Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
135 words
An automatic ice cube maker comprising horizontally spaced sprocket members journaled for rotation, an endless belt looped aRound said sprocket members to provide horizontal upper and lower reaches of the looped belt, electric motor-driven drive means for driving said sprocket members and for moving said belt around the sprockets, means forming flexible invertible ice cube forming cup-shaped members in said belt, and ice cube removal means disposed adjacent the lower reach of said belt for inverting each of the cup-shaped members from a fill position to a harvest position for removing the ice cubes therefrom, said cube-removal means comprising rigid stationary abutment members situated within the loop of the belt to engage and force the cup-shaped members outwardly of the loop as the cupshaped members are moved along the lower reach of the looped belt.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
135 words
An automatic ice cube maker comprising horizontally spaced sprocket members journaled for rotation, an endless belt looped aRound said sprocket members to provide horizontal upper and lower reaches of the looped belt, electric motor-driven drive means for driving said sprocket members and for moving said belt around the sprockets, means forming flexible invertible ice cube forming cup-shaped members in said belt, and ice cube removal means disposed adjacent the lower reach of said belt for inverting each of the cup-shaped members from a fill position to a harvest position for removing the ice cubes therefrom, said cube-removal means comprising rigid stationary abutment members situated within the loop of the belt to engage and force the cup-shaped members outwardly of the loop as the cupshaped members are moved along the lower reach of the looped belt.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
177 words
An automatic ice cube maker comprising horizontally spaced sprocket members journaled for rotation, an endless belt looped around said sprocket members to provide horizontal upper and lower reaches of the looped belt, electric motor driven drive means for driving said sprocket members and for moving said belt around the sprockets, means forming flexible invertible ice cube forming cup-shaped members in said belt, ice cube removal means disposed adjacent the lower reach of said belt for inverting each of the cup-shaped members from a fill position to a harvest position for removing the ice cubes therefrom, and stripper means adjacent said removal means and in the path of movement of said inverted cup-shaped members for stripping cubes therefrom that have not been completely dislodged by the inversion of the cup-shaped members. 3. The automatic ice cube maker as defined in claim 2 wherein said stripper means comprises spring-biased members located outside the looped belt and movable into the mouths of the cup-shaped members for engaging and biasing the empty inverted cup-shaped members back to the fill positions thereof.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
146 words
An automatic ice cube maker comprising horizontally spaced sprocket members journaled for rotation, an endless belt looped around said sprocket members to provide horizontal upper and lower reaches of the looped belt, electric motor-driven drive means for driving said sprocket members and for moving said belt around the sprockets, means forming flexible invertible ice cube forming cup-shaped members in said belt, and ice cube removal means disposed adjacent the lower reach of said belt for inverting each of the cup-shaped members from a fill position to a harvest position for removing the ice cubes therefrom, said cup-shaped members being arranged in two columns spaced along the length of the looped belt, said cup-shaped members and said cube removal means being constructed and arranged so as to remove the cubes from the two columns in staggered relation along the length of the lower reach of the belt.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
146 words
An automatic ice cube maker comprising horizontally spaced sprocket members journaled for rotation, an endless belt looped around said sprocket members to provide horizontal upper and lower reaches of the looped belt, electric motor-driven drive means for driving said sprocket members and for moving said belt around the sprockets, means forming flexible invertible ice cube forming cup-shaped members in said belt, and ice cube removal means disposed adjacent the lower reach of said belt for inverting each of the cup-shaped members from a fill position to a harvest position for removing the ice cubes therefrom, said cup-shaped members being arranged in two columns spaced along the length of the looped belt, said cup-shaped members and said cube removal means being constructed and arranged so as to remove the cubes from the two columns in staggered relation along the length of the lower reach of the belt.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
71 words
The automatic ice cube maker as defined in claim 4 wherein the two columns of cup-shaped members are aligned with each other across the width of the belt and wherein said cube removal means comprises a pair of rigid stationary abutment members situated in staggered relation along the lower reach of the belt to remove the cubes from aligned cup-shaped members at different points along the length of the lower reach.