Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A METHOD AND AN APPARATUS FOR UTILISING GLACIER lCE AS DRINKING
WATER
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for utilising
naturally
occurring ice, such as glacier ice arctic ice from the polar caps or Greenland
inland ice, as
drinking water resource, while retaining the very high degree of purity which
such ice
deposits possess to such a great extent.
DE-A-32 17 560 discloses a method for providing countries having poor water
resources,
in particular desert countries, with fresh water by packing icebergs drifting
in the Antarctic
in watertight flexible wrappings, pumping undesired sea water out from the
wrappings,
closing the wrappings, allowing the wrapped icebergs to drift towards the
Equator and,
upon partial or complete melting of the icebergs and attainment of a desired
latitude,
towing the resulting huge water bags to the countries in question.
It has been known for many years to utilise, e.g., Greenland inland ice as a
drinking water
resource within the field of refreshing drinks or soft drinks based on the
recognition that
upon melting, the inland ice may be distributed to consumers as some of the
purest
naturally occurring water in the world. However, known methods have been
disadvantageous, inter aJia because some of the natural purity of the ice has
been lost in
the preparation of the ice as drinking water, as, after ice has been taken out
from its
natural occurrence, such as an iceberg, it has been necessary to melt it and
then bottle or
pack the water in containers permitting transport and distribution of the
water to
consumers.
The inland ice is formed by the yearly snowfall of a thickness of, on the
average, 1 meter,
being compressed by the snowfall of following years until the snow, in a depth
of about 70
meters, has been converted into ice filled with small air bubbles. The ice
layers are
compressed, an in the course of thousands of years, moves down the bedrock and
towards the ice rim in glaciers which calve and at short interval yield an
iceberg which
floats out to sea. If such icebergs are "caught" shortly after their formation
from the glacier
and before they are decomposed into undrinkable sea water, their ice may be
utilised for
the production of drinking water of a very high purity. It is also possible to
obtain glacier
ice by mining of the glacier before it has calved.
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However, melting of the ice in order to pack the resulting water in a package
suitable for
distribution involves a substantial exposure to the surroundings of the water
formed from
the ice, the exposure taking place during the melting process and during the
subsequent
packing processes and therefore contributing to impair the purity and increase
the germ
count in the water so that its quality and shelf life are impaired. Even
though the melting
and packing operations may be performed under conditions counteracting
pollution and
increase of the germ count in the water, such as an ozone-containing
atmosphere and/or
UV irradiation, and with measures for removing germs, such as sterile
fltration, it will
hardly be possible to guarantee that a pollution, once introduced, can be
removed with
certainty. In addition, the melting of the ice in arctic environments and the
bottling or
packing of the water are, in themselves, highly resource-demanding processes.
The invention provides a method and an apparatus which do not have the above-
mentioned disadvantages associated with the methods used hitherto to utilising
naturally
occurring ice, such as glacier ice, arctic ice masses or inland ice as
drinking water
resources.
It is contemplated that the drinking water obtained according to the invention
will be of
special interest in the freld of "luxury drinking water", comparable to known
intemationat
brands of bottled pure water, or in the field of refreshing drinks or soft
drinks, but because
of the good economy of the method of the invention, it also seems realistic to
use the
drinking water obtained according to the invention as everyday drinking water
supply
where access to pure drinking water is otherwise limited.
The method of the invention for utilising glacier ice or other natural ice
deposits as
drinking water comprises cutting or drilling the ice from the deposit, or from
ice blocks
taken from the deposit, into units of a unit size suitable for immediate
packing and for later
distribution to and use by end consumers, and packing, while the units are
still in the form
of ice, the units in sealed containers suitable for distribution to and use by
end consumers.
