METHOD FOR OPERATING A FOOD PRINTER, AND ALSO ASSOCIATED FOOD PRINTER AND ASSOCIATED DOMESTIC APPLIANCE

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a food printer, and also to a food printer having a mounting apparatus which is designed to mount the food printer in a treatment compartment of a domestic appliance, in particular in a cooking compartment of a domestic oven and/or in a refrigeration compartment of a domestic refrigerator, and the invention relates to a domestic appliance, in particular a domestic oven and/or a domestic refrigerator, having an electrical interface which is designed to electrically connect a food printer of this kind to the domestic appliance, in particular to the domestic oven and/or to the domestic refrigerator, and/or to actuate said food printer.

Claims

1. A method for operating a food printer (1), having the following steps: Provision of a domestic appliance (9), which is embodied for treating, especially for warming up, heating, cooling and/or freezing of food and which has the treatment compartment (8) for food configured for this purpose. Equipping the food printer (1) with a food mass (4) to be treated, Positioning the food printer (1) in the treatment compartment (8) of the domestic appliance (9), Pre-shaping of a food product (3) from the food mass (4) by the food printer (1) in the treatment compartment (8), Operation of the domestic appliance (9) for treating the food mass (4) and/or the food product (3) during and/or after the food product (3) will be/is pre-shaped from the food mass (4) by the food printer (1) in the treatment compartment (8) of the domestic appliance (9).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the domestic appliance (9) is a domestic oven (9a), in particular an electric domestic oven (9a) and the food mass (4) and/or the food product (3) will be heated up by the domestic oven (9a) to a heating temperature lying below the cooking temperature of the food product (3).

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the food mass (4) will be stored in a storage compartment (13) cooled to below the heating temperature and/or to below the cooking temperature, in particular a cooled storage compartment (13) of the food printer (1).

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the domestic appliance (9) is a domestic refrigerator and the food mass (4) and/or the food product (3) will be cooled by the domestic refrigerator to a cooling temperature and/or freezing temperature lying below the ambient temperature.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the food mass (4) will be stored in a storage compartment (13) heated to above the freezing temperature and/or the cooling temperature, especially to above the ambient temperature, especially in a heated storage compartment (13) of the food printer (1).

6. A food printer (1) having a mounting apparatus (7), which is embodied for mounting the food printer (1) in a treatment compartment (8) of a domestic appliance (9), especially in a cooking compartment (8a) of a domestic oven (9a) and/or in a refrigeration compartment of a domestic refrigerator.

7. The food printer as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the mounting apparatus (7) is embodied for mounting the food printer (1) in the cooking compartment (8a) of the domestic oven (9a) on laterally opposite bearer means (10) of the domestic oven (9a), which are embodied for receiving baking sheets (11) and/or slide-in oven shelves.

8. The food printer as claimed in claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the mounting apparatus (7) is embodied for mounting the food printer (1) in the refrigeration compartment of the domestic refrigerator on laterally opposite bearer means (10) of the domestic refrigerator, which are embodied for receiving refrigerated goods shelves and/or freezer drawers.

9. The food printer as claimed in one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the food printer (1) has a heating device and/or a cooling device (12) as well as a storage compartment (13) for food mass (4) thermally coupled to the heating device and/or the cooling device (12).

10. The food printer as claimed in one of claims 6 to 9, having a stand facility (18), which is embodied to place the food printer (1), especially a housing (2) that has the food printer (1), at a distance from a surface on which it is standing such that a dispensing nozzle (5) that has the food printer (1), is spaced at a distance from the surface and/or remains untouched.

11. The food printer as claimed in one of claims 6 to 10, which is embodied and/or configured, in particular has a control facility, which is embodied and/or configured to a carry out a method as claimed in one claims 1 to 5.

12. A domestic appliance, in particular a domestic oven (9a) and/or domestic refrigerator, having an electrical interface (16), which is embodied to connect a food printer (1), as claimed in one of claims 6 to 11, electrically to the domestic appliance (9), in particular to the domestic oven (9a) and/or to the domestic refrigerator, such that, when located in an operating position in the treatment compartment (8), the food printer (1) is supplied with electrical energy for operating the food printer (1) via the domestic appliance (9), in particular via the domestic oven (9a) and/or via the domestic refrigeration device and/or such that, when located in an operating position in the treatment compartment (8), the food printer (1) is controlled via the domestic oven (9a) and/or via the domestic refrigerator, especially via its respective device controller (17).

Description

[0032] In the figures:

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a perspective schematic diagram of an example of an inventive food printer,

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a perspective schematic diagram of the food printer in accordance with FIG. 1 seen from below, with a view of a food dispensing nozzle and an inventive mounting apparatus,

[0035] FIG. 3 shows a perspective schematic diagram of the food printer in accordance with FIG. 1, with an inventive storage compartment shown opened,

[0036] FIG. 4 shows a perspective schematic diagram of a domestic oven, which has bearer means on which the food printer in accordance with FIG. 1 is mounted by means of its mounting apparatus within the cooking compartment of the domestic oven; and

[0037] FIG. 5 shows an example of flowchart of an inventive method sequence.

[0038] A food printer 1 shown schematically in FIG. 1 has a housing 2. The food printer 1, in respect of its basic function of printing of food products 3 (FIG. 4) from a food mass 4 (FIG. 2), is embodied in a way known to the person skilled in the art. To this end the food printer 1 has inter alia a dispensing nozzle 5 (FIG. 2), which is embodied to convey the food mass 4 outwards in a controlled manner, in order to form the food product 3. The dispensing nozzle 5 is freely adjustable in one plane, actuated by means of an adjustment apparatus 6.

