A COOLING DEVICE

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling device comprising an ice tray that is used for providing clear ice.

[0002] In traditional cooling devices or ice making machines called "icemakers", ice is provided by using mains water. Mains water is not pure and also contains air bubbles, minerals and dust particles, as well as some chemical substances such as chlorine. All these factors adversely affect the taste or smell of a beverage when ice is used to cool the beverage. Therefore, use of clear ice, which is pure, tasteless and odorless and also has an aesthetic appearance, is preferred. In the state of the art, various methods are developed for providing clear ice.

[0003] In the state of the art Great Britain Patent Application No GB2208917 and United States of America Patent No US5364063, the ice tray consists of two separate pieces disposed into each other. The impurities in the water are enabled to be collected in an impurity block disposed under the ice tray.

[0004] In the state of the art United States of America Patent No US6357720, an ice tray is explained wherein the bottom is covered with waterproof but air permeable material, thus air bubbles in the water are removed and clear ice is provided.

[0005] The aim of the present invention is the realization of a cooling device comprising an ice tray that enables clear ice to be provided.

[0006] The cooling device realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, comprises an ice tray having at least one receptacle provided by being divided lengthwise and breadthwise, at least one housing located under the receptacles and at least one passage joining the receptacle and the housing, and having insulation material that entirely surrounds the receptacle, passage and housing and prevents the base of the receptacle and the roof of the housing from contacting each other.

[0007] Particles in the water filled into the receptacle by the precipitation method reach the housing under the receptacle by passing through the passage. Furthermore, since only the upper surface of the receptacles is the contact surface of the water filled into the receptacles on the ice tray with the cold air, the water starts freezing from the top and the last frozen portion is the water in the housing. Thus, clear ice can be provided in the receptacle and cloudy ice in the housing.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present invention, insulation material is situated between the base of the receptacle and the housing. Thus, the water in the housing is enabled to freeze later than the water in the receptacle. This enables the ice in the receptacle to leave the receptacle easier when the water is frozen.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present invention, the ice tray is one piece. Accordingly, the production of the ice tray is quite easy and also the insulation of the housing, passage and receptacle is provided more easily.

[0010] In another embodiment of the present invention, the ice tray comprises a body, whereon receptacles and passages located on the base of the receptacles are disposed and a tray which is disposed under the body and whereon housings are located, whereto the one end of the passages are opened. The housing remains entirely in the tray, while the receptacle and the passage remain entirely in the body. Accordingly, since the housing, receptacle and passage do not form a protrusion towards the outside, the tray and the body can easily slide on one another when integrated to each other. Thus, the clear ice in the receptacle is enabled to be removed from the ice tray more easily by the housing and the receptacle being moved with respect to each other.

[0011] In this embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device comprises one or more rails located on the upper surface of the tray and one or more slides that are located on the lower surface of the body seated on the tray and that are seated on the rails on the tray. In this embodiment, the cooling device furthermore comprises a stopper that prevents the body from being detached from the tray during the sliding movement on the tray.

[0012] By means of the present invention, clear ice is provided by both being cooled from the top and using the precipitation method effectively.

[0013] A cooling device realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where:

[0014] Figure 1 - is the perspective view of a cooling device.

[0015] Figure 2 - is the schematic view of an ice tray.

[0016] Figure 3 - is the schematic view of an ice tray in another embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] The elements shown in the figures are numbered as follows:

[0018] 1. Cooling device

[0019] 2. Cabinet

[0020] 3. Door

[0021] 4. Ice tray

[0022] 5. Receptacle

[0023] 6. Housing

[0024] 7. Passage

[0025] 8. Body

[0026] 9. Tray

[0027] The cooling device (1) of the present invention comprises a cabinet (2) wherein items to be cooled are stored, a door (3) enabling the user access into the cabinet (2) and an ice tray (4) disposed therein (Figure 1).

