FR2503091A1 - Vending machine to serve freshly-cooked omelette or scrambled egg - has refrigerated storage, mixing and packing and microwave cooking sections - Google Patents

Abstract

The machine contains a refrigerated storage zone for fresh eggs or other heat-coagulable, perishable ingredient(s). When an automatic cycle is initiated, a selected number of eggs is transferred to a prepn. station outside the storage zone. The eggs are shelled and dropped into a sachet of flexible, thermoplastic sheet which is transparent to microwave energy, e.g. food quality polythene. Other ingredients are measured into the sachet, as required and the sachet is sealed. The loaded sachet is transferred into a microwave oven where it is vibrated to beat the contents which are subjected to microwave energy until cooked. The sachet contg. a freshly-cooked, individual portion of prod. is then released to the consumer. Other ingredients may include measured doses of water and a rehydratable prod. such as dried egg powder. Each sachet is pref. formed from a reel of plastic sheet within the machine and is immediately presented for loading with ingredients. The machine is specifically designed to serve freshly cooked omelettes or scrambled egg on demand, i.e. when a serving-cycle is initiated by insertion of a coin or token. The service is available at all times without assistance of catering staff.

Description

 The invention relates generally to a method and a machine for preparing and cooking, very quickly and on demand, portions of dishes based on mixed natural food products. At least one of the products is substantially fluid and coagulable by heating to serve as a binder for other foods, and give a firm consistency to the cooked portion. The natural food product coagulable by heating is the important element of the proposed mixture, and Iton will advantageously choose in many cases of preparation the content of raw eggs to fulfill this function.

 The method of the invention, used with raw egg allows the preparation of many preparations called scrambled eggs or omelettes.

The invention also relates to a machine implementing the method described and more particularly to a machine for distributing hot dishes prepared according to the method.

 It is an automatic kitchen controlled by the consumer who deposits, to activate it, coins or tokens in the machine after having selected the composition of the dish, its seasoning and the cooking time. The raw egg is the ideal basic element for many preparations of the machine of the invention, but other natural food products can be advantageously used such as milk, cheese, potato, mushroom , and dehydrated vegetables or ham products.

 Few attempts have been made to provide methods and machines for the automatic preparation of hot food in portions.

The technique described is known, for example in French patent no. 2,284,937, where a certain number of dishes preconditioned in sealed packages can be delivered after having been heated by an electronic microwave oven. In this case it is mainly a distribution of food products rather than a real preparation. The choices concerning the quantities, the seasoning, the cooking and the compositions remain limited. In addition, the fact of preparing the compositions in advance with seasonings, fats, oils and sauces makes it necessary to sterilize and freeze them. However, it is well known to microwave heating technicians that it is impossible to ensure correct defrosting of a food using a microwave oven.

Commercial prepackaged and frozen food products are therefore unusable in this type of machine, which considerably limits its use and its replenishment.

 Another attempt described in French Patent No. 2 109.537 allows the preparation and automatic distribution of fried potatoes.

However, this application remains mainly limited to the potato. The use in this technique of open frying bath makes delicate the design of a vending machine continuously under tension because of the vapors and odors. The technique of cooking by frying is advantageous insofar as it does not require a container for cooking, but the purification and the renewal of the oil bath make this process difficult to apply to an autonomous vending machine.

 A steaming technique is proposed in French patent No. 2,403,770 for preparing scrambled eggs per individual portion.

The process is specifically reserved for raw eggs, which limits its use. In addition, the use of a specially shaped cooking container, cleaned after each use, and the prohibitive quantity of steam for cooking the preparation, do not mean that the process is used for vending machines for automatic sale.

 In front of these few attempts proposing methods of preparing hot dishes, on demand and per portion, there are many techniques relating to the cooking of mixed natural food products, one of them being coagulable by heating; but all are aimed at continuous industrial production applications.

 It is therefore desirable to design a process and to produce a machine which makes it possible to obtain, on request and for immediate consumption, the preparation and cooking of individual portions of dishes based on natural food products, in particular d eggs, cheese, mushroom, potato and ham.

