Ice Cream Capsule Dispensing System for Contamination Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The ice cream industry faces challenges in quickly producing small, customized ice cream portions while minimizing contamination risks and maintaining food safety, as existing machines are not capable of efficiently making liquid and semi-liquid products in small quantities and are prone to contamination.
Innovation Solution
A machine designed to make ice cream with a processing container, stirrer, thermal treatment system, and a dispensing assembly that uses capsules for basic preparations and a dilution liquid, allowing for rapid mixing and cooling to produce small quantities of ice cream, while minimizing handling and thus reducing contamination risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional ice cream machines are used to make small portions, then production time increases and efficiency decreases, but using automated systems increases contamination risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable capsules containing pre-measured basic preparations and pre-portioned dilution liquids. These single-use containers eliminate the need for repeated handling and storage of bulk ingredients, significantly reducing contamination risks while enabling rapid sequential production of individual ice cream portions. The disposable nature ensures each portion is made with fresh, uncontaminated ingredients.
Solution Approach 2:
The system divides the ice cream making process into separate, independent modules: capsule loading, dilution liquid addition, mixing, and serving. Each component (capsules, dilution liquids, mixing chamber) is segmented and can be independently replaced or cleaned, minimizing cross-contamination and enabling quick turnover between portions without thorough cleaning cycles.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If bulk ingredient storage and handling systems are used, then contamination risks increase, but switching to individual portion systems reduces productivity
Solution Approach 1:
Basic preparations are pre-formulated and pre-packaged in capsules with precise ingredient ratios before use. Dilution liquids are pre-portioned in separate containers. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for measuring, mixing, and handling bulk ingredients during operation, reducing contamination risks while maintaining rapid production capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is designed to automatically manage the ice cream making process: capsules are automatically loaded, dilution liquids are automatically dispensed at correct ratios, and mixing is automatically initiated. This self-service automation minimizes human handling of ingredients, reducing contamination risks while increasing production speed and consistency.
3Productivity
If complex cleaning procedures are required between uses, then device complexity increases and productivity decreases, but simple cleaning enables faster turnover
Solution Approach 1:
The mixing chamber and all ingredient containers are designed as disposable or easily replaceable components. After each use, these components can be discarded or quickly rinsed, eliminating the need for complex disassembly and thorough cleaning procedures. This dramatically reduces turnover time between portions while keeping the overall system simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the cleaning requirement from the main system by using disposable capsules and containers that are discarded after single use. The permanent parts of the machine (motor, control system, housing) remain simple and require minimal cleaning, while the consumable parts are replaced rather than cleaned, simplifying the overall cleaning procedure.
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
Enables quick production of customized ice cream portions with reduced contamination risks, ensuring high food safety, easy cleaning, and optimized space usage, while maintaining product quality and reducing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal treatment system 13 (for cooling), provided with at least one heat exchanger 15 associated with the processing container 3, for exchanging heat
Implementation Method 2
a stirrer 5 mounted inside the processing chamber 4... The stirrer 5 is adapted to be driven in rotation to allow mixing the basic product with the dilution liquid
Implementation Method 3
The injection means are inserted into the first portion 213 through a first end 211 of the nozzle 210... injecting the pressurized gas into the cavity 205 of the capsule
Data Source
AI summary
A machine for making liquid and/or semi-liquid products of the ice cream sector including a processing container forming a processing chamber for making an ice cream product; a stirrer mounted inside the processing chamber; a cooling system equipped with at least one heat exchanger associated with the processing container, for exchanging heat with the container and cooling the processing container; a unit for receiving and treating a capsule containing a basic preparation for an ice cream product, configured to allow the capsule to be compressed in such a way so as to deform lateral walls of the capsule and to squeeze the basic preparation out of the capsule and transfer it to the processing container; a device for injecting a dilution liquid, associated with the processing container, for injecting the dilution liquid into the processing container.