Transparent Ice Maker

Abstract

An apparatus and method for producing substantially clear ice in a variety of desired shapes. The apparatus and method in the described embodiments generally provide for an insulated ice mold containing one or more mold cells, each mold cell with an open top, open bottom, and insulated side walls, that is suspended over a liquid water reservoir surrounded and contained in an insulated container. The top surface of the water residing in each mold cell is exposed to freezing air. The insulated walls forming the sides of one or more mold cells act to ensure that each ice shape forms and grows from the top surface, down and towards the bottom of each mold cell. The liquid water reservoir, which contacts the bottom surface of the ice shape, remains in a liquid phase and serves as an impurity sink into which the impurities and gases contained in the freezing water are driven as ice forms downward in the mold cell. The liquid water reservoir acts to arrest ice growth below the bottom of the mold cell, while the water in the mold cells freezes into a solid above the ice-water interface.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 14 / 098,046 entitled “TRANSPARENT ICE MAKER” filed on Dec. 5, 2013 and claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61 / 892,679, filed on Oct. 18, 2013 with the United States Patent & Trademark Office the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates generally to an improved apparatus and method for making clear or transparent ice, and more specifically, to an apparatus and method for making clear or transparent ice in a variety of geometric shapes and which can be implemented in commonly available refrigeration / freezer equipment.[0003]Typical household and commercial refrigeration systems include separate refrigerator and freezing compartments. Ice cubes may be formed manually or automatically in various conventionally known manners uti...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

Produces clear or transparent ice with reduced impurity entrapment and increased efficiency, allowing for easy extraction and production of various ice shapes using conventional refrigeration appliances.

Problems solved by technology

Impurities and gases contained within the water to be frozen are trapped in the solidified ice cube during the freezing process, commonly near the center and / or the bottom surface of the ice cube, due to their inability to escape as a result of the freezing liquid to solid phase change of the ice cube surfaces.

The method and apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,720 is also limited in its ability to produce clear ice cubes in that the gases vented during the freezing process must be diffused through the permeable sidewalls and the mold bottom at a faster rate than the liquid-to-solid phase change rate occurring in the ice mold.

However, the suspended and dissolved solids and liquids in the water freezing in the molds are not removed or liberated and remain in the resulting ice cubes.

Another drawback of these known apparatuses and methods for producing clear ice concerns their requirement of electro-mechanical energy inputs and assemblies, and / or specific construction materials (e.g. air permeable) that may only be formed and produced using technical construction methods and equipment in order to function and produce clear ice.

Moreover, they fail to produce a clear ice product as they are generally focused and drawn to the removal of a specific contaminant, such as gas bubbles or suspended solids, versus the removal of the combination of suspended and dissolved liquids, solids and gases which exist in unfrozen water and prevent the formation of clear ice.

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