carriage for supporting ice blocks therewithin and
extending up through the top of said carriage, comprising a third
and fourth endless chain and a horizontally disposed lift plate
secured at both ends to said third and fourth chains;
cooperating means on both said carriage and said frame for
incrementally raising said support means comprising;
a ratchet wheel on said carriage connected to one end of said third
and fourth chains;
a reciprocating lever pivotally mounted on said ratchet wheel;
a pawl for communicating motion secured to said lever,
a pawl for preventing backward motion secured to said carriage,
and
a side plate on said frame having an inwardly extending rod mounted
thereon whereby said reciprocating lever may be pivoted a certain
distance as said rod makes contact therewith when said carriage
passes by said side plate, thereby rotating said ratchet wheel a
certain degree and lifting said plate, said rod being mounted
through a vertical elongated slot in said side plate for permitting
adjustment of said rod along said slot, whereby said reciprocating
lever may be pivoted a greater distance for rotating said ratchet
wheel a greater degree,
a gang of scoring saws on said frame projecting into said
horizontal path and mounted above said carriage for rotation about
an axis transverse to said horizontal path;
a cutoff saw blade near said one end of said frame, mounted above
said carriage for rotation about an axis perpendicular to said
horizontal path, and
turning means including,
hydraulic pump means on said plate,
a rotating arm on said center pin, and
hydraulic cylinder means on said baseplate connected to said pump
means, said cylinder means having a piston arm which is connected
to said rotating arm whereby movement of said piston arm by
actuation of said pump turns said center pin and said attached
bearing plate, said means turning said carriage 90.degree. about an
axis parallel to said cutoff blade axis at each end of said
horizontal path whereby the ice block may be scored in one
direction, rotate, and be scored in a direction at rignt angles to
the said one scoring direction as said carriage passes beneath said
scoring blades, and further rotate after said cutoff blade severs
the ice thereby forming ice cubes.
2. The machine according to claim 1, wherein a horizontally
disposed actuating arm is provided on said frame at said one and
said other end thereof, said pump including a hydraulic lever arm
for actuating said pump as said lever arm contacts either of said
actuating arms when said carriage is moved to either end of its
horizontal path.
3. The machine according to claim 2 further including means on said
carriage for holding said ice blocks firmly within said
carriage.
4. The machine according to claim 3, wherein said holding means
comprises a movable rod horizontally mounted to said carriage top,
cable means for moving said rod and lock means for locking said rod
against said ice blocks.
5. The machine according to claim 3, wherein an ice chute is
provided for said cutoff saw blade for directing the ice cubes
formed by said cutoff saw blade away from the machine.
6. The machine according to claim 5, wherein means are provided on
said frame above said cutoff blade for stabilizing the formed ice
cubes on said cutoff blade during the process of being severed.
7. The machine according to claim 6, wherein said stabilizing means
comprises a plurality of finger plates pivotally mounted at one end
on said frame.
Description
This invention relates generally to a block cutting machine and
more particularly to a machine for producing ice cubes from
relatively large blocks of ice.
Many of the machines for this purpose fail to satisfy the
requirements of safety and efficiency because the hands of the
operator are usually exposed to the cutting saws while manually
performing various tasks throughout the cubing operation. Although
the axis of the saw shafts in many of these machines are stationary
during the cutting sequence such devices are usually designed for
downward movement of the ice blocks against the rotating saw blades
under the force of gravity. Accordingly, the turning and cutoff
operations for scoring and severing the cubes are slow and
cumbersome. An object of the present invention, therefore, is to
provide an ice cubing machine with increased operational speed,
greater economy, and fully automatic after being initially loaded
with the ice blocks to be cubed.
A further object of the invention is to provide an ice cubing
machine wherein the large blocks of ice are passed beneath a gang
of rotating saws thereby greatly simplifying the cubing operating
over prior art devices.
A further object of the instant invention is to provide an ice
cubing machine of the character described wherein a movable
carriage is provided for containing stacked blocks of ice which are
moved upwardly a distance equal to the desired ice cube size before
being scored in two directions by passing beneath a gang of
overhead scoring saws.
