Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a system and method for dispensing a frozen confection, such as ice cream from a cartridge. More particularly the present invention relates to such methods and systems where the cartridge comprises a tubular body and a piston slidable within the tubular body.

Background of the invention

In recent years, systems for dispensing frozen confections such as soft ice cream have been developed in which pre-packaged ice cream is delivered from a container by a dispensing device.

In one type of system, gas pressure is used to apply a dispensing force. For example, WO 2013/124193 A discloses a method for dispensing a frozen confection comprising: providing a refrigerated, insulated chamber, which houses at least one container, containing a frozen confection at a temperature of -12 °C or below; wherein the at least one container has an outlet which is closed by a self-closing valve; wherein the container comprises a flexible bag containing the frozen confection located inside a bottle; pressurising gas in the region inside the bottle and outside the flexible bag thereby applying pressure to the frozen confection so that the valve opens and the frozen confection is forced out of the container through the outlet; releasing the pressure so that the valve closes.

The use of pressurized gas requires containers made from materials that can be both gas-tight and withstand high internal pressure. Thus typically such containers are formed from plastic material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

In another type of system, collapsible containers are used and a dispensing force is used to simultaneously push out the frozen confection whilst collapsing the container. For example, US 2002/0119221 A discloses a push-out method for food from a food package comprising steps as follows: providing a push-out device comprising a container receiving member having a substantially cylindrical trunk member and a bottom member provided in its central zone with a through-hole, and a depressing member adapted to be guided into the cylindrical trunk member from above; setting the food package in the container receiving member; compressing the food package by the depressing member from above toward the bottom while the container made of soft material is controllably guided along the inner surface of the cylindrical trunk member or a peripheral surface of the through-hole of the bottom member so that the container may be prevented from shifting sideways until the container is flattened; and thereby forcing out the content food through the push-out aperture and the through-hole of the bottom of the container made of soft material.

Collapsing a container made from soft material can lead to splitting and/or damage to the container thus resulting in fouling of the dispensing device and hygiene issues. Furthermore the device requires complex guiding and containment means to ensure the package collapses in a controlled manner.

In yet another type of system, cartridges are employed that contain an internal piston whereby a dispensing device is used that has a plunger for driving the piston through the cartridge and generating the dispensing force. For example, EP 0995685 A discloses a dispensing system for frozen desserts including a plurality of containers and a dispensing device. Each container contains an individual portion of frozen dessert, and includes a substantially cylindrical tube having first and second ends, a nozzle means towards the first end, and a piston means located between the nozzle means and second end, which is adapted for sliding movement along the tube. The individual portion of frozen dessert is contained within the cylindrical tube between the nozzle means and piston means. The dispensing device includes a plunger means mounted for reciprocating movement along a longitudinal axis, a drive means for driving the plunger along the axis, and a support means for supporting the first end of the container with the plunger in engagement with the piston means. The arrangement is such that with the container located on the support means, the individual portion of frozen dessert may be dispensed by actuating the drive means.

Such cartridge-based systems have proved commercially successful and have been made widely available under such brands as Cornetto ^® . They are especially attractive owing to the simple, hygienic and inexpensive form of dispensing device that can be used. As the dispensing force within such cartridges is large, especially when ice cream is dispensed at low temperatures such as -18 °C, until now the commercially available systems have employed cartridges formed from plastic material such as PET or polypropylene (PP).

The present inventors have now recognized that there is a need for improvements in systems for dispensing frozen confections. In particular the inventors have recognized a need to provide a system that affords the advantages of a cartridge-based system but which eliminates or at least reduces the need for single-use plastic.

Summary of the invention

In a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a system for dispensing a frozen confection, the system comprising: (i) a cartridge comprising:

- a tubular body extending from an open end to a dispensing end,

- a piston slidable within the tubular body,

- an end piece formed from cardboard and closing the dispensing end of the tubular body and comprising a dispensing aperture, and - frozen confection contained within the tubular body between the piston and the end piece; and (ii) a device comprising:

- a seat for locating the cartridge in or on the device; and

- a plunger positioned for entering the cartridge through the open end of the tubular body with the cartridge located in the seat, and for engaging with the piston and moving the piston towards the end piece thereby creating a dispensing force to urge the frozen confection out of the dispensing aperture; wherein the seat of the device comprises an annular plate that supports the end piece of the cartridge against the dispensing force.

The present inventors have found that the forces generated during dispensing a frozen confection from a cartridge can be contained in a cardboard body provided that the body is tubular but that these forces cause significant deformation if the end piece is cardboard or even tend to push the end piece out of the tubular body. By supporting the end piece by an annular plate on the device, however, the inventors have found that the whole (or at least substantially all) of the cartridge can be made from a sustainable material such as cardboard without compromising the performance of the cartridge compared to a conventional cartridge made from polypropylene.

