JP7556758B2 - Semi-solid food extrusion equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a semi-solid food extrusion device that extrudes and serves semi-solid foods such as soft ice cream that are pre-stored in a dedicated container.

Convenience stores and other outlets are equipped with semi-solid food extrusion devices that push semi-solid foods such as soft ice cream out of special containers and serve them.

One example of this type of semi-solid food extrusion device is the semi-solid food extrusion device described in Patent Document 1. This semi-solid food extrusion device has an extrusion table with a recess in which a special container containing soft ice cream can be placed, and a piston device that can press the special container placed in the recess. A through hole is opened in the bottom of the special container, and an extrusion port that opens to the outside is opened in the bottom of the recess of the extrusion table. When the special container placed in the recess of the extrusion table is pressed by the piston device, the soft ice cream in the special container is extruded to the outside through the through hole in the bottom of the special container and the extrusion port of the extrusion table. The soft ice cream extruded from the extrusion port is then filled (arranged) in a hollow cone-shaped container (edible so-called cone) with an open top that is held by a store clerk or the like, and is provided to a customer together with the hollow cone-shaped container.

In addition, convenience stores and other stores generally offer a service that allows customers to choose from a variety of top-opening containers to serve semi-solid foods such as soft ice cream to suit their preferences, including not only hollow cone-shaped containers (cones) but also paper cup-shaped containers (cups) that are larger than hollow cone-shaped containers.

JP 2003-52311 A

However, when filling a container with the soft ice cream extruded from the extrusion port, the user of the semi-solid food extrusion device described in Patent Document 1 (e.g., a store clerk) must hold the container in his/her hand and wait below the extrusion port, which is time-consuming. In addition, the container may be a cup-shaped container rather than a hollow cone-shaped container, so some ingenuity may be required.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a semi-solid food extrusion device that allows a user to fill a container with semi-solid food without having to wait for the container to be placed below the extrusion opening, regardless of whether a hollow cone-shaped container or a cup-shaped container is selected.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a semisolid food extrusion device is provided that extrudes semisolid food from an extrusion port. This semisolid food extrusion device includes a container holder that is disposed below the extrusion port and is capable of holding a plurality of types of containers with different diameters in which semisolid food extruded from the extrusion port is filled. The container holder has a cylindrical first holder portion that can receive and hold a container that includes a cylindrical first body portion having a first diameter, and a second holder portion that is provided around the upper end portion of the first holder portion and is capable of receiving and holding a container that includes a cylindrical second body portion having a second diameter larger than the first diameter.

In the semi-solid food extrusion device according to one aspect of the present invention, a container holder arranged below the extrusion port can receive and hold a plurality of types of containers having different diameters, in which the semi-solid food extruded from the extrusion port is filled. If the container is, for example, a hollow cone-shaped container including a cylindrical first body portion having a first diameter, the container can be received and held by the cylindrical first holder portion of the container holder, and if the container is, for example, a cup-shaped container including a cylindrical second body portion having a second diameter larger than the first diameter, the container can be received and held by the second holder portion provided around the upper end side of the first holder portion of the container holder. As a result, for example, regardless of whether a hollow cone-shaped container (cone) or a cup-shaped container (cup) is selected, the container holder can hold either container below the extrusion port, and as a result, it is not necessary for the user to hold the container by hand and wait.

In this way, a semi-solid food extrusion device can be provided that allows a user to fill a container with semi-solid food, regardless of whether a hollow cone-shaped container or a cup-shaped container is selected, without having to wait for the container to be positioned below the extrusion opening.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a semi-solid food extrusion device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the semi-solid food extrusion device. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the semi-solid food extrusion apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a dedicated container for storing the semisolid food. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a container for serving the semisolid food. 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating other examples of containers for serving the semisolid food. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of the semisolid food extruding device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container holder of the semi-solid food extrusion device. FIG. FIG. 4 is a right side view of the container holder. FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing a holding state of the container. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a holding state of the container. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the operation of the semisolid food extrusion device.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 to 3 are diagrams for explaining the configuration of a semi-solid food extrusion device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view, Fig. 2 is a front view, and Fig. 3 is a right side view. Although not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, the semi-solid food is soft ice cream, and the following description will be given.

The semi-solid food extrusion device 100 shown in Figures 1 to 3 is a so-called ice cream dispenser that is installed in a store such as a convenience store and provides soft ice cream that has been divided into predetermined portions and stored in advance in response to requests from customers, etc.

Figure 4 is a diagram explaining an example of a dedicated container P for storing soft ice cream, and Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams explaining a top-opening container C for serving soft ice cream.

Here, the soft ice cream is divided into portions of a predetermined volume and stored (filled) in a special container P made of a flexible resin material. Before serving the soft ice cream, the special container P containing the soft ice cream is stored in a freezer or the like. As shown in FIG. 4(a), the special container P consists of a cup-shaped (i.e., bottomed cylindrical) main body P1 with an opening at the top and a lid P2 that closes the top opening of the main body P1. Also, as shown in FIG. 4(b), a star-shaped through hole P3, for example, is opened at the bottom of the main body P1. The through hole P3 is closed by a sealing seal P4 when the special container P is stored. Just before serving the soft ice cream, the special container P is taken out of the freezer or the like, the sealing seal P4 is peeled off from the main body P1 (see FIG. 4(b)), and the special container P in this state is loaded into the semi-solid food extrusion device 100.

