Abstract:
A covered ice cube tray is provided for making, storing, and dispensing ice cubes. The cover is slidably mounted upon the tray and includes at least one leading edge that is shaped so that, as the cover is moved in relation to the tray, ice cubes are uncovered and may be dispensed one-at-a-time.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of prior patent application Ser. No. 08/908,974 filed on Aug. 8, 1997 abandoned, for “Cubeta Original Rectangular,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as though recited in full herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field Of The Invention 
     The present invention relates to trays for making, storing, and dispensing ice cubes. 
     2. Description Of The Background Art 
     Ice cubes are a modern convenience that many people use and enjoy. Cold drinks and ice packs are just two of the more common uses of ice cubes. 
     Ice cubes are commonly made by using ice cube trays which are made of a relatively thin plastic or other suitable materials and which commonly have, traditionally, two parallel rows of depressions. The depressions are filled with liquid, typically water, so as to produce individual cubes. The finished ice cubes are commonly left in the trays until they are dispensed from the tray for use by the consumer. 
     Typically, ice cube trays do not include a cover over the top surface of the tray. A number of drawbacks exist with such uncovered ice cube trays. Absent a cover, the ice cubes may take on undesirable odors, flavors, or colors from exposure to the environment within a freezer. An uncovered tray may also acquire foreign matter within or on the ice cubes. In addition, uncovered trays are not easily stacked. Functionally, it is difficult to dispense ice cubes in a one-at-a-time fashion from traditional ice cube trays. Typically, more than the desired number of ice cubes will fall from the tray when the tray is inverted. 
     Previously, a few ice cube trays have included covers. However, known covered ice cube trays still have a number of drawbacks. For example, such covered ice cube trays still do not optimally address problems experienced in dispensing ice cubes one-at-a-time. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention overcomes the above and other deficiencies exhibited by existing ice cube trays. 
     According to a first aspect of the invention, an ice cube tray for preparing, storing and dispensing ice cubes is provided which includes: a tray body having a plurality of ice cube compartments, the plurality of compartments being arranged in an array along a longitudinal axis of the tray body; a removable tray cover slidably engaged with the tray body and which uncovers the ice cube compartments as it slides upon the tray body; the tray cover including a leading edge that is configured to correspond to the array of compartments so that the ice cube compartments are uncovered one-at-a-time as the cover is slid along the tray body. The configuration of the leading edge of the tray cover thus permits ice cubes to be dispensed one-at-a-time. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the tray body includes engagement members comprising rails formed at opposite sides of the tray body and the cover includes channels into which the rails can be received. 
     The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate like parts, and in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a cover for the ice cube tray according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the cover shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the cover shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the left side of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a close-up view of the left side of the cross-section shown in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a top view of a tray body for the ice cube tray according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the tray body shown in FIG. 5 taken along a longitudinal direction of the tray body; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view taken along a width-wise direction of the tray body shown in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective top view of a tray according to a second embodiment of the invention in a fully closed position; 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective bottom view of the tray shown in FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 10 is a top view of the tray shown in FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 11 is a side view of a long side of the tray shown in FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 12 is a view of an end of the tray shown in FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional side view of the tray shown in FIG. 8 along a central axis extending between the rows of compartments; 
     FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional side view of the tray shown in FIG. 8 along an longitudinal axis extending through the center of one of the rows of compartments; and 
     FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional end view of the tray shown in FIG. 8 along an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis extending through the center of two compartments in adjacent rows of compartments. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIGS. 1-7 show a first embodiment of the invention having an ice cube tray with a tray body  200  and a cover a  100 . 
     As shown, the tray body  200  includes a plurality of compartments  210  for containing ice cubes. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the sides  211 ,  212 ,  213  and  214  of the compartments preferably taper inward towards their respective bottoms. The preferred compartments thus have a generally trapezoidal cross-section which can facilitate removal of ice cubes. 
     The compartments  210  are preferably arranged in a 2×8 array having two rows and eight compartments in each row. As discussed below, the arrangement of the compartments  210  in the tray body  200 , the number of rows of compartments, and/or the number of compartments in each row can be varied depending on circumstances. 
     Preferably, the tray body  200  is generally rectangular with two longer sides  220  and  221  and two shorter sides  222  and  223 . The shorter sides  222  and  223  preferably include outwardly extending flanges  224  and  225 , respectively. These flanges can facilitate a user&#39;s handling of the tray body  200 . Preferably, the ends of the flanges  224  and  225  have downward walls  226  and  227 , respectively. The longer sides  220  and  221  also preferably include outwardly extending flanges  228  and  229 , respectively. As discussed below, the flanges  228  and  229  preferably operate as rails that slidably support the cover  100 . The ends of the flanges  228  and  229  also preferably have downward walls  230  and  231 , respectively. The flanges  224 ,  225 ,  228  and  229  can, for example, enhance the rigidity of the tray body  200 . Additional reinforcing ribs can also be used depending on circumstances. 
     As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the first embodiment, the tray cover  100  preferably includes a top wall  110 , a first lengthwise sidewall  121 , a second lengthwise sidewall  122 , and an end wall  123 . Inwardly turned flanges  124  and  125  are preferably provided at the top of the sidewalls  121  and  122 , respectively. The sidewall  121  with flange  124  and the sidewall  122  with flange  125  thus preferably form two opposing channels C 1  and C 2 , respectively, on opposite lengthwise sides of the cover  100 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the end wall  123  preferably extends higher than the flanges  124  and  125 . On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the leading edge  126  opposite to the end wall  123  does not contain an upstanding wall so that the leading edge  126  of the cover  100  can slide over the tray body  200  with the rails R 1  and R 2  fitted within the respective channels C 1  and C 2 . The cover  100  is thus preferably configured to slidably fit over the top of the tray body  200 . When the cover  100  is positioned fully over the tray body  200  in a fully-closed closed position, the wall  123  can abut the end  222  or the end  223  of the tray body. The top wall  110  is preferably sized to cover all of the compartments  210  when in a fully-closed position. Preferably, the tray body  200  is symmetrical, as shown, so that the cover can slide over either end,  222  or  223 , of the tray body  200 . 
