Ice product and method and apparatus for making same

An apparatus for producing a plurality of substantially identical ice products, said apparatus comprising:

• a device having a plurality of alternately oppositely facing open-sided water receiving recesses arranged in generally side-by-side relation,
• a source of make-up water,
• water distribution means disposed adjacent an uppermost portion of said device for distributing make-up water from said source thereof to said water receiving recess, and
• each of said recesses being defined by a generally arcuate-shaped concave surface, said concave surface of each of said recesses being defined in part by a relatively heat-conducting member and in part by a relatively non-heat-conducting material, whereby water introduced into said recesses will be frozen into individual ice products having generally identically-shaped opposed sides of generally complementary shape with respect to the shape of said surfaces.

An ice making machine comprising,

• a plurality of ice mold members arranged in generally vertical rows,
• said rows of ice mold members being generally parallel to one another,
• an ice make-up water source,
• conduit means communicating said water source to said ice mold members and comprising a water manifold member disposed above each of said members and a supply conduit arranged generally perpendicular to said members and communicable with the manifold member associated with each of said ice mold members,
• a water sump disposed below said plurality of ice mold members, said water sump including a central section extending generally parallel to and spaced below said supply conduit and a plurality of arm sections extending perpendicularly away from said central section and arranged two below each of said ice mold members.

An ice making machine comprising:

• a refrigeration system including a plurality of spaced-apart, generally parallel and vertically oriented combination evaporator and ice form assemblies, each of said assemblies being of a generally plate-like configuration and formed with a plurality of ice forming pockets on opposite sides thereof, said ice forming pockets being arranged in generally vertically arranged rows, with the ice forming pockets on one side of said assembly being staggered with respect to those on the opposite side thereof,
• means supporting said assemblies in a generally vertical orientation,
• water distribution means disposed adjacent an uppermost portion of said assembly for distributing make-up water from said source thereof to said ice form, whereby said water may cascade over said form and freeze therein under the influence or refrigerant flowing through said evaporator,
• said water distribution means including a water manifold assembly disposed adjacent the upper edges of said assemblies and comprising a central water distribution member arranged at generally right angles to said assemblies, and a plurality of pairs of opposed arm sections extending outwardly from said central distribution member and arranged adjacent the upper edges of said assemblies, each of said arm sections including a central bore communicating water from the distribution member to a plurality of longitudinally spaced ports which direct ice make-up water downwardly toward the combination evaporator and ice form assemblies disposed therebelow.

An ice making machine having at least one combination evaporator and ice form said ice making machine comprising,

• at least one elongated serpentine arranged refrigerant conduit defining spaced parallel conduit sections sequentially connected by integral U-shaped conduit portions,
• heat transfer means disposed between at least one pair of parallel conduit sections,
• said heat transfer means comprising an elongated member connected in heat transfer relation to said conduit sections and in part defining the inner surface of each of a row of open-sided ice forming recesses, said surface also being defined in part by a relatively non-heat transfer means, and
• water distribution means adjacent an uppermost portion of said ice form for communicating ice make-up water from a source thereof to said recesses.

An ice making machine comprising:

• a plurality of rows of generally vertically arranged ice mold members, each of said ice mold members being formed with a plurality of ice cube forming recesses on the opposite sides thereof,
• an ice make-up water source,
• conduit means communicating said water source to said ice mold members and comprising a water manifold member disposed above each of said members and a supply conduit arranged generally perpendicular to said members and communicable with one end of the manifold member associated with each of said ice mold members,
• means for freezing the water in said ice mold members in order to form an ice product therein, and
• means for controlling the rate at which said water freezes at predetermined locations on said ice mold members said controlling means including relative heat insulating means between said freezing means and at least a portion of the interior surface of each of said recesses, the thickness of said heat insulating means varying at predetermined portions of said interior surface generally in inverse proportion to the thickness of the ice product produced in each of said recesses.