WO1992000577A1

WO1992000577A1 - Method, device and product for food vending

Info

Publication number: WO1992000577A1
Application number: PCT/FR1991/000489
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jacques Michel Pelissier
Original assignee: Jacques Michel Pelissier
Priority date: 1990-06-22
Filing date: 1991-06-19
Publication date: 1992-01-09
Also published as: FR2663769A1

Abstract

According to the method, the foodstuffs are placed in a container (50), the container (50) is placed in a wrapper (40) containing practical utensils and condiments (52-57, 59 and 60), a plurality of filled and sealed wrappers (40) are arranged in several groups in a storage and display enclosure (3), the filled wrappers (40) are dispensed one at a time and delivered to each consumer, heating devices (10-11) are provided which can be programmed according to a consumer's selection, and the heating devices (10-11) are switched on if and when the consumer inserts the container (50) with the foodstuffs after having removed them from the wrapper (40) and separated them from the utensils (52-57, 59 and 60).

Description

METHOD, DEVICE AND PRODUCT FOR THE DELIVERY OF FOOD

The change in behavior with regard to eating meals away from home is towards simplification and, above all, a search for time savings.

But, on the contrary, the desire to consume more refined, more varied and more digestible foods is developing than the classic sandwiches, cold or hot, simple or accompanied. Currently, hot food is only found in establishments that have a kitchen and heating and / or cooking appliances, which presupposes the presence of staff, both in the kitchen and in a room: taking orders , packaging, cleaning tables, monitors the presence of towels and other accessories made available to consumers, etc. Furthermore, fully automatic prepayment dispensers have been known for a long time for products to be consumed at storage temperature. Sometimes there are 5 products stored at room temperature: confectionery, cigarettes, sometimes they are refrigerated products: drinks, simple foods.

When the products have no fragility, it is possible to use t-0 mechanisms which take the products one by one from a stock and make them fall in free fall into a chute having an external opening through which consumers can grasp the chosen product.

When the products are fragile, we do not

15 can't just drop them. There must be more complex provisions whereby the consumer can open a door and access a compartment where the product he has chosen is exclusively located. 0 This leads to complications because if the products are fragile, they must be kept flat and separate from each other, and they can be automatically led from each of the places where they are to compartment 5 which the consumer can access. Another solution is to provide that all the products are placed on a turnstile and that the entire turnstile is moved to place in front of an access door that of the articles chosen. Q These complex, fragile and costly provisions are further aggravated when the products are to be brought to temperature when they are distributed.

Thus, for example, we know patent document OA-86 / 04.707 which describes a dispenser comprising a refrigerated storage enclosure for a stock of stacked products, all identical, and a microwave oven equipped with an automatic door. The consumer introduces a coin which initiates a process which consists in taking the product located at the bottom of a pile, dropping it in the oven, causing the oven to start and stop, then finally to open a external door to make the interior of the extinct oven containing the hot product accessible to the consumer.

We also know the patent document EP-A-

242.423 which describes a dispenser of the same type, the only difference consisting in providing a particular route for the product which enters the oven laterally and exits it by pushing, on the side adjacent to the entry side, to reach a box opening to the exterior and fitted with an automatic door.

This process, in its two variants, is not satisfactory for relatively elaborate foods and for which the consumer wishes to be able to exercise a minimum of control before consuming it. In addition, this process requires complex and fragile mechanisms that make simple and compact storage of food impossible. It is essential that each item offered is stored individually and flat, which makes it mandatory the presence of carousels either with vertical axes, like a merry-go-round, or with horizontal swings fixed to endless chains engaged with sprockets.

In addition, the product must pass through the oven, it can only be stored in its raw form, and not presented in a packaging, which excludes, in particular, the distribution of food stored under vacuum or in a modified atmosphere. Lack of power use this storage method, the products have a very close expiration date and can only be offered for sale for a few days. The most advanced existing devices offer meals prepared in the kitchen, refrigerated and placed either in a drawer or on a carousel of the dispensing device, and the consumer does not have an overview of the foods offered to him before to stop his choice. The conservation of such products is limited to two or three days in a dispenser enclosure maintained in a positive cold of one to three degrees Celsius.

