Rotary extrusion type ice tray and ice discharging method

Abstract

The invention provides a rotary extrusion type ice cube tray and an ice discharging method. A plurality of ice making grooves are formed in an ice cube tray, the bottoms of the ice making grooves are sealed through flexible deformation layers, at least one ice making groove forms a basic unit, at least three basic units which are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction form an area unit, and a demolding force application part is rotatably installed at the bottom of the ice cube tray; the demolding force application pieces and the area units are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence mode, rotating shafts of the demolding force application pieces are located in the centers of the area units, and in the rotating process of the demolding force application pieces, the flexible deformation layers of the basic units can be extruded; the demolding force application piece is rotated, the flexible deformation of the basic unit can be extruded every time the demolding force application piece passes through the basic unit, and ice blocks in the ice making groove are extruded out and demolded; according to the design, the basic units serve as reference quantities, and ice blocks in one or more basic units can be quantitatively obtained according to needs by changing the number of the basic units passed by the demolding force application piece in the one-time rotating process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of household items, and in particular to a rotary extrusion ice tray and an ice discharging method. Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, CN220083387U discloses an ice tray facilitating ice discharging. By providing an ice tray plate and a bottom plate which move up and down in cooperation with each other, and providing a deformation layer on the ice tray, the bottom plate presses the ice tray to extrude the ice cubes. All the ice cubes can be stably extruded in one operation, and the hands will not touch the ice cubes to get wet and cold, and the ice cubes will not be soiled.

[0003] Although the above structure realizes relatively convenient one-time pressing and demoulding, all the ice cubes in the ice tray will be demoulded after pressing, and the amount of ice discharged is difficult to control. It cannot meet the user's need for quantitative ice discharging according to requirements, and the fun of operation and the user experience need to be further improved. At the same time, the existing ice discharging methods of ice trays mostly adopt a pressing structure for one-key ice discharging. There is a lack of differentiated products in the market, and the ice tray products are seriously homogenized, lacking novelty, and the competition among competing products is fierce. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To overcome the problems existing in the related art, the present invention provides a rotary extrusion ice tray and an ice discharging method. The rotary extrusion design can not only form a differentiation from the pressing ice tray products in the market, improve the product competitiveness, but also realize the demoulding of a quantitative amount of ice cubes as required.

[0005] One of the purposes of the present invention is to provide a rotary extrusion ice tray, including:

[0006] An ice tray plate, on which a plurality of ice-making grooves are provided, and the bottom of the ice-making grooves is closed by a flexible deformation layer;

[0007] A basic unit, which is composed of at least one ice-making groove;

[0008] A regional unit, which is composed of at least 3 circumferentially distributed basic units;

[0009] A demoulding force-applying member, which is rotatably installed at the bottom of the ice tray plate and is provided corresponding to the regional unit one by one. The rotation axis of the demoulding force-applying member is located at the center of the regional unit. During the rotation of the demoulding force-applying member, the flexible deformation layer of the basic unit can be extruded. Specifically, the top end of the demoulding force-applying member is located between the top end and the bottom end of the flexible deformation layer.

[0010] In a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the regional unit is composed of 4 circumferentially distributed basic units, and the ice tray plate has at least one regional unit;

[0011] The middle part of the demoulding force member is located at the center of the regional unit. Every time the demoulding force member rotates 90 degrees, the two sides of the top of the demoulding force member will squeeze all the flexible deformation layers of the two basic units that are diagonally opposite to each other.

[0012] In a preferred technical solution of the present invention, in the regional unit, adjacent basic units are separated by a yielding area;

[0013] In the initial state, the top of the demoulding force member is located inside the clearance area.

[0014] In a preferred technical solution of the present invention, an operating portion for manually driving the demoulding force member to rotate is provided at the bottom of the demoulding force member, and an ice pressing portion is provided at the top of the demoulding force member.

[0015] Specifically, the top end of the lower ice squeezing portion is located between the top end and the bottom end of the flexible deformation layer.

[0016] In a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the demoulding force member includes a turntable portion, the lower ice squeezing portion is located on the top surface of the turntable portion, the rotating axis of the demoulding force member is coaxial with the turntable portion, and an operating portion is provided on the bottom surface of the turntable portion.

