Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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The present invention relates to an ice cube bag comprising:
two sheet-shaped foil layers having substantially identical geo-
metrical configurations and defining an outer periphery,
a peripheral joint extending along the major part of the outer
periphery of the foil layers with the exception of a peripheral area
constituting an inlet channel of the bag which peripheral joint joins the
foil layers together mainly overlapping each other and defining an inner
chamber in the interior of the bag which inner chamber is divided into
several ice cube compartments being defined in relation to each other by
separate joints of the foil layers,
an inlet channel defined by joints of the foil layers and extending
from the inlet channel to the inner chamber of the bag so that admission
is allowed from the surroundings to the inner chamber of the bag
through the inlet channel.
Numerous ice cube bags are known within this technical field , e.g.
from US patent No. 3,207,420, US patent No. Re.31,890, US patent
No. 4,822,180 corresponding to European patent No. 0 264 407,
published European patent application No. 0 129 072, international
patent application, publication No. W082/00279, international patent
application, publication No. W087/01183 corresponding to European
patent No. _0 248 817, international patent application, publication No.
W086/04561, international patent application, publication No.
W092/15491 corresponding to European patent No. 0 574 49 and
published European patent application No. 0 619 948 and Danish patent
No. 172.066 corresponding to published European patent application
No. 0 795 393. In these numerous publications to which reference is
made a large number of ice cube bag constructions of different
embodiments having different closure devices are described, including
knot closure, self-closure etc. Within this technical field it is conunonly
known that ice cube bags may either be glued or welded, the above
mentioned Danish patent and the corresponding published European
patent application describing an industrial method for production of ice
cube bags having continuous or intermittent weldings.
It is commonly known within this technical field that ice cube bags with
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very strong joints, especially weldings or glueings may be produced,
providing a safe and reliable containment of the ice cubes produced by
means of the ice cube bag. Similarly it is generally realized that it may
often be quite difficult for a user to open an ice cube bag in which ice
cubes are contained, as the foil used, especially the conunonly used
polyethylene plastic foil and the rather strong joints, makes a tearing
apart or opening of the ice cube bag quite difficult. In international
patent application, publication No. W087/01183 and corresponding
European patent No. 0 248 817 an ice cube bag construction is
described in which glueing is preferably used for establishing joints in
the interior of the ice cube bag. The joints are later on relatively easy to
separate again enabling a conversion of the ice cube bag from an ice
cube bag divided into compartments into a non-compartmentalized ice
cube bag. In the European patent it is stated that the joints enabling a
conversion of the ice cube bag from a compartmentalized ice cube bag
into a non-compartmentalized ice cube bag may be established as
weldings or alternatively as glueings, as it should be possible for a
person skilled in the art to deduce a technique to establish weak
weldings enabling such a tearing apart of the joints for the purpose of
converting the ice cube bag from a compartmentalized into a non-
compartmentalized form. In this connection, in the European patent it is
specifically stated that tearing apart of the joints, especially the glueings
is not to cause any damage to the walls of the ice cube bag, i.e. cause a
proper tearing of the ice cube bag, but only a separation of the joints
previously established.
The present invention is based on the problem or the object of providing
an ice cube bag of the type mentioned in the introduction in which it is
possible in a simple manner to provide a tearing apart of the ice cube
bag when a number of ice cubes have been produced in the ice cube bag
by inserting water into the ice cube bag which is thereafter brought to
freeze by positioning the ice cube bag containing water in a deep
freezer, a home freezer, a freezer locker or the like. This problem or
this object comprises per se a contradiction, as on the one hand a
reliable sealing of the ice cube bag is provided so as to avoid an un-
intended leakage due to weak joints provided in the ice cube bag, in-
cluding weldings or glue connections that may at an inappropriate point
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in time break and thus provide a leakage. On the other hand, the desire
for providing an ice cube bag in which it is easy for the user to get into
the interior of the ice cube bag in order to take out the ice cubes con-
fined in the interior of the ice cube bag indicates that the joints should
be weak and thus facilitate the tearing apart of the ice cube bag.
The invention is based on the realization that by means of suitable geo-
metrical designing of the joints providing the separation of the inner
chamber of the ice cube bag into numerous ice cube compartments it is
possible to design these joints in such a way that these joints which are
preferably produced by means of the same technique and same strength
as the other joints in the ice cube bag may provide an opening of the ice
cube bag after producing ice cubes or lumps of ice by freezing the water
contained in the inner chamber of the ice cube bag.
The above mentioned object is obtained by means of an ice cube bag
according to the present invention, and the above mentioned problem is
solved in accordance with the teachings of the present invention by
designing the ice cube bag mentioned in the introduction in such a
manner that each of the separate joints defining two neighbour, ice cube
compartments in relation to each other is constituted by a number of
individual joints and that each of these individual joints establishes a
connection between the two sheet-shaped foil layers with such a joint
strength and with such limited area extension that the joint in question is
not broken when the foil layers are exposed to a separative force, but
produces a tearing apart or perforation in one of the foil sheets along the
periphery of the joint in question.
An embodiment of the ice cube bag characteristic of the present
invention is characterized by the joints producing the definition of the
ice cube compartments in the interior of the ice cube bag being
constituted by a number of individual joints each establishing such a
joint between the two sheet-shaped foil layers of the ice cube bag that
the joint in question cannot per se be torn apart or broken, but at the
same time, due to the limited area extension of the joint in question,
enables the joint to produce a tearing apart or perforation of one of the
foil layers in the ice cube bag when the two sheet-shaped foil layers of
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the ice cube bag are pulled from each other and are sought to be
separated. In this connection, firstly it should be noted that this tearing
apart or perforation is not per se conditioned on any specific force
orientation, but in accordance with the teachings of the present invention
it has turned out to be advantageous that the freezing of the water in the
interior of the ice cube bag into lumps of ice produces a stretching of the
foil layers so that a simple bending of the ice cube bag may in itself
produce the necessary tearing apart or perforation of one of the foil
layers of the ice cube bag as the stretched foil layers thus produce a con-
siderable pull in one of the sheet-shaped foil layers in which a tearing
apart or perforation is accordingly produced.
Secondly, it should be noted that the separate joints characteristic of the
present invention must not be mixed up with the indication in the above
mentioned European patent No. 0 248 817 stating that suitable surface
weldings may be constructed by means of micro weldings which may be
separated in accordance with the technical effect desired in the European
patent in question. Unlike this technical effect described in above
mentioned European patent No. 0 248 817, in accordance with the
present invention a proper breaking by tearing apart or perforating one
of, the other of or both of the two sheet-shaped foil layers is produced
when the ice cube bag according to the present invention is intended to
be opened or broken.
Furthermore, it should be noted that the embodiment of the ice cube
compartment separating joints characteristic of the present invention due
to the very limited area extension of these joints is conditioned to a
better compartment utilization of the ice cube bag as compared to known
commercial ice cube bags, since the ice cube bag of the kind as de-
scribed in the below example may hold a total liquid volume of 480 g
and commercially available ice cube bags hold typical liquid volumes of
the order of 280 - 370 g.
In accordance with the present invention the characteristic advantage is
furthennore obtained that the individual ice cube compartments may be
filled through the corner connections between the individual ice cube
compartments unlike the conventional ice cube bags having, on the
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contrary, the ice cube compartment defining or separating joints in the
corners between the individual ice cube compartments. Thus, an easier
and quicker filling of the interior of the ice cube bag is obtained as
compared to the prior art commercial ice cube bags, and a bigger inner
5 volume, i.e. liquid volume, is obtained in the ice cube bag.
The individual joints characteristic of the present invention forming the
definition of the ice cube compartments in the inner chamber of the ice
cube bag are, as it will be described in the following, typically
positioned in lines in an orthogonal pattern in the ice cube bag which
conditions the use of a minimum surface area of the two sheet-shaped
foil layers for establishment of the ice cube compartmentalizing joints
and at the same time a well-defined delimitation of the fmal ice cubes or
lumps of ice contained in the ice cube bag as the ice cubes will typically
be defined by straight lines according to the above mentioned orthogonal
pattern.
For increasing the technical effect of the tearing apart or producing
perforations in one of the foil layers in the ice cube bag according to the
present invention when the ice cube bag is intended to be torn apart or
opened it is preferred that the individual joints mentioned are positioned
in such mutual distance that the individual joints when being torn
through or perforated in one of the foil layers produce directions for a
perforation line in one of the foil layers, thereby obtaining an especially
simple tearing apart or opening effect.
In connection with the foils commonly used today in the industry,
especially polyethylene foils, it has in accordance with the teachings of
the present invention turned out that the effect characteristic of the
present invention, i.e. a tearing apart or perforation effect by means of
breaking through or opening the ice cube bag, is obtained by the factor
calculated as the area of the individual joint expressed in square milli-
metres divided by the circumference or perimeter of the same joint
measured in millimetres lies within the area 0.025 mm and 0.5 mm,
preferably within the area 0.125 mm and 0.375 mm, such as
approximately 0.25 mm.
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In connection with commercially used foils, tests have demonstrated that
the technical effect characteristic of the present invention may be
obtained by each of the individual joints mentioned having an area
extension corresponding to the area of a circle having a diameter of
between 0.1 mm and 5 mm, such as 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm, preferably
between 0.9 mm and 1.0 mm, such as between 0.5 and 0.8 mm,
between 0.8 mm and 1 mm, between 1 mm and 1,2 mm or between 1.2
mm and 1.5 mm.
Even though in connection with the development of the realization based
on the present invention the inventor has solely performed tests with
welding of the sheet-shaped layers for production of ice cube bags it
must be contemplated that the technical effect characteristic of the
present invention of providing the opening or tearing apart of the ice
cube bag by tearing apart or perforating one of the foil layers may just
as well be obtained by using gluing techniques. It is a characteristic
feature of the present invention, as already described above, that all the
joints in the ice cube bag may advantageously be produced by means of
only one technique and preferably in the one and only process, e.g. a
welding process, which results in a substantially higher production price
as compared to a process in which inner compartment-separating joints
are produced by means of one technique, whereas the peripheral joints
are produced by means of another technique. Thus, in accordance with
the present invention, the presently preferred embodiment of the ice
cube bag demonstrates the feature that the peripheral joint as well as the
inlet channel defining joints and the individual joints mentioned are all
constituted by glueings or preferably weldings.
The individual joints mentioned above which are characteristic of the
present invention for production of the above mentioned tearing apart or
perforation of one of the foil layers, the other one of the foil layers or
both foil layers along the periphery of the joint in question may, indeed,
be of arbitrary geometrical configurations even though it is presently
preferred that the joints in question are of circular configuration.
Alternatively, these individual joints may have the configurations of
ellipses, line segments, triangles, rectangles, squares, polygons,
arbitrary convex or concave contour defining configurations or
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combinations of any of the above mentioned configurations.
In accordance with two alternative embodiments of the ice cube bag
according to the present invention, the ice cube bag of one of these
embodiments are designed as a self-closure bag in which the two sheet-
shaped foil layers provide prolongations forming two closure valve flaps
positioned at the inlet aperture and extending from the inlet aperture and
into the interior of the bag towards the inner chamber of the bag along
the inlet channel and which are joined by means of the aforementioned
inlet channel defining joints so that two closure pockets are provided
which are open towards the inner chamber of the bag, whereas the ice
cube bag according to the second embodiment constitutes a bag with a
knot closure, perforations or cuts being provided in the two sheet-shaped
foil layers outside the inlet channel defining joints in order to enable
tying of the foil material on the two sides of the inlet channel for
provision of a closure knot closing the inlet channel.
As mentioned above the ice cube bag may preferably be produced from
a plastics foil material, especially polyethylene, preferably LDPE or
HDPE or another glueable or weldable foil material, preferably plastics
or polymer foil material or aluminum foil material or combinations of
such foil materials, e.g. plastics coated aluminum foil material.
The ice cube bag according to the present invention may in accordance
with alternative embodiments be provided with or configurated with a
large or a small number of ice cube compartments, i.e. be provided with
two or more ice cube compartments. In certain embodiments the ice
cube bag may have a very limited number of individual ice cube
compartments, e.g. two, three or four ice cube compartments, thereby
obtaining by means of a given size of the two sheet-shaped foil layers of
which the ice cube bag is produced relatively big ice cubes or lumps of
ice for industrial appliance or for consumer appliance. In the presently
preferred embodiments of the ice cube bag according to the present
invention, however, it preferably demonstrates a larger number than
four, e.g. 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 30 or 36 ice cube
compartments. However, also embodiments having an odd number of
ice cube compartments, e.g. 15 or 21 ice cube compartments, are
-... ..
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possible. An embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the present
invention having one single ice cube compartment defined in the interior
of the ice cube bag may furthermore be implemented for special
purposes.
The individual ice cube compartments in the ice cube bag may be
individually defined by the individual joints characteristic of the present
invention, but may alternatively be grouped in separate sub-
compartments, thereby making it possible by opening or tearing apart of
the ice cube bag only to take out a limited number of ice cubes from the
ice cube bag instead of taking out all the ice cubes from the ice cube
bag.
As it will be explained in further details below, the configuration, the
orientation and the mutual distance between and the position of the
individual joints defining the ice cube compartments in the interior of
the ice cube bag determine a larger or minor degree of tendency to
utilize the tearing apart or perforation technique characteristic of the
present invention. Furthermore, as it will also be explained below, it is
comtemplated that the number of individual joints defining two neigh-
bour ice cube compartments in relation to each other is per se of
importance for obtaining the function characteristic of the invention, as
also the number of individual joints either in the form of an odd number
or an even number is of importance as to whether the generation of
tearing apart or perforating one of the foil layers of the ice cube bag by
means of opening or tearing apart the ice cube bag will be of
importance.