 To this end, the present invention relates to a process characterized by the fact that from storage compartments, selectively extract dosed quantities of natural food products of which at least one is coagulable by heating and / or substantially fluid, distributes and then hermetically encloses the food products mixed in an envelope with flexible walls made of material transparent to electromagnetic radiation and having a chosen capacity substantially greater than the volume of its food content, at least one of the walls of the envelope is brought into contact of the active part of at least one vibration applicator, the food content of the envelope is beaten, the envelope and its food content are exposed in a field of electromagnetic radiation by keeping them formed between the walls of a formed cell in a rigid structure transparent to ambient electromagnetic radiation, exposure to r is interrupted electromagnetic disconnection when the heating time predetermined by the dose and the nature of the food products used in the chosen preparation is reached, the envelope and its cooked and hot food content which are delivered for the consumption.

 In the process of the invention, only natural food products stored in the storage compartments between f CC and 50C are used. Replenishment and autonomy are thus facilitated insofar as the natural products in question can be found everywhere and easily.

The storage of raw food products in place of prepared and frozen meals limits the loss in the event that food reaches the expiration date.

 Thanks to the process of the invention, the quantities and the nature of the natural food products of the selected dish are selectively chosen. This possibility of choice is extended for fats and aromatic agents, such as salt, pepper, for food, or sugar for desserts.

The duration of heating is determined by the conditions of these choices.

 In the process of the invention at least one of the natural food products is either coagulable by heating and substantially fluid, for example the content of a raw egg, or only substantially fluid such as milk for example. In both cases the product serves as a binder to the other mixed foods.

 In a preferred implementation, the use of the content of the coagulated raw egg after cooking gives the dish a firm consistency facilitating its distribution and consumption.

 The food, in the process of the invention, is hermetically sealed in an envelope made for example in a plastic sheet. In this case, the walls of the envelope are transparent to the electromagnetic radiation of the electronic oven, and thus allow the cooking of the food content.

 The use of this temporary envelope avoids the use of a container which should be cleaned after each preparation. The hermetic closure of the envelope avoids any formation of vapor and odor which is difficult to evacuate in the case of the use of a vending machine and guarantees the food good hygienic conditions of preparation.

 The beating of the food content is obtained by bringing at least one of the walls of the envelope into contact with a vibrator mechanically or electrically actuated which will stir and cause the mixture to cavitate. In the case of a flat envelope, two vibrating walls can closely frame the two faces of the envelope to advantageously provide a very effective threshing.

 In addition, thanks to the method of the invention, the envelope is maintained, when it is exposed to the electromagnetic radiation field providing heating, in a cell which prevents the expansion of its walls and its destruction by steam under pressure. This cell will advantageously be formed in a rigid structure made of material transparent to electromagnetic waves. It will be made integral with the interior of the electronic oven and may act as a filling of the volume of the wave exposure cavity.

 According to another characteristic of the process of the invention, a metered amount of water and at least one of the natural food products are extracted and distributed in the envelope, in the form of easily rehydratable dry matter.

 This arrangement advantageously provides a coagulable product by heating, and in particular rehydrated egg from solid egg lyophilized or spray-dried. On the other hand, a substantially liquid binder such as milk can also be obtained in this way.

 The method of the invention recommends keeping in the filling volume of the envelope the volume of air supplementing the food content.

 This air pocket is advantageously allowed to remain in the envelope after it has closed. The air will facilitate the threshing of the food content and allow it to be aerated to obtain a soft and light coagulated dish.

 Another remarkable advantage of the process of the invention is obtained by making the active part of the vibration applicator cooperate with a wall of the cell. The active part of the vibrator is given a shape of a flat plate which is used to form an internal wall of the cell.

The threshing and cooking stations are thus confused, which allows another essential characteristic of the process because one can continue to beat the food content of the envelope during its exposure to the electromagnetic radiation field.

 In the case where the dish is mainly based on raw egg, the possibility of beating it during its cooking makes it possible to prepare a composition known as scrambled eggs while one is satisfied with a moderate threshing before heating for an omelet.

