US 12,250,955 B2
Portion control system for food products dispensed from frozen beverage and soft-serve ice cream equipment
Jeffrey D. Resnick, Dallas, TX (US); and Tyler Hawker, Timnath, CO (US)
Assigned to Forte Supply LLC, Loveland, CO (US)
Filed by Forte Supply LLC, Loveland, CO (US)
Filed on May 18, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/198,906.
Application 18/198,906 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/846,653, filed on Jun. 22, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0413851 A1, Dec. 28, 2023
Int. Cl. F25D 31/00 (2006.01); A23G 9/04 (2006.01); A23G 9/12 (2006.01); A23G 9/22 (2006.01); A23G 9/28 (2006.01); G01F 13/00 (2006.01)
CPC A23G 9/228 (2013.01) [A23G 9/045 (2013.01); A23G 9/12 (2013.01); A23G 9/224 (2013.01); A23G 9/28 (2013.01); G01F 13/005 (2013.01); G01F 13/006 (2013.01); F25D 31/002 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A portion control system for food products dispensed from frozen beverage equipment and soft-serve ice cream equipment comprising:
a mixing cylinder comprising an auger, a product inlet, and a dispense valve;
an auger motor interconnected with the auger, the auger is positioned inside the mixing cylinder and rotates at an auger motor RPM speed; and
a control system comprising a microcontroller, a memory, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, and a motor sensor, wherein the temperature sensor is operationally related to the mixing cylinder and measures a product temperature of a food product inside the mixing cylinder, the pressure sensor is operationally related to the mixing cylinder and measures pressure inside the mixing cylinder, the motor sensor is operationally related to the auger motor and measures an amperage draw or a torque of the auger motor resultant from resistance of rotating the auger through the food product, and the memory is encoded with instructions that when executed by the microcontroller perform the steps of:
injecting the food product into the mixing cylinder through the product inlet and chilling the food product to a predetermined frozen malleable consistency;
receiving a portion-controlled dispense amount volume indicating volume of the food product to dispense;
if the auger motor RPM speed is zero:
determining a dispense time and a dispense amount volume based on current values of a plurality of dispense condition variables by interpolating between a plurality of a dispense table record, the dispense table record comprises a dispense time, a dispense amount, and the auger motor RPM speed across a range of values of the plurality of dispense condition variables where the auger motor RPM speed is zero, the dispense amount volume is a surge amount volume;
opening the dispense valve for the dispense time, allowing the surge amount volume of the food product to be dispensed in the predetermined frozen malleable consistency;
determining the dispense time and the dispense amount volume, the dispense time is determined based on current values of the plurality of dispense condition variables by interpolating between the plurality of the dispense table record, the dispense amount volume is equal to the portion-controlled dispense amount volume minus the surge amount volume;
starting the auger motor rotating; and
opening the dispense valve for the dispense time, allowing the dispense amount volume of the food product to be dispensed in the predetermined frozen malleable consistency;
if the auger motor RPM speed is greater than zero:
determining the dispense time and the dispense amount volume, the dispense time is determined based on current values of the plurality of dispense condition variables by interpolating between the plurality of the dispense table record, the dispense amount volume is equal to the portion-controlled dispense amount volume; and
opening the dispense valve for the dispense time, allowing the dispense amount volume of the food product to be dispensed in the predetermined frozen malleable consistency.