Abstract:
An ice dispense agitator of a type as may be used in combination ice and beverage dispensing machines is characterized by being manufactured as an integral unit that is first cut from flat metal stock and then formed into a desired final shape by a plurality of bending operations, while requiring minimal welding.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 60/462,163, filed Apr. 10, 2003. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to ice dispensing equipment, and in particular to ice dispensing equipment utilizing a rotating agitator for moving and dispensing the ice.  
           [0003]    Ice dispensing equipment is well known and generally employs an ice retaining bin and an ice chute that is placed in communication with ice in the bin through an electrically operated gate. Ice is dispensed from the bin by opening the gate for a flow of ice from the bin into, through and out of the chute into a suitable receptacle, and is typically initiated by actuation of a switch which operates an electrically driven dispensing mechanism that includes the gate. Also known is equipment that combines in a single unit dispensing of a beverage with an ice retaining and dispensing capacity.  
           [0004]    All such equipment for dispensing ice either alone or together with a beverage customarily has an auger or agitator structure in the ice retaining bin that is rotated by a drive motor both during dispensing of ice and periodically. The agitator serves two purposes, in that it agitates the ice in the bin to prevent agglomeration and congealing of the discrete particles of ice into a mass of ice and it serves as part of the dispensing mechanism by moving the ice particles through the gate to the ice dispensing chute. Agitator assemblies include various arm extensions for agitating and breaking up the ice as the agitator rotates, as well as ice sweeping arm extensions having paddle or scoop ends. The scoop ends provide for contacting and lifting of the ice in the storage bin off of the bottom of the bin to an elevated ice outlet opening controlled by the gate for dispensing of the ice by gravity flow down the dispensing chute. Due to the plurality of ice breaking and sweeping arms, agitator assemblies can be relatively expensive to manufacture, in that they require the welding together of various separate components. Additionally, the assembly of an agitator must be done in a manner that provides for a robust durable structure. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an agitator assembly that can be easily and inexpensively manufactured, but that is also sufficiently strong and not prone to deformation or breakage that would negatively impact its performance.  
         OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    An object of the present invention is to provide an ice dispensing agitator that is easily and inexpensively fabricated from flat metal stock by cutting and bending operations.  
           [0006]    Another object is to provide such an agitator that requires minimal welding in its manufacture, yet is strong and not prone to damage in use.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention provides an improved ice dispense agitator structure and method of manufacturing the same. The agitator is cut from flat metal stock to form a unitary structure which is then bent along bend lines to a desired final shape of the agitator. Because the agitator is an integral unit, only minimal welding is required in its fabrication.  
           [0008]    In accordance with the ice dispense agitator structure contemplated by the invention, an ice dispense agitator is fabricated from flat metal stock that is cut and bent in particular manners. As cut from the metal stock, the agitator comprises a unitary agitator body that includes the coplanar elements of a central hub having an axis of rotation, a plurality of elongate ice sweeping arms extending radially outward from the hub in angular spaced relationship, and at least one elongate ice agitating blade extending outward from a side edge of an associated one of the ice sweeping arms. As bent, the agitator comprises the unitary agitator body in which a portion of an end of each ice sweeping arm is attached to the remainder of the arm by a bent portion of the arm to provide an ice moving paddle on an end of each ice sweeping arm, and in which the at least one ice agitating blade is attached to the side edge of the associated ice sweeping blade by a bent portion of the agitator body, so that the plane of the at least one ice agitating blade extends out of the plane of its associated ice sweeping arm. The at least one ice agitating blade is L-shaped and has a pair of legs attached by a bent portion of the ice agitating blade, one leg of the L-shaped blade is connected to the associated ice sweeping arm by the bent portion of the agitator body and the other leg of the L-shaped blade has an end edge portion that extends along and adjacent and is welded to the associated one of the ice sweeping arms.  
