WO2005002353A1

WO2005002353A1 - Ice cream dispenser

Info

Publication number: WO2005002353A1
Application number: PCT/KR2003/001584
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hui-Taek Kim
Original assignee: Hui-Taek Kim
Priority date: 2003-07-08
Filing date: 2003-08-07
Publication date: 2005-01-13
Also published as: KR100520197B1; KR20050005952A; AU2003247219A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ice cream dispenser which is capable of implementing conveniently an automatic distribution of ice cream from an ice cream distribution container by providing an accommodating unit which is capable of properly accommodating a distribution container with ice cream therein, a control unit for controlling an operation of a piston which is lifted and lowered in the distribution container, and an installation body which includes the above elements. In addition, in the present invention, it is possible to provide an ice cream dispenser in an indoor and outdoor for thereby effectively selling ice cream. To sum up, the ice cream dispenser comprises a holding member, an accommodating unit, a body casing, a upright unit, an distribution unit, and a pneumatic control unit.

Description

ICE CREAM DISPENSER

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an ice cream dispenser, and in particular

to an ice cream dispenser in which an ice cream is easily discharged from an ice

cream dispenser container to a cup or another container which is positioned at a

portion lower than the ice cream dispenser. The present invention is actually

implemented based on the Korean patent application No. 2001-

0045678(hereinafter referred to as an earlier invention).

2. Description of the Background Art

Generally, an ice cream is eaten in a softly iced state. A larger container

with ice cream therein is installed in a freezing apparatus which is capable of maintaining an iced state for selling ice cream. When selling the ice cream, the interior of the freezing apparatus is opened, and then the ice cream is scooped into a certain cup with a corn cake therein.

In the above method, there is a sanitation problem in a conventional ice cream selling method. In addition, the amount of ice cream which is provided to a customer is not uniform. In order to overcome the above problem, an ice cream dispenser is developed. The above ice cream pressurizes a distribution container

having ice cream therein, so that an ice cream is discharged from the distribution

container to the outside.

As shown in Figure 1 , in an earlier invention of the present application,

there are provided a distribution container, and a pressing apparatus 20 capable of

pressing the interior of the distribution container 10.

Namely, the distribution container is formed of a container body 11 having

an ice cream C therein, and a cover 12 which covers the upper side of the

container body 11. Here, the pressing apparatus 20 includes a piston 22 fixed to a

lower portion of a connection rod 21 , a cover 23 which surrounds the piston, a

spring 25 which is inserted onto the connection rod 21 and is elastically supported

between a fixing ring 24 and the piston, and an accommodating unit 26 which is

capable of supporting the container body 11.

Therefore, when the piston 22 is downwardly moved and the pressurizes the interior of the container body 11 , the ice cream C in the interior of the container body 11 is pressurized together with the cover 12, and the pressurized ice cream

C is discharged through a discharging port 13 provided at a lower portion of the container body 11.

In the ice cream dispenser of the earlier invention, there are provided an accommodating unit which is capable of properly accommodating the distribution container 10, a lifting and lowering unit which is capable of effectively lifting and lowering the piston 22, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the lifting

and lowering unit. The above elements need to be installed in a certain place

together with the accommodating unit and the lifting and lowering control unit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ice cream

dispenser which overcomes the problems encountered in the conventional art.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an ice cream

dispenser which is capable of implementing an automatic distribution of ice cream

from an ice cream distribution container by providing an accommodating unit

which is capable of properly accommodating a distribution container with ice

cream therein, a control unit for controlling an operation of a piston which is lifted

and lowered in the distribution container, and an installation body which includes

the above elements. In addition, in the present invention, it is possible to provide

an ice cream dispenser in an indoor and outdoor for thereby effectively selling ice

cream.

To achieve the above objects, there is provided an ice cream dispenser,

comprising a holding member which is adapted to prevent a transformation of a

distribution container having ice cream therein, an accommodating unit which supports the holding member and implements an insertion and accommodation of

the holding member in a forward direction, a body casing which is adapted to fix the accommodating unit to a lower portion and to obtain a certain space, a upright

unit which includes a plurality of support legs for supporting the body casing at a

certain height, and a base member which is fixed to a lower portion of the support

leg, an ice cream distribution unit which includes a pneumatic cylinder installed in

the body casing, a connection rod which operates as a rod of the pneumatic

cylinder, and a piston which is fixed to an end of the connection rod, and a

pneumatic control unit which provides a pneumatic pressure to the pneumatic

cylinder and upwardly and downwardly moves the piston.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings which are given only by way of illustration and thus are not limitative of the present invention, wherein;

