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FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a vertical batch freezer. In particular, this batch freezer is of removable tub type and is specifically used to produce pasty food products such as, for example, ice creams and similar products.

KNOWN PRIOR ART

According to the prior art, vertical batch freezers comprise a tub open on top and provided with a base on which a through hole is obtained, a refrigeration cylinder provided with a cavity inside which the tub is removably housed, a pair of paddles, or scraping blades, to stir the food product, and actuating means to rotate the two paddles within the tub. Usually, the actuating means comprise a motor equipped with a drive shaft for transmitting the rotary motion to the two stirring paddles.

Still according to the known art, the removable tubs of such batch freezers, once introduced in the housing of the refrigeration cylinder, are locked to the frame of the batch freezer so that during the rotation of the paddles, or scraping blades, inside the tray, the latter does not start rotating or may accidentally lift axially from the housing in which it is located.

For example, Patent US4583863A in the name of Brevetti Gaggia Spa describes a batch freezer comprising a frame, a tub open on top for containing the food product to be batch frozen, at least one refrigeration cylinder provided with a cavity inside which said tub can be removably housed, a pair of grip elements to remove/introduce the tub into the cavity and transport it, and fastening means to reversibly prevent the rotation and/or translation of the tub with respect to the frame of the batch freezer, at least when the tub is housed in the cavity of the refrigeration cylinder. These locking means comprise two pins integral with the frame of the batch freezer and two slots obtained on the upper perimetrical edge of the tub. This slot is made with a shape such as to allow, on one side, the head of the respective pin to enter therein and, on the other side, to prevent the exit of the pin head once the tub is slightly rotated with respect to the cavity.

Furthermore, Patent US4538427A in the name of Cavalli describes a batch freezer in which the fastening means comprise four first radial projections integral with the tub and likewise four second radial projections integral with the frame of the batch freezer but at greater height with respect to the first radial projections integral with the tub. Once the tub is introduced inside the cavity of the batch freezer, the tub is rotated such that the first four radial projections contact the respective four second radial projections integral with the frame. Thus, the tub can be fastened to the batch freezer thanks to the shape of the projections and their elasticity.

These batch freezers, however, are not free from drawbacks. In fact, those described above are neither precise nor able to ensure a secure locking between the tub and the frame and, moreover, are quite difficult to use since the operations to remove and introduce the tub can not be carried out by using one hand, but always both hands. Therefore, object of the present invention is to provide a vertical batch freezer with a removable or extractable tub, which is easier and faster to remove, or introduce, from/into the cavity of the refrigeration cylinder.

A further object of the present invention is to facilitate, as well, the transport of the tub from a batch freezer to a display counter or another part of the ice-cream parlor. Finally, object of the present invention is to provide a batch freezer in which the tub and the fastening means to fasten the tub itself to the frame of the batch freezer are safer and even simpler from a structural point of view.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other objects are achieved by a vertical batch freezer for preparing a pasty food product, comprising a frame having an upper bearing plane, a tub open on top for containing the food product to be batch frozen, at least one refrigeration cylinder provided with a cavity inside which said at least one tub is at least partially and removably housable, and fastening means to reversibly prevent the rotation and/or translation of said tub with respect to said frame of said batch freezer, at least when said tub is housed inside said cavity of said refrigeration cylinder, said tub being provided with at least one grip element to remove/introduce said tub from/into said cavity, characterized in that said reversible fastening means comprise at least one retaining element and at least one hooking element for said retaining element integrally constrained to said upper plane of said frame, said at least one retaining element being movably constrained with respect to said tub between a position of disengagement from said at least one hooking element, wherein said tub is removable from said cavity, and a position of engagement with said at least one hooking element, wherein said tub is locked to said frame.

