Patent Publication Number: US-2007108221-A1

Title: Method and Apparatus for Vending Cryogenically Frozen Dessert Particles

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application claims priority from provisional application 60/736,760, Method of converting Ice Cream Vending Machines to Vend Cryogenically Frozen Dessert Particles” filed Nov. 15, 2005. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a method for vending cryogenically frozen ice cream particles served with spoons in prepackaged cups.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Making novelty ice cream by dripping and/or streaming a liquid ice cream mix into liquid nitrogen is known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,549 discloses one method of manufacturing cryogenically frozen particles of ice cream. These cryogenically frozen particles of ice cream present a consumer with novel aspects. The particles initially taste different than regular ice cream because of the small shapes, and the particles can be scooped in a spoon or poured into the mouth. The novel aspects of cryogenically frozen ice cream make it a popular product at many locations, but the use of vending machines is particularly advantageous for sale and distribution.  
      Ice cream vending machines are commercially available for regular ice cream products, such as the ice cream vending machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,139. The ice cream vending machines have a freezer compartment, a lift device which extracts ice cream containers from the freezer compartment and deposits the ice cream containers in an extraction point. Therefore, a consumer can pay for an ice cream product, and after the machine lifts the ice cream product from the freezer and places the ice cream product at the extraction point, the consumer can grasp the ice cream product to remove it from the vending machine for consumption. However, these ice cream vending machines do not maintain a low enough freezer temperature to keep the ice cream particles from scintering or sticking together.  
      Ice cream vending machines have been converted to the lower temperatures necessary to keep the cryogenically frozen ice cream particles from scintering, or sticking together, as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,226. Ice cream vending machines normally are sold with the coolant inserted and the pipe crimped. In order to achieve lower temperatures in the freezer compartment, a valve needs to be inserted, the coolant drained and a different coolant inserted.  
      A known method of serving ice cream from a vending machine is to package the ice cream in cups with flat lids in order to facilitate mechanical retrieval from a freezer compartment and placement at an extraction point. U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,698 discloses an improvement to a vending machine using ice cream packaged in cups with flat lids that removes the lid from the cup, and adds toppings to the ice cream before placing the cup at an extraction point. The &#39;698 further teaches that a spoon can be dispensed along with the opened cup of ice cream.  
      Problems can arise when using a vacuum lift to extract a container of cryogenically frozen ice cream from a vending machine. If the contact between the vacuum lift and the lid of the ice cream container separates so that suction is lost, the cup will fall back into the freezer. If the cup falls back into the freezer, the cup may fall in a way that prevents access to other cups. Moreover, vending machines that dispense ice cream using a vacuum lift normally extract ice cream cups by opening a lid to a refrigerated area to allow a vacuum arm to enter the refrigerated area to remove a cup. Therefore, a very serious problem arises if the cup falls in a way that prevents the lid from closing. In the event that the lid cannot close properly, the lower temperatures necessary for maintaining cryogenically frozen ice cream cannot be maintained and the product will scinter, losing its free flowing characteristics. If the temperatures climb further, the ice cream will melt. Such breaks in suction by the vacuum lift are known as vending errors.  
      A further problem arises in providing spoons to eat the ice cream. Spoons cannot be attached to the top of the cup or the spoon will interfere with the vacuum lift. If spoons are provided separately, the vacuum lift would have difficulty in lifting a separate spoon, and additional operations would be required. In addition, spoons must be wrapped for hygiene. The vacuum lift would have even greater difficulty in lifting a wrapped spoon since it would be very difficult to attain suction on the wrapped spoon.  
      What is needed beyond the prior art is a method for vending cryogenically frozen ice cream particles to reduce vending errors and to provide a spoon in one lift operation.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      An ice cream cup having a flat lid and a spoon inside provides an improved method for vending cryogenically frozen ice cream particles by reducing vending errors and providing a spoon in one lift operation. The ice cream cup is employed in a vending machine having a plurality of sleeves and a plurality of the ice cream cups inserted in each of the sleeves where a vacuum lift device extracts an ice cream cup from the freezer and deposits the ice cream cup in an extraction area. Spoons are inserted inside the ice cream cups when the cryogenically frozen ice cream particles are packaged, so that a person purchasing the cup of cryogenically frozen ice cream particles can open the package and have a spoon readily available to consume the cryogenically frozen ice cream particles. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  depicts an open vending machine showing the freezer unit;  
       FIG. 2  depicts a sleeve;  
       FIG. 3  depicts an open freezer chest with an array of sleeves;  
       FIG. 4  depicts a vacuum lift and transport device;  
       FIG. 5A  depicts an open ice cream cup with a spoon;  
       FIG. 5B  depicts a closed ice cream cup with a flat lid; and  
       FIG. 6  depicts an ice cream vending machine. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       FIG. 1  depicts vending machine  104  having freezer unit  100  with lid  102  hingedly attached to freezer unit  100 .  