[0028] The ice tray (4) comprises

[0029] • more than one receptacle (5), the top of which is open, and more than one housing (6) located under each receptacle (5),

[0030] • an insulation material (S) insulating the receptacle (5) and the housing (6) such that the water in the receptacle (5) will be enabled to be frozen before the water in the housing (6) by surrounding the walls of the receptacle (5) and the housing (6), situated between the receptacle (5) and the housing (6), preventing the base of the receptacle (5) and the roof of the housing (6) from contacting each other and

[0031] • at least one passage (7) one end of which is opened to the receptacle (5) and the other to the housing (6) and which is surrounded by an insulation material (S).

[0032] The passage (7) allows some of the water filled into the receptacle (5) to flow into the housing (6). Thus, the denser particles in the water filled into the receptacle (5) reach the housing (6) through the passage (7) and settle into the housing (6). Furthermore, in the ice tray (4) disposed in the cabinet (2), only the upper portion of the water filled into the receptacle (5) contacts the cold air and the water starts freezing from the top. Accordingly, clear ice is formed in the receptacle (5) and cloudy ice in the housing (6). The water in the receptacle (5) freezes faster while the water in the almost entirely insulated housing (6) and the passage (7) freezes slower than the water in the receptacle (5). This enables the clear ice formed in the receptacle (5) to be removed from the ice tray (4) more easily by the user.

[0033] The insulation material (S) between the roof of the housing (6) and the base of the receptacle (5) prevents the base of the receptacle (5) and the roof of the housing (6) from contacting each other. Furthermore, the housing (6) is entirely surrounded by the insulation material (S) and the housing (6) is provided to be opened to the outside of the ice tray (4) only by means of the passage (7). This extends the freezing time of the water in the housing (6) even after the water in the receptacle (5) is entirely frozen.

[0034] In an embodiment of the present invention, the ice tray (4) comprises a body (8) whereon receptacles (5) and at least one passage (7) extending from the base of each receptacle (5) to the outside are disposed and a tray (9) which is disposed under the body (8) and where the housings (6) are located on the upper surface corresponding under the receptacles (5) (Figure 2). In this embodiment, one end of the passages (7) is opened to the receptacle (5) and the other end is opened from the base of the body (8) to the outside. The end of the passage (7) opened to the outside opens onto the housing (6) formed on the upper surface of the tray (9) when the body (8) and the tray (9) are joined together. In this embodiment of the present invention, since the receptacle (5) and the passage (7) remain entirely inside the body (8) and the housing (6) entirely inside the tray (9) and since they do not form a protrusion towards the outside, the tray (9) and the body (8) can move slidingly on one another. Accordingly, the clear ice in the receptacle (5) is enabled to be removed from the receptacle (5) more easily by the user. The passage (7) has a thin structure and even if the water in the receptacle (5), passage (7) and the housing (6) is frozen, passage is broken apart by any movement of the body (8) and the tray (9) with respect to each other and the ice in the receptacle (5) is easily removed.

[0035] In this embodiment of the present invention, the cooling device (1) comprises one or more rails located on the upper surface of the tray (9) and one or more slides that are located on the lower surface of the body (8) seated on the tray (9) and that are seated on the rails on the tray (9). The cooling device (1) furthermore comprises a stopper that prevents the body (8) from being detached from the tray (9) during the sliding movement on the tray (9).

[0036] In another embodiment of the present invention, the ice tray (4) is formed by one or more pieces not moving with respect to each other. Accordingly, the insulation of the ice tray (4) is provided more easily and production of the ice tray (4) is also quite easy (Figure 3).

[0037] By means of the present invention, the water in the receptacle (5) is enabled to freeze faster while the water in the almost entirely insulated housing (6) and the passage (7) is enabled to freeze slower than the water in the receptacle (5). Accordingly, the clear ice formed in the receptacle (5) is enabled to be removed from the ice tray (4) more easily by the user.