US3295997A

US3295997A - Milk shake machine

Info

Publication number: US3295997A
Application number: US331787A
Authority: US
Inventors: Barnard E Tomlinson; Orville E Jay
Original assignee: Northwest Historical Metals Inc
Current assignee: Northwest Historical Metals Inc
Priority date: 1963-12-19
Filing date: 1963-12-19
Publication date: 1967-01-03
Anticipated expiration: 1984-01-03

Description

Jan. 3, 1967 B. E. TOMLINSO N ET AL 3,295,997

MILK SHAKE MACHINE Filed Dec. 19, 1963 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 BARNARD E. TOMLINSON ORVILLE E. JAY

INVENTORS ATTORNEYS Jan. 3, 1967 B. E. TOMLINSON ET AL 3,295,997

MILK SHAKE MACHINE 9 sheets-sheet z Filed Dec. 19, 1963 BARNARD E. TOMLINSON INVENTORS ORVILLE E. JAY

ATTORNEYS Jan. 3, 1967 B. E. TOMLINSON ET AL 3,295,997

MILK SHAKE MACHINE Filed Dec. 19, 1963 9 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTORS FIG 3 BARNARD E. TOMLINSON ATTQRNEYS Jan. 3, 1967 B. E. TOMLINSON ETAL 7 MILK SHAKE MACHINE Filed DEC. 19. 1965 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS ARNARD E. "JI'ByLINSON ATTORNEYS Jan. 3,1967 B. E. TOMLINSON ET 3,295,997

MILK SHAKE MACHINE 9 Sheets$heet 5 Filed Dec. 19. 1965 INVENTORS BARNARD E. TOMLINSON ORVILLE E. JAY

FIG

A TTORNEYS Jan. 3, 19 67 B. E. TOMLINSON ET AL 3,295,997

MILK SHAKE MACHINE Filed Dec. 19, 1963 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 I u I85 BARNARD E. TOMLINSON ORVILLE E. JAY

INVENTORS ATTORNEYS Jan. 3, 1967 B. E. TOMLINSON ET ALf 3,295,997

MILK SHAKE MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet Filed Dec. 19, 1963 "1 Jim Jan. 3, 1967 B. E. TOMLINSON ET AL 3,295,997

MILK SHAKE MACHINE 9 SheetsSheet 9 Filed Dec. 19 1963 m S M s m o m L T N M N R E O O V T m M Y E. & E D m Y V AR B B0 3 G F 3 9 G I. 2 FPS \NR 2 6 9 A v (H4 rf T 9 8 8 Patented Jan. 3, 1967 3,295,997 MILK SHAKE MACHINE Barnard E. Tomlinson, Walla Walla, Wash., and Orville E. Jay, Milton-Freewater, Oreg., assiguors to Northwest Historical Metals Inc., Walla Walla, Wash., a corporation of Washington Filed Dec. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 331,787 23 Claims. (Cl. 99275) The present invention relates in general to automatic mixing machines and more particularly to an automatic mixing machine for processing ice cream mixtures such as milk shakes and the like.

According to conventional prior art methods, malts, milk shakes and other ice cream mixtures are prepared and formulated by hand, with the actual mixing being accomplished by a rotating mixing shaft, much in the same manner as a housewife prepares a cake or pudding with a household mixer. From the standpoint of a commercial operation, this method is undesirable since it is time consuming and requires a great deal of personal attention 'by an attendant or other sales personnel. The ice cream must be first scooped from :a container and placed in a special metal mixing cup along with other ingredients such as milk and syrup. The various ingredients must be maintained separately and close to the sale-s counter. It is often diflicult also to maintain the ice cream at a desirable temperature to be scooped or dipped out. The time and labor involved in maintaining the separate ingredients and in attending to the actual mixing of the milk shake prevents sales personnel from attending to other customers and thus limits the number of customers which can be served. In addition, there is no assurance of obtaining a constant quality item since no two people will add the same amount of each ingredient or run the mixer the same length of time.

Also in use are dispensing freezers of the type in which an ice cream mix and air are automatically fed into a freezing cylinder, whipped by a dasher in the cylinder during the freezing operation, and then dispensed when desired through a front discharge gate. This method of milk shake preparation is disadvantageous in that the unit must be charged at the start of each days operation and must be emptied and completely cleaned at the close of operations.

The present invention seeks to alleviate these problems by providing a completely automatic mixing apparatus which requires no personal attention in formulating or mixing the ingredients. According to the present invention, all of the milk shake ingredients, except for the milk, are provided in pre-frozen form in the bottom of the container from which the milk shake is to be consumed. It is then necessary only to insert the container with the pre-frozen ingredients into the apparatus. The frozen ingredients are reduced to a very finely divided form by the mixing apparatus and the exact amount of milk desired is added during the operation. At the completion of the various cycles of the mixing machine, the machine is automatically shut off and the completed milk shake may be removed and consumed. With the apparatus of the present invention, it is no longer necessary to maintain and dispense the individual ingredients of the milk shake and no time is wasted in cleaning equipment since the mixing elements of the machine are automatically cleaned at the end of each mixing operation. With this arrangement, ran attendant merely takes the customers order and starts the mixing cycle of the machine. While the machine is completing the milk shake, the attendant may make change for the customer and take orders from other customers. When the machine has completed its cycle, the finished milk shake is given to the customer. The present invention also may be adapted to provide a completely self-service method for dispensing milk shakes. The apparatus is well adapted for utilization with coin operated controls well known in the art.

The primary object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a fully automatic milk shake mixing device wherein a constant quality product may be obtained with a minimum amount of attention by an operator.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mixing machine of the character described wherein the basic frozen mixture is pre-frozen in containers from which the milk shake is to be consumed and subsequently reduced to a finely divided form with the addition of milk.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a completely automatic milk shake mixing machine which eliminates the necessity of cleaning mixing containers and other apparatus after each mixing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mixing machine which utilizes electrically controlled cycles of mixing, dispensing milk and rinsing of the mixing apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mixing machine wherein a rotatable mixing shaft is automatically raised and lowered -by means of a motor driven cam mechanism and a mixer motor is activated and deactivated in proper timed sequence by cam or electrical switches, with milk being dispensed in proper proportions by means of a liquid level responsive switch arrangement.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described which will automatically return the rotatable mixing shaft to a rinse tank at the completion of a mixing operation and subsequently turn itself 01f.

The means by which the foregoing objects and other advantages, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are accomplished, are set forth in the following specification and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings dealing with the preferred embodiment. Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the overall device;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view with portions of the frame cut away to better illustrate the details of the device;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view with portions of the frame cut away to illustrate details;

FIG. 4 is a back elevational view;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view taken from the right side of the machine as seen in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross sectional view taken along lines 66 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken along lines 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross sectional view taken along lines 88 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross sectional view taken along lines 9-9 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is a vertical cross sectional view taken along lines Ill-10 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view 1111 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken along lines 12-12 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view similar to FIG. 12 showing the container support and mixing assembly in a different osition; 4

FIG. 14 is a vertical cross sectional View taken along lines 14-14 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a vertical cross sectional view taken along 15-15 of FIG. 12;

taken along lines FIG. 16 is an elevational view showing the mixing shaft and blade details;

FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view taken along 1717 of FIG. 16; and

FIG. 18 is a schematic of the electrical control circuit for the device.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate identical parts in the various views, the automatic mixing device of the present invention comprises an overall frame structure and enclosure indicated generally by the numeral 1 in FIG. 1, with the frame and enclosure Walls including an inwardly curving wall portion 2. A container support and rinse tank assembly 3 is located within the curved wall portion 2 and directly beneath a rotatable mixing shaft assembly indicated generally at 4. The frame structure 1 also supports a milk supply container 5 equipped with a milk supply valve arrangement 6. The control mechanism presently to be described which includes driving motors, cams, cam followers and micro switches along with other control elements is located within the upright portion 7 of the frame and enclosure 1.

