INJECTION AND SPREADING SYSTEM FOR COOKING DOUGH, ASSOCIATED PANCAKE DOUGH AND MACHINE FOR PREPARING PANCAKES

Abstract

The injection and spreading system for cooking dough, in particular for preparing pancakes includes a dough container having an outlet, an injection pump connected to the outlet of the container, a spreader connected to the injection pump and configured to spread a dough on a cooking surface, an injection circuit connecting the container to the spreader, and a preventer of congestion for the injection circuit. There is also an injection pump, a spreader, a pancake dough premix and a machine associated therewith.

Claims

1. An injection and spreading system for cooking dough, the system comprising: a dough container having an outlet, an injection pump connected to the outlet of the container, a spreader connected to the injection pump and configured to spread a dough on a cooking surface, and an injection circuit connecting the container to the spreader.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one means for preventing congestion of the injection circuit.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising: a container refrigeration system.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein said means for preventing congestion of the injection circuit comprises a means for mixing the content of the container.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein said means for preventing congestion of the injection circuit comprises a washing circuit for the injection circuit, the washing circuit comprising water.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein said means for preventing congestion of the injection circuit comprises a premix of pancake dough comprising pancake dough ingredients, except milk, forming a dry mater configured to be mixed with milk to form a pancake dough.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the injection pump comprises a recess receiving the dough, and at least one pumping structure driven in the recess.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said pumping structure comprises two lobe wheels configured to be driven in rotation.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the recess is a prismatic recess with a flat base.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the spreader is configured to be driven in rotation, and comprises at least one spreading plate provided with a spreading container opening onto a spreading surface.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the container is formed by a longitudinal groove ending on the spreading surface by a plurality of spreading orifices varying sizes.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the spreader comprises two plates fastened against each other in order to form the container.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the spreader is connected to the injection pump and to a means for driving in rotation by a connection mechanism configured to convey the dough to the spreading container and to drive the spreader in rotation.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the connection mechanism comprises a plurality of revolving parts encased into each other and associated with at least one seal, as well as at least a stop for driving in rotation.

15. An injection pump for a machine for preparing pancakes comprising the system according to claim 1, comprising a recess receiving the dough, and which comprises at least one pumping structure driven in the recess.

16. A spreader for a machine for preparing pancakes comprising the system according to claim 1, being configured to be driven in rotation, and comprising at least one spreading plate provided with a spreading container opening onto a spreading surface.

17. A pancake dough premix for a system according to claim 6, comprising pancake dough ingredients, except milk, forming a dry matter configured to be mixed with milk in order to form a pancake dough.

18. A machine for preparing pancakes, comprising: a system according to claim 1.

19. The machine according to claim 18, further comprising: a cooking system being comprised of: a plurality of cooking devices configured to be moved successively and cyclically to the end of a product dispensing device, a system for driving the cooking devices, and a control unit connected to the driving system and the dispensing device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows of a non-limiting embodiment of the invention, with reference to the appended figures.

[0046] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the machine for preparing pancakes according to a preferred variant of the invention.

[0047] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a cooking device of the machine of FIG. 1.

[0048] FIG. 2B is an upper perspective view of a front face of a control panel of the machine of FIG. 1.

[0049] FIG. 2C is a front perspective view of a front upper face of the control panel of FIG. 2B.

[0050] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 1.

[0051] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a method of preparing pancakes using the machine of FIG. 1.

[0052] FIG. 5A is a perspective view similar to that of FIG. 1, illustrating an injection and spreading system for pancake dough.

[0053] FIG. 5B is a close-up perspective view of the injection and spreading system of FIG. 5A.

[0054] FIG. 6A is a partial perspective view of an assembled injection pump of the system of FIGS. 5A and 5B.

[0055] FIG. 6B is an exploded perspective view of the injection pump of FIG. 6A.

[0056] FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a spreader of the system of FIGS. 5A and 5B.

[0057] FIG. 7B is an exploded perspective view of a partially disassembled connection mechanism of the spreader of FIG. 7A.

[0058] FIG. 7C is an exploded perspective view of the spreader and connection mechanism of FIGS. 7A and 7B.

[0059] FIG. 7D is an exploded perspective view of a spreader according to a second variant.

[0060] FIG. 7E is a perspective view of a plate of the spreader of FIG. 7D.

[0061] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a diagram of an injection circuit of the system of FIGS. 5A and 5B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0062] The present invention relates to the storage and arrangement of sample slides 1.

