Ice tray for making ice cubes

Abstract

The ice-cube tray for making ice cubes that includes a tray ( 10 ) having side walls ( 11 ) and a bottom wall ( 12 ) with a plurality of compartments ( 31 ) capable of holding a liquid to be frozen, and a lid ( 20 ) sized to cover the tray ( 10 ). The bottom wall ( 12 ) of the tray ( 10 ) is shaped with a plurality of recessed and projecting surfaces ( 12 a ) defining the compartments ( 31 ). The lid ( 20 ) has side walls ( 21 ) fitting in the side walls ( 11 ) of the tray ( 10 ) and a cover wall ( 22 ) shaped with a plurality of recessed and projecting surfaces ( 22 a ) that cooperate with the recessed and projecting surfaces ( 12 a ) of the bottom wall ( 11 ) of the tray ( 10 ) in a formation of a plurality of closed mould cavities ( 32 ) for formation of the ice cubes when the lid ( 20 ) is placed covering the tray ( 10 ).

1 . An ice-cube tray for making ice cubes, comprising a tray ( 10 ) having side walls ( 11 ) and a bottom wall ( 12 ) with a plurality of compartments ( 31 ) capable of holding a liquid to be frozen, and a lid ( 20 ) sized to cover said tray ( 10 ), wherein said bottom wall ( 12 ) of the tray ( 10 ) is shaped with a plurality of recessed and projecting surfaces ( 12   a ) defining said compartments ( 31 ), and said lid ( 20 ) comprises side walls ( 21 ) fitting in said side walls ( 11 ) of the tray ( 10 ) and a cover wall ( 22 ) shaped with a plurality of recessed and projecting surfaces ( 22   a ) that cooperate with said recessed and projecting surfaces ( 12   a ) of the bottom wall ( 11 ) of the tray ( 10 ) in a formation of a plurality of closed mould cavities ( 32 ) for formation of said ice cubes when the lid ( 20 ) is placed covering the tray ( 10 ). 
     
     
         2 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 1 , wherein a portion of said recessed and projecting surfaces ( 22   a ) of the cover wall ( 22 ) of the lid ( 20 ) enters the compartments ( 31 ) of the tray ( 10 ) displacing part of said liquid contained therebetween, thereby rising the level of the liquid inside said mould cavities ( 32 ). 
     
     
         3 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 2 , wherein the mould cavities ( 32 ) are sized so as to be substantially filled entirely with the liquid initially contained in the compartments ( 31 ) partially displaced by the lid ( 20 ) and by an increase in volume experienced by the liquid in the freezing process. 
     
     
         4 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 2 , wherein the tray ( 10 ) includes a level mark ( 16 ) indicating the optimum level of liquid for a substantially complete filling of the mould cavities ( 32 ). 
     
     
         5 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 1 , wherein said recessed and projecting surfaces ( 12   a ) of the bottom wall ( 12 ) of the tray ( 10 ) comprise a plurality of adjacent trihedral angles, each of said trihedral angles being formed by three flat quadrangular surfaces, and said recessed and projecting surfaces ( 22   a ) of the cover wall ( 22 ) of the lid ( 20 ) comprise another plurality of adjacent trihedral angles, each of said trihedral angles being formed by three flat quadrangular surfaces, wherein the trihedral angles of the tray ( 10 ) cooperate with the trihedral angles of the lid ( 20 ) in the formation of mould six-faced polyhedral cavities. 
     
     
         6 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 5  wherein the trihedral angles of the tray are orthogonal trihedral angles formed by three flat substantially square surfaces, and the trihedral angles of the lid are likewise orthogonal trihedral angles formed by three flat substantially square surfaces, wherein said polyhedral mould cavities ( 32 ) formed by the cooperation of said the orthogonal trihedral angles of the tray ( 10 ) with said orthogonal trihedral angles of the lid ( 20 ) are cubic mould cavities ( 32 ). 
     
     
         7 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 6  wherein each of said mould cavities ( 32 ) has one diagonal arranged in the vertical position. 
     
