Patent ID: 8016168

Claim:
A dispense valve for a frozen beverage machine having a freeze barrel, said dispense valve comprising a transition section and a valve body, said transition section having a tapered bore extending between an inlet to said bore for being fluid coupled directly to an outlet from the freeze barrel, so that frozen product flowing through the freeze barrel outlet flows directly into said tapered bore, and an outlet from said bore fluid coupled to an inlet to a dispense cavity of said valve body, said bore being free of any restrictions from its inlet to its outlet, increasing in cross-sectional area from its inlet to its outlet and being arranged to carry frozen beverage from the outlet from the freeze barrel of the machine to said inlet to said dispense cavity of said valve body, said valve body including a valve member for controlling flow of frozen beverage from the freeze barrel through said transition section bore to said inlet to said dispense cavity and through said dispense cavity to and through an outlet from said dispense cavity, said dispense cavity having throughout its length a cross-sectional area at least as great as the cross-sectional area of said transition section bore outlet.