When the soft ice cream is to be served, the special container P is pressed by the extrusion device 4 of the semi-solid food extrusion device 100, which will be described later. As a result, the soft ice cream in the special container P is pushed out from the through hole P3, filled (served) in the serving container C with an open top, and served to the customer together with the serving container C. Here, the following explanation will be given assuming that two types of serving containers C with different diameters are prepared in the store, etc.

In this embodiment, the customer or the like can select, according to his or her preference, as the container C, either a hollow conical container C1 or a cup-shaped container C2 that is larger in diameter than the hollow conical container C1. For example, the hollow conical container C1 is an edible container, and the cup-shaped container C2 is a non-edible container.

The hollow conical container C1 is an edible container made of an edible material and formed into a hollow cone shape with an open top, and is also called a cone or a cone-shaped container (see Fig. 5(a) and Fig. 5(b)). The hollow conical container C1 has, for example, a hollow conical lower body C1a and a hollow truncated cone (tapered cylindrical) upper body C1b connected to the upper end of the lower body C1a. The upper body C1b is expanded in diameter at a taper angle larger than the taper angle of the lower body C1a. The upper body C1b is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a first diameter (maximum outer diameter) at the top opening end. In other words, the hollow conical container C1 is a container including the cylindrical upper body C1b of the cone having the first diameter. In this embodiment, the upper body C1b of the cone corresponds to the "first body" according to the present invention.

The cup-shaped container C2 is made of a non-edible material such as paper and is formed into a generally bottomed cylindrical shape with an open top, and is also called a cup (see Fig. 6(a) and Fig. 6(b)). The cup-shaped container C2 has, for example, a tapered cylindrical cup body C2a that is slightly enlarged in diameter toward the upper end, and a cup bottom C2b that closes the lower end side of the cup body C2a. The cup body C2a of the cup-shaped container C2 is formed into a cylindrical shape and has a second diameter larger than the first diameter. In other words, the cup-shaped container C2 is a container that includes a cup body C2a that has a second diameter larger than the first diameter. Therefore, the cup-shaped container C2 has a body (cup body C2a) with a larger diameter than the body of the hollow conical container C1. In this embodiment, the cup body C2a corresponds to the "second body" according to the present invention.

The cup body C2a of the cup-shaped container C2 is formed at a height lower than the overall height of the hollow conical container C1. The lower surface of the cup bottom C2b is located a predetermined bottom-up height h above the lower end surface of the cup body C2a.

Returning to Figures 1 to 3, the semi-solid food extrusion device 100 has a base section 1 and a case section 2. The base section 1 is formed in a roughly rectangular plate shape and constitutes the bottom of the device. The case section 2 constitutes the housing that forms the outer shell of the device, and is made up of a main body case section 21 and a front case section 22. The main body case section 21 is disposed on the rear of the base section 1 and is made up of a roughly vertically elongated rectangular box. The front case section 22 is provided at the upper end portion of the front of the main body case section 21 so as to protrude forward.

In addition to the base section 1 and the case section 2, the semisolid food extrusion device 100 has an extrusion table section 3, an extrusion device 4, a container holder 5, a lifting platform 6, and a control section 7. Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the control system of the semisolid food extrusion device 100.

As shown in FIG. 3, the extrusion table 3 is a table on which the dedicated container P is removably loaded, and is attached to the lower part of the front case 22 so as to be movable, for example, in the front-rear direction. The extrusion table 3 has a recess 31 that is recessed to receive the dedicated container P, and the dedicated container P is loaded (placed) in this recess 31. In the center of the bottom 31a of the recess 31, an extrusion port 3a, for example, circular, which is larger than the through hole P3 in the bottom of the dedicated container P, is opened. The opening position of the extrusion port 3a coincides with the opening position of the through hole P3 of the dedicated container P loaded in the recess 31. The lower surface of the extrusion table 3 is exposed to the outside, and the part of this lower surface corresponding to the recess 31 protrudes downward. The extrusion port 3a penetrates the bottom 31a of the recess 31 and opens downward.

When loading the special container P, the user peels off the sealing seal P4 from the main body P1 of the special container P to expose the through hole P3, and pulls the extrusion table 3 forward. The user then fits the special container P into the recess 31 with the through hole P3 facing downward, and then pushes the extrusion table 3 backward to close it. In this state, the extrusion port 3a opens directly to the outside, and the through hole P3 of the special container P in the recess 31 opens to the outside via the extrusion port 3a.

