US3632049A

US3632049A - Water delivery arrangement for automatic ice maker

Info

Publication number: US3632049A
Application number: US885408A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas B Winters
Original assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp
Current assignee: CBS Corp
Priority date: 1969-12-16
Filing date: 1969-12-16
Publication date: 1972-01-04
Anticipated expiration: 1989-01-04
Also published as: AU2219870A

Abstract

A water delivery arrangement for directing water into the pockets of an automatic ice maker including a water delivery tube having a lower outlet end and with straightening vane in said tube, and a transverse water directing baffle at the end of the vane to ensure that water spiral tendencies are broken up and the water is smoothly delivered to the ice pocket.

Description

United States Patent 2,695,069 11/1954 Boerner 239/5905 X 2,864,406 12/1958 Schewei 239/5905 X 3,040,542 6/1962 Linstromberg 62/343 X 3,342,193 9/1967 Deering et al. 239/590 X FOREIGN PATENTS Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Michael Y. Mar Attorneys-F. H. Henson and E. C. Arenz ABSTRACT: A water delivery arrangement for directing water into the pockets of an automatic ice maker including a water delivery tube having a lower outlet end and with straightening vane in said tube, and a transverse water directing baffle at the end of the vane to ensure that water spiral tendencies are broken up and the water is smoothly delivered to the ice pocket.

minnow m2 3.632.049

WITNESSES INVENTOR Thomas B. Winters ATTORNEY WATER DELIVERY ARRANGEMENT FOR AUTOMATIC ICE MAKER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention pertains to the art of delivering water to automatic ice maker pockets.

2. Description of the Prior Art I am unaware of any prior art which is particularly pertinent to my invention. The only patent in the automatic ice maker field which discloses anything even remotely similar to my arrangement is U.S. Pat. No. 3,040,542 in which a tube carrying water to a chute for delivery of the water to the automatic ice maker shows a stub flange in the lower interior of the tube.

One automatic ice cube maker having a commercial version in which an arrangement according to the invention may well be used is that disclosed in Fisher U.S. Pat. application, Ser. No. 719,156, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,977. In an ice maker according to that patent application, water is delivered to individual pockets which are successively moved into a waterreceiving position below a water fill tube outlet after each cube pocket has been dumped of its ice load. Accordingly, the volume of water delivered to each pocket is relatively small but it is dispatched with some force and as a slug of water. A disposition of the delivery tube for such an ice maker is inclined to a degree from the vertical, but is more closely approaching a vertical disposition than a horizontal disposition. Since the flow through the tube is under the force of gravity, the tendency to swirl exists. To the extent that the fitting arrangement at the inlet end of the tube is such that water comes to the tube from the side, the natural tendency of the water to spiral clockwise is enhanced. As a result, the water leaving the outlet end of the tube tends to fly off to the side at different places around the perimeter of the outlet end of the tube. Since it is important in an automatic ice maker of the type according to the patent application that frost and ice buildup in the mechanism and various moving parts be precluded, the scattering of water from the perimeter of the outlet creates a substantial nuisance problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with my invention, the delivery of water to other than the pocket where it is intended to go is prevented. This is accomplished in accordance with the invention by providing an insert in the delivery tube which comprises water straightening means in the form of a vane lying in a vertical plane parallel to the axis of the tube and with opposite edges abutting the opposite upper and lower interior faces of the tube, and flow directing means in the form of a transverse member carried on a sloped outboard edge of the vane.

DRAWING DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 is a partly broken side view of an arrangement according to the invention; and,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view corresponding to one taken along the line lllI of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The water delivery arrangement according to the invention is carried by the top wall forming part of the liner for a freezer compartment space generally designated 12. The automatic ice maker is also located in the freezer compartment space 12 and may be of the character disclosed in the noted Fisher patent application in which a series of ice cube mold pockets 14 (one shown) are arranged in a circle and are slowly moved in that circle by means not shown. After each pocket 14 receives a load of water from the delivery tube 16, the pocket slowly moves for a sufficient period to freeze the water before the pocket is racked and then dumped of its load of ice and then restored to the position shown to receive another load of water.