     
         8 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 5 , wherein said flat surfaces of the trihedral angles of the tray ( 10 ) converge in a number of upper ridges, along which several canals ( 15 ) are formed, and said flat surfaces of the trihedral angles of the lid ( 20 ) converge in a number of lower ridges that fit in said canals ( 15 ). 
     
     
         9 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 6 , wherein said flat surfaces of the trihedral angles of the tray ( 10 ) converge in a number of upper ridges, along which several canals ( 15 ) are formed, and said flat surfaces of the trihedral angles of the lid ( 20 ) converge in a number of lower ridges that fit in said canals ( 15 ). 
     
     
         10 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 7 , wherein said flat surfaces of the trihedral angles of the tray ( 10 ) converge in a number of upper ridges, along which several canals ( 15 ) are formed, and said flat surfaces of the trihedral angles of the lid ( 20 ) converge in a number of lower ridges that fit in said canals ( 15 ). 
     
     
         11 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 5 , wherein said flat surfaces of the trihedral angles of the tray ( 10 ) converge in a number of lower ridges that, in turn, converge in lower apices wherein a number of truncated support surfaces ( 17 ) are formed. 
     
     
         12 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 6 , wherein said flat surfaces of the trihedral angles of the tray ( 10 ) converge in a number of lower ridges that, in turn, converge in lower apices wherein a number of truncated support surfaces ( 17 ) are formed. 
     
     
         13 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 7 , wherein said flat surfaces of the trihedral angles of the tray ( 10 ) converge in a number of lower ridges that, in turn, converge in lower apices wherein a number of truncated support surfaces ( 17 ) are formed. 
     
     
         14 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 5 , wherein said flat surfaces of the trihedral angles of the lid ( 20 ) converge in a number of upper ridges that, in turn, converge in upper apices wherein a number of discharge openings ( 24 ) are formed. 
     
     
         15 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 6 , wherein said flat surfaces of the trihedral angles of the lid ( 20 ) converge in a number of upper ridges that, in turn, converge in upper apices wherein a number of discharge openings ( 24 ) are formed. 
     
     
         16 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 7 , wherein said flat surfaces of the trihedral angles of the lid ( 20 ) converge in a number of upper ridges that, in turn, converge in upper apices wherein a number of discharge openings ( 24 ) are formed. 
     
     
         17 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 7 , wherein the tray ( 10 ) comprises six of said side walls ( 11 ) arranged in the shape of a regular hexagon and inclined in diverging directions from the bottom to the top, and the lid ( 20 ) comprises six of said side walls ( 21 ) arranged in the shape of a regular hexagon and inclined in diverging directions from the top to the bottom, so that the side walls ( 21 ) of the lid ( 20 ) become attached inside the side walls ( 11 ) of the tray ( 10 ) when the lid ( 20 ) is coupled to the tray ( 10 ) in an operative position. 
     
     
         18 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 1 , wherein the tray ( 10 ) comprises a number of retention tabs ( 14 ) that engage the side walls ( 22 ) of the lid ( 20 ) so as to keep the lid ( 20 ) coupled to the tray ( 10 ) in an operative position. 
     
     
         19 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 12 , wherein the tray ( 10 ) comprises a number of gripping elements ( 13 ) extending outwards from the side walls ( 11 ) thereof, and the lid ( 20 ) comprises a number of gripping elements ( 23 ) extending outwards from the side walls ( 21 ) thereof. 
     
     
         20 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 13 , wherein said gripping elements ( 13 ) of the tray ( 10 ) are adjacent to said gripping elements ( 23 ) of the lid ( 20 ) when the lid ( 20 ) is coupled to the tray ( 10 ) in said operative position. 
     
     
         21 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 1 , wherein the tray ( 10 ) and the lid ( 20 ) are made of a rigid or semirigid plastic material. 
     
     
         22 . The ice-cube tray according to  claim 1 , wherein the tray ( 10 ) and the lid ( 20 ) are made of polypropylene.