Abstract:
A machine for making ice cream bars is provided with a receptacle for holding a refrigerant, preferably an ice and brine bath, a lower lid movably mountable over the receptacle, and an upper lid mountable over the lower lid, the lower and upper lids rotatable together about a vertical axis. The machine further includes four containers for receiving and holding an ice cream bar mix, the containers configured to be coupled to the upper lid and the lower lid with a portion of the container immerged in the bath. A user can turn a handle on the receptacle to rotate the lids, and thus the containers relative to the bath in order to promote freezing of the ice cream mix into an ice cream bar.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates generally to an apparatus for affecting the temperature of a substance by placing the substance in a container and immersing the container in a bath. More particularly, the invention concerns an ice cream bar maker, including a receptacle for holding an ice and brine bath, an upper lid and a lower lid for holding the container partially immersed in the bath, and a drive mechanism for rotating the lids to move the container in the bath, thus to promote sinking of heat away from the substance, particularly an ice cream mix which freezes in the container to form an ice cream bar. 
     Children enjoy preparing and eating ice cream and other frozen treats. Ice cream is made by freezing a cream-based mixture or other appropriate mixture in a tub while turning a paddle in the mixture to combine air with the mixture as it freezes. The churning of the mixture by the paddle also helps to distribute the effect of a surrounding refrigerant throughout the mixture to speed the freezing. Such manual preparation of ice cream can be an enjoyable, albeit laborious prelude to the serving and eating of the ice cream. Ice cream can also be formed simply by combining an appropriate dry mixture with cream or half-and-half, i.e., cream mixed with whole milk and freezing the combination, which method is well suited for preparing ice cream in bars or other shapes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The apparatus of the present invention provides for making ice cream bars on reusable sticks by a method that mimics the manual preparation of ice cream, although without tuning a paddle in a cream mixture. The invented apparatus includes a receptacle or bowl for holding an ice and brine bath four containers for holding an ice cream-forming mixture. A lower lid is disposed over the receptacle and has a toothed rim that mates with a drive gear mounted to the receptacle. A handle coupled to the gear extends from the receptacle so that a user can grasp and turn the handle to rotate the lower lid about a vertical axis. An upper lid disposed over the lower lid includes four slots that correspond to four slots in the lower lid. Each container is inserted through a pair of upper and lower lid slots so that a portion of the container depends into the receptacle and is immersed in the ice and brine bath. 
     The receptacle includes a rim defining an upward-facing opening and the upper lid holds the containers so that the container&#39;s edge is higher than the rim of the receptacle, thus preventing the bath from leaking or seeping into the container. That is, even if the receptacle is overfilled, the bath flows over the rim of the receptacle before it reaches the edge of the container. Children may use the apparatus, with or without parental supervision depending on the children&#39;s maturity, to make their own ice cream bars by following simple instructions. 
     The receptacle includes a central mount surrounded by an annular basin and the mount has an annular bearing surface. The lower lid has a corresponding annular bearing surface that mounts rotatably to the receptacle&#39;s bearing surface. The upper lid mounts over the lower lid, and with the containers in place through the slots of both lids, the upper and lower lids rotate together as the handle is turned, thus moving the containers through the bath. Rotating the containers is not strictly necessary for freezing the mixture, but it speeds sinking away of heat from the containers and thus speeds freezing. Additionally, cranking the handle is reminiscent of cranking a handle on a manual ice cream maker and can be a pleasant pastime while one waits for the mixture to freeze. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the ice cream bar maker of the present invention, showing a receptacle with an upper lid in place, four grips of reusable sticks extending above the upper lid, a bolt holding the upper lid in place, and a hand of a user grasping and rotating a handle of a drive mechanism to rotate the upper lid. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the ice cream bar maker showing the handle and web of the reusable stick above a container for the ice cream mixture above the upper lid, which is above a lower lid, which is above the receptacle, and also showing a central mount having an annular bearing surface in the receptacle. 
     FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a rack used in association with the ice cream bar maker, the rack including three bins for holding ice cream bar decorations, such as sprinkles, chopped nuts, or cookie pieces, and two removable cups for holding coatings for the ice cream bars. 
     FIG. 4 is a partially exploded isometric view of the stand of FIG. 3, with one of the cups shown above the stand. 
     FIG. 5 is an overhead view of the ice cream bar maker showing the upper lid, with the sticks removed, and four ice-cream-bar-mixture containers inserted in four slots in the upper lid, the containers snapped into place in retainers adjacent the slots which consist of flexible tabs at each end of the slots, and also showing a pair of brine-escape ports on the upper lid, as well as the handle of the drive mechanism. 
     FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the ice cream bar maker showing four pads on which the receptacle stands, the underside of the central mount of the receptacle, and the handle and gear of the drive mechanism. 
     FIG. 7 is a front plan view of the ice cream bar maker with the upper lid and bolt in place. 
     FIG. 8 is a side plan view of the handle-side of the ice cream bar maker. 
     FIG. 9 is a side plan view of the side of the ice cream bar maker opposite the handle-side. 
     FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the ice cream bar maker, as cut in FIG. 5, showing the lower lid bearing on the central mount, a gear of the drive mechanism engaging a toothed rim of the lower lid, and the containers fitting through the slots of the upper and lower lids and being immersed in an ice and brine bath in the basin of the receptacle. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As shown in FIG. 1, an ice cream bar maker, indicated generally at  10 , according to the present invention includes a receptacle  12  within which ice cream bars, preferably four at a time, can be made by freezing an ice cream mix. An upper lid  14  fits over receptacle  12  and is held down by a bolt  16 . The ice cream bars are frozen onto four reusable sticks  18 , of which only vertical grips  20  and horizontal plates  22  are visible in FIG. 1. A user promotes freezing of the ice cream bars by grasping by a hand H a handle  24 , and rotating the handle in either direction, as shown by arrows HR, to cause rotation of upper lid  14  about a vertical axis VA, as shown by arrows LR. Receptacle  12  is typically about 8¾-inches wide and three inches high, and thus is easily portable and generally usable on a kitchen countertop. 
     As shown in FIGS. 2 and 10, receptacle  12  includes an outer wall  26 , on one side of which a crank  28  of handle  24  is rotatably mounted for rotation about a roughly horizontal axis. Handle  24  is coupled to a drive mechanism, such as gear  30 . Receptacle  12  includes a circular rim  32  that defines an upward-facing opening  34  to an annular basin  36  defined by inner wall  38  and a central mount  42 . Gear  30  is positioned to extend partly through an aperture  31  through rim  32  of receptacle  12 . 
     The user inserts an ice and brine bath  40  into basin  36  through opening  34 . Preferably the user first distributes about ½-cup of salt in the basin, adds a cup of water, and then stirs to dissolve the salt into brine. Then, the user preferably adds cube or crushed-cube ice to within about ¾-inches of rim  32 , stirs again, distributes a cup of salt over the ice, pours about ½-cup of water on that and stirs again to create bath  40 . As best seen in FIG. 6, a space  39  between inner wall  38  and outer wall  26  helps to insulate basin  36  from ambient heating of bath  40 . 
     Central mount  42  is preferably roughly cylindrical and rises from the bottom of basin  36 . Mount  42  includes at its uppermost end an annular bearing surface  44  surrounding a central, cross-shaped aperture  46  formed by four flexible latches  48  (see also FIG.  6 ). A ridge  50  is formed on inner wall  38  of receptacle  12  below rim  32 . Receptacle  12  is preferably molded in a single piece of ABS plastic. 