       FIG. 2  depicts vacuum lift device  210  with vacuum lift extension device  220 . Sleeve  200  is shown resting on lid  102 . Sleeve  200  is generally square in cross section and has a length approximately equal to the depth of freezer unit  100 . Sleeve  200  dimensions are sufficient to allow insertion of ice cream cups such as ice cream cup  500  (see  FIG. 5 ) so that ice cream cups can be stacked one on top of the other within sleeve  200 .  
       FIG. 3  depicts freezer  100  with lid  102  raised by a lifting arm (not shown). Array  300  of sleeves  200  is disposed within freezer  100  so that freezer  100  is divided into an array of sleeves each capable of holding approximately  20  ice cream cups. Ice cream cups are disposed within sleeve  200  so that a flat top surface of lid  502  of ice cream cup  500  is horizontal and presented for engagement with vacuum nozzle  214 . Vacuum lift extension  214  can be lowered to contact the flat surface of ice cream cup  500  to adhere to lid  502  of ice cream cup  500  so that ice cream cup  500  can be lifted out of sleeve  200  and moved to a location from which it can be extracted by a purchaser.  
       FIG. 4  depicts vacuum lift device  210  and transport device  212  within shell of vending machine  104 . Vacuum lift extension device  220  extends below vacuum lift device  210 , having vacuum nozzle  214  at the lower end of vacuum lift device  210 .  
       FIG. 5A  depicts ice cream cup  500  having spoon  504  placed on top of cryogenically frozen ice cream particles  505  inside container  510 . Unlike traditional frozen ice cream, cryogenically frozen ice cream particles kept a proper temperature will not melt or scinter. Therefore, spoon  504  will not adhere to cryogenically frozen ice cream particles  505  and spoon  504  can be removed from cryogenically frozen ice cream particles  505  without becoming messy and sticky. Spoon  504  remains clean and dry while ice cream cup  500  is kept at a cryogenic temperature and for a sufficient time after dispensing ice cream cup  500  for a customer to open lid  502  and remove spoon  504 . Normally, spoons cannot be packed inside a container of regular ice cream because the ice cream would adhere to the spoon. The lid of traditional ice cream containers normally contacts the ice cream as part of the bonding of the lid to the ice cream container. However, the unique characteristics of cryogenically frozen ice cream particles allows placement of a spoon inside the ice cream cup.  
       FIG. 5B  depicts ice cream cup  500  having flat lid  502  affixed to container  510  to facilitate acquisition by a vacuum lift device. Lid  502  is affixed to container  510  after spoon  504  is placed inside cup  510 . Normally, lid  502  is affixed to container  510  by heat sealing. Lid  502  is affixed to container  510 , and lid  502  and container  510  are dimensioned so that lid  502  will provide a flat circular surface area that exceeds the circumference container  510  so that vacuum nozzle  214  (see  FIG. 4 ) is provided with a target area larger than the circumference of container  510  to reduce vending errors.  
       FIG. 6  depicts freezer unit  100  within shell of vending machine  104 . Lid  102  is in open position and vacuum lift device  210  with vacuum lift device extension  220  and vacuum nozzle  214  is shown extracting cup  500  from sleeve  200  of array  300 . Cup  500  may be placed in extraction point  602  so that a consumer may grasp and remove cup  500 .  
      It will be understood from the foregoing description that various modifications and changes may be made in the preferred embodiment of the present invention without departing from its true spirit. Specifically, one skilled in the art could adapt the present invention can for other cryogenically frozen dessert particles besides ice cream. It is intended that this description is for purposes of illustration only and should not be construed in a limiting sense. The scope of this invention should be limited only by the language of the following claims.