[0017] In a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the operating part is a knob or a handle.

[0018] In a preferred technical solution of the present invention, a cover is provided at the bottom of the ice cube tray;

[0019] The cover is provided with a mounting hole, and the turntable part is rotatably mounted in the mounting hole.

[0020] In a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the cover and the ice tray are detachably connected or made into one piece. Specifically, the detachable connection method is plug-in connection, and the integrated method is integrated injection molding.

[0021] In a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the middle portion of the demoulding force applying member is rotatably connected to the ice cube tray via a vertical axis.

[0022] The second object of the present invention is to provide an ice dispensing method, which uses the above-mentioned rotary extrusion ice tray to dispense ice in a quantitative manner, and dispenses ice after ice cubes have been frozen and formed in each ice making groove on the ice tray;

[0023] The following steps are involved:

[0024] Obtaining the required number of ice cubes, where the number of ice cubes is an even multiple of the number of ice making slots of the base unit;

[0025] According to the required amount of ice cubes, determine the number of basic units required to produce ice;

[0026] Determine the mode of operation according to the number of basic units;

[0027] If the number of basic units is an integral multiple of the number of basic units in a regional unit, rotate the demolding force-applying members in the corresponding number of regional units one by one by 180 degrees to demold the required ice cubes.

[0028] If the number of basic units is not an integral multiple of the number of basic units in a regional unit, first rotate the demolding force-applying members in the corresponding number of regional units one by one by 180 degrees, and then rotate the demolding force-applying member in the next regional unit by 90 degrees to demold the required ice cubes.

[0029] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0030] A plurality of ice-making grooves are provided on the ice tray. The bottom of the ice-making groove is closed by a flexible deformation layer. At least one ice-making groove forms a basic unit, and at least 3 circumferentially evenly distributed basic units form a regional unit. The demolding force-applying member is rotatably installed at the bottom of the ice tray, and the demolding force-applying members are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the regional units. The rotation axis of the demolding force-applying member is located at the center of the regional unit. During the rotation of the demolding force-applying member, all the flexible deformation layers of the basic unit; rotate the demolding force-applying member. Each time the demolding force-applying member passes through a basic unit, the flexible deformation of the basic unit can be squeezed to extrude and demold the ice cubes in the ice-making groove; this design takes the basic unit as a reference quantity, and by changing the number of basic units passed by the demolding force-applying member during one rotation, one or more ice cubes in the basic unit can be quantitatively obtained as needed; the rotation extrusion design can not only form a differentiation from the pressing-type ice tray products on the market, improve the product competitiveness, but also can demold a quantitative amount of ice cubes as needed, with the advantages of convenient operation, interestingness and good use experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic structural view of a rotary extrusion type ice tray.

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic structural view of the ice tray.

[0033] Figure 3 is a schematic structural view of the implementation of the demolding force-applying member extruding 1 basic unit at a time.

[0034] Figure 4 is a schematic structural view of the implementation of the demolding force-applying member extruding 2 mutually diagonal basic units at a time.

[0035] Figure 5 is a schematic installation structure view of the demolding force-applying member.

[0036] Figure 6 is another schematic installation structure view of the demolding force-applying member.

[0037] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the mating structure between the upper cover and the plug.

[0038] Reference numerals:

[0039] 100, demolding force application member; 110, operation part; 120, lower ice extrusion part; 130, turntable part; 200, ice tray; 210, ice making groove; 211, flexible deformation layer; 300, upper cover; 310, opening; 320, perforation; 400, plug; 410, rib; 420, soft bump; 500, cover; 600, sealing ring; 700, basic unit. Specific embodiments

[0040] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the present invention more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0041] This embodiment provides a rotary extrusion type ice tray. The rotary extrusion type design can not only form a differentiation from the push type ice tray products on the market, improve the product competitiveness, but also realize the demolding of a quantitative amount of ice cubes as needed.