           [0009]    In accordance with a method of making an ice dispensing agitator, a unitary agitator body is cut from flat metal stock to provide the unitary agitator body with the coplanar elements of a central hub having an axis of rotation and a plurality of elongate ice sweeping arms extending radially outward from the hub in angular spaced relationship, which ice sweeping arms have end portions and transverse extensions at the end portions. The unitary agitator body is also provided with at least one elongate ice agitating blade that extends from a side of an associated one of the ice sweeping arms intermediate the hub and the end portion of the ice sweeping arm Included are the steps of bending the end portion of each ice sweeping arm out of the plane of the part of the ice sweeping arm between the end portion and the central hub; bending the transverse extension of each ice sweeping arm out of the plane of the end portion of the ice sweeping arm; and bending the at least one ice agitating arm out of the plane of its associated ice sweeping arm.  
           [0010]    The foregoing and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent upon a consideration of the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ice/beverage dispenser of a type in which an agitator embodying the teachings of the present invention may be used;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side elevation view of the dispenser of FIG. 1;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 shows a top plan view of an ice dispense agitator according to the present invention, as cut from metal stock, and  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a completed ice dispense agitator agitator of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0015]    The present invention provides and improved ice dispense agitator or auger that is particularly adapted for use in a combined ice and beverage dispensing machine of the general type shown in FIG. 1 and indicated generally at  10 . As is conventional, the ice/beverage dispenser  10  includes an outer housing  12 , a merchandising cover  14  and a removable ice bin filling cover  16 . A plurality of beverage dispensing valves  18  are secured to a front surface of the dispenser  10  above a drip tray  20  and adjacent to a splash panel  22 . An ice dispensing chute  23  is also secured to the front surface of the dispenser centrally of the beverage dispensing valves  18  and above the drip tray  20 .  
         [0016]    With reference to FIG. 2, the ice/beverage dispenser  10  also includes a hopper or bin  24  defining therewithin an ice retaining compartment  25 . A cold plate  26  is located in a compartment  27  beneath the ice bin  24  and the ice bin has a front wall  28  for mounting on its lower surface an agitator drive motor  29 . An upper surface  30  of the wall  28 , opposite from the agitator drive motor, is configured to define an annular ice directing trough  31 . The drive motor  29  serves to rotate an ice dispense agitator or auger, indicated generally at  32 , within the ice retaining compartment  25  of the ice bin  24 , which agitator advantageously is manufactured according to the present invention and serves to mix and agitate ice particles retained within the ice bin  24  to prevent congealing and agglomeration of the ice particles into a mass of ice, and also to move ice particles through the ice bin trough  31  to and through an outlet opening from the ice bin and into the chute  23  for dispensing of the ice into a cup. Rotation of the agitator  32  also causes a portion of the ice retained within the ice bin  24  to fall through a bottom opening  33  in the wall  28  into the lower compartment  27  and onto a heat exchange top surface  34  of the cold plate  26 .  
         [0017]    An understanding of the structure and method of fabricating the ice dispense agitator  32  can be had by reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The agitator is initially cut from flat metal stock, which may be flat sheet metal stock of sufficient thickness, as a one-piece or unitary structure according to the pattern shown in FIG. 3. As cut from flat metal stock, the agitator  32  includes four generally rectangular ice sweeping arms  36  extending radially outward apart from a central generally circular hub portion  38  at angular spacings of about 90°. The hub is provided with a central square passage  39  at an axis of rotation of the hub, for receiving a complementary configured output shaft  45  of the drive motor  29 . Each ice sweeping arm  36  terminates at its outer end in an ice moving paddle  40  that extends outward from a side of the arm generally perpendicular to a length of the arm. The shape of the ice moving paddles  40  is such that when fabrication of the agitator is complete and the agitator is mounted on the drive motor output shaft  45 , the paddles will extend into and generally conform in shape to the ice bin ice directing trough  31 .  
