Method and apparatus for mass producing high quality transparent ice cubes

Abstract

An ice cube maker having modules to mass produce high quality transparent ice cubes comprising an agitation system and a refrigeration system utilizing at least substantially one directional freezing of the water through a wall of an ice mold to make an ice cube having a center that is void of visible crystallization and void of a visible bubble with no visible cracking therein.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A transparent ice cube making apparatus, comprising:
 a first module having a compressor assembly component configured to use a refrigerant with a boiling point lower than minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit;   an expansion valve component;   a bin component;   an inline moisture reducer component;   a cover component that covers the bin component;   an ice mold component made out of a polymer having water therein;   an agitation device component;   a copper refrigeration pipe component located between a bottom plate portion of the bin component and a lower plate component, the lower plate component keeping the refrigeration pipe in continual thermal communication with the bottom plate as the agitation device component agitates the water, the bottom plate having a thermal conductivity of over 40 watts per meter-Kelvin and a corrosive penetration rate of less than five mils per year, wherein   the apparatus is configured to freeze water substantially in one direction through a bottom wall of the ice mold to a top position of the ice mold and   produce an ice cube weighing over five pounds within a 24-hour period with a center portion that is void of visible crystallization and void of a visible bubble; and   a second module with three or more vertically positioned replaceable blades, the blades having at least 16 percent chromium content and two to ten angled teeth per inch, the blades spaced less than about three inches apart, the blades configured to operate at over 30 feet per second, and the blades having a thickness of about one quarter of an inch or less, wherein   the second module is configured to cut the ice cube into smaller ice cubes having a center portion void of a visible crack.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the ice cube is fed into the blades at over five feet per minute. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the blades have a speed of over about 50 feet per second and the blades are configured to have a vibration of less than 5.3 m/s to the second power. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the blades are configured to a rod, the blades are removable from the rod, and the rod is further configured to spin. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a ring on a rod keeps the blades on the rod until the blades are removed from the rod. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a segment of the second module or a segment of a third module has a horizontally positioned blade and the blade has at least 16 percent chromium content and two to ten angled teeth per inch and has a width of about one half an inch or more and a thickness of about one quarter of an inch or less. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a mechanical device feeds the ice cube into the blades at a speed of over about five feet per minute. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the blades are circular in shape and attached to a removable rod. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the ice mold is formed having four defined sidewalls that are about 90 degrees in relationship to the bottom wall of the ice mold, the bottom wall has a thermal conductivity of less than 1.6 watts per meter-Kelvin and a thickness of less than about 0.070 inches, and the sidewalls are further configured to flex prior to insertion into the bin component when the ice mold is filled with water. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the rod is configured to move up and down vertically. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a packaging module, wherein the smaller ice cubes do not join together when packaged, subjected to a warm temperature, and refrozen, and the package module further comprising a lid configured to cover the smaller ice cubes until the lid is manually removed. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the bin component is configured to hold water. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the blades are adjustable to increase or decrease a distance between the blades. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a sidewall of the bin component is configured to open and close to release the ice cube from the bin component. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the bin component has a sidewall made of a material with a thermal conductivity of less than about two watts per meter-Kelvin. 
     
     
         16 . A transparent ice cube making apparatus, comprising:
 a first module with a compressor assembly component configured to use a refrigerant having a boiling point lower than minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit;   an expansion valve component;   an inline moisture reducer component;   a cover that covers a bin component;   an ice mold component made out of a polymer having water therein;   an agitation device component;   the transparent ice cube making apparatus is further configured to freeze the water substantially in one direction through a bottom wall of the ice mold to a top position of the ice mold,   a copper refrigeration pipe component located between a bottom plate portion of the bin component;   a lower member component configured to keeps the copper refrigeration pipe component in thermal communication with the bottom plate as the water agitates, the bottom plate having a thermal conductivity of over 40 watts per meter-Kelvin and a corrosive penetration rate of less than five mils per year, wherein each component is configured together to produce an ice cube weighing over five pounds having a center portion that is void of visible crystallization and a visible bubble; and   a second module with three or more vertically positioned replaceable blades including at least 16 percent chromium content and two to ten angled teeth per inch where the blades are spaced less than about three inches apart and the blades have a thickness of about one quarter of an inch or less, wherein the second module is configured to feed the ice cube through the blades at over five feet per minute and the second module is configured to cut the ice cube into smaller ice cubes having a center portion that is void of a visible crack.   
     
     
         17 . A transparent ice cube making apparatus, comprising:
 a first module with a compressor assembly component;   an expansion valve component;   an inline moisture reducer component;   an agitation device component;   a watertight bin component to hold over about one gallon of water;   a copper refrigeration pipe component held in continual thermal communication with the bottom wall of the bin component as the agitation device operates, wherein the bottom wall is made out of a material having at least a 16 percent chromium content and a sidewall of the bin is made out of a material having a thermal conductivity of less than about two watts per meter-Kelvin, wherein the transparent ice cube making apparatus is configured to freeze the water substantially in one direction through a bottom wall of the bin component to a top position of the bin component and produce an ice cube weighing over five pounds having a center portion that is void of visible crystallization and void of a visible bubble; and   a second module with a vertically positioned replaceable blade having at least 16 percent chromium content and two to ten angled teeth per inch where the blade has a thickness of about one quarter of an inch or less, the second module configured to cut the ice cube into smaller ice cubes having a center portion that is void of a visible crack.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein a sidewall of the bin component is configured to open and close to release the ice cube from the bin component and to form a watertight seal in a closed position. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein a device heats the bottom wall of the bin component. 
     
     
         20 . A transparent ice cube making apparatus, comprising:
 a first module with a compressor assembly component configured to use a refrigerant having a boiling point lower than minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit;   an expansion valve component;   a bin component;   an inline moisture reducer component;   an ice mold component formed out of a polymer with a sidewall and a bottom wall, the bottom wall having a thickness of less than about 0.070 inches and the sidewall configured to flex when the ice mold is filled with water before the ice mold is placed inside the bin component a copper refrigeration pipe component located between a bottom plate portion of the bin component and a lower member component, wherein the lower member keeping the refrigeration pipe in continual thermal communication with the bottom plate as the agitation device agitates the water, and the bottom plate has a thermal conductivity of over 40 watts per meter-Kelvin and a corrosive penetration rate of less than five mils per year, wherein   the transparent ice cube making apparatus is configured to freeze the water substantially in one direction through the bottom wall of the ice mold to a top position of the ice mold and produce an ice cube weighing over five pounds and the ice cube has a center portion that is void of visible crystallization and void of a visible bubble; and   a second module with a vertically positioned replaceable blade having at least 16 percent chromium content and two to ten angled teeth per inch where the blade is further configured to operate at over 30 feet per minute and the blade has a thickness of about one quarter of an inch or less, the second module is configured to cut the ice cube into smaller ice cubes having a center portion that is void of a visible crack.