Even though the ice cube bag according to the present invention may be
produced from in fact arbitrarily configurated sheet-shaped foil layers,
including non-rectangular foil layers, e.g. elliptical, polygonal or
triangular foil sheets, it is preferred that the two sheet-shaped foil layers
are substantially rectangular.
In accordance with special supplementary features of the ice cube bag
according to the present invention, the ice cube bag is preferably - as it
will be described below - provided with expansion chambers positioned
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on the one or both sides of the inlet channel, one or more connections
being established from the inner chamber of the ice cube bag to the
expansion chamber or expansion chambers in question.
In order to further facilitate the tearing apart or opening of the ice cube
bag according to the present invention, tearing perforations for direction
of tearing apart of the ice cube bags may be provided in the two sheet-
shaped foil layers outside the inlet channel as it will also be explained in
the following, thus making it possible in combination to utilize the
tearing apart or perforation, characteristic of the present invention, of
one of the foil layers in the ice cube bag and at the same time tearing
apart the ice cube bag by means of the aforementioned tearing
perforations.
A special aspect of the present invention relates to an ice cube bag
especially for freezing of ice lumps or ice cubes and more especially an
ice cube bag with a self-closure function and comprising:
two sheet-shaped foil layers having substantially identical geo-
metrical configurations and defuiing an outer periphery
a peripheral joint extending along the major part of the outer
periphery of the foil layers with the exception of a peripheral area
constituting an inlet aperture of the bag which peripheral joint joins the
foil layers together mainly overlapping each other and defuring an inner
chamber in the interior of the bag which inner chamber constitutes at
least one ice cube compartment and preferably several ice cube
compartments being connected to each other and being defmed by
separate joints of the foil layers,
an inlet channel defined by separate joints of the foil layers and
extending from the inner chamber of the bag to the inlet aperture hereby
allowing admission from the surroundings to the inner chamber of the
bag through the inlet channel,
two closure valve flaps being connected with the foil layers at the
inlet aperture and extending from the inlet aperture into the interior of
the bag towards the inner chamber of the bag along the inlet channel,
the closure valve flaps being joined with each other and joined to the
foils through the separate joints defining the inlet channel so as to
provide two closure pockets which are open towards the inner chamber
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of the bag,
the inlet channel comprising a first and a second section which first
section is provided immediately after the inlet aperture and which
second section connects the first section to the ice cube compartment or
5 compartments, which first section is of a configuration mairily tapering
towards the ice cube compartment or compartments, a constriction being
provided at the transition between the first and the second section and
which inlet channel defining a first direction constituting the longitudinal
direction of the channel and a second direction in a plane parallel with
10 the two foil layers and perpendicular to the first direction.
Within the technical field numerous ice cube bags are known, e.g. from
US patent No. 3207420, US patent No. Re.31890, US patent No.
4822180 corresponding to European patent No. 0 264 407, European
patent application No. 0 129 072, international patent application,
publication number W082/00279, international patent application,
publication number W087/01183, international patent application,
publication number W086/04561, international patent application,
publication number W092/15491, corresponding European patent No. 0
574 496 and corresponding US patent No. 5527012, to which patents
and patent applications reference is made. A method for production
of ice cube bags of this kind is furthermore known from
published Danish patent application No. 1029/96, claiming priority from
Danish patent application No. 343/96 on the basis of which an
international patent application No. PCT/DK97/00127 as well as an
European patent application No. 96510031.5 have correspondingly been
filed.
In the above mentioned re-issued US patent No. Re.31890 an ice cube
bag is described and illustrated, vide fig. 7 and the corresponding part
of the specification, comprising two closure flaps which provide a check
valve in a self-closing ice cube bag.
European patent No. 0 574 496 describes an ice cube bag of the kind
mentioned in the introduction. In this prior art ice cube bag the closure
valve flaps are preferably designed so that the closure valve flaps extend
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to a position in the centre of the second section of the inlet channel, but
according to alternative embodiments described in this European patent
the closure valve flaps may extend to a position either at the interior end
of the inlet channel, i.e. substantially in the entire length of the inlet
channel, or to a position immediately after the constriction. In any case,
the ice cube bag described in this European patent is designed so that the
closure valve flaps extend beyond the constriction. Furthermore, the ice
cube bag described in European patent No. 0 574 496 is designed so that
not only due to the closure valve flaps a static closure of the interior of
the ice cube bag is provided, but also a dynamic closing function has
been provided by means of a venturi effect as by means of the
geometrical configuration of the second section of the inlet channel a
dynamic closure of the interior of the ice cube bag is ensured by means
of reliable filling of the closure pockets defined behind the closure valve
flaps, even when these pockets are initially partly filled with air and thus
not sufficiently filled with water.
European patent No. 0 264 407 similarly describes an ice cube bag in
which the inlet channel is defined by a first weld seam providing a
substantially funnel-shaped inlet from which inwardly at a position
below the centre of the inlet channel supplementary weld seams are
provided pointing at each other and which weld seams produce spikes
pointing at each other for provision of a constriction in the inlet channel.
The closure valve flaps in the ice cube bag known from this European
patent extend from the inlet aperture substantially in the entire length of
the inlet channel, but not beyond the inlet channel and thus into the
interior of the ice cube bag.
It is a common feature of these ice cube bags that the achievement of a
safe and reliable closure, especially a static closure of the interior of the
ice cube bag, i.e. a closure after that the closure pockets defined behind
the closure valve flaps have been totally filled with liquid or preferably
with water, is considered to be conditioned on the closure valve flaps
having a considerable length compared to the length of the inlet channel
and in accordance with European patent No. 0 264 407 having a length
substantially corresponding to the length of the inlet channel.
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In accordance with the alternative embodiments described in European
patent No. 0 574 496 the closure valve flaps may have a reduced length
compared to the length of the inlet channel, but in any case the closure
valve flaps have a length conditioning the closure valve flaps to extend
beyond the constriction. Thus, it has been considered necessary for
achievement of a safe and reliable static closure of the ice cube bag that
the closure valve flaps should extend beyond the constriction.
This aspect of the present invention is based on the realization that it has
turned out that a dynamic as well as a static safe closure of the interior of
the ice cube bag may be achieved in ice cube bags of this type, even when
the closure valve flaps have a minor length compared to the hitherto
realized decisive criteria for achievement of a safe and reliable closure of
the interior of the ice cube bag. Thus, by reducing the length of the
closure valve flaps a number of substantial advantages are obtained:.
Firstly a minor material consumption for the ice cube bag for obtaining the
same inner volume in the interior of the ice cube bag compared to an ice
cube bag in which the closure valve flaps extend in e.g. the total length of
the inlet channel, secondly by means of the same material consumption a
larger net inner volume in the interior of the ice cube bag, and thirdly
resource savings as regards a minor water consumption as the liquid or
water volume confined in the closure pockets is reduced proportionally to
the reduction of the length of the closure valve flaps, and furthermore an
energy saving as the liquid or water volume confmed in the closure
pockets defined behind the closure valve flaps, like the liquid or water
volume confined in the interior of the ice cube bag, is to be brought to
freeze and thus requires a cooling energy and therefore a reduction of the
volume of the closure valve pockets correspondingly reduces the cooling
energy necessary for freezing of the liquid or water quantity confined in
the ice cube bag.
Thus, in accordance with this special aspect of the teachings of the present
invention it has surprisingly turned out that for achieving a safe and
reliable closure of the interior of the ice cube bag, statically as well as
dynamically, it is sufficient that an ice cube bag of the kind described in
the introduction is produced with closure valve flaps extending from the
inlet aperture in the entire length, seen in the above mentioned first
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direction, of the first section of the inlet channel and to the constriction
and the transition between the first and the second section of the inlet
channel, but not beyond the constriction and into the second section of the
inlet channel.
In accordance with this special aspect of the teachings according to the
present invention a safe and reliable closure of the interior of the ice cube
bag is thus ensured when the closure valve flaps defining the closure
pockets extend to a position opposite the constriction, but not beyond the
constriction and into the second section of the inlet channel.
In the patent specifications described above, especially in European patent
No. 0 264 407, it is stated that it is of significant importance for
achievement of a reliable closure function that the constriction is well
defined and in the described and illustrated embodiment is produced of
triangular, towards each other pointing extra weldings producing spikes
pointing towards each other and defining the constriction of the inlet
channel. Correspondingly, in European patent No. 0 574 596 two
embodiments are illustrated in one of which the constriction is defined by
spikes pointing towards each other and in the other of which the
constriction defining joints are enforced by circular joint enforcements
provided at the ends of the constriction defming joints.
In accordance with this special aspect of the teachings according to the
present invention it has turned out that for achievement of a safe and
reliable closure dynamically as well as statically of an ice cube bag of this
kind it is not necessary that the constriction is defined by point-shaped or
circular joints which may in certain cases involve technical difficulties as
regards production of such sharply defined joints, especially when the
joints are established by means of welding. In accordance with the
presently preferred embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the
present invention, the ice cube bag is according to a further realization
characterized by the fact that the constriction at the transition between the
first and the second section of the inlet channel is provided by joints
containing no geometrical discontinuities and constituting extensions of the
joints defining the first section of the inlet channel and the joints defuiing
the second section of the inlet channel.
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For achievement of the above mentioned first characteristic feature of this
special aspect of the present invention, i.e. the feature that the closure
valve flaps extend only from the inlet aperture to a position at the
constriction, i.e. at the transition between the first and the second aspect
of
the inlet channel, but not beyond the constriction and into the second
section of the inlet channel, the ice cube bag in accordance with the
presently preferred embodiment of the invention is further preferably
characterized by the closure valve flaps extending to a central position in
relation to the constriction defined by the joints. When producing the ice
cube bags of the above described kind which production is preferably
made by joining continuous foil webs and subsequently cutting the joined
foil webs, the positioning of the two sheet-shaped foil segments and the
closure valve flaps in relation to these two sheet-shaped foil segments will
under normal production circumstances inevitably vary a bit which has in
practise no significance for the function or the appearance of the ice cube
bag, but may render it difficult to fulfil the above described characteristic
feature of this special aspect of the present invention, i.e. the positioning
of the inner ends of the closure valve flaps opposite the constriction when
the constriction is very short seen in the above mentioned first direction,
i.e. in the longitudinal direction of the inlet channel. Thus, it has been
realized that the constriction defming joints may be designed in a
geometrical configuration diverging from spikes or circles, especially a
configuration which does not contain the geometrical discontinuities, but
may further be designed so that the constriction-defming separate joints
demonstrate an extension in the above mentioned first direction, i.e. the
longitudinal direction of the inlet channel which is not insignificant like a
point-configurated joint seen i relation to the width, especially the
maximum width between the constriction defining joints. In accordance
with the above defined feature, i.e. being designed without geometrical
discontinuities, these constriction defining joints may defme a convex or
concave constriction or alternatively and preferably a constriction defmed
by rectangular parallel joints.
At this point a short explanation will be given of the term "geometrical
discontinuity" in this context and, by the way, also in accordance with
well-known geometrical principles. A curve, especially the edge curve of a
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joint, defines a geometrical contour or curve configuration. This curve
configuration defmes a tangent in an arbitrary point of the curve and in
this context a geometrically continuous curve means a curve the tangent of
which alters its inclination continuously along the curve in question. Thus,
5 a geometrical discontinuity means that at a given point, a continuity of the
tangent of the curve does not exist, but a shift or jump exists from one
tangent direction to a different tangent direction.
In accordance with the presently preferred embodiment of the ice cube bag
10 according to this special aspect of the present invention and for
fulfilment
of the superior consideration that the quantity of water confmed in the
closure pockets has to be minimized for the reasons mentioned above, the
first section of the inlet channel and the second section of the inlet channel
are produced with mainly the same extension after the above mentioned
15 first direction, i.e. in this preferred embodiment the constriction is,
seen in
the longitudinal direction of the inlet channel, positioned approximately in
the middle of or preferably in the middle of the inlet channel.
In one embodiment of the ice cube bag according to this special aspect of
the present invention the inlet channel is produced mainly symmetrically in
relation to the central axis of the constriction in the above mentioned
second direction, namely for fulfilment of the above mentioned feature that
the first section of the inlet channel and the second section of the inlet
channel are of mainly the same extension seen in the longitudinal direction
of the inlet channel.
Similar to the above described prior art ice cube bags, the inlet channel is
preferably produced mainly symmetrical in relation to the longitudinal axis
of the channel.
The closure valve flaps of the ice cube bag according to this special aspect
of the present invention may be constituted by separate flap-formed parts
which may be produced from the same material as the foil segments of the
ice cube bag or from another material having larger or minor flexibility. In
the preferred embodiment of the ice cube bag according to this special
aspect of the invention, the closure valve flaps are constituted by folded
parts of the sheet-shaped foil web segments. Thus, according to the
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preferred embodiment of the ice cube bag according to this special aspect
of the present invention, the closure valve flaps are constituted by integral
components or parts of the foil web segments of the ice cube bag. If the
closure valve flaps are constituted by separate components or parts, the
closure valve flaps may be fixated to the foil web segments by means of
joint which, dependent on the materials used for the foil web segments and
the closure valve flaps, may be established by means of gluing or welding.
