Patent Publication Number: US-2018035676-A1

Title: Compact Machine for Manufacturing Injera

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to an automated manufacturing machine for the manufacturing of flatbread mainly Injera also known as Enjera. The same machine can be used to manufacture flatbread such as crepe, Chinese flatbread, Indian flatbread etc. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Injera is a flatbread which is circular, thin widely known in Ethiopia and some neighboring countries. Sometimes it may be called Enjera. It is a spongy, vesicular textured, sour test flatbread. It is usually made of teff flour in Ethiopia. Teff is the smallest gain grown mainly in Ethiopia. Nowadays, Ethiopian community in developed countries started adding wheat/self-rising, barley flours in the teff batter. 
     For centuries most Ethiopians bake Injera on a hot hand-made clay pan using wood as a source of heat. Some people started using clay pans and small size metal cooking pans coated with non-stick coat to bake Injera using electric heaters as source of heat, in both the above cases one Injera is baked at a time. A few people mainly in North America patented automated machines to manufacture Injera: U.S. Pat. No. 7,421,943 (Yoseph) describes Injera baking machine, U.S. Pat. No. 7,063,008 and a Canadian Pat. No. CA 2415621 (Wundeb) describes Injera manufacturing system, and U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2005/0208183 (Emru) describes method of and apparatus for making Ethiopian bread, U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2003/0143309 (Mengistu Kindie et. al) describes Method and Apparatus for Making Bread, U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2011/0189361A1 (Wassie Mulugeta) describes a Rotary Baking System and Method, U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2012/0247344 A1 (Michael Ma) describes Method and Apparatus for Rapid Production of Injera Bread. 
     Most of previously patented designs so far are not easily customizable to fit for both small and large flatbread manufacturing. Besides that only a handful of automated machines are constructed in the world to solve Injera baking challenges that many Ethiopians encountered. People are still baking Injera in one at a time fashion. The process is very time consuming and less safer from hygienic point of view as Injera baking process involves much hand using from the beginning to the end. 
     It is a general objective of this invention to provide an improved, fully automated machine for manufacturing of Injera in a relatively small spaces, less costly and less human interference. The machine is capable of producing multiple Injera pieces continuously. The design of the machine is easily customizable to fit small to very large quantities Injera manufacturing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       This invention will be better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective schematic view of the machine showing all the main machine components with detailed A and B 
         FIG. 2  is a detailed perspective schematic view of batter dispensing unit from  FIG. 1   
         FIG. 3  is a detailed perspective schematic view of lid carrier unit from  FIG. 1   
         FIG. 4  is a perspective schematic view showing pan and lid 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective schematic view of the machine without batter dispensing unit, without lid carrier unit, without machine top support to show detailed C, D of pans rotating unit 
         FIG. 6  is a detailed perspective schematic view from  FIG. 5  showing pan rotating unit on left 
         FIG. 7  is a detailed perspective schematic view from  FIG. 5  showing pan rotating unit on right 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective schematic view of the machine showing all the machine parts 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
     A combined description of  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 8  is done for better understanding of the present invention.  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3  shows rotary baking pans configuration for mass manufacturing of Injera and different components of the present invention. The machine comprises of batter dispensering unit  22 , 21 ,  10 , the batter dispensing unit  22 , 21 , 10  is attached to vertical linear bearing and the machine support frame  17 , the nozzle  22  support  10  is attached to y-bearing and a motor can rotate the dispensing unit  21 , 22  in a clockwise  81  or anti-clockwise  80  direction. The support frame  17  is attached to linear bearings  15 . In stationary pans  14  configuration, a motor can attach to the frame  17  to move the dispensing unit  21 ,  20 ,  10  forward  62 , 34  and backward  61 , 35  to align the unit  22 , 21  with different pans  14 . The motor on bar  10  rotates  80 ,  81  to spread batter on different pan  14  surfaces  60 . The lid carrier unit  11 , 59  connects to frame  33  that in turn connects to frames  32 ,  18 .  FIG. 4  the baking pan  14  has a rectangular shape with concave shape depression  60  on the center of the pan  14 , the rim of the concave shape depression  60  allows baking of thinner flatbread on the periphery. The elliptical grooves on the pans  45  allow smooth rotation of the pans  14  at both end of the machine. The lids  13  with handle  12  cover some of the pans  14  when baking commences.  