Method for making liquid or semi-liquid products and machine to implement the method

A machine for making liquid or semi-liquid products, comprising:

• a first processing container for processing a basic liquid or semi-liquid product and defining a processing chamber;
• a cooling cylinder mounted inside the first container;
• a rotary stirrer mounted inside the first processing container and inside the processing chamber and outside the cooling cylinder, the rotary stirrer being rotatable about a horizontal axis;
• a second processing container;
• a connecting duct between the first container and the second container;
• a dispensing device associated with the first processing container and configured, in a dispensing configuration, to deliver the liquid or semi-liquid product to an exterior of the machine or, in an inhibiting configuration, to prevent the liquid or semi-liquid product from being dispensed;
• a valve mechanism including:
• a shutoff valve positioned and configured to axially move between open and closed positions to respectively open and close the connecting duct;
• a further duct connected between the shutoff valve and an actuator including a motor;
• the further duct axially movable by the actuator along an axis of the further duct to move the shutoff valve between the open and closed positions;
• the further duct including an upstream end adjacent the actuator, a downstream end adjacent the shutoff valve and an internal longitudinal through cavity between the upstream end and the downstream end;
• a one-way valve positioned at the upstream end to allow air into the internal through cavity;
• wherein the shutoff valve is actuatable independently of actuation of the rotary stirrer;
• a control unit operatively connected to the dispensing device to detect the dispensing or inhibiting configuration thereof, and to the shutoff valve to drive the shutoff valve between the closed configuration and the open configuration, the control unit being configured to drive the shutoff valve to set the shutoff valve to the closed configuration if the dispensing device is in the dispensing configuration.

A machine for making liquid or semi-liquid products, comprising:

• a first processing container for processing a basic liquid or semi-liquid product and defining a processing chamber;
• a rotary stirrer mounted inside the first processing container;
• a cooling cylinder mounted inside the first container;
• a second processing container;
• a connecting duct between the first container and the second container;
• a dispensing device associated with the first processing container and configured, in a dispensing configuration, to deliver the liquid or semi-liquid product to an exterior of the machine or, in an inhibiting configuration, to prevent the liquid or semi-liquid product from being dispensed;
• a shutoff valve configured, in a closed configuration, to close the connecting duct between the first container and the second container or, in an open configuration, to open the connecting duct between the first container and the second container;
• a control unit operatively connected to the dispensing device to detect the dispensing or inhibiting configuration thereof, and to the shutoff valve to drive the shutoff valve between the closed configuration and the open configuration, the control unit being configured to drive the shutoff valve to set the shutoff valve to the closed configuration if the dispensing device is in the dispensing configuration;
• wherein the shutoff valve is defined by a further duct including an internal longitudinal through cavity, the further duct being movable vertically between a closed position where the connecting duct is closed and an open position where the connecting duct is open;
• wherein the further duct includes an upper air inlet opening in fluid communication with the internal longitudinal through cavity;
• a one-way valve associated with the upper air inlet opening to allow air into the internal longitudinal through cavity;
• wherein the first processing container includes a radially protruding longitudinal portion defining a zone for recirculating the basic liquid or semiliquid product when the rotary stirrer is set in rotation.