초록 ▼

A new and improved auger-type ice-making apparatus preferably includes at least a pair of removable and interchangeable head assemblies adapted for preselectively producing either relatively dry flake or chip ice, cube ice or smaller nugget-sized ice pieces. A new and improved auger assembly prefera

A new and improved auger-type ice-making apparatus preferably includes at least a pair of removable and interchangeable head assemblies adapted for preselectively producing either relatively dry flake or chip ice, cube ice or smaller nugget-sized ice pieces. A new and improved auger assembly preferably formed from a synthetic plastic material and a new and improved evaporator element are also disclosed, either or both of which can be incorporated into an ice-making apparatus, with or without the interchangeable head assemblies. One preferred embodiment is adapted to preselectively alter the size of the cube or nugget ice pieces in order to preselectively produce a number of different sizes of ice pieces.

대표청구항 ▼

In an ice-making apparatus including a housing defining a substantially cylindrical freezing chamber, refrigeration means adjacent the freezing chamber, means for supplying ice make-up water to the freezing chamber, an axially-extending auger rotatably mounted in the freezing chamber, the improvemen

In an ice-making apparatus including a housing defining a substantially cylindrical freezing chamber, refrigeration means adjacent the freezing chamber, means for supplying ice make-up water to the freezing chamber, an axially-extending auger rotatably mounted in the freezing chamber, the improvement wherein said auger includes a central body portion, at least one flight portion extending in a generally spiral path along at least a substantial part of the axial length of the periphery of said central body portion with the outer edges of said flight portion being adapted to be disposed closely adjacent the inner surface of the housing in order to scrape ice particles therefrom as said auger is rotated, said flight portion being defined by at least a pair of axially adjacent discontinuous flight segments generally circumferentially spaced from one another and extending in a generally spiral direction along a part of said generally spiral path, said adjacent pair of said discontinuous flight segments being spirally misaligned relative to one another in order to form a spiral non-uniformity therebetween, said spiral misalignment and said circumferential spacing of said adjacent discontinuous flight segments tending to break up the mass of ice particles scraped from the inner surface of the housing as said auger is rotated, said adjacent pair of discontinuous flight segments being interconnected by an interconnecting flight segment, said interconnecting flight segment extending in a direction generally transverse to said discontinuous flight segments.