Abstract:
A frozen food appliance for making and dispensing frozen food products comprising a base, a removable container adapted to be chilled in a conventional freezer and then replaced into the base, a dispensing nozzle and associated control lever, an automatic scraper, auger and paddle for delivering frozen food product from the container and out of the dispensing spout, and a toppings dispenser for automatically delivering toppings to the frozen food product while or after the frozen food product is being dispensed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/627,703 filed on Nov. 11, 2004, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to food appliances and, more particularly, to a frozen food appliance for making and dispensing frozen food products such as ice cream or sorbet with a variety of toppings.  
         [0004]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0005]     Various frozen food dispensers for preparing and dispensing frozen food products such as ice cream and sorbet exist on the market. Among these products are products that utilize a removable bowl-like container that is designed to be frozen in a conventional freezer. Later, the container is removed from the freezer and, while retaining a cold temperature, is loaded with food ingredients for ice cream or sorbet. These ingredients can include, for example, milk, sugar, heavy cream, flavoring and/or coloring. The container chills the ingredients to produce the desired frozen food product.  
         [0006]     Such known designs require the user to scoop out the finished product with a spoon or scooper to transfer it to an eating plate, bowl or cone. They do not allow for an easy and efficient method for transferring the ice cream. Also, if condiments or toppings are desired, the user then applies those manually. These designs do not enable a user to automatically dispense the ice cream or sorbet while simultaneously mixing in a variety of toppings, such as sprinkles, peanuts and various candies, for example.  
       OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     It is an object of the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art mentioned above. These and other objectives are achieved by the present invention described herein.  
         [0008]     It is desirable to provide an automatic dispensing appliance for the frozen food product and for the toppings that overcomes the shortcomings of the known devices described above. It is a further object to provide such an appliance with a self-scraping mechanism to thoroughly and efficiently scoop out the chilled container and quickly deliver the frozen food product to a dispensing spout. These and other objects are achieved by the present invention.  
         [0009]     A preferred embodiment of the present invention, as described herein, comprises a base, a removable container adapted to be chilled in a conventional freezer and then replaced into the base, a dispensing spout and associated control lever, an automatic scraper, auger and paddle assembly for delivering frozen food product from the container and out of the dispensing spout, and a topping dispenser for automatically delivering toppings to the frozen food product while or after it is dispensed. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an appliance in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2A and 2B  are perspective side views of the appliance shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a partial top sectional view of the appliance shown in  FIG. 1  with the illustrative embodiment of the removable container within the housing.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the removable container of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is exploded view of the removable container in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the appliance of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the removable container with blade and auger assembled therein in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the appliance shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the blade in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the appliance shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  is perspective view of the augur in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the appliance shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the blade, augur and paddle, along with the associated gearing assembly in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the appliance shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 10  is a bottom perspective view of the blade, augur and paddle assembly in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the appliance shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 11  is a side view of the blade, augur and paddle, along with the associated gearing assembly in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the appliance shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 12  is an exploded view of a topping dispenser assembly in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the appliance shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 13  is a magnified perspective view of a dispensing gear with agitator in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the appliance shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 14  is a partial perspective view of the housing with the toppings dispensers removed in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the appliance shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 15  is a partial perspective view of the housing with the toppings dispensers removed showing the toppings dispenser gearing assembly in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the appliance shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0025]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view of the chute in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the appliance shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 17  is an exploded view of the dispensing lever and dispensing nozzle in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the appliance shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 18  is an electronic circuit diagram in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the appliance shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0028]     The appliance  10  according to the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 1, 2A  and  2 B and preferably comprises a housing  12  having a base  14 , a drip tray  18 , a dispensing lever  20 , a dispensing nozzle  22 , a removable lid  24 , a cone holder  16 , an on/off  52  and one or more toppings dispensers  36 ,  38 ,  40 . The drip tray  18  is located on a portion of the base  14  and is used for catching any excess runoff of frozen food product. The drip tray  18  can also support a bowl or container (not shown) into which ice cream or sorbet, or some other frozen food product, is dispensed.  
