Patent ID: 7178976

Claim:
Apparatus for dispensing a chilled viscous confection comprising a blend of frozen edible base product and edible ingredient solids, the apparatus comprising: a receiver for stationary attachment to a freezer producing a frozen edible base product and for receiving the frozen base product from a dispensing outlet of the freezer; said receiver having means for coupling to the dispensing outlet of the freezer; said receiver having a blending chamber; a conveyor auger having a portion in said blending chamber; an auger drive motor coupled to said auger for driving said auger in rotation; a plurality of containers for ingredient solids; a plurality of valves, each of said valves being associated with a different one of said containers for controlling delivery of solids from said containers; a dispensing hopper associated with said valves to receive solids delivered from said containers; a passageway from said dispensing hopper to said blending chamber for delivery of solids from said dispensing hopper to said blending chamber; a plurality of valve drive motors, each of said valve drive motors being coupled to a different one of said valves; a controller coupled to said valve drive motors and having a selector for selecting and enabling selected ones of said valve drive motors to operate in sequence; a switch coupled to said controller and operable to activate said controller to operate selected ones of said valve drive motors to operate valves coupled to selected ones of said valves drive motors, to deliver solids from containers associated with said valves which are coupled to selected ones of said ones of said drive motors, to said dispensing hopper for delivery to said blending chamber for said auger to move said delivered solids into said base product during the dispensing of said base product from said freezer.