Food heating and preparation machine

Abstract

To provide a food cooking and providing machine preventing uneven cooking from being formed on food.SOLUTION: A food cooking and providing machine 1 cooking food stored in the inside according to requirements of a customer and providing it to the customer, includes a placement plate 31 having a base end 31a supported in a cantilevered manner and an upper surface on which food F is placed, heating means 41 and 42 heating the food F placed on the placement plate 31 from above and below, and support means 51, while the food F is heated, supporting a tip 31b of the placement plate 31 such that the upper face of the placement plate 31 is horizontal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a food cooking and serving machine that cooks and serves food. [Background technology]

[0002] A pizza vending machine is known as one type of vending machine that cooks food internally and provides it to customers (see Patent Document 1). The vending machine described in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a freezer for storing frozen pizzas and a heater for heating the pizzas (see Patent Document 1, Figures 1, 2, 2A, and 2B), and is configured so that the frozen pizza is placed on a cantilevered blade and cooked by heating it from above and below with heaters (see Patent Document 1, Figures 3A and 3B).

[0003] To heat a frozen pizza and then serve it to a customer, the pizza needs to be moved inside the vending machine. Therefore, in the vending machine described in Patent Document 1, the pizza is stored in a tray and frozen, so it is heated by scooping the pizza from the tray with a cantilevered blade and heating it in that state. Because the pizza needs to be scooped from the tray, the blade is made of a thin plate (see Patent Document 1, Figures 3 and 4).

[0004] In the vending machine described in Patent Document 1, a moist pizza is placed on a cantilevered blade and heated from above and below (see Patent Document 1, Figure 3B). As a result, the weight of the pizza actually causes the blade to bend and the tip to lower. Because the pizza is heated in this position, there is a problem of uneven cooking, with the top surface being undercooked and the bottom surface being overcooked. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2011 / 045662 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a food cooking and serving machine that does not cause uneven heating of food. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the invention described in claim 1 is a food cooking and serving machine that heats and cooks food stored inside in accordance with customer requests and serves the food to the customer, the machine comprising: a placing plate whose base end is supported in a cantilevered manner and on whose upper surface the food is placed; heating means that heats the food placed on the placing plate from above and below; and support means that supports the tip of the placing plate so that the upper surface of the placing plate is horizontal while the food is being heated. The heating means has a lower heating means located below the placing plate, the support means has a support protrusion that protrudes from the lower heating means and supports the tip of the placing plate from below, the edge of the tip of the placing plate is formed concave in a plan view, the support means has two support protrusions that support both ends of the edge from below, and while the food is being stored, the food is contained in a container with a wire mesh placed directly below it, and while the food is being heated, the food is placed on the placing plate with the wire mesh placed directly below it. This is a food heating and cooking machine characterized by the above.

[0008] According to the invention of claim 1, it is possible to provide a cooking and serving machine that does not cause uneven heating of food. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooking and serving machine that does not cause uneven heating of food. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the entire food cooking and providing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a front view and (b) is a right side view. [Figure 2] 1 to explain the cooking process in a food cooking and serving machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows the state in which stored food has been transferred from the storage section to the cooking section, and (b) shows the state in which the food has been transported upward by an elevator and is positioned below the upper heating means. [Figure 3]1 to explain the cooking process in a food cooking and serving machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows the state in which food contained in a container has been scooped up by a placing plate, and (b) shows the state in which food has been placed on the placing plate and is being heated from above and below. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the placement plate in FIGS. 2 and 3 as viewed from above. [Figure 5] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating the lower heating means of a food cooking and providing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a diagram showing the arrow BB of FIG. 3B, and (b) is a diagram showing the arrow CC of (a). [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the state in which food is contained in a container in a food heating and cooking serving machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a view from above with the food partially cut away, and (b) is a view from the side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Next, an embodiment of a food cooking and serving machine to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and therefore various technically preferable limitations are applied, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to these aspects unless otherwise specified in the following description to the effect that the present invention is limited.

