Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ 2~
BAC~GROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method o~
storing and selectivel~ dispensing particulate ice. More partic-
ularly, the present invention pertains to an ice Btorage and dis-
pensing apparatus which provides easy accessibility to a large
quantity of particulate ice but occupies a relatively s~all
amount of counter space in a food ~ervice establi~hment.
A number of devices for ~toring and dispens~ing particulate
ice are currently available~ Such devices include a hoppex for
storage of ice therein, generally of xectangular shape, having
10 ! generally perpendicular walls. Such a construction generally
¦ includes some mechanical means which is selectively activated by
pressing against a lever arm pivotally mounted t~ the front of
, the hopper for movin~ the ice out of the hopper through a gate as
¦I shown in ~.S. Patent No~ 4,346,824. ~owever, such di~pensers are
¦ generally either l~rye and bulky, thereby taking up a large
¦¦ amount of space, or so small that they contain ~o little ice that
~¦ they must often be re-filled; thereby requi.ring additional
employee time to supply them with ice. Reference to two design
l,patents illustrates this dilemma: ~.S. Des. 265,203 describes a
ilarge, free-standing dispenser and U.S. Des. 269,785 describes a
much smaller, counter-top aispenser. On information and belief,
either or both of the dispensers disclosed in those two design
patents would include a mechanism such as i8 disclosed in U.S.
I Patent No. 4,346,824.
I In many modern food service establishments, ~pace and man
power re~uirements are significant factor~ in the profitability
of the business. Such i6 especially the case in restaurants such
as those which are known as fast food-type restaurants, particu-
larly in those fast food outlets which have hecome particularlY
attractive in recent year~ which are located, for instance, in
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the parking lot~ of other business establishment8 which require
only two or three person crews to operate, and which erve rela-
tively high volumes of food in ~hort periods o~ time. ~ood ser-
vice apparatus which occupies a small amount of space and which
requires only occasional re-filling or service i~ particularly
well ~uited, if not essential, for such restaurant8. Consequent-
ly, device~ such as those shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,346,824 and
Patent Nos. Des. 265,203 and ~es. 269,785, are of~limited utility
in such restaurants.
10 ¦¦ The present invention is based upon the discovery that sig-
llnifi~ant sRace ~avings are made possible by the use of a ~lop~d
¦ifloor in the ice hopper of the dispenser and the use of structure
¦Iwhich allows the motor and means for activating the motvr to move
¦Ithe ice out of the hopper to be located in the space ~ormed be-
¦ltween the walls of the device and the underside of the l~pper end
!iof the sloped floor of the ice hopper~ The use of a ~canted~floor in an ice hopper i~ disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,423,830,
but the cant in the floor ~f the ice hopper disclosed in that
! pa~ent is to provide ~or the draining of water therefrom and the
20¦¦motor and means ~or activating the motor to move ice out of the
¦'hopper is not located under the canted floor. 'rherefore, that
device suffers from the same disadvantages and limitations as the
above-characterized dispensers; namely, the relatively large size
or, if built ~maller, the limited capacity for storage of
particulate ice.
Another problem with the construction of ice dispensers such
as those di6close~ in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,346,824 and 4,423,830 is
that the means f~r moving the ice within the ice hoppex ~ends
merely to move the mass of ice around in a ~ircle inside the ice
30 hopper rather than to mechanically break apart the particulate
ice. Breaklng the ice apart prevents the bridging and~or
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congealing of the ice in a manner which causes the apparatus to
either ~top dispensing ice from the hopper before the ice hopper
i6 empty or which cau~es the ice bridges to iam between tbe means
for moving the ice and the interior wall6 of the ice hopper
itselfO In either situation, the apparatu~ must be 6erviced,
which is exactly the 6ituation which the operator of the ~ood
service establishment desires to avoid. ~he present invention
overcomes that limitation and disadvant~ge of ~prior art ice
dispensers by pro~iding a means for mechanically breaking up the
ice before it is moved out of the ice hopper by the means for
moving the ice out of the hopper.
Another disadvantage and limitation of prior art ice
dispensers is their tendency to dispense ice which is relatively
~wet" in the sense that the ice dispensea is partially melted.