The ice cube bag according to this special aspect of the present invention
may further preferably be produced in accordance with the technical
teachings described in the above mentioned European patent No. 0 574
496 and thus be produced with a dynamic self-closure function which is in
the above mentioned European patent designated a venturi-closure. In this
connection reference is made to the above mentioned European patent for
a further description of this function as in accordance with this teaching
the ice cube bag may be produced so that the constriction at the transition
between the first and the second section serves the purpose of providing a
venturi effect for generation of a relative drop of pressure in the
constriction for closure of the channel at the constriction when liquid flows
from the second section through the constriction towards the first section
for generation of a self-closing effect.
The ice cube bag according to this special aspect of the present invention
may furthermore in accordance with the technical teachings described in
the above mentioned European patent No. 0 574 496 be produced so that
the second section comprises a chamber which is well-defined by joints
abutting on the constriction and diverging substantially in the second
direction and which is connected by means of side joints to further joints
abutting to the above mentioned ice cube compartment or compartments
and converging in the second direction to at least one passage leading into
the interior of the ice cube bag.
Furthermore, in accordance with the presently preferred embodiment of
the ice cube bag according to this special aspect of the present invention it
is preferred that the second section has a maximum dimension in the
second direction of at least twice the dimension of the constriction in the
same direction for provision of a liquid and water reservoir from which
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liquid may unhindered flow towards the inlet aperture through the
constriction after that the ice cube bag has been filled with liquid or water
through the inlet aperture in a first position in which the inlet aperture
turns upwardly and after that the ice cube bag has been turned into another
position in which the inlet aperture turns downwardly.
In this presently preferred embodiment of the ice cube bag according to
this special aspect of the present invention it is furthermore preferred that
the maximum dimension of the second section in the second direction of
the inlet channel is 2-7 times the dimension of the constriction, preferably
2.4 - 5 times the dimension of the constriction, such as 2.6 - 3.4 times the
dimension of the constriction.
In the first place, the first section of the inlet channel serves the purpose
of
providing an inlet channel which may safely lead the water supplied by
e.g. the spout of a tap, into the interior of the ice cube bag and thus
preferably provides a funnel-shaped inlet part in the first section of the
pinlet channel. For provision of such an inlet funnel provided by the first
section of the inlet channel it is preferred that the dimension of the first
section of the channel along the second direction of the inlet channel at the
above mentioned inlet aperture is approximately twice the dimension of the
constriction in the above mentioned second direction.
For provision of such a funnel-shaped first section of the inlet channel, the
first section of the channel is preferably defined by joints constituting
straight lines or curved lines forming either a convex or a concave first
section of the channel. Alternatively, the first section of the channel may
constitute a non-funnel-shaped part, but just an inlet pipe or even a
converse funnel-shaped configuration or form.
Similarly to the first section preferably being produced by joints
constituting straight or curved lines, the second section of the inlet channel
is preferably defmed by joints constituting partly straight lines, partly
curved lines, such as segments of circles defined by the second section of
convex or concave configuration or symmetrical form in the above
described reversed symmetrical embodiment in relation to the first section
of the inlet channel.
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From Danish patent No. 172,066 and corresponding published European
patent application, publication No. 0 795 393, a method for producing ice
cube bags or corresponding bags from welded plastic foils is known. In the
industry, this method has turned out to be very advantageous as the
method has made possible the production of ice cube bags or
corresponding bags from very thin plastic foils with an error frequency of
practically zero, i.e. less than one error per 1 million bags.
In accordance with a special embodiment, the above described ice cube
bag according to the present invention may be established with solely point
weldings or line segment weldings, peripheral weldings and other
weldings, which are in conventional ice cube bags established by means of
line weldings, instead in accordance with the teachings of the present
invention being established as weldings composed of point weldings or line
segment formed weldings.
Such an ice cube bag having solely point weldings or line segment formed
weldings enables a further development of the method known from the
above mentioned Danish patent and the above mentioned published
European patent application which further development makes it possible
to reduce the time during which the softened or at least partly melted
plastic foils after fulfilment of a stamping or welding operation are
supported by the web of temperature resistant material, as exactly the
point or line segment formed weldings between each other generate areas
of non-welded and thus non-melted foil material which provides a
reinforcement and strengthening of the plastic foils during conveyance of
the plastic foils after the stamping or welding operation compared to
conventional ice cube bags having line formed weldings.
Accordingly, the method described in the above mentioned Danish patent
and above mentioned corresponding published European patent application
may in accordance with a further aspect of the present invention be further
developed by under item iii) performing a stamping or welding operation
during which the above mentioned intended stamped or welded areas of
the final ice cube bag or corresponding bag demonstrate weldings
constituted by individual point or line segment formed weldings in which
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19
between the point or line segment formed weldings non-welded material exist
constituting a coherent area of non-welded material, and that the tearing away
of the web of high temperature resistant material from the adhesion to the
plastic foils under item v) is performed immediately after the stamping or
welding operation.
According to an aspect of the invention there is provided an ice cube bag
comprising:
two sheet-shaped foil layers having substantially identical geometrical
configurations and defining an outer periphery;
a peripheral joint extending along the major part of said outer periphery of
said foil layers with the exception of a peripheral area constituting an inlet
aperture of said bag, which peripheral joint joins said foil layers together
mainly overlapping each other and defining an inner chamber in the interior of
said bag which inner chamber is divided into several ice cube compartments
being defined in relation to each other by separate joints of said foil
layers;
and
an inlet channel defined by joints of said foil layers and extending from said
inlet aperture to said inner chamber of said bag, thereby allowing admission
from the surroundings to said inner chamber of said bag through said inlet
channel;
wherein each of said separate joints defining two neighboring ice cube
compartments in relation to each other is constituted by a number of
individual joints, and wherein each of said individual joints establishes a
connection between said two sheet-shaped foil layers with such a joint
strength and with such a limited area extension that said individual joint is
not
broken when said foil layers are exposed to a separation force, but provides a
tearing apart or perforation in one of said foil layers along the periphery of
said individual joints.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a freezing mold
bag comprising:
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two sheet-shaped foil layers having substantially identical geometrical
configurations and defining an outer periphery;
a peripheral joint extending along a major part of said outer periphery of
said
foil layers with the exception of a peripheral area constituting an inlet
aperture
of said bag, which peripheral joint joins said foil layers together mainly
overlapping each other and defining an inner chamber in the interior of said
bag by separate joints of said foil layers; and
an inlet channel defined by joints of said foil layers and extending from said
inlet aperture to said inner chamber of said bag, thereby allowing admission
from the surroundings to said inner chamber of said bag through said inlet
channel;
wherein said peripheral joint comprises a number of individual joints
establishing a connection between said two sheet-shaped foil layers with such
a joint strength and with such a limited area extension that said individual
joint is not broken when said foil layers are exposed to a separation force,
but
provides a tearing apart or perforation in one of said foil layers along the
periphery of said individual joints.
In the following the invention will be described in further details with
reference to the drawing in which
fig. la is a schematic side view of a first, preferred embodiment of an
ice cube bag according to the present invention,
=fig. lb is a sectional view of the upper part of the first, preferred
embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the present invention
illustrated in fig. 1,
fig. 2 is a schematic and perspective view of the first, preferred
embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the present invention
illustrated in figs. la and lb after the ice cube bag has been filled with
water and after the water has been frozen into ice for production of ice
cubes confined in the ice cube bag,
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19b
figs. 3a and 3b are schematic and perspective views ,of two steps during
a process in which the ice cube bag illustrated in fig. 2 and containing
ice cubes is torn apart for the purpose of taking out the ice cubes
confined in the ice cube bag,
figs. 4a and 4b are perspective and sectional views in further details of
the tearing apart operation schematically illustrated in figs. 3a and 3b,
fig. 5 is a schematically view corresponding to fig. la of the upper part
of a second embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the invention,
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figs. 6a and 6b are illustrations corresponding to figs. 4b and 4a, re-
spectively, of the result af a folding of the second embodiment of the ice
cube bag according to the invention illustrated in fig. 5, transversly
relative to the longitudinal direction of the ice cube bag and
5 longitudinally of the ice cube bag, respectively, for production of a
tearing apart or ripping, respectively, of the ice cube bag and a
damaging of the separations of the ice cubes confined in the ice cube
bag,
10 fig. 7a is a schematic view corresponding to figs. la and fig. 5 of a third
embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the invention,
fig. 7b is a schematic view of a detail of a modified side welding in
relation to the embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the
15 invention illustrated in fig. 7a,
fig. 8 is a schematic view corresponding to fig. 1, fig. 5 and fig. 7a of a
fourth embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the invention,
20 fig. 9 is a schematic view corresponding to fig. la, fig. 5, fig. 7a and
fig. 8 of a fifth embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the
invention,
fig. 10 is a schematic and perspective view of a process of tearing apart
the fifth embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the invention
illustrated in fig. 9 after freezing of the water contained in the interior of
the ice cube bag into ice cubes,
fig. 11 is a schematic and perspective view corresponding to fig. 1, fig.
5, fig. 7a, fig. 8 and fig. 9 of a sixth embodiment of the ice cube bag
according to the invention,
fig. 12 is a schematic and perspective view corresponding to fig. la, fig.
5, fig. 7a, fig. 8, fig. 9 and fig. 11 of a seventh embodiment of the ice
cube bag according to the invention,
fig. 13 is a schematic view corresponding to fig. la, fig. 5, fig. 7a, fig.
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8, fig. 9, fig. 11 and fig. 12 of an eighth embodiment of the ice cube
bag according to the invention,
fig. 14 is a schematic and perspective view corresponding to fig. la, fig.
5, fig. 7a, fig. 8, fig. 9, fig. 11, fig. 12 and fig. 13 of a ninth
embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the invention which ninth
embodiment differs from the preceding eight embodiments by not being
a self-closure ice cube bag, but an ice cube bag having a knot closure,
fig. 15 is a schematic and perspective view of the third embodiment of
the ice cube bag according to the invention illustrated in fig. 7a after
having been filled with water and after freezing, whereafter by means of
physical manipulation corresponding to the processes illustrated in figs.
6a and 6b the ice cube bag may be torn apart or alternatively be
converted into a non-compartmentalized bag,
fig. 16 is a schematic and perspective view of the third embodiment of
the ice cube bag according to the invention illustrated in fig. 7a after the
ice cube bag as schematically illustrated in fig. 15 has been converted
into a non-compartmentalized bag with ice cubes lying freely in the
interior of the bag,
fig. 17 is a schematic and perspective view corresponding to fig. la, fig.
5, fig. 7a, fig. 8, fig. 9, fig. 11, fig. 12, fig. 13 and fig. 14 of a tenth
embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the present invention,
fig. 18 is a schematic and perspective view corresponding to fig. la, fig.
5, fig. 7a, fig. 8, fig. 9, fig. 11, fig. 12, fig. 13, fig. 14 and fig. 17 of
an eleventh embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the present
invention,
figs. 19a and 19b are schematic and perspective views corresponding to
fig. 18 of the twelfth and thirteenth embodiments of the ice cube bag
according to the invention, respectively,
figs. 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d are schematic and perspective views
corresponding to figs. la, 5, 7a, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17 and 18, of a
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fourteenth, a fifteenth, a sixteenth and a seventeenth embodiment, re-
spectively, of the ice cube bag according to the present invention,
figs. 21 and 22 are schematic and perspective views of two alternative
embodiments of a plant for production by welding of the ice cube bag
according to the present invention, and
fig. 23 is a schematic and perspective view corresponding to figs. la, 5,
7a, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18 and 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d of an
eighteenth embodiment of an ice cube bag according to the present
invention.
Figs. la and lb are schematic, plane and sectional views, respectively,
of a presently preferred embodiment of an ice cube bag according to the
invention. The ice cube bag is designated in its entirety the reference
numeral 10. The ice cube bag is composed of two identical plastic foils,
preferably LD-polyethylene foils of a thickness of 25 m or alternatively
HD polyethylene foils of a thickness of 18 m which foils are
designated the reference numerals 12 and 14. Each of the foils have a
folded part designated the reference numerals 16 and 18, respectively,
and protruding inwardly into the interior of the ice cube bag 10 and
forming inner laid-open edges, 17 and 19, respectively. The foils 12 and
14 are of substantially rectangular configuration and are positioned over-
lapping each other with the folded parts 16 and 18 as mentioned above
protruding inwardly in the interior of the ice cube bag 10, the foils 12
and 14 being joined by means of two side weldings 20, a bottom
welding 21 and two top weldings 21a and 21b, together constituting a
circumferential, continuous welding extending along the periphery of the
foils 12 and 14, except for a line segment defuiing an inlet channel to
the interior of the ice cube bag between the two top weldings 21a and
21b. The interior of the ice cube bag 10, i.e. lying inside the afore-
mentioned circumferential continuous welding defmed by the two side
weldings 20, the bottom welding 21 and the two top weldings 21a and
21b, may be considered comprising two parts, an inlet channel
positioned at the upper end of the ice cube bag and an interior
compartmentalized ice cube compartment.
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23
At this stage it should be noted that expressions such as "upwardly",
"downwardly", "upper", "lower", "horizontal", "perpendicular" etc. re-
ferring to the orientation of the ice cube bag in relation to vertical
orientation determined by the gravitational force are to be construed as
expressions solely serving the purpose of describing the usual, general
orientation of the ice cube bag in use, specially when it is being filled
with water, as a larger or minor part of the ice cube bag may of course
be folded in relation to a specific orientation, such as vertical
orientation, or the ice cube bag may in its entirety be held in a sloping
position in relation to a specific orientation, e.g. in relation to the
vertical orientation.
