Method for preparing refrigerated products

• US 10,638,774 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2016
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: S.P.M. Drink Systems S.p.a. (AB Electrolux)
• Original Assignee: S.P.M. Drink Systems S.p.a. (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: Grampassi, Enrico
• Primary Examiner(s): Duke, Emmanuel E
• Application Number:
  US15/750,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20180220673A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/045 of slush-ice, e.g. semi-frozen beverage
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/08 Batch production A23G9/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/12 using means for stirring the contents in a non-moving container
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/224 Agitators or scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 2035/98 Cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/1145 ribbon shaped with an open space between the helical ribbon flight and the rotating axis
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/72 with helices or sections of helices
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/813 mixing simultaneously in two or more mixing receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/2115 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/212 of the driving system data, e.g. torque, speed or power data
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/93 arranged inside the receptacle

Abstract

The method for preparing refrigerated products provides to control the solidity of a product being prepared inside a containment tank (2) of said product, until reaching a predetermined solidity, and to measure the temperature of the same product inside said tank (2) once reached said predetermined solidity. Once reached the predetermined solidity, said temperature of the product is set as reference temperature and said reference temperature is kept constant during the subsequent functioning.

Claims

1. A method for preparing refrigerated products, in an apparatus comprising at least one containment tank predisposed to contain a product to be prepared, a mixing device arranged inside said tank and predisposed to determine a continuous circulation of said product inside said tank, for conveying said product towards a front zone of said tank, a motor member configured to operate in rotation said mixing device, an elastic member connected to the motor member, said elastic member applying an elastic member force to said motor member, a cooling device arranged inside said tank to cool said product, an electronic control board of the apparatus for managing said cooling device, and a dispensing device of said product, placed at said front zone of said containment tank, the refrigerated products comprising one or more of slushes, creamy ice-creams and sorbets, the method comprising the steps of:

in a preparation step, controlling a solidity of said product being prepared inside said tank such that said solidity of said product has a predetermined solidity, said solidity being controlled through a resisting torque met by a screw element of said mixing device brought in rotation inside said tank;

upon reaching said predetermined solidity, measuring a temperature of said product inside said tank, said predetermined solidity being reached when the resisting torque exceeds said elastic member force exerted by said elastic member;

setting said temperature of said product upon reaching said predetermined solidity as a reference temperature;

in a preserving step, controlling said temperature of said product inside said tank to preserve said reference temperature during subsequent working of said apparatus;

automatically repeating, in case of temperature variation inside said tank beyond a prefixed limit, a cycle comprising said preparation step to bring said product at said predetermined solidity, a stabilization step of said predetermined solidity followed by measuring said reference temperature and a preserving step of said reference temperature through a constant control of said temperature of said product.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

stabilizing said solidity of said product at said reference temperature by means of a series of cycles of switching on and off of said cooling device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member comprises a spring.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member comprises a spring.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member force is adjustable via a fastener.

6. A method for preparing refrigerated products, the method comprising:

providing an apparatus comprising at least one containment tank for containing a product to be prepared, a mixing device arranged inside said tank and said mixing device configured provide a continuous circulation of said product inside said tank, a cooling device arranged inside said tank to cool said product, an electronic control board for controlling said cooling device, a motor member configured to rotate said mixing device when said motor member is operated, an elastic member connected to the motor member, a microswitch and a dispensing device of said product connected to said containment tank, said elastic member applying an elastic member force to said motor member, said mixing device comprising a screw member, said motor member being connected to the screw member for rotating the screw member;

cooling said product in said containment container until a predetermined solidity of the product is reached, said predetermined solidity of the product occurring when a resisting torque applied to the screw member exceeds said elastic member force applied to said motor member, wherein said resisting torque is exerted on said screw member in a direction opposite a rotational direction of said screw member via said product, said microswitch sending a signal to said electronic control board when said resisting torque exceeds said elastic member force;

switching said cooling device on and off via said electronic control board when said resisting torque exceeds said elastic member force to maintain said predetermined solidity of said product;

measuring a temperature of said product inside said tank when said resisting torque exceeds said elastic member force and setting said temperature as a reference temperature;

controlling said temperature of said product inside said tank to preserve said reference temperature during subsequent working of said apparatus.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the elastic member comprises a spring.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the elastic member comprises a spring.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the elastic member force is adjustable via a fastener.

10. A method for preparing refrigerated products, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an apparatus comprising at least one containment tank for containing a product to be prepared, a mixing device arranged inside said tank and said mixing device configured provide a continuous circulation of said product inside said tank, a cooling device arranged inside said tank to cool said product, an electronic control board for controlling said cooling device, a motor member configured to rotate said mixing device when said motor member is actuated, an elastic member, a microswitch and a dispensing device of said product connected to said containment tank, said elastic member applying an elastic member force to said motor member, said mixing device comprising a screw member, said motor member being connected to the screw member for rotating the screw member;

in a preparation step, controlling a solidity of said product being prepared inside said tank such that said solidity of said product has a predetermined solidity, said predetermined solidity corresponding to a solidity of said product that applies a resisting torque to said screw member that is greater than said elastic member force;

upon reaching said predetermined solidity, measuring a temperature of said product inside said tank;

setting said temperature of said product upon reaching said predetermined solidity as a reference temperature;

in a preserving step, controlling said temperature of said product inside said tank to preserve said reference temperature during subsequent working of said apparatus;

automatically repeating, in case of temperature variation inside said tank beyond a prefixed limit, a cycle comprising said preparation step to bring said product at said predetermined solidity, a stabilization step of said predetermined solidity followed by measuring said reference temperature and a preserving step of said reference temperature through a constant control of said temperature of said product.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the elastic member comprises a spring.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the elastic member comprises a spring.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the elastic member force is adjustable via a fastener.