WO2008053060A1 - Automatic dispenser for food products and similar - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an automatic dispenser for food products for use in the catering industry in general, consisting of a series of working zones requiring doses of different products, such as ice, characterised by a product storage hopper (1) and an automatic feeder (2) which supplies the dosed product to a tube (8) that extends through the different working zones. The product is moved by a compressed air system. Moreover, each working zone is provided with a product dispenser and metering unit (10) which releases the product to the exterior or guides same to the subsequent dispenser and metering unit (10').

Description

 AUTOMATIC DISTRIBUTOR OF FOOD AND SIMILAR PRODUCTS

D E S C R I P C I Ó N

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus that has been provided for the automatic distribution of food products in restaurants, cafes, bars or the like, that is to say in general in the catering sector, although it is equally applicable to the distribution of other products. of small size, in areas where a similar level of performance is required.

The object of the invention is to obtain a distributor that, from a central storage point of a certain product, such as ice cubes, can distribute said cubes, duly dosed, to different points of the establishment where the use of the products is required. same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In any of the cases mentioned above, such as in the bar of a bar or cafeteria, if their dimensions are considerable, a series of areas are established, each of which is assisted by a different operator, both to rationalize the work and so that each operator has better control over customers, having to attend exclusively to those that correspond to that area.

However the storage areas of certain products do not usually coincide with the areas of work distribution mentioned above, so that in many occasions a waiter has to leave his area to, for example, collect ice cubes stored in a different area, and this happens with a remarkable amount of products .

This brings in addition to the loss of time that these displacements of personnel entail, an obstruction in the work since it is frequent that at the intersections some operators interfere in the work of others, collide with them, etc.

To date, the applicant has no knowledge of any solution in this regard that is not to establish different storage points of the different products throughout the establishment, which is obviously unfeasible on many occasions due to lack of space.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The automatic distributor that the invention proposes solves in a fully satisfactory manner the aforementioned problem, so that all the products of the aforementioned characteristics can be located in a storage area, which can even be outside the area exposed to the public, specifically located their respective hoppers with an appropriate capacity.

Each of these hoppers incorporates in its outlet a dispenser connected to a pipeline that runs through all the workplaces of the establishment, so that in said pipeline and in Corresponding to each of these positions, there is a distributor and dispenser of the product, which depending on whether it is in an operating or inoperative situation allows obtaining said product or determines that it passes to the next position.

A compressed air system moves the product from the automatic feeder to each of the dispensers or distributors of the product along the said conduction.

A computer system allows the application of a dose of product from any of the work stations, giving the appropriate orders to the automatic distributor so that the corresponding dose can be sent.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred example of practical implementation thereof, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description. In an illustrative and non-limiting manner, the following has been represented:

Figure 1 shows, according to a schematic perspective representation, an automatic distributor of food products and the like made in accordance with the object of the present invention.

Figure 2.- Shows an enlarged detail of the feeder located at the outlet of the hopper.

Figure 3.- It shows a detail in front elevation of one of the dispensers or distributors of product in operating situation for the same.

Figure 4.- Shows, finally, a representation similar to that of the previous figure but in which the dispenser or distributor appears in an inoperative situation.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In view of the aforementioned figures, it can be seen how the automatic distributor proposed by the invention is constituted from a hopper (1), for storage of the product in question, under which an automatic feeder (2) is placed consisting of an auger (3) located parallel to the outlet (4) of the hopper (1) and that receives the product directly through said mouth, being properly sized to receive a unit or dose of product in each space (5) defined between its blades, so that a 360 ° movement in the axis (6) of the auger causes the displacement of a dose of product towards the outlet (7) of the feeder, mouth assisted by a pneumatic, electric or chopping board, duly facing the entrance of a tube or conduit (8) for product displacement, with the collaboration of a jet of compressed air supplied from a boiler (9) connected to the corresponding pressure source. The tube (8), which can be interchangeably rigid or flexible, runs through the different jobs of the establishment, and in correspondence with each of them incorporates a distributor and product dispenser (10), in which a fixed body is established, which corresponds to the reference itself (10), in which a core (11) with a conduit (12) of section similar to the tube plays rotating (8) and forked in two branches (13-13 '), one rectilinear and the other arched forming a 90 ° elbow.

According to this structuring when the core (11) places its rectilinear branch (13) in vertical arrangement, its other branch (13 ') is connected to the tube inlet (8) and channels the product down, specifically towards the outlet (14), as shown in Figure 3, whereby the dose of product from the hopper leaves the distributor at that point, that is, at the point where said distributor and dispenser (10) is located, while that when the core (11) rotates 90 ° and it is the rectilinear branch (13) that is placed in a position facing the inlet pipe (8), the product dose passes through the distributor and dispenser (10), without discharge thereof, passing through the next section of tube (8 ') to the next distributor and dispenser (10'), and so on until it reaches the one in which the product request has been produced.

Although it has previously been said that the distributor will be controlled by a computer program, obviously such a solution corresponds to the most suitable one provided for that purpose, but the distributor can also work perfectly with a manual operation of its different mechanisms, a crank, motor driven electric, pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, etc., sending the appropriate orders to the automatic feeder (2) by wiring, remote control or by any other means.

Claims

 R E I V I N D I C A C I O N E S

I ^a .- Automatic distributor of food and similar products, which being specially designed for public establishments such as bars, cafes and similar, where a series of work areas are established in which doses of various consumer products are required, such as for example, ice cubes, stored at a greater or lesser distance, characterized in that, for each of said products, it is materialized in a storage hopper thereof, assisted by an automatic feeder, which supplies said product properly dosed to a tube that runs through different work areas, and within which the product is mobilized with the help of a compressed air system, having been provided that in correspondence with each mentioned work area a distributor and product dosing system is established, which allows the exit of said product abroad, or the channeling of said product to the next distributor and dispenser.

2 .- automatic vending of food and similar products, according to claim I ^to, wherein the automatic feeder is provided with a screw or worm, duly motorized, longitudinally facing the outlet of the hopper and with suitably dimensioned coil and distanced to receive respective doses of product, with a pneumatic, electric or chopping block being placed at the exit of said feeder, in correspondence with the mouth of the product pipe to the work areas, establishing the boiler next to said automatic feeder pressure air supply, associated with the corresponding pressure source. 3 .- automatic vending of food and similar products, according to previous claims, characterized in that each product dispenser is constituted by a fixed body, the sections of inlet and outlet pipe tube product coupled, staying within of said fixed body a rotating core with a bifurcated conduit, so that said core is capable of adopting two 90 ° offset positions, one in which the product dose from said tube goes outside, and another in which the tube Inlet directly connects with the outlet tube to move the product dose to the next distributor.

4 .- automatic vending foodstuffs and the like, according to previous claims, wherein the core of each distributor is operable manually by crank, by an electric motor or by a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, while the feeder and more specifically, the auger is driven by an electric motor, and preferably all at the expense of a computer program.