Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23G—COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
  • A23G9/00—Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor
  • A23G9/04—Production of frozen sweets, e.g. ice-cream
  • A23G9/22—Details, component parts or accessories of apparatus insofar as not peculiar to a single one of the preceding groups
  • A23G9/224—Agitators or scrapers
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23G—COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
  • A23G9/00—Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor
  • A23G9/04—Production of frozen sweets, e.g. ice-cream
  • A23G9/045—Production of frozen sweets, e.g. ice-cream of slush-ice, e.g. semi-frozen beverage
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23G—COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
  • A23G9/00—Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor
  • A23G9/04—Production of frozen sweets, e.g. ice-cream
  • A23G9/08—Batch production
  • A23G9/12—Batch production using means for stirring the contents in a non-moving container
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23G—COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
  • A23G9/00—Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor
  • A23G9/04—Production of frozen sweets, e.g. ice-cream
  • A23G9/20—Production of frozen sweets, e.g. ice-cream the products being mixed with gas, e.g. soft-ice

Definitions

• This invention concerns a device to produce cold emulsified food substances as set forth in the main claim.
• the invention is collocated in the field of household electrical goods used to produce cold food substances by means of emulsion and progressive thawing of a product preserved in the frozen state.
• the invention allows to obtain substances ready for consumption in a very short time starting from a product which has been maintained for a desired length of time in a frozen or deep-frozen state, the substances meeting the necessary requirements of taste and flavour and in general the organoleptic propert-des - ' similar to products obtained starting from fresh ingredients.
• otorised blades suitable to chop, mix and amalgamate various ingredients arranged inside a container, refrigerated or not, for a defined time until a mixture is obtained with the desired consistency which can be used to be directly consumed, for cooking, or other subsequent procedure.
• Devices to produce pasta or ice cream, blenders, beaters, etc . belong to this category of instrument .
• the household device occupies a large amount of space even when it is not in use and therefore causes problems of bulk and storage.
• These appliances comprise means to introduce air into the container during the fragmentation step of the food product, but these means comprise auxiliary conduits and tortuous passages, which moreover do not ensure an efficacious and uniform distribution of the air over the entire free volume of the container.
• the purpose of the invention is to achieve a device to produce cold food products by means of emulsifying and progressively thawing solid material previously subjected to freezing or deep-freezing, wherein it is possible to obtain the finished food product in an extremely short time, in quantities which are not strictly limited by the capacity of standardised containers, and wherein the organoleptic qualities of the product are comparable with those of a product obtained using traditional methods and with fresh products .
• a further advantage obtained with the invention is that it reduces the overall bulk of the device when it is not in use.
• the device comprises a containing structure with which a removable container can be temporarily associated at the bottom.
• the removable container contains, to the desired percentage of its overall volume, the food substance in its solid frozen state, previously subjected to freezing or deep-freezing in a manner known to the state of the art in a suitable freezer or other refrigerating device.
• a scraping organ which is also equipped with an ascending/descending movement, according to its axis, coordinated with the movement of rotation.
• the scraping organ is equipped with at least a blade extending substantially radially with respect to the axis of the device and arranged for an extent which almost entirely occupies the diameter of the removable container.
• the blade of the scraping organ is equipped on its outer profile with eroding elements which make the action of disintegration more efficient.
• the scraping organ is suitable to fracture and progressively shatter the surface of the food substance, contained in the removable container in its frozen state, and to determine the progressive thawing of the substance thanks to the simultaneous introduction of air inside the free volume of the container.
• the simultaneous mechanical action of disintegration performed by the scraping organ, together with the emulsifying action of the air, advantageously but not necessarily pressurised air, causes the rapid thawing of the solidified food substance, and therefore the cold product is rapidly obtained and available for consumption or use.