Main cam sprocket The main control for activating and deactivating the various components of the mixing device is accomplished by means of a main cam sprocket 8 shown most clearly in FIG. 4. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the cam sprocket 8 is keyed for rotation with a rotatable shaft 9 which is journaled for rotation in the internal vertical frame members 10 and 11 by means of bearing members 12 and 13. The end of the shaft 9 opposite the cam sprocket 8 had keyed thereto an additional cam member 14 which functions to control the position of the container support and rinse tank assembly 3 in a manner presently to be described. The cam sprocket 8 rotates at a relatively low speed during the sequence of operation of the various components of the machine and makes one entire revolution during each cycle of operation from the time the operator switches the machine on and the time that the machine aut-omatic-ally turns itself off, The cam sprocket 8 may thus be considered as a constantly rotating member during the time that the machine is in operation.

The cam sprocket 8 is driven by means of an electric-a1 mot-or 15 which is initially started by means of the push button control 16 conveniently located on the frame structure 1 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3. The switch 16 is a momentary holding switch or time delay switch which serves to close the electrical circuit to the motor 15 for only a short interval of time after which the switch again opens. As will bepresently described in detail, the momentary activation of the motor 15 serves to start the rotation of the cam sprocket 8. A micro switch closes the circuit to the motor 15 which remainsclosed until the same micro switch is moved by cam means on the sprocket 8 to an open position to thus break the circuit and turn the machine off. In addition to the push button control 16, a signal light 17 is also located on the outside of the v frame and may be a colored light to indicate that electrical power is available for the motor 15. An additional sign-a1 means 18, also in the form of a colored light, may be provided adjacent the push button control 16 and electrically connected in series with the motor 15 to give an indication that the motor is operating and that the cam. sprocket 8 is rotating. For the purpose of being able to stop the rotation of the cam sprocket 8 any time during its rotation, to enable inspection or repair of the machine, an over-ride switch 19 is located within the enclosure and frame 1 so as to be inaccessible to an operator during normal use of the machine. This switch 19 normally remains in the on or closed position as illustrated in FIG. 3. The switch 19, along with other manually operated switches to be described, is mounted on an intern-a1 switch panel 20 connected to the frame structure.

The electrical motor 15 is drivingly connected to rotate the cam sprocket 8 by means of a first chain member 21 which is trained about the motor drive sprocket 22 and a driven sprocket 23 fixed to a transfer shaft 24 as seen clearly in FIG. 4. The shaft 24 may be journaled by any suitable means in the vertical frame member 10 and 11 and carries a second drive sprocket for transferring the motor drive to the cam sprocket 8 by means of a second chain 25. As aforementioned, the electrical motor 15 is initially energized by means of the push button control 16 which closes the circuit to the motor for only a short time after which it opens, leaving the control of the operation of the motor under the infiunece of a cam operated micro switch. The micro switch 26 is mounted on a portion of the vertical frame member 10 for accomplishing this purpose and includes a cam follower or roller member 27 carried by the leaf spring arm 28. The roller member 27 contacts a segmental cam member 29* mounted on the rear face of the sprocket 8. The details of the micro switch and cam arrangement are shown most clearly in FIGS. 4 and 8. The micro switch 26 is a normally closed switch which is opened so as to break the electrical circuit to the motor 15 when the cam follower 27 rides up On the cam surface 29. FIG. 8 illustrates the position of the cam surface 29 with relation to the cam follower 27 and micro switch at the time the machine has completed a cycle of operation. In this position, the micro switch 26 has been opened and the circuit to the motor 15 is broken. If the operator wishes to initiate a mixing cycle he presses the push button control 16 which operates a momentary holding switch to close the circuit to the motor 15. The switch remains closed long enough to cause the cam sprocket 8 to rotate a sufficient distance to move the cam surface 29 away from the cam follower 27 so as to allow the micro switch 26 to close and thus complete a circuit through the motor 15. After the circuit has been completed through the micro switch 26, the push button con trol switch 16 again opens and is ready for operation the next time it is desired to initiate a cycle. The swich 26 remains closed while the cam sprocket 8 moves one revolution to again bring the cam surface 29 in contact with the cam follower 27 which again opens the switch 26 thus shutting off the motor 15.

'Mixer The mixing shaft assembly 4 is shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 5 and includes a rotatable vertical shaft 30 mounted in a vertical bearing sleeve 31 rigidly attached to the

bracket

32 and 33 by means of welding or the like. The

brackets

32 and 33 are in turn rigidly fixed to a movable mixer motor assembly 34, the details of which will be presently described. The lower end of the rotatable shaft 30 may be equipped with any conventional means for receiving and clamping the upper end of a mixer and cutter blade shaft 35 shown in detail in FIGS. 16 and 17. The shaft 35 may include a flattened portion 36 on its upper end for cooperation with a set screw or the like, not shown, on the rotatable shaft 30 for the purpose of fixedly mounting the blade shaft 35 in the end of the shaft 30.

The bottom of the shaft 35 is equipped with an arrangement of blade members which accomplish the combined functions of cutting or shaving the frozen milk shake mixture into a very finely divided form, mixing the milk with the frozen mixture and preventing the liquid from slopping or splashing out of the container during mixing.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the lower portion of the shaft 35 and the associated blades extend down into the container 37, indicated in dotted line and contact the frozen mixture in the bottom of the container during the mixing operation. The cutting or shaving action is obtained by means of the four cutter blades 38 which have a sharp leading edge 39 and a plurality of notches 40. The result of the combined action of the sharpened edges 39 and the notches 40 on the frozen mixture is to reduce the frozen substance into finely divided chips or flakes. It will also be noted that the tapered shape of the blades 38 tends to circulate the liquid in the cup in an upward direction during rotation of the blades.

Immediately above the blades 38 is a second set of diametrically opposed mixing blades 41. The blades 41 cooperate with a third set of mixing blades 42 to thoroughly mix the milk in the container with the particles of frozen mixture produced by the cutter blades 38. In addition, the blades 42 have vertically extending portions 43 which serve to insure that the frozen mixture is cleared from the sides of the container as the mixer is lowered into the container. Directly above the blades 42, a set of six equally spaced radially extending blades 44 are fixed to the shaft 35. It will also be noted that the blades 44 are given a suitable pitch or twist in such a manner that, when the shaft is rotating in the direction to cut the frozen mixture, the blades 44 act to force the liquid in the container in a downward direction opposite to the upward flow caused by the cutter blades 38 and mixing blades 41. In this manner, the liquid within the container is constantly circulated to obtain an even mixture but is prevented from splashing out of the container by the action of the blades.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the movable mixer motor assembly 34 comprises a rectangular frame which includes a fiat side plate 45, one end plate 46, a top plate 47, and a bottom plate 48. The plates of the frame may be welded or otherwise connected together to form a rigid structure for a purpose to be described. Rigidly mounted within the enclosure formed by the frame described is an electrical motor 49 which provides the drive for the rotatable mixer shaft 30. The motor 49 drives the chain 52 and a second sprocket 53 keyed to the upper end of the rotatable shaft 30.

