Patent ID: 8353146

Claim:
An ice bagging assembly comprising: an ice bagging apparatus configured to generate a plurality of ice cubes and seal them in a plurality of ice bags; an ice bag merchandiser in mechanical cooperation with the ice bagging apparatus, the ice bag merchandiser configured to receive the plurality of ice bags from the ice bagging apparatus and maintain the ice within the ice bags in a frozen state; a passageway connecting an interior space of the ice bagging apparatus with an interior space of the ice bag merchandiser, the passageway sized to permit passage of each of the plurality of ice bags; and at least one ice bag diverter proximate the passageway, the at least one ice bag diverter positionable between a first position and a second position and having first and second opposing cradles, each of the first and second cradles configured to alternately receive at least first and second ice bags of the plurality of ice bags from the ice bagging apparatus via the passageway and drop the first and second ice bags to respective first and second regions of the ice bag merchandiser; wherein the first cradle dropping the first ice bag into the ice bag merchandiser positions the second cradle to receive the second ice bag and the second cradle dropping the second ice bag into the ice bag merchandiser positions the first cradle to receive a third ice bag of the plurality of ice bags.