The inlet part positioned at the upper end of the ice cube bag is defined
by two mirror-symmetrical welding sets defining an inlet channel
leading from the above mentioned inlet aperture defined between the
two top weldings 21a and 21b and into the aforementioned interior ice
cube chamber in the ice cube bag 10_ The inlet channel is substantially
designed in accordance with the technical teachings and the technical
principles defined in European patent No. 0 574 496 and in published
European patent application No. 0 616 448 to which reference
is made. More specifically, the inlet channel is defined by weldings
converging form the inlet aperture towards the inner ice
cube chamber of the ice cube bag which at a constriction in the inlet
25 channel extend into two symmetrically positioned, mainly semicircular
weldings 32, the transition between the weldings 30 and 32 constituting
the aforementioned constriction in the inlet channel which constriction is
further limited by two parallel rectilinear weldings 34. The lower parts
of the semicircular weldings 32 are extended into two outwardly sloping
30 and diverging weldings 27 being connected to the two side weldings 20,
these two outwardly sloping and diverging weldings 27 being broken for
producing two upwardly directed channels positioned symmetrically in
relation to the inlet channel which aforementioned upwardly directed
channel are defined individually by two parallel weldings 36 and 37 and
extend into respective expansion chambers 40 being defined by a mainly
elliptically configurated welding 38, extended into an associated side
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welding 20 and positioned behind a respective rectilinear welding 34.
The expansion chambers 40 and the associated sets of parallel weldings
36 and 37 may be omitted.
The aforementioned weldings 30 converging towards each other
constitute a first part of the inlet channel whereas the aforementioned
semicircular weldings 32 constitute a second part of the inlet channel.
As it is evident from fig. la, the folded parts 16 and 18 of the foils 12
and 14 extend downwardly to a position immediately opposite the
middle of the second part defined by the aforementioned elliptically con-
figurated weldings 38. It should be noted that also other positions of the
lower edges 17 and 19 of the folded parts 16 and 18, respectively, in
relation to the semicircular-configurated weldings are possible, e.g. as
described and illustrated in the above mentioned European patent and in
the above mentioned published European patent application. Further-
more, it should be noted that the folded parts 16 and 18 of the foils 12
and 14, respectively, may be punched away so that the folded foil
material only is present in the inlet channel proper and immediately
outside the inlet channel, but cut away along the outer sides of the inlet
channel where, accordingly, instead of the weldings 36 and 37 and the
expansion chambers 40, further ice cube compartments may be present
in accordance with the teachings of the present invention as it will be
described in the following.
As is evident from fig. la, the aforementioned inner compartmentalized
ice cube chamber is furthermore divided into three sub-compartments
which will in the following be designated the upper, the middle and the
lower sub-compartments, respectively, two line weldings 26 extending
from each of the two side weldings 20 inwardly towards the middle line
of the ice cube bag. These in total four line weldings 26 have a length
constituting less than half of the inner free width between the side
weldings 20 so that between each pair of the line weldings 26, which are
aligned, an aperture is formed between the adjacent sub-compartments
for allowing water to flow from the upper sub-compartment, further
down into the middle sub-compartment and still further down into the
lower sub-compartment.
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The individual sub-compartments, i.e. the above mentioned three sub-
compartments, are furthermore divided into eight ice cube compartments
each by means of point weldings, four sets of horizontal point weldings
and three double sets of perpendicular point weldings being provided in
5 each of the three sub-compartments. In this context, the expression
horizontal point weldings is to be construed an expression not referring
to the individual point weldings being horizontal, as the point weldings
are of circular or approximately circular configuration, but on the
contrary expressing that the line or other curve on which the point
10 weldings are positioned extend in a horizontal or substantially horizontal
orientation. Correspondingly, the expression perpendicular point
weldings is to be construed so that the point weldings in question are
positioned on a curve, preferably a line, extending in a perpendicular or
approximately perpendicular orientation. The three double sets of
15 perpendicular point weldings and the four sets of horizontal point
weldings in each sub-compartment meet in areas constituting connection
areas between the ice cube compartments in which connection areas
weldings connecting the two foils 12 and 14 with each other are not
provided.
The point weldings in the four sets of horizontal point weldings and
correspondingly the point weldings in the three double sets of
perpendicular point weldings adjoining the connection areas mentioned
are made with a larger extension than the other point weldings. Each of
the four sets of horizontal point weldings thus constitutes five point
weldings designated the reference numeral 22 which point weldings are
typically of the size 0.1 - 5 mm, such as 0.5 - 1 mm, e.g. 0.6 - 0.9,
preferably approximately 0.9 mm, the two sets of horizontal point
weldings adjoining the side weldings 20 each constituting a sixth point
welding 22. Each of these two sets of point weldings adjoining the side .
weldings 20 constitutes two point weldings designated the reference
numeral 23 which point weldings have a larger diameter compared to
the point weldings 22, typically a diameter of more than 0.5 mm, such
as more than 1 mm, e.g. a diameter of 1 - 1.5 mm, e.g. a diameter of
1.1 - 1.3 mm, preferably a diameter of 1.1 mm. Each of the two middle
sets of horizontal point weldings constitutes, as it will be evident from
the description below, five point weldings 22 and two point weldings
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23. The three double sets of perpendicular point weldings each
comprises, corresponding to the two middle sets of horizontal point
weldings 5, point weldings 24 corresponding to the point weldings 22
and two point weldings 25 corresponding to the point weldings 23.
The above described first preferred embodiment of the ice cube bag 10
is illustrated in a plane condition where the two foils 12 and 14 are
positioned abutting planely on each other, the inner ice cube
compartments of the ice cube bag and correspondingly the inlet channel
and the expansion chambers being partly filled with air, but is illustrated
in a non-filled condition, i.e. in a condition in which water has not yet
been filled into the interior of the bag.
In fig. lb the upper part of the ice cube bag 10 is illustrated in a
sectional view along the line I-I in fig. la illustrating the two foils 12
and 14, the two folded parts 16 and 18 of the foils and the lower edges
17 and 19 of these folded foil parts 16 and 18. Furthermore, in fig. lb
the total of seven weldings are illustrated in the upper perpendicular
point welding set comprising two point weldings 25 and five point
weldings 24 positioned between these two point weldings 25.
The difference in size between the point weldings 22 and 23 and
correspondingly the point weldings 24 and 25 are conditioned by a
desire to have no immediately neighbouring point weldings, i.e. the
point weldings 23 and 25, are not torn apart during filling with water
and during freezing of the water, as it must be recalled that when cooled
below 4 C water expands and continues to expand during freezing,
causing a given quantity of liquid contained in the interior of the ice
cube bag during freezing to expand and thus exercising a larger pressure
in the interior of the bag and thus a conditioned larger pull in the
weldings defining the interior of the ice cube bag and dividing the
interior of the ice cube bag into individual ice cube compartments.
Fig. 2 illustrates the first and preferred embodiment of the ice cube bag
10 illustrated in figs. la and lb after the ice cube bag 10 has been filled
with water, has been brought to close by means of self-closure effect as
described in the above mentioned European patent and the above
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mentioned published European patent application and after the water
contained in the interior of the ice cube bag and contained in the closure
pockets defined behind the folded parts 16 and 18 of the foils 12 and 14,
respectively, has been frozen. During the filling with water the
individual ice cube compartments in the three sub-compartments of the
ice cube bag are filled with water, and the water fills the interior of the
inlet channel whereupon it runs into the aforementioned closure pockets
when the bag is turned upside down. During the filling of the ice cube
bag with water, the water will usually not extend into the two expansion
chambers which are not vented whereafter minor air pockets will be
confmed in these expansion chambers. When the ice cube bag is there-
after turned upside down for production of the self-closure function the
air in these air pockets is let out and distributed in the interior of the ice
cube bag causing, correspondingly, water to penetrate into the expansion
chambers 40. In this way, the liquid pressure in the interior of the ice
cube bag is reduced. During freezing the water expands as explained
above, causing the foils of the ice cube bag to be suspended as the foils
do not burst due to expansion of the water, because of the pressure re-
duction provided by the expansion chambers 40, cf. the above
explanation. In fig. 2, the ice lumps produced by the water which has
penetrated into the expansion chambers and frozen into ice therein are
designated the reference numeral 42 and above these ice lumps a
specific minor space of air is illustrated. Thus, it has to be recalled that
during ordinary use, which is also a provision in connection with the
frozen bag illustrated in fig. 2, the ice cube bag is positioned in a deep
freezer or a freezer locker resting on one of the foil walls, or rather the
most backward and not visible foil wall in fig. 2.
After freezing of the water as described above the individual ice cube
compartments will be tightly distended by the ice cube confined in the
ice cube compartment in question. Beside the individual ice cube
compartment, the areas between the ice cube compartments, i.e.
between the point weldings 23 and 25, are filled with ice distending the
intermediate foil and through the foil perform a pull in these point
weldings and the intermediate point weldings 22 and 24, and similarly
the distension of the foils correspondingly conditions pulls in the
confining line weldings, i.e. the two side weldings 20, the bottom
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welding 21, the outwardly sloping and diverging weldings 27 and the
compartmentation line weldings 26. Thus, in accordance with the
teachings of the present invention it has surprisingly turned out that this
distension of the foils in combination with the limited area extension of
the point weldings 22, 23, 24 and 25 illustrated in fig. la makes a
simple and predictable tearing apart of the foils 12 and 14 possible for
the purpose of taking out the ice cubes from the interior of the ice cube
bag.
In figs. 3a and 3b this phenomenon is illustrated. In fig. 3a the middle
sub-compartment in the ice cube bag 10 illustrated in fig. 2 is folded
around an imaginary line through the middlemost horizontal point
weldings in the ice cube bag, causing the exterior foil, i.e. the foil 12,
to be distended above the ice cubes 12 confined behind the foil 12. In
this manner, a pull in the foil 12 is performed which is in fact
concentrated in the point weldings lying at the folding line and thus the
folding of the ice cube bag results in tearing apart of these point
weldings as the foil 12 is torn free of point weldings so that in the foil a
number of perforations 33 are produced in places originally and until
folding of the ice cube bag being provided with point weldings. Thus, as
illustrated in fig. 3a, the mgterial from the point weldings will be torn
free of the foil 12 and thereafter be in contact with the foil 14 lying
behind.
When being continuously folded, the stretching of the foil 12 produces a
further stretching in the produced perforations 44 which ultiinatively as
illustrated in fig. 3b provides a complete tearing apart of the foil 12
according to a line through the perforations 44 described above with
reference to fig. 3a. In fig. 3b the broken edge of one of the halves of
the foil 12 is designated the reference numera146. Hereafter, the total of
eight ice cubes, one of which is designated the reference numera148 and
which was previously confmed in the middle sub-compartment of the ice
cube bag 10, are accessible and may immediately be taken out of the
broken ice cube bag 10. In this connection it should be noted that when
folding the ice cube bag it is possible by means of a very small force to
provide an extremely large force in the areas of the foils abutting on the
horizontal point weldings as by folding the ice cube bag a substantially
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torque arm is utilized compared to the torque arm transmitting the pull
to the point weldings locally opposite the individual point weldings.
Fig. 4a is a sectional and more detailed illustration of the tearing apart
of the point weldings in fig. 3a during the first part of the tearing apart
or opening of the ice cube bag 10, fig. 4a illustrating how the distension
of the upper foil 12 and tightening of the foil above the ice cubes
produce a tearing away of the foil 12 from the point welded areas and
result in the generation of perforations 44 in the foil 12. The further
folding of the ice cube bag 10 as illustrated in fig. 4b provides a
continuous stretching of the foil 12 which ultimatively cracks in the line
46 through the perforations 44 illustrated in fig. 4a.
Fig. 5 is an illustration of a second embodiment of the ice cube bag
according to the present invention. This second embodiment is
designated in its entirety the reference numeral 101 and differs from the
embodiment 10 described above with reference to figs. la, lb and 2 of
the drawing in that the line weldings 26 are omitted, in that a total of
five crosswise or horizontal sets of weldings each consisting of thirty-
nine point weldings 22 positioned in identical small mutual distances
have instead been provided and that each of the perpendicular sets of
point weldings consists of four point weldings 25. Thus, in accordance
with the teachings of the present invention it has been realized that not
only the specific size of a point welding in relation to the foil thickness
and the specific foil material determine the tearing apart function,
including the first perforation as described above with reference to fig.
4a and figs. 4b, but also other factors, including the distance between
the point weldings mutually and their distance to other weldings either
line weldings or point weldings, are of importance to and decisive with
respect to whether the point welding - after the interior of the ice cube .
bag has been filled with water and after the water has been frozen into
ice cubes - may perform the perforation function illustrated in fig. 4a as
well as the tearing apart function illustrated in fig. 4b.
In fig. 5 the small distance between the relatively small point weldings
22 in the crosswise five sets of weldings 22 provides that a folding of
the ice cube bag around a line through these relatively small point
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weldings 22 positioned in a small mutual distance will produce a tearing
apart of the bag as illustrated in fig. 6a and functionally corresponding
to the above description with reference to fig. 4a and 4b.
5 Correspondingly, the relatively big distance between the relatively big
point weldings 25 in the perpendicular compartmentation of the ice cube
bag 10' conditions that unless the bag is exposed to even extremely big
foldings these point weldings 25 will only allow and make possible a
perforation of the foil wall as illustrated in fig. 6b corresponding to the
10 above description with reference to fig. 4a, allowing the ice cube bag
10' illustrated in fig. 5 to be handled in such a manner that firstly the ice
cube bag 10' is folded or bended in lines through the straight point
weldings 25 causing these point weldings to be torn apart for generating
perforations and eliminating of the perpendicular compartmentation
15 whereafter a folding of the ice cube bag in a line through the point
weldings 22 will tear apart the foil walls as illustrated in fig. 6a and
allow admission immediately to the eight detached ice cubes inside the
tearing line.
