Portable Frozen Confection Machine With Anti-Buildup Ice Conditioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing frozen confection machines are large and commercial-grade, making them unsuitable for portable use in home or small party settings where convenience, portability, and easy storage are desired.
Innovation Solution
A portable frozen confection machine designed with a compact body, handle for easy transport, a hopper with a transparent lid for monitoring ice, and a motor-driven paddle system that conditions ice into a spout for shaping and dispensing, featuring a blade with offset teeth to prevent ice buildup and a flexible shaping flap for user convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If commercial-grade frozen confection machines are used, then ice conditioning performance is improved, but device portability and storage ease deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The machine is divided into separable components including a removable hopper, a detachable blade assembly, and a compact motor housing. This segmentation allows the main body to be stored in a small space while components can be assembled when needed, resolving the contradiction between performance and portability.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade is designed with offset teeth arranged in a specific three-dimensional pattern that creates airflow channels. This dimensional arrangement improves ice conditioning efficiency without increasing the overall footprint of the machine, maintaining portability while enhancing performance.
2Productivity
If commercial-grade frozen confection machines are used, then ice conditioning performance is improved, but storage space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The blade assembly nests within the hopper when not in use, and the hopper can be stored within the housing. This nested arrangement minimizes storage volume while preserving all functional components needed for effective ice conditioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The machine features adjustable components including a movable blade position and adjustable hopper angle, allowing the structure to adapt to different storage configurations. This dynamic design enables compact storage while maintaining optimal performance geometry during operation.
3Weight of moving object
If a compact portable design is used, then portability and storage ease are improved, but ice conditioning capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The blade features localized offset teeth with specific geometry concentrated at the ice contact points, while other parts of the machine remain compact. This localized optimization of blade geometry enhances ice conditioning capability without increasing overall machine size.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade is constructed from composite materials that provide high strength-to-weight ratio, enabling an effective cutting surface area larger than would be possible with traditional materials, thus maintaining ice conditioning capability in a compact form factor.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If offset teeth blade design is used, then ice buildup prevention is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The offset teeth are pre-formed during blade manufacturing as an integrated feature rather than being assembled separately. This preliminary incorporation of the anti-ice-buildup geometry into the manufacturing process itself reduces assembly complexity while maintaining the functional benefit of preventing ice accumulation.
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 provides efficient and convenient ice conditioning, allowing for easy operation and storage, with improved user safety and reduced noise and vibration, enabling the production of high-quality frozen confections in various settings.
Implementation Method 1
A portable frozen confection machine may include a housing, a motor, a paddle wheel, and a blade. The blade may be positioned to engage ice in the hopper as the paddle wheel moves the ice against the blade.
Implementation Method 2
The blade may be positioned to engage ice in the hopper as the paddle wheel moves the ice against the blade. The blade can be an arched blade with a leading edge that is rounded and smooth.
Implementation Method 3
A spout can be positioned below the blade to receive the conditioned ice and shape a top of the conditioned ice as the conditioned ice is dispensed from the spout.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure extends to apparatuses, methods, and systems, for producing frozen confections and conditioning ice for use in frozen confections. A frozen confection machine includes a hopper portion for receiving ice into an interior, and a motor configured to rotate a drive shaft, a blade to condition the ice in the hopper during rotation of the motor. The frozen confection machine also includes a lid for selectively covering the interior of the hopper, a bias member for biasing the lid away from a closed position, and a switch for causing the motor to actuate in response to the lid being pressed to a closed position.