[0018] [Embodiment] A food cooking and serving machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the entire food cooking and serving machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, with (a) being a front view and (b) being a right side view. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the cooking process in the food cooking and serving machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, taken along the arrow AA line in FIG. 1, where (a) shows the state in which stored food has been transferred from the storage section to the cooking section, and (b) shows the state in which the food has been transported up by the elevator and is positioned below the upper heating means. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the cooking process in the food cooking and serving machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, taken along the arrow AA line in FIG. 1, where (a) shows the state in which food contained in a container has been scooped up by the placing plate, and (b) shows the state in which the food is placed on the placing plate and heated from above and below. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the placing plate in FIGS. 2 and 3, viewed from above. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the lower heating means of the food cooking and providing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a diagram showing the view of arrow BB in Fig. 3(b) and (b) is a diagram showing the view of arrow CC in (a). Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the state in which food is contained in a container in the food cooking and providing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a view from above with the food partially cut away and (b) is a view from the side.

[0019] The basic configuration of a food cooking and serving machine 1 according to this embodiment will now be described. Food cooking and serving machine 1 cooks food stored therein in response to customer requests and serves it to customers. As shown in FIG. 1, it has a coin insertion and return section 1a where customers insert coins and receive change, an operation panel 1b where customers perform operations such as selecting products, and a food serving port 1c through which food products are served to customers. Note that while food cooking and serving machine 1 according to this embodiment is configured to cook and serve pizza as food, it can be applied to any food.

[0020] Food cooking and providing machine 1 has storage units 20, 20 for storing food, and cooking unit 10 for cooking the stored food. In this embodiment, storage unit 20 stores frozen pizza as food. In response to a customer request (insertion of money and product selection), food stored in storage unit 20 is transferred to cooking unit 10, where it is cooked and then discharged through food serving opening 1c for serving to the customer. These processes are similar to those described in Patent Document 1, and therefore a detailed description will be omitted.

[0021] Next, the process by which food is transferred from storage section 20 into cooking section 10 and cooked will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Inside cooking section 10, there is provided an elevator E that transports food F transferred from storage section 20 up and down, an upper heating means 41 that is fixedly positioned in a horizontal position above elevator E and heats food F from above, and a lower heating means 42 that heats food F from below. Lower heating means 42 is hinged within cooking section 10 so that it can rotate about an axis of rotation extending in the front-to-rear direction, and can rotate 90 degrees, thereby changing its position. Lower heating means 42 can be positioned horizontally facing upper heating means 41 to heat food F (see Figure 3(b)), or hanging vertically to allow elevator E to approach upper heating means 41. The movement of the hinged lower heating means 42, the function of the elevator E, and the operation of transporting the food F from the storage section 20 to the cooking section 10 and placing it on the elevator E are the same as those described in Patent Document 1 and are shown in Figures 1 and 2 of Patent Document 1, so detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0022] FIG. 2(a) shows a state in which food F has been transferred from storage section 20 and placed on elevator E. As shown in FIG. 2(a), food F is contained in container C, similar to the invention described in Patent Document 1 (see Patent Document 1, FIG. 6), but in this embodiment of the present invention, a wire mesh M is interposed between the bottom of food F and container C. Container C is constructed by folding a cardboard sheet. Details of wire mesh M will be described later. In the state shown in FIG. 2(a), food F is located below and sufficiently separated from upper heating means 41. Furthermore, lower heating means 42 is in a position that allows elevator E to approach upper heating means 41 (not shown).

[0023] Next, elevator E rises, and food F approaches upper heating means 41 (see FIG. 2(b)). Upper heating means 41 has peripheral wall 41a that tapers downward, and at this time food F is surrounded by peripheral wall 41a.

[0024] Next, the placing plate 31 moves from the back to the front and scoops up the food F (see FIG. 3(a)). At this time, the placing plate 31 is inserted between the circular wire mesh M placed directly below the food F and the container C. This prevents the placing plate 31 from coming into direct contact with the food F. After the food F is placed on the top surface of the placing plate 31 via the wire mesh M, the elevator E descends with the container C on it. The movement of the placing plate 31 will be described later.

[0025] After elevator E has descended sufficiently, lower heating means 42, which is hinged within cooking section 10 as described above, rotates 90° to face horizontally and assumes a position for heating food F (see FIG. 3(b)). At this time, food F remains placed on loading plate 31 and is sandwiched between upper and lower heating means 41 and lower heating means 42. At this time, the lower end of peripheral wall 41a of upper heating means 41 is so close as to be almost in contact with lower heating means 42, so food F is heated in a nearly sealed environment. In other words, upper heating means 41 and lower heating means 42 form an oven for heating food F.

