Patent ID: 7210298

Claim:
An ice cube maker comprises an upper container having a top; a bottom having an edge; a front having an edge; a rear surface; a water inlet formed in the upper container; and multiple chilled water outlets formed at the edge of the bottom of the upper container; a cooling module assembly mounted on the rear surface of the upper container and having a heat conducting block mounted against the rear surface of the upper container and having an exterior side; a thermoelectric cooling chip having a cooling side mounted against the exterior side of the heat conducting block; a heat sink mounted on the thermoelectric cooling chip; and a fan mounted on the heat sink; a lower container having a top having an edge; a bottom having a front edge; and a rear edge; a rear; an ice cube chute formed in the bottom near the front edge of the lower container; inlet ports formed in top of the lower container and corresponding to the chilled water outlets of the upper container; a rear opening formed in the rear of the lower container; and multiple access holes formed in the bottom of the lower container near the rear edge; a water flow controller mounted between the upper container and the lower container and having multiple inlet tubes, each inlet tube having a proximal end connected to the water flow controller; and a distal end connected to one of the chilled water outlets in the upper container; and multiple discharge tubes, each discharge tube having a proximal end connected to the water flow controller; and a distal end mounted through one of the inlet ports in the lower container and extending into the lower container; and an ice module assembly attached to the rear of the lower container and having an ice tray extending through the rear opening in the lower container and having an exterior side; a top surface; multiple recesses formed separately in the top surface of the ice tray and corresponding respectively to the inlet ports in the lower container, and each recess having a bottom; and a through hole formed through the bottom of the recess and corresponding to one of the access holes in the lower container; multiple push rods slidably mounted respectively in the through holes in the recesses in the ice tray and the access holes in the lower container, and each push rod having an inner end; an outer end; a head attached to the inner end of the push rod; a flange mounted at the outer end of the push rod; and a spring mounted around the push rod between the flange and the ice tray; a thermoelectric cooling chip having a cooling side attached to the exterior side of the ice tray; a heat sink attached to the thermoelectric cooling chip; and a fan attached to the heat sink.