Patent Publication Number: US-2016223242-A1

Title: Automatic ice making device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to Mexican Patent Application No. MX/a/2014/001519 filed Jan. 30, 2015, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an ice mold releasing system to be installed preferably in a refrigerator, and particularly, in a refrigerator with said system. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The following are known in the state of the art
         Ice mold releasing systems, where in order to release the ice from the mold, it is necessary to twist the container where the ice itself is formed, wherein the problem which said twisting systems suffer from is the reliability of the material subjected to the twisting. Generally said containers tend to suffer fractures which eventually lead to spilling, so that replacing these systems is constant;   Systems in which the container in which the ice is formed, present upper and lower surfaces, housings for the forming of ice, so that the releasing of ice from the container involves twisting the container 180° in order to fill out the exposed surface, causing, given the temperature difference, that the opposite side to the container is emptied out, where the problems facing said twistable systems are the formation of ice masses in the container given the formation of droplets in light of the temperature differences between the filling water and the ice on the opposite side of the container.       

     In order to address said problems, present invention has been developed. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an automatic ice mold releasing system comprising a container coupled by means of a connector to a motor means, same which upon being activated, inclines said connector and container, and additionally drives an ejection mechanism which ejects the ice from the container. 
     The persons skilled in the art would be able to appreciate the advantages described above as well as other advantages and benefits of the various additional embodiments upon reading the following detailed description of the embodiments referencing the figures which are listed below. Additionally, the various features of the figures described below are not necessarily drawn to scale. The sizes of the various features and elements in the figures can be enlarged or reduced to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the exhibition. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The illustrative embodiment may be described referencing the accompanying figures, in which: 
         FIG. 1A  shows a perspective view of the automatic ice mold releasing system in a resting position. 
         FIG. 1B  shows a perspective view of the automatic ice mold releasing system in a driving position. 
         FIG. 2A  shows a front view of the automatic ice mold releasing system in a resting position. 
         FIG. 2B  shows a front view of the automatic ice mold releasing system in a driving position. 
         FIG. 3  shows an exploded view of the automatic ice mold releasing system. 
         FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of the automatic ice mold releasing system in a resting position, emphasizing the base as well as the housings. 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of the automatic ice mold releasing system in a driving position, emphasizing the base as well as the housings. 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  show a lateral view and an upper view, respectively, of the base. 
         FIG. 7  shows a perspective view of the body. 
         FIG. 8  shows a lower view of the body. 
         FIGS. 9A, 9B and 9C  show a lateral view, a frontal view and a perspective view, respectively of the planetary gear system. 
         FIGS. 10A and 10B  show a lateral view and a perspective view respectively of the planetary or solar gear which forms a part of the planetary gear system. 
         FIG. 11A  shows a frontal view of the planetary gear or pinion which forms a part of the planetary gear system. 
         FIG. 11B  shows a frontal view and a lateral view of the ring or annular gear which forms part of the planetary gear system. 
         FIGS. 12A and 12B  show a frontal view and a lateral view, respectively, of the connector. 
         FIGS. 13A and 13B  show a frontal view and a lateral view, respectively, of the ejecting mechanism. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following description is made referencing  FIGS. 1A through 13B  in an indistinct manner. 
     The system according to the present exhibition may accommodate ice in any shape. In present description the terms “lower”, “upper”, “under”, “frontal”, “back” and “above”, indicate orientations, however they are not limiting in so far as the space of the system. 
     The present invention relates to an automatic ice mold releasing system ( 100 ) comprising a container ( 110 ) coupled by means of a connector ( 130 ) to a motor means ( 120 ), said motor means ( 120 ), once having been activated, rotates said connector ( 130 ) and inclines the container ( 110 ) and in turn drives an ejection mechanism ( 140 ) which ejects the ice from the container. 
     The container ( 110 ) comprises a base ( 11 ) which presents an upper surface ( 12 ) and a lower surface ( 13 ), the lower surface presents a plurality of cavities ( 14 ) which extend from the lower surface towards the upper surface, in such a way that they form projections ( 15 ) passed according to the horizontal one of the upper surface, as well as a contact area ( 16 ) with the ejection mechanism set longitudinally between said cavities. Over said upper surface ( 12 ) a plurality of male coupling elements ( 17 ) are found, which preferably are posts, wherein said male coupling elements preferably are staggered ( 18 ); and similarly, said upper surface ( 12 ) presents a plurality of fasteners ( 19 ) which are set surrounding said base ( 11 ). 
     Additionally said container ( 110 ) comprises a body ( 50 ) which presents an upper section ( 51 ), from which the peripheral skirt ( 52 ) extends downwardly. On said upper section ( 51 ) a plurality of apertures ( 53 ) are set, said apertures being horizontally collinear with the projections ( 15 ) set on the upper surface ( 12 ) of the base ( 11 ). On the inner part of said body ( 50 ), a plurality of female coupling elements ( 54 ) are found, which are coincidental with the plurality of male coupling elements ( 17 ) to be able to couple the base ( 11 ) with the body ( 50 ); similarly, it presents a plurality of hollow cavities ( 55 ) on the peripheral skirt ( 52 ), where said hollow cavities are coincidental with the fasteners ( 19 ) which are set on the base. 