Thus, the special new feature of the invention is that after the cutting out
or drilling out of
the units, , preferably immediately subsequent to the cutting out or drilling
out, the units
are packed in the form of ice in an airtight and preferably light-impervious
containers
without the exposure to potential pollution and to bacteria which would be
possible in a
melting and subsequent bottling or packing of the water. Thereby, the very low
germ
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count of the ice is retained in the packing after it has been closed and will
be retained as
long as the packing remains closed, irrespective of the further treatment of
the packed ice,
or the water formed from the ice, by stacking, transportation and distribution
of the
consumer unit portions. Due to the of the packing being sealed, a melting of
the ice inside
the packing during the distribution of the packing to shops or consumers will
not result in
any substantial change of the low germ count of the product which,
accordingly, wilt be
drinking water of a very high degree of purity. The method and the apparatus
of the
invention also avoid the above-mentioned ressource-intensive melting of ice in
order to
tap as drinking water prior to bottling or packing and the reduction of the
purity of the
product associated therewith.
Glacier ice which has been formed prior to the industrialisation and which has
not been in
contact with, e.g., soil or sea water is extremely pure. It is sterile or
substantially sterile,
and it has a very low content of ions. In these regards, it can be compared to
triple
distilled water.
The method of the invention will preferably be performed under such conditions
that the
high degree of purity made possible by the fact that the interior of the ice
units is
unavailable to the surrounding is retained without any particular treatment of
the ice, that
is, without the necessity of using special precautions such as UV irradiation,
ozone
atmosphere, sterile filtration, etc.
Such conditions comprise the use of cutting or drilling tools made of
materials which
inherently have smooth surfaces where possible and thus a low tendency to
absorb
impurities or germs and which is easy to clean, such as, e.g., tools of
suitable ceramics or
stainless steel or other suitable alloys. Stainless steel are the presently
preferred tools. It
is also preferred that all or substantially all other equipment which contacts
any surface of
the anal ice units is made of such materials, e.g., stainless steel, suitable
ceramics or
other suitable and easily cleaned materials.
(t is especially noted that while ice, as pure frozen water without any
surface film of molten
water, does not have any pronounced tendency to absorb impurities or germs
from the
surrounding air, this does not apply to water, and thus, it is important to
avoid that a water
film is present on the exterior of the ice units when they are packed into the
containers.
This may be done by performing the operations cautiously and without any
unnecessary
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heat generation at the ice surface. It is also preferred, as indicated above,
that the cutting
of the surfaces that will be the exterior surfaces of the ice unit packed is
performed as late
as possible and preferably substantially immediately before the ice unit
becomes
enclosed and sealed in its container. If there is danger of the formation of a
water film, it
would also be possible to cut or scrape off the water film and possibly a thin
layer of the
ice with a clean tool immediately prior to the packing.
The cutting or drilling and packing of the ice is preferably performed under
strict hygienic
conditions, which involved that where possible, the operations are performed
by means of
automates or robots to avoid or reduce the risk of contamination from humans.
Also, it is
preferred to perform the operations under an increased atmospheric pressure,
and where
staff must be present during the operations, the staff should preferably wear
special
clothing adapted to the purpose, caps, masks, etc. Preferably the cutting or
drilling and
the packing are performed in accordance with FDA Current Good Manufacturing
Practice
for processing and bottling of bottled drinking water, 21 CFR129.
The ident~cation of a suitable source of pure ice is normally easy and may be
assisted by
chemical analysis and flow studies and/or other knowledge about origin of the
ice. In most
cases, it will be possible for persons having expertise in glaciology andlor
related
sciences to establish, based on the above-mentioned and other assessments,
that the ice
is pure and has an age of at least 2000 years.
One special feature of high quality pure glacial ice is an extremely low
conductivity,
reflecting a very low content of ions which again reflects the desired lack of
contact with
soil, sea water and even lack of contact with organic life. Thus, the ice is
preferably an ice
which, when thawed, has a conductivity of at the most 10 mSlm, which means
that the
water reaching the consumer will have a conductivity of the same low order of
magnitude.
