Home and professional ice cream product making machine
An ice cream product making machine includes a main body, housing a refrigerating unit, and a secondary body, removably associated with the main body, including a mixing and cooling unit having a vertical axis interacting with the refrigerating unit, a lid allowing access to an interior and inside, a stirrer. The secondary body includes a hollow space surrounding the mixing and cooling unit and integral with it, containing a coolant to cool the mixing and cooling unit when the secondary body is associated with the main body, during machine operation, and to keep the mixing and cooling unit cool when the secondary body is separated from the main body.
1. A home and professional ice cream product making machine comprising:
a main body, housing a refrigerating unit, and
a secondary body, removably attached to the main body, comprising a mixing and cooling unit for freezing the ice cream product and having a vertical axis (X), the mixing and cooling unit interacting with the refrigerating unit;
a lid for allowing access to an inside of the mixing and cooling unit positioned at one end of the mixing and cooling unit;
a stirrer at least partially positioned inside the mixing and cooling unit;
the main body including a motor for connecting to and rotationally driving the stirrer;
wherein the secondary body comprises a hollow space, surrounding the mixing and cooling unit and combined with the mixing and cooling unit, containing a coolant cooled by the refrigerating unit to cool the mixing and cooling unit when the secondary body is attached to the main body, during machine operation, and the hollow space and coolant in the hollow space remaining combined with the mixing and cooling unit to keep the mixing and cooling unit cool when the secondary body is separated from the main body; the coolant in the hollow space being isolated from cooling by the refrigerating unit when the secondary body is mechanically and spatially separated from the main body to interrupt a fluid communication between the coolant in the hollow space and the coolant cooled by the refrigerating unit;
wherein the secondary body is separated from the motor for driving the stirrer when the secondary body is separated from the main body;
a quick coupling mechanism for establishing the fluid communication between the coolant in the hollow space and the coolant cooled by the refrigerating unit when the secondary body is attached to the main body, the quick coupling mechanism including a main body engageable portion connected to the main body and a secondary body engageable portion connected to the secondary body, the main body engageable portion and secondary body engageable portion for engaging one another to establish the fluid communication, the main body engageable portion engaging the secondary body engageable portion to establish the fluid communication as the secondary body is moved into an attachment position on the main body where the stirrer, connected to the motor, can be positioned inside the mixing and cooling unit;
wherein the quick coupling mechanism includes first and second main body engageable portions connected to the main body and first and second secondary body engageable portions connected to the secondary body, the first and second main body engageable portions engageable with the first and second secondary body engageable portions respectively to establish the fluid communication, the first main body engageable portion and the first secondary body engageable portion establishing a male-female coupling, the second main body engageable portion and the second secondary body engageable portion establishing a male-female coupling;
wherein the hollow space is a hollow cooling coil wound around the mixing and cooling unit, the cooling coil having a first end and a second end, the first secondary body engageable portion being connected to the first end and the second secondary body engageable portion being connected to the second end;
wherein the first and second secondary body engageable portions are firmly attached to the secondary body such that movement of the secondary body into the attachment position engages the first and second secondary body engageable portions with the first and second main body engageable portions to establish the fluid communication and movement of the secondary body out of the attachment position disengages the first and second secondary body engageable portions from the first and second main body engageable portions to interrupt the fluid communication.
2. The home and professional ice cream product making machine according to claim 1 , wherein the coolant flows inside the hollow cooling coil and is cooled by the refrigerating unit.
3. The home and professional ice cream product making machine according to claim 1 , wherein the secondary body is removably connected to the main body by at least one chosen from a fluid connection and a mechanical connection.
4. The home and professional ice cream product making machine according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow cooling coil surrounding the mixing and cooling unit is in fluid communication with the refrigerating unit.
5. The home and professional ice cream product making machine according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow cooling coil surrounding the mixing and cooling unit is in fluid communication with a cooling circuit which is cooled by the refrigerating unit.
6. The home and professional ice cream product making machine according to claim 5 , wherein the cooling circuit interacts with an evaporator of the refrigerating unit for cooling the coolant circulating in the hollow cooling coil.
7. The home and professional ice cream product making machine according to claim 5 , wherein the cooling circuit comprises a pump for promoting coolant circulation in the hollow cooling coil.
8. The home and professional ice cream product making machine according to claim 1 , wherein the secondary body comprises a grip element associated with the mixing and cooling unit.
9. The home and professional ice cream product making machine according to claim 1 , wherein the stirrer is part of the main body.
10. The home and professional ice cream product making machine according to claim 9 , wherein the lid is part of the secondary body.
11. The home and professional ice cream product making machine according to claim 1 , wherein the stirrer is part of the secondary body.
12. The home and professional ice cream product making machine according to claim 11 , wherein the lid is part of the secondary body.
13. The home and professional ice cream product making machine according to claim 1 , wherein the main body engageable portion positions the secondary body with respect to the main body as the secondary body is moved into position on the main body.
14. The home and professional ice cream product making machine according to claim 13 , wherein the first main body engageable portion and the first secondary body engageable portion together are portions of a first valve and the second main body engageable portion and the second secondary body engageable portion together are portions of a second valve, the first and second valves establishing and interrupting the fluid communication between the coolant in the hollow cooling coil and the coolant cooled by the refrigerating unit.
15. The home and professional ice cream product making machine according to claim 1 , wherein the first main body engageable portion and the first secondary body engageable portion together are portions of a first valve and the second main body engageable portion and the second secondary body engageable portion together are portions of a second valve, the first and second valves establishing and interrupting the fluid communication between the coolant in the hollow cooling coil and the coolant cooled by the refrigerating unit.