Clearly, thanks to this solution the introduction and removal of the tub from/into the cavity of the refrigeration cylinder become much easier and quicker, in an extremely simple and much more reliable embodiment with respect to solutions of known art. Moreover, advantageously, said at least one retaining element comprises said at least one grip element to further move said at least one retaining element between said engagement position and said disengagement position, and vice versa. In practice, therefore, unlike what happens in prior art solutions, in which the retaining element is separated from the grip element, in the solution described herein the retaining element not only cooperates with said at least one hooking element to allow the tub to be reversibly fastened to the frame of the batch freezer, but also comprises said at least one grip element in order to allow the user to remove/introduce the tub from/into the cavity. In practice, said at least one grip element is also adapted to actuate said at least one retaining element between said position of disengagement from said at least one hooking element and said position of engagement with said at least one hooking element, and vice versa.

According to this embodiment the user, even with just one hand, can either lock the tub to the batch freezer frame or remove it from the cavity of the refrigeration cylinder or even transport it from one point to another of the ice-cream laboratory.

Still according to the invention, said at least one retaining element is rotatably constrained to said tub around a horizontal pivot integral with the upper edge of said tub. Said upper edge is also bent by an angle of about 90° with respect to the longitudinal axis of said tub and said at least one retaining element is engageable with said at least one hooking element in a position outside said tub. It should be noted that the upper edge is shaped to abut against the bearing plane of the batch freezer frame. Furthermore, said at least one retaining element comprises a first hook and said at least one hooking element comprises a second hook to couple to said first hook, wherein said first hook and said second hook cooperate along a direction substantially tangential to the upper opening of said cavity of said refrigeration cylinder.

According to an embodiment of the invention, said at least one retaining element has at least one main body having a curvilinear surface shaped to eccentrically rotate with respect to the center of said horizontal pivot so that, at least for part of the rotation of said at least one first retaining element from said engagement position to said disengagement position, said curvilinear surface is in contact with said upper plane of said frame to raise said tub, at least when said first hook is not engaged with said second hook.

Clearly, this greatly facilitates the removal of the tub from the cavity of the refrigeration cylinder since the tub starts to come out of the housing well before the user raises the tub by the grip element. In fact, since said retaining element is rotated around the pivot, the curvilinear surface of the main body thrusts the bearing surface which tends to simply raise the tub without requiring any effort by the user. Moreover, when the tub is introduced inside the cavity of the refrigeration cylinder, precisely due to the shape of the curvilinear surface, the tub, at the end of the stroke of said at least one first retaining element from said disengagement position to said engagement position, is automatically pushed downwards, thus facilitating the operation of introducing the tub inside the cavity of the refrigeration cylinder.

Still according to the invention, said reversible fastening means comprise two retaining elements and two hooking elements, in which said two retaining elements are arranged on opposite sides of said tub, in diametric positions.

Furthermore, said at least one grip element comprises a handle constrained to said two retaining elements at its own two ends. The handle greatly facilitates the grip of the tub, its transport, and the actuation of both retaining elements to bring them from their engagement position to the disengagement position, or vice versa.

Furthermore, said handle is substantially semicircle shaped. Preferably, said handle and said two retaining elements are made in a single piece.

Moreover, at least when said at least one retaining element is in said engagement position, said handle is in a position substantially parallel to the plane on which the upper end edge of said tub lies, outside said tub.

This facilitates the gripping of the handle, as the operator finds the handle on the outside of the tub, in such a position as to easily grasp and turn it with the same ease. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

These and other aspects of the present invention will be made more clear by the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment provided herein by way of example only and without limitations, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

figure 1A is a top axonometric view of the batch freezer according to the invention;

figure IB is another top view of the batch freezer shown in figurel A;

figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the batch freezer of figure 1 A, with the tub not yet introduced inside the refrigeration cylinder.

figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the batch freezer of figure 1 A, with the tub introduced inside the refrigeration cylinder, in which said retaining element is arranged in its engagement position;

figure 4 is a view, in particular, of the fastening means of the batch freezer shown in the section of figure 3, in which the retaining element is engaged with the hooking element;

figure 5 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the batch freezer, with the retaining element in a position of engagement (solid line) and a position of disengagement (dashed line) with/from the hooking element;

figure 6 is a view, in particular, of the fastening means of the batch freezer shown in the section of figure 5, in which the retaining element is in position of engagement (solid line) and disengagement (dashed line) with/from the hooking element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

As can be seen in figures 1A and IB, according to the embodiment of the invention, the vertical batch freezer 1 for preparing a pasty food product, such as ice-cream, comprises a frame 2 having an horizontal upper bearing plane 2a, a tub 3 open on top for containing the food product to be batch frozen, a refrigeration cylinder 4 provided with a cavity 4a inside which the tub 3 is at least partially and removably housable, and a grip element 5 to remove/introduce the tub 2 from/into the cavity 5 a.

