Apparatus for making frozen drinks

• US 6,474,862 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2001
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: F'Real Foods LLC (Rich Products Corporation)
• Original Assignee: James J. Farrell
• Inventors: Farrell, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): SOOHOO, TONY GLEN
• Application Number:
  US10/010,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20020131324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• Field of Search: 366/147, 366/207, 366/203, 366/168.1, 366/289, 366/316, 366/199, 366/197, 992/87
• US Class Current: 366/147
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/045 of slush-ice, e.g. semi-frozen beverage
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/12 using means for stirring the contents in a non-moving container
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/20 the products being mixed with gas, e.g. soft-ice

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.

Claims

1. An apparatus for making a frozen drink from a block of frozen substance in a cup, the substance frozen to substantially conform to the interior of the cup, and the cup having a vertical axis, wherein the apparatus comprises:

a cup support for receiving the cup and inhibiting rotation of the cup;

an agitator which, when a cup containing a block of frozen substance is positioned on the cup support, is extendable coaxially into the cup to grind the block of frozen substance in the cup into a ground frozen substance; and

a liquid dispenser which is configured to direct heated liquid into the cup in the cup support.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the agitator comprises a rotatable blade assembly aligned for selected coaxial extension into a cup positioned in the cup support.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, and further comprising:

an initiation switch;

a controller for generating up and down blade movement control signals and blade rotation control signals;

a slidable and rotatable shaft attached to the blade assembly and moveable between upper and lower positions corresponding to upper and lower blade positions; and

first and second motors coupled to the shaft, the first motor responsive to the blade movement control signals to move the shaft between the upper and lower positions, the second motor responsive to the blade rotation control signals to rotate the blade assembly, the controller responsive to activation of the initiation switch to allow the blade assembly to rotate and to be lowered into a cup when a user activates the initiation switch.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

a cup sensor for detecting the presence of a cup in the cup support and for producing an output,

wherein the controller is responsive to the output of the cup sensor to allow the blade assembly to rotate and to be lowered into a cup when a cup is detected in the cup support.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the liquid dispenser directs heated liquid into the cup during at least a portion of the grinding of the frozen substance by the agitator.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the heated liquid and the agitator simultaneously engage the block of frozen substance in the cup.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the agitator and cup are moveable relative to one another between first and second positions, the first position having the agitator within the cup and in contact with the block of frozen substance in the cup and the second position having the agitator spaced from the cup.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, and further comprising a process controller operable for effecting movement between the first and second positions.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, and further comprising a heater which heats the liquid to at least approximately 100°

F.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the liquid is heated to at least approximately 170°

F.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the liquid is heated to at least approximately 180°

F.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dispenser directs a predetermined amount of heated liquid into the cup in the cup support.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the predetermined amount of heated liquid is about 3 ounces.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the ratio of the predetermined amount of heated liquid to frozen substance in the cup, by volume, is about 3:

10.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the ratio of the predetermined amount of heated liquid to a size of the cup, by volume, is about 3:

16.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the volume of the block of frozen substance in the cup is approximately 60% of the total volume of the cup.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dispenser directs heated liquid into the cup in the cup support for a predetermined time period.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the time period is from approximately three to approximately five seconds.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dispenser begins directing heated liquid into the cup approximately when grinding of the frozen substance in the cup begins.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dispenser begins directing heated liquid into the cup approximately when the agitator first contacts the block of frozen substance in the cup.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the agitator includes an aerator for causing air to be incorporated into the ground frozen substance by the rotatable blade.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the ratio between the volume of incorporated air and the total volume of the frozen drink is about 3:

16.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, and further comprising:

a cup sensor for detecting a characteristic of a cup in the cup support and for producing an output corresponding to the characteristic of the cup; and

a controller for generating a process control signal which corresponds to the output produced by the cup sensor.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the characteristic is the size of the cup.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the liquid dispenser is responsive to the process control signal to a dispense a volume of liquid into the cup, the volume corresponding to the size of the cup.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, and further comprising:

an agitator assembly being responsive to the process control signal to move the agitator vertically, the extent of movement corresponding to the size of the cup.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, and further comprising:

an enclosure which encloses the cup in the cup support so that the cup is inaccessible during grinding of the frozen substance therein by the agitator.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, and further comprising:

an enclosure sensor for detecting whether the enclosure is in an open or closed position and for producing an output indicating whether the enclosure is in an open or closed position; and

a controller for generating agitator control signals, the controller being responsive to the enclosure sensor output, the controller allowing for agitator operation only if the sensor output indicates that the enclosure is in a closed position.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein agitator operation includes extending the agitator coaxially down into the cup and retracting the agitator coaxially up relative to the cup.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the agitator includes a blade, and wherein operation of the agitator further includes rotating the blade.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the agitator is movable down and up a second time during grinding of the frozen substance.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the agitator is movable coaxially up out of the cup.