The energization and deenergization of the motor 49 at the proper timed intervals is automatically controlled by means of a normally closed micro switch 54 mounted on the vertical frame member and illustrated clearly in FIGS. 2 and 8. The micro switch 54 includes a roller or cam follower 55 secured to the end of a leaf spring actuating arm 56. The micro switch 54 is located on the frame member 10 in such a position as to be contacted by a second segmental cam surface 57 located adjacent the cam surface 29 on the back face of the cam sprocket 8. The cam surface 57 is so formed as to include a sharp depression 58 along its length as illustrated in FIG. 2. As before mentioned, the micro switch 54 is a normally closed switch which completes a circuit to the motor 49. The position of the cam surface 57 with relation to the roller 55 at the time of completion of a cycle of operations is shown in FIG. 8. At this time, the mixer blades are submerged in a rinse tank and the machine is ready to be operated by pressing the control button 16 to start the rotation of the cam sprocket 8. As will be noted from FIGS. 2 and 8, the cam follower 55 has ridden onto the end of the cam surface 57, thus breaking the circuit to the motor 49 with the cam roller 55 being positioned closely adjacent the depression 58 of the cam surface at the end of a cycle of operation. As the sprocket 58 begins its rotation, the cam follower 55 drops sharply into the depression 58 and then quickly out and up again on the surface of the cam so that the circuit to the motor 49 is quickly closed and opened again. The motor 49 thus gives the mixing blades several initial rotations as the blades are removed from the rinse tank in order to throw off excess water on the blades. As the sprocket 8 continues to rotate, the switch 54 remains open until the segmental cam surface 57 has passed from beneath the follower 55, at which time the mixer blades have been lowered into contact with the frozen mixture and the rotation of the blades is ready to be started. The micro switch 54 remains closed throughout the balance of the rotation of the cam sprocket 8 and until the segmental cam surface 57 again passes beneath the roller 55 to break the circuit to the mixer motor. The roller 55 again comes to rest adjacent the depression 58 in the cam surface in the posi- 6 tion illustrated in the drawings and is ready for another cycle of operations. A manual override switch 59 may also be provided for selective operation of the mixer motor 49 during periods of repair or inspection. The manual override switch 59 will be located on the switch panel 20 within the frame enclosure as shown in FIG. 3.

Before explaining the details of the structure for raising and lowering the mixing shaft assembly 4 between a rinse position and a mixing position, it will first be noted that the entire mixing motor assembly and the rotating shaft are mounted for vertical reciprocation, with the container support and rinse tank assembly 3 being swingable so as to place either a rinsing tank or a milk shake container beneath the blade shaft 35. The reciprocation of the mixer shaft assembly 4 and the swinging movement of the container holder and rinse tank assembly 3 are coordinated in a manner to be described such that the blade 35 is immersed in the rinse tank as the beginning of a cycle of operations and is thereupon raised by movement of the mixer motor assembly 34 and a container 37 is then swung beneath the blade shaft after which the blade shaft is lowered to contact the frozen mixture. After the mixing is completed, the blade shaft is again raised and the rinse tank is swung therebeneath with the blade shaft then being lowered into the rinse tank at the completion of a cycle of operation.

Turning now to the mechanism for vertically reciprocating the mixer shaft assembly, the entire mixer motor assembly 34 is mounted for sliding movement on the vertical guide posts 60 and 61. In order to mount the mixer motor assembly 34, on the guide post 60, a bearing collar 62 surrounds the post 60 and is clamped to the frame structure of the mixer motor assembly by means of clamping bolts 63. The bearing collar 62 may be of any conventional construction and will be understood to contain the necessary ball bearing elements or their equivalent. In order to provide lubrication for the collar 62, an access fitting 64 may be provided on the collar as illustrated in FIG. 3. The opposite side of the mixer motor assembly frame is connected to the vertical post 61.by means of an elongated bearing sleeve 65 which passes through the top and bottom plates 47 and 48 respectively of the mixer motor assembly and is rigidly affixed thereto. The bearing sleeve 65 also includes upper and lower post engaging

bearing elements

66 and 67 respectively which may be secured to the bearing sleeve by means of bolts or the like and contains conventional bearing means such as ball or rollers, not shown, which engage the vertical post 61. As will be noted from FIG. 5, the bearing sleeve 65 extends below the mixer motor assembly with the bearing

elements

66 and 67 being relatively widely spaced on the post 61 to insure even travel of the assembly along the guide posts.

The mixer motor assembly is caused to vertically reciprocate by means of a cable 68 which is anchored to a suitable connector member 69 fixed to the bottom plate 48 of the assembly frame as illustrated in FIG. 5. The cable 8 extends upwardly from the mixer motor assembly and about an idler pulley 70 which is hung from a stationary bracket 71 fixed to a rigid portion of the machine frame. The cable 68 passes downwardly from the idler pulley 70, is trained about a movable pulley 72 and then passes upwardly and is rigidly aflixed to a connector 73, which is attached to a releasing switch arrangement indicated generally at 74. The pulley and cable arrangement may be seen most clearly in FIG. 4.

The movable pulley 72 is attached to a swingable arm 75 by means of a clevis link 76 connected to the arm 75 by a pivot pin 77. The pivot pin 77 has a roller cam follower 78 which engages the outside surface of a cam track 79 atlixed to the front face of the cam sprocket 8. The arm 75 has a right angle extending portion 80, as seen in FIG. 2, which is journaled for rotation in bearing

members

81 and 82 which are in turn aflixed to a rigid portion of the machine frame. A suitable stop ring 83 may be fixed to the free end of the portion 80 in any suitable manner to prevent removal of the swingable arm.

As most clearly seen in FIG. 4, the cam track 79 presents a continuous cam surface over which the roller 78 rides during the rotation of the cam sprocket 8 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 4. The cam track 79 includes a first high point or lobe 84 and a second high point or lobe 85 with a depression 86 being located therebetween. At the completion of any given cycle of operations, the roller 78 is located at the lowest point of the depression 86 as illustrated in FIG. 4, allowing the mixer motor assembly and mixer shaft to descend to its lowest point into the rinse tank. Since the mixer motor assembly must descend by gravity and a certain predetermined downward force is required to feed the cutter blades 38 into a frozen mixture, suitable weights 87 may be affixed at any convenient location on the mixer motor assembly frame to give the desired force. The weights 87 may comprise chunks of lead or any other heavy material.

With the cam sprocket 8 rotating clockwise as viewed in FIG. 4, the cam lobe 84 first causes the arm 75 to pivot downwardly as seen in the drawings thus pulling down on the pulley 72 and raising the mixer motor assembly 34 by means of a connecting cable 68 to remove the mixer blade shaft from the rinse tank. As the cam sprocket 8 continues to rotate, the roller 78 passes off of the lobe 84 and follows the cam track 79 which allows the mixer mot-or assembly to slowly descend as the cutter blades engage the frozen substance. The amount of descent allowed to the mixing apparatus will be determined by the configuration of the cam track so as to allow the cutters to approach very closely the bottom of the milk shake container but not beyond. After the mixing blades have reached their lowest limit, the cam roller 78 begins to ride up on the lobe 85 to again raise the mixing assembly out of the finished milk shake. The cam follower is then allowed again to pass off of the lobe 85 and enter the depression 86 in the cam surface as the mixing apparatus again enters the rinse tank. By the time the cam follower 78 has returned to the position shown in FIG. 4, the machine has shut itself off and is ready for the next cycle of operation.