[0042] As Figures 1-7 shown, a rotary extrusion type ice tray includes:

[0043] An ice tray 200, on which a plurality of ice making grooves 210 are provided, and the bottom of the ice making groove 210 is closed by a flexible deformation layer 211;

[0044] A basic unit 700, which is composed of at least one ice making groove 210;

[0045] A regional unit, which is composed of at least 3 circumferentially evenly distributed basic units 700;

[0046] A demolding force application member 100, which is rotatably installed at the bottom of the ice tray 200 and is provided corresponding to the regional unit one by one. The rotation axis of the demolding force application member 100 is located at the center of the regional unit. During the rotation of the demolding force application member 100, the flexible deformation layer 211 of the basic unit 700 can be extruded. Specifically, the top end of the demolding force application member 100 is located between the top end and the bottom end of the flexible deformation layer 211.

[0047] In this design, the ice cubes are demolded by rotating the demolding force - applying member 100 to extrude the flexible deformation layer 211. During the rotation process, the top end of the demolding force - applying member 100 extrudes the flexible deformation layer 211, thereby extruding and demolding the ice cubes in the ice - making groove 210. This design takes the basic unit 700 as a reference quantity. By changing the number of basic units 700 passed by the demolding force - applying member 100 during one - time rotation, one or more ice cubes in the basic units 700 can be quantitatively obtained as needed. The rotary extrusion design can not only differentiate from the pressing - type ice trays in the market, improve the product competitiveness, but also realize the demolding of a fixed quantity of ice cubes as required, with the advantages of convenient operation, interestingness and good user experience.

[0048] In practical applications, the demolding force - applying member 100 can adopt a short - style design or a long - style design. When the demolding force - applying member 100 adopts a short - style design, the rotation axis of the demolding force - applying member 100 is located at the inner end of the demolding force - applying member 100, and the demolding force - applying member 100 can only extrude 1 basic unit 700 each time. When the demolding force - applying member 100 adopts a long - style design, the rotation axis of the demolding force - applying member 100 is located in the middle of the demolding force - applying member 100, and the demolding force - applying member 100 can extrude 2 basic units 700 each time.

[0049] Exemplarily, taking that one basic unit 700 has 4 ice - making grooves 210 and one area unit has 4 basic units 700 as an example, when the demolding force - applying member 100 adopts a short - style design, if the user needs 8 ice cubes, the demolding force - applying member 100 needs to be rotated 180 degrees. If the user needs 12 ice cubes, the demolding force - applying member 100 needs to be rotated 270 degrees. When the demolding force - applying member 100 adopts a long - style design, if the user needs 8 ice cubes, the demolding force - applying member 100 needs to be rotated 90 degrees. If the user needs 16 ice cubes, the demolding force - applying member 100 needs to be rotated 180 degrees.

[0050] As the most preferred, the area unit is composed of 4 circumferentially evenly - distributed basic units 700, and the ice - tray plate 200 has at least one area unit;

[0051] The demolding force - applying member 100 adopts a long - style design. The middle part of the demolding force - applying member 100 is located at the center of the area unit. Every time the demolding force - applying member 100 rotates 90 degrees, the two sides of the top of the demolding force - applying member 100 will extrude all the flexible deformation layers 211 of two mutually - diagonal basic units 700.

[0052] In this embodiment, within the area unit, the adjacent basic units 700 are separated by a clearance area;

[0053] In the initial state, the top of the demolding force - applying member 100 is located inside the clearance area.

[0054] In this embodiment, an operation part 110 for driving the demolding force-applying part 100 to rotate by hand is arranged at the bottom of the demolding force-applying part 100, and a lower ice extrusion part 120 is arranged at the top of the demolding force-applying part 100.

[0055] Specifically, the top end of the lower ice extrusion part 120 is located between the top end and the bottom end of the flexible deformation layer 211. Preferably, the top end of the lower ice extrusion part 120 is designed as an arc surface.

[0056] In this embodiment, the demolding force-applying part 100 includes a turntable part 130. The lower ice extrusion part 120 is located on the top surface of the turntable part 130. The rotation axis of the demolding force-applying part 100 is coaxial with the turntable part. An operation part 110 is arranged at the bottom surface of the turntable part 130.

[0057] In this embodiment, the operation part 110 is a knob or a handle.

[0058] In this embodiment, to improve the overall aesthetics, a cover 500 is arranged at the bottom of the ice tray 200;

[0059] Specifically, an outer ring side plate is arranged on the outer periphery of the bottom of the tray 200. The cover 500 is covered at the end of the outer ring side plate. An installation hole is arranged on the cover 500, and the turntable part 130 is rotatably installed in the installation hole.

