Apparatus and method for making frozen drinks
First Claim
1. A method of making a milkshake or smoothie, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a cup containing a block of milkshake or smoothie ingredients frozen to substantially conform to the interior of the cup;
(b) grinding the block in the cup to form a ground frozen substance;
(c) adding a liquid heated to at least approximately 100°
F. to the ground frozen substance in the cup; and
(d) whipping to incorporate air into a mixture of the heated liquid and the ground frozen substance in the cup, so that the incorporated air, heated liquid, and ground frozen substance form a milkshake or smoothie which has a total volume that exceeds the volume of the mixture of the heated liquid and block of frozen ingredients alone, and wherein steps (b), (c), and (d) are completed in about 30 seconds or less.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is a frozen drink machine and a method for making frozen drinks from a frozen substance which has been frozen into a block. According to the method of the present invention, a block of frozen substance is held in a vessel while a rotatable blade having features for grinding the frozen substance and, if desirable, for aerating the ground frozen substance, acts on the block, grinding the frozen substance while a heated liquid is simultaneously introduced into the vessel. An apparatus according to the present invention supports a cup containing the frozen substance, and includes a rotatable blade which is lowered into the cup and means for pumping a heated liquid into the cup.
63 Citations
53 Claims
-
1. A method of making a milkshake or smoothie, comprising the steps of:
-
(a) providing a cup containing a block of milkshake or smoothie ingredients frozen to substantially conform to the interior of the cup;
(b) grinding the block in the cup to form a ground frozen substance;
(c) adding a liquid heated to at least approximately 100°
F. to the ground frozen substance in the cup; and
(d) whipping to incorporate air into a mixture of the heated liquid and the ground frozen substance in the cup, so that the incorporated air, heated liquid, and ground frozen substance form a milkshake or smoothie which has a total volume that exceeds the volume of the mixture of the heated liquid and block of frozen ingredients alone, and wherein steps (b), (c), and (d) are completed in about 30 seconds or less. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A method of making a milkshake or smoothie, comprising the steps of:
-
(a) providing a cup containing a plurality of milkshake or smoothie ingredients mixed together and frozen, with no air therein, into a block which substantially conforms to the interior of the cup and has a top surface;
(b) providing a rotatable blade;
(c) lowering the blade into the cup and onto the top surface of the block, and rotating the blade to grind through the block to form a ground frozen substance;
(d) during at least a portion of step (c), adding a hot water having a temperature of at least approximately 170°
F. to the ground frozen substance in the cup for a period of approximately three to five seconds; and
(e) whipping to incorporate air into a mixture of the hot water and the ground frozen substance in the cup, so that the incorporated air, hot water, and ground frozen substance form a milkshake or smoothie having a total volume that exceeds the volume of the mixture of the hot water and frozen ingredients alone;
wherein the ratio between the volume of incorporated air, the volume of hot water, and the volume of frozen ingredients in the milkshake or smoothie is about 3;
3;
10; and
wherein steps (c), (d), and (e) are completed in about 30 seconds or less. - View Dependent Claims (17)
-
-
18. A method of making a milkshake or smoothie, comprising the steps of:
-
(a) combining milkshake or smoothie ingredients to form a mixture and partially filling a cup with the mixture;
(b) freezing the mixture in the cup to form a block of frozen substance substantially conforming to the interior of the cup;
(c) grinding the block in the cup to form a ground frozen substance;
(d) adding a liquid heated to at least approximately 100°
F. to the ground frozen substance in the cup; and
(e) whipping to incorporate air into a mixture of the heated liquid and the ground frozen substance in the cup, so that the incorporated air, heated liquid, and ground frozen substance form a milkshake or smoothie having a total volume that exceeds the volume of the mixture of the heated liquid and block of frozen substance alone, and wherein steps (c), (d), and (e) are completed in about 30 seconds or less. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
-
-
30. A method of making a milkshake or smoothie, comprising the steps of:
-
(a) freezing a plurality of milkshake or smoothie ingredients together in a cup to form a frozen block which substantially conforms to the interior of the cup;
(b) grinding the frozen block in the cup to form a ground frozen substance;
(c) adding a liquid heated to at least approximately 100°
F. to the ground frozen substance in the cup; and
(d) whipping to incorporate air into a mixture of the heated liquid and the ground frozen substance in the cup, so that the incorporated air, heated liquid, and ground frozen substance form a milkshake or smoothie having a total volume that exceeds the volume of the mixture of the heated liquid and frozen block alone, and wherein steps (b), (c), and (d) are completed in about 30 seconds or less. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
-
-
42. A method of making a milkshake or smoothie, comprising the steps of:
-
(a) providing a cup containing a plurality of milkshake or smoothie ingredients mixed together and frozen into a block which substantially conforms to the interior of the cup and has a top surface;
(b) providing a rotatable blade;
(c) lowering the blade into the cup and onto the top surface of the block, and rotating the blade to grind through the block to form a ground frozen substance;
(d) during at least a portion of step (c), adding a hot water having a temperature of at least approximately 100°
F. to the ground frozen substance in the cup; and
(e) whipping to incorporate air into a mixture of the hot water and the ground frozen substance in the cup, so that the incorporated air, hot water, and ground frozen substance form a milkshake or smoothie having a total volume that exceeds the volume of the mixture of the hot water and frozen ingredients alone, and wherein steps (c), (d), and (e) are completed in about 30 seconds or less. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
-
Specification