US 7,621,669 B1 · Blender for ingredients and flavoring for soft-serve freezer product

Abstract

An assembly is mounted to a soft serve confection freezer. It includes a set of modules in a circular array and separately replaceable in a magazine. Each module supports a container storing a dry food ingredient in particulate form, and has a motor driven product impeller for controlled discharge of particulates from the container to a blender assembly. The blender assembly has a housing and screw-type auger of cooperating configurations and which cooperate with a central passageway for frozen confection flowing from the freezer, to blend solids into the confection and discharge into a customer's container for immediate consumption. Control panel selection of ingredients by the operator according to the customer's order, is provided. Components are arranged to facilitate cleaning. A system for control panel selection by the operator of liquid additives to the flowing confection, is provided to accommodate the customer's order.

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Drawings

Claims18

Dependent claims

Apparatus for providing, on-demand of a soft-serve dessert customer, the blending of edible ingredient solids into a frozen edible base product when flowing from a freezer, the apparatus comprising:

a blender assembly which has an inlet for coupling to a dispenser outlet of a freezer, for receiving said frozen edible base product from said dispenser outlet of the freezer into said blender assembly, said blender assembly having an outlet for dispensing a blended product from said blender assembly, and said blender assembly having a passageway with an entrance at said inlet and an exit spaced from said blended product outlet;
a storage assembly including a plurality of containers for storage in different ones of said containers, different ingredient solids for selective blending with said base product passed through said passageway;
a transfer device coupled to said storage assembly and to said blender assembly for receiving selected ones of said solids from said storage assembly and for guiding said selected ones of said solids from said storage assembly into said blender assembly;
said blender assembly including a blender hopper coupled to said transfer device for receiving said selected ones of said solids from said transfer device and for introducing said selected ones of said solids to said base product when said base product from the freezer is flowing out from said passageway toward said blended product outlet;
a blending chamber in said blender hopper between said passageway exit and said blended product outlet;
a blending auger in said blender hopper and including at least a portion of said passageway and mounted for rotation on an axis of rotation for moving said solids toward said blended product outlet, said auger having an intake end and having a discharge end;
a blender motor coupled to said auger for rotation of said auger on said axis;
valves associated with said containers and operable, when actuated, for release of selected ones of said stored ingredient solids from said storage assembly to said transfer device;
and
a controller coupled to said blender motor and to said valves to operate said auger to move released ingredient solids into said base product in said blending chamber during passage of said base product from said passageway to said blended product outlet.

7 more elements

Apparatus for blending edible ingredient solids into a flowing, frozen edible base product and comprising:

an auger axle tube having a longitudinal axis and having an upper end with a circular connector portion for coupling to and alignment with a dispenser outlet of a freezer for said base product and for passage of said base product from said dispenser outlet through said tube toward a blended product outlet, said tube having a lower end;
a storage assembly for storage of different types of ingredient solids for blending with said base product passed through said tube;
a blender having an inlet for receiving ingredient solids from said storage assembly and for introducing the ingredient solids to said base product;
a blending space in said blender between said blended product outlet and a portion of said tube adjacent said lower end;
a blending auger in said blender and encircling at least a portion of said tube and mounted on said tube for rotation on an axis of rotation for moving said solids toward said blended product outlet, said auger having an upper end and having a lower end;
valves associated with said storage assembly and operable, when actuated, for release of stored ingredient solids from said storage assembly to said blender inlet;
and
a controller coupled to said auger and to said valves to operate said auger to move released ingredient solids into said base product during passage of said base product from said tube to said blended product outlet.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description6,898 words

Summary262 words

#This invention relates generally to apparatus for dispensing flavored, flow-able frozen foods to a customer for soft-serve ice cream, ice milk, ices, smoothies, slushes, shakes or the like.

