EP1134709A1

EP1134709A1 - Improved insulating device for ice creams and frozen food dispensing machines

Info

Publication number: EP1134709A1
Application number: EP00500138A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Vicente Miro Bravo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-03-13
Filing date: 2000-06-28
Publication date: 2001-09-19
Also published as: ES1046469U; ES1046469Y

Abstract

IMPROVED INSULATING DEVICE FOR ICECREAMS AND FROZEN FOOD DISPENSING MACHINES suitable for a dispensing machine (2) preferably having a frontal door (6), two thermically-insulating inside doors (5) and a storage's cooled chamber (1) having each of said inside doors (5), an insulating gasket (4) in its inside perimeter, this device is essentially characterized in that two curtains (8, 9) are fitted on the isothermal frame (7) in association with each of the inside doors (5); the curtain (8) being made up with a plurality of vertically arranged and slightly overlapped insulating and resilient strips. The top curtain (8) covering from the top portion of the cooled chamber (1) to the isothermal frame (7) central traverse beam located around said chamber (1). The lower curtain (9) is arranged from the frame central traverse beam (7) to the frame lower edge, preferably made up with a single insulating and resilient sheet separating the electromagnetic members (3) which are dispensing the outside-stored product.

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present Utility Model application has as an object the registration of an improved insulating device for ice creams and frozen food dispensing machines incorporating remarkable innovations and advantages in front of the present thermally-insulated systems at the cooled dispensing machines.
More particularly the present invention consists in the arrangement of an insulating curtain with vertical strips in front of a cooled-products storage chamber of a dispensing machine being thus avoided any interchange of the environmental air with the inside cold air during opening, loading and other operations, and also prevented an ice or frost formation which could cause a blocking of the inside motions and product adherence between them and the machine structural members.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Presently several types of machines for automatical dispensing of drinks and food products are available in the market. Within this type of machines is common to find the ones arranging products by columns to dispense them by gravity. Usually, the temperature set for the product maintenance chamber is higher than that of the water freezing temperature, the environmental humidity condensation can thereby only be caused at most in the walls and in the stored products. The issue arises when the cooled chamber of the dispensing machine should be quite truly under the freezing point when ice and frost are formed on the products; machine surfaces and inside motions causing machine blocking and malfunction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The improved insulating device for ice creams and frozen food dispensing machines object of the present registration is characterized in that it comprises insulating means for the cooled product storage chamber, but allows machine to be loaded by the operator when replenishing it with product. Effectively, when the machine is operating and closed, the inside low temperature causes condensation of the environmental humidity which is then stored frostlike.
During the machine regular replenishing operations, a noticeable thermal skip is caused between the inside and the outside of the storage area. The machine inside is really at a temperature which can easily go down to about -30°C, while the outside temperature can vary between 20°C and 40°C. On said process, any air present inside the machine is renewed by taking a higher humidity-filled outside air. When the machine is closed and the renewed air temperature is falling, said humidity similarly goes down by condensing itself as ice and frost, an upshot fully undesirable.
With the present invention, during the machine's product reloading, any interchange of the inside air with the outside air is avoided on the one hand and if air leakage from outside is perceived, this air may then go on by raising a progressively-growing ice layer in the sensible portions of the cooled inside, on the other hand.
The present invention comprising the arrangement of a curtain of insulating members at the frontal side of the storage area of the dispensing machine just behind the inside doors. Said curtain is made up with a plurality of vertically-arranged flexible strips, from wider to narrower ones, fitted at its top portion and embracing all the height of said storage area up to the isothermal insulating frame lower side. Said isothermal frame dividing the cooled machine inside into two sections, the top section pertaining to the product storage area and being thereby the one mostly used during the products replenishment operations into the machine and the bottom section pertaining to all the product delivery and dispensing motions, covered by a purposely-prepared second door. Both doors are fully independent to avoid any unnecessary door opening. The access distribution in two independent doors really means that two corresponding curtains are available, the top curtain made up with vertical strips of insulating material and the lower curtain indistinctly with strips or a single sheet embracing all the bay defined by the isothermal lower frame. Said doors having at its inside perimeter a preferably neoprene-insulating gasket, the doors fitted to the isothermal frame to avoid any possible air leaks to the inside. The machine outside door is closed on these two doors.
The curtain vertical strips insulating the cooled inside chamber from the outside space, but allow the operator to easily insert products through the existing slits between two contiguous strips. The contiguous strips are slightly overlapped to assure inside absolute hermetical sealing, and in case air leaked through the doors, humidity is then condensed on the curtains and does not get to go into the cooled chamber.
To complete the following description and to help a better understanding of its characteristics, the present description is accompanied by a set of drawings which figures illustratively and non-exhaustively show the most substantial details of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The single figure shows a perspective view of the device fitted to a dispensing machine with doors opened.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In view of the discussed figures and in agreement with the adopted numbering, it can be noted therein, a preferred although non-exhaustive embodiment of the invention, which consists of a dispensing machine (2) having a front door (6), two thermally-insulating inside doors (5) and a cooled storage chamber (1), each of said inside doors (5) having an insulating gasket (4) at its lower perimeter and two curtains (8, 9) are placed on the isothermal frame (7) in association with each of the doors (5), said curtain (8) being made up with a plurality of vertically-arranged, slightly mutually-overlapped strips of insulating and resilient material. The top curtain embracing from the cooled chamber (1) to the isothermal frame (7) central traverse beam present around said chamber (1). The lower curtain (9) is arranged from the frame (7) central traverse beam to the frame lower edge, and is made up with a single sheet of insulating and resilient material separating the stored product dispensing electromagnetic members (3) from the outside.

Claims

IMPROVED INSULATING DEVICE FOR ICE CREAMS AND FROZEN FOOD DISPENSING MACHINES, these machines being of the type having a product stored chamber (1) cooled to a temperature lower than that of the water freezing temperature and characterized in that in front of the cooled chamber (1) and in the bay of the insulating isothermal frame (7) there are two curtains (8, 9), the curtain (8) made up with a plurality of vertical strips, of resilient and insulating material and slightly mutually overlapped and joined at its top side and longwisely separated, covering all the surface defined by said frame (7) around the cooled chamber (1), said curtain being operatively suitable to avoid any air interchange when the machine (2) is opened during its product replenishing operation, and allowing to insert product into the chamber (1) between two contiguous strips of the curtain (8); and in that curtain (9) is made up with a preferably resilient and insulating material sheet joined to the frame (7) traverse beam at its top side and is operatively suitable to avoid air interchange analogously as the curtain (8) and to allow substantial access to the inside where the product dispensing electromagnetic members (3) and other frost-forming and blocking-sensible motions can be seen.
IMPROVED INSULATING DEVICE FOR ICE CREAMS AND FROZEN FOOD DISPENSING MACHINES, according to claim 1, characterized in that two inside doors (5) are preferably available in association with the resilient curtains (8, 9) and a closing outside door (6), the top door (5) being suitable for the thermal insulation of the storage chamber (1) and the lower door (5) is suitable for the thermal insulation of the product dispensing electromagnetic members (3) and others; and characterized in that the doors (5) having at the inside perimeter, a preferably neoprene-insulating gasket (4) operatively fitted to seal the cooled chamber (1) by its compression with the surrounding isothermal frame (7) by covering the bays wherein the curtains (8, 9) are respectively seen.