[0060] In this embodiment, the cover 500 is detachably connected to the ice tray 200 or integrally formed therewith. Specifically, the detachable connection method is plug-in connection, and the integrally formed method is integral injection molding.

[0061] In this embodiment, the middle part of the demolding force-applying part 100 is rotationally connected to the ice tray 200 through a vertical shaft.

[0062] In this embodiment, the rotary extrusion type ice tray further includes an upper cover 300. The upper cover 300 is covered on the top surface of the ice tray 200, and a sealing ring 600 is arranged between the upper cover 300 and the ice tray 200 for sealing;

[0063] The sealing ring 600 is arranged on the ice tray 200 or the upper cover 300;

[0064] After the upper cover 300 is covered on the ice tray 200, a storage cavity is formed between the inner wall of the upper cover 300 and the ice tray 200.

[0065] When making ice, the upper cover 300 can cover all the ice-making grooves 210 to isolate the ice-making grooves 210 from the external environment and prevent external pollution; after making ice, the upper cover 300 can be used as a container to hold the demolded ice cubes.

[0066] In this embodiment, an opening 310 is provided on the upper cover 300, and a plug 400 is provided at the opening 310. The plug 400 is a soft plug, and the plug 400 is in interference fit with the opening 310. To prevent the plug 400 from being lost, a perforation 320 can be provided on the upper cover 300 beside the opening 310. A convex strip 410 is provided on the plug 400, and a soft bump 420 is provided on the convex strip 410. After the bump passes through the perforation 320, the convex strip 410 is fixed on the perforation 320.

[0067] When making ice, the opening 310 can be used as a water injection port. After water injection, the opening 310 is closed with the plug 400, and then the ice tray is placed flat, and the water fills all the ice-making grooves 210 at one time along with gravity; after making ice, the opening 310 can be used as an ice output port.

[0068] In this embodiment, an annular groove is provided on the outer periphery of the top surface of the ice tray 200. The sealing ring 600 is provided in the annular groove. The sealing ring 600 is attached to the inner wall or the outer wall of the annular groove, and a slot for inserting and accommodating the upper cover 300 is formed between the sealing ring 600 and the outer wall or the inner wall of the annular groove.

[0069] Embodiment 2

[0070] On the basis of Embodiment 1, Embodiment 2 provides an ice discharging method.

[0071] As Figures 1-7 shown, an ice discharging method uses the rotary extrusion type ice tray in Embodiment 1 for quantitative ice discharging. The demolding force-applying member 100 adopts a long and narrow design. The regional unit is composed of 4 circumferentially distributed basic units 700. After the ice cubes are frozen and formed in each ice-making groove 210 on the ice tray 200, ice discharging is carried out;

[0072] It includes the following steps:

[0073] Obtain the required number of ice cubes, and the number of ice cubes is an even multiple of the number of ice-making grooves 210 of the basic unit 700;

[0074] According to the required number of ice cubes, determine the number of basic units 700 that need to discharge ice;

[0075] Determine the operation mode according to the number of the basic units 700;

[0076] If the number of the basic units 700 is an integer multiple of the number of the basic units 700 of the regional unit, rotate the demolding force-applying member 100 in each of the corresponding number of regional units by 180 degrees to demold the required ice cubes;

[0077] If the number of the base units 700 is not an integral multiple of the number of the base units 700 possessed by the regional units, then first rotate the demolding force-applying members 100 in the corresponding number of regional units 180 degrees one by one, and then rotate the demolding force-applying members 100 in the next regional unit 90 degrees to demold the required ice cubes.

[0078] This ice discharging method not only meets the requirement of quantitative ice discharging, but also has the advantages of convenient operation and interestingness, providing a good user experience.

[0079] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangements of the components and steps, numerical expressions and values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application. In all the examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be construed as merely exemplary, rather than as a limitation. Thus, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters denote like items in the following figures, and thus, once an item is defined in one figure, further discussion thereof is not required in subsequent figures.

[0080] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationships indicated by orientation words such as "front, rear, upper, lower, left, right", "lateral, vertical, perpendicular, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description. Without contrary description, these orientation words do not indicate and imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the protection scope of the present application; the orientation words "inside, outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contour of each component itself.

