MACHINE FOR PREPARING AND VENDING HOT SANDWICHES

Abstract: A machine consisting of a metal cabinet (1) forming internally a refrigerated chamber (2) having two superimposed doors (17, 24), two vertical longitudinal carrousels (3) for storing sandwiches (b) being mounted in said chamber. The sandwiches are displaced through an opening (16) towards an electric grill (11) that is mounted between both doors (17, 24) and that heats or toasts the sandwiches, which are then ejected to a collector (22) from which they are picked up by the user through an opening (22') in the outer door (24). The machine is characterized in that the two carrousels (3) are mounted crosswise from the front to the back of the refrigerated chamber (2). A central push device (12) is mounted between the two carrousels, which displaces the sandwiches (b) towards the grill (11) from a platform (10) to which they have been displaced previously from the carrousels by corresponding push devices (7).

Description: This invention is a machine for making and dispensing hot sandwiches. The machine is of the type which comprises a refrigerated chamber with two vertical longitudinal carousels. The sandwiches, suitably wrapped, are stored individually on the platforms of these carousels, and are pushed one after the other towards an electric grill through the opening in the door which seals off the refrigerated chamber and supports the grill. Once heated and toasted, the sandwiches are dispensed to the consumer who has activated the machine. The consumer picks the sandwiches from a collector through an opening in the front door of the machine. Although existing machines of this type carry out their function perfectly well, they generally only prepare and dispense small rectangular type toasted sandwiches, not large enough to satisfy big appetites which need a larger sandwich. In addition, these conventional toasted sandwiches are usually only made with ham and cheese, with no option to choose other fillings. EP 0 896 303 discloses a method and apparatus for preparing and expending hot sandwiches. The procedure consists in first wrapping the formed sandwich in aluminum foil or suitable paper, placing it in a refrigerating chamber and conveying it to a grill, wherefrom, once heated, it is conveyed to a dispenser from where it is removed by the consumer. The machine comprises a refrigerating chamber, two doors, one for closing the chamber, inside of which at least one carrousel is provided for storing the wrapped sandwiches, and another for closing over the first door and forming a second chamber inside of which is fitted the grill for heating the sandwich received through an opening of the first door, a dispenser, where the sandwich is moved for dispensing; and a tray storage unit. These limitations are overcome in the machine subject of this invention, as it can dispense hot sandwiches made from French bread ('sticks'), popularly known as 'baguettes', which not only satisfy heavy appetites, but can also contain any type of cooked meats, sausages, cheese, etc. quite normally, as the two carousels on a machine can store two different types of sandwich. Aspects of the invention are disclosed in independant apparatus claim 1. For this purpose, the machine has two carousels arranged transversely from front to rear of the refrigerated chamber. Between them is a central pusher device which shifts the sandwiches to the grill from a platform. Prior to this, the sandwiches are transferred to the platform from the carousels by corresponding pusher devices. The two carousels face each other, with one ahead of the other, so that both sandwiches may be positioned on the platform at the same time. From here, the central pusher device moves them both to the grill where they are heated. The machine can, then, serve the consumer with two sandwiches in the same time as it takes to make one. The central pusher device has the advantage that it is actuated by a spiral spring wound on a rotating disc, enabling the refrigerated chamber to be less deep than if a different type of mechanism were used to actuate the pusher. The refrigerating unit that cools the refrigerated chamber is installed in a compartment at the bottom and back of the chamber. It includes a turbine at the top and a longitudinal air outlet at the bottom. This machine is also fitted with a condiment supplier. In the case of hamburgers or hot dogs, for example, these condiments would be ketchup and mustard, contained in sachets held between the turns of a spiral rod. This rod, mounted in a channel and actuated by turning, constitutes the supplier. It is fitted behind the front door of the machine with access to the sandwich collector, on to which the sachets fall individually. These and other features will become clear with the following detailed description, which is accompanied by a set of drawings representing a practical case of fulfillment of the machine, provided solely by way of a non-limiting example of the scope of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 shows a schematic view of the front elevation of the machine without its two doors. Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of the machine with sectioned refrigerated chamber and front outside door. Figure 3 is a schematic side elevation of the top of the machine without the front door, and with sectioned refrigerated chamber and other door. Figure 4 shows a schematic front elevation of the part of the machine that includes the grill and two condiment suppliers. Finally, figure 5 is a cross-section on a larger scale of these condiment suppliers, as indicated by the section line V-V on figure 4. The figures illustrate that the sandwich-making and dispensing machine has a metal cabinet -1- inside which is the refrigerated chamber -2-. Opposite the chamber mouth and fitted crosswise from front to back are the two vertical longitudinal carousels -3-. These face each other, though one is ahead of the other (see figure 2), and turn around their respective pairs of end cylinders -4- (figure 3). Both pairs of cylinders are actuated by their respective motors -5-, to which the top ends of the cylinders are coupled. The carousels -3- each contain series of platforms -6- on which suitably wrapped sandwiches -b- are arranged. The sandwiches comprise sticks of bread and the corresponding cooked meats or other foodstuffs. The tubular shape of the platforms -6- envelops the sandwich -b- (figure 3) and holds it in place whatever the position of the platform -6- in the carousel -3-. This tubular platform -6- shape is not completely closed to allow the pusher blades -7a- on their respective pusher devices -7- to enter by sliding along the horizontal guides -8-. Each one faces a carousel -3- on the top front of the refrigerated chamber -2-. These pusher devices -7- actuated by their respective motors -9-move the sandwich(es) -b- from one carousel or the other, or from both at once, to a central platform -10- installed in the chamber -2- between the two carousels -3- (figure 2). From here, the sandwich or sandwiches -b- are moved to the electric grill -11- by the blade -12- on a further pusher device -12a-, also fitted on the refrigerated chamber -2- behind the platform -10-. This platform -10- has two sides, -10'- and -10"-, cut-out and jointed with the rest of the platform (figures 1 and 2) and arranged vertically downwards. These receive the sandwiches -b- from the carousels -3-, since as the sandwiches are longer than the platforms -6- that hold them and overhang at both sides, they bump into the platform -10- when the carousels -3- turn, lifting and aligning the above-mentioned parts -10'- and -10"- with the rest of the platform -10- when the carousels stop. This lifting of parts -10'- and -10"- of the platform -10- enables the sandwiches -b- to be shifted from the carousels -3- to the platform -10- via such parts. The lifting motion is produced by the action of a device -10a- consisting of a motor-driven eccentric with two arms jointed to parts -10'- and -10"-. The device is fitted under the platform -10- (figure 1). The pusher device -12- has a blade -12a- linked at its rear face to the end of a spiral spring -13- wound on a rotating disc -14- installed to the rear of and under this blade. When the motor -15- driving the device is actuated, the spring is opened out, pushing and moving the blade -12a- forward along an upper horizontal guide (not shown). This pusher device -12- carries the sandwich -b- on the platform -10- with it to the grill -11-. It gains access to the grill through an opening -16- in the door -17- that closes off the chamber -2- and on whose front face the grill is fitted (figures 2 and 3). The front mouth of the opening mentioned has a flap-door -16'- jointed at the top. The sandwich -b- will now be laid on the bottom fixed plate -11'- of the grill -11 -, while the top plate -11"- is fixed to a top mounting - 11a - which is jointed to the bottom end of an upper frame -18- and to an eccentric and connecting rod device -19 - forming part of the frame -18-. This device, when driven by a motor -20-, presses the top plate -11"- on to the sandwich -b-, thereby heating and toasting it. Once heated and toasted, the sandwich -b- is pushed off the grill -11- by a side pusher device -21- similar to the pusher devices -7- and installed on the front face of the door -17-. The sandwich -b- falls onto a collector -22- which, forming part of frame 23 of a second door -24-included in