A device is also known which comprises an enclosure divided into two parts by articulated shutters which thermally insulate the two parts of the enclosure. The products are placed in trays which extend at the same time in the two parts of the enclosure. They are all kept at + 3 degrees Celsius, the two parts of the enclosure being then refrigerated. At a certain time of the day, reheating begins for all the products located in one part of the enclosure while in the other part, a current of air at low temperature keeps the products located in the cold. other part of the enclosure. It takes about an hour to warm up the products. After this time, consumers can obtain a tray that carries both hot and cold products.

This device is very special because it treats all products at the same time and is only operational for a period of time corresponding to meal times. In addition, reheated products that have not been sold must be discarded. It is therefore not a single dispenser but rather a meal storage system which we knows the exact number in advance, which is the case in communities: canteens, hospital services, etc.

We also know the patent document US-A-3,381,605 which describes a device comprising two parts: a distributor and a reheating oven, the consumer placing himself in the oven the product which he has selected in the distributor.

Here again, these are simple products such as "hot dogs" and the device offers no teaching for the distribution and consumption of elaborate food products and requiring the use of cutlery and other items not be reheated. The present invention proposes a new solution which makes it possible to combine many advantages:

- possibility of offering products to be heated on the one hand, and cold products on the other,

- presentation of foods of several kinds, requiring different heating times,

- packaging of food under vacuum or in a modified atmosphere, for a positive cold storage (+ 1 to + 3 degrees Celsius) of three to six weeks, without recourse to the addition of preservatives, - packaging of various foods in similar envelopes can be combined with simple and compact mechanisms,

- presentation of food in attractive containers, - possibility of providing the consumer with products and / or articles unsuitable for heating.

To this end, the invention relates to a process for the distribution to consumers of food to be consumed on site after heat treatment for their reheating and / or cooking, characterized in that the food is placed in a container capable of undergoing heat treatment, that this container is placed in an envelope unfit to undergo heat treatment 5 and receiving accessories useful for consumption and indifferent, even unfit, to heat treatment, that we group in several series a plurality of envelopes thus filled and closed in an enclosure for preservation and presentation to

10 consumers, that one distributes the filled envelopes one by one according to a choice made by each consumer among the different series, that one provides each of the envelopes taken from each consumer, that one makes available to

Î consumers of the programmable heating means according to the choice made by the consumer, which the heating means are put on standby according to a program which depends on the choice made by the consumer, that the said heating means are switched on if and when

20 the consumer places the entire container and the food it contains in a determined location, after having separated this assembly from the envelope and the accessories, and the heat treatment is interrupted at end of a period of

25 time determined by a control program, itself dependent on the nature of the food.

The invention also relates to a device for the distribution to consumers of food to be consumed on site after

30 heat treatment for reheating and / or cooking, characterized in that it comprises:. a conservation and presentation enclosure,. dispensers for closed envelopes to contain a container, food and

3 accessories, . a chute open directly above the distributors and leading to a box accessible to consumers,. at least one heater accessible to consumers,. a table grouping the control elements of the control unit, which is connected to each of the distributors.

According to other characteristics of this device: - it is constituted by an assembly comprising the enclosure, the distributors, the chute open directly above the distributors and leading to a box accessible from the outside, at least one heating appliance accessible from the outside, and a programmed control assembly, 1 • assembly further presenting, on an external face, available to users, a table grouping control members of the control assembly, which is connected to on the one hand to each of the distributors and on the other hand to, respectively, each heating appliance;

- the set has a counter in advance;

- the counter is formed by an upper horizontal face of a compartment;

- the compartment contains at least one heating device such as an oven, accessible by a door;

- the distributors having to receive envelopes containing food of several kinds, the control device comprises a programmable central unit intended to control the beginning and the end of operation of or each heating appliance according to the distributor on which the envelope chosen by a consumer;

- It includes means for automatically opening one, respectively each, door of a heater. The invention also relates to a product for the distribution to consumers of food to be consumed on site after heat treatment for their reheating and / or cooking, characterized in that it consists of an assembly composed of :. at least one food,. at least one container,

. at least one accessory useful for consuming the food,

. an envelope such as a box, in particular made of cardboard.

