Ice machine with improved evaporator/ice forming assembly
AssigneeThe Manitowoc Company, Inc.
InventorsVance L. Kohl, Mark E. Federspiel
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Abstract
An improved evaporator/ice forming assembly for an ice machine is disclosed. The assembly comprises evaporator tubing sections having one or more integrally formed fin elements; evaporator system connectors adapted for connecting the tubing sections together to form a sealed evaporator section of a refrigeration system; and divider elements adapted to fit together with the one or more fin elements to form a plurality of ice formation pockets. Processes for forming the assembly, as well as an ice machine incorporating the assembly, are also disclosed.
Claims20
A combined evaporator/ice forming assembly comprising:
- a) evaporator tubing sections having one or more integrally formed fin elements, the material forming the one or more fin elements being homogeneous with the remainder of the tubing sections;
- b) evaporator system connectors adapted for connecting the tubing sections together to form a sealed evaporator section of a refrigeration system;
- and
- c) divider elements adapted to fit together with said one or more fin elements to form a plurality of ice formation pockets wherein the one or more integrally formed fins comprise the back and two of the sides of the ice formation pockets.
An improved ice machine comprising a refrigeration system, a plurality of ice formation pockets cooled by said refrigeration system and a water supply system for supplying water to said ice formation pockets, the improvement comprising a combined evaporator/ice forming assembly comprising:
- a) evaporator tubing sections having one or more integrally formed fin elements, the material forming the one or more fin elements being homogeneous with the remainder of the tubing section,
- b) evaporator system connectors adapted for connecting the tubing sections together to form a sealed evaporator section of the refrigeration system, and
- c) divider elements adapted to fit together with said one or more fin elements to form a plurality of ice formation pockets wherein the one or more integrally formed fins comprise the back and two of the sides of the ice formation pockets.
A combined evaporator/ice forming assembly comprising:
- a) evaporator tubing sections having one or more integrally formed fin elements,
- b) evaporator system connectors adapted for connecting the tubing sections together to form a sealed evaporator section of a refrigeration system,
- c) divider elements adapted to fit together with said one or more fin elements to form a plurality of ice formation pockets;
- and
- d) weep holes comprising gaps between adjacent sections of the integrally formed tubing and fin sections in order to allow air to enter each of the ice formation pockets during the removal of ice from the pockets.
An improved ice machine comprising a refrigeration system, a plurality of ice formation pockets cooled by said refrigeration system and a water supply system for supplying water to said ice formation pockets, the improvement comprising:
- a) a vertically positioned combined evaporator/ice forming assembly comprising:
- i) evaporator tubing sections having one or more integrally formed fin elements,
- ii) evaporator system connectors adapted for connecting the tubing sections together to form a sealed evaporator section of the refrigeration system, and
- iii) divider elements adapted to fit together with said one or more fin elements to form a plurality of ice formation pockets;
- and
- b) a plastic member under the assembly shaped and positioned such as to support the front face of the ice formed in the ice formation pockets such that during a harvest cycle, wherein the ice formation pockets are heated to release the ice, the plastic member prevents the ice from continuing to contact the ice formation pockets once the ice has started to melt.
An improved ice machine comprising a refrigeration system, a plurality of ice formation pockets cooled by said refrigeration system and a water supply system for supplying water to said ice formation pockets, wherein the ice formation pockets are positioned vertically, the improvement comprising a plastic member under the ice formation pockets shaped and positioned such as to support the front face of the ice formed in the ice formation pockets such that during a harvest cycle, wherein the ice formation pockets are heated to release the ice, the plastic member prevents the ice from continuing to contact the ice formation pockets once the ice has started to melt.
A combined evaporator/ice forming assembly comprising:
- a) evaporator tubing sections having one or more integrally form fin elements, each tubing section and integral one or more fin elements being formed together as one piece,
- b) evaporator system connectors adapted for connecting the tubing sections together to form a sealed evaporator section of a refrigeration system, and
- c) divider elements adapted to fit together with said one or more fin elements to form a plurality of ice formation pockets wherein the one or more integrally formed fins comprise the back and the sides of the ice formation pockets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.