Agitating – Stirrer within stationary mixing chamber – Rotatable stirrer
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-26
2003-07-29
Soohoo, Tony G. (Department: 1723)
Agitating
Stirrer within stationary mixing chamber
Rotatable stirrer
C366S318000, C366S155200, C366S156100, C366S158100, C222S231000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06599007
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an ice cream vending machine for automatically vending ice cream manufactured in the form of a bead-shaped particle having a diameter approximately between 3 and 7 mm, and more particularly to an apparatus for agitating the ice cream thus preventing the ice cream particles filled in a canister from being attached to each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in
FIG. 1
, a general ice cream vending machine includes a refrigerating system
10
, a cooling chamber
20
maintained at a low temperature by the operation of the refrigerating system
10
, a canister
30
installed within the cooling chamber
20
and filled with a bead-shaped ice cream, a cup feeding device
40
installed outside the cooling chamber
20
, which accommodates cups
41
for holding the ice cream, a discharging device
50
for discharging the ice cream filled in the canister
30
to the environment outside the freezing system
10
, a chute
60
and a guiding member
70
for guiding the ice cream discharged by the discharging device
50
to the cups
41
, and an agitating device
80
for preventing ice cream particles in the canister
30
from attaching to each other.
The refrigerating system
10
is generally known in the refrigerating field, and is used to freeze internal air of the vending machine through a phase change of refrigerant. The air, chilled by the refrigerating system
10
, is blown into the cooling chamber
20
by a blower
11
.
In the canister
30
, bead type ice cream, made in the form of particle having diameter approximately of 3-7 mm, is filled. On a lower end of the canister
30
, a discharge port
31
is formed so that the ice cream is discharged therethrough. Meanwhile, in order to maintain the bead shape of the ice cream particles in the canister
30
, the cooling chamber
20
is maintained at a temperature approximately between −43° and −27° C.
The ice cream discharging device
50
includes a discharging motor
51
installed on a sidewall of the cooling chamber
20
, and a screw member
52
rotatably disposed on a lower end of the canister
30
and rotatably driven by the discharging motor
51
to convey the ice cream particles to the discharging port
31
.
The chute
60
is formed on the lower side of the discharging port
31
of the canister
30
to collect the discharged ice cream. The guiding member
70
is disposed on the lower side of the chute
60
to guide the discharged ice cream particles to the cup
41
.
The agitating device
80
includes a worm wheel
81
driven by the rotation of the screw member
52
serving as a worm gear, and an agitating member
82
disposed on the upper end of the worm wheel
81
and engages therewith. The agitating member
82
is formed by bending a resilient plate. The agitating member
82
vibrates upward and downward according to the rotational movement of the worm wheel
81
, agitating the ice cream particles located at the lower portion of the canister
30
.
In the conventional ice cream vending machine constructed as above, when a customer inserts a certain amount of money in the vending machine and presses a selection button (not shown) formed thereon, first, the cup
41
is fed by the cup feeding device
40
to a predetermined position under the guiding member
70
. Continuously, by the rotational movement of the screw member
52
caused by the discharging motor
51
, the ice cream particles are discharged through the discharging port
31
, and piled in the cup
41
through a passage
71
of the chute
60
and the guiding member
70
. At this time, the agitating member
82
agitates the ice cream particles piled in the lower portion of the canister
30
by resiliently vibrating upward and downward, thus preventing the attachment of the ice cream particles to each other.
In the conventional ice cream vending machine, however, since the agitating device
80
agitates the ice cream particles piled at the lower portion of the canister
30
, which is formed in the proximity of the discharging port
31
, it is a problem to prevent attachment of ice cream particles at the upper portion of the canister
30
. Accordingly, when the ice cream particles at the upper portion of the canister
30
are attached to each other, an empty space forms in the lower portion of the canister
30
after a certain amount of ice cream particles are discharged out. As a result, in spite of the operation of the discharging motor
51
, ice cream particles are not properly discharged.
Further, in the conventional ice cream vending machine, the agitating device
80
operates only during the period discharge of the ice cream particles. Accordingly, problems caused by attachment of ice cream particles are compounded when the ice cream vending machine is not operated for a long period of time, i.e., at night, at dawn, during the winter season, etc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to overcome the above-mentioned problems of the related art, and accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ice cream agitating device that agitates ice cream particles at the upper and lower portions of a canister.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an agitating device that agitates the ice cream particles at the upper portion of a canister, and agitates the ice cream particles even at times other than during the ice cream discharging operation of an ice cream vending machine.
The above object is accomplished by an apparatus for agitating an ice cream in an ice cream vending machine in accordance with the present invention, including a screw member rotatably disposed on an inner lower side of a canister, a worm wheel disposed in contact with the screw member, which is rotatably driven by a rotational movement of the screw member, and an agitating member, a lower end of which contacts the worm wheel and an upper end positioned at an inner upper side of the canister. The agitating member agitates the ice cream particles found at upper and lower portions of the canister evenly by resilient upward and downward vibration caused by rotational movement of the worm wheel. Preferably, the worm wheel is disposed in engaging contact with an upper end of the screw member, and is rotatably driven by rotational movement of the screw member.
The agitating member is formed by bending a resilient wire approximately into a rectangular shape, the wire having a contacting portion protruding from the lower end of the agitating member so as to contact with the teeth of the worm wheel.
Another object is also accomplished by an apparatus for agitating ice cream in an ice cream vending machine in accordance with the present invention, including a screw member rotatably disposed adjacent an inner lower side of a canister, a worm wheel disposed in engaging contact with the screw member, and rotatably driven by rotational movement of the screw member, a first agitating member disposed such that a lower end thereof is capable of engaging contact with the worm wheel, the first agitating member being resiliently vibrated upward and downward by being driven by the rotational movement of the worm wheel, thereby agitating ice cream particles in a lower portion of the canister, an agitating motor, and a second rotatable agitating member rotatably disposed adjacent the inner upper end of the canister at a predetermined distance from the first agitating member, the second rotatable agitating member being rotatably driven by the agitating motor, for agitating ice cream particles in an upper portion of the canister. Preferably, the worm wheel is disposed in engaging contact with an upper end of the screw member, and is rotatably driven by rotational movement of the screw member.
The rotatable agitating member includes a rotary shaft, one end of which being removably connected to an output shaft of the agitating motor, and a plurality of protruding portions protruding from the rotary shaft in a radial pattern.
According to the present invention,
Han Hong-suk
Ryoo To-suck
Samsung Kwangju Electronics Co., Ltd.
Soohoo Tony G.
LandOfFree
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