Clear Ice Sphere Mold Using Top-Down Directional Freezing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing clear ice spheres are costly and complex, requiring expensive equipment, and most consumer-level products cannot produce clear ice effectively or produce cloudy ice due to trapping impurities and gases.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising releasably connected molds and an insulated vessel that freezes water from the top down, using a combination of half molds and a cup within an insulated vessel to create clear ice spheres without trapping gases or impurities, allowing for easy extraction of a crystal clear ice sphere.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If water is frozen from the outside in using simple rubber molds, then the manufacturing cost is low, but impurities and gases are trapped in the ice producing a cloudy product
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the inversion principle by freezing water from the inside out rather than from the outside in. A metal insert with a spherical cavity is placed inside the mold, and freezing begins at the inner surface of the cavity, pushing impurities and gases outward toward the mold wall where they are excluded from the ice sphere. This reverses the conventional freezing approach and resolves the contradiction between low cost and high clarity.
2Manufacturing precision
If expensive specialized equipment is used to freeze water layer by layer, then clear ice can be produced, but the device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs the self-service principle where the freezing process automatically pushes impurities outward without requiring external intervention. The thermal gradient established by the refrigeration element naturally drives convection currents and exclusion of impurities during the freezing process, eliminating the need for complex agitation or multiple layering mechanisms while achieving clear ice.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential function of impurity removal from complex machinery by using a simple metal insert that serves as both the freezing surface and the impurity exclusion mechanism. The spherical cavity in the metal insert provides a controlled freezing interface that naturally excludes impurities without requiring additional separation equipment or complex systems.
3Manufacturing precision
If water is agitated during freezing to prevent gas dissolution, then gas trapping is reduced, but expensive complex equipment is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical agitation systems with a thermal field-based approach. By controlling the freezing front to advance from the inside outward, the process naturally manages gas and impurity exclusion through thermal gradients and phase change dynamics, eliminating the need for mechanical stirrers, pumps, or gas circulation equipment.
4Manufacturing precision
If refrigerated supports are used to freeze water from the inside out, then clear ice can be produced, but the equipment cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the refrigeration function in a localized metal insert with a spherical cavity rather than using extensive refrigerated supports throughout the mold. The cooling element is positioned precisely where needed to initiate and control the internal freezing process, achieving clear ice with minimal refrigeration infrastructure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the production of clear ice spheres without complex or expensive equipment, ensuring the ice remains crystal clear and free from impurities, addressing the need for a cost-effective consumer-level solution.
Implementation Method 1
freezes water from the top down, using a combination of half molds and a cup within an insulated vessel to create clear ice spheres
Data Source
AI summary
Exemplary embodiments of a device and method for making clear ice spheres employing a large half mold (11) releasably connected to a small half mold (30), and an insulated vessel (70). When the device is filled with liquid and submitted to freezing temperatures the liquid freezes from the top down leaving a clear ice sphere in the mold.