It is often found that the ice, when thawed, has a conductivity of at the most
5 mSlm or
even as low as at the most 3 mS/m. Ice samples suitable sources from glaciers
from the
Greenland inland ice have been found to have a conductivity, when thawed, of
less than 2
mSlm.
An important indicator of purity of the ice and an origin going back to prior
to
industrialisation is the lead content of the ice. While, e.g., Greenland
inland ice formed at
the time of the Industrial Revolution (1770-1780) has been found to have a
lead
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concentration close to 10 picograms per gram of ice, increasing to about 250
picograms
per gram of ice in the 1960'ies, ice formed in pre-industrial time, e.g. 2000-
5000 years
ago, will have a lead concentration of about 1 picogram per gram. Thus, it is
preferred that
the ice used in the method of the invention has a lead concentration of at the
most 5
5 picograms of lead per gram of ice, more preferably at the most 2 picograms
of lead per
gram of ice and most preferably at the most 1 picogram of lead per gram of
ice.
As indicated above, it is an important feature of the present invention that
due to the fact
that the interior of the ice will not get into any substantial contact with
the surroundings
during the operations performed, the original very high purity of the ice will
be retained.
This also means that the during the operations, the ice should preferably not
crack or
become crushed because this would expose a much larger surface to the
surroundings.
Therefore, it is preferred that the ice, prior to the processing, has been
stored at a
constant temperature, such as a temperature in the interval of minus
2°C to minus 20 °C,
for at least 48 hours, preferably for at least a week, and in practice often
several weeks.
Thereby, internal stresses in the ice caused by the temperature variations
between the
situation where the ice was positioned in the glacier or the iceberg and the
situation during
miningltransportation will be levelled out, and the ice will become in
equilibrium with its
"new" surroundings.
The temperature of the ice subjected to cutting or drilling is preferably a
temperature at
which the ice has a relatively low tendency to cracking during these
operations. It is
known that the plasticity of ice and thus its capability of resisting cracking
under external
influences varies with the temperature, the plasticity being relatively higher
at higher
temperatures. Therefore, is preferred that the temperature of the ice
subjected to cutting
or drilling is in the range of minus 1°C to minus 20°C, a
preferred interval being
minus 2°C to minus 12°C, and a presently more preferred interval
being minus 5°C to
minus 10°C. 1n spite of these specific intervals being mentioned, it
should be noted that it
will be possible for a person skilled in the art, based on simple preliminary
tests, to assess
which processing temperature will be the optimum for a particular lot of ice.
While it is, of course, preferred to utilise the inherent purity of the ice to
avoid measures
like W irradiation, ozone atmosphere, sterile filtration, etc., it is within
the scope of the
invention to combine one or more such measures with the packing in ice form,
the
inherent advantage of the packing in ice form being retained and guaranteeing
that the
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interior of the ice unit .is substantially free from influences from man-made
or man-
influenced surroundings. It will also be preferred that the production of the
packed ice
units is continuously monitored by frequent withdrawal of samples and
determination of
their purity parameters, including germ count. For preventing ice with built-
in foreign
bodies from being included in the ice packed, the ice deposit or the ice
blocks may be
transilluminated or scanned by other means prior to the cutting out/drilling
out. Another
possibility is to continously or intermittently withdrawing very small samples
of the ice
under controlled conditions and subject them to an analysis by suitable fast
methods,
such as using automated microscopic methods such as automated fluorescence-
microscopic methods.
Although it is presumed that the most important exploitation of the method
according to
the invention will be the embodiment where the natural ice is packed without
any addition
or modification, it is within the scope of the invention to combine the
packing in ice form
with addition of desired additives such as minerals, carbon dioxide, flavour
additives, etc.