20 Fig. 7a is a third embod'unent of the ice cube bag according to the
present invention which third embodiment is designated in its entirety
the reference numeral 1011. This third embodiment differs from the
above first and preferred embodiment described with reference to fig.
la, lb and 2 of the drawing in that the four horizontal line weldings 26
25 have been omitted and replaced by two further sets of horizontal point
weldings corresponding to the three sets of horizontal point weldings
described above with reference to fig la and produced in the three sub-
compartments in the first embodiment illustrated in fig. la. The third
embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the present invention
30 illustrated in fig. 7a furthermore differs from the embodiment described.
with reference to fig. la in that the number of point weldings in the sets
of horizontal and perpendicular point weldings differs from the above
described number. Thus, tests performed by the inventor has proved that
also the number of point weldings may be of importance firstly to the
pressure resistance of the ice cube bag as the distension of the foil in the
individual ice cube compartments produces a largest force component or
a largest pull in the middle of the side edge of the individual ice cube
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compartments. If, accordingly, a point welding is present in the middle
of the side edge of an ice cube compartment, this point welding will be
exposed to the greatest stress and therefore the pressure resistance of the
ice cube bag may be increased by avoiding placing any point welding in
this middle point and accordingly make the horizontal and the
perpendicular point weldings in an even number, e.g. four, six or, as
illustrated in fig. 7a, eight point weldings in the sets of horizontal as
well as perpendicular point weldings. Additionally, this third
embodiment differs from the two embodiments previously described in
that the outwardly sloping and diverging weldings 27 illustrated in figs.
la and 5 have been replaced by rectilinear line weldings 27'.
The third embodiment illustrated in fig. 7a may in accordance with the
teachings of the present invention be handled in numerous alternative
ways, the horizontal sets of point weldings enabling a tearing apart of
the ice cube bag in a line through such a set, and the perpendicular sets
of point weldings enabling a tearing of the bag in a perpendicular line
through such a set of perpendicular point weldings. Alternatively, by
twisting the ice cube bag as it will be described below with reference to
fig. 15, it is possible to produce a tearing apart of the point weldings
without simultaneous tearing apart of the foils and thus a conversion of
the compartmentalized ice cube bag into a non-compartmentalized ice
cube bag, the individual point weldings in the horizontal as well as the
perpendicular point weldings being thus solely exposed to a stress
providing a perforation of one of the foil walls corresponding to the
above description with reference to fig. 4a of the drawing.
Fig. 7b is an illustration of a detail of the third modified embodiment of
the ice cube bag according to the present invention in relation to the one
described above with reference to fig. 7a. The above described line
weldings, i.e. the side weldings 20, the bottom welding 21, the top
weldings 21a and 21b and the weldings 27', 30, 32, 34 and 38 may in
accordance with the teachings of the invention be produced as un-
interrupted line weldings or alternatively be produced as a combination
of tightly positioned point weldings positioned in one line or several sets
of lines as illustrated in fig. 7b. Fig. 7b is an illustration of a lower
right-hand corner of a modified embodiment of the third embodiment
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lOli of the ice cube bag according to the present invention in which the
side welding 20 and the bottom welding 21 have been replaced, each by
two series of displaced point weldings of the same geometrical extension
as the above described point weldings 22 and 24. Two point weldings in
the inner and the outer rows, respectively, of these two series of point
weldings, together constituting the side welding, are designated the
reference numeral 20' and 20", respectively. These two series of point
weldings displaced in relation to each other produce a distension of the
foils when the ice cube bag is filled with water so that the foils are being
pressed together and held tightly at the water pressures which are
produced by the water column in the interior of the ice cube bag.
Fig. 8 is an illustration of a fourth embodiment of the ice cube bag
according to the present invention which fourth embodiment is
designated in its entirety the reference numeral 10iii This fourth
embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the present invention
differs from the above described first and the above described third
emboditnent in that centrally in the ice cube bag two line segment
configurated cross weldings 26' are provided for obtaining a bipartition
of the interior of the ice cube bag. Additionally, this fourth embodiment
of the ice cube bag 10iii allows a handling of the ice cube bag after
freezing of the ice cubes in accordance with the handling described with
reference to fig. 2 or alternatively the handling described above with
reference to fig. 7a, i.e. either a taking out by means of tearing out of
ice cubes from one of the halves of the interior of the ice cube bag or an
elimination of the compartmentation in one of the half compartcnents or
both of the half compartments in the interior of the ice cube bag.
Fig. 9 is an illustration of a fifth.embodiment of the ice cube bag
according to the present invention. This fifth embodiment is designated
in its entirety the reference numeral lOlv. Like the previously described
embodiments, the ice cube bag 101V is a so-called self-closure bag and is
constituted by the above described two foils 12 and 14 with associated
folded parts 16 and 18. Correspondingly, the fifth embodiment
illustrated in fig. 9 constitutes the two side weldings 20, the bottom
welding 21, the two top weldings 21 a and 21 b and the inlet channel
defining welding sets 30, 32 and 34. Furthermore, the ice cube bag 10iv
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has two horizontal line weldings 27' corresponding to the extensions of
the semicircular weldings 32 described above with reference to fig. 7a,
the weldings 27' being interrupted for generating two expansion
chambers 40' on each side of the inlet channel. The ice cube
compartments of the interior of the ice cube bag are divided into four
column-shaped sub-compartments by means of three sets of
perpendicular weldings 29 extending from positions above the bottom
welding 21, not illustrated in fig. 9, until positions immediately below
the cross weldings 27' and each constituting of a large number of
slopingly positioned line segment-shaped individual weldings in total
constituting a line welding in accordance with the teachings of the
present invention. The perpendicular weldings 29 may alternatively be
constituted by point weldings or line segments. Like the previously
described four embodiments, the ice cube bag 101V is an ice cube bag
for production of twenty-four ice cubes and each the four column-
shaped sub-compartments are, accordingly, by means of four individual
sets of horizontal point weldings 22 divided into six ice cube
compartments. These sets of horizontal point weldings are produced and
configurated identically with the horizontal point weldings 22 described
above with reference to fig. la in the first embodiment of the ice cube
bag according to the invention illustrated in fig. la.
The fifth embodiment 10iv is characterized by being provided with
tearing apart instructions which are arranged as a perforation 52
extending from the top of the ice cube bag through the top weldings 21a
and 21b and down to the weldings 27', these perforations being so to
speak confined between the two sets of parallel line weldings 49 and 50
which at the same time serve the purpose of preventing water from the
expansion chambers 40 from penetrating out through the perforations
52. The fifth embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the invention
illustrated in fig. 9 is filled in the same way as the above described four
embodiments and is closed by utilizing the self-closure function
described in the above mentioned European patent and the above
mentioned European patent application .
After freezing, the ice cube bag 10iv may immediately be torn apart as
illustrated in fig. 10, the ice cube bag being torn apart in the
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perforations 52 causing the tearing apart to continue down through the
corresponding welding 29. Admission to the twelve ice cubes confined
in one of the halves of the ice cube bag is obtained by tearing apart the
ice cube bag in the one side, i.e. on the right-hand or the left-hand side
af the inlet channel and further down through the welding 29 lying in
continuation of the perforations 52. These twelve ice cubes may
immediately be taken out by using the foil tearing technique as described
above with reference to figs. 4a and 6b of the drawing for release of the
individual ice cubes. It should be noted that this division of the
individual ice cubes or separation of the ice cubes from each other by
tearing apart one of the foils, e.g. the foil 12 as illustrated in figs. 4a
and 6b, may instead be used for separating the individual ice cubes from
each other before the ice cube bag is torn apart by use of the above
described perforations 52.
Fig. 11 is an illustration of the sixth embodiment of the ice cube bag
according to the present invention designated in its entirety the reference
numeral 10v' . This embodiment substantially corresponds to the third
embodiment 10iii described above with reference to fig. 7a of the
drawing, the point weldings 22, 23, 24 and 25 in the sixth embodiment
10v illustrated in fig. 11 having been replaced by small rectangular
weldings having substantially the same area extension as the above
described point weldings 22 and 24. The compartmentalized weldings in
the ice cube bag 10v comprises sets of rectangular-configurated
weldings 22' positioned in a horizontal line with the longitudinal axis of
the individual rectangle perpendicular on the horizontal line in question.
The weldings in the perpendicular ice cube compartments in the ice cube
bag 10v are, on the contrary, positioned with the individual rectangles in
the rectangle-configurated weldings 24' positioned in accordance with
the direction of the compartmentation line, i.e. with the individual
rectangular-configurated weldings 24' in continuation of each other. In
accordance with the teachings of the invention, this different orientation
of the rectangle-configurated weldings 22' and 24' provides,
corresponding to the above description with reference to fig. 5 of the
drawing, a difference in the tendency to enable a tearing apart in
accordance with the rectangle-configurated weldings, the ice cube bag
10v illustrated in fig. 11 demonstrating larger tendency to be able to be
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torn apart according to the perpendicular rectangle-configurated
weldings 24' positioned in continuation of each other and thus having a
smaller mutual distance than the horizontal rectangle-configurated
weldings 22', preferably constituting instructions for elimination of the
compartmentation of the ice cube bag in accordance with the technique
described above with reference to fig. 4a and 6 of the drawing.
Figs. 12 and 13 are illustrations of a seventh and an eighth embodiment,
respectively, of the ice cube bag according to the present invention
designated the reference numerals 10V1 and 10vii, respectively. Like the
above described embodiments these two embodiments are produced
from the above described foils 12 and 14 and assembled by means of the
side weldings 20, the bottom welding 21 and the two top weldings 21a
and 21b already described. The two ice cube bags 10V1 and 10vii are
provided with the two above described outwardly sloping and diverging
weldings 27, however, unlike the embodiments described above these
are not provided with breakouts.
The inner compartmentalized ice cube compartments in the seventh and
the eighth embodiments, 10V1 and 10vii, respectively, is by the way
produced substantially in accordance with the compartmentation
illustrated in fig. 7a of the drawing with horizontal and perpendicular
point weldings 22, 23 and 24, 25, respectively, the seventh embodiment
illustrated in fig. 12 being produced with a single central perpendicular
line welding 28, whereas the eighth embodiment lOvii illustrated in fig.
13 is besides the central perpendicular line welding 28 provided with a
horizontal line welding 26" crossing the perpendicular line welding 28,
but without being in connection with the side weldings 20 and thus
establishing connection from the upper half of the inner ice cube
compartment, i.e. the half of the inner ice cube compartment positioned
above the line weldings 26" to the lower half provided below the line
welding 26".
The inlet parts in the seventh and eighth embodiments of the ice cube
bag according to the present invention illustrated in figs. 12 and 13 of
the drawing, respectively, are provided with an inlet channel of a
configuration substantially corresponding to the inlet channel
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configuration described above with reference to fig. la of the drawing.
The inlet channel in the ice cube bags 10v1 and 10vii is thus defined by
two weldings 30 converging from the inlet channel towards the inner ice
cube compartment of the ice cube bag, extending into two quadrant-
configurated weldings 32' at the constriction defined by these weldings.
In the constriction two rectilinear weldings 34' are, furthermore,
provided which compared to the above described rectilinear weldings 34
illustrated in fig. la only extend inwardly from the constriction towards
the inner ice cube compartment of the ice cube bag. Above the
constriction, two point weldings 35 are provided serving the purpose of
keeping the foils together in the inlet channel. In the two embodiments
10V1 and lOvii illustrated in figs. 12 and 13 of the drawing, respectively,
the right-hand welding 30 is broken for establishment of connection with
an S-shaped chamber 40" serving the purpose of producing an expansion
chamber corresponding to the above described expansion chambers 40.
Similarly, the left-hand quadrant-configurated welding 32' is broken for
establishment of connection with another expansion chamber 40"', in
which a number of point weldings 54 is similarly provided for limitation
of the volume of the quantity of liquid which may expand into this
expansion chamber.
The embodiments lOvl and 10vii illustrated in figs. 12 and 13,
respectively, are moreover adapted to be torn apart by tearing away the
inlet channel of the ice cube bag after that the water contained in the ice
cube bag is frozen into ice. Corresponding to the above described
perforations 52, for this tearing apart function perforations 52' have
been provided extending from the side weldings 20 inwardly towards the
quadrant-configurated weldings 32', the perforations not extending past
these line weldings, and similarly, for limitation of the perforations 52'
corresponding to the line weldings 49 and 50 illustrated in fig. 9, line
weldings 56 and 58 are provided connecting the line weldings 20 with
the quadrant-configurated weldings 32' and furthermore reinforcing the
foil material behind or immediately abutting on the perforations 52'.
The self-closure bags illustrated in figs. 12 and 13 are filled with water
and closed in the above described manner and more detailed as
described in the above mentioned European patent and above mentioned
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published European patent application whereafter the water contained in
the inner ice cube compartments of the ice cube bag in question is
brought to freeze by the ice cube bag in question being positioned in a
deep freezer, a freeze locker or in another room cooled down to below
the freezing point. After the water in the individual ice cube
compartments has frozen into ice cubes, the entire inlet part, i.e. the
area above the perforations 52' in the ice cube bags 10v1 and 10vii may
be torn apart for allowing admission to the ice cubes contained in the
interior of the ice cube bag through the thus torn apart second segment
of the inlet channel, the individual ice cubes being able to be
manipulated and taken out from the ice cube bag by utilizing the foil
separation and foil tearing apart features which are conditioned on the
horizontal and perpendicular point-configurated weldings in the inner
compartmentalized ice cube compartments of the ice cube bag.
