Abstract:
A water tank including a frusto-conical support hat portion and a tub portion. The tub portion having a support mound that includes a first section and a second section extending from the first section. The first section has a width larger than a width of the second section such that a ledge is formed between the first and second sections. The second section has a rectangular aperture formed therein that permits the manufactured ice to pass therethrough. The support hat portion has a support mound that has a width no larger than the width of the first section. An integral support system includes the support hat nestingly engaging the tub portion from a bottom portion of the tub portion to provide a central support for an ice guide placed on the water tank.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to an improved water tank for an ice making machine having an integral support system to alleviate stress on an ice cube guide placed on the water tank and provides a center chute for ice to flow through and fall into a bin positioned below. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     It is well known in the art that there are essentially two types of ice making machines, household units and self-contained commercial units. The household units are typically combined with refrigerators commonly located in the kitchen of a house or office. The household units manufacture relatively small batches of ice by using cool air to freeze water in a tray located in the freezer section of the refrigerator. 
     The self-contained commercial units are most frequently used in hotels, restaurants, taverns, hospitals, as well as any other establishment regularly requiring relatively large batches of ice to be provided for customers. It should be noted the self-contained commercial units can be further separated into one of two categories depending upon the type of ice they manufacture, namely flaked and cubed. The self-contained commercial units can manufacture ice in several well known ways. 
     For example, a steady stream of water is either circulated over or dripped onto a chilled ice mold, which deposits several thin layers of ice in pockets of the mold, resulting in ice cubes. Other self-contained commercial units circulate the steady stream of water over ice making plates. The plates can be flat, grid-shaped, or any other configuration necessary to accommodate the specific shape desired. Evaporator tubes are attached to the back of the ice making plates to change the flowing water to ice via heat exchange. The ice making plates are known to be designed to have single or dual-sided rows of ice. 
     Water that does not freeze after being circulated over the chilled ice mold or ice making plates is collected in a water tank located beneath the ice making assembly. The collected water is recirculated over the chilled mold or ice making plates until the water is cool enough to freeze. Normally, the making machine is designed to stop ice production when the formed ice has reached a predetermined size. Then, when the ice making machine has determined that the chilled ice mold or ice making plate is substantially full of ice, the formed ice is harvested from the mold or plates. The harvested ice is typically stored in an insulated, but unrefrigerated, bin. The bin is insulated to keep the ice cool but is unrefrigerated so the ice may melt slowly, thereby preventing the ice from sticking together. 
     The ice making mold or plates are chilled because of their proximity to the evaporator of a standard refrigeration circuit. Typically, refrigerant gas is compressed within closed tubes of a refrigeration circuit. A compressor, driven by an electric motor, compresses the refrigerant to a high pressure and supplies the compressed refrigerant to a condenser. The condenser then cools the compressed refrigerant using air or water blown across tubes by a fan. 
     The compressed refrigerant is then passed through an expansion valve, which considerably drops the pressure of the refrigerant, thereby cooling the refrigerant. Tubes holding the expanded, cooled refrigerant are attached, usually by welding, to the back of an evaporator plate. The evaporator plate is typically made of copper and is attached to a lattice-like structure of evaporator tubes, also made of copper, used to mold the ice into cubes. The lattice-like structure and evaporator plate form the mold or plate and, together with the copper tubing, are known as the evaporator. 
     The ice is harvested by passing hot compressed air into the evaporator so the ice mold or plate is warmed and the ice slightly thaws. Typically, the mold or plate is positioned so gravity pulls the semi-thawed ice off the mold or plate and into the ice storage bin. The storage bin includes an ice level sensor so the ice making machine halts ice production if the bin is storing a predetermined amount of ice. 
     An electronic controller, such as for example only, a microprocessor, controls the process to activate the operating parts like the fans, motors, pumps, and valves that control the functioning of the ice maker. The ice level sensor provided in the storage bin is also controlled by the microprocessor. 