In the case of such additives it is, of course, preferred that they are of a
high quality and
purity and have a low germ count, preferably the same extremely low germ count
as the
ice itself. The retention of the inherent advantage of the method of the
invention can also
be utilised in these cases as the interior of the ice will still be
substantially without
influence from man-made or man-influenced surroundings, and the economic
advantages
of avoiding the melting which is particularly expensive in arctic environments
are also still
obtained. It will also be within the scope of the present invention to combine
the ice being
packed with a larger or smaller amount of an alcohol product such as an
alcoholic liquor
product such as whisky or other liquor product which may be diluted with water
before
consumption. In such case, it will normally be preferred to adapt the ratio
between the
alcohol product and the ice so that the combination corresponds substantially
to the
dilutions of the alcohol product normally consumed, such as with 5-25% by
volume of the
alcohol liquor product, calculated on the combined volume of ice and the
alcohol product.
Whenever the ice packed is combined with one or more such added components,
the
volume of the ice unit packed should be reduced to compensate for the volume
of the
added component or components, the preferred total degree of filling of the
container
mentioned herein preferably being retained.
The containers used for the packing may be metal containers, suitably metal
cans, such
as made of steel sheet, aluminium or other suitable metal which has preferably
been
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provided with an interior coating protecting the metal against the corroding
effect of the
ice/the water. Especially, the water formed by the melting of the ice inside
the containers
may have a high content of so-called aggressive carbon dioxide. However, it is
within the
scope of the invention to use other containers, such as containers of tight
plastic or
containers of the type of plastic-treatedlplastic-coated cartons sold under
the trade mark
Tetra Pak. Also glass containers may, of course, be used. Normally, however,
the above-
mentioned internally coated metal containers are suitable, in particular where
the
containers are subjected to substantial influence between the time of packing
and the time
of consumption. When relatively stiff packing materials are used, a certain
vacuum may
be developed by the melting of the ice in the packing, as ice has a higher
volume than the
water formed by the melting of the ice. In addition, it may be suitable to
perform the
packing at a reduced pressure so that also for this reason, there may be a
reduced
pressure in the closed container. As explained in the following, a
particularly preferred
type of container is a triangular or other prismatic shape container made of a
plastics
material, such as food grade polyethylene or polypropylene, such as random
copolymer
polypropylene from Amoco, or any other suitable food grade plastics material.
The container is suitably adapted so that it facilitates the introduction of a
large volume of
ice in the total volume of the packing. It is prefer-ed that the ice packed
constitutes at least
80% of the total interior volume of the container, more preferred at least 90%
most
preferred at least 95% of the total interior volume, and it is still more
preferred that the ice
constitutes 98% or more, such as at least 99%, of the interior volume.
When the patent claims mention unit portions or consumer units, this is to be
understood
as the portions acquired by the individual consumer, whether this consumer
uses the
packed product as a "unit dosis" of the size of, e.g., 0.1 litre to 1.5 titre
or as as "dispenser
unit" of a size of, e.g., 2-10 litres from which the water may be tapped over
a very short
period of time, such as from less than one day to a few days, preferably from
inserted
tapping units ensuring tightness and preventing germs from entering. However,
because
of the character of the product as pure and "noble", the typical consumer
portion will be
one which is opened and consumed in the course of at the most some hours.
Because of the desirability of packing the ice portions as fast and easily as
possible after
they have been cut out or drilled out, it is highly preferred that the ice
portions and the
containers to be filled have such shapes relative to each other that any cross-
section of
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the ice portion being moved into the container can be accommodated in the
container. In
practice, it is, therefore, preferred that the ice portions are cylindrical or
prismatic with
sides that are parallel to their longitudinal axis, and that the containers
have a
corresponding interior shape, with a narrow fit between the ice portion and
the interior of
the container, just allowing the air in the container to escape as the ice
portion is being
moved into the container. A circular-cylindrical shape of the ice portions is
preferred when
the containers are conventional cans such as metal cans of types
conventionally used for
drinking water and may be obtained by suitable drilling as described herein.