A still further object of the invention is to provide an ice cubing
machine of the type described wherein the carriage is made to
reciprocate beneath the scoring saws along a horizontal pass and is
made to turn 90 degrees at each end of its moving path so that the
ice blocks contained within the carriage may be scored in
directions perpendicular to each other.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an
ice cubing machine as described whereby upward movement of the ice
blocks takes place at the start of each ice cubing cycle before the
initial scoring operation begins without the need for any manual
adjustments or refinements.
A still further object of the invention is to provide an ice cubing
machine which is reliable, easy to operate, simple in its
construction and operation, and of relatively few moving parts
thereby reducing maintenance time to a minimum.
In summarizing the invention, it will be seen that the ice cubing
apparatus according to the instant design comprises a series or
gang of scoring saws of the circular type mounted on a single shaft
and spaced apart in accordance with the desired dimension of the
cubes in both lateral directions, the single shaft being mounted at
the top of the apparatus frame approximately equidistant between
its ends. At one end of the frame a drive motor is mounted for
reciprocating a carriage between the ends of the frame along a
horizontal path by means of a pair of endless drive chains. A
cutoff saw blade is mounted near the other end of the frame and the
carriage, which contains a block or blocks of ice extending upwards
therethrough, rests on a pair of rails directly beneath the cutoff
saw blade when the apparatus is at rest and before being set into
motion. A loading platform near the said other end of the frame
facilitates loading of the ice blocks into the carriage. When the
drive motor, gang saws, and cutoff blade are actuated, the carriage
is made to travel toward the gang saws as its wheels roll along the
horizontally disposed rails. Before reaching the scoring blades,
the ice block is automatically raised, by means of a ratchet and
pawl device on the carriage, an increment equal to the desired ice
cube dimension. The carriage then passes beneath the scoring blades
for scoring the ice block in one direction. The carriage is
thereafter made to turn 180.degree. about its fixed baseplate when
it reaches one end of its horizontal travel and, upon returning
toward the gang saws, the ice block is scored in a direction at
right angles to the first scoring lines thereby giving a second
dimension to the ice cubes to be formed. As the carriage continues
on its travels toward the said other end of the frame, the cutoff
saw blade severs the top of the ice block thereby forming a layer
of ice cubes from the block when the carriage completely passes
beneath the forward cutting edge of the cutoff blade, it is made to
once again turn 90.degree. to the position to which it initially
assumed while at rest. Because the drive motor continues to move
the endless chains, the carriage once again travels toward the
scoring saws and, once again, before being scored in a first
direction, the ice blocks are made to incrementally elevate as the
level of the ratchet and pawl device is moved as above described
for the first cycle of operation.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention, in
addition to those aforementioned, will become apparent from the
following detailed description of the invention when considered in
conjunction with the following drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side view of the ice cubing machine showing the
carriage while it rests before being loaded with an ice block or
blocks, the ice chute being omitted for purposes of clarity;
FIG. 2 is an end view of the apparatus viewed along line 2-2 of
FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a partial elevational view taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 2
showing the drive means for reciprocating the carriage along a
horizontal path;
FIG. 4 is a plan view taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 2 showing the
carriage turntable or bearing plate in its position before being
turned 180.degree.;
FIG. 4A is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the turntable after
it has been turned 180.degree. at the end of its horizontal
travel;
FIG. 5 is a plan view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2 showing the
ice block supporting plate in its relation to the carriage
frame;
FIG. 6 is a plan view taken at line 6-6 of FIG. 2 showing a
slightly movable bar for firmly holding the ice block within the
carriage frame while undergoing its cubing operation;
FIG. 7 is a plan view taken at line 7-7 of FIG. 2 showing the
cutoff saw blade in detail;
FIG. 7A is an end view of the cutoff saw blade unit showing a
cutout position for venting snow produced by the blade;
FIG. 8 is an elevation view taken at line 8-8 of FIG. 1 showing the
details of the gang of scoring saws;
FIG. 9 is slightly enlarged view showing the ratchet and pawl
device mounted near the bottom end of the carriage for
incrementally raising the ice block supporting plate;
FIG. 10 is a schematic showing of the carriage while at rest just
before the cubing operation is begun;
FIG. 11 is a schematic showing of the carriage after the ice block
has been incrementally raised and just before passing beneath the
gang of scoring saws;
FIG. 12 is a schematic showing the carriage after the ice block has
been scored in one direction and the carriage turned 180.degree. as
it reaches the forward end of its horizontal travel;
FIG. 13 is a schematic showing the carriage on its return travel
toward the gang of scoring saws and in the process of being scored
in a direction at right angles to the first scoring direction;
FIG. 14 is a schematic showing the carriage in the process of
passing beneath the cutoff saws showing the cutoff blade severing a
top layer from the ice block thereby forming ice cubes;
FIG. 15 is a schematic showing the carriage at the end of the
complete cubing cycle and just before the carriage is made to turn
90.degree. to begin another cubing cycle; and
FIGS. 10A and 15A are top plan views of the carriage shown in FIGS.
