Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: ICE RFSURFAC.TiVG MACI~VE
~LI7 Oh THE INVENTTON
The present invention relates to khe field of ice making equipment and more
particular, to an ice resurfaces for forming a layer of ice on a cool surface,
such as
may be found in hockey anal iCe skating axetta.S.
1.0
SACKGROLTND OF THE INVENT1~N
Arenas used for h.ackey arid ite skatizxg axe typically formed on concrete
floors in.
which are embedded pipes carrying a clzilled solution. Th.e chilled solution
Lowers
fhe temperature of the concrete floor to as low as 10°F, well below the
32°F freezing
temperature of water. The ch.i.lled floor is t1~.e~a. flooded. wi.kl, water
which freezes to
form an ice surface. Typically indoor ice skating rinks have a Iayer of ice of
about 1
!/z inches in total. The ice is built up to this thickness by repeatedly
flooding the
surface with layers of water. 'The layers freeze one onto the next to form the
Full
layer of ice. In a typical application, after the first couple layers of i.ce
are placed an.
the chilled surface, the ice is painted white to provide a good conkrast to
the ice
surface. A caupl.e mare layers of ice are placed over the painted layer for
protectixtg
the painted ice layer. At this point, additional graphics are painted an khe
zee such
as, for example, the red and blue lines, goal lines and the like fox hockey as
well as
any additional advertising gxaphics, such as corporate logos. A couple move
layers
of ice are then placed on top of these ice ~xrfaces to provide for the final
layer of ice
for hockey or ice skating.
In order to provide for the optimum surface for hockey and ice skatW g, it is
dESiuCable
that the ice be relatively dense. This is generally accom.pIished through the
use of hot
water as it freezes fo a more dense and harder ice surface then cooler water.
Generally, the water is heated to about 150°F for the making of ice in
an az~ena.
During maintenance of the ice, after khe initial ice is foxmEd, an ice
resurfaces such as
a ~aznboxdrM or OlympiaTM is used to shave the ice to remove slush, snow and
dirt
from the surface of the iCe. The .resurfaces then floods the surface of the
ice with
fresh wafer. 'This is generally a.ccomplislxed by dragging a rag or cloth at
the rear of
the ice resurfaces onto which watex is sprEad td provide for a uniform, film
of. watE~r
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to be distributed ovex th.e i.ce suxfaCe. Th.e snow and shavings picked up by
the
xesuxfacer are stored in the snow tank which are then dumped after the
resurfaeer is
finished.
Typically, to resurface a sheet of axena ice, about 120 gallons of water is
heated to
150°F. This xetluires a significant amount of energy to both. heat the
water as well as
create a. xe~rigcration load in the cooling solution of the chilled ~loar to
properly
freeze th.e suxface of the ice.
1 A There have been attempts in the past to provide for reduced energy
consumption
during ice making and maintenance. Ft~r example, US Patent 5,536,41.1.
describes a
process whereby tr.e water used to food the ice rink is de-mineralized. by
xevcrsc
osmosis and carbon Filtered. In this way It is only necessary to heat the
water to
about 90'F. However, this still requires some ad.d itional energy to be used
Fox the
processing of the water.
US Patent ~4,953,36a describes the use of an additive in the water used to
form the ice
or ice layers. The additive comprises a surfactant a primary almh.o). axtd a.
silicone.
The siufactan.t acts to reduce the surface tension of the water while the
silicone acts
2o as a. defoamex col.l.apsing az~y bubbles formed on the surface and also as
a lubricant
when pressure is applied on the ice such as an ice skate blade. ',Che
a.lcoh.ol is
believed to aid in providing a generally homogenous mixture when added to the
water. Through the use of the additive this allows the wdaet to be only heated
to
about 45 - 55°F. I3owever, the savings in energy are offset somewhat by
th.e cast of
the additives.
US Patent 6,931,874 describes an ice maker which utilizes a source of de-
gassed water
which is de-gassed by being heated. A pump to pressurize the de-gassed. water
is
provided and the water is passed, to a sprayer hydraulically connected to th.e
pump.
The sprayer has noy~les si.~.~ed and shaped to convert tl7e pressurized water
into a
fine de-gassing droplet spray directed at the cooled surface. The droplets are
sized to
substaxitialiy freeze on contact wvith the cooled surfaee.