Another
highly preferred shape is a prismatic shape, in particular such a prismatic
shape that it
can be easily cut out of a block of ice without much waste being formed.
Preferred shapes
in this regard are shapes with.rectangular cross-section and with quadratic,
hexagonal,
pentagonal or triangular cross-section.
A presently preferred container of this kind is a container comprising a
bottom wall and a
tubular container body extending upwardly therefrom, said tubular body having
a
substantially polygonal cross-sectional shape and being defined by a plurality
of
substantially trapezoidal side walls, adjacent rectilinear upper edges of the
side walls
opposite to said bottom wall defining a plane defining an acute angle with a
longitudinal
axis of the tubular container body and extending upwardly therefrom to a
vertex of the
polygonal tubular container body so as to define a spout. Thus, despite its
attractive
stringent geometrical shape, such as a prism having an upper end cut at an
oblique angle,
the container has a functional spout defined by an upper vertex of the tubular
container
body.
The container may have any practical polygonal cross-sectional shape, such as
hexagonal, pentagonal or quadrangular. In the preferred embodiment, however,
the
tubular container body has a triangular cross-sectional shape.
The acute angle defined between the longitudinal axis of the container body
and the plane
extending upwardly to the spout-defining vertex may in principle have any
practical value
between 5° and 89°, for example. Preferably, however, said acute
angle is 30°-85° and
more preferred 45°-80°, for example about 75°.
The container may, for example, contain a single beverage portion, such as
about 33 cl,
suitable to be consumed at one time. In such case, the tubular body of the
container may
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have a relatively small cross-sectional shape, such that any of the side
surfaces may be
safely gripped. If, however, the container is to be able to contain a
substantially greater
amount, such as for example 100 cl, the cross-sectional shape of the container
body may
conveniently be an equilateral triangle, so that the side surface of the
container body
forming the shorter side of the triangle may be safely gripped.
For any cross-sectional shape of the tubular body of the container according
to the
invention the width of at least one of the side walls of the container body
should preferably
substantially correspond to the length of the palm of the hand of a grown up
person so as
to allow a user to safely grip the opposite parallel sides of such side wall.
The container body is closed at its upper end by means of a closure or lid,
which may be
opened or removed by the consumer. If the amount of ice packed in the
container is so
small that it is usually coiisumed at one time, the closure may be of the
"tear off' type,
such as a film or foil closing at least part of the upper end of the container
body. Thus,
such tear off type of closure may cover only an opening formed at the spout-
defining
edges, while the remaining part of the upper end of the tubular container body
may be
closed by a permanent end wall part formed integrally with the side walls of
the container
body.
If the size of the container is such that its contents is usually consumed in
portions over a
period of time, the closure or lid of the container is conveniently of the re-
closable type.
Such closure may form a hermetic seal till the closure is opened for the first
time, and
thereafter it may be closed again so as to prevent spillage of the liquid
contents. As an
example, the closure or lid may be hinge connected to the upper edge of a side
wall of the
container body opposite to the spout defining vertex. When the lid has been
opened for
the first time it may be retained in its closed position, for example by means
of a lock of
the snap fastener type.
By performing the process of the invention at the site of mining of the ice,
that is, in arctic
surroundings, the natural low temperature of these surroundings is utilised in
the process,
which, together with a preferred use of tools of stainless steel contributes
further to
retention of the low germ count of the product.
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In one preferred embodiment, cylindrical drills in the cutting or drilling
unit of an apparatus
for performing the method are, e.g., of the type of spoon bits known per se,
arranged as
two identical, mutually oppositely oriented sets at each side of a matrix
which is rotatable
around its longitudinal centre axis so that the drill not inserted is directed
away from the
5 ice block treated an may be made ready, e.g., emptied of ice residues, prior
to insertion.
Each set consists of a predetermined number of cylindrical drills which are
mutually axis-
parallel and perpendicular to the matrix.
The invention also relates to apparatuses for performing the method.