10 through 15, respectively.
Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters
refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views,
the complete assembly of the ice cubing machine according to the
instant design is shown in FIG. 1 wherein a skeleton frame 20 is
provided for the apparatus comprising a pair of top frame members
21, sides 22, and a bottom 23 constructed in a form of angle-irons
or any other suitable design. A series or gang of scoring saws 24
with its accompanying motor 25 is mounted on the top frame members
approximately equidistant between side frame members 22. A carriage
drive motor 26 is also mounted on the top frame members 21 at one
end of the frame 20, and a motor 28, for driving a cutoff saw blade
27 is mounted on top frame members 21 near the other end of the
frame 20.
Other operating components such as, for example, switch box 29 are
mounted on the top frame members 21 for powering motors 25, 26 and
28. A carriage, generally indicated by reference numeral 31, is
shown at its position of rest in the apparatus frame 20 at a
location beneath the cutoff saw blade 27. The carriage 31 comprises
a generally boxlike skeleton frame having a pair of uprights 32,
22, shown more clearly in FIG. 5, in angular relation at the
forward end of the carriage, and a pair of uprights 34 at the
rearward end of the carriage. Also at the forward end of the
carriage (see FIG. 2) may be any number of structural members 35,
36. The rearward end of the carriage is entirely open along its
entire height so as to allow insertion of the ice block or blocks
(not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) onto an ice block supporting platform
37. As can be seen, the platform 37 is channel-shaped in cross
section having dependent legs 38 along its forward and rearward
sides for the purpose of stabilizing the plate within the boxlike
carriage structure. Four upright bars 38, square in cross section
(FIG. 5) are provided near the corners of plates 32, 33 and at the
rearward side of the plates 34 so that the supporting platform 37,
having cutouts 39 in the vicinity of the uprights 38, may be
stabilized as the supporting plate is raised and lowered within the
carriage. The platform 37 is supported longitudinally on a rod
member 41 secured at either end to an endless chain 42 provided at
both sides of the carriage. Each chain 42 extends about sprocket
wheels 45, 46, mounted for rotation on axle bars 47, 48,
respectively, between top crossplates 43 and bottom crossplates 44.
Fine adjustment screws 40 may also be provided on the uprights 34
for tensioning chains 42 when needed.
A ratchet wheel 49 is secured to the lower axle bar 48, more
clearly shown in FIG. 9 of the drawing. Also, a reciprocating lever
51, and an integrally attached pawl device 52, for communicating
motion, is pivotally secured about the axle bar 48. A pawl member
53, for preventing backward motion of the ratchet wheel 49 in the
normal manner is attached to the bottom crossplate 44 (see FIG. 2).
Accordingly, the support platform 37 may be manually raised by
moving lever 51 leftward for rotating the ratchet wheel 49
counterclockwise as the pawl member 52 engages with one of the
teeth of the ratchet wheel. The axle bar 48 is accordingly rotated
and the attached supporting platform moved upward. The pawl 52 lies
within a tubular support 52a so that a coil spring (not shown) may
be provided within the tube for urging the pawl toward the ratchet
wheel. The supporting platform 37 may also be lowered manually by
pulling up on the pawl 52 thereby allowing the axle bar 48 to
rotate clockwise as the force of gravity pulls the platform 37
downward.