The extrusion device 4 is provided in the front case 22 and is a device for pressing the special container P to extrude the soft ice cream in the special container P out of the special container P. The extrusion device 4 has, for example, a pressing rod 41 (see FIG. 3) that presses the lid P2 of the special container P in the recess 31 from above downward, and a pressing motor M1 (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 7) for driving the pressing rod 41 in the vertical direction. By driving the pressing rod 41 downward by the pressing motor M1, the soft ice cream in the special container P is extruded from the through hole P3 of the special container P, and the soft ice cream extruded from the through hole P3 passes through the extrusion port 3a and is extruded downward. In this way, the semi-solid food extrusion device 100 (extrusion device 4) is configured to extrude the soft ice cream as a semi-solid food out of the extrusion port 3a. Then, the soft ice cream extruded from the extrusion port 3a is filled into the container C.

The container holder 5 is disposed below the extrusion port 3a and is a holder (in other words, a holding stand or container receiving stand) capable of holding a container C, and is configured to selectively hold two types of containers with different diameters, a hollow conical container C1 and a cup-shaped container C2. The container holder 5 is attached to the lifting stand 6. The structure of the container holder 5 will be described in detail later.

The lifting platform 6 is driven so as to be movable (raised and lowered) up and down between the front end portion of the base portion 1 and the front case portion 22. The front end portion of the lifting platform 6 protrudes forward from the front surface of the main body case portion 21 below the extrusion table portion 3 (extrusion port 3a). The rear end portion of the lifting platform 6 is supported so as to be movable up and down within the main body case portion 21.

The container holder 5 is attached to the front end of the lifting platform 6. Specifically, the container holder 5 is rotatably supported in a portion of the lifting platform 6 that corresponds to directly below the extrusion port 3a. In other words, the container holder 5 is attached to the lifting platform 6 so as to be rotatable around an imaginary center line X that passes through the center point of the opening of the extrusion port 3a and extends in the up-down direction perpendicular to the top surface of the lifting platform 6.

Here, a lifting mechanism (not shown) for moving the lifting platform 6 in the vertical direction and a lifting motor M2 (see FIG. 7) for driving the lifting mechanism, for example a variable speed stepping motor, are provided inside the main body case 21. When the lifting mechanism is driven by the lifting motor M2, the lifting platform 6 moves vertically together with the container holder 5 between the base 1 and the underside of the bottom 31a of the recess 31 of the extrusion table 3.

Specifically, the lifting platform 6 is configured to be movable between a lower end position (height position shown in FIG. 14(a) to be described later) which is the lower end of movement, and an upper end position (height position shown in FIG. 14(b) to be described later) which is the upper end of movement. For example, the lower end position is set so that a gap is provided between the lower surface of the lifting platform 6 and the upper surface of the base portion 1 at that position. The upper end position is set so that a gap is provided between the upper end of the container holder 5 and the lower surface of the bottom portion 31a of the extrusion table portion 3 at that position that is slightly longer (wider) than the protruding length L of the container C from the upper end of the container holder 5 (see FIG. 13 to be described later) (see FIG. 13 and FIG. 14(b) to be described later). In this embodiment, the upper end position is set to the same position regardless of the type of container C. The same is true for the lower end position.

For example, a limit switch (not shown) is provided at a height position corresponding to the lower end position of the lift platform 6 in the main body case 21, which detects the lift platform 6 by contacting the rear end portion of the lift platform 6. When the lift platform 6 descends, a detection signal from the limit switch is input to the control unit 7, which stops the lift motor M2, and as a result, the lift platform 6 stops at the lower end position. In addition, an encoder (not shown) is provided in the main body case 21 to detect the total number of rotations of the lift motor M2 from the lower end position. When the lift platform 6 ascends, a signal from the encoder is input to the control unit 7, and when the total number of rotations from the lower end position reaches the total number of rotations corresponding to the upper end position, the lift motor M2 stops, and as a result, the lift platform 6 stops at the upper end position. Note that a limit switch may be provided at a height position corresponding to the upper end position, and the lift platform 6 may be stopped at the upper end position based on a detection signal from the limit switch.

In this embodiment, an intermediate position (height position shown in FIG. 14(c) described later) is set between the lower end position and the upper end position of the lift platform 6 as a switching point for the descent speed of the lift platform 6. When the lift platform 6 is lowered, a signal from the encoder is also input to the control unit 7. When the lift platform 6 is lowered, and the total number of rotations from the upper end position reaches the total number of rotations corresponding to the intermediate position, the lift motor M2 is stopped once and then configured to operate again at a higher speed than the rotation during descent from the upper end position.

Inside the lift platform 6 and the main body case 21, there is provided a rotation mechanism (not shown) consisting of multiple gears for rotating the container holder 5 around the imaginary center line X, and a rotation motor M3 (see FIG. 7) consisting of a variable speed stepping motor for driving the rotation mechanism. The rotation mechanism is driven by the rotation motor M3, so that the container holder 5 on the lift platform 6 rotates around the imaginary center line X directly below the extrusion port 3a. The rotation motor M3 is configured to stop in synchronization with the lift motor M2 at the intermediate position, and then to operate again at a higher speed than when descending from the upper end position.