     Commercial self-contained ice makers are required to continuously and reliably produce relatively large amounts of ice. Furthermore, since the self-contained ice makers are primarily used in the service industries, i.e., hotels, restaurants, and the like, when an ice maker breaks down or produces an insufficient amount of ice, service is disrupted. However, because ice is a fungible good and provides very little if any profit, users typically do not seek better ice, but rather less costly ice made from a reliable and cost efficient ice maker that is easy to assemble and maintain. 
     Accordingly, low-cost operation requires an ice maker be nearly maintenance-free because down-time for maintenance costs money as someone must be paid to service the machine. Furthermore, such low-cost operation and maintenance must extend over many years, as ice makers are relied upon to manufacture ice over a long period of time. 
     Another problem faced by many ice making machines is corrosion. Because ice making machine housings are typically made of metal, corrosion occurs from the water splashing about the interior of the machine due to the water dripping onto the mold, as well as when ice is released for harvesting. Also, manufacturing an ice making machine having a structure that deals with the splashing water without leaking usually involves seals having various types of fasteners to make the machine water-tight. Therefore, because there is a large number of parts needed to provide a watertight seal, assembling such ice making machines is generally complicated. 
     Yet another problem ice making machines face is the difficulty of servicing and maintenance. Preferably, the refrigeration components and the control electronics should be isolated from the splashing water and humidity of the ice maker, yet still allow easy access for repair. In other words, ice making machines must be able to insulate the cold areas and wet areas from the dry and warm areas. 
     In particular, the ice making section has to accommodate water circulation, ice molds or ice making plates, water tanks, pumps, and evaporators. To be efficient, the ice making section must also be water-tight, insulated, and simple to clean and maintain. Some existing designs have roto-molded sections made for the entire ice making section. Although this design meets the above-described design criteria, there is the drawback that there must be a specific mold for each size ice making machine, which increases factory time and manufacturing costs. 
     Ice guides move the formed ice along a predetermined path from the ice making plate to the ice storage bin. The ice guide must withstand the dropping force of the ice as well as permit the splashing and dripped water to flow to the water tank below so as to be recirculated. Some known ice guide designs provide a chute that directs the water into a small tank to be pumped. Other ice guide designs also have the chute going to a particular area. Furthermore, the ice guide should be designed so none of the manufactured ice becomes stuck, which can lead to bridging and malfunction of the ice making machine, thereby necessitating maintenance if not repair costs. 
     Furthermore, it should be noted that the water tank is not only used to store water in the ice machine, but also acts as a level guide for ice inlet and as a checkpoint for ice production. Some existing water tank designs also have level switches to gauge when to turn the water valve on and off based on the level of the water therein. However, because of the additional components needed to provide these other functions, the water tanks are very difficult to clean and maintain when trying to remove build-up of scale, lime, or other such residue that results from the water being circulated therethrough. Yet other existing water tank designs are thin and rather narrow when compared to the evaporator section positioned above the water tank. In other words, the width of such water tanks are smaller than the width of the evaporator section. Such a configuration tends to make the water tank difficult to reach for cleaning, repair, maintenance, and the like. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of this invention is to provide a water tank that overcomes the above-described deficiencies of the related art. 
