Patent Application
20060023566
The present invention relates to a device for making an alimentary emulsion.
The device according to the invention is more particularly, but not exclusively, an apparatus known under the name of “shaker”, intended in particular for bars, ice-cream bars, hotels or restaurants. This apparatus enables beverages based on milk and syrup, of the “milk shake” type, and beverages of the “cocktail” type, alcoholic or not, based on milk, flavoured ice-cream or alcohol, to be made.
However, the device of the invention is applicable to types of alimentary emulsions other than the beverages mentioned above. For example, the operation consisting in beating egg yolks will be mentioned solely by way of indication.
Devices for making an alimentary emulsion are known, which comprise a fixed body, as well as a mobile stirring member, intended to penetrate in the ingredient or ingredients serving as base for the emulsion. The free end of this mobile member is provided with a wavy stirrer, or with a finned stirrer.
This being specified, the invention aims at proposing a device for making alimentary emulsions whose quality is improved with respect to the prior art, in particular by an increase in the final volume of this emulsion.
To that end, it has for its object a device for making an alimentary emulsion from at least one initial ingredient, comprising a fixed body, as well as a mobile stirring member intended to plunge at least in part into the or each initial ingredient, this mobile member being adapted to be driven in rotation about its principal axis, characterized in that the mobile member comprises a rod, as well as a stirring sphere, intended to plunge into the or each initial ingredient, this sphere being provided at one end of this rod.
The invention will be more readily understood and other advantages thereof will appear more clearly in the light of the following description of a form of embodiment of a device for making an alimentary emulsion in accordance with its principle, given solely by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring now to the drawings, the device according to the invention comprises, in manner known per se, a body 2, as well as an upper housing 4 in which a motor (not shown) is housed. A regulator 6 is also provided, making it possible, in conventional manner, to change the speed of rotation of the motor, as well as a support 8 adapted to receive a recipient 10, visible in
The device according to the invention is also provided with a mobile stirring member, generally designated by reference 12. This member 12, which is adapted to be driven in rotation by the motor about its principal axis X′-X, comprises a rod 12, extending from the housing, as well as a sphere 122 provided at the lower end of the rod 121.
Mutual fixation of this rod and this sphere is ensured removably, for example by screwing. By way of variant, the rod and the sphere may be fixed permanently, in particular by gluing. By way of additional variant, this rod and this sphere may be made in one piece.
In the example illustrated, the sphere 122 is smooth. However, by way of variant, it may be provided with rough parts whose dimension is very much smaller than the global diameter of the sphere. In this example, the rod 121 presents a form of revolution, with the result that its walls are also smooth.
This sphere may be made of a relatively hard material, such as a plastics material, particularly polycarbonate or polypropylene. By way of variant, the material constituting the sphere may be relative supple, particularly when it is provided with rough parts. In that case, it may for example be an elastomer, such as synthetic rubber.
By way of non-limiting example, the diameter D of the sphere 122 is included between 10 and 60 mm, in particular between 20 and 40 mm. This diameter is for example close to 30 mm.
As is particularly visible in
In service, as shown in
Once the recipient 10 is placed in position, the sphere 122 as well as part of the rod 12, penetrate in the interior volume of the recipient 10, so as to plunge into the initial ingredients. The mobile member 12 assembly is then made to rotate about the principal axis X′-X of the rod 121.
This operation is carried out within conventional speed ranges, namely included in particular between 10,000 and 15,000 rpm. An alimentary emulsion is then obtained, in the present case a milk shake, from the initial ingredients mentioned above.
It will be noted that the person skilled in the art is capable of adjusting different parameters of the device according to the invention, in order to optimize the quality of the final emulsion. It is question in particular of the diameter of the sphere, its position inside the recipient, and the speed of rotation of the mobile member.
The invention enables the objects set forth hereinabove to be attained.
In effect, Applicants have ascertained that the fact of integrating a sphere in the mobile stirring member substantially improves the quality of the emulsion thus obtained. In particular, this emulsion presents a volume notably greater than those obtained in the prior art, from the same quantities of ingredients.
This improvement in quality of the emulsion is particularly substantial in the case of the diameter of the sphere being clearly greater than the width of the rod. In effect, tests carried out in this configuration allow a volume of emulsion greater by at least 20% than that obtained by the devices of the state of the art.
Furthermore, the mobile stirring member of the invention proves to be particularly easy to clean, in particular when the sphere is removably fixed on the rod. Finally, this mobile member is substantially non-aggressive for the user, compared to the prior art which employs a stirrer with projecting shapes, particularly fins. In this respect, it will be noted that the invention allows high performances, while guaranteeing very satisfactory safety, particularly when the rod and the sphere are smooth.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04 08486 | Jul 2004 | FR | national |