The control unit 7 is composed of, for example, a CPU, an I/O, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and controls the overall operation of the device, mainly controlling the drive of the pressing motor M1, the lifting motor M2, and the rotation motor M3. The control unit 7 is also configured to synchronously control the lifting operation of the lifting platform 6 and the rotation operation of the container holder 5.

In addition, operation switches such as an operation start switch 8 are provided on the front of the front case section 22. When the operation start switch 8 is pressed by a user or the like, a signal indicating an operation start command is input to the control section 7. When the signal from the operation start switch 8 is input to the control section 7, the control section 7 starts driving control of each of the motors M1 to M3.

Next, the structure of the container holder 5 will be described in detail. Figures 8 to 11 are diagrams for explaining the container holder 5. Figure 8 is a front view of the container holder 5, Figure 9 is a top view, Figure 10 is a right side view, and Figure 11 is a top view. Note that the left side view of the container holder 5 is the same as the right side view shown in Figure 10. Also, in Figure 9, the internal structure is shown by dashed lines.

As shown in Figures 8 to 11, the container holder 5 has a cone holder portion 51 capable of receiving and holding a hollow cone-shaped container C1, a cup holder portion 52 capable of receiving and holding a cup-shaped container C2 having a larger diameter than the hollow cone-shaped container C1, and a holder attachment portion 53 for attaching the container holder 5 to the lifting platform 6. The container holder 5 is made of, for example, a resin material, and the cone holder portion 51, cup holder portion 52, and holder attachment portion 53 are integrally molded by injection molding or the like. In this embodiment, the cone holder portion 51 corresponds to the "first holder portion" according to the present invention, and the cup holder portion 52 corresponds to the "second holder portion" according to the present invention.

In the longitudinal direction of the container holder 5, the cone holder portion 51 constitutes the middle portion of the container holder 5, the cup holder portion 52 constitutes the upper end portion of the container holder 5, and the holder attachment portion 53 constitutes the lower end portion of the container holder 5. In addition, in a plan view seen from below the container holder 5, the cone holder portion 51, the cup holder portion 52, and the holder attachment portion 53 are arranged in a generally concentric shape in the order of the holder attachment portion 53, the cone holder portion 51, and the cup holder portion 52 from the inside in the radial direction. In addition, for example, the holder attachment portion 53 is screwed and connected to a sleeve 6a (see Figures 2 and 3) that constitutes a part of the rotation mechanism, so that the container holder 5 is attached to the lifting platform 6 so as to be rotatable around the imaginary center line X.

The cone holder section 51 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is located inside the cup holder section 52 in a plan view seen from above. A disk-shaped cone holder bottom section 511 is connected to the lower end of the cone holder section 51, and a circular hole 511a is opened in the center of the cone holder bottom section 511.

The outer and inner surfaces of the cone holder part 51 have a slight draft angle for use in a mold. The inner diameter of the cone holder part 51 (more specifically, the inner diameter of the upper opening of the cone holder part 51) is set, for example, to an inner diameter that matches the outer diameter of the body (lower cone body part C1a) at a height position corresponding to the center of gravity position of the hollow cone-shaped container C1. The cone holder part 51 has a total length (height) that is shorter than the total length (height) of the lower cone body part C1a of the hollow cone-shaped container C1.

The cup holder section 52 is provided around the upper end of the cone holder section 51 and is located outside the cone holder section 51 in a plan view seen from above.

In this embodiment, the cup holder section 52 has a cup holder body section 521 and a cup holder bottom section 522. The cup holder body section 521 is a section located radially outside the cone holder section 51. The cup holder bottom section 522 is a section that connects the lower end of the cup holder body section 521 and the outer peripheral surface of the cone holder section 51. In this embodiment, the cup holder body section 521 corresponds to the "holder body section" according to the present invention, and the cup holder bottom section 522 corresponds to the "holder bottom section" according to the present invention.

The holder mounting part 53 is formed in a cylindrical shape that protrudes downward from the underside of the cone holder bottom part 511. The outer diameter of the holder mounting part 53 is smaller than the outer diameter of the cone holder part 51, and the inner diameter of the holder mounting part 53 is roughly matched to the diameter of the hole 511a opened in the cone holder bottom part 511.

A threaded portion 531 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lower end portion of the holder attachment portion 53, which screws into a threaded portion formed on the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 6a. Specifically, the lower end portion of the sleeve 6a protrudes downward from the underside of the lift platform 6. The holder attachment portion 53 penetrates the lift platform 6, and the threaded portion 531 is adapted to screw into the threaded portion on the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 6a. In addition, when the holder attachment portion 53 is screwed into the sleeve 6a, the cone holder portion 51 and the cup holder portion 52 are positioned (protrude) above the top surface of the lift platform 6.