     A circular, lower lid  52 , preferably molded in a single piece of ABS plastic, fits over receptacle opening  34 . Lower lid  52  includes a central aperture  54  surrounded by an annular bearing surface  56  that rotates on surface  44  of receptacle  12  so that lower lid  52  can be rotatably mounted over opening  34 . Lower lid  52  also conforms with, and may bear on, ridge  50  and rim  32  at edge  51  and edge  53 , respectively. Lower lid  52  has an outer, toothed edge  58  that engages gear  30 . Thus, rotating handle  24  causes rotation of gear  30 , which in turn rotates lower lid  52  about vertical axis VA. Lower lid  52  also includes four round-ended slots  60  defined therethrough, slots  60  providing limited access to bath  40  when lower lid  52  is in place on mount  42 . The knob of handle  24  is preferably made of acetal plastic. Crank  28  and gear  30  are preferably made of ABS plastic. 
     A suitable dry powder for forming an ice cream mix is made of sugar, dried corn syrup solids, nonfat dry milk, calcium silicate, which prevents caking, guar gum, carrageenan, gum arabic, and flavoring. The user mixes the powder, preferably with half-and-half, or with cream, or other suitable liquid to make the ice cream mix that is ready to be frozen into ice cream bars. 
     Referring to FIGS. 2 and 10, upper lid  14 , which is preferably molded in a single piece of ABS plastic, includes a raised edge  62  to contain the liquid ice cream mixture if spilled. Four round-ended slots  64 , corresponding to the slots of lower lid  52 , are defined through upper lid  14 , which also includes a central aperture  66 . Upper lid slots  64  are each formed in separate wells  68  defined by four curved berms  70  and raised edge  62 , wells  68  preventing a spill of the liquid ice cream mixture for one of the bars from flowing over to the other slots. Raised edge  62  of upper lid  14  includes two ports  72  that allow brine to escape out of basin  36  over rim  32  if receptacle  12  is too full. 
     Upper lid  14  and lower lid  52  are releasably held in place by bolt  16 , which extends through apertures  66  and  54  in the lids and into cross-shaped aperture  46  in receptacle mount  42 . Bolt  16 , which is preferably formed of acetal plastic, includes a cross-shaped body  74  that fits into aperture  46 . Body  74  includes four catches  76  (one shown) that are releasably held by flexible latches  48  of receptacle mount  42  so that lids  14  and  52  are held in place for rotation above bath  40  but are removable by the user by lifting out bolt  16 . 
     The liquid ice cream mixture is initially poured into four containers  78  (one shown in FIG. 2, two shown in FIG. 10) that are preferably formed of a heat-transmissive metal, such as aluminum. Containers  78  include an edge  80  with a lip  82  and a cavity  84  for receiving and holding the mixture. Each container fits into and through upper lid slot  64  and corresponding lower lid slot  60 , and a lower portion  86  of container  78  depends into bath  40 . Lip  82  has a width and a length dimension greater than that of upper lid slot  64  to prevent container  78  from passing through slot  64 . Sticks  18  each include a web  88  about which the ice cream mixture freezes, so that web  88  provides a support structure for the frozen ice cream bar when it is removed from container  78 . Sticks  18  are preferably formed of a food-grade LDPE plastic. 
     As shown in FIG. 3 and 4, the invention includes a rack  90  for syrups and other toppings. The frozen ice cream bars can be decorated by dipping them in a syrup, preferably one that forms a hard-shell coating when cooled by the ice cream bars, the syrup being disposed in a removable, preferably LDPE cup  92  in rack  90 . The other toppings, such as sprinkles, can be placed in bins  94  and added to the frozen ice cream bars, e.g., by pressing the bars onto the sprinkles in bins  94 . 