[0063] As mentioned above, the slides 1 have a rectangular parallelepiped shape. As a reminder, such slides have standardized dimensions of 75 to 76 mm in length, 25 to 26 mm in width, and a thickness e of about 1 mm.

[0064] The slides 1 are made of transparent material, in particular glass. They receive on a portion of a surface, in particular on the upper surface 2 having the biological sample, identification information which is applied, for example, on an adhesive label affixed thereto. The opposing lower surface 3 may also receive elements but is usually empty and completely smooth.

[0065] It should be noted that the identification information may be handwritten but is most often in the form of encoded data, in particular of the barcode or matrix code type. Such identification information makes it possible to uniquely identify each slide 1 in particular by assigning it a unique number and linking it to other data, in particular data relating to the patient whose sample is present on the slide 1, in a related computer system, such as a database.

[0066] The invention relates to a slide support 1 in the form of a tray 4. As shown in FIG. 1, such a tray 4 consists of a plate 5 of rectangular parallelepipedal shape. The plate 5 extends in a plane containing the tray 4, in particular the lower surface of the latter. The plate 5 comprises a plurality of aligned cells 6 forming, in the embodiment shown, ten parallel columns 50 and twenty parallel rows 51. Each cell 6 is intended to receive a slide 1. The position of a slide 1 inserted into a cell 6 may then be referenced two-dimensionally by recording the corresponding column and row.

[0067] In order to allow the insertion of the slides 1, the cells 6 are hollowed out within the thickness of the plate 5. In addition, each cell 6 is shaped and dimensioned, at least in part, in a complementary manner to the shape and dimensions of a slide 1, with sufficient clearance to facilitate the introduction and extraction of the slide 1 into and out of the cell 6. In sum, each cell 6 has a hollow shape, generally rectangular parallelepiped, i.e. a sort of hollow square.

[0068] Furthermore, each cell 6 is shaped to allow the insertion of a slide 1, preferably longitudinally, i.e. according to the length of the slide 1. Each cell 6 is provided with at least one bottom 7, opposing side walls 8, and is accessible via an entrance opening 9. In the embodiment shown, each cell 6 is blind with a transverse wall 17 extending between the two opposing side walls 8, and facing the entrance opening 9. The transverse wall 17 forms a stop for a slide 1 inserted into a cell 6. According to the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, the transverse wall 17 forms an obtuse angle 13 with the bottom 7 of a cell 6. According to another embodiment (not shown), the transverse wall 17 may be arranged orthogonally with respect to the bottom 7. Therefore, when the slidel is properly inserted into the cell 6, it extends between the side walls 8 and abuts against the transverse wall 17.

[0069] Furthermore, each cell 6 comprises means for guiding in a slide 1, wherein the means comprise at least the side walls 8. According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1-3, the guide means further comprise protuberances 11. These protuberances 11 extend from the opening 9 of each cell 6 to its transverse wall 17. They allow each slide 1 to be guided upon introduction into, or extraction out of, a cell 6 by sliding.

[0070] It should be noted that the protuberances 11 may extend 1 to 3 mm into a cell 6. Each protuberance 11 may extend continuously or discontinuously along a side wall 8. According to the continuous mode shown in the figures, the protuberances 11 of a first cell 6 then form, with the protuberances 11 of an adjacent cell 6, a sliding element 18 for guiding a slide 1, while also ensuring part of its retention within its cell 6. In fact, each protuberance 11 of a cell 6 is spaced with respect to the corresponding protuberance 11 of an adjacent cell 6, namely at a distance d that is almost equivalent to the thickness e of a slide 1. The latter is therefore blocked orthogonally at its edges that are intended to slide between and along two partially superimposed protuberances 11, and may only move by sliding in the direction of insertion and extraction parallel to the protuberances 11.

[0071] In the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the guiding means may also consist of a portion of the bottom 7 of a cell 6. In this embodiment, the upper surface 19 of each protuberance 11 protrudes as the extension of the bottom 7 of an adjacent cell 6. Such a structure allows each slide 1 to slide continuously upon insertion, not only between the protuberances 11 of two adjacent cells 6, but also between a protuberance 11 and the bottom 7 of an adjacent cell 6, until it abuts against the transverse wall 17 of a cell 6. In other words, the upper surface 19 of a protuberance 11 of a first cell 6 comes into contact with the bottom 7 of an adjacent cell 6. Thus, as may be seen in FIG. 3, the lower surface 20 of each protuberance 11 is in contact with the upper surface 2 of a slide 1 inserted in a first cell 6, while the upper surface 19 of such a protuberance 11 is then in contact with the lower surface 3 of another slide 1 introduced into the adjacent cell 6. Thus, the protuberances 11 of two consecutive cells 6 together form a sliding element 18 adapted to receive the longitudinal edges (the longest) of a slide 1. Other configurations (not shown) may be considered, such as cells 6 extending transversely and receiving the slides 1 by sliding along their lateral end edges (the shortest).