         [0029]     In a preferred embodiment, a cone holder  16  may hold cones (not shown) into which frozen food product may be dispensed. The cone holder  16  can hold a single type of cone or may have grooves or indentures to enable the housing  12  to retain two or more types of cones. A dispensing lever  20  is associated with a dispensing nozzle  22  to dispense ice cream or other types of frozen food product. In a preferred embodiment, the dispensing lever  20  is in the form of an upside-down “U” as shown. However, other shapes and sizes can be used to obtain similar results. A main on/off switch  52  can be located on the side of the housing  12  as shown, or at any other location, to enable a user to selectively provide power to the appliance  10 . The top of the housing  12  can have a removable lid  24  capable of being opened or removed. Various topping dispensers  36 ,  38 ,  40  can be utilized for automatically delivering toppings to the frozen food product while or after it is dispensed.  
         [0030]     The removable lid  24  can be opened in order to remove and/or replace a removable container  26 , as shown in  FIGS. 3-5 . This removable lid  24  can be made to be sealed watertight to the housing  12 . The container  26  preferably has a double-wall construction having an inner portion  27  and an outer portion  29 . The container  26  may be filled with a thermal retention material to retain cold after the container  26  is placed into a conventional freezer (not shown). The chilled container  26  can be loaded into the appliance  10  after being chilled and can then be loaded with ingredients to make ice cream, sorbet, or similar frozen food product. These ingredients can include, for example, milk, sugar, heavy cream, flavoring and/or coloring. The chilled food product is then dispensed from the nozzle  22  by manipulating the dispensing lever  20 .  
         [0031]     In a preferred embodiment, a rotating blade  28  and augur  30  are located inside the container  26 , as shown in  FIGS. 6-8 . This rotating blade  28  continuously rotates to loosen frozen food product from the inside walls of the container  26  and to direct the food product to the auger  30  that is positioned in the center of the container  26 . The blade  28  includes a scraper  32  for scraping the frozen food product from the sides of the frozen container, and a diverter  34 , which diverts or directs the food product toward the center of rotation of the blade  28  where the auger  30  is located. The augur  30  directs the food product down toward the dispensing nozzle  22 .  
         [0032]     The auger  30  and the blade  28  preferably rotate in response to rotation of a master gear and motor of a conventional type, by transmission through various gears  31 . An example of a portion of this assembly can be seen in  FIG. 9 . The gearing system is preferably designed to have the auger  30  rotate faster than the blade  28 , which produces optimum performance. The augur  30  can also be fabricated to contain a significant number of augur turns so that the ice cream does not break off as it is being dispensed from the dispensing nozzle  22 .  
         [0033]     In a preferred embodiment, a paddle  33  is attached to the blade  28 , as shown in  FIGS. 9-11 . This paddle  33  can be used break up the ice cream within the container  26  and in one embodiment, is in the shape of an “L.” However, other shapes that accomplish the same objective are also contemplated. The paddle  33  also rotates about the central axis of the container/blade combination. The paddle  33  can be made to operate at different speeds from the auger  30  and in opposite directions.  FIGS. 9 and 10  also show the spring-loaded latches  35  that can be used to open and close the removable lid  24 .  
         [0034]     The topping dispensers  36 ,  38 ,  40  shown in  FIG. 2A  are identical and, thus, reference is made to only one of them  36  for this description. Each of the dispensers  36 ,  38 ,  40  are removably positioned in the appliance  10 .  FIG. 12  is an exploded view showing the preferred embodiment of the topping dispenser  36 . Each dispenser includes a dispenser housing  43 , a removable lid  42 , a dispensing gear  44 , a sliding tab  46 , a dispenser plate  49 , a dispenser housing base  54  and a flap  58 .  
         [0035]     The removable lid  42  can preferably be removed from the dispenser housing to fill it with a food topping. At the bottom of the dispenser housing  43  is located a dispenser housing opening  48  through which the toppings can be made to selectively pass. A dispensing gear  44  having one or more gear holes  45  is rotated by the motor through conventional gearing. The topping dispensers  36 ,  38 ,  40  can have gear holes  45  with different size holes in order to accommodate different toppings, whereby each topping dispenser can dispense a topping of a different size, if desired. A sliding tab  46  can be selectively slid out of position by pulling a sliding tab handle  47  in the direction away from the housing  12 . This exposes a plate hole  51  in a dispenser plate  49  when it is desired to dispense a topping. A dispenser housing base  54  has a housing base hole  56  that corresponds in position to the plate hole  51 . When the sliding tab  46  is slid out of position, the holes  51 ,  56  line up with the housing opening  48  in the dispenser  36  to enable the toppings to pass through. The inner walls near the bottom of the dispenser housing  43  can be shaped to be curved somewhat inward toward the dispenser housing opening  48  to assist with the transfer of the toppings.  