According to other characteristics of this product: - the envelope has a means of suspension from a distributor rod of the helical thread type, this suspension means being oriented in a plane which forms with that of the faces of the envelope, a angle equal to the pitch of the helical thread of the rod; - The suspension means is formed by a tab integral with the envelope and crossed by a hole;

- the envelope presents externally the indication of the instructions for use that the user must follow from obtaining the filled and closed envelope, until consumption of the hot food and possible use of the accessories;

- The envelope includes at least one transparent part located opposite the food product;

- the food is placed under vacuum in a sealed packaging;

- the accessories include a tool for cutting the sealed packaging.

The invention will be better understood from the detailed description below made with reference to the accompanying drawing. Of course, the description and drawing are only given as an indicative and non-limiting example.

Figure 1 is a schematic overview, in perspective of a device according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a device according to the invention.

Figure 3 is a schematic view of a control panel of a device according to 1 * invention.

Figure 4 is a schematic overall view, in perspective, of a product according to the invention, intended for distribution by means of a device of the type of Figures 1 to 3. Figure 5 is a schematic view of contents of an envelope according to the invention.

Figure 6 is a partial schematic view showing an alternative embodiment of a product according to the invention. Referring to Figures 1 to 3, we see a device according to the invention consisting of a presentation assembly 1 mounted on casters 2 for moving it and comprising an enclosure 3 refrigerated in positive cold by a unit 4 of any type known and containing distributors 5. The enclosure 3 is closed on the front by a transparent door 6 enabling the exposed products carried by the distributors 5 to be observed.

Under the transparent door 6, the assembly 1 has a counter 7 in projection, forming the upper face of a compartment 8 in which there are two ovens 10 and 11, preferably microwaves whose doors 12 and 13 are open onto the exterior facade, under counter 7. Next to the transparent door 6, there is a control panel 14 which will be described in detail below.

Each distributor 5 is of a type known per se having a rod 15 having a large helical groove and which, here, is horizontal but which can be inclined. The end of the rod 15 located towards the facade is free while the opposite end is engaged with a geared motor 16 situated outside the rear wall of the refrigerated enclosure 3.

According to the example shown, the enclosure 3 contains three superimposed rows of six distributors 5, which makes it possible to store eighteen series of products, as will be explained below. The lower part of the enclosure 3 is green and communicates with a chute 20 whose side walls 21 and 22 are inclined, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1 so that the chute 20 is connected to a box 23 opening into the facade, below the ovens 10 and 11, and provided with a void 24, beating inwards and pressed outwards on a stop 25.

A valve 26 can be provided at the outlet of the enclosure 3 to isolate it from the non-refrigerated outside atmosphere. this valve 26 can be eliminated if the thermal barrier which it constitutes proves unnecessary.

Furthermore, the proper functioning of the device makes it necessary to control the correct arrival of each product to prevent a product accidentally blocked in the chute 20 preventing the others from passing and thus causing a succession of incidents. To avoid this, a photoelectric cell is provided on the product route which picks up the passage of each product. If a product is selected tionné and cuts the beam of the cell, the process is considered correct. If after a certain pre-programmed time the beam is not interrupted, the process is considered to be abnormal and the incident is signaled by an alarm and the device can be neutralized to avoid the accumulation of products in the chute 20.

The control panel 14 corresponds to a programmable control assembly (not shown) of any known type to provide functions which will be described later.

It comprises a keyboard 30 of eighteen keys 31 each corresponding to one of the distributors 5 and, therefore, to a series of products, each key 31 being associated with a label 32 carrying the description of the corresponding product. A key 33 makes it possible to validate the choice, or on the contrary to cancel it.

Above the keyboard 30 are indicator lights 34, 35 and 36, a bank card entry 37 and a display screen 38. A display screen 39 is also shown smaller than the screen 38 to indicate the price of the chosen product.

Referring now to FIG. 4, it can be seen that a product in accordance with the invention comprises an envelope 40, for example made of cardboard or other similar material, produced here in the form of a parallelepiped box. It has a tab 41 crossed by a median hole 42 whose height H is greater than the diameter of the rod 15 of the distributors 5, in order to be able to place a plurality of envelopes 40 over the entire length of the same rod 15, as can be seen in FIG. 2.