Here, in this embodiment, the cone holder section 51 has a protrusion 512 that protrudes upward from the cup holder bottom section 522 of the cup holder section 52. The upper end of the protrusion 512 is located lower than the upper end of the cup holder body section 521 of the cup holder section 52. Therefore, the upper end of the cup holder body section 521 protrudes upward from the upper end of the cone holder section 51, and constitutes the upper end of the container holder 5. Also, in this embodiment, the protruding length of the protrusion 512 is set to be longer than the raised height h (see FIG. 6(b)) of the cup bottom section C2b of the cup-shaped container C2.

In this embodiment, the container holder 5 has a slit portion 54 cut out from a predetermined position in the vertical direction in the cone holder portion 51 (approximately the middle position in the vertical direction in the figure) to the cup holder portion 52. This slit portion 54 opens upward at the upper end of the cone holder portion 51 and the upper end of the cup holder portion 52.

In this embodiment, the slit portions 54 are formed at two locations in the circumferential direction of the container holder 5, and one slit portion 54 and the other slit portion 54 face each other. In other words, the container holder 5 has two slit portions 54 that face each other.

In this embodiment, the lifting platform 6 to which the container holder 5 is attached is located at the lower end position in the standby state and the initial state. The angular position of the container holder 5 around the imaginary center line X at the lower end position is set so that the center positions of the slit widths of the two slit sections 54 of the container holder 5 are located on a line perpendicular to the front surface of the main body case section 21 when the lifting platform 6 is at the lower end position. Therefore, in a plan view (front view) viewed directly facing the front surface of the main body case section 21, the two slit sections 54 of the container holder 5 at the lower end position appear to overlap each other and form one unit (see Figures 2, 9, and Figure 13 described below).

Specifically, each slit portion 54 is composed of a first slit portion 54a and a second slit portion 54b. The first slit portion 54a is a portion cut out with a predetermined width from the upper end of the cone holder portion 51 to the predetermined position (approximately the middle position) in the vertical direction of the cone holder portion 51, and opens upward at the upper end of the cone holder portion 51. The second slit portion 54b is a portion cut out across the cup holder body portion 521 and the cup holder bottom portion 522 of the cup holder portion 52 at an angular position corresponding to the first slit portion 54a, and opens upward at the upper end of the cup holder body portion 521.

For example, the first slit portion 54a is opened to have a generally U-shaped opening edge. The portion of the second slit portion 54b that corresponds to the cup holder bottom portion 522 is cut out with the same slit width as the first slit portion 54a, and is connected to the middle portion of the first slit portion 54a. The portion of the second slit portion 54b that corresponds to the cup holder body portion 521 is cut out so that the slit width increases toward the upper side, and the lower end side of the cutout is connected to the second slit portion 54b on the cup holder bottom portion 522 side.

Therefore, the cup holder portion 52 of the container holder 5 is divided horizontally into two parts at the two opposing slit portions 54. In other words, in this embodiment, the cup holder portion 52 is made up of two opposing cup holder pieces 52A.

Specifically, the cup holder body 521 of the cup holder piece 52A remains as an arc-shaped arc body 521a in a plan view seen from above, and is located radially outward of the cone holder part 51. The cup holder bottom 522 of the cup holder piece 52A remains as a C-shaped C-bottom 522a in a plan view seen from above, and connects the lower end of the arc body 521a to the outer peripheral surface of the cone holder part 51.

In this embodiment, the protruding portion 512 of the cone holder portion 51 (in other words, the portion on the upper end side of the cone holder portion 51) is located between the arc-shaped body portion 521a of one cup holder piece 52A and the arc-shaped body portion 521a of the other cup holder piece 52A. Therefore, the pair of opposing cup holder pieces 52A are arranged to surround the protruding portion 512 of the cone holder portion 51 from its radially outer side.

The arc body 521a of each cup holder piece 52A has a slight draft angle for use in a mold. The center of the arc of the arc body 521a is located on the cylindrical centerline of the cone holder section 51. The radius of curvature of the arc of the inner peripheral surface of the arc body 521a (strictly speaking, the radius of curvature of the arc at the upper end of the inner peripheral surface of the arc body 521a) is set to a radius that is, for example, half the outer diameter of the cup body C2a at a predetermined height position approximately near the center in the height direction of the cup body C2a of the cup-shaped container C2. In addition, the arc body 521a has a total length (height) that is shorter than the total length (height) of the cup-shaped container C2 (specifically, the cup body C2a).

In this embodiment, the container holder 5 has a plurality of guide parts 55 (six in the figure) that guide the lower end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the hollow conical container C1 (see FIG. 11). The plurality of guide parts 55 are formed at intervals from each other in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the cone holder part 51. Specifically, the plurality of guide parts 55 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the lower end side portion of the inner peripheral surface of the cone holder part 51, and each of them protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the cone holder part 51 toward the center of the cone holder part 51. In addition, each guide part 55 is formed in a plate shape, and its lower end is connected to the upper surface of the cone holder bottom part 511. Furthermore, the edge part of each guide part 55 opposite to the inner peripheral surface of the cone holder part 51 has an abutment surface 55a that can abut against the lower end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the hollow conical container C1 (more specifically, the outer peripheral surface of the cone lower body part C1a). The contact surface 55a is formed so as to be inclined at an angle corresponding to the taper angle of the cone lower body portion C1a. Note that in Figure 9, a part of the guide portion 55 is omitted for clarity.

