Abstract: An ingredient blending system for food and beverage applications incorporates a manifold body with a blending chamber, ingredient inlet ports, egress ports, and ingress ports to facilitate ratiometric mixing of multiple ingredients. The system employs a pump connected to an egress port to create suction, eliminating the need for positive pressure pumps at the inlet. Valve caps maintain selected ports in a permanently open state, enabling fluid communication for continuous flow, while electronic valves provide selective control. The system supports dynamic ingredient flow control, with configurations allowing pressure sensors to monitor ingredient flow or be replaced by sensor caps for simplicity. The blending chamber achieves precise mixing ratios based on port dimensions and supports diverse ingredient types, such as liquids and gases.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an automatic viscosity control system and method for food products dispensed from frozen beverage and soft-serve ice cream equipment. A mixing cylinder includes an auger interconnected with an auger motor. A refrigeration system chills the food product in the mixing cylinder to a predetermined frozen malleable consistency. A motor sensor measures amperage draw or torque of the auger motor resultant from resistance of rotating the auger through the food product. By transitioning between starting or speeding up a compressor when the amperage draw or the torque of the auger motor is below a predetermined high motor performance setting, and slowing or stopping the compressor when the amperage draw or the torque of the auger motor is between a predetermined low motor performance setting and the predetermined high motor performance setting the viscosity of the food product is automatically controlled.

Abstract: An ingredient blending system for food and beverage applications incorporates a manifold body with a blending chamber, ingredient inlet ports, egress ports, and ingress ports to facilitate ratiometric mixing of multiple ingredients. The system employs a pump connected to an egress port to create suction, eliminating the need for positive pressure pumps at the inlet. Valve caps maintain selected ports in a permanently open state, enabling fluid communication for continuous flow, while electronic valves provide selective control. The system supports dynamic ingredient flow control, with configurations allowing pressure sensors to monitor ingredient flow or be replaced by sensor caps for simplicity. The blending chamber achieves precise mixing ratios based on port dimensions and supports diverse ingredient types, such as liquids and gases.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a portion control system for food products dispensed from frozen beverage equipment and soft-serve ice cream equipment. The system, injects a food product into a mixing cylinder and chills the food product to a predetermined frozen malleable consistency. When a portion-controlled dispense amount volume indicating volume of the food product to dispense is received a dispense time is determined based on a dispense amount volume and current values of dispense condition variables. If the auger motor is initially ‘off’ a surge dispense amount volume is first determined and dispensed, the auger motor started, and the remainder dispense time and dispense amount volume are determined and dispensed. If the auger motor is initially ‘on’ a dispense time is determined. Dispense time is determined by interpolating between dispense table records that comprise dispense times, dispense amount volumes, and dispense condition variables.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an ingredient blending system and method for use in frozen beverage equipment and soft-serve ice cream equipment. In an exemplary embodiment, a manifold body has at least one blending chamber, more than one ingredient inlet port, more than one pressure reservoir, more than one ingredient egress port that intersects the pressure reservoir, and more than one ingredient ingress port that intersects the blending chamber. More than one inlet conduit is fastened to each of the ingredient inlet ports, more than one pressure sensor is secured within each of the pressure reservoirs, and more than one electronic valve is secured to the manifold body. In accordance with a recipe pulse sequence, the ingredients are blended in the blending chamber forming a food product, and injected into the mixing cylinder where the food product is chilled and dispensed to a customer for consumption.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and method dispensing flows of two or more fluid streams in varying ratios from a fixed ratio piston proportioning pump. The method comprises determining a desired volume of fluid to dispense, determining the total piston displacement amount required to dispense the desired volume of the fluid, measuring a piston displacement amount as the piston moves to determine when the total piston displacement amount has been achieved, and bypassing the fluid at the ingress port or the egress port, preventing the dispense of the fluid while the piston continues to move when the piston displacement amount reaches the total piston displacement amount. Exemplary embodiments include changing chamber volumes to change the ratiometric mixture of two or more fluid streams and using injected fluid as the motive force to move the piston back and forth within the cylinder.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an ingredient blending system and method for use in frozen beverage equipment and soft-serve ice cream equipment. In an exemplary embodiment, a manifold body has at least one blending chamber, more than one ingredient inlet port, more than one pressure reservoir, more than one ingredient egress port that intersects the pressure reservoir, and more than one ingredient ingress port that intersects the blending chamber. More than one inlet conduit is fastened to each of the ingredient inlet ports, more than one pressure sensor is secured within each of the pressure reservoirs, and more than one electronic valve is secured to the manifold body. In accordance with a recipe pulse sequence, the ingredients are blended in the blending chamber forming a food product, and injected into the mixing cylinder where the food product is chilled and dispensed to a customer for consumption.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an automatic viscosity control system and method for food products dispensed from frozen beverage and soft-serve ice cream equipment. A mixing cylinder includes an auger interconnected with an auger motor. A refrigeration system chills the food product in the mixing cylinder to a predetermined frozen malleable consistency. A motor sensor measures amperage draw or torque of the auger motor resultant from resistance of rotating the auger through the food product. By transitioning between starting or speeding up a compressor when the amperage draw or the torque of the auger motor is below a predetermined high motor performance setting, and slowing or stopping the compressor when the amperage draw or the torque of the auger motor is between a predetermined low motor performance setting and the predetermined high motor performance setting the viscosity of the food product is automatically controlled.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a portion control system for food products dispensed from frozen beverage equipment and soft-serve ice cream equipment. The system, injects a food product into a mixing cylinder and chills the food product to a predetermined frozen malleable consistency. When a portion-controlled dispense amount volume indicating volume of the food product to dispense is received a dispense time is determined based on a dispense amount volume and current values of dispense condition variables. If the auger motor is initially ‘off’ a surge dispense amount volume is first determined and dispensed, the auger motor started, and the remainder dispense time and dispense amount volume are determined and dispensed. If the auger motor is initially ‘on’ a dispense time is determined. Dispense time is determined by interpolating between dispense table records that comprise dispense times, dispense amount volumes, and dispense condition variables.