Ice-making apparatus and related method

Abstract

Ice-making apparatus comprising water deliver means, a colouring station arranged to impart colour to water received from the water delivery means and a freezing station for forming readily separable blocks of ice from the coloured water formed at the colouring station and for selectively discharging the readily separable blocks of ice into a storage means so as to present ice of a required colour, or combination of colours, the freezing station can advantageously employ open ended shaping elements, and associated freezing elements, allowing for the freezing of water therein so as to form a block of ice of an appropriate shape defined by the shaping element, and to subsequent allow for the removal of the shaped ice block from the lower open end thereof.

1 . Ice-making apparatus comprising water deliver means, a colouring station arranged to impart colour to water received from the water delivery means and a freezing station for forming readily separable blocks of ice from the coloured water formed at the colouring station and for selectively discharging the readily separable blocks of ice into a storage means so as to present ice of a required colour, or combination of colours.  
   
   
       2 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the colouring station comprises means for heating a charge water received from the said water deliver means and means for introducing a natural substance from an additive storage means and which is arranged to be infused within the water so as to impart the required colouring.  
   
   
       3 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 2 , and including a cooling station for cooling the said infusion.  
   
   
       4 . Apparatus as claimed in claims  2  or  3 , and including filtering means for filtering the said infusion so as to deliver a cool filtered infusion to the said freezing station.  
   
   
       5 . Apparatus as claimed in claims  2 ,  3  or  4 , wherein the means for heating is arranged to heat to boiling point the charge of water and then to allow it to cool to a temperature in the region of 90 degrees.  
   
   
       6 . Apparatus as claimed in any one or more of  claims 1  to  5  and including a purification unit for purifying the water delivered thereto.  
   
   
       7 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 2 , and including a plurality of additive chambers each of which can deliver its contents under microprocessor control to one or more of a plurality of heating chambers which, in turn, can deliver an infusion to one or more of an array of freezing chambers likewise under microprocessor control.  
   
   
       8 . Apparatus as claimed in any one or more of  claims 1  to  7  wherein freezing chambers are arranged to form relatively separable ice blocks of different shapes, which shapes can exhibit characteristics relating to the particular colours selected.  
   
   
       9 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 2  and arranged such that a herbal, and/or fruit and/or vegetable substance is introduced to the liquid for a period in the region of five minutes.  
   
   
       10 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the said colouring station comprises an array of dispensing units each arranged to contain a colouring infusion.  
   
   
       11 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the colouring infusion is a concentrate.  
   
   
       12 . A method of forming blocks of ice of predetermined shaped by means of open ended shaping elements, the method comprising introducing water to form the said ice blocks into the said shaping elements each of which is arranged to surround a freezing element, freezing the water surrounded by the shaping element by means of the freezing element located within the shaping element and subsequently heating the shaping element and freezing element relative to the ice so as to allow for the ice block shaped by the shaping element to be moved therefrom by way of the lower open end of the shaping element.  
   
   
       13 . A method as claimed in  claim 12 , and including the step of locating the shaping elements within a chamber so as to allow for the at least part submerging of the shaping elements in water introduced into the chamber.  
   
   
       14 . A method as claimed in  claim 12  or  13 , and including the step of moving the freezing elements into, or away from, the shaping elements.  
   
   
       15 . A method as claimed in  claim 12 ,  13  or  14 , wherein the step of heating the shaping element and freezing element relative to the ice allows for the shaped ice block to fall from the lower open end of the shaping element.  
   
   
       16 . A method as claimed in  claim 12 ,  13 ,  14  or  15 , and including the step of draining water remaining within the chamber subsequent to the freezing of the ice blocks so as to allow for at least temporary collection of the ice blocks within the chamber.  
   
   
       17 . Ice forming apparatus comprising open ended shaping elements arranged for receiving water to be frozen, a freezing element arranged to be received within the shaping element so as to freeze water within the shaping element, and means for heating the shaping element and freezing element relative to the ice so as to allow the shaped ice block to be removed from a lower open end of the shaping element.  
   
   
       18 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 17  when the shaping elements are arranged to be located within a chamber within which water can be introduced so as to at least partially submerge the shaping elements.  
   
   
       19 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 18 , and including means for draining water from the chamber subsequent to the formation of the frozen blocks so as to allow for the at least temporary collection of the frozen blocks within the chamber.  
   
   
       20 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 17 ,  18  or  19 , wherein the freezing elements are arranged to be reciprocally movable relative to the shaping elements.  
   
   
       21 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 17 ,  18 ,  19  or  20 , wherein the shaping and freezing elements are arranged to be heated to an extend to allow the shaped ice block to fall through the lower open end of the shaping element.  
   
   
       22 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 17 ,  18 ,  19 ,  20  or  21 , wherein the open ends of the shaping elements are of similar shape and dimensions.  
   
   
       23 . Apparatus as claimed in any one or more of claims  17 - 22 , wherein the shaping elements are removably mounted within the apparatus.  
   
   
       24 . Apparatus as claimed in any one or more of claims  17 - 23 , wherein the shaping elements are formed from a polymer material.  
   
   
       25 . Apparatus as claimed in any one or more of claims  17 - 24  and including a plurality of laterally spaced shaping elements.  
   
   
       26 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 25 , wherein the laterally spaced shaping elements comprise a lattice of shaping elements.  
   
   
       27 . Ice making apparatus as claimed in any one or more of claims  1 - 11 , and including ice forming apparatus within the freezing station thereof and as defined in any one or more of claims  17 - 26 .  
   
   
       28 . Ice making apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIGS. 2 and 3  of the accompanying drawings.  
   
   
       29 . A method of forming blocks of ice of a predetermined shaped substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3  of the accompanying drawings.  
   
   
       30 . Ice making apparatus comprising an open ended shaping element substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in,  FIGS. 2 and 3  of the accompanying drawings.