 In the method of the invention, the heating of the dish in an electromagnetic radiation field is obtained by the fact that the rigid structure and its cell are inserted between at least one pair of capacitor plates, excited at high frequency. If the rigid structure has the shape of a parallelepiped, it can be framed by one, two, and even three pairs of capacitor plates.

 According to another form of the method, the rigid structure and its cell are installed in a resonant enclosure excited by a source of microwave waves.

 In a preferred implementation, the rigid structure and its cell occupy the conduit of a traveling wave guide excited by a source of microwave waves.

 The invention also relates to a machine for automatic distribution of hot food, in particular scrambled eggs or omelettes implementing the method of the invention, characterized in that it comprises three main assemblies, namely a cold enclosure storage, a preparation station and an electronic oven, said main assemblies being broken down into subassemblies comprising, natural food preservation compartments arranged in the cold storage enclosure, one of said conservation compartments being provided with devices suitable for storing raw eggs, means for delivering an envelope to the preparation station, means for extracting the raw eggs from their storage compartment and distributing them at the preparation station, means for cutting the shell of the raw eggs, extract their edible content and introduce them into the envelope, a device for evacuating and receiving empty shells suitably isolated from the outside and from other parts of the machine, an arrangement of pipes, metering devices, hoppers for supplying the envelope to the preparation station with natural food products and aromatic agents, a device for hermetically sealing the envelope , a vibration applicator, an electromagnetic radiation field applicator, a rigid structure placed in said field, transparent to its electromagnetic radiation and provided with an internal cell, a means for placing the envelope and its food content in said cell, means for controlling, by token or coin, the initiation of the cycle of the preparation selected and in particular the duration of heating as a function of the doses and the nature of the natural food products involved, means for delivering to the outlet of the machine l envelope and its cooked food content.

 The advantages of the machine are obviously the same as those of the process of the invention, namely the possibility of preparing and cooking, for immediate consumption, individual portions of dishes based on mixed natural food products, in particular of raw eggs. For example, a cheese and mushroom omelet is obtained from fresh products in a few tens of seconds, with the desired dose and seasonings.

 In this embodiment the machine is mainly intended for use in public places and constitutes a real automatic catering unit ensuring a very high quality of the dishes delivered because of the use of fresh natural products. A transparent wall in the enclosure of the machine can advantageously show the consumer the stored products and the food preparation operations to convince him of the quality of the products and of the process.

It is obvious that the process can also be applied to an industrial machine which would continuously manufacture hot dishes intended to be stored and frozen for later consumption. The invention will be better understood using the following description of a preferred embodiment of the machine of the invention shown in the accompanying drawing in which - Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the machine
automatic preparation and distribution; - Figure 2 is a side view, in partial section of the station for
break and empty the raw eggshells - Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the field applicator
electromagnetic waves.

 Referring to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the upper part of the machine corresponds to the cold storage enclosure limited by the insulating walls 1. To the left of the drawing are the storage compartment (s) 2 for the raw eggs, and on the right the compartments 13 of the other natural products. The lowering of the temperature in the cold enclosure is given by the refrigeration unit 24 which receives the ventilation air, which it cools, through the pipe 25. The ventilation air is taken outside the machine by the fan 26 and treated by the filter 28. The temperature in the cold enclosure is maintained between 1 ° C. and 50 ° C. The air having passed through the enclosure is evacuated on the upper part of the machine by the outlet mouth 9, which comprises a treatment element 10 for capturing the condensation water and the odors.

 The lower part of the machine mainly comprises the microwave applicator 41 and the part for receiving cooked food in the form of a drawer 36.

 The lower left part of the drawing shows the easements of the machine. In particular the fan 26 which sucks in the outside air, treated in the filter 28, and ensures a slight overpressure in the lower part of the machine. In the middle part of the automatic distributor there is the food preparation area and in particular the station 20 for processing raw eggs and the rotary distributor 17 which distributes the other natural products.