[0026] The structure of the mounting plate 31 will now be described with reference to Figure 4. The mounting plate 31 is formed in the shape of a thin plate, and is provided with a plurality of holes 32,..., 32 so that heat from the lower heating means 42 can be efficiently transferred to the food F. Similar to the invention described in Patent Document 1, the mounting plate 31 is configured such that its base end 31a is supported in a cantilevered manner and is moved in the front-to-rear direction by an actuator (not shown). The method of movement of the mounting plate 31 is the same as that shown in Figures 3 and 4 of Patent Document 1.

[0027] The edge 31c of the tip 31b of the mounting plate 31 is formed in a concave shape in a plan view. Therefore, two edge end portions 31d, 31d at both ends of the edge 31c are located on the nearest side. Due to this shape, as shown in Figure 3(a), when the mounting plate 31 is inserted between the wire mesh M and the container C, the force is dispersed rather than concentrated in one place, allowing for smooth insertion.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3(b), food F is placed on the upper surface of the mounting plate 31 via a wire mesh M. The upper heating means 41 is disposed above the food F and the lower heating means 42 is disposed below the food F, and the food F is heated in this position. The lower heating means 42 is provided with two support protrusions 51, 51 that protrude upward, as shown in FIG. 3(b) and FIG. 5(a) and (b). As mentioned above, the mounting plate 31 is supported at the base end 31a, and its tip 31b is supported from below by the support protrusions 51 at the edge end 31d. This prevents the tip of the mounting plate 31 from drooping, and maintains a horizontal position with its upper surface. The mounting plate 31 is supported at three points: the base end 31a and the edge ends 31d, 31d, so that its upper surface is defined as horizontal.

[0029] As in the invention described in Patent Document 1, upper heating means 41 and lower heating means 42 are configured to heat food F by infrared rays radiated from heaters H provided therein.

[0030] After the food F has been cooked, it is discharged from the food serving opening 1c shown in Figure 1 and served to the customer. The process from cooking to serving to the customer is the same as that described in Patent Document 1, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0031] Next, the wire mesh M placed directly below the food F will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The wire mesh M is circular in plan view and is placed directly below the food F from the time the food F is stored until it is served to the customer. As shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), when the food F is placed in the container C, the wire mesh M is interposed between the food F and the container C. In this state, when the placing plate 31 scoops up the food F, it scoops up the entire food F along with the wire mesh M (see FIG. 3(a)). Because the wire mesh M is mesh-like, it does not block infrared rays and does not interfere with heating. Furthermore, because the wire mesh M is always located directly below the food F, the food F does not come into direct contact with the placing plate 31. Furthermore, compared to the container C made of cardboard, the wire mesh M has sufficient rigidity, so deflection of the wire mesh M is suppressed even when the food F is placed on the container C for a long period of time.

[0032] [Modification] In the above embodiment, the tip of the mounting plate 31 is supported from below at two points by providing support protrusions 51 on the lower heating means 42, but the support method is not limited to this and it is also possible to support the tip in a line along the edge. Also, instead of supporting from below, it is also possible to provide a portion on the upper heating means 41 where the tip of the mounting plate 31 can be hung and supported, and support it there. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1 Food heating and serving machine 1a Coin deposit and return section 1b Operation panel 1c Food serving port 10 Heating cooking section 20 Storage Unit 31 Loading plate 31a proximal end 31b Tip 31c Edge 31d Marginal edge 32 holes 41 Upper heating means (heating means) 41a Peripheral wall 42 Lower heating means (heating means) 51 Support protrusion (support means) C container E elevator F Food H heater M Wire Mesh

Claims

[Claim 1] A food cooking and serving machine that cooks food stored therein in accordance with customer requests and serves the food to the customer, a base end of which is supported in a cantilevered manner and on which the food is placed; a heating means for heating the food placed on the placing plate from above and below; a support means for supporting a tip of the loading plate so that the upper surface of the loading plate is horizontal while the food is being heated; the heating means has a lower heating means located below the mounting plate, the support means has a support protrusion that protrudes from the lower heating means and supports the tip of the mounting plate from below, The edge of the tip of the mounting plate is formed in a concave shape in a plan view, the support means has two support protrusions that support both ends of the edge from below, During storage, the food is contained in a container with a wire mesh placed directly underneath the food; While the food is being heated, the food is placed on the plate with the wire mesh placed directly underneath. A food heating and cooking machine characterized by the above.

Images