Generally, the ice dispensed from such dispensers is wet because
the ice is dispensed from the bottom of the ice h~pper. The ice
at the bottom of the ice hopper i wet because all the water from
the ice in the upper part of the ice hopper runs to the botto~ of
~he hopper as it melts. The present inventîon overcomes that
limitation by providing a ~loped floor in the ice hopper, a drain
at the lower end of the sloped floor, and means for moving the
ice at the bottom of the ice hopper upwardly along the sloped
floor, out of any melt water which may have collected there, and
out of the ice hopper. The drain is located at the lower end of
the 610ped floor ~o that water from the melted ice will run down-
wardly along the sloped floor and out of the hopper. The fact
~hat the drain is set at an angle to the horizontal, i.e., in the
sloped floor~ make~ ~the drain less likely to clog or freeze up
from partially melted ice.
I~ is, ~herefore, an objec~ of the present inven~ion to pro-
vide an apparatus for storing and dispensing particulate ice
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comprising a subst~nt1~11y rect~ngular case having ~n ice hopper~
therein for storage o~ particulate ice, the ca~e having ~ubstan-
tially vertical sid~ walls and the floor of the ice hopper ~lop-
~ng downwardly within the case, means for moving particulate ice
c~ntained within the ice hopper upwardly along the sloped floor
from the lower end of the floor to the upper end thereDf, means
at the upper end of the ~loped floor of the ice hopper for
dispensing partic,ulate ice therefrom, and means ~ounted to said
case in the ~pace in~ide the ~ubstantially xectangular walls
¦ thereof and under the sloped floor of the ice hopper for selec-
¦ tively activating the ice moving means, thereby moving îce up-
j wardly along the sloped floor of the ice hopper to the ice dis-
¦ pensing means at the upper end thereof ~nd out of the ice hopper
¦ therethrough.
¦ Another objec~ of the present invention to provide an appa
¦l ratus for ~toring and dispensing particulate ice which is sani
tary and which dispenses ice without requiring a user to touch
the ice.
¦ Another object of the present in~ention is to provide an
lapparat~s for ~toring and dispensing particulate ice which does
Inot generate excessive amount~ of heat, motor noise, or vibration
when in use~ the mechanism being activated only when ice is being
dispensed.
A further object of the present invention is ~o provide an
apparatu~ for storing and dispensing particulate ice having a
drain which i5 les~ likely to free~e over or plug up ~han the
drains of those dispensers which are currently available ~ecause
the drain is ~et in the floor of the ice hopper at an angle from
Ithe horizontal~
¦ Yet a~other object of the presen~ invention is to provide a .
!apparatu~ for storing and dispen6ing particula~e ice which
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prevents ice from jamming i~ ~he disch~rge chute, the ice being'
¦ mechanically agitated by the dual actio~ of a screw and ~tirriDg
¦ bars located within the ice hopper of the ~torage and dispensing
apparatus.
Another object of the present invention i5 to provide an ice
dispensing apparatus which stores enough ice therein so as not to
require frequent re-filling.
Another object of the present invention is t~ provide an ice
I dispensing apparatus which stores relatiYely large quantities of
ice therein but which does not occupy a large amount of c~unter
space in a food 6ervice establi~hment.
Ano~her o~ject of the present invention is to provide a
i method of dispensing particulate ice from a storage and
dispensing apparatus compri~ing loading an ice hopper wi~h
particulate i~e, directing the ice within the ice hopper to the
lower end of the ~loped floor ~f the ice hopper, and agitating
the ice contained within the ice hopper and m~ving the ice
¦ upwardly along the ~loped floor o~ the ice hopper from the lower
¦ end thereof to dispense the ice from an opening in the upper end
20 ¦¦ of the sloped floor while draining the melt water from the ice at
the lower end thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an
apparatus for storing and dispensing particulate ice which per-
mits the user to control the ~uantity of ice dispensed.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an
apparatus for fitoring and dispensing particulate ice which dis-
penses relatively dry ice in that the apparatus permits melt wa-
ter to be drained from the i~e before the ice is~~dispensed there-
fr~.
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I ~ further ~bject of tbe present invent1on 18 to provide ~n
¦ apparatu~ for storing and dispensing particulate ice which is
easy to clean and practical to use.