FIG. 2  the batter dispensing unit  22 ,  21 ,  10  has nozzles  22  which are attached to each other side by side and each nozzles have flow control  21  valves to control the amount of batter coming out of the nozzles  22 . Even though only three nozzles  22  are shown in the drawing, more nozzles  22  might be added as required during manufacturing of the machine. The nozzles  22  have different flow rates  91  to account for the differences in surface areas each nozzles  22  need to cover when rotating to spread batter, so nozzle  22  close to the center of the pan  14  means nozzle  22  close to support bar  10  have lower flow rate  91  as compared to nozzle  22  away from the center of the pan  14 . The nozzle support  10  rotates either to clockwise  81  or anti-clockwise  80  direction to spread batter on baking surface  60 , the nozzle  22 ,  21  spreads batter in a circular shape. Even though nozzles  22  covers a radius of the pan  14 , during manufacturing more nozzles  22  might be added to cover a diameter of the pan  60  so that the nozzles  22  rotates only 180 degrees to dispense batter instead of 360 degrees.  FIG. 3 , the lid carrier unit has a support arm  59 , y-shaped bars  11  to hold the lid  13  up 63 and move it to the opposite  62  side of the machine and drop  64  the lid on another baking surface  14 , then move back  61  to the original place to pick  63  another lid  13 . The machine has two rows of pans  14 .  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3 , an elliptical pin  51  on spring  49  loaded bar  48  enters the groove  45  on the pan  14 , as bar  48  rotates  68 , the elliptical pin  51  pushes down  93  by a spring  49  that force the pin  51  to lock in the groove  45 . Rotation of the pin  51  forces the pan  14  to rotate to the opposite row, a wedge shape  78  tip on each side of the crescent shaped bar  47  pushes the pin  52  up 92 so that the pin  51  unlocks from the groove  45 . The crescent shaped bar  47  is connected to the machine body with bar  91 . A protection covers  41  are connected to each side of the machine to reduce accidents which may cause by rotation  68  of the pans  14  from one side of the machine to another. 
       FIG. 5 , for smooth sliding of the pans  14 , roller bearings  58  mounted on the machine support frames to carry the pans  14 , the roller bearings  58  support frames are mounted inside the machine body  38 , the body  38  attached to the machine bottom support frames  39 ,  40 , 46 , 73 ,  74 , 75 , telescoping mechanism between bar  40  and bar  39  allows machine height adjustment. Both the lid carrier unit  11 ,  59  and batter dispensing unit  22 , 21 , 10  are connected to the machine main frames  17 , 33 , 32 , 18 , 32  which are covered by metal sheets  57 ,  55 , frames  42  on both side of the machine support all the top machine parts  57 , 55 . Additional support frames  44  give additional support for the top machine part by connecting frames  42  on both side of the machine. 
       FIG. 8 , the batter dispensing unit  22 ,  21 ,  10  is attached to the machine support top frame  17 , the dispensing unit bar  10  is attached to y-bearing and a motor rotates the dispensing unit  21  in a clockwise  81  or anti-clockwise  80  direction. The bar  10  is connected to vertical linear bearing and support frames  17 . The support frames  17  is attached to linear bearings  15 , a motor can attach to the frame  17  to move the dispensing unit  21 ,  20 ,  10  forward  34   62  and backward  35 , 61  to spread batter on different pans surfaces  60 . The linear bearings  15  on frame  17  can slide on cylindrical bar  16 , the cylindrical bar  16  are attached to another frames  32 ,  18 , the top frames  18  have linear bearings  19  which are aligned in the machine longitudinal direction. The linear bearings  19  slides on cylindrical bars  43 , and motor with belt or chain system may attach to both end of the machine frame  50  and frame  18  to control the lateral movement  70 , 71  of dispensing unit  22 , 21 , 10  and also the lateral movement  70 , 71  of lid carrier unit  11 , 59 . Both the dispensing unit  22 ,  21 ,  10  and lid carrier unit  11 ,  59  can move separately. In rotary pans  14  configuration, the dispensing unit  22 ,  21 ,  10  is stationary in one place and the lid carrier unit  11 ,  59  moves from one side of the machine to another to pick  63  pan  14  from the back side  61  of the machine and drop  64  the pan  14  to the front side  62 . Where are in the stationary pans  14  configuration, the dispensing unit  22 , 21 , 10  moves from pan  14  to pan  14 , from front  62  to back  61  to dispense batter, and the lid carrier unit  59 , 11  moves from pan  14  to pan  14  and from front  62  to back  61  to move lids  13 . None-stick coat such as PTFE or ceramic coat is applied on pan surfaces  60 . PTFE can withstand a maximum temperature of up to 350 C and the Injera batter can bake well within a minute at this temperature. 
     The connections, parts/components, methods mentioned in this invention are well known in the field of the invention and may easily be understandable by person skilled in the art of science, so details of connections, parts/components, methods are not discussed in very detail. 
     The invention shown from  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 8  and the above detailed description of the invention shown are the preferred method of Injera manufacturing. In this invention, modification, re-arranging, alteration of different parts in the Injera manufacturing machine may be made within the scope of the invention.