As aforementioned, a releasing switch arrangement 1s provided at 74 and connected to the dead end of the cable 68. The details of the releasing switch are illustrated in FIGS. and 11 of the drawings. The switching arrangement comprises a bracket 87 which includes a channel shaped horizontal arm 88 and a triangular brace member 89. The bracket 87 is rigidly and adjustably attached to the vertical frame member 10 by means of a first bolt 90 and a second bolt 91 with the second bolt 91 being located in slot 92 to allow the bracket to be adjusted for position. The horizontal arm 88 of the bracket has pivoted thereto, by means of a pin 93, an angle iron member 94 which mounts a suitable micro switch 95. The micro switch 95 includes a roller member 96 and a leaf spring operating arm 97. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the leaf spring 97 projects through a suitable opening in the member 94 and the roller 96 bears on the top surface of the arm 88 of the bracket. The cable connector 73 extends upwardly through suitable holes in both the arm 88 and the horizontal leg of the angle member 94 with a locking nut 98 being located on the upper end of the connector. A compression spring 99 is located about the connector 73 and bears on the bottom of the member 94 and the top surface of the arm 88 thus tending to raise the member 94 against the downward force acting on the connector 73 through the cable 68. The downward forces on the connector 73 serves to maintain the member 94 downwardly against the top of the channel member 88 and in this position, the micro switch 95 is held in a closed position by means of the spring 97 and roller 96. The micro switch 95 is normally in series with all of the electrical circuits of the device such that, as long as the switch is closed, the machine will operate through its normal cycles. If, for any reason, the downward movement of the mixer motor assembly 34 is jammed or halted because of a breakdown during the descent of the assembly, the downward force on the cable 68 and the connector 73 will be relieved. This allows the compression spring 99 to pivot the member 94 and micro switch 95 upwardly, thus opening the switch and breaking all electrical circuits and immediately halting the operation of the device. A by-pass or override switch 100 may also be located on the switch panel 20 to completely by pass the action of the safety switch 95 to selectively operate the device during repairs. To complete the structural arrangement for operation of the mixer motor assembly, a stop member 101 is fixed to the cam sprocket shaft 9, illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 8, for providing a lower limit for the downward travel of the mixer motor assembly to take the weight off of the cable 68 at the end of a cycle of operation when the mixer motor assembly has descended to the downward travel of cutting blades 38 within the milk shake container. A projecting arm 102 is fixedly clamped to the bearing sleeve 65 of the mixer motor assembly by means of a conventional clamp 103 and includes and adjustable screw 104 which contacts the stop member 101 at the end of the downward travel of the sleeve member. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the stop member 101 is generally rectangular in shape and rotates with the shaft 9 with the protruding end or high point of the stop being contacted by the screw memher 104 at the end of the travel of the mixing apparatus within the milk shake container and the side of the stop member being contacted by the screw 104 when the mixing elements are returned to the rinse tank. The stop member 101 is so positioned on the shaft 9 that the proper surface of the stop member is contacted at the right instant during the reciprocation of the mixer motor assembly.

Container holder and rinse tank assembly As previously explained, the container holder and rinse tank assembly 3 is swingable as a unit beneath the rotatable mixing shaft assembly 4 so as to locate either the milk shake container 37 or a rinse tank beneath the mixing shaft at the proper time. The controlled movement of the assembly 3 is accomplished by means of the cam member 14 which rotates with the shaft 9 as will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and 1215. The assembly 3 comprises a hollow quadrant shaped base portion 105 upon which is mounted a rinse tank 106 and a housing portion 107 having a cylindrical wall portion 108 to provide for the location of a milk shake container presently to 'be explained. The assembly 3 thus far described may be constructed from sheet metal material suitably shaped and welded or may conceivably be formed as a unitary casting. The rinse tank member 106 includes an arcuate shaped spout 109 for engaging a portion of the top edge of a milk shake container and serves as a drain to carry off liquid which may drop from the mixing shaft onto the assembly 3 when the shaft is raised to allow the assembly 3 to swing. The rinse tank 106 also is equipped with a fitting 110 for connecting a flexible water conduit 111 which may be in turn connected to an outside water source by means of the fitting 112 as shown in FIG. 2. The conduit 111 supplies a source of clean water to the rinse tank which is equipped also with a drain pipe 113 for maintaining the water at a constant level within the rinse tank. The conduit 113 connects with a vertical conduit 114 within the housing 107 which telescopes onto a vertical hollow pipe 115 secured to a horizontal portion 116 which is a part of the frame and enclosure 1. The member 115 may be provided with a fitting 117 at the bottom end thereof for connection to a suitable drain outlet. The slidable connection between the conduit 114 and the upstanding drain pipe 115 also 9 serves as a pivotal connection about which the entire assembly 3 may be pivoted.

The container portion of the assembly 3 is most clearly illustrated in FIGS. 12, 13 and 15 and comprises a relatively shallow container shaped device having a circular bottom wall 118, a fixed semi-circular wall 119 and a pivoted semi circular wall 120. The wall 121) is connected to the wall 119 by means of a pivot pin 121 and includes a flange member 122 at the free end thereof which pivotally engages a rod like hook 123 protruding from the housing portion 107 of the assembly and affixed thereto. The bottom Wall 118 of the container holder is provided with a downwardly directed tubular extension 124 with opposed vertical slots 125 in the lower end thereof. The extension 124 telescopes over a rotatable lug member 126 and is keyed thereto by means of a cross pin 127 carried by the lug which engages the slots 125 in the extension. The lug 126 is rotatably carried on the flanged tubular bearing 12S fixed to the base 195 of the assembly. The lug 126 is retained on the bearing 128 by means of a set screw 129 in the manner shown and is rotated by means to be described during the swinging motion of the assembly 3. With the structure described, the holder may be easily removed or lifted from the assembly when desired and is caused to alternately open and close to clamp about the container during the swingin motion of assembly 3.

As previously mentioned, the entire assembly 3 is caused to rotate or swing about the upstanding pipe 115 with its swinging motion being controlled by the action of the cam member 14 as will now be described in detail. A hoop element 130 is provided and has an eye or loop 131 which pivots about the upstanding member 115. The hoop element 130 also includes a semi-circular portion 132, which engages the bottom portion of the rinse tank 106 as shown in FIGS. 12, 13 and 14, and a straight terminal portion 133 which passes through a hole in the side of the quadrant shaped base 105 of the assembly. The terminal portion 133 extends beyond the base 105 and through an elongated slot 134 in the inwardly curved wall 2 of the machine frame. As clearly illustrated in FIG. 14, when the assembly 3 is in position on the upstanding pipe 115, the bottom edge of the vertical drain conduit 114 rides on top of the loop 131 in the hoop element.

With the assembly 3 mounted in position as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, counter clockwise rotation of the hoop 130 serves to pivot the entire assembly counter clockwise about the pivot 115. In order to obtain a closing or clamping of the

container holder sections

119 and 120, a compression spring 135 is fixed at one end to the wall of the rinse tank 106 and attached at the other end to a rigid arm 135a carried by the rotatable lug 126. In addition, a downwardly extending stop 136 is fixed to the underside of the housing 105 and a second upstanding stop 137 is fixed to the base 116 of the machine frame.

