Apparatus for storing hollow ice bodies

Claim 2

Apparatus for storing frangible, spherical bodies of ice, said apparatus comprising: a. housing means providing a storage chamber; b. means operative to cool said storage chamber to a temperature below the melting point of ice; c. first wall means in said storage chamber providing a sidewall of a storage area, said sidewall having a substantially circular configuration; d. second wall means in said storage chamber providing a bottom wall of said storage area; e. means providing an inlet chute opening into said storage area through said sidewall thereof, said inlet chute including means operative to move ice bodies through said inlet chute in a first predetermined direction toward said storage area; f. means providing an outlet chute opening into said storage area through said sidewall thereof, said outlet chute including means operative to move ice bodies through said outlet chute in a second predetermined direction away from said storage area; and g. means in said storage chamber operative to substantially continuously move ice bodies both angularly and linearly within said storage area, said means being operative to move ice bodies in said first predetermined direction in the area of said inlet chute to positively move ice bodies in said storage area away from said inlet chute, and said means being operative to move ice bodies in said second predetermined direction in the area of said outlet chute to positively move ice bodies in said storage area toward said outlet chute.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said inlet and outlet chutes each includes a pair of spaced apart sidewalls defining the width of said chutes, and driven endless belt means defining a bottom for said chutes, said belt means having a width which is substantially less than the width of said chutes and substantially less than the diameter of ice bodies passing through said chutes to permit fragments of broken ice bodies to fall out of said chutes between said sidewalls and said belt means under the influence of gravity.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second wall means is conical in configuration to cause spherical bodies of ice disposed thereon to migrate toward the periphery of said second wall means and toward said sidewall under the influence of gravity.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the periphery of said conical bottom wall is spaced apart from said sidewall to provide a gap therebetween sufficient to prevent whole ice bodies from passing therethrough, and sufficient to permit fragments of broken ice bodies to pass therethrough to leave said storage area.

Claim 6

Apparatus for storing frangible, spherical bodies of ice, said apparatus comprising: a. housing means providing a storage chamber; b. means operative to cool said storage chamber to a temperature below the melting point of ice; c. first wall means in said storage chamber providing a sidewall of a storage area, said sidewall having a substantially circular configuration; d. second wall means in said storage chamber providing a bottom wall of said storage area, said second wall means being substantially conical in configuration with the central portion of said second wall means being elevated above the periphery thereof to cause spherical bodies of ice disposed thereon to migrate toward the periphery of said second wall means and toward said first wall means under the influence of gravity; e. means operably connected to said second wall means and operative to rotate said second wall means about its axis in a predetermined direction to move ice bodies on said second wall means linearly in said predetermined direction; f. inlet chute means including a pair of spaced apart sidewalls opening through said sidewall of said storage area, said inlet chute means including a bottom wall comprising a driven endless belt operative to move ice bodies through said inlet chute means toward the periphery of said conical bottom wall and generally in said predetermined direction taken where said inlet chute means opens into said storage area to smoothly feed ice bodies from said driven endless belt onto the periphery of said conical bottom wall; and g. outlet chute means including a pair of spaced apart sidewalls opening through said sidewall of said storage area, said outlet chute means including a bottom wall comprising a driven endless belt operative to move ice bodies through said outlet chute means away from the periphery of said conical bottom wall and generally in said predetermined direction taken where said outlet chute means opens into said storage area to smoothly feed ice bodies from said periphery of said conical bottom wall into said outlet chute means.

Claim 7

Apparatus for storing frangible, spherical bodies of ice, said apparatus comprising: a. housing means providing a storage chamber; b. means operative to cool said storage chamber to a temperature below the melting point of ice; c. first wall means in said storage chamber providing a sidewall of a storage area, said sidewall having a substantially circular configuration; d. second wall means in said storage chamber providing a bottom wall of said storage area, said second wall means being substantially conical in configuration with the central portion of said second wall means being elevated above the periphery thereof to cause spherical bodies of ice disposed thereon to migrate toward the periphery of said second wall means and toward said first wall means under the influence of gravity; e. means operably connected to said second wall means and operative to rotate said second wall means about its axis in a predetermined direction to move ice bodies on said second wall means linearly in said predetermined direction; f. inlet chute means including a pair of spaced apart sidewalls opening through said sidewall of said storage area, said inlet chute means including a bottom wall comprising a driven endless belt operative to move ice bodies through said inlet chute means toward the periphery of said conical bottom wall and generally in said predetermined direction taken where said inlet chute means opens into said storage area to smoothly feed ice bodies from said driven endless belt onto the periphery of said conical bottom wall; and g. outlet chute means including a pair of spaced apart sidewalls opening through said sidewall of said storage area, said outlet chute means including a bottom wall comprising a driven endless belt operative to move ice bodies through said outlet chute means away from the periphery of said conical bottom wall and generally in said predetermined direction taken where said outlet chute means opens into said storage area to smoothly feed ice bodies from said periphery of said conical bottom wall into said outlet chute means.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said endless belt in said inlet and outlet chute means has a width which is substantially less than the distance between said spaced apart sidewalls of said inlet and outlet chute means, and substantially less than the diameter of the ice bodies passing through said chutes to permit fragments of broken ice bodies to fall out of said chutes between said chute sidewalls and said endless belts under the influence gravity.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the periphery of said conical bottom wall is spaced apart from said sidewall to provide a gap therebetween sufficient to permit fragments of broken ice bodies to fall therethrough to leave said sTorage area while preventing whole ice bodies from passing therethrough.