#My U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,520 issued Dec. 27, 1988 and certain patents cited therein, disclose various approaches to mixing several different flavoring liquids to a base mix of ice cream. U.S. Pat. No. 3,001,770 issued to Mueller on Sep. 26, 1961 shows a machine for mixing different flavoring liquids with ice cream and has a device for injecting nuts into the mixture. To the best of my knowledge, there is no apparatus available which can be connected to a conventional freezer machine for soft-serve ice cream or some other semi-frozen edible product, and which is useful to select and blend one or more different ingredients into the food product of the freezer machine for dispensing into a cone or cup to a customer immediately upon demand. The present invention is addressed to this need.

#Described briefly, one embodiment of the invention comprises method and apparatus readily adaptable to use with conventional, commercially available freezer dispensers for semi-frozen foods, and enabling selection and blending various different food ingredients in solid form into a food product dispensed as a fluid (hereinafter referred to as frozen base product) from the freezer dispenser at a temperature below 0 degrees Celsius, and dispensing selected blends of solids in frozen base product in fluid form to a customer's container on demand.

Brief description of the drawings25 figures

#FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a conventional soft-serve ice cream freezer machine with a blender dispenser mounted to it according to one embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 2A is an enlarged front view in section of an ingredient storage and transfer assembly.

#FIG. 2B is a front view in section on the same scale as FIG. 2A and showing a blender assembly.

Detailed description6,117 words

#Referring now to FIGS. 1-19 of the drawings in detail, a soft-serve ice cream freezer assembly 11 is supported on wheels 12 and has a discharge spigot 13 on a front plate 14 removable from the freezer, usually by loosening four knobs. The spigot has an operating handle 16. Upon pulling the handle down, a frozen, usually unflavored, base product is discharged from the freezer through the spigot in the direction of arrow 17. Examples of such soft serve freezers are Taylor Model 754,338, 339, 741, H84, 8754, C706, C707, and C708. Other brands of freezers may be used also. Some older Taylor models and other brands are identified in my above-mentioned patent.

#Apparatus incorporating an embodiment of the present invention includes an ingredient storage assembly, a blender assembly, means for transfer of selected ingredients from the storage assembly to the blender assembly, and related mounting, selection and control devices.

#The ingredient storage and transfer assembly 18 is attached to the top of the freezer by use of a mounting plate 19 (FIG. 1). This plate uses a double-faced bonding tape that bonds the plate to the top of the freezer cabinet. Other or additional fasteners may be used, if desired. Mounting base 21 is a molded plastic part FIG. 5 having a flange 21F with slots 21S in its rear-edge receiving upstanding studs (not shown) on the mounting plate 19. It is attached to the mounting plate by use of two clamping knobs 22 screwed onto the studs and securing the mounting base to the mounting plate.

Facts

Application

11/181,604Filed 14 Jul 2005 · continuation in part

Priority

9 Mar 2004

Granted

24 Nov 2009

Term ends

16 Apr 2027

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 1,133 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification18 codes

A23G 9/228
Details, component parts or accessories of apparatus insofar as not peculiar to a single one of the preceding groups: arrangement and mounting of…
A23G 9/12
Batch production: using means for stirring the contents in a non-moving container
A23G 9/224
Details, component parts or accessories of apparatus insofar as not peculiar to a single one of the preceding groups: agitators or scrapers
A23G 9/281
For portioning or dispensing: at the discharge end of freezing chambers

Timeline

9 Mar 2004Priority claimedParent application 10/796,742
14 Jul 2005Application filedUS 11/181,604
14 Jul 2005Assigned to Flavor Burst Co., L.L.P.assignment of assignor's interest
24 Nov 2009GrantedUS 7,621,669 B1
6 Jul 2023Assigned to Flavor Burst, LLCchange of name
12 Oct 2026TodayWithin its term
16 Apr 2027Term endsEstimated, includes 1,133 days of adjustment

Blender for ingredients and flavoring for soft-serve freezer product

Life of this patent

Blender for ingredients and flavoring for soft-serve freezer product

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims18

Description6,898 words

Drawings

Classification18 codes

Life of this patent

Description6,898 words