• the blade has a rounded profile on the horizontal plane suitable to determine a hyperbolic front profile which creates in the disintegrated particles of the solid mass a wave effect which accentuates the emulsifying effect of the air.
• the descending travel of the scraping organ can be regulated, according to a variant, according to two or ore values correlated to the portion of food product to be prepared.
• the scraping organ my be equipped with two or more speeds of rotation, differentiated according to the type of product to be obtained and, during the production cycle of the cold food substance, it is maintained permanently in rotation.
• the speed of rotation of the scraping organ in the descending travel is more than its speed of rotation in the ascending travel.
• the air is introduced into the container through the hollow shaft which supports the scraping organ and is made to emerge axially from the said hollow shaft.
• the air introduced through the hollow shaft is conveyed radially along the blades of the scraping organ through suitable channels made inside the blades, in order to improve the distribution and spread of the air over the whole free volume of the container.
• the air is introduced under pressure inside the container by means of a feeder channel independent of the scraping organ and associated with introductory pump means .
• the feeder channel is associated with recircling means to create a circulation of air with a possible reintegration of fresh air.
• the air before being sent inside the container, the air is made to pass through purifying filter means, advantageously of the replaceable type.
• Figs, la and lb show, respectively from the side and from the front, a first form of embodiment of a device according to the invention
• Figs. 2a and 2b show, respectively from the side and from behind, a second form of embodiment of the invention
• FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal cross section of a device according to the invention
• Fig. 4 is a prospective view of the scraping organ of the device shown in Fig. 3;
• Fig. 5a is a section from A to A of Fig. 4; Fig. 5b shows a variant of Fig. 5a; Fig. 6 is a view from B of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a view from C of Fig. 4; Fig. 8 shows a variant of the scraping organ shown in Fig. 4.
• DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The device 10 to produce cold emulsified food substances is shown in two possible embodiments in Figs, la-lb and 2a- 2b.
• the outer containing structure 11 equipped with a substantially cylindrical upper body 12 and a base 13 resting on a surface.
• a handle 14 is attached which can serve to transport the device 10 and also to activate the production cycle of the food substances as will be seen hereafter.
• a substantially cylindrical removable container 15 for example in the form of a glass, a cup or similar, inside which there is a food substance 16 in frozen form.
• the food substance 16 has been prepared in advance, batching the necessary ingredients and possibly carrying out a mixing step to amalgamate and/or beat the ingredients, and then subjected to freezing or deep-freezing by means of which the substance is preserved until the moment it is needed for use.
• the food substance 16 fills a volume equal to a percentage advantageously between 30 and 60% of the overall volume of the container 15, so as to define, above the solid mass, a free chamber 29 wherein the reaction of emulsion with the air can take place which causes the food substance 16 to thaw in the manner which will be described hereafter.
• the height of the solid mass inside the container 15 has a value approximate to the diameter of the container 15.
• the container 15 is suitable to be attached temporarily to the open lower end 12a of the upper body 12 during the step when the food substance is prepared.
• the container 15 may be attached to the upper body 12 by - 7 -
• the upper body 12 defines an inner seating 17 inside which the electrical and mechanical components of the device 10 are housed.
• the inner seating 17 is separated from the open end 12a by means of a bottom wall 18, the function of which is to protect the components located inside the seating 17 from dirt, infiltrations and splashes while the food substance is thawing .
• the device 10 comprises a scraping organ 19 equipped with a shatter element 20 shaped like a blade extending radially with respect to the axis of the device 10 and with rapid attachment means 21 to connect it to a rotary shaft 22.
• the rapid attachment means 21 allow the scraping organ 19 to be rapidly detached from the shaft 22 for cleaning, maintenance or replacement.
• the scraping organ 19 is located outside the bottom wall 18 and is free to move vertically, in the direction 27, from a completely raised position, arranged in a retracted position between the bottom wall 18 and the open lower end 12a of the upper body 12, and a lowered position wherein it progressively penetrates, during the working cycle of the device 10, inside the volume of the container 15.
• the lowering of the handle 14 also causes the motor 23 to be activated.
• the motor organ 23 is solid, which is lowered and raised by the handle 14 together with the scraping organ 19, the motor 23 and the upper body 12.