All the the above described eight embodiments are so-called self-closure
bags and are furthermore bags for production of 24 ice cubes. However,
it should be pointed out that the teaching of the present invention is not
limited to self-closure bags and is not, either, limited to a specific
number of ice cubes, as in an ice cube bag implemented in accordance
with the teachings of the present invention an arbitrary number of ice
cube compartments may be arranged for, in a number smaller or bigger
than 24, e.g. 12, 16, 18, 30 and 36 etc. Correspondingly, the inlet part
of the ice cube bag may be produced without the self-closure function,
for example with a funnel-shaped part for closing by means of a knot
closure or alternatively by means of a knot closure of the type described
in US patent No. Re. 31.890, to which reference is made.
Furthermore, it should be noted that a combination of a self-closure bag
and a knot bag may be realized by combining e.g. the technical
principles described in the above mentioned US patent and the technical
principles stated in the above mentioned European patent and the above
mentioned European patent application. By combining the self-closure
and the knot closure in an ice cube bag, the special advantage may be
obtained that in the self-closure bag it becomes possible to increase the
liquid inner pressure when producing the knot closure.
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Fig. 14 is an illustration of a ninth embodiment of the ice cube bag
according to the present invention which embodiment is designated in its
entirety the reference numeral 10viii This ice cube bag differs from the
above described ice cube bags in that the ice cube bag constitutes a knot
bag, i.e. an ice cube bag, which unlike the above described self-closure
bags is closed by tying a knot by means of flaps provided in the inlet
channel of the ice cube bags in accordance with the technical teachings
described in the above mentioned US patent. Thus, the ice cube bag
lOviii is, unlike the above described self-closure bags, produced from
two foils of which only one, i.e. the uppermost positioned foil
designated the reference numeral 12', is not proviiied with folded parts
corresponding to the above described folded parts 16 and 18 illustrated
in fig. 14. The foils in the ice cube bag 10viii are welded together by
means of the two side weldings 20, the bottom welding 21 and the two
top weldings 21a and 21b. The interior of the ice cube bag is, moreover,
limited to the two rectilinear weldings 27' which unlike the rectilinear
weldings 27' illustrated in fig. 7a are not broken for establishment of an
expansion chamber. On the contrary, the rectilinear weldings 27'
connect the side weldings 20 with two rectilinear weldings 30'
connecting the top weldings 21a and 21b with the above mentioned
rectilinear weldings 27'. Above the rectilinear weldings 27, cuts
designated the reference numeral 52" or perforations corresponding to
the perforations 52' illustrated in figs. 12 and 13 and extending until
immediately before the inwardly converging, rectilinear weldings 30'
together constituting a funnel-shaped 'uilet channel are made from the
sides of the ice cube bag. The ice cube compartment of the ice cube bag
illustrated in fig. 14 is divided into three perpendicular sub-
compartments by means of two perpendicular line weldings 28
corresponding to the perpendicular line weldings 28 described above
with reference to figs. 12 and 13 of the drawing. Each of the individual _
three column configurated sub-compartments in the ice cube bag 10viii
are, moreover, divided into six ice cube compartments by means of sets
of horizontal point weldings, each set containing in total ten point
weldings 22.
Thus, the ice cube bag l0viii illustrated in fig. 14 serves the purpose of
producing 18 ice cubes which for the same outer dimensions of the foils
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as for the above described embodiments condition the production of
larger ice cubes. The ice cube bag lOviii is used in the following way.
Water is poured through the funnel constituted by the rectilinear
weldings 30' thereby filling the three column-configurated sub-
compartments with water. After tearing the perforations 52", two flap-
configurated parts are produced at the upper end of the ice cube bag,
and these flap-configurated parts are tied into a knot for closing the
interior of the ice cube bag. The ice cube bag is frozen for production of
ice cubes whereafter, in accordance with the teachings of the invention,
the compartmentalized ice cube compartments of the interior of the ice
cube bag may be converted into a non-compartmentalized ice cube
compartment and are furthermore advantageously torn by means of the
point weldings 22 characteristic of the present invention.
The perpendicular line weldings illustrated may instead be replaced by
point weldings, e.g. corresponding to the above described point
weldings 25.
Furthermore, the ice cube bag l0viii illustrated in fig. 14 may
immediately be modified into a self-closing ice cube bag by replacing
the foil 12' and correspondingly the foil lying behind by the foils 12 and
14 described above, the folded parts of these foils being brought to
protrude down to a position opposite the perforations 52" which are
omitted. At the same time, the inlet funnel 30' may be modified into
another configuration e.g. by replacing the inlet funnel 30' by a two part
inlet funnel with the outermost or first inlet part with the same sloping
configuration as the funnel configuration illustrated in fig. 14 and by
another inlet part produced with perpendicular or slightly inwardly or
outwardly sloping weldings.
As previously mentioned, fig. 15 is an illustration of the third
embodiment 10" illustrated in fig. 3 after ice cubes having been frozen
in this ice cube bag as hereafter, the ice cube bag when being
manipulated, i.e. twisted, folded or a combination thereof, may either
be converted into a non-compartmentalized ice cube bag or alternatively
torn apart by use of the tearing apart technique characteristic of the
present invention, utilizing the tearing apart directions produced by the
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point weldings 22, 23, 24 and 25 characteristic of the present invention.
The inlet part or filling part illustrated in the right-hand side of fig. 15
may after freezing advantageously be used for maintaining the ice cube
bag and thus for handling of the ice cube bag and may, moreover, as
described above with reference to figs. 12 and 13 advantageously be
used for tearing away the top or filling part of the ice cube bag in
connection with taking out ice cubes or ice lumps from the interior of
the ice cube bag.
Fig. 16 is an illustration of the third embodiment 10" also illustrated in
figs. 3 and 15 of the drawing after the ice cube bag during the
manipulation described above with reference to fig. 15 has been
converted from a compartmentalized into a non-compartmentalized ice
cube bag. In fig. 16, the bag is illustrated lying on a plane support, e.g.
a tabletop, perforations 44 in the foil 12 being provided in the right-hand
part or half of the inner chamber of the ice cube bag as described above,
whereas correspondingly in the left-hand part or half of fig. 16
perforations in the opposite foil are provided by means of turning or
twisting the foil in the opposite direction in the left-hand half compared
to the right-hand part or half. The point weldings 22 and 24 illustrated
in the left-hand part or half of the ice cube bag 1011 thus contain material
tearings from the opposite foil in which perforations have
correspondingly been provided corresponding to perforations 44
illustrated in the foil 12 in the right-hand half of the interior of the ice
cube bag.
Fig. 17 is an illustration of a tenth embodiment of the ice cube bag
according to the present invention which tenth embodiment is designated
in its entirety designated the reference numeral 101X. This tenth
embodiment of the ice cube bag is to a great extent similar to the third
embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the invention illustrated in
fig. 7a and constitutes a self-closure bag. The tenth embodiment is
composed of the two foils 12 and 14 described above of which only the
foil 12 is illustrated in fig. 17, these foils being welded together by
means of the side weldings 20, the bottom welding 21 and the two
weldings 21a and 21b. From the top weldings 21a and 21b, two
weldings 30" arcuating inwardly towards the interior of the channel
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extend towards the interior of the ice cube bag continuing in upwardly
sloping side weldings 27" corresponding to the downwardly sloping side
weldings 27 illustrated in fig. 7a. Like the side weldings 27, the
upwardly sloping side weldings 27" are broken for establishment of
connection through the weldings 36 and 37 to the expansion chambers
40. The interior ice cube compartment of the ice cube bag 101X is
divided into twenty-four individual ice cube compartments by means of
the above described point weldings 22 and 24 characteristic of the
present invention. As is evident from fig. 17, the upper point welding in
the middlemost row of perpendicular point weldings is provided as a
bigger point welding 25, this upper point welding positioned
immediately below the inlet channel being exposed to the largest water
pressure of all the point weldings during filling of the ice cube bag. The
inlet channel configuration illustrated in fig. 17 serves the purpose of
accelerating the filling compared to the inlet channels described and
illustrated above.
Fig. 18 is an illustration of an eleventh embodiment of the ice cube bag
according to the present invention which eleventh embodiment is
designated in its entirety the reference numeral lOx. This eleventh
embodiment demonstrates a number of the features previously described
with reference to figs. 1-17 of the drawing, this eleventh embodiment
constituting a self-closure bag like several of the above described
embodiments with side weldings 20, a modified bottom welding 21'
composed of three semicircular parts corresponding to a
compartmentation of the interior of the ice cube bag in three sub-
compartments and top weldings 21a and 21b. The inlet channel of the
ice cube bag is produced corresponding to the inlet channel described
above with reference to fig. la of the drawing, however modified by
the perpendicular line weldings 34 being replaced by the line weldings
34' illustrated in fig. 12 and 13 of the drawing. In addition, this eleventh
embodiment demonstrates the same, downwardly sloping side weldings
27 as described above with associated perforations for establishment of
connection with the expansion chambers 40 through the channels defmed
by the line weldings 36 and 37. The inner ice cube chamber of the ice
cube bag is divided into three individual ice cube compartments being
delimited by three sets of perpendicular point weldings, each containing
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a large number of point weldings 25, e.g. eighty-four point weldings.
Accordingly, by means of this eleventh embodiment three big ice cubes
or ice lumps may be produced which may be taken out in accordance
with the tearing apart technique characteristic of the invention by means
of point weldings 25 as described above.
Furthermore, the teachings of the present invention makes it possible to
provide ice cube bags with a very large number of individual ice cube
compartments, like it is evident from figs. 19a and 19b illustrating a
twelfth and a thirteenth embodiment, respectively, of the present
invention, designated the reference numerals lOxi and lOxii, respective-
ly. Both of these two embodiments lOxi and lOxii constitute self-closure
bags delimited by the side weldings 20, the bottom welding 21 and the
top weldings 21a and 21b. Furthermore, the two embodiments lOxi and
lOxii are produced with an inlet filling channel corresponding to the one
described above with reference to fig. 17 of the drawing constituting
two inwardly towards the interior of the channel arcuating weldings 30",
continuing directly into downwardly sloping side weldings 27 described
above with reference to fig. la of the drawing. Perforation lines 52" are
provided under the edges 17 and 19, respectively, defmed by the folded
foil parts 16 and 18 (in fig. 17 only one of the folded parts 16 with
associated edge 17 is illustrated) either for establishment of a knot
closure as stated above, i.e. a combined self-closure and knot-closure of
the interior of the ice cube bag or alternatively for tearing of the top part
of the ice cube bag after freezing of the water column contained in the
interior of the ice cube bag. The two ice cube bags lOxi and 10xii are
divided into a large number of individual ice cube compartments, only
delimited by corner point weldings implemented in accordance with the
teaching of the invention and of the same configuration as described
above with reference to fig. la of the drawing and designated the
reference numeral 23. In fig. 19a, the point weldings 23 are arranged in
the corners or the corner points of an orthogonal pattern, whereas the
point weldings 23 in the thirteenth embodiment 10xu illustrated in fig.
19 are positioned in a pattern in which the point weldings positioned in
horizontal lines in every second line are displaced half a raster or point
welding distance to the one side, causing the ice cubes or ice lumps
produced in the ice cube bag illustrated in fig. 19b to be of diamond
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configuration whereas the ice cubes or ice lumps produced in the ice
cube bag illustrated in fig. 19a will be of substantially square
configuration. An even extremely large number of individual ice cubes
or ice lumps may be produced by means of the embodiments illustrated
in figs. 19a and 19b of the drawing, in the embodiments illustrated more
than two-hundred individual ice cubes or ice lumps.
Fig. 20a is an illustration of a fourteenth embodiment of the ice cube
bag according to the present invention which fourteenth embodiment is
designated in its entirety the reference numeral 10xiii This fourteenth
embodiment constitutes a knot bag of the same type as illustrated and
described above with reference to figs. 14, 19a and 19b and additionally
constitutes an embodiment which is - like the section of a modification
of the third embodiment of fig. 7a illustrated in fig. 7b - produced by
means of point and line segment weldings, exclusively, and contains no
coherent peripheral weldings. Moreover, this fourteenth embodiment
demonstrates a number of the features previously described with
reference to figs. 1-19b of the drawing. The ice cube bag 10xiii is
provided with line segment shaped weldings 20"', constituting partly a
substantially circumferentially peripheral welding defining the
compartmentalized ice cube compartment and partly in extensions
constituting side weldings being connected with top weldings 21a' and
21b' composed of a number of individual parallel line segments. The
actual inlet channel of the ice cube bag is designed as a single funnel,
also constituted by line segment formed individual weldings, forming
rectilinear weldings converging against each other and forming the
above mentioned funnel and which connects the top weldings 21a and
21b constituted by line segments to side weldings 27" connecting the
funnel of the inlet channel with the side weldings formed by the line
segments 20' t 1.
The interior of the ice cube bag is divided into four perpendicular
compartments by means of point weldings 24' and 25', these four
interior perpendicular compartments again being divided into a number
of sub-compartments by means of horizontal weldings formed by point
weldings 22' and 23'. The point weldings 22', 23', 24' and 25'
illustrated in fig. 20a correspond to the point weldings previously
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described, the point weldings 22' and 24', however, preferably being
designed as elongated weldings rather than circular weldings, and
similarly the weldings 22', 23', 24' and 25' may be designed as massive
single weldings or constitute contour weldings, the interior of which do
not constitute joints of the two opposite foil layers of the ice cube bag.
