Frozen confection machine having simultaneous dispensing of two flavors with clog inhibiting mechanism

A frozen beverage freezer machine is provided with two side-by-side freezer cylinders containing different flowable frozen beverage products. Draw valves are provided to draw the beverages separately for dispensing separately from the two beverage freezer cylinders. An additional draw valve, generally centered relative to the freezer cylinders, is provided to draw beverages from the two cylinders simultaneously for dispensing a mix of the two beverages. Clog breaker blades are coupled to the center draw valve assembly to inhibit clogging of passageways from the frozen beverage cylinders to the center valve, to facilitate reliable flow and mixing of the two beverages when the center valve is opened to dispense the mix into a user's receiver cup.

BACKGROUND

A common practice for restaurants and other food service establishments that serve slush, “smoothies”, or frozen cocktail drinks from a dispensing freezer, is to combine different flavors from several machines to create new drinks. This requires having more than one machine, or having machines with two or more dispensing heads, with the machine user (server) then alternately dispensing from the different heads to provide the desired combination of flavors.

An effort to address this problem is represented in U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,129 issued Jul. 11, 1967. This patent discloses dispensing a frozen confection into a user's cup, with flavor selection from one or the other of two side-by-side freezer cylinders. This patent discloses one valve for the left side cylinder, and another for the right side cylinder, and a third in the middle for simultaneously dispensing from both cylinders using a dual dispensing valve. While this approach might work well for soft serve product, there is a tendency for freezes or slushes or similar icy confections to clog in the longer delivery passageways between the two freezer cylinders and the dual dispensing middle valve.

Because of the practical requirement in some cases to provide some separation distance between the cylinders (in order to provide adequate room for refrigeration circuitry, sealing surfaces, etc.), the distance between each cylinder agitator and the common central port is such that there is a volume of frozen product that is beyond the reach of the cylinder agitator. The nature of many slush-based products is such that when they are allowed to sit without agitation, the liquid separates from the ice crystals, and the ice crystal portion can become densely packed and may form a clog, due to its weight and/or the mechanical packing action of a stirrer or agitator operating nearby in a frozen confection product supply freezer cylinder. We have found that this tendency must be successfully addressed in order for the central dual dispensing valve port to operate effectively.

So there is a need to address these problems, and the present invention does so for improving performance, versatility and reliability of simultaneous dispensing to a user's cup, of frozen beverages from two sources in a frozen-confection freezer system. To do so, one embodiment of the invention incorporates a mechanism in at least one delivery passageway to the dual dispensing valve, to inhibit clogging and break up clogs that might form and which might otherwise impair the flow of freezes, slushes, or similar icy confections.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, a frozen beverage freezer machine11, which may be floor-mounted, table-mounted, or otherwise mounted, has two beverage freezer cylinders12and29which can be of conventional construction and mounted side-by-side to the freezer. Each of the cylinders, such as cylinder12for example inFIG. 2, has an open end at the face16of the freezer. Dispenser head14is secured to the front16of the freezer by fasteners (not shown) through holes61in the head and anchored in the freezer. Therefore, at each cylinder the open end is exposed to back face33(FIG. 2) of a shallow, cylinder-receiver recess defined by flange34. A seal ring31is received in groove32to seal the head to the cylinder12.

As shown inFIGS. 2,5and6, a passage18opens at face33and communicates directly with the bore21of valve22of the dispenser head. Thus, a supply a soft-frozen beverage from cylinder12is always available for dispensing from the valve22by pulling down the handle23which lifts the piston24to discharge the beverage from the valve assembly downward in the direction of arrow26to dispense the beverage into a user's cup or other container when the valve is opened by pulling down the handle. A valve closing return spring27maintains a downward force on the valve to close the valve when the user releases the handle23.

The same type of arrangement as described for the cylinder12and valve22is provided for cylinder29and valve assembly28.

A rectangular boss36projects to the rear from the face33and receives a post37which is a part of the cylinder and remains stationary as a stirrer (not shown) rotates in the cylinder. The stirrer is a conventional part of the freezer cylinder and it functions to scrape the wall as well as affecting ice crystal size. The stirrer rotates in the cylinder to keep the frozen beverage in the freezer cylinder in a state where it can readily flow.

