Method and device for preparing foodstuffs by baking inside an oven cavity

• US 6,774,345 B1
• Filed: 04/17/2002
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fritson AG
• Original Assignee: Fritson AG
• Inventors: Kenk, Ernst
• Primary Examiner(s): PASCHALL, MARK H
• Application Number:
  US09/979,268
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 219/494, 219/506, 219/411-413, 219/681, 219/579, 219/497, 219/720, 219/714, 392/360, 392/356, 993/25, 993/59, 993/42, 994/68
• US Class Current: 219/506
• CPC Class Codes: A21B 1/26 by hot air
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/1228 Automatic machines for frying and dispensing metered amounts of food

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and device for carrying out the automated preparation of foodstuffs by portions, especially french fries made of potato sticks or the like that are previously fried in oil, by baking them inside an oven cavity (15). The oven cavity (15) is surrounded by a casing (1) which is provided with a bar code reader (9) that is connected to a control (44). Said control enables or refuses the actuation of the device according to the information contained in the bar code that has been read, and/or controls the baking time and/or the baking temperature and/or a preheating temperature.

Claims

1. Device for the automated, batch-wise preparation of foodstuffs such as French fries out of potato sticks preliminarily deep-fried in oil or the like by baking in a furnace cell (15), wherein the furnace cell (15) is enveloped by a casing (1) provided with a barcode reader (9), which is connected with a controller (44), characterized in that the controller (44) only approves or disapproves the activation of the device as a function of the information contained in the respectively read barcode, and through comparison with previously stored data, if the expiration date of the foodstuffs has not yet been exceeded, the respective package is not a foreign package, and the respective package has not already been used, and that the controller otherwise regulates the baking time and/or the baking temperature and/or a preheating temperature.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the furnace cell (15) can be preheated and is provided with ventilation means (24, 25, 31-39), and that the furnace cell (15) can be filled and emptied based on the fall-through principal, and exhibits an automatically activated upper (20) and lower (22) sealing element).

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the ventilation means (24, 25, 31-39) in the furnace cell (15) can be used to generate a hot air stream with a volumetric flow of between 12 m³/h and 16 m³/h, in particular of 14 m³/h.

4. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that a casing (1) is provided around the furnace cell (15), insulating it to the outside against the heat, wherein the casing has an upper fill hole (2) and a lower discharge hole (4) for the foodstuffs, and is provided with controls and/or displays.

5. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is designed as a tabletop model with a height of less than 60 cm.

6. Procedure for the automated, portion-by-portion preparation of foodstuffs like French fries out of potato sticks or the like preliminarily deep-fried in oil via baking in a furnace cell (15), characterized in that a portion of the foodstuffs is removed from a package provided with a barcode and filled into the furnace cell, that the barcode on the package is read into a controller (44) of the furnace cell by means of a barcode reader, that the furnace cell controller computes an individual baking program for the specified foodstuff portion from the data read in, and that the furnace cell subsequently is put into operation by the controller according to this program, wherein the controller only approves or disapproves the activation of the furnace cell as a function of the information contained in the respectively read barcode, and through comparison with previously stored data, if the expiration date of the foodstuffs has not yet been exceeded, the respective package is not a foreign package, and the respective package has not already been used.