In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises first and second mutually crossing,
intermittently operating conveyor lines (1, 6) arranged at two respective
levels, the first
conveyor line (1) being provided with means (1a) for conveying pre-formed ice
blocks (2a}
to a cutting station (2b) having cutting means for cutting or dividing the
preformed ice
blocks into unit portions, so that these portiohs -remain interconnected at
one end, the
second conveyor line (6) being provided with means (9) for conveying
containers or
packagings (8a, 8b) for packing of the ice unit portions (2b), a packing and
cutting station
(10, 11 ) being arranged at the crossing of the conveyor lines and having
means for
moving open ended containers or packagings conveyed by the second conveyor
line into
encircling engagement with each of the mutually interconnected ice portions
(2b), and
means for subsequently cutting the interconnected ice portions from the
remaining part
(2c) of the ice block, whereby the packed ice portions may be further conveyed
by one of
said conveyor lines.
34. In another embodiments, related to the prismatic cross-section, such as a
triangular
cross-section, the apparatus comprises first and second mutually crossing,
intermittently
operating conveyor lines (1, 6} arranged at two respective levels, the first
conveyor line (1)
being provided with means (1a) for conveying pre-formed ice blocks (2a) to a
cutting
station having saw means for cutting or dividing the preformed ice blocks into
unit
portions, the unit portions being kept together in a tray (2), the second
conveyor line (6)
being provided with means (9) for conveying containers or packagings (8a, 8b)
for
packing of the ice unit portions (6), a packing and cutting station being
arranged at the
crossing of the conveyor lines and having means for moving each of the ice
portions (6) in
the tray so that they get into surrounding engagement with open ended
containers or
packagings conveyed by the second conveyor line.
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In the following, the method of the invention be explained in greater detail
in connection
with non-limiting examples of apparatuses for performing the method and
containers for
use in the method and with reference to the drawing, in which
Fig. 1 shows a perspective diagram of an apparatus for performing the method
of the
invention, and
Fig. 2 is a side view of the apparatus,
Figs. 3-7 show views of a preferred container for use in the method of the
invention,
Fig. 3 being a front perspective view of the container,
Fig. 4 being a side perspective view of the container,
Fig. 5 being a perspective view seen from the back side of the container,
Fig. 6 being a side view of the container, and
Fig. 7 being a top view of the container, and
Figs. 8-14 are diagrams illustrating a cutting and packing method and device
adapted to
cut out ice portions to be packed in containers of the type illustrated in
Figs. 3-7
The apparatus comprises of two stepwise operating and synchronised conveying
lines 1,
6, which cross each other and, in the example shown, are perpendicular to each
other, a
cutting or station 3, 4, 5, a packing device 7,9and a cutting device 10,11.
An ice block 2a has been cut out, in a manner known per se and with dimensions
adapted
to the capacity of the apparatus, from a naturally occurring ice deposit, such
as an iceberg
towed to the production site, whereupon the block 2a has been arranged, by
means of
holding means 1 a, hanging under the conveyor fine 1 in step I of the conveyor
line. By
means of a drive means (known per se and not shown) for the conveyor line 1,
the block
is moved to step II of the conveyor line, the said step II additionally
comprising the cutting
or drilling station 3, 4, 5 which consists of a base structure 5 in which a
matrix 3 is
suspended rotatably around its longitudinal centre axis, and a predetermined
number of
hollow, identical cylindrical drills 4 axis-parallel to each other are
arranged in the matrix 3
in such a manner that they are perpendicular to the matrix with their hollow
end facing
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outwardly. The base structure 5 and the matrix 3 are connected or have built-
in a drive
means (not shown) for the drills for synchronous activation of the drills. The
base structure
is also provided with a lifting/lowering means (not shown) for the matrix 3
and the drills
4, so that each of the drills may be made to drill out a portion 2b of ice in
step II from the
5 block 2a, and controlled in such a manner that the portions 2b, after
withdrawal of the
drills 4 from the ice, remain fixed to the remaining part 2c of the block 2a.
