Ice making machines, or ice makers, that employ freeze plates which comprise lattice-type cube molds and have gravity water flow and ice harvest are well known and in extensive use. Such machines have received wide acceptance and are particularly desirable for commercial installations such as restaurants, bars, motels and various beverage retailers having a high and continuous demand for fresh ice.
In these ice makers, water is supplied to the top of a freeze plate by a water distributor and the freeze plate directs the water in a tortuous path toward a water pump. A portion of the supplied water collects on the freeze plate, freezes into ice and is identified as sufficiently frozen by suitable means whereupon the freeze plate is defrosted such that the ice is slightly melted and discharged therefrom into a bin. Typically, these ice machines can be classified according to the type of ice they make. One such type is a grid style ice maker which makes generally square ice cubes that form within individual grids of the freeze plate which then form into a continuous sheet of ice cubes as the thickness of the ice increases beyond that of the freeze plate. After harvesting, the sheet of ice cubes will break into individual cubes as they fall into the bin. Another type of ice maker is an individual ice cube maker which makes generally square ice cubes that form within individual grids of the freeze plate which do not form into a continuous sheet of ice cubes. Therefore, upon harvest individual ice cubes fall from the freeze plate and into the bin. Various embodiments of the invention can be adapted to either type of ice maker, and to others not identified, without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the freeze plate as described herein encompasses any number of types of molds for creating a continuous sheet of ice cubes, individual ice cubes, and/or cubes of different shapes. Control means are provided to control the operation of the ice maker to ensure a constant supply of ice.
Typically disposed along the top of the freeze plate is some type of water distributor that attempts to distribute water as evenly as possible along the pocketed or gridded surface of the freeze plate. It is important to distribute water evenly so that ice forms consistently across the freeze plate surface. In addition to being capable of distributing water evenly, the water distributor needs to be simple to install and remove for cleaning, should require a minimal amount of water pressure to function properly, and should be inexpensive to make.
FIG. 1A, identifies a prior art water distributor design 210 which is characterized as a tube-within-a-tube design. Interior tubes 228 are two separately molded parts positioned coaxially within outer tube 230. Water is pumped into interior tubes 228, which have a population of passageways 232 disposed in an upper portion of interior tubes 228. From passageways 232 of interior tube 228, water flows into the annular space between interior tube 228 and outer tube 230. Outer tube 230 also includes a population of passageways 234 in a lower portion of outer tube 230 through which the water flows onto a freeze plate (not shown). This prior art water distributor 210 is expensive to make, is made from many pieces, requires disassembly and considerable time to clean, is difficult to reassemble, requires two water-tight interconnections and, because of the torturous water path created, requires significant water pressure to function properly.
Designs for non-tubular water distributors have also been used. U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,621 entitled “Domestic Clear Ice Maker” granted to Byczynski et al. discloses a water distributor that introduces water onto a floor containing a series of barriers. The design of Byczynski is inadequate to operate at low pressure, is oversized, is likely expensive to make, and requires a fastener to mount the water distributor to the ice maker. Tools, therefore, are required to remove and reinstall the water distributor.
Another prior art water distributor is shown in FIG. 1B. The water distributor 310 includes two laterally extending parallel reservoirs 312 and 314. Wall 316 dividing reservoirs 312 and 134 includes non-uniformly spaced and non-uniformly wide passages 317 for water to travel from reservoir 312 to the reservoir 314. Reservoir 314 includes a series of passageways 318 in a bottom horizontal surface of reservoir 314 that allows water to exit onto a freeze plate (not shown). Obstructions 320 in reservoirs 312 and 314 attempt to divert and control the flow of water. In this water distributor 310, water exits directly downward instead of being directed at the face of the freeze plate. Therefore, yet another element is required to redirect the water toward the freeze plate. Tabs 322 at either end of water distributor 310 are used to locate water distributor 310. Additionally, tabs 322 must be aligned with mounting points on the ice maker (not shown) at either end to properly mount water distributor 310. Additionally, water enters water distributor 310 horizontally through inlet passageway 324 rather than substantially vertically upward from below, where the sump (not shown) is located. The velocity of the entering water creates the need of obstructions 320 to slow the momentum of the water to prevent uneven distribution across the freeze plate. The non-uniformly spaced and non-uniformly wide passages 317 additionally are likely required to prevent uneven distribution across the freeze plate due to the high velocity and horizontal entry of the water. This water distributor 310 also requires significant water pressure to function properly due to the torturous path the water must take to pass through and exit water distributor 310. Furthermore, an additional part, lid 330 is required to cover reservoirs 312, 314 to prevent the supplied water from spraying, squirting, spewing, gushing or otherwise leaking from reservoirs 312, 314. Because inlet passageway 324 is horizontal while the rest of the geometry in water distributor 310 is vertical, the mold which forms water distributor 310 must pull apart primarily in a vertical direction and additionally must have a horizontal or “side pull” in order to form inlet passageway 324. Having the additional horizontal pull adds complexity and cost to the mold needed to form water distributor 310.
Therefore, a need exists in the art for a water distributor for an ice maker that is simply mounted and removed for cleaning without tools or fasteners, is inexpensive to manufacturer, consists of only one part, minimizes the cost of the mold needed to form the part, provides for water to exit the water distributor with some horizontal velocity so that water will contact the face of the freeze plate without further diversion, provides for water to enter the water distributor upwardly from below for simplified connection to the water source, and a simple water flow path which minimizes the water pressure, and thus the energy, required to make the water distributor function properly.