Directional-Freezing Ice Tray Assembly for Clear Cube Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice cube tray solutions do not provide ease of use and consistent formation of clear, bubble-free, and impurity-free ice cubes.
Innovation Solution
An ice cube tray assembly comprising an insulating box with a lower and upper chamber, where the upper chamber has a top wall with a depending skirt and inner container structure that seals with the lower chamber, allowing for directional freezing to push impurities into the lower chamber, resulting in clear and impurity-free ice cubes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If directional freezing is used to push impurities out of water, then ice clarity is improved, but ease of use and consistent formation is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The ice cube tray is divided into multiple compartments, each capable of independent ice cube formation. This segmentation allows consistent ice production across multiple sections while maintaining the directional freezing process in each compartment, resolving the contradiction between achieving clear ice and ease of consistent formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray design pre-establishes the freezing direction and impurity expulsion pathways before the freezing process begins. The structural configuration of each compartment is predetermined to guide ice crystal growth and impurity migration, ensuring consistent clear ice formation without requiring user intervention during the freezing process.
2Manufacturing precision
If complex sealing structures are used to prevent impurity contamination, then ice purity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tray employs flexible sealing elements and thin film barriers at the interfaces between compartments and along the freezing surfaces. These flexible seals effectively prevent impurity contamination and maintain ice purity through the directional freezing process, while their flexibility and simplicity avoid adding excessive structural complexity to the overall device.
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
The assembly facilitates the formation of clear and impurity-free ice cubes by directing freezing from top to bottom, ensuring impurities are separated from the ice, and allows for easy disassembly and reuse, producing transparent, cubic ice cubes.
Implementation Method 1
allowing for directional freezing to push impurities into the lower chamber, resulting in clear and impurity-free ice cubes
Data Source
AI summary
An ice cube tray assembly having an insulating box, a lower chamber and an upper chamber. The insulating box having a base and an upstanding structure, with a cavity. A top surface has an inner and outer perimeter, with the inner perimeter defining the opening of the cavity. The lower chamber includes an upper deck portion and container structure depending therefrom. The upper chamber includes a top wall and an inner container structure depending from the top wall. The upper and lower chambers are positioned in sealing engagement.