Ice maker

Abstract

This ice-making container is sized to fit in the shelves and drawers of a home freezer, while improving the insulation of the sides and bottom of the container to enhance the effect of directional freezing, thereby increasing the purity of the ice, and improving the ease of use such as the release of the ice after it is made and its portability. [Solution] An ice-making container 100 comprising a divisible first ice-making section 120 made of silicone resin having one or more spaces for forming spherical, ellipsoidal, or polygonal prism-shaped ice, a second ice-making section 140 for housing the first ice-making section, and an insulating section 160 for housing the first and second ice-making sections, wherein the top of the first ice-making section is provided with one or more holes leading to the space, the bottom of the first ice-making section is provided with one or more holes leading from the space to the second ice-making section, the first ice-making section is provided with a handle having a recess, the height of the ice-making container is 15 to 20 cm, and the wall thickness of the insulating section is 2.2 to 4.0 cm.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an ice-making container for producing highly transparent ice in a general cooling environment such as a household refrigerator. In particular, the present invention relates to an ice-making container that efficiently and highly quality forms ice having a highly designed shape such as a sphere, an ellipsoid, or a prism.

Background Art

[0002] In beverages such as soft drinks, whiskey, and cocktails, spherical ice with a small surface area and low melting rate, or columnar ice adapted to the glass from the perspective of design, is preferred in order to cool for a long time without diluting the taste. Also, from the perspective of visual beauty, transparent ice like pure ice that does not contain bubbles or turbidity (impurities such as cracks and minerals) inside is preferred.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an ice-making container including a container housing, a heat-insulating case installed outside the container housing, and an inner frame installed inside the container housing. A heat-insulating cavity is formed in the heat-insulating case, the container housing is installed in the heat-insulating cavity, a support portion is provided at the upper end of the container housing, the support portion is installed on the heat-insulating case, a storage cavity is formed inside the container housing, the upper portion of the inner frame is press-fitted to the support portion of the container housing, the lower portion extends into the storage cavity, a siphon-preventing groove is provided on the upper end surface of the support portion of the container housing, an ice-making mold cavity is formed inside the inner frame, a water injection hole communicating with the ice-making mold cavity is installed at the lower portion of the inner frame, and an exhaust hole communicating with the ice-making mold cavity is installed at the upper portion.

[0004] Since water is rapidly cooled from all directions, air and impurities dissolved in the water are trapped in the central part of the ice, resulting in ice with a white and turbid center. In contrast, conventional ice-making containers have proposed ice-making containers that apply the principle of directional freezing using a heat-insulating material to freeze slowly from one direction.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3239998 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] In view of such conventional technologies, this invention provides an ice-making container that is small enough to fit on the shelves or drawers of a household freezer, while improving the heat insulation of the sides and bottom of the ice-making container to enhance the effect of directional freezing, thereby increasing the purity of the ice, and improving the ease of removal after the ice is made (release properties) and ease of carrying, thus improving the user experience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This invention includes the following embodiments. [Aspect 1] A divided first ice-making section made of silicone resin, having one or more spaces for forming spherical, ellipsoidal, or polygonal prism-shaped ice, A second ice-making unit housing the first ice-making unit, An insulating section housing the first and second ice-making sections and An ice-making container equipped with, The top of the first ice-making section is provided with one or more holes that lead to the space, and the bottom of the first ice-making section is provided with one or more holes that lead from the space to the second ice-making section. The first ice-making section is provided with a handle having a recess, The height of the ice-making container is 15-20 cm. The ice-making container wherein the thickness of the wall of the insulating section is 2.2 to 4.0 cm. [Aspect 2] The first ice-making unit comprises two or more spaces for forming spherical or ellipsoidal ice, and / or The ice-making container according to embodiment 1, wherein the first ice-making section comprises four or more spaces for forming polygonal prism-shaped ice. [Aspect 3] The ice-making container according to embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the bottom edge of the first ice-making section is provided with a slope. [Aspect 4] The ice-making container according to embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the lateral length of the handle is shorter than the thickness of the wall. [Aspect 5] The ice-making container according to embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the one or more spaces are for forming polygonal prism-shaped ice, and the polygonal prism is a triangular prism, a quadrangular prism, a pentagonal prism, a hexagonal prism, a heptagonal prism, or an octagonal prism. [Aspect 6] The aforementioned height is 16-18 cm. An ice-making container according to embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the aforementioned thickness is 2.3 to 2.7 cm. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view of an ice-making container according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of an ice-making container according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first ice-making section according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a schematic perspective view of an ice-making container according to the second embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of an ice-making container according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram showing the first ice-making unit according to the second embodiment divided into three parts. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The ice-making container 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described using Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the ice-making container 100, and Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of line AA in Figure 1 (hatching omitted). Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first ice-making section 120 in Figure 2.