As seen in FIG. 13, when the hoop member 130 is pivoted to its extreme clockwise rotational position, limited by the slot 134, the spring 135 is allowed to expand and since the entire assembly 3 has been swung to the right, the arm 135a is out of contact with the fixed stop 137 and thus rotates until it contacts the stop member 136 on the bottom of the assembly housing. The rotation of the arm 135a also rotatesthe lug 126, and in turn, the fixed portions of the container holder to close the walls 119 and 121) to tightly grip the container. At this time, the milk shake container and container holder are directly beneath the mixing shaft assembly as illustrated in FIG. 2. After mixing has been completed and the hoop member 130 is moved counter clockwise from the position shown in FIG. 13 to that shown in FIG. 12, the swinging motion of the assembly 3 brings the end of the arm 135a into contact with the fixed stop 137 thus rotating the arm 135a slightly in the counter clockwise direction and compressing the spring 135, allowing the two halves of the container holder to open up.

For imparting motion to the hoop member 131 a flexible strap member 138 is connected to the terminal portion 133 of the hoop at one end and to a downwardly extending pivoted control arm 139 at the other end, by means of a pivot pin 140 as shown in FIG. 6. The arm 139 is connected at its upper end to a bearing sleeve 141 rotatably mounted on a fixed pivot pin 142. The arm 139 also includes a cam follower 143 which engages the rotating cam member 14 mounted on the shaft 9. During rotation of the shaft 9, the high point of the cam 14 contacts the follower 143 to move the arm 139 and the strap member 138 to the left as shown in FIGS. 6, 12 and 13 to thus move the hoop member 130 counter clockwise to position the rinse tank 106 beneath the mixer shaft assembly. As the shaft 9 continues to rotate, and at the proper time, the cam 14 allows the arm 139 and strap member 138 to move to the right under the influence of a first spring 143 connected to the end of the strap 138 and any suitable fixed point on the machine frame, not shown, and the tension spring 144 connected between the upper portion of the arm 139 and a rigid portion of the machine frame as illustrated in FIG. 6. At the time the assembly 3 is moved to the extreme clockwise position as shown in FIG. 13, the container holder is positioned between the mixing assembly and the two halves of the

container holder

119 and 120 are tightened to secure the container.

Milk flow control During the cutting or shaving of the pro-frozen mixture, the present device automatically introduces a supply of milk into the container 37 from a supply source 5 shown in FIG. 1 to a suitable conduit 145 which is controlled by a milk supply valve arrangement indicated generally at 6 and shown most clearly in FIG. 3.

The milk control valve assembly 6 includes a valve unit 146 for selectively closing and opening the conduit 145. A pivotable valve operating arm 147 extends upwardly as illustrated in FIG. 3 and is controlled by means of a shiftable rod 148 pivotally connected at 149. A tension spring 150 is connected to the rod 148 at one end and to a stationary part of the machine frame at the other and provides a constant bias against the rod 148 to maintain the valve 1.46 in the closed position shown in FIG. 3. The opposite or left hand end of the rod 148 is adjustably connected to a connector element 151 by means of a threaded end portion 152 and adjusting nuts 153. The connector element 151 is in turn pivoted to the upper end of two parallel upstanding crank

arms

154 and 155 which are fixed to rotate with shaft 156 by means of set

screws

157 and 153 respectively. The shaft 156 is journaled at one end in a bracket 159 which is fixed to the machine frame. The opposite end of the rotatable shaft 156 is telescoped within an operating or drive shaft 160 and is free to rotate relative thereto. The extreme right hand end of the shaft 156, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 9, is also provided with a depending drop arm 161 which abuts at its lower end against a fixed plate 162 connected to the switch panel 20. The stop element 161 provides a limit for the counter clockwise rotation of the shaft 156 and the shifting of the rod 148. In addition, the shaft 156 has afiixed thereto, by welding or the like, a crank arm 163 which carries the solenoid core 164 for a purpose presently to be described.

The opposite end of the bracket 159, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, provides. a bearing for the opposite end of the operating shaft 160 which has a control arm 165 afiixed thereto. The control arm 165 is provided with a roller cam follower 166 located adjacent the periphery of the cam sprocket 8 and in position to be contacted by an arcuate cam surface 167 affixed to the front face of the cam sprocket 8. During the operation of the machine, the cam surface 167 serves to contact the roller 166 causing rotation of the operating shaft 160 through the arm 165. The rotation of the operating shaft 160 serves to move 1 1 the shiftable rod 148 through a solenoid connection in the manner now to be described.

The right hand end of the operating shaft 160, as shown in FIG. 9, is welded to a U-shaped bracket 168 which has a

leg member

169 and 170 extending at right angles to the shaft 160. The ends of the

leg members

169 and 170 are pivotally attached to a yoke 171 to which is attached a solenoid core 172. A connecting link 173 is pivoted at one end to the yoke 171 and at its opposite end to a cross pin 174 which extends between the

crank arms

154 and 155. This relationship is shown in FIGS. 3 and 9. With this structural arrangement, the solenoid coil 172 and the solenoid core 164 provide a breakable magnetic link between the operating shaft 168 and the rotatable shaft 156 which is connected to the shiftable rod 148 for operating the valve 146.

The energization and deenergization of the solenoid coil 172 is controlled by the same micro switch 54 which controls the operation of the mixer motor 49. Thus, when the switch 54 is closed so as to operate the mixer motor, the solenoid core 164 is drawn into the coil 172 resulting in a positive link between the operating shaft 160 and the rotatable shaft 156 which allows the cam follower 166 and control arm 165 to control the milk valve 146. During operation, and assuming that the solenoid coil 172 has been energized by the switch 54, the cam surface 167 at this time is beginning its approach to the cam follower 166. The cam follower 166 rides onto the cam surface 167 thus pivoting the control arm 165 counter clockwise as shown in FIG. 4. This motion rotates the shaft 160 which carries with it the solenoid coil 172 causing the coil to be lifted as viewed in FIG. 3. Since coil 172 is energized, the core 164 is also carried upwardly to thus rotate the crank arm 163 connected to the shaft 156 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3 to shift the rod 148 to the right by means of the

crank arms

154 and 155. This motion opens the valve 146 and tensions the spring 150. As long as the solenoid coil 172 is energized, the valve 146 will remain open as long as the cam follower 166 is riding on the cam surface 167. During normal operations, the valve 146 will remain open until such times as the follower 166 moves off of the surface 167 at which time the valve will again close by means of the spring 150 and the mixer motor will subsequently deenergize by means of the micro switch 54 which also deenergizes the solenoid coil 172.

Since it is not always desirable to have the milk flow during the entire operation of the mixer motor and for the entire length of the cam surface 167, a liquid level control for the milk valve 146 is provided. This function is accomplished by means of two sensing

prongs

175 and 176 clamped to an insulating bracket 177 and connected to suitable lead wires 178. The lead wires 178 are part of a circuit breaker control unit which will be described later on in this specification for disconnecting the power to the solenoid coil 172 to break the link between the control shaft 160 and the rotatable shaft 156 to thus allow the spring 150 to return the milk valve 146 to a closed position regardless of the operation of the mixing motor 49 or the contact between the cam surface 167 and the follower 166. When a bridge is formed between the sensing

prongs

175 and 176 by the liquid in the milk shake cup, the circuit breaker unit functions to deenergize the solenoid 172. Before describing the details involved in the structure for raising and lowering the

prongs

175 and 176, it should also be noted that an override switch 179 is provided on the switch panel 20 for selectively breaking the electrical circuit to the solenoid 172 during periods when the machine is being repaired or in the event that the milk flow control is not desired for any reason.

