1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ice maker, more particularly to an ice maker which manufactures block ice or small molded ice.
2. Related Art
Ice that has been distributed in the market is mainly prism-shaped, large-sized ice manufactured in an ice can. The ice can is used to manufacture the ice industrially on a large scale by a method described in JP 2011-112279 A, for example.
A consumer of ice is diverse including a general household, a general restaurant, a bar, a fishing gear shop, and a store which is particular about ice. In general, these consumers either purchase the prism-shaped, large-sized ice manufactured in the ice can and cut up into a convenient size or manufacture ice on a small scale in a household refrigerator. As described above, there is no ice maker exclusively used to make ice on a relatively small scale that is currently sold on the market as far as the inventor is aware.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds