FOOD MACHINE FOR PREPARING ALIGOT

Abstract

A mixing device for preparing aligot, including a mixing case containing a chamber that opens at an inlet for conveying material to be mixed, and a mixing member, where the mixing member includes at least one roller that is mounted rotating on a motorised shaft, one or more bearing surfaces of the roller being designed to engage in a crushing manner with the surfaces of the chamber of the case.

Claims

1. Mixing device for preparing aligot, comprising a mixing case containing a chamber that opens at an inlet for conveying material to be mixed, and a mixing member, where said mixing member comprises at least one roller that is mounted rotating on a motorised shaft, at least one bearing surface of the roller being designed to engage in a crushing manner with the surfaces of said chamber of the case.

2. Mixing device according to claim 1, wherein the mixing member comprises at least two rollers, a first roller and a second roller.

3. Mixing device according to claim 1, wherein the cross-section of said roller with respect to the axis of its motorised shaft is substantially substantially fusiform.

4. Mixing device according to claim 1, wherein said bearing surfaces are a portion of a helicoid.

5. Mixing device according to claim 2, wherein said rollers are mounted on shafts designed to be rotated in the same direction.

6. Mixing device according to claim 5, wherein said shafts are designed to rotate simultaneously in both directions, in a clockwise direction and in an anti-clockwise direction.

7. Mixing device according to claim 1, comprising a heating system comprising at least one resistance from 150 to 250 W.

8. Mixing device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the elements selected from the chamber of the mixer and the mixing member comprise a non-stick coating.

9. Mixing device according to claim 1, wherein the mixing case comprises a retractable cover controlled by a control lever.

10. Food machine for preparing aligot, comprising a hopper intended to contain ingredients of a preparation of aligot, a mixing device according to claim 1 positioned downstream of the hopper and a metering system mounted at the output of the hopper and downstream of said mixing device.

11. Food machine according to claim 10, wherein said machine comprises a refrigeration unit box integrating the hopper, suitable for the storage of frozen granules of aligot.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Other characteristics and advantages of the disclosed embodiment shall appear when reading the following detailed, based on the accompanying drawings. These examples are provided in a non-limiting way. The detailed description is to be read with regards to the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0025] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the food machine according to the invention;

[0026] FIG. 2 shows as an exploded configuration the same embodiment as that of FIG. 1;

[0027] FIG. 3 shows the hopper in the refrigeration unit box on the left, and without the refrigeration unit box on the right;

[0028] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the mixing device of the food machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0029] FIG. 5 shows another perspective view of the mixing device of FIG. 4;

[0030] FIG. 6 shows a front view of the control panel of the machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0031] FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of the entire machine according to the disclosed embodiment;

[0032] FIG. 8 shows a front view of the first and second rollers mounted on their respective shaft; and

[0033] FIGS. 9 and 10 show a perspective view of the mixing case with its cover and the control lever; and

[0034] FIGS. 11 and 12 show a perspective view of the mixing case without its cover and the control lever.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a food machine 1 for preparing aligot comprising a metal casing a metal formwork 2 made of stainless steel comprising a faade 3. The faade 3 contains a cover 4 that can be seen in FIG. 2, and intended to close the space in front of a mixing device 5 of said food machine.

[0036] In the upper portion, the food machine comprises a refrigeration unit box 6 of 59 litres and a power of 180 Watts, which is provided with a door with mechanical coupling and is suitable for maintaining a constant cold of 18 C. The refrigeration unit box 6 contains a hopper 7 of 10 litres filled with 4 kg of frozen granules of aligot. The hopper 7 is connected to a metering system via endless screw 8 provided for metering a quantity of aligot granulate.

[0037] The mixing device 5 of which a detailed view is shown in FIG. 4 comprises a mixing case 9. The endless screw metering system 8 is connected onto the upper portion of the mixing case 9 of the mixing device 5 as shown in the FIGS. 4 and 5. On the mixing case 9 is also connected a mechanism for hydrating the granulate provided with a bistable solenoid valve which allows for the distribution of a predetermined quantity of water.

[0038] The mixing device 5 comprises a first roller 11a as well as a second roller 11b, the first roller 11a is mounted on a first shaft 12a and the second roller 11b is mounted on a second shaft 12b, and the two rollers are both integrated into the mixing case 9. The first roller 11a and the second roller 11b have a fusiform cross-section and helicoidal bearing surfaces (see FIG. 8). The outer surface of the rollers 11a and 11b is comprised of a self-cleaning material comprising a non-stick polymer, for example polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). In a preferred embodiment, the first and second shafts 12a and 12b are coupled to a motor 13 of 180 Watts which can be seen in FIG. 5, which shows the mixing device 5 that can be seen in FIG. 4 from another angle (seen from the rear in relation to FIG. 4). On the first and second shafts 12a and 12b are fastened respectively a first gear 14a and a second gear 14b, both coupled to a third gear 14c of a motor shaft 15, i.e. a shaft that is directly coupled, even connected, to the rotor of the motor 13. Thanks to this configuration shown in FIG. 5, turning on the motor 13 causes the rotation of the first and second rollers 11a and 11b in the same direction of rotation.

[0039] The mixing device 5, according to this detailed embodiment, comprises a heating system comprising two resistances 16a and 16b of 200 Watts each and which heat via the joule effect the portion of the mixing case 9 placed opposite the motor 13, and qualified as a rear zone 17 of the case. This heating system brings the aligot preparation to a temperature of 65 to 75 C. in a few minutes. The inner surfaces of the mixing case 9 are made from a self-cleaning material comprising a non-stick polymer, for example polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), in order to prevent the sticky food products from sticking to the walls. The mixing case 9 comprises on its front face a cover 18 that can be fastened by screwing onto the rest of the case. The cover 18 can be retracted, in the manner of a trap, in order to remove the product downwards as shown in FIG. 10.

[0040] The operation of the mixing device 5 begins with the moving of the first and second rollers 11a and 11b, which are mobile in the same direction of rotation as seen hereinabove. The motor 13 is first of all actuated in such a way as to move the two rollers 11a and 11b in the clockwise direction, when they are observed from the front side of the case as shown in FIG. 11. The helicoidal conformation of the rollers 11a and 11b makes it possible to thrust the food products, i.e. in this case the aligot granulate poured from the hopper 7, onto the rear zone 17 of the mixing case 9. The profile of the rollers allows for the sweeping of the entire surface of the aligot. The rear zone 17 is heated by the two resistances 16a and 16b, which makes it possible to heat the product during the mixing. During this step the string of aligot can be formed in good conditions given that the product is continuously stretched and heated.

[0041] Once the product is hot enough (65 to 75 C.) and mixed, it must be poured outside of the mixer. For this purpose, the rotation of the motor 13 is actuated in the other direction, in such a way as to provoke the rotation of the rollers 11a and 11b in the anti-clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 12. The setting into rotation of the rollers 11a and 11b in the anti-clockwise directions drives the displacement of the aligot towards the front side of the mixer, i.e. that aligot is thrust against the cover 18 of the mixing case 9. The cover 18 is retracted synchronously with the operation in the anti-clockwise direction in order to make it possible to pour the aligot which is ready for consumption. A control lever 19 actuates the opening and the closing of the cover 18.

[0042] FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of the food machine 1 that can be disassembled easily, in particular thanks to the presence of two knurled knobs 20a and 20b mounted on the cover 18.

[0043] The user controls the operation of the food machine 1 for preparing aligot from the control panel 21, in order to obtain an aligot the is ready for consumption from frozen granulates of aligot. The granulates are first hydrated, then mixed and heated, in order to obtain an aligot preparation which is automatically removed outside of the food machine.