Like the above described ice cube bags, the interior of the ice cube bag
may be designed as an ice cube bag having 16, 20 or preferably 24
compartments.
Fig. 20b is an illustration of an ice cube bag modified as compared to
the fourteenth embodiment of the ice cube bag illustrated in fig. 20a or
rather a lowermost part of this modified or fifteenth embodiment 10xiv
of the ice cube bag according to the present invention. Similar to the
fourteenth embodiment illustrated in fig. 20a, the fifteenth embodiment
illustrated in fig. 20b is especially characterized by the peripheral
weldings including the side weldings and the bottom welding being
constituted by line segment formed weldings. Contrary to the fourteenth
embodiment illustrated in fig. 20a in which the line segment formed
weldings 20"' are all over positioned perpendicularly to the general
orientation of the welding and thus radially or perpendicularly to the
peripheral welding composed of the line segment formed weldings, the
corresponding line segment formed weldings 20"', constituting side
weldings in the fifteenth embodiment illustrated in fig. 20b, are
positioned in an angle i relation to the general orientation directed in
accordance with the longitudinal axis of the ice cube bag. In fig. 20b,
these line segment formed weldings 20"' are positioned in a sloping
direction in relation to the perpendicular or horizontal orientation. In
addition, the fifteenth embodiment lOxiv illustrated in fig. 20b
demonstrates a bottom welding composed of a number of individual line
segment formed weldings 21 "', all of which are of the same extension,
i.e. the same length and width, but which may alternatively be of
varying length and width, these line segment formed weldings 21...
being positioned in, in total, six parallel rows, two neighbouring rows
being mutually displaced by half a length of the individual line segment
formed welding 21 '' .
Corresponding to fig. 20a, fig. 20c is an illustration of a sixteenth
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embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the present invention, and
similarly to the fourteenth embodiment illustrated in fig. 20a, this
sixteenth embodiment, which is designated in its entirety the reference
numeral lOxv, constitutes a so-called knot bag. In addition, the sixteenth
5 embodiment illustrated in fig. 20c differs from the fourteenth
embodiment illustrated in fig. 20a by the line segment formed weldings
illustrated in fig. 20a constituting the peripheral welding, the side
weldings 27", the top weldings 21a' and 21b' and the inlet channel 30"
being replaced by belts of smaller point weldings being positioned in a
10 tight pattern in the form of a photographic raster pattern in which the
individual point weldings are of a - compared to the compartmentalizing
point weldings 22', 23', 24' and 25' - substantially smaller size or
diameter, typically a size of less than 50% of the biggest dimension of
these point weldings 22', 23, 24' and 25'. The individual point
15 weldings in the photographic raster pattern forming welding constituted
by the point weldings 20iv are positioned in a distance to the neigh-
bouring weldings substantially corresponding to the diameter of the
individual welding 201V. Of course, within the scope of the present
invention, the embodiments illustrated with reference to figs. 20a, 20b
20 and 20c of the drawing may be modified corresponding to the above
described embodiments and, besides, per se be combined with
alternative side weldings, bottom weldings and channel inlet
configurations.
25 Fig. 20d is a schematic and plane view of a seventeenth embodiment of
the ice cube bag according to the invention which ice cube bag is
designated in its entirety the reference numeral lOxvi Similar to the
above described embodiments, the ice cube bag lOxvi is composed of
two identical plastic foils, preferably LD polyethylene foils of a thick-
30 ness of 25 m or alternatively HD-polyethylene foils of a thickness of
18 m, one of which foils is designated the reference numeral 12. Both
foils have a folded part. The folded part of the foil 12 is designated the
reference numeral 16. These folded parts protrude inwardly into the
interior of the ice cube bag 10xvi and define inner exposed edges. The
35 foils are of substantially rectangular configuration and are in over-
lapping positions, the folded parts as described above protruding in-
wardly into the interior of the ice cube bag 10xvi, as the foils are joined
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by means of a substantially circumferential joint 20iv, two line joints
extending inwardly and towards each other from the substantially
circumferential joint 201V positioned at an upper end of the ice cube bag
10xvi illustrated in fig. 20d and upper line joints 21a" and 21b".
Between the line joints 21a" and 21b", an aperture is provided leading
from the surroundings into the interior of the ice cube bag 10xvi. From
the above described edge, rectilinear joints 301V converging against each
other extend, constituting a funnel-shaped first section of the inlet
channel of the ice cube bag. At the inner ends of the joints, i.e. at the
constriction of the generated inlet funnel, the rectilinear joints 30iv
converging against each other extend into two parallel rectilinear joints
33 constituting a first constriction in the inlet channel, and constitute a
transition between the first section of the inlet channel of the ice cube
bag mentioned above and a second section of the inlet channel of the ice
cube bag which second section is defmed by two oppositely positioned
arcuated joints 32" connecting the above described parallel rectilinear
joints 33 to the above described joints 27 constituting two joint
reinforcements 33 which constitute a second constriction at the end of
the inlet channel, i.e. at the transition between the inlet channel and the
interior of the ice cube bag which is divided into a number of individual
compartments as mentioned above. The arcuated joints 32" constitute
two convex joints for generating a second section of the inlet channel
which second section has - seen in the orientation perpendicular to the
inlet orientation of the inlet channel - substantially larger dimensions
than the first constriction generated by the two parallel rectilinear joints
33 as well as the other constriction generated by the two above
mentioned joint reinforcements 33.
In the seventeenth embodiment illustrated in fig. 20d, the inner exposed
edges of the folded parts of the two foils extend in the entire length of
the first section of the inlet channel, but not into the second section of
the inlet channel, and precisely to a position opposite the two parallel
rectilinear joints, vide the folded part 17 in relation to the parallel
rectilinear joints 33. In accordance with the teachings of the present
invention the exposed edges may be positioned in any arbitrary location
along the two parallel rectilinear joints 33, i.e. in any arbitrary position
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within the constriction defined by the two parallel joints. Thus, the
edges mentioned are positioned, seen in the entire length of the inlet
channel, in the middle of the inlet channel and simultaneously positioned
extending perpendicularly in the middle of the two parallel rectilinear
joints 3. By means of the positioning of the folded edges in the middle
of the inlet channel combined with the parallel rectilinear joints 33, an
ice cube bag is obtained which provides a safe and reliable self-closing
function and utilizes a minimum quantity of water for filling of the self-
closure-function-providing closure pockets generated behind the folded
parts, as it is also explained in EP 0 574 496, EP 0 616 948 and EP 0
825 122 to which reference is made. At the same time, unlike prior art
self-closure bags, the two parallel rectilinear joints 33 constitute a tube-
configurated constriction area for provision of the self-closure function
which has not previously been considered possible, as the two parallel
rectilinear joints 33 serve the additional purpose, besides the provision
of a self-closure function generating constriction, of compensating for
production variations, if any, when the folded foil parts are folded and
are by means of the joints joined with the surrounding foils. For
obtaining a safe self-closure function it is of decisive significance that
the inner exposed edges constituting the closure pockets inside the joints
33 are positioned below the lower limitation of the funnel-shaped first
section of the inlet channel, vide fig. 20d, in order to ensure that the
closure pockets are. filled with water in a reliable manner when the ice
cube bag is turned upside down after having been filled with water as it
is explained in the above mentioned European patents.
In the plane illustration of fig. 20d, the two foils of the ice cube bag are
lying abutting each other in a plane position as confined air may be
present and constitute air pockets in the interior of the ice cube bag 10.
In fig. 20d, the ice cube bag lOxvl is illustrated with its inlet aperture 26
in an upward direction which inlet aperture is to be in an upward
direction when the ice cube bag is filled with liquid, especially water. At
this stage it is to be noted that expressions such as "upwardly",
"downwardly" etc. referring to an orientation of the ice cube bag in
relation to the orientation determined by the gravitational force are to be
construed as expressions solely serving the purpose of describing the
normal, general orientation of the ice cube bag in use as of course a
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larger or smaller part of the ice cube bag may be folded in relation to
the upward/downward direction, and similarly the ice cube bag lOxvi in
its entirety may be held in a sloping position in relation to the upward/-
downward position.
Fig. 21 is a schematic view of a production plant for producing ice cube
bags or similar welded bags in an intermittent production process. The
production plant mainly corresponds to the production plant described in
DK 172,066 and EP 0 795 393 and comprises a stamping and welding
station 74. As will appear from the following description, dependent on
the product in question, the production plant may also comprise a
further stations as e.g. a foil unrolling station, a cutting and separating
station and a conveyor station.
The actual production of the ice cube bags in the stamping and welding
station 74 comprises a single stamping and welding operation in which
the ice cube bags are produced from a two-layer foil web 76, thus
producing two ice cube bags in a single stamping and welding operation.
The stamping and welding operation performed in the stamping and
welding station 74 is carried out discontinuously or intermittently, the
foil webs being conveyed stepwise to a stamping and welding device 70,
the stamping and welding operation being performed with the two two-
layer foil webs being kept in a stationary position beneath the stamping
and welding device 70. The stepwise conveyance of the two two-layer
foil webs is achieved by means of rollers or rollers actuated by a toothed
wheel and belt arrangement.
As shown in fig. 21, the stamping and welding device 70 comprises a
lower support plate 130 provided with two vertical, upwardly extending
rods 132 and 134 which in turn are connected through a top bar 136 and
a cross member 138 which together with the support plate 130 keep the
rods 132, 134 in a vertical and mutually parallel position. The cross
member 138 supports two sets of actuating cylinders 140, 142 and 144,
146 which are actuated through pressure fluid inlet hoses connected
thereto and preferably are in the form of pressure air cylinders. The two
sets of actuating cylinders 140, 142 and 144, 146 are designed to
position the stamping and welding devices in a two-step process. In the
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first step the stamping and welding dies 148 and 150 comprised in the
heated stamping and welding devices remain elevated in a starting
position at a maximal distance above the two-layer foil webs being
passed through the stamping and welding station to prevent the foil
material from being melted by the heat radiating from the stamping and
welding devices, and in the second step the stamping and welding dies
148 and 150 are moved from their elevated position at a certain distance
above the two-layer foil web to a working position in which they are
pressed down into the two-layer foil web as described below by
actuating the actuating cylinders 142 and 146. Thus, the two actuating
cylinders 140 and 144 are designed to position the stamping and welding
dies in either the starting or working position, and by actuating the
actuating cylinders 142 and 146 the stamping and welding dies are
lowered towards the two-layer foil webs. The stamping and welding dies
148 and 150 are provided with lower surfaces comprising protruding,
i.e. downwardly projecting prominences corresponding to the desired
stampings and weldings in the ice cube bags being stamped and welded
by means of the stamping and welding device 70 in the stamping and
welding station.
The stamping and welding dies 148 and 150 are electrically heated and,
therefore, comprise a number of electric heating units supplied by a
number of connection cords, two of which are assigned the reference
numerals 152 and 154, respectively. As will be obvious for the skilled
person, the stamping and welding dies 148 and 150 are thermoregulated,
i.e. the stamping and welding dies are kept at a well-defmed temperature
by means of a thermostat. The suspensions of the stamping and welding
dies are cooled by water supplied and removed through cooling water
inlet and outlet hoses 156 and 157, respectively. Further to the water
cooling arrangement for cooling the suspension of the stamping and
welding dies 148 and 150 the production plant shown in fig. 2a is
provided with a cooling air hose 158 mounted at and - seen in the
direction of conveyance of the two-layer foil web - downstream of the
complementary stamping and welding dies, the cooling air hose
providing cooling air supplied from a number of air supply apertures in
a air supply tube 160.
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As will appear from fig. 21, the two-layer foil web are inserted below
the vertically mobile stamping and welding dies 148 and 150, which,
however, are not brought in direct contact with the surfaces of the two
two-layer foil webs, or two high temperature resistant heat transmission
5 foils 162 and 164 are inserted between the upper surface of the two two-
layer foil webs and the lower surface of the stamping and welding dies
148 and 150, and the lower surface of the two two-layer foils and a foil
in the form of a silicone rubber sheet resiliently supported on the
support plate 130, respectively, the heat transmission foils 162 and 164
10 forming closed, loop-shaped webs. The upper closed loop formed by the
heat transmission foil 162 is provided by a total of four idler rollers 168,
170, 172 and 174, and correspondingly the closed loop formed by the
high temperature resistant heat transmission foil 164 is provided by four
idler rollers 176, 178, 180 and 182.
The stamping and welding station is controlled by the central control
unit which is not illustrated in the figure and which furthermore controls
regulators for adjusting the temperature of the heating units in the
stamping and welding dies, e.g. the stamping and welding dies 148 and
150, the pressure air supply volume, etc. In the stamping and welding
station, the two-layer foil web is conveyed one step, whereafter the
stamping and welding dies actuated by the actuating cylinders 140 and
144 and 148 and 150 are lowered onto the two two-layer foil webs
supported on the support plate 130 simultaneously with keeping the two-
layer foil web in a stationary position, the two-layer foil web being
pressed together between the two high temperature resistant heat
transmitting foils 162 and 164. The high temperature resistant heat
transmitting foils which preferably are woven teflon foils are designed to
transmit heat to the upper and lower surfaces of the two two-layer foil
webs during the stamping and welding process in order to provide the
two two-layer foil webs with stampings and weldings corresponding to
the stampings provided on the stamping dies without resulting in weak
stampings and weldings and without cutting through the foils due to
excessive local heating of a given area.
