Patent Application
20170202240
The subject of the present invention is a machine for batch freezing and displaying of fresh ice-creams, sorbets, slushes and similar products.
The batch freezer is a machine that allows the transformation of a liquid mixture into ice-cream by means of the continuous stirring, the action of cold temperature, and the air inclusion.
The batch freezer comprises one or more batch freezing receptacles, arranged horizontally or vertically, suitable for receiving the liquid mixture. Such batch freezing receptacles are duly cooled and inside each one of them a stirrer rotates continuously.
There are on the market displaying batch freezers that produce and serve a creamy ice-cream right in front of the customer. This represents something new with respect to the traditional refrigerating showcase equipped with bowls displaying the various ice-cream flavours prepared aside in separate batch freezers.
Substantially the displaying batch freezer comprises a bench with an upper shelf in which one or more vertical batch freezing receptacles with stirrers are assembled. The motors activating the stirrers and the cooling system are arranged within the bench, as well as all the various electric and electronic components. Command panels are provided outside the bench. The bench can be equipped with an awning, storage shelves, protection glass, or other accessories according to the use and the needs.
Each batch freezer receptacle is covered by a transparent lid, being normally made of plastic and with curved shape, protecting the product both while being processed and once prepared and also allowing the customer to view the ice-cream batch freezing process and the end product.
Under certain temperature and humidity conditions of the environment where the displaying batch freezer operates it may happen that the transparent lid fogs up.
It must in fact be considered that, inside the batch freezer receptacle, the ice-cream is at a temperature of around −10° C. and the air within the lid ranges from +5° C. and −5° C. In some places during the summer season, the environment in which the machine operates can have rather high temperature and humidity levels, for example a temperature higher than 30° C. and a relative humidity rate higher than 70%. In these conditions the humid air, getting in contact with the cold lid, condenses into water vapour generating the fogging of the lid.
Of course this leads to the undesired consequence of preventing the customer from viewing the ice-cream batch freezing process or the end product, and the function of displaying, that is a peculiarity of this kind of machine, fails to be so.
In the usual showcases of ice-cream by the scoop that use glass walls, in order to overcome the above said inconvenience, electrical resistances that warm up the glass and prevent the condensation phenomenon are used.
In the displaying batch freezers lids are made of plastic and it is not possible to apply electrical resistances that would deform the plastic.
On the other hand implementing curved glass lids is not acceptable due to the cost, the weight and the fragility of this material.
The scope of the invention is to propose a machine for batch freezing and displaying of fresh ice-creams and other products, being able to solve the above mentioned problem of fogging of the lids.
Such object is achieved by a machine according to claim 1.
In order to better understand the invention here follows a description of an exemplary, but not exclusive, embodiment illustrated in the enclosed drawings wherein:
The machine for batch freezing and displaying of fresh ice-creams and other products of
In the shelf 12 two batch freezing receptacles 13 are fitted.
In each batch freezing receptacle 13 a stirrer is operating, not visible in the figures, whose rotation movement is driven by a corresponding electric motor 14 arranged inside bench 11.
Each batch freezing receptacle 13 is closed by a transparent lid 15 made of plastic and dome-shaped. Each lid 15 is equipped with a handle 16 and is hinged to a hinge 17, so as to rotate between a closing position and an opening position of the corresponding batch freezing receptacle 13.
Inside the bench 11 beyond the motors driving the stirrers, a cooling circuit and various electrical and electronic components are arranged.
On the side opposite to the hinge 17 of each lid 16 a magnetic micro-switch is envisaged, not illustrated, that provides to disable the electric motor of the stirrer in the batch freezing receptacle 13 associated to lid 15, when the lid is opened, in order to prevent the access to the stirrer while rotating and avoid damages.
On the front wall of the bench 11 a control panel 18 is provided with controls dedicated to each batch freezing receptacle 13, permitting to regulate the temperature inside the batch freezing receptacle 13 and to activate or stop the stirrer.
The machine 10 is equipped in the lower part with a series of wheels 19 that can be blocked, allowing to position and easily move the machine itself.