As described above, the beverage in the cylinder12is exposed to the back face33of the dispensing head14. Referring toFIGS. 2 and 6, a passageway18is provided in the head and has an inlet port18E in face33and extends to an exit at the bore21of valve assembly22. The passageway entrance appears as a double opening. That is because there is a partition19which extends in the passageway18from the inlet port18E to the passageway exit opening at the bore21. It serves to prevent a person who might be servicing or cleaning the equipment from getting a finger into the path of the piston24in the bore at any time that the piston is being moved down in the bore21by the piston return spring27. The piston seal in the bore is by O-ring38above the exit port of passageway18into the bore21, and by O-ring39, below the exit port. The additional function of the partition19is to help maintain the O-ring seal39in its groove as the seal crosses the passageway18exit port during the opening and closing of the valve22.

With the apparatus as described to this point, dispensing a soft-frozen beverage from freezer cylinder12is accomplished by simply pulling down on knob23as discussed above. This raises the piston24enough to enable the beverage to flow through the inlet port18E, through the passageway into the bore21, and down in the direction of arrow26and out the beverage dispensing port41. Dispensing of the soft-frozen beverage from cylinder29is accomplished in the same way by pulling the knob42to open the valve assembly28to discharge soft-frozen beverage from cylinder29through valve28and out through dispensing port43.

To enable dispensing soft-frozen beverage from both cylinders simultaneously and, thereby providing a mix of the two beverages, the third valve assembly46is provided. This valve assembly is in communication with both cylinders at the same time by passageways opening in the back wall of the head at each of the cylinder receiver recesses, such as back face33for reception of cylinder12. For cylinder12, an opening47E into passageway47provides entry of beverage from cylinder12down and forward to a side of piston44in bore49in head14. The same arrangement in a mirror image is provided for freezer cylinder29. Therefore, the piston44is operable by handle50to open the valve46and dispense soft-frozen beverages simultaneously from both of the cylinders12and29through passageway47for cylinder12and passageway51for cylinder29.

Passageways47and51are long enough between the faces such as33and the passageway exits into the valve bore49that if the handle50of the central valve46is not operated often enough to maintain a significant flow from the two beverage freezer cylinders, there is a possibility of ice accumulation in the passageways causing clogs. To inhibit development of clogging, or break a clog which has formed in one or the other of such passageways, two breakers are provided and extend outward from the piston44of the center valve assembly46toward the passageway entrances at cylinder receivers such as at33for cylinder12. Referring toFIGS. 4,5and7, for passageway47, for example, a breaker53extends from a mounting in the side of the piston to a distal (tip) end53E near the entrance47E of channel47at the face33of the head14. The proximal end53X of the breaker at the piston is secured to the piston by an O-ring of shape fitting a somewhat serpentine groove64in the piston and extending around an upstanding outer surface53S of a hub or key portion53K of breaker53and holding the proximal end portion of the breaker53in an outwardly opening, axially extending slot44S in the piston. Accordingly, the breaker53is confined in the slot so that whenever the piston44is raised or lowered, the breaker will be raised and lowered in the passageway47sufficiently high and low to enable the breaker to be moved up and down in the passageway, whereby any packed volume of ice crystals in the passageway47can be agitated such that displacement of the packed crystals occurs. When the valve is opened by pulling the handle, this will allow soft frozen beverage to flow from the freezer cylinder12down and out the valve dispensing outlet60.

The same arrangement is provided for the passageway51serving the freezer cylinder29, with a breaker67mounted in a slot in the piston44in the same way as breaker53is mounted in the piston. The breakers53and67are mirror images of one-another. Therefore, upon pulling handle50, the piston44moves up to open the valve and the breakers will be pulled up in their respective passageways to loosen and move any potential ice clogs, and soft frozen beverages from both cylinders flow through their respective passageways into the valve bore49and downward and out through the dispensing port60into a cup or receiver placed under the port by the user. It can be noted inFIG. 5that the passageways47and51slope downward and forward from their entrance face (such as33for passageway47) to the bore for piston44. The currently preferred slope is eleven to approximately fifteen degrees from horizontal.