[0072] In addition, in order to allow the insertion and extraction of the slides 1 into and out of the cells 6, the bottoms 7 of the cells 6 and the protuberances 11 forming the sliding elements 18, are inclined relative to the plane containing the plate 5. First of all, such an inclination is provided at a minimum angle a that allows and facilitates the manual or automatic gripping of the end of a slide 1 located at the opening 9 of a cell 6. In addition, this angular inclination makes it possible to allow the partial overlapping of two slides 1 inserted within adjacent cells 6.

[0073] Such overlapping takes place over a portion of the length of each slide 1, leaving at least one portion 10 of the upper surface 2 with the identification data uncovered. This partial overlapping arrangement is thus achieved by the inclination of the sliding element 18 in the cells 6, along with the fact that each sliding element 18 has a length less than that of a slide 1, thus creating a protuberance and leaving a portion 10 of the latter extending out of its cell 6.

[0074] In addition, as mentioned above, part of an adjacent cell 6 is constituted by its bottom 7 and the surface of the protuberances 11 of a first cell 6. This arrangement makes it possible to ensure the retention of each slide 1 in its cell 6 on both sides of its lower surface 3 and its upper surface 2 over a sufficient distance. For example, this sufficient distance may represent one third to three quarters of each slide 1. In other words, the length of the protuberances 11 is so determined that the stroke of a slide 1 upon its insertion into a cell 6 is limited in order that at least its upper surface portion 2 extends beyond the cell 6. Preferably, the upper surface portion 10 corresponds to at least the area covered by the identification data of each slide 1. This stroke over a given distance is stopped by the transverse wall 17 forming a stop.

[0075] Thus, it is in fact the inclination combined with the reduced length of each slot 10 relative to the total length of a slide 1, which makes it possible to partially overlap the slides 1 and produce a protuberance leaving visible the portion 10 of the surface 2 carrying the identification data.

[0076] Advantageously, the inclination of the bottom 7 of the cells 6 and the protuberances 11 has a minimum angle a of 5 and a maximum angle a of 45, relative to the plane in which the tray 4 extends. Beyond 45 inclination, the tray 4 would have a substantial height and would be more like a drawer.

[0077] Preferably, the angle a lies between 8 and 28. This choice makes it possible to optimize, on the one hand, the number of cells 6 for a given length of tray 4, but also to ensure sufficient inclination, while maintaining a reasonable thickness of the tray 4.

[0078] It should be noted that the inclination is determined relative to the plane containing the tray 4, i.e. the plane coinciding with its lower surface, or its upper surface. Therefore, this inclination is independent of the orientation of the tray 4 itself, which may be horizontal, vertical or angled.

[0079] Advantageously, the inclined arrangement and partial overlapping of the slides 1, as retained transversely by the slots 10 and the bottom 7 of the cells 6 at their edges and allowing the sliding movement only within the sliding elements 18, increases the retention of the slides 1, even in the event of the tray 4 being turned or tipped over, except in the case of being tipped over in the direction of extraction from the cells 6, and thus considerably limits the risks.

[0080] Advantageously, in order to prevent such a movement in the direction of extraction, each cell 6 comprises holding means 13 for insertion of a slide 1.

[0081] Such holding means 13 comprise at least one elastic member 14 which abuts against a surface of the slide 1 being inserted into the cell 6. In other words, at least one elastic member 14 is present in each cell 6 and comes into contact with a surface of the slide 1 upon insertion and presses it against a wall or an element of the cell 6, in particular, the guiding means, in particular the protuberances 11.

[0082] In addition, the elastic nature of the member 14 allows its deformation, in particular, during the insertion of the slide 1, while its resilience provides sufficient pressure to prevent the slide 1 from moving, while allowing the return of this member 14 to the unconstrained position once the slide 1 is extracted from its cell 6.

[0083] Thus, a slide 1 is forcibly introduced into a cell 6 and deforms and pushes the member 14 until it abuts against the transverse wall 17 of the cell 6. The slide 1 is blocked and is no longer able to move freely in the direction of extraction.