As seen in plan view in FIG. 7, the insulating bracket 177 which carries the

prongs

175 and 176 is fixed to a carriage 180 which includes a cross member 181 to which is secured a slidable bearing 182 surrounding the guide post 68. The carriage is completely free to move up and down on the guide post 68 and is further stabilized by means of an offset guide 183 which is fixed to the post 60 and passes through a suitable hole 184 in the carriage so as to be also slidable therewith. The cross member 181 of the carriage includes an upstanding bracket 184 to which a spring 185 is attached at its upper end. The spring 185 is attached at its lower end to a portion of the bearing collar 62 of the mixer motor assembly. With this construction, it will be seen that the carriage 188 is free to ride up and down on the post 60 with the mixer motor assembly since the bearing 182 of the carriage normally rests on top of the bearing 62 for the mixer motor assembly. During the time when the mixer motor assembly is in its extreme lower position with the mixer blades immersed in the rinse tank, the carriage 188 is allowed to follow the bearing 62 of the mixer motor assembly to its lowest position. During the time when the

prongs

175 and 176 are to be used as a liquid level control, however, it is desired to have the prongs lowered within the milk shake container to the desired level of the milk within the container so that the circuit breaker unit will operate when the milk level rises to this point and the milk control valve will be shut off by deenergization of the solenoid 172. To this end, an adjustable stop screw 186 is carried by the cross member 181 of the carriage 181). A pivoted arm 187 is carried on a rotatable shaft 188 which is suitably journaled for rotation on a fixed portion of the machine frame. The top end of the arm 187, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 6, is provided with a stop surface 189 which, under circumstances to be described, serves to contact the adjustable stop screw 186 of the carriage 180. A second control arm 190 is fixed to the opposite end of the shaft 188 and is biased by a compression spring 191 in a direction to rotate the shaft 188 in a clockwise direction to urge the stop surface 189 to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 6. The control arm 199 is also contacted by an extension 192 of the control arm 139 which, as explained, controls the position of the swingable container holder and rinse tank assembly 3. As previously explained, when the arm 139 is in the full line position as shown in FIG. 6, the assembly 3 is moved to the position for locating the rinse tank 106 directly beneath the mixer shaft assembly 4. In this position, the extension 192 contacts the arm 190 so as to pivot the arm 187 out of the way of the adjustable stop screw 186 thus allowing the carriage 180 to follow the mixer motor assembly to its lowest position. After the container holder and rinse tank assembly 3 has been pivoted or swung so that the container holder is beneath the mixer shaft assembly 4, the control arm 139 is in the dotted line position as shown in FIG. 6, with movement of the extension 192 allowing the spring 191 to pivot the arm 187 to rotate the stop surface 189 beneath the adjustable stop screw 186. This being the case, the carriage 181) follows the mixer motor assembly downwardly until the stop screw 186 contacts the surface 189 to prevent further lowering of the carriage. The carriage 180 is stopped at the proper position for placing the ends of the

prongs

175 and 176 at the desired level to accomplish the closing of the milk valve once the de sired level is achieved. It will also be noted that the level at which the prongs are allowed to descend within the milk shake container may be controlled by adjusting screw 186.

To complete the control system for the milk shake processing machine, a fifth control switch 193 is provided on the switch panel 20 and constitutes a master override switch for the entire electrical circuitry of the machine and serves the purpose of allowing entire operation of the machine to be selectively discontinued at any point during the cycle of operation described.

Contr l circuit The electrical control system for the entire device is illustrated in FIG. 18 which is a schematic view showing the relationship of the various switches and electrical components. The various electrical components illustrated in FIG. 18 bear identical reference numerals used throughout the specification and drawings to identify the identical components. As seen in FIG. 18, the signal light 17 is directly connected across electrical

lead wires

194 and 195 and the safety release micro switch 95, along with the manually operated master override switch 193, are located in the lead wire 195 in series with the cam sprocket drive motor 15 and the mixer motor 49. In addition, the manually operated override switch 100 is placed in parallel with the safety switch 95 to provide a by-pass for the switch 95 as previously explained. With this arrangement, the master override switch 193 may be operated to completely shut off the motors regardless of the position of the safety switch 95 and the by-pass switch 100 may be used to clear the machine during repair in the event that the safety switch 95 has been opened by jamming of the machine.

The cam operated micro switch 26 is a normally closed micro switch which is moved to the open position by means of the cam surface 29 for controlling the operation of the cam sprocket drive motor 15. The time delay or momentary switch 16 is located in parallel with the switch 26 and serves to energize the motor 15 until the motor has driven the cam surface 29 out of contact with the switch 26 to allow the switch 26 to remain in a normal y closed position throughout the rotation of the cam sprocket 8. The signal light 18 is placed in series with the motor 15 to indicate that the motor 15 is in operation. Override switch 19 is also placed in series with motor 15 to provide a manual override to seelctively disconnect the motor 15.

The mixer motor 49 is placed in parallel with the motor 15 and in series with the micro switch 54 which is a normally closed switch moved to the open position by means of the cam surface 57 as illustrated. The manual switch 59 is also placed in series with the motor 49 to selectively control the operation of the mixer motor. Also in parallel with the motor 49 and in series with the micro switch 54 and the manual switch 59 are the milk control solenoid 172 and the liquid level responsive circuit breaker unit 196. With this arrangement, the micro switch 54 normally energizes the circuit breaker unit 196 and the solenoid core 172 to provide the milk flow control as previously described. The mixer motor 49 and the milk flow control may thus be selectively deenergized by the manual switch 59.

The liquid level responsive circuit breaker 196 normally maintains the bridge contact 197 in a position to close the circuit through the solenoid coil 172 and functions to move the bridge contact 197 to break the circuit through the solenoid coil when the liquid in the milk shake container raises to the level to bridge the two

prong members

175 and 176 of the circuit breaker unit. A manually operated switch 179 provides a manual control to selectively deenergize the solenoid 172 so as to close the milk supply regardless of the function of the circuit breaker unit 196.

Operation In order to enable a complete understanding of the sequence of operations of the various components of the machine involved in the process of making a milk shake, the overall operation of the machine will now be described with relation to the drawings. At the beginning of any given cycle of operations, it will be understood that the cam sprocket 8 is in the position illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4 and 8, with the

micro switches

26 and 24 being held in the closed position by means of the cam surfaces 29 and 57 respectively. All of the switches on the switch panel 20, shown in FIG. 3, are at this time at the on position and the signal light 17 is glowing to indicate that electrical power is available for operation of the machine. At this time the container holder and rinse tank assembly 3 is in the position shown in FIG. 1

14 and in plan in FIG. 12. The milk flow valve 146 is closed and the solenoid 172 is deenergized at the beginning of the operation.