Referring to the breakers in more detail, breaker53is an example, and the description of it is useful for both53and67, as they are mirror images. As shown inFIGS. 7 and 8and some others, breaker53is elongate from a proximal end53X outward to a distal end53E. There is the upstanding hub key53K at the proximal end. An upstanding post53P is adjacent the distal end. A broad and up-curved surface is provided at53B. The breaker is disposed in its respective passageway at slopes as mentioned above.

Referring toFIGS. 9 and 10,FIG. 10shows a vertical slot44S opening outward in the piston44. This slot fittingly receives the key portion53K of the breaker53from the bottom44S of the slot to the top of the slot. Therefore when the piston is raised and lowered to respectively open and close the valve46, the breaker captured in the slot will be raised and lowered likewise. The knob53N projecting laterally from the key53K is received in the groove44G in the piston. As shown inFIG. 10, a groove44R is provided in the piston surface. The groove follows a rectangular path in the surface of the piston resulting in a sort of knob44K in the piston. As shown inFIG. 9, the rounded top of the key53K projects slightly into the groove44R under knob44K. An O-ring is received in the groove44R around the knob44K and slightly covers the rounded side portion of the key53K adjacent the top of the key, helping retain the breaker53in the slot44S and groove44G. As shown inFIG. 10, a recess45is provided at a portion of the bottom of groove44R and extends down to groove44G. It facilitates removal of an O-ring from grove44R when desired.

Referring toFIG. 11, it shows the breaker67and its related mounting, the mirror image as that for breaker53. A groove71in the piston surface follows a rectangular path surrounding the area occupied by the breaker key67receiver slot, mirror image toFIG. 10. The groove71receives an O-ring72. This O-ring engages the top portion of key67K of breaker67to retain it in the piston.

A groove73in the piston surface also follows a rectangular path surrounding the area of the breaker key receiver and retaining O-ring72. Groove73receives O-ring74which serves as a piston-to-bore seal around the passageway51.

A circumferential groove75in the piston receives O-ring76serving as a piston-to-bore seal around the entire circumference of the piston.

Referring back toFIGS. 5,10and11, the post53P adjacent the distal end of the breaker53is useful to a person as a handle to grip when installing or removing the breaker53during servicing or cleaning the equipment. When the breaker53is in position in the passageway47, the post projects into the passageway as shown inFIG. 5and is accessible to a servicing person to pull the breaker out of the piston44. Then the piston can be removed from the bore49if desired for servicing or cleaning. The post53P is also useful to push the breaker53in passageway47toward the piston and install the breaker key53K into the slot44S in the piston. While post53P is useful for installation or removal of a breaker relative to the piston, a screw driver or similar tool can be used if desired to facilitate displacement of the O-ring from groove44R (FIGS. 9 and 10) or O-ring72from groove71(FIG. 11) which retains the proximal end of the breaker, to get the O-ring out of the way for insertion or removal of the breaker relative to the piston.

So it is seen that these breakers are shaped in such a way that they provide for all the required functions of the parts: 1) a broad surface, preferably being substantially longer than it is wide to displace an optimum amount of the packed product along the path, 2) means, post53P for example, for easy insertion into and from the dispensing head during assembly and disassembly, 3) fool-proof assembly of the correct breaker into the correct side, since the two breakers are not identical, but are mirror images of one another, 4) proper retention of the breaker during all modes of operation, and 5) minimal disruption of the product flow path when the center valve assembly46is open for dispensing the two icy beverages from the two freezer cylinders and which beverages may have different characteristics in the nature of color or flavor or whatever differences are peculiar to them.

A particular advantage of the illustrated embodiment of the current invention is a means to agitate this packed volume of ice crystals, such that displacement of the packed crystals occurs, allowing the mixed product from the main body of the freezing cylinder to flow through to the port of the dispensing valve. This enables the use of a relatively long flow channel to the center dispensing valve, allowing the centrally located beverage “twist” dispensing valve46and dispensing port60thereof to be located for maximum convenience for the user. A further advantage of this embodiment is the accomplishment of the agitation with a minimal number of parts and, therefore, optimum simplicity of the mechanism.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. Modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.