Next, the holding of container C by the container holder 5 will be described for each of the hollow conical container C1 and the cup-shaped container C2. Figures 12 and 13 are diagrams for explaining the holding state of container C, with Figure 12 being a partial perspective view including the container holder 5 and Figure 13 being a front view showing the container holder 5 in a state in which it is holding a container C. Note that container C is inserted (placed) by a user or the like into the container holder 5 on the lift platform 6 which is in the lower end position. In Figure 12, the lift platform 6 is in the lower end position. And in Figure 13, the lift platform 6 is in the upper end position, and the container holder 5 and container C at that time are shown.

12(a) and 13(a), when a hollow conical container C1 is used as the container C, the container holder 5 holds the hollow conical container C1 with the cone holder part 51. Specifically, a part of the lower side of the hollow conical container C1 (most of the cone lower body part C1a in the figure) is inserted into the cone holder part 51 by the user through the upper opening of the cone holder part 51. The hollow conical container C1 is then inserted into the cone holder part 51 until the outer circumferential surface of its body part (the cone lower body part C1a) comes into contact with the opening edge part (corner part) of the upper opening of the cone holder part 51. At this time, the lower end part of the hollow conical container C1 passes through the hole 511a opened in the cone holder bottom part 511, and the contact surface 55a of each guide part 55 comes into contact with or is close to the outer circumferential surface of the body part of the cone lower body part C1a of the hollow conical container C1. As a result, the hollow conical container C1 is supported by the opening edge (corner) of the upper opening of the cone holder part 51 with most of its lower side received within the cone holder part 51, and as a result, the body part of the hollow conical container C1 is held by the cone holder part 51. In this state, the lower cone body part C1a of the hollow conical container C1 is guided by multiple guide parts 55 so as to be stable.

12(b) and 13(b), when a cup-shaped container C2 is used as the container C, the container holder 5 holds the cup-shaped container C2 by the cup holder section 52. Specifically, a part of the lower side of the cup-shaped container C2 is inserted into the cup holder section 52, i.e., into the inner area of the pair of cup holder pieces 52A, by the user, etc. Then, the cup-shaped container C2 is inserted into the cup holder section 52 until the outer peripheral surface of the cup body C2a contacts the corner of the inner peripheral surface at the upper end of the cup holder body 521 (arcuate body 521a). At this time, the upper end (upper end surface) of the protrusion 512 of the cone holder section 51 abuts or is close to the lower surface of the cup bottom C2b of the cup-shaped container C2. As a result, the cup-shaped container C2 is supported by the corners on the inner peripheral surface side at the upper end of the cup holder body 521 when its lower portion is received in the cup holder portion 52, and as a result, the cup-shaped container C2 is held by the cup holder portion 52. In this state, the upper end (upper end surface) of the protruding portion 512 of the cone holder portion 51 abuts or is close to the lower surface of the cup bottom C2b, so that the cup-shaped container C2 is held more stably. When the upper end of the protruding portion 512 abuts on the lower surface of the cup bottom C2b, the position (part) of the cup-shaped container C2 held by the container holder 5, that is, the held portion, is the cup body C2a and the cup bottom C2b. In this embodiment, a gap is provided between the lower end (so-called thread tail) of the cup body C2a and the upper surface of the cup holder bottom 522 when held in the container holder 5. However, when held in the container holder 5, the lower end of the cup body C2a may be in contact with the upper surface of the cup holder bottom 522. In this case, the lower end of the cup body C2a is also a position (part) of the cup-shaped container C2 that is held by the container holder 5. In addition, the position (part) of the cup-shaped container C2 that is held by the container holder 5 may be at least one of the cup body C2a, the cup bottom C2b, and the lower end of the cup body C2a (in other words, the periphery of the cup bottom).

Here, as described above, in this embodiment, the upper end position of the lifting platform 6 is set to the same position regardless of the type of container C. In this embodiment, the cone holder section 51 and the cup holder section 52 are formed so that the protruding length L of the container C from the upper end of the container holder 5 is approximately the same in the case of the hollow conical container C1 and the case of the cup-shaped container C2. Therefore, when the container holder 5 is at the upper end position, the height position of the upper end of the hollow conical container C1 from the upper surface of the base section 1 and the height position of the upper end of the cup-shaped container C2 from the upper surface of the base section 1 are approximately the same. This allows the container C to be filled with soft ice cream at the same height position in both the case of the hollow conical container C1 and the case of the cup-shaped container C2. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the protruding length L of the cup-shaped container C2 is slightly longer than the protruding length L of the hollow conical container C1, but is not limited to this, and may be slightly shorter or may be equal to the protruding length L of the hollow conical container C1. In addition, the upper end position of the lift platform 6 may be fixed for each type of container C, or may be configured to be changeable for each type of container C.