The fluid mixture for the preparation of the ice-cream is poured inside each batch freezing receptacle 13, the cooling circuit and the stirrer are therefore activated so as to obtain the ice-cream through the combined action of the stirring of the mixture, its cooling and the air inclusion.
Each lid 15 being transparent allows to view from outside both the ice-cream while being processed as well as the prepared ice-cream.
In order to pick up the ice-cream processed in the batch freezing receptacles 13 a scoop 20 is provided for each receptacle. Scoop 20 is fitted on a support 21. The scoop 20 is formed by a handle that extends towards the external part of the corresponding batch freezing receptacle 13 and by a part for picking that extends within the batch freezing receptacle through a cut in the lid 15, remaining above the receptacle edge.
Inside the bench 11, in the upper and rear part, two tangential fans 22 are fitted, arranged near the stirrers electric motors 14. Fans 22 outlets are placed near inlet openings of an angular box conveyor 23, which is fitted outside on the bench 11 and extends along a rear edge of the shelf 12. The conveyor 23 has two aligned outlet slits 24, each of them arranged next to the relative lid 15.
By activating fans 22 air flows are generated and conveyed by the rear conveyor 23 towards the lids 15 through the outlet slits 24.
These air flows avoid the fogging of the lids 15 at certain temperature and humidity external conditions, as described in the introduction. In fact these air flows on the lids 15 avoid the stagnation of air on such lids, that are cold due to the presence of the ice-cream in the receptacles 13, thus preventing the condensation of humid air on the lids
The electric motors 14 of the stirrers, being close to the fans 22, heat the air near the fans so that the air flows are warm thus making the antifogging action more effective.
The power of the fans 22 and the height of the outlet slits 24 will be properly calculated in order for the air flow to exert an effective antifogging action without modifying the environment around the machine, in other words the air flow must not be perceived by operators or customers standing next to the machine.
The known components previously considered for machine 10 are indicated by the same reference numbers.
In this case, inside the bench 11, in the upper part, two tangential fans 22A are fitted, arranged on the opposite sides of the bench 11 near the two outer batch freezing receptacles 13; the two fans 22A are positioned near the electric motors of the stirrers of the two outer batch freezing receptacles. The outlets of the two fans 22A are positioned near the inlet openings of two angular box conveyors 23A, being installed externally on the bench 11 at the said opposite sides of the same and extend along the side edges of shelf 12. Each conveyor 23A has an outlet slit 24A near the lid 15 of a corresponding outer batch freezing receptacle 13.
In this case also the lids 15 of the batch freezing receptacles 13 receive a flow of warm air from the two lateral conveyors 23A having antifogging function. Here the same considerations as for machine 10 can be applied.
The known components previously considered for machine 10 and 50 are indicated by the same reference numbers.
In this case radial fans 22C and a rear conveyors 23C with a plurality of aligned slits 24C are used. For example four radial fans 22C can be used sending air flow to four respective slits 24C near the corresponding front/back couples of lids 15.
The variations of
The fans 22;22A;22B;22C;25 are operated in an independent manner with respect to the operation of the stirrer and with respect to the operation of the cooling circuit.
Each fan can be operated in an independent manner with respect to the other fans.
The fans are operated through controls on the control panel 18.
The switching on and off of the fans can be timed through controls on the control panel 18 according to a specific timing in order to obtain an effective antifogging action and a low energy consumption.
It is intended that further variations and/or additions can be considered with respect to what herein described and illustrated.
The antifogging systems above described can be applied to any machine for the batch freezing and displaying of fresh ice-creams, sorbets, slushes and similar products, having any number of batch freezing receptacle.
Even the arrangement of batch freezing receptacles can be of any type.
The fans used in the machines 10,50 can be radial fans as in machine 100. Radial or tangential fans or in general every kind of flow generating means can be used.
The configuration of the conveyors can vary, though what above described and illustrated proves to be particularly effective.
Each conveyors can be equipped with one or more slits for directing the air flow.
The warm air can be drawn from any inner source of warm air, for example from the pressure charger of the cooling circuit.
It is also possible to draw the air from outside even though the warm air coming from inside the machine is particularly effective.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102016000005102 | Jan 2016 | IT | national |