     Another object of this invention is to simplify the design of the water tank for a commercial self-contained ice making machine. The tank is also usable as the base of the ice manufacturing portion of the machine and has a receiving area large enough to service multiple evaporators simultaneously. Furthermore, the structure of the water tank eliminates the need for a separate part for the tank, ice guide chute, and base of the ice making section to be set on top of the ice bin. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to provide a water tank that fully utilizes the space the water tank occupies, minimizes the number of parts and is manufactured from molds that can be easily adapted to many types of ice making machines. Various step portions in the water tank provide added support and strength to any ice guide used with the tank, resulting in a water tank with a stiffer design than existing tanks, thereby making the water tank more resistant to wear and tear. The relatively larger water tank and step portions provided thereon facilitate ease of cleaning, as well as for maintenance. The configuration of the water tank allows for the addition of more evaporators as well as simplifies replacement. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings with like reference numerals indicating corresponding parts throughout, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the water tank according to the preferred embodiment of this invention arranged within the ice making section of an ice making machine; 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of FIG. 1 positioned above an ice bin; 
     FIG. 3 is an overhead view of the arrangement in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the arrangement of FIG. 1 without evaporator plates; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the water tank of FIG. 1 with half of the ice guide snugly fit therein; 
     FIG. 6 is a close up of the ice guide snugly fitting within the water tank shown in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the water tank according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a rear view of the water tank illustrated in FIG. 7 with nested tub and hat portions; 
     FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the water tank illustrated in FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the tub portion of the water tank; 
     FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the tub portion illustrated in FIG. 10; 
     FIG. 12 is a bottom rear view of the water tank illustrated in FIG. 9; and 
     FIGS. 13-14 are bottom and top perspective views of the support hat portion of the water tank. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the water tank  10  arranged within the ice making section of an ice making machine according to the preferred embodiment of this invention. The water tank  10  is positioned beneath an ice guide IG within the ice making section of the ice making machine (not shown). The water tank  10  and ice guide IG are both located above an ice bin  100  (See FIG. 2) where the harvested ice I is directed and the dashed  200  indicates a pile of the harvested ice. 
     The water tank  10  and ice guide IG are disposed beneath at least one evaporator plate EP, FIGS. 1-2 providing four evaporator plates EP merely as an example. The evaporator plates EP are positioned above the ice guide IG and water tank  10  so that when the ice I is harvested in a conventional manner, the ice I falls off the evaporator plates EP and drops onto the ice guide IG, from where the ice I is guided into the bin  100 . 
     FIG. 3 is an overhead view of the assembly shown in FIG.  1 . As can be seen, the four evaporator plates EP are positioned directly above the ice guide IG, which is snugly fit in the water tank  10 . Accordingly, when the ice I is harvested from the evaporator plates EP, the falling ice I is directed by the ice guide IG into a rectangular aperture  30  defined by the water tank  10  which communicates with the ice bin  100  below. 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 1 with the evaporator plates EP not shown to simplify explanation. As can be seen, the ice guide IC is designed to snugly fit within the water tank  10 . The snug fit assembly of the ice guide IG and water tank  10  is bound by the walls,  300 ,  301 , and  302  of the ice making machine. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the water tank  10  surrounded by the walls  300 - 302  of the ice making machine with half the ice guide IG to more clearly illustrate the relationship between the water tank  10  and ice guide IG. FIG. 6 is a close up of the ice guide IG snugly fitting within the water tank  10  from the direction indicated by arrow  6  in FIG. 5. A front wall  21  of the water tank  10  has a funnel edge  41 . 
     The funnel edge  41  includes a step portion  41   a  and a slide portion  41   b . A slanted lip  37  of the water tank  10  defines the rectangular aperture  30  through which the ice I is directed. The ice guide IG is snugly fit between the transition area of the slide portion  41   b  and step portion  41   a  and the slanted lip  37  of the water tank  10  and slopes in a downward direction from the transition area to the slanted lip. The end of the ice guide IG resting on the slanted lip  37  of the water tank  10  is directed toward the slanted lip  37  so that any water dripping from the evaporator plates EP or water formed from melted ice will travel along the downward slope of the ice guide IG and fall between the end of the ice guide IG and slanted lip  37 . Then, the water will be directed to a base  25  of the water tank  10  by the slanted lip  37  rather than fall into the ice bin  100  where it would melt the ice I stored therein. The design of the slanted lip  37  also prevents such water from sitting in a single location and stagnating, which would create health hazards as well as an unpleasant odor. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the water tank  10  according to the preferred embodiment. The water tank  10  is manufactured from any suitable material, such as, for example only, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) or other National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) approved plastic that can withstand a thermal forming process. The dimensions of the water tank  10  are such that the width W and length L completely span a bottom portion of the ice making section of an ice making machine so the tank  10  is used as the base of the ice making section. 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective rear view of the water tank  10 . The water tank  10  includes a tub portion  20  and a support hat portion  70 . The tub portion  20  includes a front wall  21  opposite a back wall  22  and a left side wall  23  parallel to a right side wall  24 . The front, back and side walls  21 - 24  all emanate upward from the base  25  to define a water retention area R. 