Next, the general operation of the semisolid food extrusion device 100 in this embodiment will be described. Figure 14 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the operation of the semisolid food extrusion device 100. Note that in Figure 14, the case where a hollow conical container C1 is selected as the container C will be described, but even if a cup-shaped container C2 is selected, the semisolid food extrusion device 100 will perform the same operation.

As shown in FIG. 14(a), in the standby state, the lifting platform 6 is located at the lower end position. At this lower end position, one of the two slits 54 opens forward. In this state, the user inserts the hollow conical container C1 into the container holder 5, which holds the inserted hollow conical container C1 as shown in FIG. 12(a) and FIG. 13(a). When inserting, the user may insert the hollow conical container C1 from a position directly above the container holder 5 directly downward into the cone holder section 51, or may insert the lower end portion of the hollow conical container C1 (the cone lower body C1a) into the cone holder section 51 by passing it through the forward slit section 54 and then moving it directly downward.

Next, when the operation start switch 8 is pressed, the lifting motor M2 and the rotation motor M3 operate in synchronization. Then, the lifting platform 6 starts to rise at a predetermined lifting speed, and the container holder 5 starts to rotate at a predetermined rotation speed. The lifting platform 6 rises from the lower end position (see FIG. 14(a)) to the upper end position (see FIG. 14(b)), and the lifting motor M2 and the rotation motor M3 stop at the upper end position. At this upper end position, the lifting platform 6 stops for a predetermined time (e.g., several seconds). Then, for example, when the lifting platform 6 reaches the upper end position, the pressing motor M1 operates, and the pressing operation of the dedicated container P by the pressing device 4 (see FIG. 3, not shown in FIG. 14) starts. For example, while the lifting platform 6 is stopped at the upper end position, the soft ice cream starts to be pushed out from the extrusion port 3a, and filling of the soft ice cream into the hollow conical container C1 starts.

When the time from when the lift platform 6 started to stop at the upper end position reaches the predetermined time, the lift motor M2 and the rotation motor M3 operate synchronously in the opposite direction to when the lift platform 6 was rising. At this time, the lift platform 6 starts to descend at a first predetermined descending speed that is set to a relatively low speed, and the container holder 5 starts to rotate at a first predetermined rotating speed that is set to a relatively low speed. Even during this slow descent and rotation, the pressing motor M1 continues to operate. As a result, the soft ice cream is arranged in a spiral shape inside the hollow conical container C1 (see FIG. 14(c)).

When the lifting platform 6 reaches the intermediate position from the upper end position (see FIG. 14(c)), the pressing motor M1 stops, and the lifting motor M2 and the rotation motor M3 also stop. Immediately after that, the lifting motor M2 and the rotation motor M3 operate synchronously at high speed, and the lifting platform 6 starts to descend at a second descending speed that is faster than the first descending speed, and the container holder 5 starts to rotate at a second rotation speed that is faster than the first rotation speed. This high speed descent and rotation makes the corners of the tip of the soft ice cream spirally arranged in the hollow conical container C1 look attractive. Then, when the lifting platform 6 reaches the lower end position, the lifting motor M2 and the rotation motor M3 stop.

The user then holds the hollow conical container C1 from the container holder 5 on the lift platform 6 at the lower end position, and serves the soft ice cream together with the hollow conical container C1 to the customer. At this time, the user lifts the hollow conical container C1 straight up, for example, until the lower end of the cone lower body C1a is positioned above the lower end of the U-shaped opening edge of the first slit 54a in the slit 54. The user then pulls the hollow conical container C1 toward himself (the user's side) to pass it through the forward slit 54. This allows the user to easily remove the hollow conical container C1 from the container holder 5 without lifting the entire hollow conical container C1 above the upper end of the container holder 5.

According to this embodiment, the container holder 5 arranged below the extrusion port 3a can receive and hold the container C (C1, C2) with an open top. If the container C is, for example, a hollow conical container C1, the cylindrical cone holder portion 51 of the container holder 5 can receive and hold the hollow conical container C1. If the container C is, for example, a cup-shaped container C2 with a larger diameter than the hollow conical container C1, the cup holder portion 52 arranged around the upper end side of the cone holder portion 51 of the container holder 5 can receive and hold the cup-shaped container C2. As a result, for example, regardless of whether the hollow conical container C1 or the cup-shaped container C2 is selected by a customer or the like, the container holder 5 can hold both containers (C1, C2) below the extrusion port 3a, and as a result, it is no longer necessary for the user (store clerk, etc.) to hold the container (C1, C2) by hand and wait.

In this way, regardless of whether a hollow conical container C1 or a cup-shaped container C2 is selected, a semi-solid food extrusion device 100 can be provided that allows the user to fill the container C (C1, C2) with semi-solid food (soft ice cream) without having to wait for the container C (C1, C2) to be in a position below the extrusion port 3a.

In this embodiment, the cup holder section 52 has a cup holder body section 521 located radially outward of the cone holder section 51, and a cup holder bottom section 522 that connects the lower end of the cup holder body section 521 to the outer peripheral surface of the cone holder section 51. This allows the holding structure for the cup-shaped container C2 to be formed with a simple structure around the upper end portion of the cone holder section 51.

