Ice nugget producing machine

Claim 1

IN A MACHINE FOR PRODUCING ICE NUGGETS, A FREEZING CYLINDER HAVING A FIRST END AND A SECOND END WITH A DISCHARGE OPENING IN THE LATTER, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING WATER TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID FREEZING CYLINDER, MEANS FOR COOLING SAID FREEZING CYLINDER TO FREEZE ICE ON THE INSIDE THEREOF, A ROTATABLE AUGER MEMBER AXIALLY POSITIONED WITHIN SAID FREEZING CYLINDER FOR ADVANCING THE ICE FORMED THEREIN TOWARD SAID DISCHARGE OPENING, SAID AUGER BEING FORMED WITH A SPIRAL BLADE OF A SUBSTANTIAL PITCH BETWEEN THE FLIGHT PORTIONS OF WHICH THE ADVANCING ICE IS COMPRESSED PRIOR TO BEING EXPELLED THROUGH SAID DISCHARGE OPENING, SAID SPIRAL BLADE TERMINATING INWARDLY OF SAID CYLINDER DISCHARGE OPENING, AND A PAIR OF SUPERIMPOSED MEMBERS CARRIED BY A PORTION OF THE AUGER ADJACENT TO AND REGISTRABLE WITH SAID TERMINAL END PORTION OF THE AUGER BLADE, EACH OF SAID SUPERIMPOSED MEMBERS CARRYING AN AUGER BLADE EXTENSION SEGMENT OF A PITCH SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THAT OF THE AUGER BLADE AND SAID MEMBERS BEING CIRCULARLY ADJUSTABLE ON THE AUGER TO EXTENDED OR RETRACTED POSITIONS TO FORM A VARIABLE LENGTH CONTINUATION OF SAID AUGER BLADE AT A REDUCED PITCH FOR THE COMPRESSION OF THE ICE BETWEEN SAID ADJUSTED SEGMENTS AND A PORTION OF THE AUGER BLADE TO COMPACT THE ICE INTO DENSE NUGGETS PRIOR TO EJECTION OF THE SAME THROUGH SAID DISCHARGE OPENING.