Automated machine for making semi-frozen beverages

An automated machine for making semi-frozen beverages, which machine includes:

• a bowl system including an upper chamber with an open top and a lower chamber open to and positioned below said upper chamber;
• said bowl system further including a lid assembly with first and second lid halves removably placed on said upper chamber top and adapted for closing same, each said lid half having inner and outer ends and a mating flange on said inner end, a lock, a locked position with said mating flanges locked together in abutting relation by said lock with said lid assembly placed on said upper chamber top;
• said bowl system further including a dispensing assembly including a dispensing tube communicating with said lower chamber and a valve having a closed position closing said tube and an open position opening said tube for discharging the contents of said chamber;
• a mixing system including an auger assembly rotatably received in said lower chamber and a drive assembly coupled to said auger assembly for rotating same;
• a rotational axis about which said auger assembly rotates;
• helical fighting forming a central, coaxial receiver receiving said evaporator cylinder;
• a drive shaft coaxial with said rotational axis and having front and back ends;
• front and back bearings connected to said bowl and rotatably receiving said drive shaft front and back ends respectively;
• a crank arm connected to said chive shaft front end and extending laterally therefrom;
• a sweep bar extending generally parallel to said rotational axis and connected to said crank arm and to multiple flights of said fighting;
• said drive shaft back end being drivingly connected to said drive assembly;
• said drive assembly including:
• a motor;
• a first gear connected to said motor;
• a second gear connected to said drive shaft back end;
• and a drive belt drivingly connecting said first and second gears;
• a refrigeration system including:
• an evaporator cylinder positioned in said chamber, said evaporator cylinder having inner and outer tubes and an expansion/evaporation space therebetween for receiving said refrigerant;
• a compressor;
• and a condenser,
• said evaporator cylinder receiving refrigerant from said compressor and said condenser receiving refrigerant from said cylinder;
• said refrigeration system further including a refrigeration control connected to said compressor and including a sensor for sensing a temperature or viscosity of the chamber contents and controlling the flow of refrigerant to said expansion cylinder in response thereto;
• said sensor comprising a torque resistance assembly connected to said drive assembly and activated in response to a viscosity of said chamber contents, said torque resistance assembly comprising said drive assembly being rotatably mounted with respect to said bowl system and adapted for rotating with respect to said rotational axis between first and second positions, said torque resistance assembly including a switch mounted on said bowl system in contact with said drive assembly and having open and closed positions corresponding to said drive assembly first and second positions respectively;
• a refrigerant line extending from said compressor to said evaporator cylinder;
• and
• a solenoid valve in said refrigerant line, said solenoid valve having an open position corresponding to said switch closed position and a closed position corresponding to said switch open position.