Viscous Food Dispenser with Pressure Relief and Thermal Insulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dispenser machines for paste-like food products, such as ice-cream, often fail to ensure user safety due to pressure-induced container damage or detachment, and they do not maintain optimal temperature, leading to product spoilage.
Innovation Solution
A dispenser machine with a removable, hollow cylindrical container element and a piston moved by compressed air, featuring automatic pressure control and discharge mechanisms, along with thermal insulation to maintain product quality and safety during use and cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pressurized gas is introduced into the container element to push the piston forward, then the substance can be dispensed towards the outlet nozzle, but the container element may be damaged or detach from the framework causing safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
A safety membrane is introduced as a protective element between the pressurized gas and the container element walls. This membrane absorbs excess pressure and prevents direct transmission of force that could cause container damage or detachment, while still allowing the piston to function properly and dispense the substance.
2Ease of operation
If the container element is removable for filling and replacement, then the machine is easier to operate and maintain, but residual pressure inside the container can cause safety issues during replacement steps
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful residual pressure is extracted and removed from the container element through a dedicated pressure release mechanism before the container can be safely removed or replaced. This separates the pressure management function from the container handling operation, allowing safe replacement while maintaining ease of operation.
3Device complexity
If the substance is stored in the container element without adequate temperature control, then the machine structure can be simplified, but the paste-like food products may be ruined due to high and/or low temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
Temperature control is applied locally only to the container element where the paste-like food product is stored, rather than controlling the entire machine. This localized approach preserves product quality through targeted thermal management while keeping the overall device complexity low.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The machine ensures safe operation, prevents product spoilage by maintaining optimal temperature, and allows for semi-automatic cleaning, ensuring smooth dispensing and user safety during filling and loading.
Implementation Method 1
a piston element moveable under the action of a pressurized gas, such as air, that pushes the stored substance to be dispensed towards an outlet nozzle
Implementation Method 2
the substances themselves are not kept at an ideal temperature thus irreversibly ruining them at times
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A dispenser machine (10) for doughy food products comprising a framework (11), and a group (100) for dispensing substances associated to the framework (11), the dispenser group (100) comprising a removable hollow cylindrical element (12) for containing substances closed at a first end by a closure bottom (13), a piston element accommodated inside the container element (12) moveable from the first end up to an opposite end of the container element (12) to be filled with the substances, a compressor being foreseen accommodated inside the framework (11) and connected to the first end of the container element (12) for moving the piston element through compressed air, the machine further comprising an outlet group (14) of the substances coupled to the opposite end of the container element (12), with means for controlling the inner pressure of the container element (12) being foreseen as well as automatic means for reducing the internal pressure of the container element (12).