The large faces 43 and 44 of the envelope 40 can be used in various ways. When the products are in place on the dispensers 5, the large face 43 is visible through the transparent door 6 and can be used to print there an attractive representation of the food that the consumer will obtain after reheating and / or cooking. This example is seen in Figure 1.

It is also possible to provide on this large face 43 a transparent window 45 which allows the consumer to observe the food placed in the envelope 40, a solution which is moreover not incompatible with that which provides for printed representation.

According to a characteristic of the process according to the invention, the envelope 40 carries a printed user manual giving the consumer all the desired information which will allow him to proceed himself to the preparation of the various elements necessary for food consumption. Here, we have represented this manual with the reference 46, on the face 43, under the window 45.

These three possibilities can be combined on the same envelope: attractive printing on the side exposed in front of the transparent door 6, window 45 and instructions for use 46 on the large opposite side. The envelope 40, such as the cardboard box shown in Figure 4, may contain several different objects.

In FIG. 5 we see a possible assortment: a tray 50 containing a linear preparation packed under vacuum (or in a modified atmosphere: nitrogen, etc.) and closed in leaktight manner by a cover 51 fixed by heat sealing, a napkin 52, an envelope 53 for cutlery such as a four¬ chette 54 and a knife 55 made of synthetic material, a sachet of mustard 56 and a sachet of salt 57. The process for implementing the different elements that 1 • has just been described is as follows:

A user (or consumer) is in front of the presentation unit 1. He observes through the transparent door 6 the articles displayed and makes his choice as a function of the presentation which appears on the large face 43 of the envelopes 40.

He refers to the keyboard 30 and identifies by the labels 32 the key 31 on which he must press. After pressing the desired key, the price of the item is displayed on the small display screen 39.

If the consumer maintains his choice, he validates it by pressing the key 33 and he makes his advance payment. Here, he inserts a bank card or a credit card into the slot 37.

Naturally, validation is an operation which is not essential and the device can operate without a validation key.

In order for the consumer to carry out the various desired operations in the order without incident, the indications are given to him by messages appearing at the appropriate time on the display screen 38.

When the operation is validated, the control assembly starts the motor 16 corresponding to the series of products chosen, which rotates the corresponding rod 15. All the envelopes 40 engaged on this rod 15 through the hole 42 of their tab 41 move away from the rear wall of the enclosure 3 and approach the free end of the rod 15 because the upper edge of each hole 42 rests on rod 15, in the helical thread. It is assumed here that the series chosen is that which corresponds to the second stage visible in FIG. 2.

The envelope 40A closest to the free end of the rod 15 leaves the latter and falls along the inner face of the transparent door 6 where it is shown in dotted lines, then it reaches the valve 26 which 'it lowers by its kinetic energy (this valve 26 is automatically recalled by a spring) it is then guided by the walls of the chute 20 and reaches box 23, behind the flap 24.

The consumer rejects the flap 24 and sits the envelope 40A, the contents of which he can observe through the window 45 and through a transparent window 58 of the cover 51 if the latter is opaque.

By reading the instructions for use printed at 46, the consumer learns how to proceed: first of all, the envelope 40A must be opened and, for this purpose, it is possible to provide a tear-off tab 47 terminated by a pull tab 48, as well a pre-cut 49 allowing easy access to the content by removing almost all of the large face 43.

One can, of course, provide any other sealing and opening system and, in particular, preview a tab allowing, by pulling, to create an opening through which one can remove the contents of the envelope 40, like this exists for certain cans. it is then necessary to grasp the tray 50, withdraw the cover 51 or create small holes therein, as is known per se, after which the consumer opens the door 12-13 of one of the ovens 10 or 11, introduced the tray 50 and its contents and closes the door. At the time of the selection made by the consumer, that is to say when he has pressed one of the keys 31 and possibly the key 33 for validation, the suitably program control unit has put on standby , preset, the heating of an oven 10-11 and made the consumer understand which of the two ovens 10 and 11 he should choose.