     As shown in FIG. 5, each slot  64  in upper lid  14  includes at its rounded ends two flexible tabs  96  for releasably capturing lip  82  of container  78 . After the user has inserted ice and brine bath  40  in basin  36 , the user preferably places lower lid  52  in place over receptacle opening  34 . Then the user preferably inserts containers  78  in upper lid slots  64  and snaps container lip  82  in place in tabs  96 . Then the user preferably places upper lid  14  with containers  78  over lower lid  14 . As the user moves upper lid  14  into place, containers  78  immerse in bath  40  and displace some of bath  40 , which thus pushes upwardly on containers  78 . However, tabs  96  act as retainers to prevent upward movement of containers  78  relative to upper lid  14 . The user preferably pours the ice cream mix into containers  78  after installing lid  14  with containers  78  on receptacle  12  and securing the lids with bolt  16 . As shown in FIG. 6, receptacle  12  includes four pads  98 , which can be formed of neoprene, and upon which receptacle  12  rests on a countertop. 
     As best seen in FIG. 10, with containers  78  installed in upper lid  14 , and upper lid  14  installed over lower lid  52 , edges  80  of containers  78  are higher than rim  32  of receptacle  12 . Thus, if the user fills receptacle  12  with bath  40  up to rim  32 , and then installs the lids and the containers, portions  86  of containers  78 , as well as lower lid  52 , are immersed in bath  40 , and displace a portion of the bath. However, the excess of bath  40  will tend to flow over rim  32  through escape ports  72  in upper lid  14  rather than over edges  80  and into containers  78  since edges  80  are higher. 
     Freezing of the ice cream mix typically takes about ten minutes, The user preferably checks the freezing after about nine minutes by gently attempting to lift each of sticks  18 . If sticks  18  do not move in response to gentle upward pressure, the ice cream mix is considered to have frozen into an ice cream bar. Then the user preferably removes bolt  16  and upper lid  14  with containers  78 , holds containers  78  under cold running water to rinse off the brine and to separate the ice cream bars from containers  78  by heating containers  78 , and then removes the ice cream bars by pulling sticks  18  away from containers  78 . Then the user may add additional toppings to the ice cream bar and eat or store it in a freezer for later eating. 
     As described above, ice cream bar maker  10  preferably includes two lids—upper lid  14  and lower lid  52 . Having two separate lids helps to minimize spillage problems. For example, bath  40  is still covered by lower lid  52  when upper lid  14  with containers  78  is removed from receptacle  12  for removal of the ice cream bars. The two separate lids also help to keep the ice and brine bath  40  separate from the ice cream mix in containers  78  because, not only are container edges  80  higher than receptacle rim  32 , but also bath  40  must seep past a joint between containers  78  and lower lid  52  and then a joint between containers  78  and upper lid  14  before it can enter containers  78 . Preferably, flexible tabs  96  around upper lid slots  64  are formed by gaps in upper lid  14  that could allow seepage of brine into containers  78 , but lower lid  52  contains bath  40  and channels it toward rim  32  of receptacle  12 . However, a single lid could be used and the features of a toothed rim, bearing surface, slots and retainers for the containers (or built-in containers), a raised edge and separate wells to contain spills of ice cream mix, and a container edge higher than receptacle rim  32  can alternatively be incorporated on a single lid. Alternatively, maker  10  can include both lids, but retainer  96  for containers  78  can be incorporated in lower lid  52 , toothed rim  58  can be incorporated on upper lid  14 , and bearing surface  56  and edges  51  and  53  could be incorporated on upper lid  14 . 
     While the invention has been disclosed in its preferred form, the specific embodiments thereof as disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense, as numerous variations are possible. Applicant regards the subject matter of the invention to include all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed herein. No single feature, function, element or property is essential to all of the disclosed invention. Similarly, where the claims recite “a” or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof, such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. 
     It is believed that the following claims particularly point out certain combinations and subcombinations that are directed to the disclosed invention and are novel and non-obvious. Inventions embodied in other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of the present claims or presentation of new claims in this or a related application. Such amended or new claims, whether they are directed to a different invention or directed to the same invention, whether different, broader, narrower or equal in scope to the original claims, are also regarded as included within the subject matter of the inventions of the present disclosure.