Mechanized food manufacturing process

• US 5,967,023 A
• Filed: 10/20/1997
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Societe Civile B.A.R.H.
• Original Assignee: Societe Civile B.A.R.H.
• Inventors: Raymond, Philippe, Acknin, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Simone, Timothy F.
• Application Number:
  US08/945,910
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 99/326-333, 99/348, 99/339, 99/352-355, 99/323.5-323.9, 99/450.1, 99/450.2, 99/450.4, 99/450.6, 99/450.7, 99/494, 99/516 , 99/427, 99/443 C, 364/400, 366/129, 366/150.1, 366/130, 366/601, 426/87, 426/112, 426/113, 426/120, 426/124, 426/128, 426/394, 426/412, 426/520
• US Class Current: 99/348
• CPC Class Codes: A21B 7/00 Baking plants
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 9/04 Apparatus for spreading granular material on, or sweeping or coating the surfaces of, pieces or sheets of dough coating baked articles A21C15/002
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0071 Food articles which need to be processed for dispensing in a cold condition, e.g. ice and ice cream
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0078 Food articles which need to be processed for dispensing in a hot or cooked condition, e.g. popcorn, nuts

Abstract

A mechanized food manufacturing for manufacturing savory or sweet foods based on pastry and dry or wet, liquid, solid or pasty ingredients held in specific sachets. The pastry sachets are processed first in order to make the pastry and spread it over a cooking device. The process is carried out by mechanized, programmed devices. The ingredient sachet is then processed by mechanized programmable devices. So as to enable the sachet to be opened and its contents to be spread over the cooked, precooked or ready-to-cook pastry, the configuration of the sachets and the topographical distribution of the ingredients in the sachet cooperate with the relative movements of the cooking device so as to enable a calculated amount of the ingredients to be spread randomly or geometrically.

Claims

1. A machine for fabricating a salty or sweet dish of dough by mixing a water and flour dose from a dough dosing unit which contain the water and flour dose and from a special ingredient dosing unit, the machine comprising:

a storage area for the dough dosing unit and the special ingredient dosing unit;

a baking unit having a plate received within an oven;

an operating means for the dough dosing unit, said operating means for the dough dosing unit for mixing the water and flour, said operating system for the dough dosing unit for passing the dough from said storage area to said baking unit, said operating means for the dough dosing units for initially baking of the dough in the baking unit;

an operating means for the ingredient dosing unit, said operating means for the ingredient dosing unit for pouring a special ingredient onto the initially baked dough, said operating means for the dough dosing unit for finally baking of the salty or sweet dish in the baking unit.

2. The machine of claim 1, said operating means for the dough dosing unit comprising a transfer means for grasping each of said dough dosing unit and said special ingredient dosing unit and for transferring each of said units to a preparation area.

3. The machine of claim 1, said operating means for the dough dosing unit for mixing the flour and the water, for opening the dough dosing unit, for spreading the dough on said plate, for opening a sauce enclosure and for emptying a sauce from said sauce enclosure onto the spread dough.

4. The machine of claim 1, said operating means of said special ingredient dosing unit for distributing said special ingredient in a random or geometric pattern onto the dough.

5. The machine of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of mobile plates intercalated between said storage area and said baking unit.

6. The machine of claim 1, said operating means for said dough dosing unit comprising at least one operating arm connected thereto, said operating arm being mobile and rotatable along a vertical axis, each operating arm having a plate gripping tong operatively attached thereto.

7. The machine of claim 1, said baking unit having plurality of plates received on a turntable, said baking unit having means therein for rotating said turntable.

8. The machine of claim 1, said operating means for the dough dosing unit comprising:

a rotary and mobile turret head; and

a hook means affixed to said rotary and mobile turret head for opening said dough dosing unit.

9. The machine of claim 8, said rotary and mobile turret head comprising two turret heads positioned one below the other, said dough dosing unit being positioned between said two turret heads.

10. The machine of claim 1, each of said dough dosing unit and said special ingredient dosing unit having identification information attached thereto.