When the consumer closes the oven door, the heating is triggered automatically and for the time exactly adapted to the selected food.

At the end of heating or cooking, the consumer is warned that he can remove the food from the oven. This can be achieved in different ways: audible signal, lighting of an indicator light, display of a message on the screen 38, automatic opening of the door, or a combination of these various means.

The consumer can then use the comp¬ toir 7 to place the tray 50, either for convenience before settling down at a table, or to consume directly.

To consume, he uses the accessories he removed from the envelope 40: fork 54, knife 55 etc. FIG. 6 shows a variant embodiment of the envelope 40.

As can be understood from FIGS. 1 and 2, the envelopes 40 must be presented to consumers by their large faces 43 and it is more aesthetic for all the large faces 43 to be well aligned, in the same plane, parallel to the transparent door 6.

However, if each envelope 40 is placed on a rod 15 by the edge of the hole 42, the tab 41 is oriented according to the pitch of the helical groove, so that the envelopes 40 are placed at an angle.

In addition to the unflattering aesthetic which results in this, this arrangement can cause incidents during distribution because the envelope 40 which falls towards the chute 20 is askew and can become blocked.

To avoid these difficulties, provision is made for the tab 41 of each envelope 40 to have an orientation such that its plane makes, with that of the large face 43, an angle a. whose value is coordinated with that of the pitch of the helical groove of the corresponding rod 15.

The upper edge of the hole 42 is then placed parallel to the helical groove, while the envelope 40 is placed perpendicular to the rod 15.

To ensure the vertical fall of the envelopes 40, the tab 41 is placed not in the alignment of the large face 44 (FIG. 4) but at the center of a small face, the vertical which passes through the center of the hole 42, also passing through the center of gravity of the product to be distributed: envelope 40 and its contents.

With the example described and shown, the re¬ container in which the food is placed is constituted by the tray 50 and the positioning of the food is done, therefore, according to a packaging method known per se and ensured by the supplier of the products distributed by the device. There is therefore dissociation into several distinct phases of the complete process which begins with the making of the products and which ends with the consumption of the food.

It is advantageous to package the food under vacuum, or under a modified atmosphere, which involves confining them in sealed packaging. You must therefore remove this packaging to access the It is even recommended to do this before heating. To facilitate this operation, among the accessories placed in the envelope 40, a pointed and cutting instrument 59 is provided, possibly associated with a cap 60 which prevents accidental cuts during the handling of the envelope 40.

Naturally, one can use a different packaging from the tray 50 and its cover 51. It can be, for example, a simple plastic film constituting a sachet. But for consumption on the spot, it is necessary to have a container (for example a plate made of any material such as cardboard or a synthetic material) and provision can be made for the food to be already placed in the container. when the consumer opens the envelope 40, or else provide that the consumer must place the food himself in the container, after having removed it from its packaging.

It emerges from the above description that it is possible to offer customers much more varied culinary preparations than at present, owing to the fact that the foods themselves can be combined with indifferent objects, or even unfit, to undergo the passage in the oven: _ packaging of all kinds, including metal sheet, and in particular in cardboard printed in an attractive manner,

- sealed packaging allowing storage under vacuum or in a modified atmosphere, _ accessories such as plate, bowl, cutlery, condi¬ ments, napkin, etc. allowing to consume liquid, pasty, sauce, all kinds of culinary preparations,

- complementary foods that should not go into the oven: bread, cold desserts, appetizers, etc. - products preserved by canning, pasteurization, drying, freeze-drying, etc.

The extreme diversity of the products to be offered therefore makes it possible to achieve a quality unknown to date when it comes to consumption on the spot, from an automatic distribution device.

A device according to the invention can also contain fresh products which must not be put in the oven and which are not a necessary complement to the food products to be heated. It can be cold preparations: sandwiches, cold meats and salads, cold meats, or optional supplements: drinks, appetizers or desserts for example. In this case, if the device directly controls the switching on of heating means, it obviously only takes account of the products which have to be heated. If a consumer selects only products to be consumed cold, the heating means are not switched on.