         [0036]     Preferably, a flap  58  can be used at the bottom of the housing opening  48  to run into the toppings and shake them up so that they do not clump together and either slow down the flow of toppings or prevent their passage altogether. The flap  58  can also prevent the toppings from running down after the power is off and additional toppings are no longer desired. In one embodiment, the flap  58  can be in the form of a rubber pad. However, any effective method of various shapes, sizes and materials can be used.  
         [0037]     In a preferred embodiment, an agitator  60 , in the form of a protruding bumper, can be located on the dispensing gear  44  to move the flap  58  to increase the effectiveness of the flap running into the toppings. This is shown in  FIG. 13 . As the dispensing gear  44  rotates, the agitator  60  repeatedly contacts the flap  58  to force the flap into contact with the toppings as they are being transferred. Preferably, the agitator  60  can have a sloped surface  61  on the side that comes into direct contact with the flap  58 . This sloped surface can help prevent the flap  58  from folding and/or becoming deformed from the repeated contact with the agitator  60 , and thereby losing effectiveness.  
         [0038]      FIGS. 14 and 15  show close-up views of the area of the housing  12  where the toppings dispensers  36 ,  38 ,  40  are located. In a preferred embodiment, the wall of the housing  12  has slots  62  where the sliding tab handles  47  are located. Fixed holes  64  transfer the toppings from the toppings dispensers  36 ,  38 ,  40  toward the dispensing nozzle  22 . Beneath the toppings dispensers  36 ,  38 ,  40  lies a gear system that enables a user to remove one or more of the toppings dispensers  36 ,  38 ,  40 , and still have the remaining toppings dispenser(s) being operational. Thus, if desired, only one or two of the toppings dispensers  36 ,  38 ,  40  could be in place and operational rather than requiring all three to be present. This is accomplished through the use of minor gears  66  and major gears  68 , all linked together in a chain. All gears  66 ,  68  in the chain rotate no matter how many toppings dispensers  36 ,  38 ,  40  are in place in the housing  12 . As the minor gears  66  rotate, they in turn cause the dispensing gears  44  to rotate, which assist in dispensing the toppings when the sliding tab handles  47  are pulled.  
         [0039]     As the toppings pass out of the housing opening  48 , gear holes  45 , plate hole  51  and housing base hole  56 , they are directed through a chute  50 . One embodiment of the chute  50  can be seen in  FIG. 16 . The chute  50  directs the flow of the toppings and transfers the dispensed toppings to the dispensing nozzle  22 . In one embodiment, the chute  50  can have one or more ribs to redirect the toppings and/or slow the toppings down in order to avoid overshooting the opening for the dispensing nozzle  22 . The ice cream and the toppings mix as they leave the dispensing nozzle  22 .  
         [0040]      FIG. 17  shows an example of the components for the dispensing lever  20  and associated dispensing nozzle  22  as seen in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . These components can include a dispensing bracket  70 , a turning drum  72 , a sealing ring and/or rubber  74 , a sliding plate  76  and an end cap  78 . When a user pulls down on the dispensing lever  20 , the turning drum  72  with sealing ring  74  rotates so that openings in the dispensing bracket  70 , turning drum  72 , sealing ring and/or rubber  74 , and sliding plate  76  are aligned. This enables the ice cream to flow out of the dispensing nozzle  22  with the assistance of the augur  30 . As the lever  20  is pulled down and these openings are aligned, the sliding plate can come into contact with a micro-switch (not shown), which controls the toppings dispensers  36 ,  38 ,  40 . This enables the toppings to mix into the ice cream.  
         [0041]     In the preferred embodiment, the motor that drives the blade  28 , auger  30 , and dispensing gears  44  is an electric motor connected to a conventional electricity source and activated by an on/off switch  52 . An example of a circuit diagram for this appliance  10  is shown in  FIG. 18 .  
         [0042]     While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein disclosed and described, it is understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.