In this embodiment, the cone holder portion 51 has a protruding portion 512 that protrudes above the cup holder bottom portion 522 of the cup holder portion 52. This allows, for example, the upper end of the protruding portion 512 to abut or be close to the lower surface of the cup bottom portion C2b, so that the cup-shaped container C2 is held more stably.

In this embodiment, the container holder 5 has a slit portion 54. This makes it particularly easy to remove the hollow conical container C1 from the container holder 5.

In this embodiment, the container holder 5 has multiple guide portions 55 that guide the lower end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the hollow conical container C1. This makes the hollow conical container C1 more stable in its holding.

In this embodiment, the cone holder part 51 has a protrusion 512 and is formed to penetrate the cup holder bottom part 522 of the cup holder part 52, but this is not limited, and the cone holder part 51 does not have to have the protrusion 512. In this case, the upper end of the cone holder part 51 is connected to the lower surface of the cup holder bottom part 522.

In this embodiment, two slits 54 are provided, but the number is not limited to this, and one or three or more may be provided. The slits 54 may not be provided. In this case, although not shown, the cone holder part 51 is cylindrical without any notches. The cup holder body 521 of the cup holder part 52 is formed into a single cylinder, and the cup holder bottom 522 is formed as an annular plate. In this case, the container holder 5 has a double cylindrical part consisting of the cone holder part 51 and the cup holder body 521 of the cup holder part 52. The container holder 5 may not have a guide part 55. The cone holder part 51 and the cup holder body 521 of the cup holder part 52 may be formed into a polygonal tube shape, not limited to a cylindrical shape.

Although the hollow conical container C1 is an edible container, it is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a non-edible container made of a plastic material or the like. The cup-shaped container C2 may be an edible container. The cone holder portion 51 is not limited to the hollow conical container C1, and may also receive and hold a hollow truncated conical container. In other words, the container C is not limited to two types, and may be three or more types as long as the cone holder portion 51 and the cup holder portion 52 can receive and hold them. For example, the cone holder portion 51 is not limited to the hollow conical container C1 or the hollow truncated conical container, and can receive and hold, for example, a cup-shaped container with a diameter equivalent to the first diameter. Therefore, the cone holder portion 51 can hold a small-sized cup-shaped container, and the cup holder portion 52 can hold a large-sized cup-shaped container. Similarly, the cup holder portion 52 is not limited to the cup-shaped container C2, and can receive and hold, for example, a hollow truncated conical container with a diameter equivalent to the second diameter. In other words, the container holder 5 can selectively hold containers of the same shape but different sizes. In this specification, "cone-shaped" includes a cone with a pointed tip, as well as a cone with a rounded tip or a cone with a flat tip. "Truncated cone" also includes a cone with a spherical base or a cone with a polygonal base.

The semi-solid food is soft ice cream, but it is not limited to this and can be any food that has fluidity.

The above describes the preferred embodiment of the present invention and its modifications, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and modifications, and various modifications and changes are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention.

3a... extrusion port, 5... container holder, 51... cone holder part (first holder part), 512... protrusion part, 52... cup holder part (second holder part), 521... cup holder body part (holder body part), 522... cup holder bottom part (holder bottom part), 54... slit part, 55... guide part, 100... semi-solid food extrusion device, C... container, C1... hollow cone-shaped container (container including first body part), C2... cup-shaped container (container including second body part)

Claims (7)

In a semi-solid food extrusion device for extruding a semi-solid food from an extrusion port,
a container holder disposed below the extrusion port and capable of holding a plurality of types of containers having different diameters into which the semi-solid food extruded from the extrusion port is filled;
The container holder has a cylindrical first holder portion capable of receiving and holding a container including a cylindrical first body portion having a first diameter, and a second holder portion provided around an upper end portion of the first holder portion and capable of receiving and holding a container including a cylindrical second body portion having a second diameter larger than the first diameter.
Semi-solid food extrusion equipment. The semisolid food extrusion device according to claim 1, wherein the second holder part has a holder body part located outside the first holder part and a holder bottom part connecting the lower end of the holder body part and the outer peripheral surface of the first holder part. The semi-solid food extrusion device according to claim 2, wherein the first holder portion has a protrusion that protrudes above the holder bottom of the second holder portion. The semisolid food extrusion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the container holder has a slit section cut from a predetermined position in the vertical direction of the first holder section to the second holder section, and the slit section opens upward at the upper end of the first holder section and the upper end of the second holder section. The semisolid food extrusion device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the container holder has a plurality of guide sections formed at intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner circumferential surface of the first holder section and guiding the lower end portion of the outer circumferential surface of the container including the first body section. The first holder portion is cylindrically shaped and is capable of receiving and holding a hollow conical container;
The second holder portion is capable of receiving and holding a cup-shaped container.
The semi-solid food extrusion device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The semi-solid food extrusion device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the semi-solid food is soft ice cream.