[0084] According to the preferred embodiment, each member 14 may be in the form of at least one tongue 14 protruding from the bottom 7 of the cell 6. In other words, each tongue 14 extends towards the inside of a cell 6. In the embodiment shown in the figures, each member 14 is in the form of a single tongue 14 per cell 6.

[0085] Alternatively, one end of the tongue 14 may be integral with the bottom 7 while an opposite end 15 may remain free. This tongue 14 may therefore be in the form of an extension of the bottom 7 and the material constituting it, as a result of a cutout formed in the bottom 7 and surrounding each tongue 14.

[0086] The tongue 14 may extend relative to the bottom 7 so that its free end is oriented towards the transverse wall 17 of the cell 6 in question.

[0087] Finally, as mentioned above, the tray 4 may consist at least partly of plastic material conferring elastic characteristics to the holding means of the slides 1, in particular to the tongues 14.

[0088] Thus, the holding means in the form of an elastic member 14, preferably a protruding tongue 14, bear against the lower surface 3 of the slide 1 when it is inserted in its cell 6, thus ensuring its perfect retention, without the risk of it coming out naturally as its extraction requires an intended manual or automatic action.

[0089] In addition, the inclination of this tongue 14 relative to the bottom 7, its dimensions and the elastic characteristics of its material, provide sufficient holding force while avoiding the risk of damaging the slide 1 thus held and blocked by these holding means within each cell 6 of such a tray 4.

[0090] It should also be noted that, according to an additional characteristic of the invention, the two opposite longitudinal edges 500, 501 of the tray 4 according to the invention shown in the figures, are each extended by a rail 21 that is designed to interact with a sliding element 22 of complementary shape within a cabinet 23 shaped to house at least one such tray 4.

[0091] Thus, the invention also relates to such a cabinet 23 shaped to house at least one tray 4 and comprising a bottom 24 surmounted by a peripheral wall 25 having an entrance opening 26 and an upper wall 27 opposite the bottom 24. In the embodiment shown, the cabinet 23 according to the invention comprises means forming a sliding element 22 that extends appropriately on the inner surfaces of the bottom 24 and the upper wall 27. Such a structure allows the trays 4 to be stored vertically in the cabinet 23, and thus avoid possible deformation phenomena observed when stored horizontally. It has also been found that vertical storage trays 4 optimize the capacity of the cabinet 23 to house more trays 4 than in a horizontal storage orientation. Thus, more slides 1 may be stored within the same volume.

[0092] The invention also relates to a device 30 for identifying slides 1 contained within a tray 4 according to the invention, as previously described.

[0093] Such a device 30 consists of an envelope 70 enclosing means designed to detect the presence of a slide 1 within each cell 6 and to identify a slide 1 when present, i.e. detected. This identification takes place via the reading of the identification data affixed to the portion 10 of the upper surface 2 of each slide 1 which remains visible due to the partial overlap conferred by the specific configuration of the cells 6 of the tray 4 according to the invention.

[0094] In addition, the envelope 70 has a traversing opening 71 that is dimensionally complementary to the dimensions of the tray 4, and through which it may be introduced and extracted into and out of a cavity 72 formed in the device 30.

[0095] Advantageously, as may be seen in the preferred embodiment of the device 30 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the opening 71 and the cavity 72 extend longitudinally, i.e. along the longest edge of the device 30. In addition, the cavity 72 is inclined relative to a horizontal plane containing the device 1. In particular, the longitudinal axis Y of the cavity 72 extends obliquely and is inclined at an angle relative to the plane formed by the lower surface of the device 30, which corresponds in a non-limiting manner to the horizontal plane on which it is intended to be placed.

[0096] Like the tray 4, this inclination makes it possible to optimize the dimensions of the device 30 by limiting its bulk, in particular its length. On the other hand, the device 30 then has a greater height. This optimization makes it easier to position the device 30 on cabinets of limited width.

[0097] In a related context, the inclination of the tray 4 within the device 30 improves detection and reading by the means provided for this purpose.

[0098] According to a preferred embodiment, the angle of inclination of the longitudinal axis Y of the cavity 72 is at least 5 and at most 90. Preferably, this angle of inclination lies between 5 and 45, for example equal to 8.

[0099] It should be noted that the choice of angles within the tray 4, as well as the device 30, is not arbitrary, but is chosen in order to optimize their respective dimensions.