초록 ▼

A frosty swirl machine includes a housing, a funnel, an auger for swirling ice-cream with other additives to become a mixture, a driving unit, and a protective cap. The protective cap has a passage opening movably mounted at a mixture outlet of the funnel, in such a manner that the protective cap is

A frosty swirl machine includes a housing, a funnel, an auger for swirling ice-cream with other additives to become a mixture, a driving unit, and a protective cap. The protective cap has a passage opening movably mounted at a mixture outlet of the funnel, in such a manner that the protective cap is capable of moving between a opened position and a closed position, wherein in the opened position, the protective cap is moved to align the passage opening with the mixture outlet of the funnel so as to allow the mixture to pour out of the funnel through the mixture outlet and the passage opening, wherein in the closed position, the protective cap is moved to block the mixture outlet so as to prevent the mixture from being poured out of the funnel.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A frosty swirl machine, comprising: a housing which has a receiving cavity formed therein, an defines a swirling platform;a funnel having a storing cavity movably supported in said swirling platform, and is arranged to contain a mixture of ice-cream and additives, wherein said funnel further has

1. A frosty swirl machine, comprising: a housing which has a receiving cavity formed therein, an defines a swirling platform;a funnel having a storing cavity movably supported in said swirling platform, and is arranged to contain a mixture of ice-cream and additives, wherein said funnel further has a mixture outlet communicated with said storing cavity;an auger rotatably supported in said housing, in such a manner that said auger is arranged to selectively receive in said storing cavity for swirling said ice-cream and said additives;a driving unit received in said housing and is arranged to selectively drive said auger to rotate in said storing cavity for swirling said ice-cream and said additives;a protective cap having a passage opening movably mounted at said mixture outlet of said funnel, in such a manner that said protective cap is capable of moving between a opened position and a closed position, wherein in said opened position, said protective cap is moved to align said passage opening with said mixture outlet of said funnel so as to allow said mixture to pour out of said funnel through said mixture outlet and said passage opening, wherein in said closed position, said protective cap is moved to block said mixture outlet so as to prevent said mixture from being poured out of said funnel; anda rinsing mechanism provided in said housing for selectively cleaning said auger when said auger is driven to swirl said ice-cream and additives, wherein said rinsing mechanism comprises water tube having a first end connected to an external water source, and a second end extended from said upper portion of said housing to a position which is in a vicinity of said auger for allowing a predetermined amount of water to reach said auger for rinsing thereof, wherein said rinsing mechanism further comprises a pumping device mounted in said receiving cavity of said housing and is arranged to selectively initiate a controlled flow of water in said water tube, and an activation switch provided in said housing, and is operatively linked to said pumping device in such a manner that a user is able selectively and conveniently operate on said activation switch to activate said pumping device for initiating a flow of water in said water tube so as to rinse said auger and said funnel, wherein said funnel has a conical shape which defines an upper mixture inlet and said lower mixture outlet, wherein said storing cavity is formed between said upper mixture inlet and said lower mixture outlet for storing said ice cream and additives mixture, wherein said upper mixture inlet is aligned with said auger so that when said auger and said funnel are relatively moved toward each other, said auger is arranged to receive in said storing cavity through said upper mixture inlet, wherein said auger comprises an auger shaft extended from an upper portion of said housing, and a plurality of swirling fins spirally extended a longitudinal direction of said auger shaft for mixing said ice-cream with said additives when said auger shaft is driven to rotate by said driving unit, wherein said protective cap comprises a cap body, and a cap slider slidably mounted on said cap body for allowing said protective cap to move between said opened position and said closed position, wherein said cap body has an engaging compartment indently formed thereon to define a bottom wall and a sidewall of said engaging compartment, wherein said cap body further has a through aesthetic slot formed on said bottom wall of said engaging compartment. 2. The frosty swirl machine, as recited in claim 1, wherein said engaging compartment has a circular cross section in which a diameter thereof is slightly larger than a diameter of said mixture outlet of said funnel so that a lower end portion of said funnel is capable of being received in said engaging compartment while said mixture outlet is aligned with said aesthetic slot of said cap body. 3. The frosty swirl machine, as recited in claim 2, wherein said cap slider comprises a sliding panel having an elongated structure, and has a through slot formed on a side portion of said sliding panel, in such a manner said cap slider is capable of sliding with respect to said cap body underneath said engaging compartment for aligning said through slot with said aesthetic slot, wherein when said aesthetic slot is aligned with said through slot and said mixture outlet of said funnel, said ice-cream mixture is capable of being discharged out of said funnel through said mixture outlet. 4. The frosty swirl machine, as recited in claim 3, wherein said aesthetic slot and said through slot constitute said passage opening of said protective cap in such a manner that when said protective cap is at said opened position, said sliding panel is slid so as to align said through slot with said aesthetic slot of said engaging compartment, wherein when said protective cap is at said closed position, said sliding panel is slid so as to block said aesthetic slot by said sliding panel. 