     The base  25  includes an outlet pipe orifice  31  and a support mound  26  projecting therefrom. The outlet pipe orifice  31  is designed to receive an overflow pipe  32  (FIG. 7) on a tank side of the orifice  31  and an outlet pipe  31  (FIG. 9) on a bottom side of the orifice  31 . The overflow pipe  32  and outlet pipe  31  are used to ensure the water tank  10  does not overflow. 
     Also, the front wall  22  includes a float switch orifice  50  and a pump out orifice  60  (FIG.  8 ). The float switch orifice  50  is designed to house a float switch monitor  51  that checks the water level within the tank  10  and senses when the ice manufacturing cycle should start and/or stop. Furthermore, the pump out orifice  60  is designed to receive a pump out drain  61  that pumps water out of the water tank  10  when the tank is being cleaned (FIG.  7 ). 
     As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the support mound  26  includes a first section  27  and a second section  28  extending from the first section  27 . The first section  27  is wider than the second section  28  such that a ledge  29  is formed therebetween. Additionally, the second section  28  includes a rectangular aperture  30  which defines a passage for the manufactured ice to pass through as the ice is guided to the storage bin  100  beneath the water tank  10 . The slanted lip  37  of the second section  28  is used to support the ice guide IG in a manner to be described later. A front wall  33  of the first section  27  includes a suction pipe housing orifice  34  designed to receive the housing  35  (FIG. 12) of a suction pipe  36  (FIG. 7) used to connect a pump (not shown) that pumps water to the evaporator plates. 
     The back wall  22 , left side wall  23 , and right side wall  24  each have an edge  38 ,  39 , and  40 , respectively, extending substantially parallel to the base  25 . The edge  38  of the back wall  22  also includes a step portion  68  formed therein. Also, the front wall  22  has a funnel edge  41  formed thereon. The funnel edge  41  includes a step portion  41   a  and a slide portion  41   b . The step portion  68  of the back wall  22  and the step portion  41   a  of the funnel edge  41 , in conjunction with the lip  37  of the second section  28 , are used to support the ice guide IG thereon. Accordingly, the water tank  10  is provided with an integral support system to securely maintain an ice guide, reduce the amount of stress the water tank  10  endures from the falling ice and provide the ice guide with a manner of snugly fitting within the water tank  10 . 
     The slide portion  41   b  is used to guide any falling ice that does not land on the ice guide back onto the ice guide. Furthermore, the slide portion  41   b  can be used by a maintenance worker to grab the water tank before slidingly removing the tank  10  from the ice making machine as well as a support surface to hold onto while cleaning or otherwise performing maintenance on the water tank  10 . 
     FIGS. 13-14 illustrate bottom and top perspective views of the support hat portion  70 , respectively. The support hat portion  70  has a frusto-conical design with a support mound  72  no wider than the first section  27  of the support mound  26  and a drain housing orifice  73  that corresponds with the drain housing orifice  34  of the tub portion  20 . Accordingly, when the support hat portion  70  is inserted, from a bottom side, into the tub portion  20 , the support mound  72  of the support hat portion  70  nests with the first section of the support mound  26  of the tub portion  20  (see FIGS. 7,  9  and  12 ). This nesting feature provides the first and second section  27  and  28  of the support mound  26  with superior rigidity and stability at a critical point where the ice guide is centrally supported by the water tank  10 . Therefore, when the tub and support hat portions  20  and  70  are nested, the resulting water tank  10  has a simple design that is easy to manufacture, requires fewer molds, is easy to clean, and provides an integral support system that securely maintains the ice guide thereon, thereby reducing the amount of stress the water tank endures from the falling ice, and provide the ice guide with a manner of snugly fitting within the water tank. 
     While the invention has been described in conjunction with a specific embodiment thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations may be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the specific embodiment of the invention as set forth herein is intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.