The delivery tube fitting as a whole includes an upper shoulder portion 18 which has interior threads adapting it to be turned on to one end ofa nipple 20, the other end of which extends above the liner wall 10 and is received by an elbow 22 connected to a water supply pipe 24 which leads to a slug valve arrangement (not shown) such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. application, Ser. No. 719,036 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,491,920.

The lower portion of the delivery tube I6 is generally cylindrical in shape but includes an axially extending channel 26 along the side of the tube which will be characterized as the top side. The lower end of the tube serves as the outlet 28 for the water delivered to the tube.

As is shown, the tube 16 is disposed in a more upright position than in a horizontal position so that water delivered to the tube will flow by gravity relatively rapidly out of the tube.

The invention is particularly concerned with an insert assembly for the delivery tube 16 which is inserted into the tube from the outlet end 28. This insert assembly comprises means for straightening the flow, and means for directing the flow out of a particular part of the outlet end 28 of the tube. The straightening means comprises a vane generally designated 30 in said tube and lying in a vertical plane parallel to the axis of the tube and with the upper edge 32 of the vane seated in the channel 26 of the tube and the opposite edge 34 abutting the lower side of the tube.

The nose end 36 of the vane projects up into the shoulder portion 18 of the delivery tube fitting to exert a straightening influence on water entering the fitting as far upstream as is reasonably practical. The downstream edge of the vane 30 is sloped as shown, the sloped edge 38 providing a seat for the transversely extending flow directing means 40 which, as viewed in plan, has an outline of semielipse form so that in its sloped disposition in the cylindrical tube 16 it conforms to the interior walls of the tube [6. The semielipse form of the member 40 provides the opening adjacent the lower side of the delivery tube through which water exits into the pocket 14.

It has been found with an arrangement according to the invention that the water delivered in slugs to the delivery tube 16 flows smoothly out of the outlet end 28 of the tube into the ice pockets 14. The problem of spiralling of the water or swirling of the water, and the concomitant scattering of the water from the peripheral outlet edge is avoided.

While not shown, the delivery tube fitting will ordinarily include means for mounting a small heater element adjacent the delivery tube, this heater element being energized to prevent freezing of any of the water in the tube.

I claim:

1. A water delivery conduit arrangement for directing water into the pockets of an automatic ice maker, comprising:

a tube disposed with its axis lying closer to a vertical orientation than to a horizontal orientation, and having a lower end outlet;

a vane in said tube lying in a vertical plane parallel to the axis of said tube and with opposite edges abutting the opposite upper and lower interior faces of said tube, said vane including a sloped downstream edge; and

flow directing means adjacent said tube outlet for directing water toward the lower side of said tube, said flow directing means being carried on said sloped edge to extend generally transversely across at least the upper side portion of the interior of said tube.

2. An arrangement according to claim I wherein:

said vane and said flow directing means are separable from said tube.

3. A water delivery conduit arrangement for directing water into the pockets of an automatic ice maker, comprising:

a vane in said tube lying in a vertical plane parallel to the axis of said tube and with opposite edges abutting the opposite upper and lower interior faces of said tube;

said tube including channel means extending axially along its upper edge to provide an interior recess to accommodate the upper side edge of said vane; and

flow directing means adjacent said tube outlet for directing water toward the iower side of said tube. 5

Claims

1. A water delivery conduit arrangement for directing water into the pockets of an automatic ice maker, comprising: a tube disposed with its axis lying closer to a vertical orientation than to a horizontal orientation, and having a lower end outlet; a vane in said tube lying in a vertical plane parallel to the axis of said tube and with opposite edges abutting the opposite upper and lower interior faces of said tube, said vane including a sloped downstream edge; and flow directinG means adjacent said tube outlet for directing water toward the lower side of said tube, said flow directing means being carried on said sloped edge to extend generally transversely across at least the upper side portion of the interior of said tube.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein: said vane and said flow directing means are separable from said tube.

3. A water delivery conduit arrangement for directing water into the pockets of an automatic ice maker, comprising: a tube disposed with its axis lying closer to a vertical orientation than to a horizontal orientation, and having a lower end outlet; a vane in said tube lying in a vertical plane parallel to the axis of said tube and with opposite edges abutting the opposite upper and lower interior faces of said tube; said tube including channel means extending axially along its upper edge to provide an interior recess to accommodate the upper side edge of said vane; and flow directing means adjacent said tube outlet for directing water toward the lower side of said tube.