There sH,la xerx~.a.ins a need for an. energy efficient means of. resurfacing
an ice surface
while providing fox dense high quality ice.
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~~,TM1~~~RY OF THL INS'
W a present invention provides an, apparatus for resu~ac~.rig of an ice
surface to
provide .for dense high quality ice. The apparatus comprises an ice
resurfacing
machine having a water storage taz~~C connected to a water delivery systezxi
eompxi.sing a delivery pipe to a conditioning box and a flood bar assembly to
apply
water from the water storage to a flood cloth. One or more magnets are
pxovided to
magnetically treat the water as the water flows through the water delivery
system
thereby producing a denser mare high. quality ice.
to
In. an aspect of the invention, one or more magnets are located along the
delivery
pipe.
ln, axiother aspect of the invention, one or more magnets ate .located on the
delivery
15 pipe adjacent the flood box assembly.
In yet another aspect of the inventiox4 dne or more magnets ace located along
the
.fl.dod bar assembly.
2~ zn another aspect of the xnverktiot~, the magnets az~e equally spaced along
the flood
box assembly.
In another aspect of the invention, one or more xixagnets are located at both
of on the
delivezy pipe and along the flood bar assembly.
30
The present inven.ti.on ~elsa provides for a nnefhod of forming an ire surface
on a
chilled surface, the method comprising passing the water to be applied to the
chilled
sttt'face through a magnetic field to produce denser, higher quality iCe.
BRIEF D1;SCRI1'TION O~ "l~Ilv DRA4I~fNGS
Preferred embodiments of the ,present.invenkion are illustrated in, tl~e
attached
drawings itt. which:
Figuxe 7. .is a side eIevatiori view in crass section of an ice resUrfa~.ng
machine
accordi.n.g td the present invert lion;
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Figure 2 is a perspective view of the piping and flue flood bar of the ice
xesurfacing
machine of Figure 1;
figure 3 is a side elevation view of the piping and flood bar of Pigure 2; and
Figure 4 is a perspective view of an alterx,ative arrangement of the present
invention.
~?~T.A.1LED DL~SCR1PT20N OF TI~3E INV>~N"1'lON
An ice resurfacing machine 10 according to the present invention is
illustTat~ed in
Figure 1. The ice xesurfacer 10 includes tt tank assembly x2, wheels 19., an
operator
position 16 and an ice resurfacing unit 9.8.
The ice resurfacing unit includes a. scra.pcr bar 20 contained wifihin a
conditioning
box 2I to shave the ioe surface and prep~ze .fox receiving the watex for
xesurfacing the
ice. The skravings from the scraper bar 20 are fed by means of a conveyor unit
22 to
ttte snow holding tank 24contained ~nuthix,. the top portion of the tarok
assembly 12.
~.e bottom portion of tl~e tank assembly 72 holds a water tank Z6 which
contains the
2Q water for application to the surface of the i.ce. ,A, water delivery system
including a
piping assembly 28 distributes the water from the water tanlt 26 onto the
flood ba..r
assembly 30 to thereby be applied to the flood cloth 32 to form the ice
surface.
l~s illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, in one embodiment of the invention, one
vr, more
magnets 34 are provided at one or more locations along the water delivery
system
preferably alrnng the piping assembly 28 and flood bar assembly 30. The
magnets 34
are attached to the exterior suxface of the piping assembly 28 or flood 'bar
a~embly
such klaat the water flowing in the pipes are subject to floe magnetic fief d
generated
by tkte magnets. 'tkue magnets are arranged on the pipes such that the north
pole are
30 or, Tented outwardly and th.e aouth pale of the tl3.agnet is oriented
inwardly to the
pipe.
There are a number of diffemnt locations at which the magnets ~aao be placed
to
provide for the desired effect rnt the water flowring through th.e pipe. The
magnets 34
may be placed on the piping assembly to surrouz~.d the piping assembly 28 such
that
the water is treated by the magnetic field prior to its distributto~n. through
the flood
bar assembly 30. Altentatively, one or more magnets may be placed along the
:flood
bar assembly 30 such that the watex is subjected to the magnetic held just
prior to its
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exitix,,g the flood. bar assembly 30 through the openings 36 provided along
the length
of the flood bar assembly 30. Preferably, for a maximum eFFect, it has beett
found
that a txumber of magnets placed arouyad. the piping assembly 28 as well as
magnets
placed along the length of the flood bar assennbly 30 are most effect for the
desi~~ed
kreatment.