By pressing together the sandwich consisting of the two teflon webs 162
and 164 and the intermediary two-layer foil web, the woven teflon webs
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are pressed down and melted down into the melted two-layer foil webs,
thus adhering the woven teflon webs 162 and 164 to the partially
melted, pressed and welded two-layer foil webs. Surprisingly and
importantly, due to the pressing operation adhering the woven teflon
webs 162 and 164 to the stamped and welded two-layer foil webs the
two-layer foil webs will not be deformed in the following step, wherein
a conveyance of the two-layer foil web is provided after that the
stamping and welding dies 148 and 150 are raised since by means of this
stepwise conveyance, a conveyance of the welded two-layer foil web
takes place a distance exactly corresponding to the width of the stamped
and welded ice cube bags. Thus, fig. 21 is a schematic view of a
situation where the two-layer foil web are moving from a completed
stamping and welding operation which has resulted in an ice cube bag
which is not evident in the figure, and fig. 21 shows additional ice cube
bags 186 and 188 produced in the two previous stamping and welding
steps.
When conveying the stamped and welded ice cube bags, e.g. the ice
cube bags 186 and 188, the woven teflon webs 162 and 164 support the
melted and softened foil material adhering to the surfaces of the woven
teflon webs, the cooling air supplied from the air supply tube 160
cooling the-heated foil webs and causing the partially melted foil
material in the stampings and weldings of the ice cube bags to solidify.
After release of the two-layer foil web from the stamping and welding
operation the upper woven teflon web 162 is stripped from the upper
surface of the welded ice cube bags, e.g. ice cube bag 186, whereas the
lower woven teflon web 164 is not stripped from the welded two-layer
foil webs, i.e. the completed ice cube bags, e.g. ice cube bag 188,
before the implementation of a further step.
Unlike the method described in the above mentioned Danish patent No.
172,066 and correspondingly in published European patent No. 0 795
393, the embodiment of the ice cube bags 186 and 188 as ice cube bags
in which not only the compartmentalized joints, but also the peripheral
joints are made as point weldings allows the welded ice cube bags to be
left unsupported immediately after the stamping and welding operation
as due to the embodiment having point weldings not only in the
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compartmentalizing joints, but also in the periphery joints, an ice cube
bag construction is obtained in which areas are present which are not
directly melted during the stamping and welding operation and thus
constitute a coherent unmelted and only partly heated two-layer foil
web. Besides, the embodiment of the ice cube bags 186 and 188 with
point weldings constituting the compartmentalized joints as well as the
periphery joints allows the ice cube bags to be established tightly
abutting on each other and thus, unlike the illustration in fig. 21, in
which the ice cube bags 186 and 188 are illustrated separately for the
sake of clarity, may be positioned even directly abutting on each other
or overlapping each other whereafter a periphery or edge joint of one
ice cube bag, e.g. a left side edge joint of the ice cube bag 186,
coincides with or is coherent with the opposite side edge joint, i.e. the
right side edge joint of the ice cube bag 188.
Fig. 22 illustrates a second embodiment of the production plant for
production of ice cube bags or corresponding welded bags, this plant
differs from the production plant described above with reference to fig.
21 in that the ice cube bags or similar welded bags are produced
continuously in the production plant shown in fig. 22, whereas the
stamping and welding operation itself as carried out in the production
plant described with reference to fig. 21 is performed intermittently as
explained above. Furthermore, the production plant shown in fig. 22
differs from the production plant described above with reference to fig.
21 in that the ice cube bags are produced from two separate foils 73 and
75 and not from a two-layer foil web as shown in fig. 21. The second
embodiment of the production plant according to the invention shown in
fig. 22 has been assigned the reference numeral 74' and comprises,
similar to the production plant described above with reference to fig. 21,
preferably also a foil unrolling station and a cutting and separating
station.
As explained above, the two-layer foil web 76' composed of the webs
73 and 75 is moved through the stamping and welding station 14' at a
constant or non-varying rate and not at an intermittent rate as the
production plant described above with reference to fig. 21. Instead of a
vertically movable stamping and welding device 70 the stamping and
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welding station 74' comprises two rotating rollers 157 and 159 which
are actuated by the same motor 145 through an exchange or gear 147
and of which the roller 157 constitutes the actual stamping and welding
roller, whereas the roller 159 constitutes a retaining roller. On its outer
surface the welding roller 157 is provided with curved, heated stamping
and welding dies. Fig. 22 shows three stamping and welding dies 167
belonging to the rotating stamping and welding roller 157. Similar to the
stamping and welding dies 148 and 150 described above with reference
to fig. 21 the stamping and welding dies 167 are electrically heated and
are supplied with electric force through an electric wire 153, the electric
force by means of respective sliding connections 161 being transferred
to heating units provided in the stamping and welding rollers 157.
Like the production plant described above with reference to fig. 21 the
stamping and welding station 74' shown in fig. 22 is provided with
woven teflon webs 162 and 164, the teflon webs forming two opposite
closed loops and designed to transfer a uniform stamping and welding
pressure from the rollers 157 and 159 to the two-layer foil web 76
sandwiched between the two horizontally extending teflon webs 162 and
164, but also serving the purpose of providing supporting foils which
when pressing down and adhering the teflon foils to the melted areas of
the stamped and welded two-layer foil web, prevent the soft, melted foil
material from being stretched when the fuiished two-layer foil web is
drawn out from the stamping and welding station 74', essentially as
described above with reference to fig. 21.
The stamping and welding of the two-layer foil webs in the continuous
stamping and welding operation for the production of ice cube bags
performed in the stamping and welding station 14' results in an
interconnected web of ice cube bags comprising areas corresponding to .
individual finished ice cube bags as indicated with reference numerals
193, 195 and 197. Like in the plant 74 described above with reference
to fig. 21, the plant 74' illustrated in fig. 22 differs from the plant
described in the above mentioned Danish patent and in the above
mentioned European patent application in that the upper teflon web 162
is only in contact with the two-layer foil web 76 during the stamping and
welding operation proper and does not thereafter support the two-layer
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foil web 76' after the stamping and welding operation, as the produced
ice cube bags 193, 195 and 197, like the ice cube bags 186 and 188
illustrated in fig. 21, constitute ice cube bags in which the
compartmentalizing joints as well as the periphery joints are established
by point weldings which increases the mechanical strength and
resistance of the immediately welded ice cube bag to prolongation or
deformation due to the softened plastic material compared to a
conventional ice cube bag in which the periphery weldings constitute
coherent line weldings.
Fig. 23 is an illustration of an eighteenth embodiment of a self-closure
bag according to the present invention. This eighteenth embodiment is
designated in its entirety the reference numeral lOxvii and differs from
the above described seventeenth embodiment 10xvi illustrated in fig.
20d in that the joints 32"' defining the second section of the inlet
channel are constituted by two rectilinear joints diverging from the two
parallel, rectilinear joints 33' which in relation to the folded edge 17 are
reversed symmetrical in relation to the joints 30v which corresponding
to the joints 301V illustrated in fig. 20d constitute a funnel-shaped first
section of the inlet channel. The inlet channel constituted by the joints
30v, 33' and 32"' in the embodiment illustrated in fig. 23 provides a
figure which is reversed symmetrical in relation to the longitudinal axis
as well as the median line of the inlet channel corresponding to the
folded edge 17.
It should be noted that the eighteenth embodiment illustrated in fig. 23
differs from the seventeenth embodiment illustrated in fig. 20d in that
the weldings 20, 21a, 21b, 30v, 31' and 32"' all constitute coherent line
weldings unlike the peripheral weldings illustrated in fig. 20d
constituted by individual points. Moreover, the ice cube bag 10xvii
differs from the embodiments illustrated in figs. 1-20d of the drawing in
that the compartmentalizing point weldings constitute hexagonal ice cube
compartments positioned in a honeycomb configuration unlike the
square ice cube compartments of the previously described embodiments.
The hexagonal ice cube compartments illustrated in fig. 23 are defined
by a number of point weldings 23" and 24" where each side edge of the
hexagonal ice cube compartments is defmed by four individual point
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weldings.
Even though the above described ice cube bags are preferably intended
for freezing of water for provision of ice lumps or ice cubes, the ice
cube bags per se, or a modified embodiment of the ice cube bags, may
be used for freezing of other materials such as foodstuffs or provisions
to be frozen in small individual portions.
Preferably, the above described ice cube bags are produced in the
industry by utilizing continuous or intermittent welding techniques
which are described in Danish patent No. 172,066 or correspondingly in
published European patent application No. 0 795 393 to which reference
is made, these two publications hereby being considered incorporated in
the present specification by reference.
Example
A prototype of the presently preferred embodiment of the ice cube bag
according to the invention illustrated in figs. la, lb and 2 was produced
from to foils of LD-polyethylene of a thickness of 25 m. Each of the
LD-polyethylene foils 12 and 14 of a thickness of 25 m had a width of
18 cm and a total length of 38.5 cm, each of the folded parts 16 and 18
constituting a fold of a piece of 4.5 cm of each of the foil layers 12 and
14 of totally 38.5 cm. Thus the total length of the ice cube bag was 34
cm. Each of the ice cube compartments, in total 24 ice cube
compartments, had a width of 4.5 cm and a length of 4.8 cm. The
compartmentalizing point weldings 22 and 24 were circular point
weldings of a diameter of 0.9 mm, whereas the point weldings 23 and
25, also constituting circular point weldings, had a diameter of 1.1 mm.
When testing this prototype of the presently preferred embodiment of
the ice cube bag according to the invention it turned out that the ice cube
bag functioned correctly when utilized in accordance with the intended
appliance.
These tests showed that by means of the prototype of the ice cube bag
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implemented in accordance with the teachings of the present invention
the desired tearing apart function and furthermore the intended
conversion from a compartmentalized into a non-compartmentalized ice
cube bag were obtained.
During further tests performed in a laboratory on the other of the above
described embodiments corresponding excellent results were obtained in
relation to the tearing apart function and possibility of converting the ice
cube bag from a compartmentalized in a non-compartmentalized bag.
Especially, these tests demonstrated that ice cube bags produced with six
horizontal and perpendicular point weldings corresponding to the third
embodiment of the ice cube bag according to the present invention
illustrated in fig. 7a was able to resist a pressure of 0.9 m water column
pressure, whereas an ice cube bag, in other respects identical with the
em.bodiment illustrated in fig. 7a and with eight perpendicular and
horizontal point weldings in each set was able to resist an inner pressure
of 1.3 m water column pressure. On the other hand, an ice cube bag
having five or seven point weldings in each set, was unable to resist
such pressures. The inventor construes this a proof that the distension of
the foil in the centre of the individual set of horizontal and perpendicular
point weldings during filling of the ice cube bag produces a maximum
pull precisely in this centre of the imaginary separation line between the
ice cubes, and therefore an odd number of point weldings in the sets of
horizontal and perpendicular point weldings provide/s that the
middlemost of the point weldings in the individual set of point weldings
is exposed to this maximum force influence or this maximum pull which
is not the case when the number of point weldings in the sets of
horizontal and perpendicular is even and thus the aforementioned force
concentration or the aforementioned maximum pull is thus distributed on
two point weldings instead of on a single point welding like in the case
of an odd number of point weldings.
Even though the above invention has been described with reference to a
number of preferred embodiments it will be evident for people skilled in
the art that numerous modifications and amendments may be made
within the scope of the invention without deviating from the spirit and
scope of the invention as defmed in the following patent claims.
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Especially, it should be noted that the above described embodiments
may be combined in such a manner that features of a described
embodiment may be combined in another specific described embodiment
and likewise the compartmentalized embodiments described in
connection with a number of various self-closure ice cube bags may
correspondingly be used in non-self-closure ice cube bags, e.g. knot
bags of the type generally described in the above mentioned US patent.
Similarly, the principles of the invention are not limited neither to self-
closure bags nor to knot closure bags, but may also be utilized in
connection with other ice cube bags having another type of closure.
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to welding of
plastic foils, but that the embodiment of tearing-apart-joints
characteristic of the present invention may be established by means of
glueing of plastic foils. Independent on utilization of glueing or welding
of foils, it has turned out that, compared to conventional ice cube bags
in which coherent separation weldings are used between the individual
ice cube compartments, the embodiment of the compartmentalizing
weldings as point weldings characteristic of the present invention
provides a substantially better utilization of the materials, measured in
the form of a bigger net volume of the ice cubes produced from a
specific ice cube bag area construed as the area defined by the outer
contour of the ice cube bag. Due to the precise embodiment of the fmal
product, the application of glueing or welding as alternative production
techniques furthermore enables a positioning of the individual ice cube
bags during the production process tightly abutting on each other and
thus a better utilization of the used quantity of raw materials, compared
to conventional production techniques. Besides, in the individual ice
cube bags, instructions for tearing apart the bag may be provided by
glueing or welding as explained above with reference to fig. 9, 10, 12
and 13 of the drawing, as, additionally, by means of the used glue
application technique or the used welding technique, instructions may be
established in the foil material in the form of a direction or an
instruction for the intended application of the ice cube bag.
Furthermore, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited
to the above mentioned types of foils, LDPE and HDPE, or the above
CA 02313640 2000-06-09
WO 99/32840 PCT/DK98/00539
58
stated foil thicknesses as in accordance with the teachings of the present
invention arbitrary polymer or foil of a plastics material of glueable or
weldable thickness of e.g. thicknesses smaller than the above mentioned
18 m, e.g. down to 12 icm or smaller, may be used, and similarly in an
ice cube bag to foils of the same or of different type and/or to foils of
the same or different thickness may be used. Co-extruded and laminated
foils may furthermore be utilized in connection with the ice cube bags
according to the present invention.