the cabinet -1-, is fitted to the rear face of this door. This second door -24- closes onto the door -17- forming the front face of the cabinet -1-. There is a space between the two doors delimited by the large perimeter edge -24'- on the door -24- which faces backwards and allows siting of the grill -11-, collector -22- and the two condiment suppliers -25- which serve the condiments in convenient sachets -s-. These suppliers both consist of spiral rods -26- arranged inside their respective rectangular U-shaped channels, mounted stepped and in parallel one above the other (figures 4 and 5) in frame -23- of door -24-. The channels -27- are arranged between a mounting -28-, which fastens them to the frame at one end, and the collector -22- which holds them at the other end in corresponding openings -22a- and -22b- in the collector. The channels -27- are also joined together at an intermediate mounting - 28a-. The sachets -s- with their corresponding condiments are laid out crosswise in the channels -27- with their bottom halves housed in them and fitting between the turns of the above-mentioned spiral rods -26-. When these spiral rods are driven by their respective motors -29- fitted behind mounting -28- and coupled to the rods through it, the sachets -s- are moved until they fall into the collector -22-. This collector -22- is fitted at one side of the rear face of door -24-, which has an opening -22'- giving access to the collector from the outside to pick up the sandwiches -b- and sachets -s-. The channels -27- housing the sachets are divided lengthwise into two parts, a fixed one -27'- and one that can move transversely - 27"- to adjust to varying lengths of sachet -s- (figure 5). The moving parts -27"- of the channels -27- are suitably fastened to mountings -28- and -28a- through table openings -30- made in them. The refrigerating unit for the refrigerated chamber -2- is installed in the compartment at the bottom and back of the chamber formed by a hollow section -31- that is wider at the bottom and has a longitudinal air outlet -31'-, and by a much narrower top part situated between the two carousels and which includes a turbine -31"-.

Claims: Machine (1) for making and dispensing hot sandwiches (b) comprising an electric grill (11), a collector (22) and a rear refrigerated chamber (2) with two vertical longitudinal carousels (3) on whose platforms (6) the suitably wrapped sandwiches (b) are stored, said sandwiches (b) are pushed one by one to an electric grill (11) through an opening (16) which closes off the refrigerated chamber (2) and the sandwich (b) now hot, is pushed to a collector (22) which is accessed from outside the machine (1) through an opening (16) in the front door (17), characterised in that the refrigerated chamber (2) comprises a central pusher device (7) which moves the sandwiches (b) to the grill (11) from a platform (6) to which the sandwiches (b) have previously been moved from the two carousels (3) by corresponding pusher device (7) also comprised in the machine (1). Machine (1) for making and dispensing hot sandwiches (b) in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that the two carousels (3) are installed transversely from front to rear of the refrigerated chamber (2) with the central pusher device (7) fitted between them, and because the two carousels (3) face each other with one positioned further forward than the other. Machine (1) for making and dispensing hot sandwiches (b) in accordance with claim 2, characterised in that the central pusher device (7) is actuated by a spiral spring (26) wound on a rotating disc (14). Machine (1) for making and dispensing hot sandwiches (b) in accordance with claim 1 characterised in that it includes at least one supplier of condiments (25) for the sandwiches (b) behind the front door (17) with access to the sandwich collector (22). Machine (1) for making and dispensing hot sandwiches (b) in accordance with claim 4, characterised in that the condiment supplier (25) comprises a spiral rod (26) with rotary drive within a channel (27) the sachets(s) containing the corresponding condiment (25) being held between the turns of this rod (26). Machine for making and dispensing hot sandwiches in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that the refrigerating unit (2) for the refrigerated chamber (2) installed in a compartment at the back and bottom of such chamber (2) and comprises a turbine at the top and a longitudinal air outlet at the bottom.

Inventors: RUIZ HUERTAS JOSE M, RUIZ HUERTAS, JOSE M, RUIZ HUERTAS, José M
Applicants: MIRO PEPIO ROSA MARIA, RUIZ HUERTAS JOSE MARIA, MIRO PEPIO, ROSA MARIA, RUIZ HUERTAS, JOSE MARIA
Application year: 2001
Main classification: G07F9
IPC codes: G07F11, G07F9