REGENERATION HOUSEHOLD MACHINE FOR REGENERATING PACKAGED COOKED AND SUBSEQUENTLY COOLED TO CHILLED, AMBIENT OR FROZEN TEMPERATURES PORTIONS OF FOOD AND METHOD CARRIED OUT BY SAID MACHINE

• US 20150265090A1
• Filed: 10/07/2013
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nutresia SA
• Original Assignee: Nutresia SA
• Inventors: Pennella, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 10,154,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 2027/043 for cooking food in steam
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/04 for cooking food in steam; Devices for extracting fruit juice by means of steam ; Vacuum cooking vessels steam-heated vessels for hotels, restaurants or canteens A47J27/16
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/10 Cooking-vessels with water-bath arrangements for domestic use

Abstract

The invention concerns a regeneration household machine (10) for regenerating packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portions of food. The machine (10) comprises at least one compartment (16, 18) adapted to receive, preferably when it is empty, at least one packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food to be regenerated and at least one conduct (65, 65b, 65c, 68a, 69, 69a, 69b) for feeding a heating fluid into said at least one compartment (16, 18), heating means (72) being provided at said at least one conduct in order to heat said heating fluid at a desired temperature depending on the recipe of the food of said at least one packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food. The machine further comprises recognition means for recognising the recipe of the food of a specific packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food inserted into said at least one compartment (16, 18) and a control unit (20) which automatically sets said machine (10) to operate with a predetermined heating cycle depending on the recipe of said specific packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food.

Claims

1. Regeneration household machine (10) for regenerating packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portions of food, said regeneration household machine (10) comprising at least one compartment (16, 18) adapted to receive at least one packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food to be regenerated and at least one conduct (65, 65b, 65c, 68a, 69, 69a, 69b) for feeding a heating fluid into said at least one compartment (16, 18), heating means (72) being provided at said at least one conduct (69) in order to heat said heating fluid at a desired temperature depending on the recipe of the food of said at least one packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food, the machine (10) further comprising recognition means for recognising the recipe of the food of a specific packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food inserted into said at least one compartment (16, 18) and a control unit (20) which automatically sets said machine (10) to operate with a predetermined heating cycle depending on the recipe of said specific packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food.

2. Machine (10) according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of compartments (16, 18) adapted to receive respective packaged cooked cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portions of food and to regenerate each of said respective packaged cooked cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portions of food individually and independently from one other according to respective recipes ensuring that all said packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portions are ready for warm consumption at the same time.

3. Machine (10) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one compartment (16, 18) is in fluid communication with at least one heating fluid feeding conduct (69) comprising at least one electric resistance (72) and means, which preferably comprises at least one electrovalve (70), adapted to allow and prevent the flow of heating fluid through said heating fluid feeding conduct (69).

4. Machine (10) according to claim 3, wherein said heating fluid comprises water, and said at least one heating fluid feeding conduct (69) comprises a first electric resistance (72) adapted to heat said water at a desired temperature below 100°

C. and a second electric resistance adapted to produce steam from said water, said at least one electrovalve (70) being adapted to allow said at least one compartment (16, 18) to be fed either with said water heated by said first electric resistance (72) or with said steam produced by said second electric resistance depending on the recipe of the food of the at least one packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food inserted therein.

5. Machine (10) according to claim 2, wherein each compartment (16, 18) is in fluid communication with at least one heating fluid feeding conduct (69) through respective conducts (65a, 65b, 65c) each comprising at least one electric resistance and means, which preferably comprises at least one electrovalve (66), adapted to allow and prevent the flow of heating fluid through said heating fluid feeding conduct (69).

6. Machine (10) according to claim 1, further comprising a water tank (60) arranged upstream of said at least one conduct (69).

7. Machine (10) according to claim 6, wherein said water tank (60) comprises at least one wall (60d, 60e) dividing the water tank (60) in at least one portion (60a) for cold water and at least one portion (60b, 60c) for hotter water.

8. Machine (10) according to claim 1, wherein said control unit (20) comprises a user interface (21) by which an user can modify said predetermined heating cycle after said recognition means have recognised the specific packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food inserted into said at least one compartment (16, 18).

9. Machine (10) according to claim 1, comprising at least one compartment (16) having a first volume for receiving packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures large portions of food and at least one compartment (18) having a smaller volume for receiving packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures smaller portions of food.

10. Method for regenerating packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portions of food by a regeneration household machine (10), said method comprising the steps of:

inserting at least one packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food into at least one compartment of said machine (10);

filling said at least one compartment with a heating fluid heated at a desired temperature depending on the recipe of the food of a specific packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food inserted into said at least one compartment;

heating said specific packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food by said heating fluid for a desired time depending on said recipe.

11. Method according to claim 10, wherein said at least one packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food is inserted into said at least one compartment when it is empty and said heating fluid is heated at said desired temperature before being inserted into said at least one compartment.

12. Method according to claim 10, wherein said machine (10) comprises a plurality of compartments adapted to receive respective packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portions of food and to regenerate each of said respective packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portions of food and wherein the step of heating said specific packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food comprises heating at least some of said plurality of compartments individually and independently from one other according to respective recipes ensuring that all said packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portions are ready for warm consumption at the same time.

13. Method according to claim 10, wherein the step of filling said at least one compartment with said heating fluid comprises filling said at least one compartment with water and/or steam and/or saturated air and/or air with very high humidity level depending on the recipe of the food of the at least one packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food inserted therein.

14. Method according to claim 10, wherein the step of heating said at least one packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food comprises supplying into said at least one compartment only water or only steam or only saturated air or only air with very high humidity level, or alternatively at first steam or saturated air or air with very high humidity level and successively water.

15. Method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of adding steam into said at least one compartment after said water has been supplied therein.

16. Method according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

recognising the recipe of the specific packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food inserted into said at least one compartment;

automatically setting said machine (10) to operate with a predetermined heating cycle depending on said recipe.

17. Method according to claim 10, comprising the step of modifying the heating cycle of said at least one packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food through a user interface.

18. Method according to claim 17, wherein said packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food is meat and wherein modifying the heating cycle of said at least one packaged cooked and subsequently cooled to chilled, ambient or frozen temperatures portion of food comprises selecting one of four different predetermined settings in order to obtain blue, red, medium or well done regenerated meat.