IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ICE
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel of No 28 Southampton Buildings
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ICE" A communication
from abroad by Messrs. Osenbrück and Company of Hemelingen in the
German Empire
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th February 1882.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in
the County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION
OF ICE [A communication from abroad by Messrs. Osenbrück and Company of
Hemelingen in the German Empire]
This invention relates to means for effecting the agitation of the water contained
in the freezing cells of ice making machinery in order to remove the air bubbles
therefrom and obtain transparent ice. For this purpose according to one arrangement
for effecting the agitation by the injection of cold air, a pipe is placed longitudinally
along the top of the freezing chamber, and communicates at one end by means of a
flexible or jointed pipe with a suitable fan or other blowing apparatus, while it is
provided with a series of horizontal branch pipes at equal distances along its length,
such distances corresponding with the distances apart of the several rows of ice
cells in the freezing chamber. Each branch pipe has again a number of small
vertical branch pipes corresponding with the number of ice cells in each row, which
vertical pipes pass down through holes in the cover of the freezing chamber and
centrally into each separate ice cell, in which they descend to within a certain
distance from the bottom. Air being now forced in through the said pipes, it will
in issuing into the water in the ice cells, agitate the water therein to the required
degree, and in rising up to the top of the cells will issue into the space in the top
of the freezing chamber, whence it is conducted through a pipe back to the blowing
machine, the same body of air being thus made to circulate continuously through
the machine, so that little or no loss of cold is effected by its use, the external pipes

page_text: being suitably protected by non conducting coverings. When it is desired to
remove the ice cells, the air pipe with its branches is raised up sufficiently to cause
the lower ends of the vertical pipes to rise clear of the tops of the ice cells, the rows
of which can then be moved along on rails in the freezing chamber, from which the
rows are consecutively removed at the one end, while a fresh row of cells is
introduced at the other end.
According to another arrangement for effecting the agitation of the water by
mechanical stirrers, a series of vertical rods corresponding in position with the
several ice cells of the machine are attached at their upper ends to a framing above
the freezing chamber and pass through stuffing boxes in the cover of the latter into
ice cells, where they are provided with caoutchouc discs. The above mentioned
frame is carried by rods from levers that receive a rocking motion from a crank so
as to impart an up and down motion to the frame and its rods, the discs of which
in moving up and down in the water of the ice cells consequently agitate it to the
required extent for liberating the air bubbles. The cacutchouc discs are made of
gradually diminishing size from the end of the freezing chamber where the ice cells
are introduced towards that where they are removed, to allow for the gradually
increasing thickness of ice as the rows of cells are moved forward. For permitting
such forward motion of the cells, the rods with their discs are raised so as to be
clear of the tops of the cells, for which purpose the crank that actuates the rocking
levers is held by a catch and the fulcra of the rocking lovers are moved by a hand
lever so as to raise them and consequently the frame and rods somewhat higher
than is effected by the crank motion.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th August 1882.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No 28. Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in
the County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION
OF ICE A communication from abroad by Messrs Osenbrück and Company of
Hemelingen in the German Empire
"
This Invention relates to means for effecting the agitation of the water contained
in the freezing cells of ice making machinery in order to remove the air bubbles
therefrom and obtain transparent ice. For this purpose according to one arrangement
for effecting the agitation by the injection of cold air, a pipe is placed longitudinally
along the top of the freezing chamber, and communicates at one end by means of a
flexible or jointed pipe with a suitable fan or other blowing apparatus while it is
provided with a series of horizontal branch pipes at equal distances along its length,
such distances corresponding with the distances apart of the several rows of ico
cells in the freezing chamber Each branch pipe has again a number of small
vertical branch pipes corresponding with the number of ice cells in each row, which
vertical pipes pass down through holes in the cover of the freezing chamber and
centrally into each separate ice cell, in which they descend to within a certain
distance from the bottom. Air being now forced in through the said pipes, it will
in issuing into the water in the ice cells, agitate the water therein to the required
degree, and in rising up to the top of the cells will issue into the space in the top
of the freezing chamber, whence it is conducted through a pipe back to the blowing
machine, the same body of air being thus made to circulate continuously through
the machine, so that little or no loss of cold is effected by its use, the external pipes
being suitably protected by non-conducting coverings. When it is desired to
remove the ice cells, the air pipe with its branches is raised up sufficiently to cause
the lower ends of the vertical pipes to rise clear of the tops of the ice cells, the rows
of which can then be moved along on rails in the freezing chamber, from which the
rows are consecutively removed at the one end, while a fresh row of cells is
introduced at the other end.
