Process and apparatus for making clear ice cubes

A process for making clear ice cubes in an ice-forming tray comprising the steps of:

• placing an ice-maker having a moveable carrier body with a supporting structure for holding the ice-forming tray and a fan for blowing air across the ice-forming tray in a freezer compartment;
• filling the ice-forming tray with water;
• activating the fan to blow cold air across the ice-forming tray during the ice-making process;
• and
• causing the ice-forming tray to undergo both linear motion and rotational motion about a moveable pivot simultaneously and continuously during the ice-making process to allow gases in the water to escape and produce clear ice.

A process for making clear ice cubes in an ice-forming tray comprising the steps of:

• placing an ice-maker having means for supporting at least one ice-forming tray to permit both linear and rotational movement of said tray in a freezer compartment of a refrigerator-freezer;
• positioning the ice-forming tray on said means for supporting at least one ice-forming tray, said ice-forming tray containing water;
• and
• causing the means for supporting at least one ice-forming tray to move in a linear direction and to rotate about a moveable pivot at substantially the same time so as to keep the water in the ice-forming tray in motion during freezing to produce clear ice cubes.

An ice-maker comprising:

• an ice-forming tray for holding water to be frozen into ice cubes;
• means for supporting at least one ice-forming tray to permit movement of said tray in at least two different axis including:
• a carrier body;
• a first support disposed at one end of the carrier body;
• a second support disposed at the other end of the carrier body;
• a pair of coaxial support arms, a first end of each pivotally joined and second ends extending in opposite directions to form an elongated flexible member, said flexible member rotatably mounted at the first ends to said first support;
• a pair of elongated rods having first and second ends, said first ends of each of said rods being respectively mounted to a respective second end of said coaxial support arms and extending longitudinally therefrom;
• holding means rotatably mounted about its center on the second support, said holding means having two opposing ends respectively attached to respective second ends of said elongated rods;
• said ice-forming tray being disposed on the pair of elongated rods between the first and second ends of the pair of elongated rods;
• wherein the ice-maker further comprises:
• a harvest motor means mounted within the carrier body for rotating said elongated rods and ice-forming tray through a predetermined arc for release and removal of the frozen ice-cubes;
• tension means connected to one of the coaxial support arms to subject the ice-forming tray to a predetermined degree of torsion when rotation of the ice-forming tray commences to cause release of the ice-cubes from the ice-forming tray as the ice-forming tray is rotated.