A system for providing a single serving of a frozen confection, wherein the system comprises a pod comprising at least one ingredient for providing a single serving of a frozen confection; the system cools the pod; the system introduces water into the pod; the system simultaneously stirs the contents of the pod while scraping at least one wall of the pod to prevent a build-up of the frozen confection on the at least one wall of the pod; and the system ejects the frozen confection out of the pod.

A system for providing a single serving of a frozen confection, wherein the system comprises a pod comprising at least one ingredient for providing a single serving of a frozen confection; the system cools the pod; the system introduces water into the pod; the system simultaneously stirs the contents of the pod while scraping at least one wall of the pod to prevent a build-up of the frozen confection on the at least one wall of the pod; and the system ejects the frozen confection out of the pod.

Systems and methods have demonstrated the capability of rapidly cooling the contents of pods containing the ingredients for food and drinks.

The invention relates to a stirrer of a machine for making liquid or semi-liquid products, including a rotary body which is housed coaxially in a batch freezer cylinder to rotate about its central axis and which is provided with a plurality of vanes each provided with at least one scraping member for scraping the cylindrical inside wall of the batch freezer cylinder; each scraping member includes a blade and a supporting element for supporting the blade; each blade has, on one side of it, a scraping profile, disposed substantially in contact with the cylindrical inside wall of the batch freezer cylinder and, on the opposite side of it, a coupling profile for coupling it to the respective supporting element and disposed along a longitudinal peripheral edge of the supporting element itself; a longitudinal groove is undercut along the aforementioned edge and the coupling profile is removably shape-fitted therein.

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for providing asymmetric oscillations to a container. The container may include a fluid, a particle, and/or a gas. A vibration driver attached to the container provides asymmetric oscillations. A controller connected to the vibration driver controls an amplitude, frequency, and shape of the asymmetric oscillations. An amplifier amplifies the asymmetric oscillations in response to the controller. A sensor disposed on the vibration driver provides feedback to the controller.

A stirring unit of a machine for making liquid or semi-liquid food products, including: a first base element rotatable about a first axis and having a plurality of first mixing vanes and a plurality of scraping appendages connected to the mixing vanes; a first actuator, connected to the base element to set it in rotation about the first axis, a second base element rotatable about a second axis and having a second mixing vane; a processing container forming a processing chamber for processing a base product and in which the first base element and the second base element are mounted; a second actuator, connected to the second base element to rotate it, the first base element and the second base element being configured to rotate independently of each other and the first actuator and the second actuator being configured to be activated independently of each other.

Systems and methods have demonstrated the capability of rapidly cooling the contents of pods containing the ingredients for food and drinks.

A mixing device suitable to mix substances or liquid or semi-liquid mixtures to increase the volume thereof, includes a hub which develops along a central axis and two mixing spokes connected to the hub, wherein each of the spokes includes an external lateral fin and two upper and lower connection segments, which connect respective upper and lower ends of the lateral fin to the hub.

An apparatus for reducing a temperature of products includes a housing having a chamber within, wherein the chamber has upper and lower regions; a conveyor for transporting the products through the chamber, the conveyor constructed for substantial gas flow to pass through the conveyor without substantially reducing the ability of the conveyor to transport the products; an agitator associated with the conveyor for selective, intermittent contact with the conveyor to displace the conveyor from a plane of travel, thereby displacing the products on the conveyor to substantially prevent the products from adhering to the conveyor and other of the products; a gas circulation device disposed within the chamber to generate circulating gas flow within the chamber; and a shroud disposed within the chamber for coacting with the conveyor to provide an interface between the upper and lower regions, the shroud constructed and arranged to guide the circulating gas flow from the lower region through the conveyor to the upper region, and thereby facilitating displacement of the products on the conveyor to increase exposed surface area of said products. A related method is also provided.

A carbonated beverage apparatus includes a freezing cylinder for receiving a mixture, and a stirring pusher disposed inside the freezing cylinder for pushing and mixing the mixture from an inlet of the freezing cylinder to an outlet thereof in a spiral manner, wherein the mixture is removed from the inner wall of the freezing cylinder radially back into a center portion of the freezing cylinder by the stirring pusher.