Apparatus for making frozen drinks

An apparatus for making a milkshake or smoothie in a cup containing milkshake or smoothie ingredients frozen into a block which conforms to an interior shape of the cup, the apparatus comprising:

• a cup holder for non-rotatably receiving the cup, the cup having a vertical axis;
• a rotatable blade aligned relative to the cup holder to have a first raised position remote from an open top end of the cup and a second lowered position wherein the blade is in engagement with the ingredients inside the cup, the movement of the blade being along the vertical axis of the cup;
• a mix motor operably coupled to the blade to rotate the blade;
• a drive motor operably coupled to change the relative blade and cup positions between the first and second positions;
• a source of liquid heated to at least approximately 100° F.;
• and
• a liquid dispenser disposed over an opening at a top end of the cup in the cup holder, the dispenser being in fluid communication with the source and aligned for adding a predetermined portion of the heated liquid into the cup to be mixed with the ingredients therein by the rotatable blade.

An apparatus for making frozen drinks from a frozen substance in a cup, wherein the substance is frozen to substantially conform to an interior of the cup, the apparatus comprising:

• a cup support for receiving the cup and inhibiting rotation of the cup, the cup having a vertical axis;
• a rotatable blade assembly including shaving elements and aeration elements, the blade assembly moveable along the vertical axis between upper and lower blade positions, the lower blade position being at a height such that when a cup is positioned in the cup support, the blade assembly is positioned within the cup and adjacent to a bottom of the cup;
• a source of heated liquid;
• and
• a pump configured to direct heated liquid from the source thereof into a cup containing a frozen substance when the cup is positioned in the cup support.

An apparatus for making a frozen drink from a frozen substance in a cup, wherein the substance is frozen to substantially conform to the interior of the cup, the apparatus comprising:

• a housing;
• a cup support mounted to the housing, the cup support inhibiting rotation of the cup;
• a liquid dispenser having an outlet positioned to direct a predetermined amount of heated liquid into a cup positioned on the cup support;
• and
• a shaft mounted to the housing, the shaft carrying a rotatable blade having shaving elements and aeration elements thereon, the shaft moveable relative to the housing to carry the blade between an upper blade position remote from the cup support and a lower blade position adjacent to the cup support, the rotatable blade configured to, when it is lowered into a cup containing frozen substance, shave the frozen substance, mix the frozen substance with heated liquid dispensed by the liquid dispenser, and incorporate air into the resultant mixture of frozen substance and heated liquid.