As used herein, where an element (i.e., tubular body, end piece, or piston etc) is referred to as “formed from cardboard” this means that at least the structural parts of that element consist essentially of cardboard. Typically such an element will comprise at least 70% by weight cardboard, more preferably at least 80%, more preferably still at least 90% and most preferably from 95 to 100% by weight of the element is cardboard. Typically to allow for good moisture barrier properties a small amount of the element will be plastic material, such as a plastic coating (such as polypropylene and/or polyethylene coating). Such a plastic coating should not comprise more than 20% by weight of the element otherwise the suitability of the element for recycling in a paper waste system may be compromised. The cardboard for use in the present invention preferably has a thickness of at least 0.2 mm, more preferably at least 0.3 mm, more preferably still at least 0.4 mm and most preferably from 0.5 to 0.8 mm. Additionally or alternatively the grammage of the cardboard is preferably at least 200 g/m ² , more preferably at least 300 g/m ² and most preferably from 400 to 800 g/m ² .

In addition to the end piece, it is preferred that one or (more preferably) both of the tubular body and the piston is formed from cardboard.

The annular plate preferably surrounds the dispensing aperture when the cartridge is in the seat as then the end piece is supported at all points around the aperture and stress concentration at a particular area that may, for example, lead to tearing at that area can be avoided.

The seat preferably comprises an annular recess surrounding the annular plate. Such a recess can help with locating the cartridge in the seat. This is especially the case where the tubular body of the cartridge has an end lip that projects away from the end piece, as then the end lip can locate in the annular recess.

In some embodiments the annular plate may be arranged in contact with the end piece at all times when the cartridge is located in the seat. Such an arrangement may however, lead to increased likelihood of the plate becoming contaminated with frozen confection and thus needing cleaning between dispensing occasions. In an alternative embodiment, the annular plate is spaced away from the end piece when the cartridge is in the seat and in the absence of the dispensing force. The spacing should not be too great, however as the annular plate would still need to support the end piece during dispensing. Typically the end piece will deform slightly during dispensing until it contacts the annular plate which prevents it from irreversibly deforming, tearing and/or becoming dislocated.

Preferably the end piece is a substantially planar disc as this allows for simple manufacture from a sheet of cardboard.

Because the dispensing force is generated by the plunger of the device moving the piston within the tubular body there is no need for the cartridge to be within a container during dispensing, as would be the case, for example, where the dispensing force is generated by collapsing the whole cartridge as in US 2002/0119221 A. Thus it is preferred that the seat of the device is spaced away from but aligned with the plunger and that between the plunger and the seat there are no containment walls. By having free space between the plunger and the seat the cartridge can be easily accessed for removal from the device and the seat can be easily accessed for cleaning.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a method for dispensing a portion of frozen confection from a cartridge, the method comprising the steps of: a. providing a system according to any embodiment of the first aspect; b. locating the cartridge in the seat; and then c. driving the plunger into the cartridge through the open end of the tubular body to engage with the piston and move the piston towards the end piece thereby creating a dispensing force to urge the frozen confection out of the dispensing aperture. Detailed description of preferred embodiments

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows a perspective view from above and to one side of the open end of a cartridge for use in an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 shows the cartridge of Figure 1 viewed from above and to one side of the dispensing end.

Figure 3 shows a schematic sectional view of the cartridge of Figure 1 in the seat of a device before dispensing.

Figure 3a shows a detail of part of the cartridge and seat shown in Figure 3.

Figure 4 shows a bottom plan view of the cartridge and seat of Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows a schematic sectional view of the cartridge of Figure 1 in an alternative seat of a device before dispensing.

Figure 6 shows the cartridge and seat of Figure 5 during dispensing.

Figure 7 shows a perspective view from above and to one side of a dispensing device for use in the invention before a cartridge is placed in the seat.

Figure 8 shows a schematic sectional view of the cartridge of Figure 1 after all of the frozen confection has been dispensed from the cartridge.

Figure 9 shows the cartridge of Figure 8 where the end piece and piston have been dislodged from the tubular body.

As best seen in Figures 1 to 3, a cartridge (1) for use in an embodiment of the invention comprises a tubular body (2) that in this embodiment is in the form of a hollow circular cylinder. The tubular body (2) is preferably formed from cardboard coated with a thin layer of plastic such as polyethylene and/or polypropylene to form a moisture resistant surface on the inside thereof. Within the tubular body (2) is a piston (5) which in this embodiment is a substantially planar disc with a diameter almost identical with that of the inner-diameter of the tubular body (2) such that the piston (5) fits snugly in the tubular body (2) but can slide up and down within it. The piston could be formed from plastic but is preferably formed from cardboard.

In the full cartridge, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, a portion of frozen confection (30) such as ice cream, is contained within the hollow tubular body (2) between the piston (5) and an end piece (3). In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3, the end piece (3) is a substantially planar disc that fits in and closes the dispensing end of the tubular body (2) and has a star-shaped dispensing aperture (4) in its centre. The end piece (3) is formed from cardboard.