For the purpose of loading ice blocks into the apparatus, a loading
platform 54 is slideably secured to a pair of loading uprights 55
attached to the upright members 22. Also, a cable 56 and a winch
handle 57, as shown in FIG. 1, are provided for raising the loading
platform 54 from the ground level to the position shown above
ground level. Accordingly, heavy ice blocks may be easily slid onto
the platform 37 simply by placing them on platform 54 and adjusting
the two platforms manually to a common elevation. A platform 58,
hinged on platform 54 as at 59, may also be provided to simplify
the loading operation. In order to move the platform 58 out of the
way after the cubing operation has begun, a pair of arms 61, having
longitudinal slots therein, are provided between platforms 54,
58.
At the top of the carriage 31, a crossbar 62 is mounted between
brackets 63 (see FIG. 6) so that when the ice block extends
upwardly through the carriage, as shown in FIG. 10, it will be held
firmly against uprights 33 of the carriage during the entire cubing
operation. The crossbar 62 can be moved inwardly by means of a pair
of rods 64 each secured at one end to the bar 62. Cables 65,
attached to the other end of rods 64, bear against suitable rollers
66. The cables 65 are secured at their other ends to a locking
means 67 on the upright 32 capable of being manipulated simply by
pulling locking arm 68 downwardly and thereby moving crossbar 62
toward the ice block.
The skeleton frame of the carriage 31 is supported on a bearing
plate 69 (see FIG. 2) which is supported by rollers 71 mounted in
the conventional manner within a stationary base plate 72. Near the
forward end rearward ends of the base plate 72, a pair of wheels 73
are provided so that the carriage may be moved along a horizontal
path on a pair of rails 74 secured along the bottom frame members
23. A center pin 75 is secured at one end to the bearing plate 69
through a circular stiffening plate 76 and extends downwardly
through the base plate 72, as clearly shown in FIG. 2. A center pin
housing 78, having a rotating arm 79, is keyed to the center pin 75
(not shown) so that upon movement of the rotating arm 79, the
bearing plate 69 will accordingly rotate along with the remainder
of carriage 31 supported thereon. To the underside of baseplate 72,
a hydraulic cylinder 81 having a piston arm 83 is affixed by means
of a bracket 82, the cylinder piston arm 83 being pivotally
attached at one end to the rotating arm 79. Also, a pump device 84
is mounted to one side of the baseplate 72 and a pump lever 85 is
provided on the pump for delivering hydraulic fluid through the
hydraulic lines 90 to the cylinder 81 upon movement thereof. It
should be noted that hydraulic lines 90 are shown broken away in
FIGS. 4, 4A for purposes of clarity. Accordingly, when the lever 85
is moved to its position shown in FIGS. 4A and 12, hydraulic fluid
is ported to the cylinder 81 via lines 90, so that piston arm 83 is
extended out of the cylinder for rotating arm 79, thereby rotating
the supported carriage. In order to move lever 85 in such a manner,
a first actuating rod 86 secured to the rearward end of the frame
20 on the upright 22 a distance above the machine floor so that it
may depress lever 85 when the carriage is moved to the rearward end
of the frame, as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 10. Also, an
actuating arm 87 is provided at a similar elevation at the forward
end of the frame 20 on the upright 22 so that when the carriage is
moved to the forward end of the frame, said actuating arm 87 will
move the lever 85, in the direction shown in FIG. 12, as the
carriage is driven thereagainst.
In order to automatically move the support platform 37
incrementally upwards as described above, a sideplate 88 (see FIGS.
1 and 2) is secured to the bottom frame member 23 and rail 74 and
is provided with an inwardly extending rod member 89 at a distance
above the bottom frame member 23 in the path of lever 51.
Therefore, as the carriage 31 is moved past the plate 88, the lever
51 makes contact with rod 89 (see FIG. 11) whereupon the lever 51
and ratchet wheel 49 are moved counterclockwise, by means of pawl
52 in engagement with the ratchet wheel, and the ice block
supporting platform 37 is accordingly moved upwards a short
distance. The amount of upward movement depends, of course, upon
the degree of ratchet rotation such that, for the desired upward
movement of the ice block supporting platform 37, the location of
rod 89 may be varied along elongated slot 91 of the plate 88 so
that the lever 51 may be rotated throughout any desired arc. A stop
bar 92 is provided on upright 32 of the carriage and a coil spring
93 is also provided thereon and attached at one end to the lever
arm 51 so that as the carriage passes by the side plate 88, the
coil spring 93 will return the lever 51 against stop bar 92.
