Methods of producing clear ice shapes using suction, and apparatuses for performing same

An icemaker for making at least one body of ice from a freezable liquid having one or more impurities, wherein the at least one body of ice has a shape and a size, the icemaker comprising:

• at least one mold having a closed mold cavity designed and configured to provide the shape and size of the at least one body of ice when the at least one mold is filled with the freezable liquid and the freezable liquid is frozen to form the at least one body of ice, wherein the at least one mold has a suction outlet and a replenishment inlet each in fluid communication with the mold cavity;
• a reservoir that contains some of the freezable liquid during freezing of the freezable liquid within the closed mold cavity;
• a suction device;
• and
• a recirculation loop that recirculates unfrozen portions of the freezable liquid through the mold cavity during the freezing of the freezable liquid within the closed mold cavity, the recirculation loop consisting of:
• the mold cavity;
• the suction device in fluid communication with the mold cavity via the suction outlet and with the reservoir;
• and
• the reservoir open to the mold cavity via the replenishment inlet during the freezing of the freezable liquid within the closed mold cavity;
• wherein, during the freezing of the freezable liquid:
• the suction device draws unfrozen freezable liquid from the closed mold cavity and delivers the unfrozen freezable liquid, so drawn, to the reservoir;
• and
• the reservoir replenishes the unfrozen freezable liquid drawn from the closed mold cavity by gravity feed of unfrozen freezable liquid in the reservoir;
• wherein the icemaker is configured so that, during operation of the icemaker, directionality of the freezing of the freezable liquid within the closed mold cavity is controlled so that the ice advancingly pushes the one or more impurities in the unfrozen freezable liquid within the closed mold cavity toward the suction outlet for removal by the suction device.