An apparatus for a countertop ice dispenser or ice and beverage dispenser is made from a single piece plastic ice bin. Parts for the dispenser are assembled into sub-assemblies before final assembly. The ice bin may be made by a rotomolding process. This uses relatively inexpensive molds with reasonable control over the thickness of the resulting bin, while allowing up to 0.005" of variation per inch of length in the overall size of the ice bin. The resulting ice bin has hollow walls that can be...

An ice brake is presented that provides stopping traction on ice, snow, water, dirt, gravel, and solid ground. It is driven by a hydraulic ram to provide quick response. The brake has a blade with a bottom edge that has cutout portions to allow up to 50% debris accumulated by the brake to escape. This increases drag, because debris is forced to pass through these cutout sections. The brake is strong enough to apply sufficient loading force on ice to break a craft's hull free from being frozen do...

Novel ice confections are described that contain air passages. The passages are preferably parallel to each other and are so arranged that cutting of the ice confection at low temperatures, eg deep-freeze temperatures is facilitated and is adequately uniform throughout the ice confection.

A hand tool adapted to mechanically remove materials such as ice, frost, and/or snow from surfaces such as automobile window glass comprises a longitudinally-extending handle having a front end and a rear end, a scraper disposed adjacent the front end of the handle, a rear grip disposed adjacent the rear end of the handle, and a front grip disposed adjacent the front end of the handle. The rear grip is adapted to facilitate a user applying force to the scraper in a direction generally parallel t...

An ice anchor and method of use thereof for securing or rescuing a vehicle which has become stuck or trapped while on a frozen surface of a body of water. The ice anchor may include blades which form a shaft and fit into an opening in the ice, and plates that limit insertion of the anchor into the hole and define an attachment area for a safety device such as a rope, chain, or cable, which may include a tensioning device. When lateral force is placed on the shaft by tensioning the safety device,...

An ice maker including a cooling and heating apparatus to absorb heat on one side of the apparatus's structure, and then distribute the heat on the opposite side of the apparatus's structure, and at least one receptacle to receive water for freezing, wherein the receptacle is mechanically inverted in order to release the ice. The receptacle is located above the heat absorbing side of the apparatus when water is being frozen, and the receptacle is located below the heat distributing side when the...

An ice mold of the type comprising a tray (10) incorporating a plurality of cavities (11) for ice formation, each two adjacent cavities (11) being separated by a corresponding tray portion (12), at least part of said tray portions (12) being provided with a window (20), which is dimensioned in order to allow the formation and the ascending passage of a convective air current between each two adjacent cavities (11), at least part of the opposite lateral walls (13a) of each cavity (11) being forme...

A chopper, or crusher (1) for breaking up ice, including a housing (2, 3) able to be pushed over the goods to be broken up and with a knife (5) with a blade having a toothed cutter (52) is provided. An upper housing part (2) is detachably connectable to a beaker-like housing lower part (3) closed at the bottom. In a preferred embodiment, the height H.sub.K of the blade (51), the height of the beaker H.sub.B and the maximum vertical path of the knife (5) limited by an actuation mechanism (4) are ...

An ice skate comprising a blade and a blade holder. The blade holder providing decreasing, non rigid, and/or no lateral support in a rearward region of the blade so that it may facilitate increased or freer flexibility of the blade and improved maneuverability. The blade is rigidly laterally supported at a front end section of the blade holder and preferably also at a back end section of the blade holder so that it may facilitate efficient transfer of force between the skater and the blade. One ...

An ice-maker for producing transparent ice cubes has a refrigerating assembly, an ice cube making tub, and a feeding tank for filling the ice cube making tub in a common housing. The ice cube making tub is movable between a first position, wherein cooling fingers of the refrigerating assembly engage into the ice cube making tub, and a second position away from the cooling fingers.