 The other elements of the machine will be described as we explain the process of preparing a dish. The eggs4 are stored in egg racks 3 stackable in the compartment 2. This storage means is chosen because it facilitates the recharging of the machine by the door 5.

These stackable racks of 20, 24, 30 or 36 eggs are standard in the poultry sector and their dimensions therefore determine those of the compartment or compartments 2. A destacking device 7 is movable along two axes, vertically with the jack 8 and horizontally on the rails 11.

 The vacuum suction cups 6, installed on the unstacking device 7 at a step corresponding to the standard bin used, grab the eggs from the upper storage layer and transport them by two combined movements to the intermediate storage tank 19. A series of hooks associated with the suction cups and not shown in the drawing, simultaneously seize the cardboard box 4 which supported the layer of transported eggs and evacuate it into an enclosure provided for this purpose before unloading the eggs in the tray 19. A such a device is conventional and similar to that which allows the stacking of traps in the laying centers but in reverse operation.

 The eggs 4 provisionally stored in the tray 19, feed the chute 23 then the station 20 where the raw eggs are broken and then emptied. The end 51 of the tilting chute 23 controls, step by step, a raw egg in the boxes of the station 20 detailed in FIG. 2.

 This station comprises a turntable by quarter turn using the motorization 21. Four cells 56 make it possible to receive eggs in a vertical position, point in the air as in an egg cup.

 In the first cell an egg is placed by tilting the end 51 of the chute 23 around its axis 52. In the following cells and after quarter-turn rotations obtained by the motorization 21, the upper and lower points are successively punctured of the shell respectively with the strikers 58 and 57. These strikers are cylindrical rods whose active circular part has sharp edges.

 The engagement of this rod during striking is only 2 to 3 millimeters inside the shell. Typing should be sharp and fast. An advantageous solution consists in installing the striker 58 on a counterweight 60 actuated either by a small jack or by a repulsion electromagnet 59 and returned by the spring 61. The lower striker 57 passes through the cell 56 of the station 20 by the opening 55 which also serves for the evacuation of the contents of the egg.

 To evacuate the contents of the egg, a flexible suction cup 53 is applied with the jack 22 to the upper tip of the perforated egg. A slight overpressure of air in the suction cup 53 will expel the white and yellow by the perforation of the lower point then the opening 54 of the station 20.

Under this opening 54 is the envelope in which the food is prepared. To obtain this envelope, a thermoplastic film, such as polyethylene, is unwound from a reel 44. With the help of rollers and discs, the film is unwound in a strip which is folded into a V shape. In two separate places , the walls of the V are welded along a line so as to form a pocket open at its upper part. The two weld lines constitute the side closures of the pocket. These lines are obtained using the two welding electrodes 48. When the envelope is partially filled with one, two, or three raw egg contents, it is moved to the other filling station 49 supplied by the rotary distributor 17, in order to complete the preparation with other food products.

 Storage compartments 13, rechargeable from the outside by the door 12, distribute the food products in metering devices 15, controlled for example by electro-mechanisms 16 for opening and closing. A rotary plate 17 actuated by a motor 14 successively presents, under each metering device 15 corresponding to the products programmed for the preparation, the feed hopper 18 which leads the selected food to the waiting envelope.

 By devices not shown in the drawing, the upper opening of the envelope is closed by welding, the envelope of the strip which, called from the roll 44, advances, is separated by means of a cutting device. one step for the next preparation. The closed envelope is transported from the station 49 to the cell 40 located in the electronic oven 41. The envelope 68 is supported by a pair of endless flexible bands 42 on which it is pinched by two devices 67. The flexible bands endless 42 take place around the detour rollers 38 and 50 under the action of the motorization 33.

The two bands are guided to the cell 40 by the slides 43.

 The electronic oven is composed of the metal enclosure 41 in which the microwave field is created using the magnetron 30, the power supply 29 of which takes place in the service compartments.