The interior
dimensions of the cylindrical drills 4 correspond to the size of a consumer
unit portion of
ice, e.g., 0.33, 1.0 or 1.5 litre. The then partially cut out ice block
consisting of the
remaining part 2c of the block and the portions 2b fixed thereto is conveyed
by the
conveyor 1 to step ill of the conveyor line for packing and cutting-off. In
the example
shown, the matrix 3 carries a set of cylindrical drills on each of its sides.
In a manner
known per se, the matrix 3 may be made to rotate around its longitudinal
centre axis so
that the two sets of drills 4 can be interchanged, thereby freeing the non-
inserted set for
being made ready prior to being mounted again.
Step III in the sine 1 constitutes the crossing with the other conveyor line 6
with trays 9,
each of which carries a number of container units 8a corresponding to the
number of
cylindrical drills 4 inserted in the drilling unit 3. In the crossing field,
each tray 9 with
appertaining container units 8a is lifted by a lifting device 7, so that each
of the container
units will surround a'cut-out ice portion 2b. The cutting-off device 10, 11,
in the example
shown as a band saw which co-operates with the conveyor line 1 in that it is
mounted
movably along the conveyor line 1 in step I II, has a cutting edge which is
parallel to the
direction of movement of the conveyor line 1 and is arranged so that the band
saw cuts off
the ice portions 2b after they have become surrounded by the container units
8a, the
cutting off being immediately along the open ends of the container units 8a.
The tray 9
with the now filled container units 8a, 2b is then lowered by means of the
device 7 to the
level of the conveyor line 6 and is moved by means of the conveyor line 6 to a
station for
airtight and lightproof sealing of the open ends of the containers 8a in a
manner known
per se. The now sealed containers 8b are now ready for further transportation
for
distribution to consumers. The containers 8a, 8b may be cans of aluminium or
steel or a
corresponding material with the same properties. The units should be
internally coated in
a manner known per se for counteracting reaction between the contents and the
metal.
The remaining part 2c of an ice block is moved away from the stet lil of the
conveyor line
1 for possible other use, e.g., as crushed ice, or for discarding.
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13
In the example described, the conveyor lines are in the form of conveyor
bands. It wilt be
obvious to the person skilled in the art that the term "lines" in connection
with the
apparatus according to the invention is to be understood in a broad sense
without
departing from the scope of the invention. As an example, the conveyor lines
may just as
well be robot-controlled crane devices which advance the ice and the
containers,
respectively, to the respective treatment stages or stations.
With reference to Figs. 3-7 in which like numerals designate like parts, a
container 10
comprises a tubular container body 11 having a pair of identical trapezoidal
side walls 12
joining at an axially extending.front edge 13, and a rectangular back wall 14
joining the
trapezoidal side walls 12 at side edges 15 extending parallel with the front
edge 13. The
bottom end of the container body 11 is closed by a bottom wall 16, which
extends at right
angles to the axis of the container body and to the front and side edges 13
and 15,
respectively: The bottom wall 16 is preferably formed integrally with the side
and back
walls 12 and 14, for example by blow moulding, e.g., from random copolymer
polypropylene
The upper end of the tubular container body 11 is defined by upper edges 17 of
the
trapezoidal side walls 12 and by an upper edge 18 of the rectangular back wall
14.
Because the front edge 13 is substantially longer than the side edges 15, the
upper edges
17 and 18 define a plane extending upwardly from the upper edge 18 of the back
wall 14
towards the upper end of the front edge 13. Thus, the said plane defines an
acute angle
a with the longitudinal axis of the tubular container body 11 or the
longitudinally extending
front edge 13 as shown in Fig. 4. Consequently the upper edges 17 adjacent to
the front
edge 13 defines a spout 19. This spout 19 may be more or less upwardly
protruding
depending on the size of the acute angle a.
