Dispensing apparatus

Claim 1

An ice cube dispensing apparatus comprising: a storage bin having a pair of side walls and arcuatelY shaped bottom surface of continuous unbroken curvature including curved front and back portions each generally quarter-circle shaped, said front bottom portion being curved to a lesser degree than said back bottom portion; a first auger in said bin for dispensing ice cubes therefrom; a rectangular channel angularly disposed in said bin and encompassing said first auger to support the ice cubes being dispensed thereby, said rectangular channel being opened over a portion of its length to expose said auger and including a cutout in a side wall thereof proximate the bottom surface of said bin; a second auger in said bin positioned for rotational movement and having a feed end and a delivery end positioned proximate said first auger, said second auger including a shaft and a helical wire spaced from said shaft by rib means and being positioned along said bottom surface and offset from the center of said bin toward said back portion along the mutual intersection of said front and back bottom portions; said cutout being disposed proximate said delivery end of said second auger; and said first auger being disposed at a right angle to said second auger and said second auger being adapted to move ice cubes through said cutout to said first auger and ice cubes that do not move through said cutout into a circulation path wherein such cubes move up the curved front bottom portion of said bin and thereafter move downwardly to the feed end of said second auger to thereby effect the breaking up of fused ice cubes.