Improvements in Block Ice.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 8'h Aug., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 8th May, 1894-Accepted, 8th Nov.. 1894
Improvements in Block Ice.
I, HENRY VAN DER WEYDE of 182, Regent Street, London, W. Artist and
Electric Light Photographer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to a method of producing a novel effect in block ice and
is particularly intended to enable the source whence the ice is obtained or the factory
where it is manufactured to be identified by the consumer, the invention being
especially applicable to block ice which has been made readily severable into small
cubes or other pieces of regular shape and size by being sawn into pieces and frozen
together again.
The present invention consists in producing within the body of a block of ice
one or any number of designs, letters, figures, or other representations adapted to
serve the purposes of a trade mark. These marks whatever may be their shape
may be made to produce a lustrous prismatic or matt effect within the mass of ice
through which they are perfectly visible from the exterior and being situated in
the heart of the block they are protected from external injury and remain visible
and therefore continue to subserve their purpose as a means of identifying the
origin of the product until the ice is consumed.
The invention consists in sawing the ice into two or more pieces and producing
in the freshly-sawn surfaces of the ice the impression of a metallic die or dies by
the melting away of the substance of the ice by the heat of the die or dies, and
then freezing together the sawn surfaces of the ice so as to imprison between them
a cavity or cavities containing air or air and pounded ice corresponding in form to
the die or dies.
I have supposed the mark to be produced to be a simple star but it will be
obvious that the invention is in no way limited thereto as any other design or any
letter figure or combination of letters or figures may be produced in the same way
by using dies of appropriate configuration.
If it is desired to apply only one such mark as in the case of a block which is to
be used whole for cooling a large bulk of water or other alimentary substance, this
block would be merely cut in two by a reciprocating or circular saw and a metallic
die applied by hand to one of the freshly sawn surfaces of the ice so as to produce
by melting the ice a counterpart impression of the die. This impression may be
produced in one or both of the sawn surfaces of the block. The water resulting
from the melting of the ice runs away and any remaining in the cavity niny be
blown out by a small jet of cold air in order to produce a clean and sharp impression,
and the two sawn surfaces of the ice are placed the one on the other, pressed together
if necessary, and the block transported to a freezing chamber where these contacting
surfaces become re-united by the freezing of the moisture produced by the
superficial melting of the ice during the sawing and branding operation. The
cavity produced by the die is filled with air which is thus imprisoned therein, and
in order to make the mark more visible through the block of ice, or to impart a
different effect the said cavity may be filled with finely pounded ice before the
surfaces are placed in contact.
The operation is similar where a multiple die is used.

page_text: Improvements in Block Ice.
I, HENRY VAN DER WEYDE of 182, Regent Street, London, W., Artist and
Electric Light Photographer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a method of producing a novel effect in block ice and is
particularly intended to enable the source whence the ice is obtained, or the factory
where it is manufactured to be identified by the consumer, the invention being
specially applicable to block ice which has been made readily severable into small
cubes or other pieces of regular shape and size by the method which forms the
subject of another application for Letters Patent dated the 3rd day of August 1893,
No. 14,920.
The present invention consists in producing within the body of a block of ice one
or any number of designs, letters, figures, or other representations, adapted to serve
the purposes of a trade mark. These marks, whatever may be their shape, produce
a prismatic effect within the mass of ice, through which they are perfectly visible
from the exterior, and being situated in the heart of the block they are protected
from external injury and remain visible and therefore continue to subserve their
purpose as a means of identifying the origin of the product until the ice is
consumed.
The invention consists in sawing the ice into two or more pieces and producing
in the freshly-sawn surfaces of the ice the impression of a metallic die or dies and
then freezing together the sawn surfaces so as to enclose between them a cavity
or cavities which correspond in shape to the die and in which air is imprisoned when
the sawn surfaces are reunited.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, which illustrate an example of the effect to be produced, and the
means of obtaining it.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a block of ice sawn into two portions, shewing
the application of a band die thereto.
Figure 2 shews the effect produced on the same block when the two portions are
reunited.
Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating a method of producing the mark
upon one face, at least, of each of the cubes into which a block of ice is made
divisible according to my previous invention aforesaid.
Figure 4 is an elevation and face view of a die.
I have supposed the mark to be produced to be a simple star, but it will be
obvious that the invention is in no way limited thereto, as any other design or any
letter, figure, or combination of letters or figures, may be produced in the same way,
by using dies of appropriate configuration.
Referring to Figure 1, A A' are the two portions into which a block of ice has
been sawn by a reciprocating or circular saw, and B is a metallic die which is
warmed in any suitable way and applied by hand to one of the freshly-sawn
surfaces of the ice, so as to produce, by melting the ice, a counterpart impression
of the die. This impression, however, may be produced in both of the sawn
surfaces of the block, so that they will coincide when the surfaces are reunited.
The water resulting from the melting of the ice runs away, and any remaining in
the cavity may if necessary be blown out by a small jet of cold air in order to
produce a clean and sharp impression. To facilitate draining-off of the water, it
is preferable that the surface to which the die is applied should be face downwards,
so that the water will run down the die without spreading over the surface of the
ice. The two sawn surfaces are then placed in contact, (say, by placing the one

page_text: part of the block upon the other) with sufficient pressure to cause their reunion
by freezing.
The face of the die is preferably bevelled or facetted (like that shewn in
Figure 4) so as to facilitate the penetration of the die into the ice and make a sharp
impression, whose facetted surfaces produce a brilliant effect.
Referring now to Figure 3 which illustrates a mode of producing numerous
repetitions of the brands or marks in a block of ice, in the operation of making the
block severable into cubes according to my other invention before referred to, each
slab a into which the block of ice is cut at the first, or any subsequent, sawing
operation, is pressed upon a multiple die, being a metal plate B with a number of
dies 6 (of which one is shewn separately in Figure 4) standing up from the surface
thereof at distances apart corresponding to the dimensions of the cubes into which
the block is ultimately intended to be severable. At a is shewn one of the slabs
into which the block has been sawn, this slab a being also represented, in dotted
lines, as resting on the multiple die and ata, the slabs which have been thus branded
are represented as placed in contact with each other and frozen together. The
plate B may either be gently warmed by gas, or it may be the top of a hollow
chamber warmed internally by a circulation of water. The warmth of the dies
should, of course, only be just sufficient to melt away the portions of the ice with
which they are brought into actual contact.
If the branding of the slabs is thus effected at the first sawing operation, the
block produced by freezing together the branded slabs would subsequently be cut
again in planes perpendicular to those of the first series of cuts, and, after those
slabs are frozen together, would be again cut in planes perpendicular to both of the
previous series of cuts, the cuts, both of the second and third series, passing
between the brand-marks made at the first cutting operation. The branding
operation may be repeated at the second and third cutting operations, so that each
cube into which the block is ultimately divisible may be marked on more than one
of its faces, but generally a single branding operation is sufficient.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. The herein described method of producing a predetermined design, letter,
figure, or other mark, within a block of ice, which consists in sawing the block into
pieces, applying to one or more of the freshly-sawn surfaces thereof one or more
dies so as to produce a counterpart cavity or cavities in the ice by melting away
the latter and then freezing together the sawn surfaces, so as to seal up the said
cavity or cavities, as specified.
2. A block of ice having one or more cavities of predetermined form produced
within its mass by sawing the block into slabs, impressing one or both of the sawn
surfaces with a die, and freezing together the said surfaces, as specified.
3. A block of ice which has intersecting planes of weakness or easy cleavage
formed in it, so as to render it easily divisible into small pieces of regular form and
size and which has cavities of predetermined form produced in one face at least of
each of such pieces, so as to constitute brand marks which are sealed up in the
body of the ice so long as the block remains intact, and are visible on the individual
pieces when the block is broken up at the joints formed by the sawn and reunited
surfaces, as specified.
Dated this 8th day of May 1894.
HENRY VAN DER WEYDE,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.