Figure 1 is a view illustrating the construction of a distribution container and a pressing apparatus in an earlier invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating an ice cream dispenser according to the present invention;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view illustrating an inner construction of an ice cream according to the present invention; Figure 4 is a cross sectional view illustrating a major construction of an ice cream according to the present invention; Figure 5 is a cross sectional view illustrating an operation state of an ice

cream dispenser according to the present invention; and

Figure 6 is a view illustrating the construction of a pneumatic controller

according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The construction and operation of the present invention will be described

with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating an ice cream dispenser

according to the present invention, Figure 3 is a cross sectional view illustrating an

inner construction of an ice cream according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a

cross sectional view illustrating a major construction of an ice cream according to

the present invention, and Figure 5 is a cross sectional view illustrating an

operation state of an ice cream dispenser according to the present invention. As shown therein, there are provided a holding member 30 which is

adapted to prevent a transformation of the distribution container 10, an

accommodating unit 40 which supports the holding member 30 and into which the holding member 30 is inserted from the front side and is accommodated , and a body casing 50 which fixes the accommodating unit 40 to a lower portion and obtains a certain space 52.

In addition, there are provided an upright unit 60 which includes a plurality of support legs 61 for supporting the body casing 50 at a certain height, and a

base member 62 fixed to a lower portion of the support legs, a distribution unit 70

which includes a pneumatic cylinder 74 installed in the body casing 50, a

connection rod 71 operating as a rod of the pneumatic cylinder, and piston 72 fixed

to an end of the connection rod, and a pneumatic control unit 80 which is adapted

to upwardly and downwardly move the piston 72 by providing a pneumatic force to

the pneumatic cylinder 74.

The holding member 30 includes a cylindrical unit 31 for inserting the

distribution container 10 in order to prevent a transformation of the distribution

container 10, and a flange portion 32 which is formed on an upper portion of the

cylindrical unit.

The accommodating unit 40 includes a bottom portion 41 which supports

the bottom of the holding member 30 and has a through hole 41a in the center, a

vertical portion 42 having an opened front side, an upper side portion 43 which supports the flange portion 32 of the holding member 30, and a horizontal portion

44 which is extended from the upper side portion 43.

The body casing 50 includes a support shoulder portion 51 at both sides

for fixing the horizontal portion 44 of the accommodating unit 40 and is extended in the direction of the upper portion of the support shoulder portion 51 and is provided to obtain a certain space 52 and is installed on the upright unit 60.

The distribution unit 70 includes a connection rod 71 which upwardly and downwardly moves in the direction of the accommodating unit 40 in the interior of

the body casing 50, a piston 72 fixed to a lower portion of the connection rod 71 , a

piston cover 75 which surrounds the piston 72, a fixing ring 71 a fixed to an upper

portion of the connection rod, a compression coil spring 73 which is elastically

installed between the fixing ring and the piston cover 75, and a pneumatic cylinder

74 in which the connection rod 71 operates as an operation rod.

The pneumatic control unit 80 includes an up and down movement

selection pneumatic valve(1 ) 81 for providing a pneumatic pressure to the

pneumatic cylinder 74 and selecting a up and down movement of the piston 72, a

switch knob(1) 82 for the pneumatic valve(1 ) 81 , a speed adjusting pneumatic

valve(2) 83 for adjusting an up and down speed of the piston 72, and a switch

knob(2) 84 for the pneumatic valve(2) 83.

A pneumatic pressure supply line 86 connected to the pneumatic valves 1 and 2 is wired through the support legs 61 of the upright unit 60. In the drawings, a certain space 52 represents a interior space of the body casing 50 and reference numeral 53 represents a decoration cover, and 54 represents a light emitting lamp provided in the interior of the decoration cover.

The operation of the distribution unit 70 which is a major element of the present invention will be described. The distribution container 10 is inserted into the holding member 30, and the holding member 30 is engaged to the accommodating unit 40. When the switch knob(1) 82 is operated, the piston 72 connected with the connection rod 71

moves down based on the operation of the pneumatic cylinder 74, so the interior

of the distribution container 10 covered by the cover 12 is pressurized.

Therefore, an ice cream is discharged through the discharging port 13

formed in the bottom of the distribution container 10, and the discharged ice cream

is stored in a cup or corn cake.

The usage of the present invention will be described.

First, in the apparatus according to the present invention, a power and a

pneumatic pressure generation apparatus(not shown) are needed. The power and

the pneumatic pressure are supplied using a power concent 63 provided in the

base member 62 of the upright unit 60, and the pneumatic pressure connection

unit 64.

In addition, the worker stands in front of the switch knob(1 ) 82, and the

decoration cover 53 stands in front of a customer of the ice cream. In the above state, the worker detaches a sticker 13a which covers the hole 13 in the bottom of the distribution container 10, and inserts into the cylindrical unit 31 of the holding member 30 and places on the bottom 41 of the accommodating unit 40.