According to another arrangement for effecting the agitation of the water by
mechanical stirrors, a series of vertical rods, corresponding in position with the
several ice cells of the machine are attached at their upper ends to a framing above
the freezing chamber and pass through stuffing boxes in the cover of the latter
into ice cells, where they are provided with caoutchouc discs. The above
mentioned frame is carried by rods from levers that receive a rocking motion from
a crank so as to impart an up and down motion to the frame and its rods, the discs
of which in moving up and down in the water of the ice cells consequently agitate
it to the required extent for liberating the air bubbles. The caoutchouc discs are
made of gradually diminishing size from the end of the freezing chamber where
the ice cells are introduced towards that where they are removed, to allow for the
gradually increasing thickness of ice as the rows of cells are moved forward. For
permitting such forward motion of the cells, the rods with their discs are raised so
as to be clear of the tops of the cells, for which purpose the crank that actuates the
rocking levers is held by a catch and the fulcra of the rocking levers are moved by
a band lever so as to raise them and consequently the frame and rods somewhat
higher than is effected by the crank motion.

page_text: Fig 2 shews an underside plan of the pipes for conveying the air currents to the
machine. This apparatus rests upon the wooden cover of the machine and its
main pipe 1 is connected by means of a flexible pipe A with a blowing machine of
any convenient description. From the main pipe project branches 2 to which are
connected the tubes 3 that descend into the separate cells, the lower ends being
removed from the bottom of the cell to an extent equal to half the thickness of the
ice block to be formed. The tubes 3 pass with a tolerably air tight fit through
holes of corresponding size in the wood cover of the machine, and the end covers
and y for the introduction and removal of the cells also fit as air tight as possible.
The air being forced in through the said pipes rises up into the top space of the
machine, whence it is drawn off through the pipe B by the fan and used again as
above described. The pipe B as also all the other external pipes are protected by
nonconducting coverings.
The ice in the cells is at first only allowed to freeze to such an extent that the
pipes are free to be removed, these being raised up clear of the cells which are
afterwards shifted forward for the removal of the front one and the insertion of a
fresh cell at the rear end.
Figs 3 and 4 shew respectively a cross section and a side view of the second
before described arrangement with vertically reciprocating stirrers. These consist
of caoutchouc discs y attached to rods passing through stuffing boxes in the
cover and connected to an angle iron frame sliding on vertical guides and moved
up and down by levers 3, 3, to which they are connected by hinged connecting
rods. The levers 3 receive the requisite rocking motion from the crank plate 1
rotated by hand or by power, which communicates motion by the rod 5, lever arms
and rods, to the two shafts on which the levers 3 are fixed; these shafts are
mounted in links that are pivotted to pins 4, 4, so that on these links being turned
on their pivots by meaus of the lever 2, the shafts and levers 3 will be raised
sufficiently to raise the stirrers y up to the position 2 so as to be quite free of the
ice cells when these require to be shifted. The crank plate is during this time
held stationary by a catch so that the action of the rod 5 will cause the levers 3 to
be turned on their shafts at the same time that these are raised, and thus a double
lifting motion is obtained. xx shews the lowest position of the stirrer when
moving up and down, being some distance from the bottom of the cell. The
highest point y of such motion should be somewhat below the water level in the
cells.
Having thus described the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents I
claim :-
First. The construction of apparatus as herein described with reference to Figs 1
and 2 of the Drawings for removing air bubbles from freezing water by the
injection of air currents into the water.
Second. The construction of apparatus as herein described with reference to
Figs 2 and 3 of the drawings for removing air bubbles from freezing water by
vertically reciprocating agitators.
In witness whereof 1 the said Charles Denton Abel have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twenty fourth day of August in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty-two.