The carriage 31 is reciprocated on the rails 74 by means of drive
motor 26 and an endless chain 94 disposed vertically between the
motor 26 and a sprocket 95 mounted on an axle bar 96 located on one
of the rails 74 as clearly shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings.
Reciprocating movement of the carriage if produced by another
endless chain 97 (see FIG. 3) horizontally disposed between the
sprocket 95 and a sprocket 98 located on rail 24 toward the
rearward end of the frame 20. A pair of chain links 99a, 99b are
provided on the chain 97 extending laterally from both sides
thereof in contact, respectively, with legs 102a, 102b of bracket
101 affixed to the underside of the baseplate 72. Accordingly, as
the chain 97 is driven counterclockwise, the carriage is driven
leftward toward the rear of the frame 20, as shown in FIG. 3, as
chain link 99a bears against its adjacent leg 102a. It should be
noted that the presence of two of such links 99a, 99b merely acts
to stabilize the links within the legs of bracket 101 because, as
clearly shown in FIG. 10, after the carriage is moved to its most
rearward position, continued movement of the chain 97 permits links
99a and 99b to change directions whereby link 99a will now bear
against leg 102b (see FIG. 11) thereby moving the carriage in a
forward direction as shown by the arrow.
As mentioned above, a first set of scoring lines are produced as
the ice block I is moved forwardly. The scoring saw 24 for this
purpose (see FIG. 8) consists of a series of gang or scoring saws
103 of the circular type mounted on a single shaft 104 and spaced
apart by spacers 105 of a dimension equal to the desired dimension
of the resulting cubes to be produced.
The cutoff saw blade 27 (see FIG. 7) is mounted on a single shaft
106 for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the
scoring blades of shade 104. A plate 107 is provided between the
blade 27 and a chute 108 so that, as the cutoff blade rotates in
the direction of the arrow (see also FIGS. 14, 14A), the top layer
of scored ice cubes will be severed and be thereafter directed
toward chute 108. As shown in FIG. 2, an upwardly extending rim 109
is provided on the plate 107 so as to insure that all of the ice
cubes c be directed toward the chute 108 and into a suitable
collecting container or bag.
In order to eliminate or provide a vent for the buildup of snow
produced by blade 27 during the cutoff operation, it should be
noted that the upstanding rim 109 is cut out or notched as at 110
(FIG. 7A) for allowing the snow to be discharged therethrough as
the blade 27 revolves. In this way, the ice cubes are free of any
accumulation of snow before being discharged toward chute 108.
Also, it should be noted that notch 110 may be of any desired
height less than the height of cubes c plus the thickness of blade
27 thereby avoiding the possibility of cubes c being discharged
before reaching the chute 108.
In order to more fully understand the invention, the steps involved
in the ice cubing operation will be explained starting with FIG. 10
wherein an ice block I is shown loaded within the carriage 31 on
platform 37 and made to extend upwardly out of the top of the
carriage and abutting against the underside of cutoff blade 27. Ice
block I may be manually extended to the position of FIG. 10 before
commencing the cubing operation or, FIG. 10 may be looked upon as
representing a larger ice block than shown which has already been
cut into ice cubes as to be hereinafter explained. In any event,
the ice block is held firmly within the carriage frame structure by
means of crossbar 62 bearing against the rearward side of the ice
after the locking lever 68 has been properly manipulated as
described earlier. The carriage 31 is brought to the position of
FIG. 10 by actuating the drive motor 26 so that chain link 99a, in
bearing against leg 102 a of bracket 101, will have moved the
carriage to its initial starting position. It should be noted that
the pump lever 85 in this position is directed to the right
whereupon the cylinder arm 84 is retracted, as shown. Motors 25 and
28 are now actuated for starting rotation of the scoring saw blades
and cutoff saw blade, respectively, so that as the carriage is
moved toward the scoring blades, as shown in FIG. 11, the
reciprocating lever 51 on the carriage will make contact with rod
89 and be moved leftward as shown in FIG. 11. Accordingly, platform
37 will be incrementally raised upwardly a distance desired for the
depth of the ice cube to be produced. As the block I passes beneath
the scoring blades 103, a first set of scoring lines are produced
and, simultaneously therewith, the coil spring 93, attached to the
lever 51, returns the lever to its initial position while the
ratchet is held from backward movement by pawl 53. Of course, the
link 99a, bearing against leg 102b is responsible for moving the
carriage toward its forward direction, as shown. When the carriage
reaches the end of its horizontal path in the forward direction,
pump lever 85 is moved into contact with actuating arm 87 whereupon
hydraulic fluid is ported by the pump 81 through hydraulic lines 90
and to the cylinder 81 thereby extending the cylinder arm 83
outwardly as shown in FIG. 12. The bearing plate 69 is accordingly
rotated 90.degree. as cylinder arm 83 rotates arm 79 throughout an
arc of 90.degree. from its position to FIG. 4 to that of FIG. 4A.
