Frozen confection machine
AssigneeCremmjoy Inc.
InventorsJason Hugenroth, Max Louis Lemoine, Daniel Ross Stelly
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatuses, systems, and methods are disclosed for eliminating or greatly reducing the cleaning process of frozen confection apparatus or machines by having the comestible mixture contained in a flexible container or bag. The comestible mixture is chilled and/or frozen and dispensed from the bag without contacting other parts of the machine, thereby helping to prevent the comestible mixture from being contaminated with bacterial, viral, chemical, or physical contaminants.
Claims53
An apparatus that freezes an associated liquid mixture into an associated product that is at least partially frozen, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one flexible wall freeze bag configured to receive an associated mixture therein;
- at least one physical element configured to contact and move along an outer surface of the freeze bag wherein the physical element causes the walls of the freeze bag to contact each other in the area of the physical element such that a temporary seal is formed and to agitate the associated mixture in the freeze bag and
- the at least one physical element extends between two ends, with a width of the physical element being less than a width of the at least one freeze bag, and such that the agitation includes some of the associated mixture flowing around and beyond at least one end of the at least one physical element;
- a cooling element that cools the associated mixture in the freeze bag through the outer surface of the freeze bag from an initially liquid state to an at least partially frozen state;
- wherein there are plurality of the at least one physical element each extending between the two ends, and a first of the ends being on a first side of the at least one flexible wall freeze bag, and a second of the ends at a second side of the at least one freeze bag, with the associated mixture flowing around and beyond at least one of the first ends in one of the plurality of physical elements and beyond at least one of the second ends in another of the plurality of physical elements;
- and
- wherein the freeze bag is initially empty when received in the apparatus.
A method of making a frozen confection with an apparatus that freezes a liquid mixture and dispenses a product that is at least partially frozen, the method comprising:
- providing at least one flexible wall freeze bag configured to receive an associated mixture therein, the at least one freeze bag being initially empty when moved into the apparatus, and then moving the associated mixture into the freeze bag;
- agitating the mixture in the freeze bag with at least one physical element acting on a first external surface of the freeze bag and causing the walls of the freeze bag to contact each other in the area of the physical element such that a temporary seal is formed and the at least one physical element extends between two ends, with a width of the physical element being less than a width of the at least one freeze bag, and such that the agitation includes some of the associated mixture flowing around and beyond at least one end of the at least one physical element;
- cooling the mixture in the freeze bag with a cooling element through a second opposed external surface of the freeze bag from an initially liquid state to an at least partially frozen state;
- and
- wherein there are plurality of the at least one physical element each extending between the two ends, and a first of the ends being on a first side of the at least one flexible wall freeze bag, and a second of the ends at a second side of the at least one freeze bag, with the associated mixture flowing around and beyond at least one of the first ends in one of the plurality of physical elements and beyond at least one of the second ends in another of the plurality of physical elements.
The apparatus of method 22, wherein at least one of the plurality of physical elements allowing flow around and beyond both the first end and the second end.
An apparatus that freezes an associated liquid mixture into an associated product that is at least partially frozen, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one flexible wall freeze bag configured to receive an associated mixture therein;
- at least one physical element acting on an external surface of the freeze bag to agitate the associated mixture in the freeze bag;
- and
- a cooling element that cools the associated mixture in the freeze bag from an initially liquid state to an at least partially frozen state, wherein the freeze bag is initially empty when received in the apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.