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Claims

R E V E N D I C A T I O N S

1- Method for the distribution to consumers of food to be consumed on site after heat treatment for reheating and / or cooking, characterized in that the food is placed in a container (50) capable of undergoing heat treatment, that this container (50) is placed in an envelope (40) unfit to undergo heat treatment and receiving accessories (52 to 57, 59 and 60) useful for consumption and indifferent, or even unsuitable for heat treatment, that a plurality of envelopes (40) are thus grouped in several series, thus filled and closed in an enclosure (3) for preservation and presentation to consumers, which 1 • is distributed one to one the envelopes (40) filled according to a choice made by each consumer among the different series, which each of the sampled envelopes (40) is supplied to each consumer, which is made available to consumers with heating means (10-11) programmable according to the choice made by the consumer, that the heating means are put on standby (10-11) according to a program which depends on the choice made by the consumer, that the said means are switched on heating means (10-11) if and when the consumer himself places the whole of the container (50) and of the food which it contains in a determined location, after having separated this whole from the envelope (40) and accessories (52 to 57, 59 and 60), and that the heat treatment is interrupted at the end of a period of time determined by an ordering program, itself dependent on the nature of the food. 2- Device for distributing food to consumers to be consumed on site after heat treatment for reheating and / or cooking, characterized in that it comprises:

. a conservation and presentation enclosure (3),. distributors (5) for envelopes (40) closed to contain a container (50), food and accessories (52 to 57, 59 and 60),. a chute (20) open directly above the distributors (5) and leading to a box (23) accessible to consumers,. at least one heating appliance (10-11) accessible to consumers,. a table (14) grouping control members (31, 33, 37) of the control assembly, which is connected to each of the distributors (5).

3- Device according to claim 2, characterized in that it is constituted by an assembly (i) comprising the enclosure (3), the distributors (5), the chute (20) open plumb with the distributors (5 ) and leading to a box (23) accessible from the outside, at least one heating device (10-11) accessible from the outside, and a programmed control assembly, the assembly (1) further presenting, on an external face, at the disposal of users, a table (14) grouping control members (31, 33, 37) of the control assembly, which is connected on the one hand to each of the distributors (5) and on the other hand to, respectively, each heater (10-11).

4- Device according to claim 2, characterized in that flood the assembly (1) has a counter (7) in advance. 5- Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the counter (7) is formed by an upper horizontal face of a compartment.

6- Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the compartment contains at least one heating device such as an oven (10-11), accessible by a door (12-13).

7- Device according to claim 2, characterized in that σue distributors (5) to receive envelopes (40) containing food of various kinds, the control device comprises a programmable central unit for controlling the start and end of operation or each heating appliance (10-11) depending on the distributor (5) on which the envelope (40) chosen by a consumer is located.

8- Device according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises means for automatically opening one, respectively each, door (12-13) of a heating device (10-11).

9- Product for the distribution to consumers of food to be consumed on site after heat treatment for reheating and / or cooking, characterized in that it consists of a set composed of:. at least one food,. at least one container (50),

. at least one accessory (52 to 57, 59 and 60) useful for the consumption of the food,. an envelope (40) such as a box, in particular made of cardboard.

10- Product according to claim 9, characterized in that the casing (40) has a suspension means (41-42) to a rod (15) of distributor (5) of helical thread type, this means of suspension (41-42) being oriented in a plane which forms with that of the large faces (43 and 44) of the envelope (40), an angle (a.) equal to the pitch of the helical thread of the rod (15) . il- Product according to claim 10, characterized in that the suspension means is formed by a tab (41) integral with the casing (40) and traversed by a hole (42).

12- Product according to claim 9, characterized in that σue the envelope (40) presents externally the indication of the user manual (46) that the user must follow since obtaining the envelope (40) filled and closed, until consumption of hot food and possible use of accessories (52 to 57, 59 and 60).

13- Product according to claim 9, characterized in that the envelope (40) comprises at least one transparent part (45) located opposite the food product. 14- Product according to claim 9, characterized in that the food is placed under vacuum in a sealed package (50-51).

15- Product according to claim 14, characterized in that σue the accessories comprise a cutting tool (59-60) of the sealed package (50-

51).

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