Beverage mixing system and method
OwnerMark E. Goodsoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A beverage mixing system/method allowing faster mixing/blending of frozen beverages is disclosed. The system/method in various embodiments utilizes inductive coupling to introduce heat into the frozen beverage during the mixing/blending process via a rotating driveshaft and attached mechanical agitator to speed the mixing/blending process. Exemplary embodiments may be configured to magnetically induce heat into the driveshaft and/or mechanical agitator mixing blade to affect this mixing/blending performance improvement. This heating effect may be augmented via the use of high power LED arrays aimed into the frozen slurry to provide additional heat input. The system/method may be applied with particular advantage to the mixing of ice cream type beverages and other viscous beverage products.
Claims49
A beverage mixing system comprising:
- (a) rotational driver;
- (b) driveshaft;
- (c) mechanical agitator;
- (d) induction coil;
- and
- (e) coil stimulator;
- wherein
- said rotational driver is mechanically coupled to and configured to rotate said driveshaft;
- said driveshaft is mechanically coupled to said mechanical agitator;
- said mechanical agitator is configured to mix or blend a beverage product within a mixing container;
- said induction coil is magnetically coupled to said driveshaft;
- said induction coil is configured to inductively heats said driveshaft when said induction coil is electrically driven;
- said coil stimulator is electrically coupled to said induction coil and electrically drives said induction coil at an excitation frequency;
- and
- said system further comprises an infrared irradiation source configured to irradiate said beverage product.
A beverage mixing method comprising:
- (1) mechanically coupling a rotational driver to a driveshaft;
- (2) mechanically coupling said driveshaft to a mechanical agitator;
- (3) magnetically coupling said driveshaft to an induction coil;
- (4) stimulating said induction coil with an electrical drive signal at an excitation frequency to inductively heat said driveshaft and by conduction heat said mechanical agitator;
- (5) activating said rotational driver to rotate said heated mechanical agitator within a beverage product placed in a container to modify said beverage product viscosity and proceeding to said step (4) until a desired beverage product viscosity is reached;
- and
- (6) irradiating said beverage product with an infrared irradiation source.
A beverage mixing system comprising:
- (a) rotational driver;
- (b) driveshaft;
- and
- (c) mechanical agitator;
- wherein
- said rotational driver is mechanically coupled to and configured to rotate said driveshaft;
- said driveshaft is mechanically coupled to said mechanical agitator;
- said mechanical agitator is configured to mix or blend a beverage product within a mixing container;
- said system further comprises an infrared irradiation source configured to irradiate said beverage product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.