 The cell 40 is formed in the structure 39 made mobile in the enclosure 41 by two jacks 65. The recoil of the structure 39 allows the establishment and recovery of the envelope containing the food. A fixed counterpart 66 closes the cell 40 during heating. All the parts located in the enclosure 41 are made of material transparent to electromagnetic radiation including obviously the elements of the structure 66 and 39.

A vibration generator 62 actuates the plate 63 via the rod 64, and will thus ensure the mixing by agitation of the contents of the envelope 68. The radiation field is applied when the movable part 39 of the structure is plated against the fixed structural element 66 and that the upper and lower sliding doors 47 and 32 close the enclosure 41 of the oven. These sliding hatches 47 and 32 are respectively actuated by the pinion-rack-motorization 45 and 31 assemblies.
When the cooking time is reached, the doors 47 and 32 are opened, the endless bands 42 are actuated to direct the envelope and its cooked content towards the distribution drawer 36. The envelope is released from the tongs 67.

An electromechanical mechanism 34 releases the hook 35 retaining the drawer 36. The consumer can take delivery of the hot food by pulling the handle 37 of the dispensing drawer 36.

 It can be seen from the foregoing description that the invention provides an effective solution to the preparation and automatic distribution of hot food under good sanitary conditions, and with fresh food products.

The constraints of installation, maintenance and replenishment are equivalent and comparable to those of the distribution of cold or hot drinks. It is understood that we have endeavored to use natural food products to show that the process was adapted to this type of product, offering the best quality of food for the consumer.

 However, it would not be departing from the scope of the present invention to use synthetic food products to prepare the dishes according to the claims of the process or the processing machine.

 This type of automatic cooking also makes it possible to make sweet dishes from milk and coagulable food products by heating, in particular raw eggs.

 A machine or a group of machines implementing the method of the invention therefore makes it possible to assemble, in a place open to the public, a set of autonomous catering that can offer a whole range of dishes constituting a complete meal for the consumer.

 The remarkable and specific advantages of the invention can be supplemented, of course, by the additional possibility of reheating in the electronic oven dishes prepared in advance and stored in sealed pockets in reserved storage compartments.

Claims (18)

