Dispenser of Ingredients For The Self-Preparation Of Food At A Sales Point

A dispenser of ingredients for the self-preparation of food at sales point said dispenser comprising:

• a conical geometry container essentially funnel-shaped with its apex downwards, inside which a liquid with food granules is deposited which can be preserved inside at a predetermined high temperature and controlled by an automatic action thermostatic device that acts as a temperature controller so that if the temperature drops below a certain limit thermal sensor automatically actuates a heating device to raise the temperature of the liquid with granulated food to the predetermined level;
• container walls being constituted of a double wall with an insulating material in between to help maintain the predetermined high temperature with minimal use of the heating device;
• the container further includes a level sensor for maintaining the liquid level within a certain prescribed range, automatically activating a pump that transfers necessary fluid from an outer tank into the container;
• the container further has inside an endless screw partially housed in a tube which is placed along one of the sloping walls of the container so that an uncovered part of the endless screw is oriented towards a bottom of the container while a part of the endless screw covered by the tube is directed towards an outlet spout, so that if the endless screw rotates in one direction, the food material stored in the container bottom is propelled by the endless screw and introduced into the tube partially surrounding the endless screw;
• whereby the tube and the endless screw are designed so that part of the food material is propelled towards the outlet spout when the endless screw rotates while a sieve effect may be produced by the existence of a small gap between the tube and the endless screw allowing some of the liquid food material back into or remaining inside the container or by the presence on the tube of a series of perforations through which the liquid is returned into the container depending on these characteristics of the tube and the endless screw, the solid-to-liquid ratio of the material propelled into the spout is controlled;
• the endless screw being driven by a drive unit consisting of an electric motor and a mechanical gearbox that allows the drive unit to have sufficient torque to move the endless screw depending on the density and consistency of the food mixture which is inside the container;
• the drive unit being placed outside the container and having an axle or drive shaft that penetrates the wall of the container through a hydraulic seal that allows it to rotate without allowing the liquid inside the container to leak through a space between the shaft and the wall of the container;
• and
• the motor and the endless screw are further characterised by the latter being united to the motor shaft by a quick-release coupling mechanism consisting of a slotted cylinder and transverse pin or by coupling mechanism consisting of a reverse thread to allow easy separation of the endless screw and the drive unit.