Ice harvesting mechanism

Abstract

An ice harvester has an ice cube tray having at least two compartments for holding ice cubes; a rotating member used to remove ice cubes from the ice cube tray; at least two arms extending from the rotary member for removing ice cubes from the ice cube tray; a motor coupled to the rotary member for powering rotation of the member; and a divider wall formed in the ice cube tray extending vertically between the arms having an edge, wherein the arms are rotated toward the edge to remove ice cubes from said tray, and wherein the edge breaks a web formed between adjacent ice cubes in the tray during rotation of the arms. The arms can be offset from each other along a circumference of the sweeping member. The edge of the divider wall can have ramped portions to facilitate the breaking apart of the cubes to reduce required motor torque.

1 . An ice harvester comprising:
 an ice cube tray comprising at least two compartments for holding ice cubes;   a rotating member used to remove ice cubes from said ice cube tray;   at least two arms extending from said rotary member for removing ice cubes from said ice cube tray;   a motor coupled to said rotary member for powering rotation of said member; and   a divider wall formed in said ice cube tray extending vertically between said arms having an edge, wherein said arms are rotated toward said edge to remove ice cubes from said tray, and wherein said edge breaks a web formed between adjacent ice cubes in said tray during rotation of said arms.   
   
   
       2 . The ice harvester of  claim 1 , wherein said compartments of said ice tray are semi-circular or any shape that can be swept out by a rotating member. 
   
   
       3 . The ice harvester of  claim 1 , further comprising a mounting bracket for mounting said harvester in an associated refrigerator or ice-making machine. 
   
   
       4 . The ice harvester of  claim 2 , wherein each of said compartments is formed by divider walls or weirs extending vertically from a bottom wall of ice cube tray. 
   
   
       5 . The ice harvester of  claim 4 , wherein said rotary member comprises a shaft, and said arms extend from said shaft. 
   
   
       6 . The ice harvester of  claim 4 , wherein said bottom wall of said ice cube tray is arcuate in shape. 
   
   
       7 . An ice harvester comprising:
 an ice cube tray for holding a pluralize of ice cubes, said tray comprising a plurality of compartments formed by weirs extending from a bottom wall;   a sweeping member extending along a longitudinal axis of said ice cube tray, said member comprising a plurality of bars extending radially from said member which remove ice cubes from said tray when said sweeping member is rotated about said longitudinal axis; wherein said bars are offset from each other along a circumference of said sweeping member.   
   
   
       8 . The ice harvester of  claim 7 , wherein said bars comprise a first bar and a second bar offset by a first angle with respect to said first bar. 
   
   
       9 . The ice harvester of  claim 8 , comprising a third bar offset by a second angle with respect to said first bar. 
   
   
       10 . The ice harvester of  claim 9 , wherein said third bar is offset from said second bar by a third angle. 
   
   
       11 . The ice harvester of  claim 10 , further comprising a fourth bar offset from said first bar by a fourth angle. 
   
   
       12 . The ice harvester of  claim 11 , further comprising a fifth and sixth bar offset from said first bar by a fifth angle. 
   
   
       13 . The ice harvester of  claim 12 , further comprising a seventh bar which is in alignment with said first bar. 
   
   
       14 . The ice harvester of  claim 13 , wherein said sweeping member comprises a shaft from which each of said seven bars extend. 
   
   
       15 . A method for harvesting ice, comprising:
 providing a tray for forming and holding ice cubes, wherein said tray comprises a plurality of divider walls, each having a vertical edge;   providing a motorized arm having a plurality of bars extending therefrom;   rotating said arm so that said bars contact and remove said ice cubes from said tray; and   pushing said ice cubes with said bars against said edges of said divider walls to break apart a web formed between said ice cubes so that single ice cubes are dispensed from said tray.   
   
   
       16 . The ice harvester of  claim 15 , wherein said divider walls have a tip that facilitates breaking said webs and, correspondingly, the said ice cubes apart. 
   
   
       17 . The ice harvester of  claim 15 , wherein said divider walls have a slot with ramped/curved edges that facilitate the breaking apart of the web formed between ice cubes. 
   
   
       18 . The ice harvester of  claim 16 , wherein said tip comprises a sharp edge.