33. The apparatus of claim 1, and further comprising an enclosure which encloses the cup in the cup support so that the cup is inaccessible during dispensing of the heated liquid into the cup.

34. An apparatus for making a milkshake or smoothie in a cup containing milkshake or smoothie ingredients frozen into a block which conforms to an interior shape of the cup, the apparatus comprising:

a cup holder for non-rotatably receiving the cup, the cup having a vertical axis;

a rotatable blade aligned relative to the cup holder to have a first raised position remote from an open top end of the cup and a second lowered position wherein the blade is in engagement with the ingredients inside the cup, the movement of the blade being along the vertical axis of the cup;

a mix motor operably coupled to the blade to rotate the blade;

a drive motor operably coupled to change the relative blade and cup positions between the first and second positions;

a source of liquid heated to at least approximately 100°

F.; and

a liquid dispenser disposed over an opening at a top end of the cup in the cup holder, the dispenser being in fluid communication with the source and aligned for adding a predetermined portion of the heated liquid into the cup to be mixed with the ingredients therein by the rotatable blade.

35. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the rotatable blade is in the lowered position when the heated liquid is added.

36. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the liquid is heated to at least approximately 170°

F.

37. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the dispenser begins adding heated liquid into the cup approximately when rotation of the blade begins.

38. The apparatus of claim 34, and further comprising:

an enclosure which encloses the cup in the cup holder so that the cup is inaccessible during mixing of the liquid and the frozen ingredients therein by the rotatable blade.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, and further comprising:

an enclosure sensor for detecting whether the enclosure is in an open or closed position and for producing an output indicating whether the enclosure is in an open or closed position; and

a controller for generating blade operation signals, the controller being responsive to the enclosure sensor output, the controller allowing for blade operation only if the sensor output indicates that the enclosure is in a closed position.

40. The apparatus of claim 34, and further comprising an enclosure which encloses the cup in the cup holder so that the cup is inaccessible during adding of the heated liquid into the cup.

41. An apparatus for making frozen drinks from a frozen substance in a cup, wherein the substance is frozen to substantially conform to an interior of the cup, the apparatus comprising:

a cup support for receiving the cup and inhibiting rotation of the cup, the cup having a vertical axis;

a rotatable blade assembly including shaving elements and aeration elements, the blade assembly moveable along the vertical axis between upper and lower blade positions, the lower blade position being at a height such that when a cup is positioned in the cup support, the blade assembly is positioned within the cup and adjacent to a bottom of the cup;

a source of heated liquid; and

a pump configured to direct heated liquid from the source thereof into a cup containing a frozen substance when the cup is positioned in the cup support.

42. The apparatus of claim 41 wherein the heated liquid and the rotatable blade assembly simultaneously engage the frozen substance in the cup.

43. The apparatus of claim 41, and further comprising a heater which heats the liquid to at least approximately 100°

F.

44. The apparatus of claim 41, and further comprising:

a cup sensor for detecting a characteristic of a cup in the cup support and for producing an output corresponding to the characteristic of the cup; and

a controller for generating a process control signal which corresponds to the output produced by the cup sensor.

45. The apparatus of claim 44 wherein the characteristic is the size of the cup.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the pump is responsive to the process control signal to a dispense a volume of liquid into the cup, the volume corresponding to the size of the cup.

47. The apparatus of claim 41, and further comprising an enclosure which encloses the cup in the cup support so that the cup is inaccessible during pumping of the heated liquid into the cup.

48. An apparatus for making a frozen drink from a frozen substance in a cup, wherein the substance is frozen to substantially conform to the interior of the cup, the apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a cup support mounted to the housing, the cup support inhibiting rotation of the cup;

a liquid dispenser having an outlet positioned to direct a predetermined amount of heated liquid into a cup positioned on the cup support; and

a shaft mounted to the housing, the shaft carrying a rotatable blade having shaving elements and aeration elements thereon, the shaft moveable relative to the housing to carry the blade between an upper blade position remote from the cup support and a lower blade position adjacent to the cup support, the rotatable blade configured to, when it is lowered into a cup containing frozen substance, shave the frozen substance, mix the frozen substance with heated liquid dispensed by the liquid dispenser, and incorporate air into the resultant mixture of frozen substance and heated liquid.

49. The apparatus of claim 48 wherein the heated liquid and the blade simultaneously engage the frozen substance in the cup.

50. The apparatus of claim 48, and further comprising a heater which heats the liquid to at least approximately 100°

F.

51. The apparatus of claim 48 wherein the dispenser begins directing heated liquid into the cup approximately when shaving of the frozen substance in the cup begins.

52. The apparatus of claim 48 wherein the dispenser begins directing heated liquid into the cup approximately when the blade first contacts the frozen substance in the cup.

53. The apparatus of claim 48, and further comprising an enclosure on the housing which encloses the cup in the cup support so that the cup is inaccessible during dispensing of the heated liquid into the cup.