Frozen dessert dispensing machine and cartridge

A machine for dispensing an individual portion of a frozen dessert, the machine comprising:

• a cartridge cart having walls forming a cylindrical cavity having a longitudinal central axis and configured to accommodate a cartridge including a cylindrical tube having first and second ends, a nozzle disposed at the first end, a piston disposed between the nozzle and the second end and configured to slidably move along the cylindrical tube, the frozen dessert contained within the cylindrical tube between the nozzle and the piston;
• a plunger mounted for movement of the cartridge cart relative to the plunger along the central axis or for movement of the plunger relative to the cartridge cart along the central axis;
• a drive source operably coupled to at least one of cartridge cart or the plunger and configured to drive the plunger along the central axis;
• a support configured to support the first end of the cartridge with the plunger in engagement with the piston such that, with the cylindrical tube radially supported by the cartridge cart and axially supported by the support, actuating the drive source causes at least some of the frozen dessert to dispense through the nozzle as the individual portion;
• a first vertically moving structure to which the cartridge cart and the drive source are operably connected, wherein the cartridge cart has an opening at a top end and the support at a bottom end, wherein actuating the drive source causes the first vertically moving structure to move up vertically thereby vertically moving the cartridge cart such that the plunger enters the opening at the top end, engages the piston, and pushes the piston along the central axis while the support moves up vertically thereby pushing the at least some of the frozen dessert through the nozzle;
• and
• a second vertically moving structure having thereon a turntable configured to accommodate a dessert cup, wherein, in synchronicity with the actuating the drive source, the drive source or a second drive source causes the second vertically moving structure to move up vertically while the turntable turns thereby simultaneously rotating and vertically moving the dessert cup for the at least some of the frozen dessert pushed through the nozzle to be dispensed into the dessert cup.