 1. Process for preparing and cooking, for immediate consumption, an individual portion of dishes based on mixed food products, characterized by the fact that, from storage compartments, dosed quantities of food products are selectively extracted natural, at least one of which is coagulable by heating and / or substantially fluid, food products are mixed and then hermetically sealed mixed in an envelope with flexible walls made of material transparent to electromagnetic radiation and having a chosen capacity significantly greater than the volume of its food content, at least one of the walls of the envelope is brought into contact with the active part of at least one vibration applicator, the food content of the envelope is beaten, the envelope and its food content are exposed in an electromagnetic radiation field by keeping them shaped between the walls of a cell formed in a rigid structure e transparent to ambient electromagnetic radiation, 1 exposure to electromagnetic radiation is interrupted when the predetermined heating time is reached by the dose and the nature of the food products involved in the chosen preparation, the envelope is removed from the cell and its cooked and hot food content which is delivered for consumption.  2. Method according to claim 1. characterized in that one extracts and distributes in the envelope a metered amount of water and at least one of the natural food products in the form of dry matter easily rehydratable.  3. Method according to claim 1. or 2. characterized in that the volume of air supplementing the food content is kept in the filling volume of the envelope.  4. Method according to claim 1., 2. or 3. characterized in that the active part of the vibration applicator is made to cooperate with a wall of the cell.  5. Method according to claim 4. characterized in that one continues to beat the food content of the envelope during its exposure to the electromagnetic radiation field.  6. Method according to claim 1., 2., 3., 4. or 5. characterized in that the rigid structure and its cell are inserted between at least one pair of capacitor plates, excited at high frequency.  7. Method according to claim 1., 2., 3., 4. or 5. characterized in that one installs the rigid structure and its cell in a resonant enclosure excited by a source of microwave waves.  8. Method according to claim 1., 2., 3., 4. or 5. characterized in that one installs the rigid structure and its cell in the conduit of a traveling wave guide excited by a source of microwave waves.  9. Automatic dispensing machine for hot dishes, in particular scrambled eggs or omelettes, implementing the method of claim 1., characterized in that it comprises three main assemblies, ie a cold storage enclosure , a preparation station and an electronic oven, said main assemblies being broken down into subassemblies comprising, compartments for preserving natural food products arranged in the cold storage enclosure, one of said preservation compartments being provided with devices suitable for storage of raw eggs, means for delivering an envelope to the preparation station, means for extracting the raw eggs from their storage compartment and distributing them at the preparation station, means for cutting the shell of the raw eggs, extracting their contents edible and introduce them into the envelope, a device for evacuating and receiving empty shells suitably isolated from 11 exterior and other parts of the machine, an arrangement of pipes, metering devices, hoppers to supply the envelope at the preparation station with natural food products and aromatic agents, a device for hermetically sealing the envelope, an applicator for vibrations, an electromagnetic radiation field applicator, a rigid structure placed in said field, transparent to its electromagnetic radiation and provided with an internal cell, means for placing the envelope and its food content in said cell, means for controlling , by token or coin, the initiation of the cycle of the preparation selected and in particular the duration of heating as a function of the doses and of the nature of the natural food products involved, of the means for delivering at the outlet of the machine the envelope and its cooked food content.  10. Machine according to claim 9. characterized in that one of the storage compartments is a refrigerated tank suitable for storing fresh flowing of raw eggs and that means are available, in particular pipes and valves, for dispense doses of fresh runny into the envelope at the preparation station.  11. Machine according to claim 9. or 10. characterized in that one of the preservation compartments allows the storage of solid egg powder and that there are means for dispensing in the envelope, at the preparation station, dosed amounts of said powder and water for rehydration.  12. Machine according to claim 9., 10. or 11. characterized in that it comprises a means for making the envelope which is delivered to the preparation station, said means comprises, a reel of thin strip of material thermoplastic transparent to electromagnetic waves, a shaping device folding said V-shaped strip during its unwinding, a welding station with two electrodes for locally joining the walls of the V over their entire height in two spaced positions and thus delimiting a substantially rectangular envelope, closed on 3 sides, the fourth, open serving for filling, a cutting station intended to release the formed envelope, a means of advancing the strip.  13. Machine according to claim 9., 10. or 11. characterized in that it comprises a means for making the envelope which is delivered to the preparation station, said means comprises, an unwinder of a sheath in flexible thermoplastic material transparent to electromagnetic waves, a welding station which clamps and transversely welds said sheath so as to form an envelope, the open part of the sheath serving for filling, a cutting station intended to release the formed envelope, a means sheath in advance.  14. Machine according to claim 9., 10. or 11. characterized in that it comprises an envelope storage magazine and an extraction device.  15. Machine according to claim 9., 10., 11., 12., 13. or oul4.carac- terized in that the means for cutting the shell of raw eggs and extracting their edible content comprise a first striker of the upper point of the egg, cylindrical in shape and with a diameter 6 to 8 times smaller than that of an average egg, a second striker of the upper point of the egg and of identical shape to the first, a tip comprising a small chamber with flexible walls applying to the upper orifice opened by the striker and pressurizing the contents of the egg to drive it into the envelope through the other orifice.  16. Machine according to claim 9., 10., 11., 12., 13., 14. or 15. characterized by the fact that the applicator of the electromagnetic radiation field is a resonant enclosure excited by a source of hyper frequency waves.  17. Machine according to claim 16. characterized in that the rigid structure, made of materials transparent to microwave waves is integral with the interior of the cavity of the radiation applicator and that it releases, opening with the 'one of the walls of the electronic oven, the cell of which at least one of the planar walls is a plate driven by an alternating movement perpendicular to its plane maintained by a mechanical vibration generator.  18. Machine according to claim 9., 10., 11., 12., 13., 14., 15., 16. or 17. characterized in that air circulation is ensured in the machine by a ventilation device, the external suction of which comprises means for filtering and sanitizing the air taken in and the discharge, means for capture condensation water and odors.