Infused Ice Maker Appliance with Additive Dispensing Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ice maker appliances produce ice solely from water, resulting in bland and flavorless ice that lacks nutrients.
Innovation Solution
The development of an ice maker appliance with an additive dispensing assembly that mixes liquid water with additives such as flavorants, electrolytes, or vitamins before freezing, creating infused ice.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional ice maker appliances produce ice solely from water, then the ice making process is simple, but the resulting ice is bland and lacks flavor or nutrients
Solution Approach 1:
The additive cup is nested within the mold body, with the dispensing tube extending through the mold body to deliver additive directly to the mold cavity. This nested configuration allows the ice maker to gain flavor enhancement capability while minimizing structural complexity by integrating multiple functions into a compact arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The ice maker is segmented into distinct functional components: water delivery system, additive storage cup, dispensing tube, and mold body. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while maintaining overall system simplicity. The additive cup and dispensing mechanism can be independently serviced or replaced.
2Adaptability or versatility
If an additive dispensing assembly is added to the ice maker, then infused ice with flavor and nutrients can be produced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The additive dispensing function is merged with the existing mold body structure. The dispensing tube passes through the mold body, and the additive cup is positioned to work in conjunction with the mold cavity. This merging eliminates the need for separate additive delivery mechanisms, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining the desired versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The additive cup is designed to be user-replaceable and self-contained, allowing users to easily change additives without requiring complex servicing mechanisms. The system provides self-service capability where users can independently maintain and update the additive supply, reducing the need for complex automated refilling or monitoring systems.
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 solution enables the production of infused ice that offers enhanced flavor and nutritional value, addressing the blandness of conventional ice.
Implementation Method 1
An outlet of the dispensing tube is aligned with an outlet of the fill tube whereby a flow of the liquid additive from the dispensing tube mixes with a flow of liquid water from the fill tube to form a mixed flow of liquid water and liquid additive
Implementation Method 2
The mold cavity is further configured for retaining the mixture of liquid water and liquid additive to form an ice piece from the mixture in the mold cavity
Implementation Method 3
In some systems, a working fluid is used to directly cool the mold body, e.g., by conductive heat transfer
Implementation Method 4
In other systems, the air around the mold body may be cooled such that the mold body is indirectly cooled via the air
Data Source
AI summary
An ice maker appliance includes an additive dispensing assembly and a mold body. The additive dispensing assembly includes an additive cup configured to receive a volume of liquid additive and a dispensing tube. The ice maker appliance also includes a fill tube. The dispensing tube is aligned with the fill tube whereby the liquid additive from the dispensing tube mixes with a flow of liquid water from the fill tube. The mold body includes a mold cavity. The mold body is positioned downstream of the dispensing tube and the fill tube and is configured for receiving the mixed flow of liquid water and liquid additive whereby a mixture of liquid water and liquid additive is formed in the mold cavity. The mold cavity is further configured for retaining the mixture of liquid water and liquid additive to form an ice piece from the mixture in the mold cavity.