[0081] For the convenience of description, spatial relative terms such as "above...", "over...", "on the upper surface of...", "above" can be used here to describe the spatial positional relationships between a device or feature shown in the drawings and other devices or features. It should be understood that the spatial relative terms are intended to cover different orientations in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings of the device. For example, if the device in the drawing is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "over other devices or structures" will then be positioned "below other devices or structures" or "under other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above..." can include both the orientations of "above..." and "below...". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and corresponding interpretations will be made for the spatial relative descriptions used here.

[0082] In addition, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components. Without additional declaration, the above terms have no special meaning, and thus should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0083] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rotary extrusion ice tray, characterized in that, Comprising: An ice tray (200) provided with a plurality of ice-making grooves (210), the bottom of the ice-making groove (210) being closed by a flexible deformation layer (211); A basic unit (700) composed of at least one ice-making groove (210); A regional unit composed of at least 3 circumferentially evenly distributed basic units (700); A demolding force-applying member (100) rotatably mounted at the bottom of the ice tray (200), corresponding to the regional unit one by one, the rotation axis of the demolding force-applying member (100) being located at the center of the regional unit. During the rotation of the demolding force-applying member (100), the flexible deformation layer (211) of the basic unit (700) can be extruded.

2. The rotary extrusion type ice tray according to claim 1, characterized in that: The regional unit is composed of 4 circumferentially evenly distributed basic units (700), and the ice tray (200) has at least one regional unit; The middle part of the demolding force-applying member (100) is located at the center of the regional unit. Every time the demolding force-applying member (100) rotates 90 degrees, both sides of the top of the demolding force-applying member (100) will extrude all the flexible deformation layers (211) of two basic units (700) that are diagonally opposite to each other.

3. The rotary extrusion type ice tray according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Within the regional unit, adjacent basic units (700) are separated by a relief area; In the initial state, the top of the demolding force-applying member (100) is located inside the relief area.

4. The rotary extrusion type ice tray according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: An operation part (110) for manually driving the rotation of the demolding force-applying member (100) is provided at the bottom of the demolding force-applying member (100), and a lower ice extrusion part (120) is provided at the top of the demolding force-applying member (100).

5. The rotary extrusion type ice tray according to claim 4, characterized in that: The demolding force-applying member (100) includes a turntable part (130), the lower ice extrusion part (120) is located on the top surface of the turntable part (130), the rotation axis of the demolding force-applying member (100) is coaxial with the turntable part, and the operation part (110) is provided on the bottom surface of the turntable part (130).

6. The rotary extrusion type ice tray according to claim 5, characterized in that: The operation part (110) is a knob or a handle.

7. The rotary extrusion type ice tray according to claim 5, characterized in that: A cover is provided at the bottom of the ice tray (200); Mounting holes are provided on the cover (500), and the turntable part (130) is rotatably mounted in the mounting holes.

8. The rotary extrusion type ice tray according to claim 7, characterized in that: The cover (500) is detachably connected to the ice tray (200) or integrally formed.

9. The rotary extrusion type ice tray according to claim 2, characterized in that: The middle part of the demolding force-applying member (100) is rotatably connected to the ice tray (200) via a vertical shaft.

10. An ice output method, characterized in that, Using the rotary extrusion type ice tray according to claim 2 for quantitative ice output, after the ice cubes are frozen and formed in each ice-making groove (210) on the ice tray (200), ice output is carried out; Including the following steps: Obtain the required number of ice cubes, where the number of ice cubes is an even multiple of the number of ice-making grooves (210) of the basic unit (700); Determine the number of basic units (700) that need to discharge ice according to the required number of ice cubes; Determine the operation mode according to the number of basic units (700); If the number of basic units (700) is an integer multiple of the number of basic units (700) of the regional unit, rotate the demolding force-applying members (100) in the corresponding number of regional units by 180 degrees one by one to demold the required ice cubes; If the number of basic units (700) is not an integer multiple of the number of basic units (700) of the regional unit, first rotate the demolding force-applying members (100) in the corresponding number of regional units by 180 degrees one by one, and then rotate the demolding force-applying member (100) in the next regional unit by 90 degrees to demold the required ice cubes.

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