Ice storage to hold ice and minimize melting of ice spheres

摘要

An ice support and storage tray includes one or more cavities having upwardly facing spherical surface portions that support spherical pieces of ice. The tray is preferably made of a material having a low thermal conductivity to reduce melting of the spherical pieces of ice. The spherical support surfaces minimize melting points that could otherwise cause the spherical pieces of ice to melt and develop irregular surface shapes. The ice tray may be used in a freezer having an ice maker that transports spheres of ice to the ice support cavities. The ice storage tray may be configured to permit removal of spheres of ice without tipping the tray upside down and/or twisting/deforming the tray.

主权项

1. A method of storing spherical pieces of ice in a freezer, the method comprising:
providing an ice maker configured to produce a plurality of spherical pieces of ice, each spherical piece of ice having a substantially spherical outer surface defining a first radius; providing a tray having a plurality of upwardly opening ice support cavities, wherein each ice support cavity has a concave surface defining a portion of a sphere having a second radius that is substantially equal to the first radius whereby the spherical pieces of ice formed by the ice maker fit closely in a respective one of the ice support cavities; positioning the tray in a refrigerated space at a predefined location relative to the ice maker; transporting the spherical pieces of ice from the ice maker to a respective one of the ice support cavities; positioning the spherical pieces of ice in the ice support cavities; and wherein: each concave surface is truncated to define an opening in each of the concave surfaces; each of the openings having a third radius that is smaller than both the first and second radii, wherein the spherical ice pieces fall through a respective one of the openings after the spherical ice pieces melt and shrink in size.