Method and apparatus for drawing cakes

• US 9,681,774 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2015
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PancakeBot, LLC
• Original Assignee: PancakeBot, LLC
• Inventors: Valenzuela, Miguel
• Primary Examiner(s): LAFLAME JR, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US14/741,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20160015210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 99325, 99337, 99352, 99403, 994501, 426113, 426115, 426390, 426391, 426496, 426512
• CPC Class Codes: A21B 5/00 Baking apparatus for special goods; Other baking apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A21B 5/08 Apparatus for baking in baking fat or oil, e.g. for making doughnuts
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/067 Horizontally disposed broiling griddles

Abstract

A foodstuff making machine comprising a batter dispenser connected to a device for capturing a design to dispense the batter onto a cooking surface with a first controller to control the flow rate and deposit of the batter to result in a desired shape and size of the foodstuff; a second controller that allows for a timed delay between dispensing of said foodstuff to allow subsequent pours to cook longer thereby creating a contrasting color between the foodstuff dispensed at different times; a removable dispensing device controlled by a positive or negative air displacement created by vacuum pump and redirected by one or more valves; and a third controller to control flow rate as well as starting and stopping of batter flow wherein there is no contact of food stuff and mechanical or moving parts.

Claims

1. A foodstuff making machine comprising:

a) a batter dispenser for dispensing batter, connected to a device for capturing a design;

b) an essentially flat cooking surface on which the batter is dispensed;

c) a first controller to control the flow rate of the batter and location of batter dispenser and batter deposit to result in a desired shape and size of the foodstuff;

d) a second controller that allows for a timed delay between dispensing of said foodstuff to allow subsequent pours to cook longer thereby creating a contrasting color between the foodstuff dispensed at different times;

e) a dispensing device that can be removed by the user and washed separately without having to wash parts where foodstuff would travel through wherein low viscosity foodstuff is isolated from all mechanics and is controlled by a positive or negative air displacement created by vacuum pump and redirected by one or more valves; and

f) a third controller to control flow rate as well as starting and stopping of batter flow wherein there is no contact of food stuff and mechanical or moving parts.

2. A food preparation device according to claim 1 wherein the design is input by a user.

3. A food preparation device according to claim 1 wherein the design is input by electronically and the order of the data entered is tracked and data from the design is read and sent to a microcontroller which then controls the location of the batter dispenser, dispensing the batter on to the cooking surface at the appropriate rate and in the appropriate motion sequence based on the order of data entered by the user to result in the foodstuff in the desired shape and cooked.

4. A food preparation device according to claim 1 wherein the design is downloaded from a remote location through a wireless connection.