Valve and door assembly for semi-frozen food dispensing machine

A dispensing valve assembly for dispensing a softserve product from a refrigeration machine, said valve assembly comprising;

• a receptacle and a cup shaped insert, below said receptacle, said insert having a skirt,
• a shaft extending through said receptacle and insert and guided thereby;
• a head positioned on the extended end of said shaft and captured thereby and a diaphragm connected to said head end and circumscribing said skirt of said insert, whereby when said shaft reciprocates, said diaphragm rolls inwardly of the skirt of said insert thereby inhibiting product mix from entering the receptacle and insert through which said shaft portion of said valve extends;
• a door assembly for said softserve freezing machine, said door assembly including a cover;
• an aperture in said cover for receiving a valve body of said dispensing valve assembly, and means associated with said valve assembly for locking said valve assembly to said cover;
• and
• a door coupled to said cover and dispensing valve for coupling to a freezing cylinder of said softserve machine.

A combination door and semi-frozen food product dispensing valve assembly for a softserve refrigeration machine;

• said machine including a closed refrigeration system with a recirculating refrigerant path, said system including a condenser in said path having a liquid refrigerant output, a throttling expansion valve for changing state of liquid refrigerant to a gas and an evaporator having an inlet and an outlet, all serially connected in said refrigerant path;
• said evaporator including a freezing chamber therein for receiving product mix and dispensing semi-frozen product through an outlet end of said freezing chamber;
• a circumferentially extending rim on said freezing chamber, and a door in said combination door and valve assembly for mating in sealing engagement with said rim;
• a cover associated with said door and a locking ring associated with said cover, and means on said locking ring for engaging said rim and urging said door against said rim in sealing engagement therewith;
• a valve assembly for engagement in said door assembly with said door, through said cover, locking said door to said rim inhibiting displacement of said cover;
• a frozen product passageway in said door assembly and said valve assembly, and a dispensing valve shaft in said valve assembly movable between a first position closing off said passageway for product and to a second position opening said passageway to permit product to pass therethrough.