How a Frozen Drink Maker's Removable Drip Tray Works
This patent describes a removable collection tray for frozen drink makers, designed with a handle and a specific placement near the cooling unit to easily catch and clean up liquid drips.
Original patent title: “Removeable collection tray for a drink maker”
This patent describes a removable collection tray for frozen drink makers, designed with a handle and a specific placement near the cooling unit to easily catch and clean up liquid drips. Granted in 2026.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a special tray designed to catch liquid spills and drips inside a frozen drink maker. The tray has a "collection chamber" to hold the liquid and a "handle" so you can easily pull it out. It's made to slide into a specific "slot" inside the machine, right next to the "evaporator" (the part that makes things cold). When it's in place, the tray sits slightly above the very bottom of the machine, not directly on it. For example, if you're making a slushie and some melts or overflows, this tray would catch it, and you could simply remove it by the handle to empty and clean.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover collection trays that are permanently fixed inside a drink maker and cannot be removed.
- Does not cover drip trays for appliances other than frozen drink makers, such as coffee machines or blenders without an evaporator.
- Does not cover collection trays that lack a dedicated handle for removal.
- Does not cover trays that rest directly on the bottom surface of the appliance housing, as this one is "vertically spaced".
- Does not cover collection trays placed in areas of the drink maker not "adjacent the evaporator".
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The noveltynoveltyThe requirement that an invention be different from anything publicly known before its priority date.Read more → lies in the specific combination of features for a frozen drink maker: a removable tray with a handle, inserted into a slot adjacent the evaporator, and importantly, "vertically spaced" from the housing bottom. This precise placement and design optimize drip collection and ease of cleaning for this specific type of appliance.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Home slushie machines
Commercial frozen beverage dispensers
Ice cream makers with drip trays
Smoothie makers with integrated cooling
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent matters because it describes a practical improvement for consumer appliances. By making the drip collection tray easily removable and cleanable, it enhances user convenience and hygiene for frozen drink makers. This design helps prevent sticky messes and makes maintaining the appliance simpler, contributing to a better user experience in home and commercial settings.
Filed
January 18, 2024
Granted
September 15, 2026
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Companies manufacturing consumer frozen drink makers, such as Ninja, Cuisinart, and Margaritaville, continuously refine their designs for ease of use and cleaning. Commercial equipment suppliers like Taylor Company or Manitowoc Foodservice also focus on similar practical improvements for their beverage dispensers. This patent's concepts would be relevant to their ongoing product development efforts.
Market impact
This patent, being very recently granted, has not yet had a significant market impact. It represents an incremental improvement in the design of frozen drink makers, focusing on user convenience and hygiene. Its concepts could influence future product designs by appliance manufacturers, potentially leading to more user-friendly and easier-to-clean beverage machines in the consumer and commercial markets.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a special tray designed to catch liquid spills and drips inside a frozen drink maker. The tray has a "collection chamber" to hold the liquid and a "handle" so you can easily pull it out. It's made to slide into a specific "slot" inside the machine, right next to the "evaporator" (the part that makes things cold). When it's in place, the tray sits slightly above the very bottom of the machine, not directly on it. For example, if you're making a slushie and some melts or overflows, this tray would catch it, and you could simply remove it by the handle to empty and clean.
The clever bit
The novelty lies in the specific combination of features for a frozen drink maker: a removable tray with a handle, inserted into a slot adjacent the evaporator, and importantly, "vertically spaced" from the housing bottom. This precise placement and design optimize drip collection and ease of cleaning for this specific type of appliance.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover collection trays that are permanently fixed inside a drink maker and cannot be removed.
- Does not cover drip trays for appliances other than frozen drink makers, such as coffee machines or blenders without an evaporator.
- Does not cover collection trays that lack a dedicated handle for removal.
- Does not cover trays that rest directly on the bottom surface of the appliance housing, as this one is "vertically spaced".
- Does not cover collection trays placed in areas of the drink maker not "adjacent the evaporator".
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
0/40
No citations yet
Claim breadth
0/20
Narrow claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$26K – $84K
Midpoint $53K · 17.3 yr remaining · industry ×2.2
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
Concepts involved
Cite this patent
(2026). How a Frozen Drink Maker's Removable Drip Tray Works (U.S. Patent No. 12,733,657). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12733657/removeable-collection-tray-for-a-drink-maker
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How a Frozen Drink Maker's Removable Drip Tray Works cover?
This patent describes a removable collection tray for frozen drink makers, designed with a handle and a specific placement near the cooling unit to easily catch and clean up liquid drips.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on September 15, 2046, when the invention enters the public domain.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent matters because it describes a practical improvement for consumer appliances. By making the drip collection tray easily removable and cleanable, it enhances user convenience and hygiene for frozen drink makers. This design helps prevent sticky messes and makes maintaining the appliance simpler, contributing to a better user experience in home and commercial settings.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover collection trays that are permanently fixed inside a drink maker and cannot be removed.
Patent monitoring