Other objects and advantages Will be appareDt to th~se
skilled in the art who have the benefit of thi~ ai5closure from
the following description of a presently preferred embodiment of
¦ he inventlon nnd the drawings referred to therein;
¦ SUMMARY OF T~IE INVENTION
I These objects are accomplished by pr~viding an apparatus for
101l ~toring and dispensing particulate ice comprising a substantially
rectangular case having an ice hopper therein fox storage of
particulate iceO the ice hopper having ~ubstantially ver~ical
side walls and ~ floor which ~lopes downwardly within the case,
¦and means for moving particulate ice contained within the ice
hopper upwardly along the ~loped floor rom the lower end of the
floor to the upper end thereof. Means is provided at the upper
end of the sloped floor sf he ice hopper for di~pensing partic-
ulate ice therefrom, and means is mounted to the case in the
li~pace formed by the substantially rectangular walls and the
20 !~loped floor of the ice hopper for selectively activating the i~e
¦moving means to move ice upwardly along the sloped floor of the
¦ice hopper to the ice dispensing means at the upper end thereof
and out of the ice hopper therethrough.
The ice hopper is prov ded wi~h an apparatus for sealing the
rotating shaft of the ice moving means in ~he stationary ice
hopper comprising a packing case mounted in the gtationary ice
hopper and having a hole therethrough for re~eiving a rotating
shaft. A seal cap i~ received within the hol~ in the packing
ca~e an~ i8 provided with means for sealing ~he seal cap against
30 ~the packing case and means for ~ealing the seal cap against the
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rotating sh~ft. A thrust bearing i~ al~o mounted to the~
stationary ice hoppex and is received within the hole in the
packing case and has a hole therethrough for receiving ~he
rota~ing shaft.
Also provided is a method of dispending particulate ice from
an ice storage apparatus comprising loading the ice hopper of an
ice dispensing apparatus with particulate ice, ~electively me-
I ~hanically agitating the ice contained within -the ice hopper,
¦ directing the ice w~thin the ice h~pper to the lower end of the
¦ ~loped floor of the ice hopper, and moving the ice upwardly along
¦ the sloped floor of the ice hopper while the ice is being mechan-
j ically agitated to di~pense the ice from the upper end of the
sloped floor while draining the melt water from the ice at the
lower end of the sloped floor,
I BRIEF DESCRIP~ION OF THE DRAWINGS
¦ ~ig. 1 is a perspective view of a presently preferred embod-
iment of an apparatus constructed according to the tea~hings of
~he present invention.
I Fig. 2 is a ~ectional view taken along the lines 1~ f the
20 I apparatus chown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is an enlaryed, cross-sectional view of the packing
case shown in Fig. 2.
D~TAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
. ~
Referring to ~ig. 1, there is shown a~ apparatu~ for storing
and dispensing particulate ice, designated generally at reference
numeral 10~ which is s~omprised of a case 12 having a.n ice hopper
14 contained therein. A~ be~t ~hown in ~lg. 2, ice hopper 14 is
provided with substan~ially vertical side wallg~16 and a sloped
floor 18 at the bottom thereof having a lower end 17 and an upper
end l9. The side walls 16 and floor 18 of ice hopper 14 are
. comprised of a shell member 20 and an insulating material 22
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integral therewith. Shell ~0 can be constructed of plastic or
metal, ~uch as stainless steel~ and insulating material 22 can be
¦ any material ~uitable for insulating ice hopper 14~ and pref-
erably water resistant.
A portion of the side wall 16, designated generally at
reference numeral 24, of ice hopper 14 is slanted at the back end
¦ thereof to receive ~tirring bars 32-32' and shaft 42-42' as will
be described. The outside 6urface of insulating~material 22 in
¦ the area of the 61anted portion 24, a~ well as the filoped floor
10 ~lB, is provided with an ou er shell 210~ Ice hopper 14 is closed
by lid 26 which rests on the shell 20. Shell 20 is provided with
an overhanging lip 28 having slot 30 therein for receiving the
walls ~f case 12.
¦ Ice hopper 14 is al~o provided wi~h a pair of ~tirring ~ars
lj32 having blades 34 ~ounted thereon for mechanically agitating
¦¦the ice contained in ice hopper 14. Ea~h of the ~tirring bars 32
i i5 journaled at one end in a thrust bearing 36 which is mounted
in the side wall 16 ~f i~e hopper 14 IFig. 2~. The other end of
l each stirring ~ar 32 passes through a packing box 38 set in the
Iback slanted portion 24 of side wall 16. To facilitate ~heir
~removal from ice hopper 14, stirring bars 32 are comprised of two
,sections 32 and 32' held together by receipt of cone 33 integral
with bar 32' within a complimentary cavity (not numbexed).
Packing boxes 3B prevent the passage of grease or other
contaminants into the lnterior of ice hopper 14, and each is held
in position against the back slanted portion 24 of 6ide wall 1
by fa6tening means 40.