5. A frosty swirl machine, comprising: a housing which has a receiving cavity formed therein, an defines a swirling platform;a funnel having a storing cavity movably supported in said swirling platform, and is arranged to contain a mixture of ice-cream and additives, wherein said funnel further has a mixture outlet communicated with said storing cavity;an auger rotatably supported in said housing, in such a manner that said auger is arranged to selectively receive in said storing cavity for swirling said ice-cream and said additives;a driving unit received in said housing and is arranged to selectively drive said auger to rotate in said storing cavity for swirling said ice-cream and said additives;a protective cap having a passage opening movably mounted at said mixture outlet of said funnel, in such a manner that said protective cap is capable of moving between a opened position and a closed position, wherein in said opened position, said protective cap is moved to align said passage opening with said mixture outlet of said funnel so as to allow said mixture to pour out of said funnel through said mixture outlet and said passage opening, wherein in said closed position, said protective cap is moved to block said mixture outlet so as to prevent said mixture from being poured out of said funnel;a rinsing mechanism provided in said housing for selectively cleaning said auger when said auger is driven to swirl said ice-cream and additives, wherein said rinsing mechanism comprises water tube having a first end connected to an external water source, and a second end extended from said upper portion of said housing to a position which is in a vicinity of said auger for allowing a predetermined amount of water to reach said auger for rinsing thereof, wherein said rinsing mechanism further comprises a pumping device mounted in said receiving cavity of said housing and is arranged to selectively initiate a controlled flow of water in said water tube, and an activation switch provided in said housing, and is operatively linked to said pumping device in such a manner that a user is able selectively and conveniently operate on said activation switch to activate said pumping device for initiating a flow of water in said water tube so as to rinse said auger and said funnel; anda shielding arrangement supported by said housing for preventing spill of said ice-cream mixture stored in said storing cavity, wherein said shielding arrangement comprises a sealing cap mounted on said auger, wherein a diameter of said sealing cap is slightly larger than that of said mixture inlet of said funnel so that when said auger is received in said storing cavity, said sealing cap is arranged to completely cover said mixture inlet of said funnel so as to prevent said ice-cream and said additives from spilling out of said funnel, wherein said sealing cap preferably has a circular cross section and has an upper portion and a lower portion integrally extended from said upper portion, wherein a diameter of said upper portion is slightly larger than that of said lower portion so as to form a cap shoulder between said upper portion and said lower portion, wherein said mixture inlet of said funnel is arranged to selectively engage with said cap shoulder for preventing spill of said ice-cream and said additives, wherein said funnel has a conical shape which defines an upper mixture inlet and said lower mixture outlet, wherein said storing cavity is formed between said upper mixture inlet and said lower mixture outlet for storing said ice cream and additives mixture, wherein said upper mixture inlet is aligned with said auger so that when said auger and said funnel are relatively moved toward each other, said auger is arranged to receive in said storing cavity through said upper mixture inlet, wherein said auger comprises an auger shaft extended from an upper portion of said housing, and a plurality of swirling fins spirally extended a longitudinal direction of said auger shaft for mixing said ice-cream with said additives when said auger shaft is driven to rotate by said driving unit, wherein said protective cap comprises a cap body, and a cap slider slidably mounted on said cap body for allowing said protective cap to move between said opened position and said closed position, wherein said cap body has an engaging compartment indently formed thereon to define a bottom wall and a sidewall of said engaging compartment, wherein said cap body further has a through aesthetic slot formed on said bottom wall of said engaging compartment. 6. The frosty swirl machine, as recited in claim 5, wherein said engaging compartment has a circular cross section in which a diameter thereof is slightly larger than a diameter of said mixture outlet of said funnel so that a lower end portion of said funnel is capable of being received in said engaging compartment while said mixture outlet is aligned with said aesthetic slot of said cap body. 7. The frosty swirl machine, as recited in claim 6, wherein said cap slider comprises a sliding panel having an elongated structure, and has a through slot formed on a side portion of said sliding panel, in such a manner said cap slider is capable of sliding with respect to said cap body underneath said engaging compartment for aligning said through slot with said aesthetic slot, wherein when said aesthetic slot is aligned with said through slot and said mixture outlet of said funnel, said ice-cream mixture is capable of being discharged out of said funnel through said mixture outlet. 8. The frosty swirl machine, as recited in claim 7, wherein said aesthetic slot and said through slot constitute said passage opening of said protective cap in such a manner that when said protective cap is at said opened position, said sliding panel is slid so as to align said through slot with said aesthetic slot of said engaging compartment, wherein when said protective cap is at said closed position, said sliding panel is slid so as to block said aesthetic slot by said sliding panel. 9. The frosty swirl machine, as recited in claim 8, wherein a diameter of said auger shaft and an outer circumference of said swirling fins are gradually decreasing with decreasing height of said auger shaft.