Abstract: A food product dispenser including a cabinet; a freezing cylinder; an evaporator including a fluid path that generally encircles the freezing cylinder; a compressor located within the cabinet at a location below the freezing cylinder; a condenser at least partially positioned between the compressor and the evaporator; a variable flow expansion valve located within the cabinet and having a first inlet fluidly coupled to the condenser outlet and a first outlet fluidly coupled to the evaporator inlet and a second variable flow expansion valve located within the cabinet having a second inlet fluidly coupled to the condenser outlet and a second fluid outlet coupled to the compressor inlet.

Abstract: A sealed pressurized food dispensing system with self-cleaning features that can include a freezing barrel, a faceplate defining a dispense bore and a cleaning bypass passage passing through the faceplate and having an open end, where the dispenser can also include a valve stem that may be moved between a dispensing position and a non-dispensing position where the cleaning bypass passage is positioned such that, when the valve stem is in its non-dispensing position, no fluid path exists between the interior of the freezing barrel and the open end of the cleaning bypass passage within the faceplate.

Abstract: A food product dispenser including a cabinet; a freezing cylinder for freezing a food product located within the cabinet; an evaporator including a fluid path that generally encircles the freezing cylinder and that has an evaporator inlet and an evaporator outlet; a compressor located within the cabinet at a location below the freezing cylinder and having an inlet being fluidly coupled to the evaporator outlet; a condenser at least partially positioned between the compressor and the evaporator, where the condenser has an inlet is fluidly coupled to the compressor outlet; a variable flow expansion valve located within the cabinet and having a first inlet fluidly coupled to the condenser outlet and a first outlet fluidly coupled to the evaporator inlet and a second expansion valve located within the cabinet having a second inlet fluidly coupled to the condenser outlet and a second fluid outlet coupled to the compressor inlet, where the second variable flow expansion valve being located within the cabinet at a l

Abstract: A refrigerated food processing and dispensing apparatus including a freezing barrel, the freezing barrel having an inlet port; a refrigerated ingredient storage compartment; a pump having an inlet and an outlet; a pressure block positioned within the refrigerated ingredient storage compartment that includes a fluid inlet, a gas inlet, an interior passage in fluid communication with the fluid inlet and the gas inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with the interior passage, and a first pressure transducer coupled to the pressure block and configured to provide a signal corresponding to the pressure within the interior passage; a gas control valve having an input coupled to a source of pressurized gas and an outlet; and a gas check-valve positioned within the refrigerated ingredient storage compartment having an input fluidly coupled to the outlet of the gas control valve and an output fluidly coupled to the pressure block gas input.

Abstract: A sealed pressurized food dispensing system with self-cleaning features that can include a food processing apparatus that includes a cylinder having an inlet for receiving a food ingredient; a faceplate coupled to the cylinder, that defines a dispense bore and a bypass passage having a first open end; a blocking cap coupled to the faceplate to block the dispensing of product from within the cylinder; and a pump having an inlet fluidly coupled to a connection element and an outlet fluidly coupled to the inlet of the cylinder, where connection of the connection element to the source of cleaning fluid will result in the pumping of cleaning fluid into the food dispensing cylinder, though the cylinder into the blocking cap, and through the blocking cap into the bypass passage.