Patent ID: 11874046
Assignee: ELECTROLUX HOME PRODUCTS, INC.
Field: Thermal processes and apparatus (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F | IPC F

Claim 0:
1. A refrigerator comprising: an ice maker having
a longitudinal axis;
a rotatable, stretchable ice cube tray having an upper face and a bottom surface, the upper face defining a plane that is offset from the longitudinal axis with openings for ice cubes,
the upper face and the bottom surface being parallel to the longitudinal axis, and the plane being offset from the longitudinal axis by at least a depth of an ice cube; and

an axially mounted, rotatable cam with a convex surface, the rotatable cam being coaxial with the longitudinal axis and positioned between the longitudinal axis and the bottom surface of the ice cube tray, so that the convex surface is engageable with the bottom surface of the ice cube tray,
wherein both of the ice cube tray and the rotatable cam rotate in a same direction about the longitudinal axis,
wherein the rotatable cam rotates relative to the ice cube tray during at least a portion of the ice cube tray's rotation about the longitudinal axis, and
wherein said relative rotation of the rotatable cam with respect to the ice cube tray causes the convex surface to engage and outwardly flex a portion of the ice cube tray.