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
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