Ice dispenser

An arrangement for preventing the development of a frozen bond between individual pieces of cubed or crushed ice collected in a storage bin, comprising:

• upstanding flexible wall means lining a majority of the inwardly facing wall surface of said storage bin, said upstanding flexible wall means being adapted to flex toward and away from said inwardly facing walls of said storage bin;
• agitator means for moving said cubed or crushed ice about within the confines defined by said flexible wall means, said agitator means including a rotatable shaft, an arm secured to said rotatable shaft and extending radialy thereof and a drive means for drivingly rotating said shaft;
• and
• means for effecting a flexing of said flexible wall means toward and away from said inwardly facing walls of said storage bin, said agitator means and said means effecting a flexing of said flexible wall means causing a movement of said cubed or crushed ice to prevent the development of any frozen bond between the individual pieces of ice, said arm having means on an end thereof remote from said rotatable shaft for engaging at least a portion of each of said wall surfaces on each pass therepast, said means effecting a pushing of said wall surface and an elastic yielding thereof outwardly away from a central region of a bottom wall of said storage bin so that said cubed or crushed ice will move under the effect of gravity to occupy the expanded space created by said elastic yielding of said wall surface, said wall surface returning to its original position following a disengagement of said arm therewith to again cause movement of said cube or crushed ice and a breaking of any frozen bond that may exist between said pieces of ice.