The operator will select a container of the desired flavor of frozen milk shake ingredients and place the container within the two

halves

119 and 120 of the container holder which are, at this time, slightly open to receive the container. It will also be noted that the mixer shaft assembly 4 including the mixer blades is immersed in the rinse tank 106 along with the

liquid level prongs

175 and 176.

When the milk shake container is in position, the operator presses the push-button time-delay switch 16 which energizes the drive motor 15 long enough to cause the cam sprocket 8 to rotate a sufficient distance to allow the micro switch 26 to move to the closed position for continuing the operation of the motor 15. As the cam sprocket 8 begins to rotate, the cam surface 79 moves the arm 75 to cause the cable 68 to raise the mixer motor assembly and mixing shaft upwardly and out of the rinse tank 106. During the initial movement of the mixing shaft assembly 4, the micro switch 54 is caused to close and open again by means of the depression 58 in the cam surface 57 to give the mixer blades several initial rotations to throw off excess water from the blades. As soon as the mixer shaft assembly and mixer blades have cleared the top of the rinse tank 106, the cam member 14 con tacts the cam follower 143 to operate the control arm 139 which swings the container holder and rinse tank assembly to the position shown in plan view in FIG. 13, with the container holder directly beneath the mixing shaft assembly 4. At this time, the control arm 75 is influenced by the cam surface 79 to allow the mixer motor assembly and mixing shaft to again descend or lower the cutter blades 38 into contact with the frozen ingredients in the container 37.

As the cutter blades 38 approach the frozen mixture in the container 37, the cam surface 57 has moved away from the micro switch 54 to allow the switch to close to energize the mixer motor 49 and to energize the solenoid coil 172. Continued movement of the cam sprocket 8 also has moved the cam surface 167 into contact with the roller on the control arm which shifts the rod 148 to the left as shown in FIG. 3 to open the valve 146 to begin the milk flow. The shifting of the arm 148 by means of the control arm 165 is made possible by the magnetic link provided by the energized solenoid coil 172. With these functions being accomplished, the cutter blades and mixing shaft assembly is being rotated and slowly moved downwardly into the frozen mixture and the milk is being fed into the container 37 through the milk conduit 145.

It will also be noted that since the control arm 139 has shifted to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 6, the stop surface 189 has limited the downward travel of the sensing prongs and 176 to locate the prongs at a predetermined level Within the milk shake container 37 When the level of the milk in the container 37 raises to the position of the ends of the

prongs

175 and 176, an electrical circuit will be completed across the prongs to condition the liquid level responsive circuit breaker 196 to break the circuit to the solenoid coil 172 thus allowing the spring 150 to shift the rod 148 to the left as shown in FIG. 3 to close the milk flow valve 146.

By the time the mixer and cutter blades have thoroughly mixed the milk and the frozen mixture, the lobe 85 of the cam surface 79 causes the arm 175 to move the cable 68 to raise the mixer shaft assembly out of the container. By the time the mixer and cutter blades approach the top of the cup 37, the cam surface 57 again moves into contact with the micro switch 54 to open the switch and break the circuit to the mixer motor 49, stopping the rotation of the mixer shaft. As soon as the cutter blades have cleared the top of the cup 37, the cam 14 again contacts the control arm 139 to swing the container holder and rinse tank assembly 3 to the original position shown in FIG. 1 and in plan view in FIG. 12, to locate the rinse tank directly beneath the mixer shaft assembly. The swinging of the assembly 3 also causes the container holder to release its grip on the cup 37 to allow the container to be easily removed. Continued rotation of the cam sprocket 8 causes the cam surface 79 to allow the arm 75 to move upwardly allowing the mixer motor assembly and mixing shaft to again lower into the rinse tank to its original position shown in FIG. 1.

When the mixer shaft assembly 4 has completely lowered into the rinse tank. the cam surface 2? again contacts the micro switch 26 to cause the switch to open, breaking the circuit to the motor and halting the rotation of the cam sprocket 8. It will also be noted that at the completion of the rotation of the cam sprocket 8, the cam surface 167 has moved out of contact with the roller 166 of the milk flow control arm 165 and the machine is again in the condition described to begin another cycle when it is desired to mix another milk shake. The operator merely removed the completed milk shake in the container 37 and it is ready for consumption.

It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention provides novel and useful improvements in milk shake processing apparatus. The arrangement and types of structural components utilized within this invention may be subject to numerous modifications well within the purview of this invention and applicants intend only to be limited to a liberal interpretation of the specification and appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a milk shake processing machine having a rotatable vertically reciprocable shaft including mixing and cutter blade members for cutting and mixing a frozen mixture in the bottom of a container; movable support means for positioning said container beneath said shaft, liquid dispensing means, and control means for sequentially positioning said container beneath said shaft, lowering said shaft and blade members into said container a predetermined distance, rotating said shaft within said container, dispensing a predetermined quantity of liquid into said container during the rotation of said shaft, and subsequently raising said shaft.

2. A device for making a milk shake from a frozen mixture in the bottom of a container comprising in combination: a movable assembly including a container holder and a rinse tank, a rotatable mixing and cutting means, means to alternately locate said container holder and said rinse tank beneath said mixing and cutting means in timed sequence, means to alternately lower said mixing and cutting means into said container holder and said rinse tank in timed sequence with the movement of said assembly, and means to rotate said mixing and cutting means during the lowering into said container holder.

3. The combination according to claim 2 including means for dispensing a predetermined quantity of liquid into said container during the rotation of said mixing and cutting means.

4. In a milk shake processing machine having a rotatable vertically reciprocable mixing shaft including lade members for cutting and mixing a frozen mixture in the bottom of a container; a swingable assembly including a 7 container holder and a rinse tank, said assembly being movable from a first position with said rinse tank beneath said blade members to a second position with said container holder beneath said blade members, a rotatable control means, a first cam means carried by said control means for moving said assembly from said first position to said second position and back to said first position during each revolution of said control means, a second cam means carried by said control means for lowering said mixing shaft into said rinse tank in said first position and into said container holder in said second position, and a third cam means for actuating the rotation of said mixing shaft when said shaft is lowered into said container holder.

5. The combination according to claim 4 including means for dispensing a predetermined quantity of liquid into said container during rotation of said mixing shaft and wherein said blade members comprise, a first plurality of radially extending cutter blades fixed to the bottom of said shaft, said cutter blades being inclined upwardly in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation of said shaft for inducing an upward flow, said cutter blades including a leading cutting edge for cutting said frozen mixture, and a plurality of radially extending mixing blades fixed to said shaft above said cutter blades, said mixing blades being oppositely inclined relative to said cutting blades, whereby a counter flow is created to mix the frozen mixture and liquid within said container.

6. A device for making a milk shake from a frozen mixture in the bottom of a container comprising; a movable assembly including a container holder and a rinse tank, a mixing shaft including cutting blades, means to mount said mixing shaft for vertical reciprocation above said assembly, first motor means connected to rotate said mixing shaft, a cam shaft mounted for rotation in said device, a first cam fixed to said cam shaft, a cam sprocket fixed on said cam shaft, second motor means connected to rotate said sprocket through one complete revolution, means cooperating with said first cam and said assembly for moving said rinse tank beneath said mixing shaft to a second position with said container holder beneath said mixing shaft and back to said first position during each revolution of said cam shaft, a second cam means carried by said cam sprocket for lowering said mixing shaft into said rinse tank in said second position, and a third cam means carried by said cam sprocket for energizing said first motor means to rotate said mixing shaft when said mixing shaft is lowered into said container holder.