[0010] The ice-making container 100 includes a detachable first ice-making part 120 made of silicone resin, which has one or more spaces 122 for forming spherical or elliptical ice, a second ice-making part 140 for housing the first ice-making part 120, and a heat-insulating part 160 for housing the first and second ice-making parts 120 and 140. The second ice-making part 140 may be formed of a material such as hard plastic.

[0011] The number of the spaces 122 is arbitrary and not limited at all. For example, the number of the spaces 122 may be one, or may be two to eight or more. Preferably, the first ice-making part 120 includes two or more spaces for forming spherical or elliptical ice.

[0012] When the ice-making container 100 is in use, the first ice-making part 120 is housed in the second ice-making part 140, and the second ice-making part 140 is housed in the heat-insulating part 160 and then carried to a refrigerator. An inclination 127 is provided at the edge of the bottom of the first ice-making part 120.

[0013] The inclination 127 may be an inclination such as chamfer, taper, or curved surface. Since the silicone resin constituting the first ice-making part 120 has a high coefficient of friction, it is likely to get caught when inserted into the second ice-making part 140. However, this inclination 127 enables smooth insertion and close contact, preventing water leakage and floating.

[0014] The first ice-making part 120 is detachable (consisting of two parts) and made of silicone resin with relatively high flexibility. After the ice is made, the first ice-making part 120 can be easily divided into two parts, facilitating the removal of the ice. As the silicone resin, preferably, silicone rubber that does not cure too much even at low temperatures and has no problem in food hygiene is used.

[0015] One or more hole parts 124 communicating with the space 122 are provided at the top of the first ice-making part 120, and one or more hole parts 126 communicating from the space 122 to the second ice-making part 140 are provided at the bottom of the first ice-making part 120. Further, a handle 128 having a recess 129 is provided on the first ice-making part 120.

[0016] The indentation 129 in the handle 128 increases the strength of the handle 128 of the flexible first ice-making section 120, making the handle 128 easier to hold. The shape of the indentation 129 is not particularly limited and may be rectangular or wavy.

[0017] Preferably, the lateral length w1 of the handle 128 is shorter than the wall thickness W of the insulation section 160. By designing the lateral length w1 of the handle 128 to be shorter than the wall thickness W of the insulation section 160, the structure of the handle 128 portion fits within the thickness W of the insulation section 160, ensuring sufficient wall thickness W of the insulation section 160 while maintaining the overall compactness of the ice-making container 100. Furthermore, after freezing, the first and second ice-making sections 120 and 140 may stick to the insulation section 160 due to the ice, but by placing a finger in the recess 129 of the handle 128, it becomes possible to pull out the first and second ice-making sections 120 and 140 without applying much force.

[0018] The hole 124 located at the top of the first ice-making section 120 serves as an escape route for air and water, while the hole 126 located at the bottom of the first ice-making section 120 is for discharging impurities from the water into the wastewater space 142 of the second ice-making section 140 (the area below the first ice-making section 120 within the second ice-making section 140). The hole 124 also serves as an air vent during water filling and to release the pressure caused by the volume expansion (approximately 9%) when water turns into ice.

[0019] The height H of the ice maker container 100 is in the range of 15 to 20 cm. Alternatively, the height H of the ice maker container 100 may be in the range of 15 to 19 cm, 15 to 18 cm, 15 to 17 cm, 15 to 15 cm, 15 to 16 cm, 16 to 19 cm, 16 to 18 cm, 16 to 17 cm, 17 to 19 cm, or 17 to 18 cm.

[0020] To produce clear ice, the wastewater space 142 where impurities in the water are concentrated needs to be of a certain depth. If the height H of the ice-making container 100 is less than 15 cm, there will not be enough space to accumulate impurities, and these impurities may flow back into the first ice-making section 120, causing the ice to become cloudy. Conversely, if it exceeds 20 cm, it may not fit in the drawers of freezers (especially household freezers), and this trade-off was taken into consideration when setting the height.

[0021] The wall thickness W of the insulation section 160 is 2.2 to 4.0 cm in order to improve insulation performance compared to conventional technology. Alternatively, the wall thickness W of the insulation section 160 may be in the range of 2.2 to 3.6 cm, 2.2 to 3.2 cm, 2.2 to 2.8 cm, 2.2 to 2.4 cm, 2.6 to 3.6 cm, 2.6 to 3.2 cm, 2.6 to 2.8 cm, or 2.3 to 2.7 cm.

[0022] The wall thickness W of the insulated section 160 is set considering the balance between the necessary insulation performance to prevent freezing from the sides and bottom at the typical set temperature of a household freezer (approximately -15°C to -20°C) and minimizing the space occupied within the freezer. If the thickness W is less than 2.2 cm, the insulation effect will be insufficient, and freezing will progress from the sides, potentially causing the area around the ice in the space 122 to become cloudy. On the other hand, if it exceeds 4.0 cm, the improvement in insulation performance will saturate, and the container size will become unnecessarily large, which is undesirable for household use.