The batch freezer 1 further comprises fastening means 6 to reversibly prevent the rotation and/or translation of the tub 3 with respect to both the frame 2 of the batch freezer 1 and, as a result, the refrigeration cylinder 4, at least when the tub 3 is housed inside the cavity 4a of the refrigeration cylinder 4. According to the solution shown in the attached figures, the reversible fastening means 6 comprise two retaining elements 7 and two hooking elements 8 for the two retaining elements 7. These two hooking elements 8 are integrally constrained to the plane 2a of the frame 2 and project upwards therefrom.

In particular, each retaining element 7 is movably constrained with respect to the tub 3 between a position PI (see Figures 2 and 5) of disengagement from the respective hooking element 8, in which the tub 3 is removable, or removed, from the cavity 4a, and a position P2 (see Figures 3 and 5) of engagement with the respective hooking element 8, in which the tub 3 is locked to the frame 2.

The two retaining elements 7, in particular, are arranged in diametrically opposite parts of the tub 3. In practice, these two retaining elements 7 are located at a longitudinal radial plane of the tub 3 on which the longitudinal axis Y of the tub 3 lies.

It should be noted that, although an embodiment comprising two retaining elements 7 and two hooking elements 8 is shown hereinafter, however an embodiment having only one retaining element and only one hooking element falls in any case within the protection scope of the present invention.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described herein, the tub 3 is further provided both with a base 3b on which a through hole 3c is obtained and, at the through hole 3c, with a tubular sleeve 20 sealingly connected to the base 3b of the tub 3. Furthermore, the tub 3 is provided with a pair of stirring paddles or scraping blades 21 to stir the food product by rotating inside the tub 2 around the sleeve 20.

The actuating means for the two paddles 21 comprise not only an electric motor not shown in figures though known to the field technician, but also a drive shaft 22 for transmitting the rotary motion to the two stirring paddles 21. Furthermore, the batch freezer 1 also comprises means 23 for the integral and removable connection of the two paddles 21 to the drive shaft 22. It should be noted that the two paddles 21 mentioned above are not further described here since they are known to the field technician. They can be made in very different geometries and sizes without thereby departing from the protection scope of the present invention.

Moreover, the tub 3, in order to be introduced/removed into/from the cavity 4a of the refrigeration cylinder 4, has substantially frustoconical shape. In particular, the angle between the side walls 3d and the base 3b of the tub 3, with respect to the longitudinal axis Y, is between 0.5 and 3°, where the area of the base 3b is smaller than the area of the top opening 3e of the tub 3.

According to known art, the batch freezer 1 also comprises heat adjusting means arranged inside the refrigeration cylinder 4 and near the tub 3, in order to adjust the temperature of the food product being processed. These temperature adjusting means comprise refrigeration means 101 and controlling means 102 to control the temperature in the containing tub 3. In particular the cooling means comprise, in a known manner, a tube bundle 101 traveled by a coolant and arranged on the outer surface 4b of the cavity 4a of the refrigeration cylinder 4 such that, at least when the tub 3 is housed in the cavity 4a, these tubes of such tube bundle 101 are in front of both the outer surface 3d of the tub 2 and the base 3b thereof.

However it should be noted that, although a particular batch freezer equipped with specific connecting means 23 to integrally and removably connect the two paddles 21 to the drive shaft 22 has been described herein, a known art solution in which these integral and removable connecting means have different shape and structure still falls within the protection scope of the present invention.

According to the invention, the retaining elements 7 comprise a grip element 5 for moving also the retaining element 7 between the engagement position P2 and the disengagement position P 1 , and vice versa.