[0039] The food printer 1 has an inventive mounting apparatus 7. In the case of the present exemplary embodiment the mounting apparatus 7 is embodied for mounting the food printer 1 in a treatment compartment 8 (FIG. 4) of a domestic appliance 9, in particular in a cooking compartment 8a of a domestic oven 9a. The mounting apparatus 7 can, as shown, be embodied on the housing 2. In particular the mounting apparatus 7 is fastened to one or more outer walls of the housing 2 or embodied in one piece with said walls.

[0040] The mounting apparatus 7 is embodied for mounting the food printer 1 in the cooking compartment 8a of the domestic oven 9a on laterally opposite bearer means 10 of the domestic oven 9a. The laterally opposite bearer means 10 of the domestic oven 9a can be formed by bearer means 10 known per se, which, in accordance with the prior art, are embodied for receiving baking sheets 11 (FIG. 4) and/or slide-in oven shelves. The bearer means 10 can for example be grooves embodied on opposite vertical side walls of the cooking compartment 8a. As an alternative the bearer means 10 can be formed by separate brackets projecting into the cooking compartment 8a, which are attached as separate components to the opposite vertical side walls of the cooking compartment 8a.

[0041] The mounting apparatus 7 can, as shown, be formed by two rails 7a, which are arranged on opposite side walls of the housing 2. The rails 7a are embodied in this case to be attached to the bearer means 10 of the domestic oven 9a, in particular pushed into the grooves or pushed onto the brackets. The mounting apparatus 7 thus makes it possible to push the food printer 1 into the cooking compartment 8a like a baking sheet 11 (FIG. 4) or a slide-in oven shelf. Once the food printer 1 is in its position pushed into the cooking compartment 8a, a cooking compartment door (not shown) of the domestic oven 9a can be closed, so that the domestic oven 9a can be operated in a way known per se.

[0042] In the case of the present exemplary embodiment of the domestic oven 9a the food printer 1 has a cooling facility 12, as well as a storage compartment 13 coupled thermally to the cooling facility 12 for the food mass 4. A number of different food masses 4 can be provided. Each type of food mass 4 can be contained in a cartridge 14. The number of cartridges 14, in the present exemplary embodiment four cartridges, form a magazine in the storage compartment 13. The storage compartment 13 is provided with a cover 15, which can be opened and closed. In an open position of the cover 15 the cartridges 14 can be exchanged, i.e. empty cartridges can be removed and full cartridges inserted. In a closed position of the cover 15 the storage compartment 13 is also thermally insulated from the environment of the food printer 1, in particular is thermally insulated from the cooking compartment 8a.

[0043] The storage compartment 13, which can be cooled by the cooling facility 12 able to be closed by means of the cover 15, enables the food mass 4, in particular enables the cartridges 14 to be stored cooled in the storage compartment 13 to below the heating temperature and/or to below the cooking temperature.

[0044] When the food mass 4 then emerges from the dispensing nozzle 5 and/or the food product 3 has been applied to the baking sheet 11 for example, this food mass 4 and/or the food product 3 can initially be heated up to a heating temperature lying below the cooking temperature of the food product 3 by means of the domestic oven.

[0045] Accordingly FIG. 4 shows a domestic appliance 9, in particular a domestic oven 9a in the case of the present exemplary embodiment. The domestic appliance 9 or the domestic oven 9a has an electrical interface 16, which is embodied for electrical connection of the food printer 1 to the domestic appliance 9, in particular the domestic oven 9a, such that, when located in an operating position in the treatment compartment 8, i.e. the cooking compartment 8a, as shown, the food printer 1 is supplied with electrical energy for operating the food printer 1 via the domestic appliance 9, in particular via the domestic oven 9a and/or such that, when located in an operating position in the treatment compartment 8, the food printer 1 is controlled via the domestic oven 9a, especially via its respective device controller 17.

[0046] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 the food printer 1 also has a stand facility 18, which is embodied to place the food printer 1, in particular the housing 2, at such a distance from a surface on which it is standing that the dispensing nozzle 5 is spaced away from the surface and/or remains untouched. The stand facility 18 is formed in the present exemplary embodiment by two bracket-like feet, which extend along two opposite lower side edges of the housing 2. The stand facility 18, especially the two bracket-like feet, extend in parallel to the rails 7a in this case.

[0047] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of an example of a flowchart of an inventive method sequence.

[0048] In the method for operating the food printer 1, in a first step S1, a domestic appliance 9 is provided, which is embodied for treating, in particular for warming up, heating, cooling and/or freezing of food and which has a treatment compartment 8 for food configured for this purpose.

[0049] In a second step S2 the food printer 1 is equipped with a food mass 4 to be treated.

[0050] Subsequently, in step S3, the food printer is positioned in the treatment compartment 8 of the domestic appliance 9.

[0051] Now, in step S4, a food product 3 is pre-shaped from the food mass 4 by the food printer 1 in the treatment compartment 8.

[0052] The domestic appliance 9 is already being operated during step S4 or after step S4 for treating the food mass 4 and/or the food product 3 while and/or after the food product 3 will be/is being pre-shaped from the food mass 4 by the food printer 1 in the treatment compartment 8 of the domestic appliance 9.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0053] 1 Food printer [0054] 2 Housing [0055] 3 Food product [0056] 4 Food mass [0057] 5 Dispensing nozzle [0058] 6 Adjustment apparatus [0059] 7 Mounting apparatus [0060] 7a Rails [0061] 8 Treatment compartment [0062] 8a Cooking compartment [0063] 9 Domestic appliance [0064] 9a Domestic oven [0065] 10 Bearer means [0066] 11 Baking sheet [0067] 12 Cooling facility [0068] 13 Storage compartment [0069] 14 Cartridge [0070] 15 Cover [0071] 16 Electrical interface [0072] 17 Device controller [0073] 18 Stand facility