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Inventors The History of Ice Cubes Trays
By Mary Bellis

An American physician, John Gorrie, built a refrigerator in 1844 to make ice to cool the air for his yellow fever patients. Dr. Gorrie may have also invented the first ice cube tray in its current form.

Fred W. Wolf Jr. invented a refrigerating machine called the DOMELRE or DOMestic ELectric REfrigerator, in 1914. The DOMELRE was not successful, however, it did have an ice cube tray and inspired later refrigerators to have trays as well.

The first flexible stainless steel, all-metal ice tray was invented by Guy L. Tinkham in 1933. The tray flexed sidewise to eject the ice cubes.

“Flexing the tray cracks the ice into cubes corresponding to the division points in the tray, and then forces the cubes up and out. Pressure forcing the ice out is due to the 5-degree draft on both sides of the tray.”
The inventor was the then vice president of the General Utilities Mfg. Co., a company that produced household appliances. The McCord ice tray as it was called cost $0.50 in 1933.

1932 Patent - Ice Cube Tray - Newman
Ice Cube Tray Patent
 
 
 

From Mary Bellis,
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