Therefore, the grip element 5 is intended not only to introduce and remove the tub 3 into/from the cavity 4a, but also to actuate the two retaining elements 7 and move them to the two engagement P2 and disengagement PI positions, and vice versa.

According to the embodiment described herein, each retaining element 7 is rotatably constrained to the tub 3 to rotate around a horizontal pivot 60 integral with the upper edge 3 a of the tub 3. The pivot 60 rotates around the horizontal axis X. Since there are two retaining elements 7, there are also two pivots 60 sharing the same axis of rotation X.

Moreover the upper edge 3a, near the top opening 3e of the tub 3, is bent by an angle of about 90° with respect to the longitudinal axis Y of the tub 3 and each retaining element 7 can be engaged with the respective hooking element 8 in a position outside the tub 3. In practice, therefore, the retaining element 7 rotates around the pivot 60, therefore around the axis X, outside the tub 3.

The upper edge 3 a of the tub 3 is also shaped to abut against the upper plane 2a of the frame 2 when the tub 3 is housed inside the cavity 4a.

Furthermore, each retaining element 7 comprises a first hook 7a and each hooking element 8 comprises a second hook 8a to couple to the respective first hook 7a. This first hook 7a and this second hook 8 a cooperate with each other along a direction T substantially tangential to the upper opening 4c of the cavity 4a of the refrigeration cylinder 4. This allows the tub 3 to better resist possible moments which it could be subjected to during the operation of the batch freezer 1.

Advantageously, each retaining element 7 has at least one main body 7b having a curvilinear surface 7c shaped to eccentrically rotate with respect to the center C of the horizontal pivot 60 so that, at least for part of the rotation of the first retaining element 7 from the engagement position P2 to the disengagement position PI, this curvilinear surface 7c is in contact with the upper plane 2a of the frame 2 to raise the tub 3 upward with respect to the cavity 4a, at least when the first hook 7a is not engaged with the second hook 7b. Figures 5 and 6 show the axial displacement E of the tub 3 with respect to the upper bearing plane 2a of the frame 2 and, therefore, of the cavity 4a, when the retaining element 7 is rotated from the engagement position P2 to the disengagement position PI. In fact, as can be seen again in these figures, when the curvilinear surface 7c rotates, due to both its eccentric movement with respect to the center C of the pivot 60 and its particular shape, it switches from a condition of not touching the bearing plane 2a of the frame 2 at all, i.e. when the two retaining elements 7 are in engagement position P2 and, therefore, the handle 5 is in a substantially horizontal position, to a condition of coming into contact with the bearing plane 2a and then pushing the tub 3 upwards, thereby facilitating the raising and, as a result, the removal of tub 3 from the cavity 4a. The maximum displacement E of the tub 3 from the bearing plane 2a occurs at the end of the rotation of the handle 5, i.e. when the latter is in vertical position and the tub 3 is ready to be pulled out of the cavity 4a. Moreover, when the tub 3 is introduced inside the cavity 4a of the refrigeration cylinder 4, precisely due to the shape of the curvilinear surface 7c of the two retaining elements 7, the tub 4 is automatically pushed downwards, at the end of the stroke of the two retaining elements 7 from the disengagement position PI to the engagement position P2, thus facilitating the operation of introducing the tub 3 inside the cavity 4a of the refrigeration cylinder 4.

Still according to the invention, the grip element 5 comprises a handle. This handle 5 is constrained to the two retaining elements 7 at its own two ends 5 a. According to the embodiment described herein, this handle 5 has a substantially semicircular shape and, moreover, is made in one piece with the two retaining elements 7.

Finally, at least when the retaining elements 7 are in their engagement position P2, the handle 5 is in a substantially horizontal position, i.e. parallel to the bearing plane 2a of the frame 2, outside the tub 3 itself.

On the other hand, when the retaining elements 7 are in their disengagement position PI, the handle 5 is on a plane on which the longitudinal axis Y of the tub 3 lies. In practice, therefore, the handle 5 is in a substantially vertical position, i.e. rotated by 90° with respect to its position when the retaining elements 7 are in their engagement position P2.