Since the vertical portion 42 of the accommodating unit 40 is formed in a semicircular shape, the distribution container 10 and the holding member 30 can be placed in the normal place. Here, the normal place represents that the center of the distribution container 10 is matched with the center of the piston 72.

In the above state, when the worker operates the switch knob(1) 82

provided in the body casing 50 to "DOWN", the pneumatic valve(1 ) 81 is opened,

and the pneumatic cylinder 74 is operated. Therefore, the piston 72 of the

connection rod 71 is downwardly moved. At this time, the piston cover 75

compresses the compression coil spring 73 in a state that the piston cover 75

covers the upper portion of the same and maintains a stopped state.

Since the amount of the pneumatic pressure which is applied in the

direction of the pneumatic cylinder 74 by the pneumatic valve(2) 83 is controlled

by adjusting switch knob(2) 84 based on the strong/weak level, the speed of the

downward movement of the piston 72 can be selected between the fast operation

mode and the slow operation mode.

Assuming that the fast operation mode is selected, since the down speed of the piston 72 is fast, the ice cream is fast discharged through the hole 13 of the distribution container 10. The above fast operation mode is well adaptable when the ice cream is received using a shallow and wider container. If the slow operation mode is selected, since the speed of the down movement of the piston 72 is slow, the ice cream is slowly discharged through the hole 13 of the distribution container 10. The above slow operation mode is well adaptable when the ice cream is received in a narrow container such as a corn cake.

Since the piston 72 which is downwardly moved compresses the interior of the distribution container 10 by an enough force and at the same time pushes the

cover 12 of the distribution container 10, it is possible to clearly discharge the ice

cream in a state that the ice cream is not attached to the inner wall of the

distribution container 10. Next, after the extruding operation of the ice cream is finished, the switch

knob(1 ) 82 is operated to "UP", so that the piston 72 is upwardly moved by the

pneumatic cylinder 74.

When the piston 72 is upwardly moved, it is possible to easily take out the

empty distribution container 10 from the accommodating unit 40. Next, the next

distribution container 10 is inserted, and the above described routines are

repeatedly performed for thereby efficiently distributing the ice cream.

As described above, it is very convenient to automatically distribute the ice cream from the ice cream distribution container and to implement an easier ice cream selling in the indoor as well as in the outdoor by providing an accommodating unit for supporting the distribution container, a piston for extruding the ice cream from the distribution container, a pneumatic cylinder and a pneumatic control unit for operating the piston, a body casing which accommodates the above elements, and an upright unit which is capable of implementing a movement and installation of the ice cream dispenser. As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the

details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should

be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims,

and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the meets and bounds

of the claims, or equivalences of such meets and bounds are therefore intended to

be embraced by the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An ice cream dispenser, comprising: a holding member which is adapted to prevent a transformation of a

distribution container having ice cream therein; an accommodating unit which supports the holding member and

implements an insertion and accommodation of the holding member in a forward

direction; a body casing which is adapted to fix the accommodating unit to a lower

portion and to obtain a certain space; a upright unit which includes a plurality of support legs for supporting the

body casing at a certain height, and a base member which is fixed to a lower

portion of the support legs; a distribution unit which includes a pneumatic cylinder installed in the body casing, a connection rod which operates as a rod of the pneumatic cylinder, and a piston which is fixed to an end of the connection rod; and a pneumatic control unit which provides a pneumatic pressure to the pneumatic cylinder and upwardly and downwardly moves the piston.

2. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein said holding member includes a cylindrical unit adapted to prevent a transformation of the distribution container having ice cream therein, and a flange portion provided in an upper portion of the cylindrical unit.

3. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein said accommodating unit includes a

bottom portion which supports a bottom of the holding member and has a through

hole in the center, a vertical portion having an opened front side, an upper side

portion which supports the flange portion of the holding member, and a horizontal

portion which is extended from the upper side portion.

4. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein said body casing has a support

shoulder portion at both sides for fixing the horizontal portion of the

accommodating unit and is extended in the direction of the upper portion of the

support shoulder portion for thereby obtaining a certain space.

5. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein said distribution unit includes a

connection rod which is upwardly and downwardly moved in the direction of the accommodating unit in the interior of the body casing, a piston fixed to a lower portion of the connection rod, a piston cover which surrounds the piston, a fixing ring which is fixed to an upper portion of the connection rod, a compression coil spring which is elastically supported between the fixing ring and the piston cover, and a pneumatic cylinder in which the connection rod operates as an operation rod.

6. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein said pneumatic control unit includes a

first up and down movement selection pneumatic valve which provides a

pneumatic pressure to the pneumatic cylinder and selects an up and down

movement of the piston, a first switch knob for the first pneumatic valve, a second

speed adjusting pneumatic valve for adjusting the speed of an up and down

movement of the piston, and a second switch knob for the second pneumatic valve.