Ice hopper 14 is al80 provided with means for moving
¦part.iculate ice c~ntained within ice hopper 14 upwardly along the
Isloped floor 18 from the lower end 17 ~o the upper end 19 thereof
in the form of an auger assembly 41 having a two piece shaft
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42-42' whieh is mounted at one end in a thrust bearing 44 similarj
to thrust bearings 36 and at the other end pas~es through a
, packing box 38' of the ~ame type a~ packin~ boxes 38~ Like
~tirring bar~ 32-32', the shaft 42 of auger assPmbly 41 i~
~omprised of portions 42 and 42', held together by cone 46~in ~
¦ cavity (not numbered) a~ described above for stirring bars
¦ 32-32'~ Packing ~oxes 38 and 38' are comprised of flange 142 and
neck 144 portions, and enclose a bearing assembly wh~ch is
comprised of seal cap 201, thru~t washer 205 and thrust bearing
10¦ 209 (see Fig. 3). Seal cap ~01 i~ provided with shaft 6eal
i~ O-ring 202 sealing against shaft 42i and O-ring face seal 203
1' ~ealing against the inside face of the flange 142 of packing
boxes 38 and 38'. Seal cap 201 is prevented from rotating about
~haft 42' by means of locking tabs 211 receiYed within slot 212
, located inside the neck 144 of packing boxes 38 and 38'. The
'i flange 142 of packing boxes 38 and 38' is sealed against the
Il surface of ~hell 20 by O-ring 204, and receives shaft 42' through
opening 206 therein, shaft 42' al~o passing through seal cap 201
li and ~haft seal O-ring 202. Thrust washer 205 is mounted on shaft
20l¦ 42l through opening 206 therein, ~haft 42' also passing through
¦l ~eal cap 201 and shaft seal O-ring 202. Thrust washer 205 is
mounted on shaft 42' behind seal cap 201 and is held in place by
retaining rings 207 and 208. Thrust bearing 209 is also mounted
around shat 42', and the flange 212 thereof bears against ~hrust
! washer 205 and the outside surface of the outer shell 210 of ice
hopper 14~ being positively secured thereto by ~astening means 40
which extend through the flange 212 into the neck 144 of packing
box 38. Thru~t bearing ~09 is provided with one-or more O-ringS
214 for sealing against the neck 144 of packing case 38 ~or 38')O
30Shaft 42-42' i5 provided with a plurality of flights 48l
~paced therealong. Ice hopper 14 is provided with means for¦
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i directing the ice c~ntained therein ~o the lo~er end 17 of sloped
I floor 18 in the form o~ auger cover 50. Auger cover 50 covers
¦ the upper portion of auger assembly 41 and is integral with the
~ide walls 16 of ice hopper 14~
The low~r end 17 of floor 18 is provided with a drain 52.
Drain 52 is ~et in the lower end 17 of ~loor 18 at an angle from
the horizoDtal, thereby helping to prevent the freezing and/or
clogging of the drain opening thereto. As ice contained within
¦ ice hopper 14 i moved upw~rdly along the ~loped floo,~ 18 by the
10 I rotation. of shaft 42-42', water drains back down floor lB into
drain 52 and out of ice hopper 14, through elbow 54, into hose 56
and elb~w 58, and into drain pan 60. Drain pan 60 is provided
with an outlet 62 having a hose 64 connected thereto for draining
¦water received ~rom elbow 58 as well as through the grating 66
Iwhich re3ts on the shoulder 68 of ~ase 12.
¦ The upper end 19 of floor 18 is provided with means for dis-
pen~ing particulate i~e from inside ice hopper 14 in ~he form of
an ice chute 70 formed integrally in the floor 18. Ice ~hu e 7n
lis provided with a tr~p door 72 which is biased by ~pring 90 as
,will be explained toward a first ~losed position in which trap
¦door 72 abuts the ~houlder 74 formed in the walls of ice chute
170. Biasing trap door 72 closed in this manner helps ~eep
!insects and other unde~irables out of the interior of ice hopper
14. Trap door 72 is pivotally mounted on pin 76 to the wall~ of
ice chute 70, a8 i~ lever arm 78, which is in~egral with trap
door 72. Rod 80 i~ pivotally attached to laver arm 78 by rivet
B2 at o~e end and by ri~et 84 to the ear 86 of ~olenoid 88 at the
other *nd. Spring 90 is bottomed against tab ~2.