     In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the cavities ( 14 ) as well as the apertures ( 53 ) have a semi-cylindrical shape. Other shapes which said cavities ( 14 ) and said apertures ( 53 ) can present in, are semi-spheres, trapezoidal, dodecahedron, triangular, truncated cone, semi-ellipsoid, among others. A person skilled in the art would understand that a plurality of shapes may be adopted. 
     The apertures ( 53 ) set on the upper section ( 51 ) of the body ( 50 ) present a first perimeter in the area closest to the upper surface of the body ( 50 ), a second perimeter in an intermediary area and a third perimeter in an area which is more distant from the upper surface of the body ( 50 ), the third perimeter being wider than the first perimeter and the second perimeter being smaller than the first perimeter, where said differences in perimeter form radial protuberances according to the intermediary area. 
     In an alternative embodiment of the present invention said apertures ( 53 ) are found interconnected by means of channels set on the upper surface of the upper section ( 51 ). 
     On each one of said apertures ( 53 ) a housing ( 55 ′) is set; said housing presents a coupling surface ( 56 ) with a radial protuberance set in the intermediary area of the upper section. 
     Similarly, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, said housing ( 55 ′) presents on the upper section at least two grooves which coincide with the channels set on the upper section of the body which interconnect the apertures ( 53 ). 
     In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, said housing ( 55 ′) is semi-cylindrical. 
     The lower surface ( 57 ) of said housing ( 55 ′) is found in direct contact with the upper part of the projection ( 15 ) set on the upper surface ( 12 ) of the base ( 11 ). 
     The peripheral skirt ( 52 ) set on one of the ends presents a tab ( 58 ) which extends downwardly from the peripheral skirt and wherein the tab has an aperture ( 59 ) on said tab; on the opposite end, said skirt presents a recess ( 60 ). 
     Said container ( 110 ) is coupled on an end to a connector ( 130 ), said connector comprises a plate ( 61 ), said plate presents a frontal face ( 62 ) and a back face ( 63 ), an upper end ( 64 ) and a lower end ( 65 ), preferably said plate presents an inverted trapezoidal shape in such a way that the upper end is wider than the lower end, preferably said lower end is semi-circular; near the lower end an aperture ( 66 ) is found; said connector ( 130 ) presents an axis ( 67 ) which extends perpendicularly from said back face. 
     Under said container ( 110 ), the ejection mechanism ( 140 ) is assembled, which comprises an axis ( 68 ), which presents a cam ( 69 ) substantially along the length of said axis. One of the ends ( 70 ) of said axis is coupled unto the aperture ( 59 ) set on the tab ( 58 ) which extends downwardly from the peripheral skirt ( 52 ) set at the end of the container ( 110 ). 
     The motor means ( 120 ) comprises a motor ( 71 ), same which can be electric, and a planetary gear system ( 72 ), said planetary gear system comprises an annular or ring gear ( 73 ), a sun gear or planetary gear ( 74 ) at the center of said ring gear, and a planetary gear or pinion ( 75 ) set over the sun gear and the ring gear: the sun gear or planetary gear is set with a protuberance ( 76 ) and an aperture ( 78 ) at the center of said protuberance, The axis ( 67 ) which extends from the back face ( 63 ) of the connector ( 130 ) is coupled to the center of the planet gear or pinion ( 75 ), the protuberance ( 76 ) of the sun gear or planetary gear ( 74 ) is coupled to the aperture ( 66 ) set on the lower end ( 65 ) of the connector ( 130 ), in such a way that the free end ( 79 ) of the axis ( 68 ) which is set with a cam ( 69 ) is coupled unto the aperture ( 78 ) set at the center of the protuberance ( 76 ) which sticks out from said sun gear or planetary gear ( 74 ). 
     Said protuberance ( 76 ) which sticks out from the front face ( 77 ) of said sun gear or planetary gear ( 74 ) preferably presents, an oval shape. 
     The functioning of said automatic ice mold releasing system for ice is the following: 
     The water is poured into the container ( 110 ), which distributes itself uniformly to the housings ( 55 ′), said water is frozen to form ice within said housings: once the ice has formed and the user wishes to remove it from the housing ( 55 ′), the user may activate the motor means ( 120 ) or rather, a sensor may activate said motor means ( 120 ), wherein the sensor from a specific temperature defines the state of the water and determines if said motor means should be activated, motor means which twists the sun gear or planetary gear ( 74 ) in a first direction thereby driving the ejection mechanism ( 140 ) which forces the axis of the ejection mechanism ( 68 ) to turn and therefore the cam ( 69 ) in order to apply pressure on the impact area on the lower surface ( 13 ) of the base ( 11 ) of the container; forcing the twisting of said sun gear or planetary gear ( 74 ) in a first direction causes angular displacement on a first direction of the axis ( 68 ) together with the respective angular displacement of the cam ( 69 ) and the turning of the planetary gear or pinion ( 75 ) in a second direction, where the first direction is opposite to the second direction, causing angular displacement of the coupling that fastens the container ( 110 ), thus causing both to incline and consequently, the ice which are found within the housing ( 55 ′) become dislodged from the container ( 110 ); once the ice has been dislodged from the housings ( 55 ′), the motor ( 71 ) turns in the opposite direction to return the system to its initial position. 
     The embodiments previously described are merely illustrative for the principles of present invention. It is understood that the modifications and variations of the possible arrangements and of the details described in present disclosure are obvious to persons skilled in the art. Therefore, the intention is that the invention be limited only by the scope of the following patent claims and not by the specific details outlined in the specification and the explanation of the undertaking of the same.