     While a preferred engagement (e.g., via rails R 1  and R 2  and channels C 1  and C 2 ) to support the cover for lateral movement over the tray body is shown, this engagement can be varied depending on circumstances. 
     As best shown in FIG. 2, the tray cover  100  includes a leading edge  126  that is configured to correspond to the array of compartments  210  so that the ice cube compartments  210  are uncovered one-at-a-time as the cover  100  is moved, e.g., slid, along the tray body  200 . The configuration of the leading edge of the tray cover thus permits ice cubes to be dispensed one-at-a-time. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the ice cube compartments  210  are arranged in two parallel rows and the leading edge  126  is provided with a Z-shaped configuration (e.g., stepped or staggered) so that individual compartments are fully uncovered one-at-a-time as the cover  100  is withdrawn. In the illustrated embodiment having two rows, the leading edge includes a stepped-back portion  128  aligned with the first row of compartments and a stepped-forward portion  128 - e  aligned with the second row of compartments. The stepped-forward portion  128 - e  extends forward a distance D, FIG. 2, which is smaller than the width DW, FIG. 5, of the respective compartments  210  (e.g., about half of the width DW) to enable alternating dispensation from the adjacent rows. 
     The invention is not limited to any particular configuration of the leading edge  126 , however. Other configurations of the leading edge  126  of the cover  100 , coupled with an appropriately configured array of ice cube compartments  210 , can accomplish this feature of the invention. For example, the leading edge  126  can be straight and the compartments  210  in adjacent rows can be staggered. 
     While the leading edge  126  is preferably a foremost end of the cover  100 , the leading edge can alternatively be a leading edge at a hole in the cover (e.g., such as an L-shaped hole). 
     In order to facilitate loosening of the ice cubes contained within the compartments, one or more of the compartments can include a soft region (not shown) at their bottoms. The soft regions can be, for example, a soft circular regions made of plastic that is softer than the plastic used for the remainder of the tray body. The soft regions can be, for example, sized to accommodate one or more of a user&#39;s fingers to enable the user to press a soft region slightly into the corresponding compartment  210  to push an ice cube therefrom. As should be apparent, the soft regions are not required in all embodiments and can be omitted if desired. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the trays can be provided with means to facilitate stacking of the trays. In this regard, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, the cover preferably includes a notch or recess  127  formed in the top wall  110 . The notch or recess  127  can include, for example, an area of reduced thickness in the top wall  110 . As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the tray body  200  preferably includes four corresponding feet F which extend down from the bottom of the tray body (e.g., from the bottoms of the corner compartments) and which are positioned to fit within a recess  127  of a second tray located therebelow when the trays are stacked upon one another. In this manner, the trays can be reliably stacked upon one another. 
     In use, a user can fill the compartments  210  with water, apply the cover  100  to the tray body  200  and place the assembled unit into a freezer to form ice cubes in the respective compartments. Because of the configuration of the leading edge  126  of the cover, individual compartments can be exposed one-by-one from adjacent rows as the cover is slid along the rails R 1  and R 2 . Thus, the movement of the cover enables ice cubes to be dispensed as desired in a controlled manner, such as in single cube increments. After a desired number of ice cubes has been removed, the cover  100  can again be moved to the fully-closed position. The device can then be returned to a freezer for storage. As noted above, engaging feet and recesses can also be provided to facilitate stacking and stability during storage when placing trays on top of one another. 
     This first embodiment can be modified in a variety of ways without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the shape of the compartments and the number of compartments and rows thereof can be varied. As one example, noted above, the compartments in the trays can be staggered alongside each other, in which case the leading edge can be straight and still provide for one-at-a-time ice cube removal. 
     FIGS. 8-15 show a second embodiment of the invention in which like reference numerals indicate items corresponding to those shown in FIGS. 1-7. 
     In this second embodiment, both ends of the cover  100  include edges  126  that cooperate with the layout of the ice cube compartments  210  to permit a single ice cube to be uncovered, and thus dispensed, at any one time. 
     Preferably, as shown in FIGS. 9-12 and  15 , the rails R 1  and R 2  can include lengthwise ribs R-r that can facilitate sealing of the device and that can reduce the contact area between the cover  100  and the tray body  200  to facilitate opening and closing. 
     Preferably, as shown in FIGS. 8,  10  and  13 - 15 , the cover  100  also includes an annular recess A-r extending around the periphery of the top wall  110 . As shown in FIGS. 13-14, the annular recess A-r creates an enhanced seal when the cover is in the fully-closed position. The annular recess A-r can have a reduced thickness to enhance its compliancy and thus the seal provided. Alternatively, other forms of sealing strips could be used in place of or with the annular recess A-r. 
     In one exemplary construction of the second embodiment, the semi-cylindrical shape of the compartments  210  can facilitate removal of ice cubes when the compartments are made with a flexible material, such as a soft plastic, by enabling a user to easily press the bottoms of the compartments upward via one&#39;s fingers to effect removal. 
     While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail above, the invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments as disclosed. Those skilled in the art may make numerous uses and modifications of and departures from the specific embodiments described herein without departing from the inventive concepts.