Referring once again to Fig. 2, ~he ~pace 92-inside the sub-
~tantially rectangu1ar wall~ of case 12 and under the upper end
19 of floor lB of ice hopper 14 i provided with means mounted to
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ca~e 12 for 6electively activatin~ the ice moving means, thereby
j moving ice upwardly along the ~loped floor 18 o ice hopper 14 to
~he ice chute 70 at the upper e~d 19 of floor 18 and out of ice
hopper 14. The means fox activating the ice mo~i~g means com-
prises a levex arm 94 pivotally mounted on pin 96 to ~ase 12 in
the recessed portion of the æide ~alls of case 12 behind ice
chute 70. Spring 97 biases lever arm 94 toward a first pOsition
in which trap door 72 is cl~sed and motor 108 (see below) is not
activated. Lever arm 94 is provided with a block 100 having a
magnet 102, shown in shadow lines in Fig. 2, contained therein.
When lever arm 94 is pushed from the first position in the direc- .
¦I tion of arrow 104 to a second position, the magnetic field of
magnet 102 is det~cted by halogen switch 106~ which ~loses a cir-
cuit to activate motor 108. ~alogen ~witch 106 and mo or 108 are
connect~d, and the circuit formed, by wires 110 through junction
box 112. At the ~ame time that the circuit conne~ting th~
halogen switch 106 and motor 108 is ~ompleted to activate motor
10~, the circuit including wires 114 through junction box 112 is
completed to actiYate ~olenoid 88, thexeby causing the rod 80 to
¦ move in the direction of arrow 116, ~ompressing ~pring 90, to
pivot trap do~r 72 in the direction of arrow 118 to a second,
open position. The electric circuit also includes wires 120
which are connected to Hall effect ~ensor 122, which is a mag-
netic switch which is closed by the presence of the magnetic
field of magnet 124 which is integral with the means for closing
i~e hopper 14, i.~, lid 26. Only when the lid 26 o~ case 12 is
closed is the circuit completed by Hall effect sensor 122,
thereby preventing the opera~ion of ~tirring bars 32 and shaft
42-42' when the lid 26 i~ opened as a safety precau~ion. Motor
103 i~ pr~vided with a gear box 126 through which drive shaft 128
carrying idler 130 thereon is driven. Idlex 130 drives ~elt 132 . I
to operate shaft 42-42~ throu~h pulley 134. Shaft 42-42' is also
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. provided with an idler 136 which drive~ belt 138 to turn bo~h
stirring bars 32 through pulleys 140.
Having de6cribed the structure of a presently preferred em-
bodiment of the invention~ the method of using the invention will
now be described with reference to the ~i~ures. ~he ice hopper
14 is firEt loaded with particulate ice. The ice contained ~ith-
in ice hopper 14 i~ then selectively mechanically agit~ted by
¦ ~tirring ~ars 32,having blades 34 there~n by pushing lever arm 94
I in the direction of arrow 104 to complete the electric ~ircuit
through halogen switch 106, thereby activating motor 108 to turn
stirring bars 32. The ice within ice hopper 14 is directed to
the lower end 17 of the sloped floor 18 of ice hopper 14 by auger
cover 50 and the ~lope in the floor 18 and, as shaft 42-42' turns
in response to the completion of the circuit by halogen switch
106, the ice i8 moved by flishts 48 upwardly along the sloped
~loor 18 of ice hopper 14 to dispense the ice through ice chute
1 70 from the upper end 19 of sloped floor 18 while draining the
il melt water from the ice through drain 52 at the luwer end 17 of
l; sloped fluor 18. To prevent any bridging or congealing of the
l ice above txap door 72, thereby preventing the opening thexeof in
the direction of arxow 118, the flights 48 of shaft 42-42' are
spaced at an interval defining a Yolume which is smaller than the
volume of the opening of ice chute 70. Spacing flights 48 in
that manner ~nsures that all of the ice which is moved into the
area directly above ice chute 70 will fall out of ice hopper 14
throuyh chute 70, thereby eliminating the pos~i~ility of blockage
of the chut2 70.
Although the invention has been described i~ term~ of the
labove-characterized presently preferred embodiment, it will be
under~tood by those skilled in ~he art who have the benefit of
this di~closure that the embodiment described is but one device
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which may be c~nstructed according to thè teaching~ of the pre-
sent invention and that other devices may be constructed without
departing from the spirit of the present invention. It is con-
templated that all ~uch devices will be covered by the following
olaim~.
ll .
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