Ice maker with slush-avoiding sump
OwnerJohn Broadbentinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sump for use in an ice maker, the sump adapted to hold a mass of water, wherein the ice maker freezes some or all of the mass of water into ice. The sump includes a recirculation area and one or more additional areas separated from the recirculation area. The recirculation area and the one or more additional areas are in fluid communication via one or more passageways. The recirculation area is adapted to hold and receive a first portion of the mass of water having a first mass. The one or more additional areas are adapted to hold a second portion of the mass of water having a second mass. Thus, if the first portion of water forms into slush, the second portion of water can be recirculated to melt the slush.
Claims17
A sump for use in an ice maker, the sump adapted to hold a mass of water, wherein the ice maker freezes some or all of the mass of water into ice, the sump comprising:
- a bottom and a wall extending from the bottom, the wall having a front portion;
- a recirculation area;
- one or more additional areas separated from the recirculation area, wherein the recirculation area and the one or more additional areas are in fluid communication via one or more passageways;
- and
- one or more baffles separating the recirculation area and the one or more additional areas, each of the one or more baffles having a distal end connected to the wall and a proximal end spaced from the wall to form the one or more passageways.
An ice maker for forming ice using a refrigerant capable of transitioning between liquid and gaseous states, the ice maker comprising:
- (i) a compressor;
- (ii) a condenser;
- (iii) a thermal expansion device;
- (iv) an evaporator assembly;
- (v) a freeze plate thermally coupled to the evaporator assembly;
- (vi) a sump located below the freeze plate adapted to hold a mass of water, wherein the ice maker freezes some or all of the mass of water into ice, the sump comprising:
- (a) a bottom and a wall extending from the bottom, the wall having a front portion;
- (b) a recirculation area having a first volume such that the recirculation area is adapted to hold and receive a first portion of the mass of water, the first portion having a first mass of water,
- (c) one or more additional areas separated from the recirculation area, wherein the one or more additional areas have a second volume such that the one or more additional areas are adapted to hold a second portion of the mass of water, the second portion having a second mass of water, wherein the recirculation area and the one or more additional areas are in fluid communication via one or more passageways;
- and
- (d) one or more baffles separating the recirculation area and the one or more additional areas, each of the one or more baffles having a distal end connected to the wall and a proximal end spaced from the wall to form the one or more passageways;
- and
- (vii) a water pump which, during a cooling cycle, pumps the first portion of water from the recirculation area over the freeze plate wherein the first portion of water is cooled as it contacts the freeze plate and wherein some or all of the first portion of water falls into the recirculation area of the sump.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.