Patent ID: 7712321

Claim:
An apparatus for producing a chilled or partially frozen beverage comprising: at least one beverage hopper for retaining a quantity of partially frozen beverage; a chilling unit for cooling the partially frozen beverage retained within the beverage hopper; the chilling unit having a portion at least partially extending into the hopper for chilling beverage retained therein; a rotatable mixing member for mixing the partially frozen beverage within the beverage hopper; the rotatable mixing member rotating on a generally horizontally oriented axis defined in the beverage hopper and relative to at least an external surface of the portion of the chilling unit extending into the hopper for moving partially frozen beverage away from the portion of the chilling unit extending into the hopper; a sensor for detecting an occurrence of a rotation reversal condition; a controller for generating a rotation reversal signal in response to the detecting the rotation reversal condition; and drive motor operably coupled to the controller and to the rotatable mixing member for rotating the rotatable mixing member in a first direction and in a second, reverse direction in response to a rotation reversal signal from the controller.