In a preferred embodiment, in which the spout 19 is a pouring spout, the angle
a is about
75°. However, if it is to be possible to drink a beverage directly from
the container so that
the consumer is able to insert the spout into the mouth, the angle a is
preferably smaller
so as to obtain a more protruding spout 19.
The container with the ice block may be stored in a frozen condition till a
customer wants
to consume the contents, and then kept at room temperature for a period of
time sufficient
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14
to thaw the ice block, or the container with the ice block may just be stored
under normal
storage conditions, such as in a refrigerator until consumption. Thereafter
the fresh, virgin
drinking water may be poured into a glass from the spout 19, or the spout may
be inserted
directly into the consumer's mouth.
The device shown schematically in Figs. 9-14 in which like numerals designate
like parts
is used in an alternative method for cutting ice portions, suitable for
cutting portions in
prismatic cross-sections, in the figures a triangular cross-sectional shape
suitable for
being packed in the container shown in Figs. 3-7. The apparatus shown in the
figures
would, e.g., replace the cutting or drilling station 3, 4, 5 in Fig. 1 and
also constitute part of
the packing station in Fig. 1.
As shown schematically in side view in Fig. 8, a block of ice 1 is cut into a
height suitable
corresponding to the height of containers into which individual ice portions
are to be
-15 packed. The ice block has already been cut to a plane upper surface 1' by
means of a
saw with stainless steel saw blade, and a cutting is being performed using the
saw so that
the resulting block 5 now has parallel upper and lower surface parts 1' and 1
". The block 5
is then placed in a special tray 2 of stainless steel shown in Figs. 9, 10 and
12-14 and
having a rim part 2' and a bottom part 2". Figs 9, 12, 13 and 14 are top views
of the frame
2, in Figs. 12, 13 and 14 with the ice block 5 in place. Fig. 10 is a side
view of a section of
the tray with the ice block 5 in place. The ice block 5 rests on protrusions 4
extending
upwardly from the bottom part 2" and having top surface parts 4' seen in Fig.
9.
The ice block 5 is then sawn into prisms in the following manner: By means of
a saw or a
plurality of parallel saws (which parallel saws are either band saws having
parallel cutting
edges or circular saws arranged on the same shaft}, first cuts 9 are made.
Then spacers
14 are inserted in the cuts or kerfs 9 to keep the resulting ice blocks in
place in the tray 2.
(Fig. 10 indicates how spacers14 are raised from the bottom part 2" of the
tray 2 from a
lower inactive position and inserted into the ice block). Then second cuts 10
are made,
and further spacers 14 are raised and inserted into these cuts. Finally, third
cuts 11 are
made, and further spacers l4are raised and inserted into these cuts. Then, the
final
prismatic ice blocks with triangular cross-section are moved upwardly
individually or
several at a time by means of rods (not shown) which are pushed upwardly from
the
centre parts of the top surfaces 4' of the protrusions 4, and the ice blocks
moved and thus
protruding upwardly are moved into corresponding containers (not shown), e.g.
by being
gripped by holders moving them into the containers or by simply being pushed
into
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containers arranged above the ice blocks and having open ends facing the ice
blocks.
The spaces between the protrusions 4 allow that the saw blade or saw blades
can cut the
ice block along the lines 9, 10 and 11 (shown in Figs. 12, 13 and 14 and
indicated by
dotted lines in Fig. 9) without cutting the protrusions 4 when the saw blade
or saw blades
5 reach down through the ice block 5. Also, slits 12 (indicated in Fig. 14) in
the rim part 2' of
the tray 2 allow the saw blades to pass in the various directions
corresponding to the
various cuts. Fig. 11 shows the pattern in which the ice block will finally be
cut into prisms
6 with triangular cross-section, and the (small) volume of waste is indicated
by numeral 13
in Fig. 14.
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