초록 ▼

An ice cube tray having a rigid support structure for easy handling and manipulation includes plural ice cube compartments, the ice cube compartments including deformable, flexible bottoms to enable ejection of ice cubes by application of a small force on each ice cube compartment's bottom. The tra

An ice cube tray having a rigid support structure for easy handling and manipulation includes plural ice cube compartments, the ice cube compartments including deformable, flexible bottoms to enable ejection of ice cubes by application of a small force on each ice cube compartment's bottom. The tray may be used with a cover that can be utilized as a server. The tray when used with the cover is spill proof. To use as a server, the tray and cover are turned upside down, the ice cubes are ejected by applying force to the flexible bottoms of the ice cube compartments. Once ejected, the tray is removed to reveal the ejected ice cubes within the underside of the cover. Multiple ice cube trays can be stacked on top of the cover.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. An ice cube tray, comprising: a plurality of ice cube compartments, each of the ice cube compartments being defined by a side wall and a bottom surface, the entire bottom surface of at least one of the ice cube compartments being made of a deformable, flexible and substantial

What is claimed is: 1. An ice cube tray, comprising: a plurality of ice cube compartments, each of the ice cube compartments being defined by a side wall and a bottom surface, the entire bottom surface of at least one of the ice cube compartments being made of a deformable, flexible and substantially elastic material and the side wall of said at least one of the ice cube compartments being made at least partially of a rigid material and partially of the deformable, flexible and substantially elastic material; and a compartment surface, each of the plurality of ice cube compartments extending from the compartment surface. 2. The ice cube tray of claim 1, wherein the entire bottom surface of all of the ice cube compartments are made of the deformable flexible material and the side walls of all of the ice cube compartments being made at least partially of the deformable, flexible and substantially elastic material. 3. The ice cube tray of claim 1, wherein the deformable flexible material is adapted to enable ejection of an ice cube formed within the respective ice cube compartment by exerting a force upon the bottom surface made of the deformable flexible material, and the compartment surface is made of a rigid material to enable manipulation and handling of the ice cube tray during ejection of the ice cube. 4. The ice cube tray of claim 1, further comprising a water retaining surface extending from an outside of the compartment surface and adapted to retain a liquid disposed on the compartment surface. 5. The ice cube tray of claim 4, wherein the water retaining surface further is adapted to retain side walls of a cover placed on the ice cube tray. 6. An ice cube tray comprising: a plurality of ice cube compartments, each of the ice cube compartments being defined by a side wall and a bottom surface, the bottom surface of at least one of the ice cube compartments being made of a deformable flexible material and the side wall of said at least one of the ice cube compartments being made at least partially of a rigid material; a compartment surface, each of the plurality of ice cube compartments extending from the compartment surface; a water retaining surface extending from an outside of the compartment surface and adapted to retain a liquid disposed on the compartment surface; and an inner retaining surface made of the deformable flexible material disposed along an interior of the water retaining surface and adapted to releasably retain side walls of a cover placed on the ice cube tray. 7. The ice cube tray of claim 1, wherein, for each of said at least one of the ice cube compartments being made of a deformable flexible material, the side wall includes a rigid narrow portion disposed at a lower end of the compartment and the bottom surface, being made of said deformable, flexible and substantially elastic material, extends over the rigid narrow portion of the side wall. 8. The ice cube tray of claim 7, wherein the bottom surface extends over the rigid narrow portion of the side wall in such manner so that a transition from the bottom surface made of the deformable flexible material to the side wall is smooth. 9. The ice cube tray of claim 1, wherein the deformable flexible material is Thermo Plastic Rubber (TPR), Silicone or natural rubber. 10. An ice cube tray comprising: a plurality of ice cube compartments, each of the ice cube compartments being defined by a side wall and a bottom surface; a compartment surface, each of the plurality of ice cube compartments extending from the compartment surface; a water retaining surface extending from an outside of the compartment surface and adapted to retain a liquid disposed on the compartment surface, and further adapted to retain side walls of a cover placed on the ice cube tray; and an inner retaining surface made of a deformable flexible material disposed along an interior of the water retaining surface and adapted to releasably retain side walls of a cover placed on the ice cube tray. 11. A combination ice cube tray and cover, comprising: an ice cube tray having a plurality of ice cube compartments and a retaining surface extending from outer ends of the ice cube tray; a cover having a base and side walls, the cover being adapted to be placed on top of the ice cube tray and the retaining surface of the ice cube tray being adapted to releasably retain the side walls of the cover; the retaining surface including an inner portion made of a deformable flexible material, and the inner portion is adapted to releasably retain the side walls of the cover. 12. The combination ice cube tray and cover of claim 11, wherein a connection between the cover and the ice cube tray is sufficiently tight so as to prevent introduction of exterior gasses, odors and particles from entering into the ice cube compartments, and also sufficiently tight to prevent substantial spillage of liquid contained within the ice cube tray. 13. The combination ice cube tray and cover of claim 11, wherein the cover includes a support extending from the base of the cover, the support having a shape adapted to retain an ice cube tray to allow stacking of the ice cube tray on top of the cover. 14. The combination ice cube tray and cover of claim 13, wherein a bottom surface of at least one of the ice cube compartments is made of a deformable flexible material; and the support of the cover is adapted to sufficiently retain with limited longitudinal movement bottom surfaces of the ice cube tray when the ice cube tray is stacked on top of the cover. 15. The combination ice cube tray and cover of claim 11, wherein the cover includes a first support having a shape that matches a shape of a bottom of at least one of the ice cube compartments, and the cover includes a second support having said shape, and the first and second supports are positioned on the cover to enable stacking of an ice cube tray having ice cube compartments disposed on top of the cover. 16. The combination ice cube tray and cover of claim 15, wherein the first and second supports have shapes that are opposite in direction to one another so that an ice cube tray can be stacked on top of the cover without any significant longitudinal movement. 17. The combination ice cube tray and cover of claim 11, wherein the base and side walls of the cover have sufficient dimensions so that a volume of liquid that can be retained by the base and side walls of the cover is greater than a volume of liquid that can be retained by all of the ice cube compartments of the ice cube tray so that the cover does not overflow with liquid or ice originally stored within the ice cube compartments of the ice cube tray. 18. A combination, comprising: the ice cube tray recited in claim 1; and a cover for the ice cube tray, comprising: a base; a set of side walls extending from an outer perimeter of the base; and a support extending from the base in a direction opposite to a direction from which the side walls extend from the base, the support including first and second supports, each of the first and second supports having a curved shape that match and follow shapes of curved bottoms of ice cube compartments of an ice cube tray so that the cover is adapted to retain the ice cube tray to allow stacking; the side walls being adapted to be releasably retained by an ice cube tray, and the support being adapted to support the base of the cover for use as a server when the cover is not retained by the ice cube tray. 19. The combination of claim 18, wherein the first and second supports of the cover have shapes that are opposite in direction to one another so that the ice cube tray can be stacked on top of the cover without any substantial longitudinal movement. 20. The combination of claim 18, wherein the base of the cover has an inward slope so that liquid or ice stored within the base has a tendency to travel toward a center of the base. 21. The combination of claim 20, wherein the base of the cover has an inward slope adapted to reduce melting of ice stored within the base as compared to a base without an inward slope.