As best seen in Figure 3a, the end piece (3) is held within the tubular body (2) by abutment against a rim (2a) that is formed by folding of the wall of the tubular body (2) back inside the tubular body (2) for a short distance. This also forms an end lip (2b) that projects away from the end piece (3) and on which the cartridge (1) can stand in a self- supporting manner. In some embodiments the end piece (3) may be fixed to the inner wall of the tubular body (2) by use of crimping and/or food-grade adhesive. The dispensing device for use in the present invention may be any device capable of driving a plunger into the cartridge (1). Preferably the dispensing device (20) is a conventional dispenser used for soft ice cream dispensing from cartridges and as described, for example, in EP 0995685 A (the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety) but with a modified seat (10). Such a device (20) is shown in Figure 7 with a modified seat (10) as shown in greater detail in Figures 3 and 4.

The device (20) comprises a handle (21) that is connected through a drive mechanism (not shown) contained within a housing (23) to a plunger (22). Below and spaced away from the plunger (22) is a seat (10) that is held within a support (24) so that a central opening (14) of the seat is concentric with the plunger (22). The housing (23) and support (24) are mounted on a stand (25) and there are no containment walls between the plunger (22) and the seat (10) such that the cartridge (1) can be easily located and removed from the seat (10) and that the seat (10) and plunger (22) can be easily accessed for cleaning.

As best seen in Figures 3, 3a and 4, the seat (10) is annular and has in its upper surface a recess (12) concentric with the central opening (14). The annular recess is shaped to receive the end lip (2b) of the cartridge (1) such that the cartridge can stand in the seat (10) with the dispensing aperture (4) of the end piece (3) aligned with the central opening (14) of the seat (10). Between the annular recess (12) and the central opening (14) the upper surface of the seat (10) forms an annular plate (11) which in the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4 is in contact with the lower surface of the end piece (3) even before dispensing of frozen confection from the cartridge begins.

An alternative embodiment of the seat (10) is shown in Figures 5 and 6. In this embodiment the seat (10) comprises an annular planar support plate (11) that has an edge wall (11a) around its circumference which is slightly larger than the circumference of the tubular body (2) of the cartridge (1) so that with the cartridge stood on the annular support plate (11), the outer wall of the end lip (2b) abuts against the inside of the edge wall (11a) of the seat (10). The annular support plate (11) is thus spaced away from the end piece (3) by the length of the end lip (2b) and so is not in contact with the end piece (3) in the absence of a dispensing force. As seen in Figure 6, during dispensing, the dispensing force deforms the end piece (3) out of its planer configuration until it contacts and is supported by the annular plate (11). This means that the seat (10) has less contact with the end piece (3) than the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4 and so is more hygienic. In order to dispense a portion of frozen confection (30) from the cartridge (1). The cartridge is first located in the seat (10) as described above. The handle (21) of the device (20), is then pulled down which actuates downward movement of the plunger (22). The plunger (22) enters the tubular body (2) of the cartridge (1) where it contacts the upper surface of the piston (5). Continued actuation of the handle (21) drives the plunger (22) and therefore the piston (5) further down the tubular body urging the frozen confection 30) through the dispensing aperture (4) and the central opening (14) and into a waiting receptacle (not shown) such as a bowl or cone.

Following dispensing, the handle (21) is pushed back up which in turn retracts the plunger (22) from the tubular body (2). The cartridge (1) can then be removed from the seat (10) and placed in the recycling stream. In embodiments where the end piece (3) is held in place by the rim (2a) and is not fixed to the tubular body (2), both the end piece (3) and the piston (5) can be removed from the tubular body as shown in Figures 8 and 9. The bold arrow (100) in Figure 8 shows the force that can be applied (for example by the finger of a user) to simply dislodge the end piece (3) and piston (5) as shown in Figure 9. Both the end piece (3) and piston (5) can then be tipped out of the open end of the tubular body (2). This is advantageous as it allows for the tubular body (2) to then be flattened to reduce the volume taken in the recycling system and/or it allows for the end piece (3) and tubular body (2) to be made from different materials and recycled in different streams. All numbers in this description indicating amounts of material, time periods, length scales, conditions of reaction, physical properties of materials and/or use may optionally be understood as modified by the word “about”.

It should be noted that in specifying any range of values, any particular upper value can be associated with any particular lower value.

For the avoidance of doubt, the word “comprising” is intended to mean “including” but not necessarily “consisting of” or “composed of”. In other words, the listed steps or options need not be exhaustive.

The disclosure of the invention as found herein is to be considered to cover all embodiments as found in the claims as being multiply dependent upon each other irrespective of the fact that claims may be found without multiple dependency or redundancy.

Where a feature is disclosed with respect to a particular aspect of the invention (for example a method of the invention), such disclosure is also to be considered to apply to any other aspect of the invention (for example a system of the invention) mutatis mutandis.