7. The device according to claim 6 including a source of liquid and means controlled by said third cam means for dispensing liquid from said source to said container during rotation of said mixing shaft.

8. The device according to claim 7 wherein said means for dispensing liquid includes a liquid flow valve connected to said source, valve operating means for operating said valve, a fourth cam means carried by said sprocket for actuating said valve operating means, solenoid means connected to said valve operating means providing a releasable magnetic link, and means for energizing and deenergizing said solenoid in response to said third cam means whereby said solenoid is energized only during rotation of said mixing shaft to dispense liquid to said container.

9. The device according to claim 8 including liquid level responsive means associated with said =mixing shaft for deenergizing said solenoid to limit the quantity of liquid dispensed regardless of the position of said third cam means.

10. The device according to claim 6 wherein said container holder comprises a base member pivotally mounted on said assembly, a first curved wall portion fixed to said base, a second curved wall portion pivotally connected to said first wall portion, and means carried by said assembly and responsive to the swinging of said assembly for holding said wall portions open when said assembly is in the first position and to close said wall portions in the second position to tightly grip said container during rotation of said mixing shaft.

11. The device according to claim 10 wherein said second wall portion is pivotally connected to said assembly, an operating arm connected to said base member, and means acting between said arm and said assembly for resiliently biasing said wall portions in the closed position.

12. The combination according to claim 6 wherein said second cam means comprises a continuous cam surface fixed to a face of said cam sprocket, a cam follower contacting said cam surface, and means to connect said follower to said mixing shaft, said cam surface being so formed to alternately lower said mixing shaft into said rinse tank and container holder in timed sequence with the movement of said assembly.

13. The combination according to claim 12 including safety switch means responsive to the vertical movement of said mixing shaft for deenergizing said first and second motor means upon jamming of the movement of said mixing shaft in the vertical direction.

14. The device according to claim 6 including a source of liquid, means controlled by said third cam means for dispensing liquid from said source to said container during rotation of said mixing shaft, and liquid level responsive means associated with said mixing shaft for overriding the control of said third cam means for dispensing only a predetermined quantity of liquid to said container.

15. A device for comminuting a frozen substance and mixing the same with a liquid in a container comprising; a rotatable vertical shaft adapted to be lowered into the container, a plurality of radially extending cutter blades fixed to the end of said shaft, said cutter blades including a top surface inclined upwardly in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of said blades for directing an upward flow, said cutter blades including notched leading cutting edges for comminuting said substance, a first set of radially extending mixing blades fixed to said shaft above said cutter blades, each of said first set of mixing blades including downwardly and outwardly inclined end portions being so formed to direct a downward flow of material in said container, a second set of radially extending mixing blades fixed to said shaft above said first set of mixing blades, said second set of mixing blades being so formed to direct a downward flow, and a third set of mixing blades fixed to said shaft between said first and second set, said third set of mixing blades having downwardly inclined portions and vertical end portions extending closely adjacent the side of said container and to a point adjacent the path of the ends of said cutter blades.

16. A device for comminuting a frozen substance in the bottom of a container and mixing the same with a liquid in the container comprising; a rotatable vertical shaft adapted to be lowered into the container, means fixed to the bottom of said shaft for contacting and comminuting said substance and directing an upward flow, vertical blade means carried by said shaft and extending closely adjacent the side of said container and to a point adjacent said comminuting means, and a plurality of radially extending mixing blades fixed to said shaft and so formed to direct a downward flow within said container.

17. A device for mixing a frozen substance in the bottom of a container with a liquid in the container comprising, in combination; a rotatable shaft adapted to be lowered into the container, means fixed to the bottom of said shaft for contacting and comminuting said substance and directing an upward flow, first vertical blade means fixed to said shaft for clearing said substance from the side of said container, and second blade means fixed to said shaft for directing a downward counter flow of liquid in said container.

18. A device for gripping and shifting a cup-like container from a first remote position to a second position beneath a mixing shaft comprising; a base member, a swingable support member pivotally mounted on said base, means to move said support member between said first and second positions, an expandable container holder carried by said support member, and means responsive to the movement of said support member for expanding said holder in said first position and to close said holder during movement to said second position.

19. A device for holding and shifting a cup-like container between a first and second position comprising; a base member, a swingable support member pivotally mounted on said base, means to move said support memher from a first position to a second position, a container holder including a bottom plate pivotally mounted on said support member, a first curved wall portion fixed to said bottom plate, a second curved wall portion pivotally connected at one side to said first wall portion and at the other side to said support member,

and means carried by said base member and said support member for pivoting said bottom plate to alternately move said wall portions to open and closed positions responsive to the movement of said support member.

20. In an automatic mixing machine having a mixing shaft, a rinse cycle and a mixing cycle, a mixing shaft control apparatus comprising; means to mount said mixing shaft for vertical reciprocation, a rotatable cam sprocket, means to selectively drive said sprocket through one complete revolution, a continuous cam surface on one face of said sprocket, a cam follower in engagement with said cam surface, means to transmit the movement of said follower to move said mixing shaft from a first lowered rinse position to a second lowered mixing position and back to said first position during each revolution of said sprocket.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20 including drive means for rotating said mixing shaft, and second cam means carried by said sprocket for energizing said drive means only when said mixing shaft is moved to said lowered mixing position.

22. In an automatic milk shake processing machine having a mixing shaft and a mixing shaft drive means actuated by a first cam means, liquid dispensing apparatus comprising; a source of liquid, a liquid flow valve connected to said source, valve operating means for operating said valve, a second cam means for actuating said valve operating means, solenoid means connected to said valve operating means providing a releasable magnetic link, and means for energizing and deenergizing said solenoid in response to said first cam means, whereby said solenoid is energized only during rotation of said mixing shaft to dispense liquid.

23. The device according to claim 22 including liquid level responsive means associated with said mixing shaft for deenergizing said solenoid to limit the quantity of liquid dispensed regardless of the position of said first cam means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,325,190 12/1919 Chodak 259- 1,348,222 8/ 1920 Holmes.

1,401,475 12/ 1921 Jensen.

2,595,985 5/ 1952 Schwaneke.

2,967,433 1/1961 Phillips 259-108 2,995,158 8/ 1961 Oberg 141-69 3,011,426 12/1961 Mueller 99-275 3,086,563 4/ 1963 Patten et a1. 141-69 3,139,917 7/1964 Elmore 259-107 WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner. R. W. JENKINS, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN A MILK PROCESSING MACHINE HAVING A ROTATABLE VERTICALLY RECIPROCABLE SHAFT INCLUDING MIXING AND CUTTER BLADE MEMBERS FOR CUTTING AND MIXING A FROZEN MIXTURE IN THE BOTTOM OF A CONTAINER; MOVABLE SUPPORT MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAID CONTAINER BENEATH SAID SHAFT, LIQUID DISPENSING MEANS, AND CONTROL MEANS FOR SEQUENTIALLY POSITIONING SAID CONTAINER BENEATH SAID SHAFT, LOWERING SAID SHAFT AND BLADE MEMBERS INTO SAID CONTAINER A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, ROTATING SAID SHAFT WITHIN SAID CONTAINER, DISPENSING A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF LIQUID INTO SAID CONTAINER DURING THE ROTATION OF SAID SHAFT, AND SUBSEQUENTLY RAISING SAID SHAFT.