• the scraping organ 19 has the function of fracturing and progressively shattering the surface of the solid food substance 16, causing the formation of a quantity of solid fragments suitable to be thawed quickly thanks to the emulsifying action of the air in the free chamber 29.
• Air advantageously pressurised, is introduced inside the free chamber 29, and, according to the invention, is introduced through the hollow shaft 22 which makes the scraping organ 19 rotate.
• the shatter element 20 has a through hole 30 in axis with the shaft 22, through which the air, sent by pump means 31 housed inside the seating 17 of the upper body 12, is delivered in correspondence with the food substance 16.
• the pump means 31, which advantageously are activated by the motor organ 23, are connected with the outside of the upper body 12 by means of a feeder pipe 32.
• replaceable filter means 33 for example of the active carbon type or similar, with the function of purifying the air before it is introduced inside the container 15.
• the shatter element 20 has a radial channel 43 to deliver the air equipped with holes 34 at least facing upwards, advantageously also downwards, with respect to the surface of the element 20.
• pressurised air is sent, by means of the pump means 31, directly inside the free chamber 29, through a feeder conduit 35 connected to a hole 36 made in the bottom wall
• valve means 37 which can be selectively activated, suitable to create a communication between the free chamber 29 and the outside of the upper body 12 in such a manner as to create a circulation of forced air integrated with fresh air.
• the scraping organ 19 may be set with different descending travels according to the portion of product to be obtained.
• the food substance 16 contained in the container 15 may not be completely fragmented, thus causing the formation of pre-set portions of product obtained; the still solid residue can be replaced to be further preserved in its frozen or deep-frozen state.
• the embodiment shown in Fig. la shows a selector 38 by means of which various quantities of food substance can be selected to be produced.
• the scraping organ 19 consists, as already explained, of a shatter element 20 substantially shaped like a horizontal blade arranged radially, and by a rapid attachment element 21 which is attached axially on the rotation shaft 22.
• the shatter element 20 has a specular conformation with respect to its vertical axis, and includes eroding teeth 41 on the outer profile.
• the eroding teeth 41a on the right side of the shatter element 20 are staggered with respect to the teeth 41b on the left side, so that in a rotation of 360° of the scraping organ, the action of the teeth 41a complements the action of the teeth 41b, fragmenting and disintegrating the entire surface of the solid mass .
• the upper surface of the shatter element 20 has a upwardly rounded development so as to define a substantially hyperbolic front.
• the eroding teeth 41 face downwards and are in a continuous line with the upper surface of the shatter element 20 with its hyperbolic development.
• the surface of the shatter element 20 has a double undulation development to create a wave effect on the disintegrated particles of the solid mass, which accentuates the emulsifying effect of the pressurised air introduced into the free chamber 29.
• the scraping organ has a radial blade 44 with a reduced extension compared with the shatter element 20 and - -
• the function of the radial blade 44 is to raise and beat the particles of the solid substance removed by the action of the shatter element, intensifying the fragmentation effect, improving the efficiency of the emulsifying action of the air and therefore accelerating the operation of thawing the solid substance.
• the bottom of the container 15 has hollows 45 which prevent the solid substance 16 from being made to rotate by the scraping organ 19.
• the speed at which the scraping organ 19 is taken into rotation, according to the invention, is between 1800 and 4500 revolutions per minute, advantageously between 2000 and 2400.
• the diameter of the shatter element 20 of the scraping organ 19, according to the invention is between 100 and 140 mm, advantageously between 110 and 125 mm.
• the pressure created by the introduction of air into the free chamber 29 is between 50 and 100 mm of mercury. Variations and modifications may be made to this invention, but these shall remain within the field and scope of the attached claims .

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• General Preparation And Processing Of Foods (AREA)
• Confectionery (AREA)
• Freezing, Cooling And Drying Of Foods (AREA)
• Food-Manufacturing Devices (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=11422871

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (2)

Citations (6)

• 1999
  • 1999-02-18 IT ITUD990033 patent/IT1310992B1/it active
• 2000
  • 2000-02-15 WO PCT/IB2000/000155 patent/WO2000048471A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2000-02-15 AU AU23145/00A patent/AU2314500A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (6)

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