         [0018]    As cut from flat metal stock, the ice dispense agitator  32  also includes two generally rectangular ice agitating blades  42  that are joined to the sides of associated diametrically opposed ice sweeping arms  36  and extend outward therefrom perpendicular to the length of the arms, although if desired or required, an ice agitating blade could be provided for each ice sweeping arm. Each ice agitating blade  42  has a length extending generally perpendicular to and a width extending generally parallel to a length of its associated ice sweeping arm and is integrally joined to its associated ice sweeping arm along only a portion of its width. In particular, each ice agitating blade  42  is connected to its associated ice sweeping arm  36  only from an end of its width toward the central hub  38  to a point radially outward therefrom that is short of the full width of the blade. In consequence, an unconnected open area  46  then exists between an end edge portion E of the ice agitating blade and its associated ice sweeping arm outward from the radially outward point to the opposite end of the width of the blade, which end edge portion E extends along and adjacent the ice sweeping arm.  
         [0019]    While not a physical part of the structure of the agitator  32 , each ice sweeping arm  36  has a bend line A extending across its width generally medially of the length of the arm and a bend line B extending along its length between the side of the arm and its ice sweeping paddle portion  40 , as represented in dashed lines. Each ice agitating blade  42  has a bend line C extending along its width and along the length of its associated ice sweeping arm at its juncture with the arm and a bend line D extending along its length just radially outward from the radially outer end of the bend line C, also as represented in dashed lines.  
         [0020]    To form a finished ice dispense agitator  32  from the flat metal agitator depicted in FIG. 3, the flat metal agitator, the individual elements of which are initially coplanar, is subjected to bending operations. The outer end portions  43  of the ice sweeping arms  36  are bent downward along the bend lines A to an angle on the order of from about 45° to form angled end portions  43  and the paddle portions  40  are bent upward along the bend lines B to an angle of about 90° with the end portions  43  to form the paddles  40 , such that the planes of the paddles then extend generally transverse to the planes of the remainder of the ice sweeping arms, including the planes of the angled portions  43 . The shape of the paddles  40  and the angles of bend about the bend lines A and B are determined by the configuration of the ice bin trough  31 , such that when the agitator is mounted on the drive motor output shaft  45  within the interior  25  of the ice bin  24 , the angled arm portions  43  and the paddles  40  extend into, generally conform in shape to and freely sweep within and through the ice bin trough  31 . The ice agitating blades  42 , in turn, are bent along the bend lines C out of the plane of the ice sweeping arms  36  and to an angle on the order of about 90° with the ice sweeping arms, so that the blades then extend transverse to their associated ice sweeping arms. In addition, flange portions of the ice agitating blades  42  are bent along the bend lines D to an angle on the order of about 90° to form the ice agitating blades  42  to an “L” shape.  
         [0021]    Upon completion of the bending process to form the ice dispense agitator  32  to its final shape, the ice agitating blades  42 , which are integrally attached to the ice sweeping arms  36  along the bend lines C, are welded to the arms along their end edge portions E to fill the open unconnected area between the blades and arms with weld material that securely attaches the flange portions of the blades to the ice sweeping arms for enhanced strength and rigidity of the connection of the blades to the arms. In addition, a drive bushing  44  is welded to the agitator hub  38  over the square opening  39  to provide increased strength for the mechanical connection between the agitator and the drive shaft  45  of the agitator drive motor  29 . The ice dispense agitator  32  can then be placed into the ice retaining bin  24  and attached to the drive motor shaft.  
         [0022]    From the foregoing, it may be appreciated that manufacture of the ice dispense agitator  32  can be done quickly and with a minimum of operations, thereby greatly lowering the cost of fabricating the agitator. This represents a particular improvement over known agitators that are assembled and welded from a number of individual parts, since in fabricating the agitator  32 , welds are required only to connect the end edge portions E of the ice agitator blades  42  to the adjacent ice sweeping arms  36 , and to attach the drive bushing  44  to the agitator hub  38 . It is understood that while the invention has been described in connection with an ice dispense agitator having the configuration of the agitator  32 , the teachings of the invention can be used with other agitator configurations as well, such as with agitators having four ice agitating blades  42  instead of two, with each blade then being attached to an associated one of four ice sweeping arm  36 .  
         [0023]    While embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, various modifications and other embodiments thereof may be devised by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.