An altezxiative arrangement .for the magnet Fox treating the water in the
presexrt
invention is illustrated in Figure 4. F~CI.t o~ the alternative arrangements
described
bel.ommay be utilized on their own or ixw combination with. other
arrangernen.ts as
l0 described. The ice for resurfacing machine 7.0 is typically prav;.ded with
a
conditi.otting box 22 immediately in front of the .fl.ood bar assembly 30. The
purpose
o~ the conditioni,.tg box 21 is to apply waiter to the surface of th.e ice so
that any .nuts
present in the ice will be filed in with a wet slush of the combination of the
water
and the sztow on the surface of the ice. In the altezxtative arrangement
illu.skxaked in
t5 Figure 4, the outer surFa.ce o~ the conditioning box 2I and/or the supply
pipe 40
supplying the water to th.e conditioning box 2I are pz~avided with one or
arose
magnets 34 ox~icnt~ed as described above. In addition, an exkension bar!12 may
be
provided above the flood cloth 34 to ptorrxde a magnetic field to th.e water
in the
flood Cloth or immediately after the Flood cloth to mnd.iti.an the water as it
is applied.
20 to the ice surface.
~'o resurface the .ice utilizing the apparatus of the present invention, the
operator
operates the ice resurfaces in. khe r<ozxxtal manner scraping the ice and
flooding the ice
with the thin. layer of water applied to the ice through the flood cloth. In
operati.rnt
25 th.e water from the water tank 26 i.s dispensed along the pipizzg assembly
to the
cond;tionirg box as well as to the flood. box assembly 30 where it exits the
flood bar
assembly 30 through. fine openings 3b. Tlte Tnraher then falls on the .fl.aod
cloth 32 from
whi.eh it is dispensed on to the surface of the ice.
30 It has been Found that utilizing th,e magnets to interact with the water
utilized xn ice
resurfacing axe accordance with the presezek invention provides riumErous
benefits to
a.n npere.tor of the ice resurFacin.g machine. Firstly, the ice prepared
utilizing the
apparatus of the present inven.iion has been found to be very dense and
l7i.gh. quality
such that ruts formed in. the surface of the ice as a. result of the skaters
movement of
35 the skate blades are not as deep as those formed in ice utilizing a
standard. ice
resurfaces of the prior ark. In addition anal. nn.oze importantly, is has been
Found. that
this ice may be formed, utilizing much lower temperature water than has
previously
commonly been used in ice resurfacing machines. While typically the water in a
ice
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resurfacing machine i.s heafied to about 250'F fox the making of ice in an,
axeria, witlx
I:he apparatus of. the present invention, it has been found that water of
90°F or
perhaps even less may be utilized to farm the dense high quality ice. 'X'11e
ice forb:aed
with the apparatus of the present invention has been also found to be much
clearly
perhaps as a result of less dissolved gases within the water. The denser, ice
also
allows for betker oonduclivity of the chi.lliztg effect of the chilled, floor
la the surface of
the ice. It has also been .fou~id chat ice formed witk~ the ice resvrfacer of
the present
invention is a faster ice where skater's movement is quicker as well as for
hockey
games the puck has been .found to move faster on such ice.
as
In addition. to using the magnets to treat the water applied to an ice surface
with an
ice resurfacing machine, the water utilized to build up the original ice
layers may
also be rnagneti.cal~y treai~d. This ma.y be accomplished. by providing on.e
or more
magnets on the hose used to flood. the Ch.i.l.led surface to produce the ice
layer. The
xxtagnets are preferably provided in a collar either attached to khe hose or
through
which the hose passes. In this way, the original ice layers a.re dense and of
h.igli.
quality, making the .resurfacing of the ice much easier.
While it;.s x~ot exactly know haw the magnets increase the density and quality
of the
ice, it is postulated that it may be in pant due to the magnetic field acting
on the
water molecules to reduce the bond angles and allow for denser packing of the
water
molecules in the ice as i.t is forming.
While preferred embolirnen.ts of the present .inventian have been described
laerei.n in
detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that varialaans may
be made
thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the
appended. claims.
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