Spherical Ice Storage Tray With Curved Cavities for Shape Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice makers face issues with ice cubes changing shape due to melting when stored together, as they are not designed to maintain the spherical form of ice effectively.
Innovation Solution
An ice maker that produces and stores spherical ice pieces using a refrigeration unit and a specialized tray with concave cavities matching the ice's radius, allowing for efficient cooling and storage without shape distortion, and includes a water recovery system to slow down melting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If spherical ice pieces are stored together in a box-like tray, then storage efficiency is improved, but the spherical shape changes due to melting
Solution Approach 1:
The storage tray is divided into multiple individual cavities, each designed to hold a single spherical ice piece. This segmentation prevents ice pieces from contacting and deforming each other, while still allowing efficient storage of multiple spheres in an organized manner.
Solution Approach 2:
The cavities in the storage tray are designed with curved surfaces that match the spherical geometry of the ice pieces. This curvature provides proper support contact points that maintain the spherical shape during storage, preventing deformation that would occur with flat or angular cavity surfaces.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional cube-shaped ice is used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but shape maintenance during storage deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention adopts spherical geometry for the ice pieces, which simplifies the manufacturing process by using a single curved mold surface instead of complex multi-face cube molds. The spherical shape also provides superior stability during storage as it distributes contact forces more evenly, reducing deformation compared to angular cube shapes.
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 ice maker effectively maintains spherical ice pieces with minimal shape change and efficient melting water management, allowing for easy retrieval and continuous ice production.
Implementation Method 1
a refrigeration unit (26) that makes the spherical pieces of ice (40)
Implementation Method 2
a tray (42) that supports the spherical pieces of ice (40)
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
An ice support and storage tray includes one or more cavities having upwardly facing spherical surface portions that support spherical pieces of ice. The tray is preferably made of a material having a low thermal conductivity to reduce melting of the spherical pieces of ice. The spherical support surfaces minimize melting points that could otherwise cause the spherical pieces of ice to melt and develop irregular surface shapes. The ice tray may be used in a freezer having an ice maker that transports spheres of ice to the ice support cavities. The ice storage tray may be configured to permit removal of spheres of ice without tipping the tray upside down and/or twisting/deforming the tray.