As shown in FIG. 12, chain links 99a and 99b are moved to a
vertically related position within the bracket 101 so as to prevent
continued forward motion of the carriage upon contact of arm 87 and
lever 85. It should be noted that the carriage in this FIG. is
shown after it has been rotated 180.degree. in the direction of the
arrow.
Since the carriage 31 has been constructed rectangular in cross
section to accommodate a similarly shaped ice block I, the long
direction of the carriage is parallel the horizontal path of
movement after being turned as in FIG. 12. The carriage is then
moved rearwardly beneath the scoring saw blades 103 as the chain
link 99a bears against leg 102a, as clearly shown in FIG. 13,
whereupon a second set of scoring lines is cut at right angles to
the first set (see FIG. 13a). As the carriage 31 continues its
rearward movement toward cutoff saw blade 27, actuating arm 51 will
be on the forward end of the carriage out of interference with side
plate 88. Rearward carriage movement brings the scored ice block
into contact with the blade 27 which cuts off the top layer of ice
block I at the bottom of the scoring lines thereby delivering a
quantity of small ice cubes c down the chute 108 as shown in FIG.
14a. After the ice block passes completely through the cutoff blade
27, it will reach its position of FIG. 15 whereupon chain links
99b, 99a are again in a vertically disposed relation thereby
preventing further rearward carriage movement. In this position,
the pump lever 85 is moved toward a forward direction as it is
contacted by actuating arm 86, as clearly shown, thereby allowing
hydraulic fluid to return to the pump in a normal manner through
hydraulic lines 90. Accordingly, the carriage 31 will again be
rotated back to its initial position of FIG. 10 as the cylinder arm
83 is retracted and arm 79 and bearing plate 69 are returned to
their position of FIG. 4. The entire cubing operation will
thereafter once again commence as above described.
Another refinement in the instant design resides in the provision
of the stabilizing means for the ice cubes as they are being formed
by the cutoff blade 27. Such a means consists of a plurality of
finger plates 111 secured at one end to a rod 112 which is mounted
on top frame members 21 between its ends as clearly shown in FIG.
7. In this way, further insurance is provided for maintaining the
severed ice cubes within plate 107 while being directed toward
chute 108. Also, in order to maintain a safe distance of the
fingers 111 above the blade 27, a projection 114 is provided on the
rod 112 for bearing against a stop member 113 on the top frame 21
as shown in FIG. 7.
It should be recognized that, although a single ice block I has
been shown in the drawings, any number of smaller ice blocks can be
loaded into the carriage and any size ice block can be introduced
into the cubing operation of the instant design depending on the
cross-sectional shape of the carriage 31 and the depth of the ice
cube between the cross bar 62 and the upright 33. It should be also
recognized that the sprockets 98 and 95 must be located on one of
the rails 74 so that the pump lever 85 and actuating arms 86 and 87
may make contact exactly at both ends of the horizontal path of the
carriage.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that an ice cubing machine has
been designed which is fully automatic after the ice blocks have
been initially loaded within the carriage of the apparatus. Also,
such a machine is significantly more reliable than the prior art
devices because the scoring blades and cutoff blade are mounted
above the ice block which passes thereunder which enhances ease in
turning of the ice block and carriage along with other safety
advantages which are not present in the gravity type ice block
cutting machines.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present
invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is
therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended
claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as
specifically described.
* * * * *