[0023] The insulation section 160 has a box-like shape with an open top, and its sides and bottom are made of a highly insulating material such as expanded polypropylene (EPP) or expanded polystyrene. The insulation section 160 may also have a structure in which insulating material is filled into a container or frame made of wood, plastic, or glass. Due to the structure of such an insulation section 160, the cold air inside the freezer is transmitted to the water only from the top surface of the ice-making container 100 that is not covered by the insulation section 160. Water begins to freeze at 0°C, but water containing impurities has a lower freezing point, so the pure water freezes first, and the impurities are discharged into the space 142 of waste water below that has not frozen.

[0024] The wall thickness W of the insulation section 160 may be the same for all sides and bottom surfaces, or they may have different values, as long as it is within the range of 2.2 to 4.0 cm. For example, the thickness of the bottom surface (wall) of the insulation section 160 may be greater than the thickness of the side surfaces (walls) of the insulation section 160, or vice versa. Alternatively, the thickness of each side surface may be different.

[0025] Due to the thickness W of the insulated wall and the height of the container, which are designed to cover a specific area, heat conduction from the sides and bottom is blocked within the household freezer. This causes top-down freezing (directional freezing), where the water freezes slowly from the surface (top) to the bottom, and impurities are pushed out into the wastewater space 142 of the second ice-making section 140. As a result, extremely clear ice (pure ice) is formed in the space 122 of the first ice-making section 120.

[0026] The ice-making container 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described using Figures 4 to 6. Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of the ice-making container 200, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the first ice-making section 220 in Figure 4, line AA (hatching omitted). The ice-making container 200 differs from the aforementioned ice-making container 100 mainly in the shape of the space 222 of the first ice-making section 220, while the second ice-making section 240 and the heat-insulating section 260 are the same as the aforementioned second ice-making section 140 and heat-insulating section 160, and their description will be omitted.

[0027] The first ice-making section 220 of the ice-making container 200 in this embodiment is provided with a space 222 for forming polygonal prism-shaped ice. The top of the first ice-making section 220 is provided with one or more holes 224 that lead to the space 222, and the bottom of the first ice-making section 220 is provided with one or more holes 226 that lead from the space 222 to the second ice-making section 240. The first ice-making section 220 is also provided with a handle 228 having a recess 229.

[0028] As shown in Figure 6, the first ice-making unit 220 is configured to be divisible into three parts 220a, 220b, and 220c, which together provide four spaces 222 for forming polygonal prism-shaped ice. The number of spaces 222 is not limited to this; there may be one, two, three, or four or more. By changing the shape and number of spaces 222, ice of a desired shape and number can be produced. Depending on the number of spaces 222, the first ice-making unit 220 may be divisible into two parts or into four or more parts.

[0029] The polygonal prisms in space 222 are not limited to triangular prisms, quadrilateral prisms, pentagonal prisms, hexagonal prisms, heptagonal prisms, or octagonal prisms, and from the viewpoint of design, quadrilateral prisms, pentagonal prisms, or hexagonal prisms are preferred.

[0030] The dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions of components, etc., described in the above embodiments are arbitrary and can be modified according to the structure of the device to which the present invention is applied or various other conditions. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments specifically described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 100, 200 ice maker containers 120, 220 First ice-making section 140, 240 Second ice-making section 160, 260 Insulation section 122, 222 space 124, 224 hole 126, 226 hole 127, 227 slope 128, 228 handles 129, 229 indentations

Claims

1. A segmented first ice-making section made of silicone resin, having one or more spaces for forming spherical, ellipsoidal, or polygonal prism-shaped ice, A second ice-making unit housing the first ice-making unit, An insulating section housing the first and second ice-making sections and An ice-making container equipped with, The top of the first ice-making section is provided with one or more holes that lead to the space, and the bottom of the first ice-making section is provided with one or more holes that lead from the space to the second ice-making section. The first ice-making section is provided with a handle having a recess. The height of the ice-making container is 15 to 20 cm. The ice-making container wherein the thickness of the wall of the heat-insulating section is 2.2 to 4.0 cm.

2. The first ice-making unit comprises two or more spaces for forming spherical or ellipsoidal ice, and / or The ice-making container according to claim 1, wherein the first ice-making section comprises four or more spaces for forming polygonal prism-shaped ice.

3. The ice-making container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bottom edge of the first ice-making section is provided with a slope.

4. The ice-making container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lateral length of the handle is shorter than the thickness of the wall.

5. The ice-making container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the one or more spaces are for forming polygonal prism-shaped ice, and the polygonal prism is a triangular prism, a quadrangular prism, a pentagonal prism, a hexagonal prism, a heptagonal prism, or an octagonal prism.

6. The aforementioned height is 16 to 18 cm. The ice-making container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the thickness is 2.3 to 2.7 cm.

Images