US20050193894A1 - Soup supplying apparatus - Google Patents
Soup supplying apparatus Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20050193894A1 US20050193894A1 US10/929,834 US92983404A US2005193894A1 US 20050193894 A1 US20050193894 A1 US 20050193894A1 US 92983404 A US92983404 A US 92983404A US 2005193894 A1 US2005193894 A1 US 2005193894A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- vessel
- soup
- ladling
- linkage mechanism
- ladle
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47J—KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
- A47J36/00—Parts, details or accessories of cooking-vessels
- A47J36/24—Warming devices
- A47J36/26—Devices for warming vessels containing drinks or food, especially by means of burners Warming devices with a burner, e.g. using gasoline; Travelling cookers, e.g. using petroleum or gasoline with one burner
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES A21D OR A23B-A23J; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OF NUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL
- A23L23/00—Soups; Sauces; Preparation or treatment thereof
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a soup supplying apparatus for supplying customers with a prescribed sub-divided quantity of soup such as stew, soup, curry and miso soup accommodated in a vessel.
- the soup supplying apparatus is one in which sub-divided predetermined quantities of soup including substances and accommodated in the vessel are distributed to a plateware.
- the soup supplying apparatus includes a vessel having an opening, for accommodating a soup; an axis which is rotated by a prescribed driving force; an expandable linkage mechanism attached to the axis which rotates in the vessel; a ladle attached to a tip of the linkage mechanism and having a ladle-out mouth on the opening side of the vessel; and a ladle leaning means for leaning the ladle when the ladle reaches the opening of the vessel in synchronization with the rotation of the axis.
- this soup supplying apparatus is designed so that an operator can directly touch the mechanism for ladling the soup accommodated in the vessel using the ladle, the mechanism such as the vessel containing the soup, ladle, linkage mechanism, on which the soup is applied. Therefore, these components can be cleaned relatively easily.
- the ladle of the apparatus incorporates a net-like separating means for passing the soup liquid when accommodating the soup thereby separating the substances and the soup liquid at a prescribed ratio. Therefore, the substances and soup liquid ladled up at a certain ratio can be sub-divided into platewares from the soup in the vessel.
- the ladle ladles up the soup in the vessel along the arc-shaped bottom wall of the vessel and leans in a state stopped at a prescribed position slightly protruding from the upper end of the vessel.
- the soup in the ladle is poured into the plateware. Therefore, when the ladle ladles up the soup past the upper end of the vessel, as the case may be, the soup pushed aside by the ladle in the vessel climbs over the upper end to spill outside the vessel, thereby soiling the apparatus. Further, the ladle leans in the neighborhood of the upper end of the vessel to pour the soup from the ladle-out mouth into the plateware. Therefore, the soup poured out may splash to soil the vessel.
- the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and therefore one of objects of the present invention is to provide a soup supplying apparatus which when a soup is ladled up by a ladle past the upper end of a vessel, can prevent the soup pushed aside by the ladle from climbing over the upper end of the vessel to spill; when the soup ladled up by the ladle is poured into a plateware, can prevent the soup from splashing to soil the outer wall of the vessel; and can make it difficult for the soup accommodated in the vessel to burn and stick onto the wall of the vessel so that when the vessel is washed, it can be easily washed clean.
- a soup supplying apparatus including: a vessel having an opening and accommodates a soup therein; a funnel member arranged within the vessel and rotatively moves out of the vessel through the opening; a ladling member that ladles up the soup accommodated in the vessel; a linkage mechanism provided with the ladling member at one end thereof; a linkage supporting portion that rotatably supports the linkage mechanism within the vessel; and a driving device that rotatively moves the linkage mechanism, wherein the ladling member is configured to be inserted into an inlet of the funnel member, when the driving device rotatively moves the linkage mechanism and the ladling member approaches the opening of the vessel, and to be rotatively moved out from the vessel together with the funnel member to supply the soup ladled by the ladling member into a plateware from an outlet of the funnel member, when the driving device further rotatively moves the linkage mechanism.
- FIG. 1 is an appearance perspective view showing a soup supplying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing an internal structure of the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment
- FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing the internal structure of the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment when an upper cover covering the opening of an upper portion of an apparatus body has been rotated upward to open;
- FIGS. 5A-5D are side sectional views showing in order the operating states of a linkage mechanism within a vessel, a ladle, and a hopper, when the soup accommodated in the vessel is sub-divided into a plateware in the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment of this invention, wherein FIG. 5A shows a state when the linkage mechanism in the vessel has rotatively moved to a predetermined position opposite to the hopper, FIG. 5B shows a state where the linkage mechanism in the vessel rotatively moves toward the hopper so that the ladle is guided by the inner wall of an inlet of the hopper, FIG. 5C shows a state when the linkage mechanism further rotatively moves so that the ladle has been inserted into the hopper, FIG. 5D shows a state when the ladle being inserted in the hopper rotatively moves over the opening of the vessel to the outside thereof so that the soup in the ladle is poured into a plateware from an outlet of the hopper.
- FIG. 1 is an appearance perspective view showing a soup supplying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing an internal structure of the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing the internal structure of the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment when an upper cover covering the opening of an upper portion of an apparatus body has been rotated upward to open.
- FIGS. 5A-5D are side sectional views showing in order the operating states of a linkage mechanism within a vessel, a ladle, and a hopper, when the soup accommodated in the vessel is sub-divided into a plateware in the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment of this invention, wherein FIG. 5A shows a state when the linkage mechanism in the vessel has rotatively moved to a predetermined position opposite to the hopper, FIG. 5B shows a state where the linkage mechanism in the vessel rotatively moves toward the hopper so that the ladle is guided by the inner wall of an inlet of the hopper, FIG. 5C shows a state when the linkage mechanism further rotatively moves so that the ladle has been inserted into the hopper, FIG. 5D shows a state when the ladle being inserted in the hopper rotatively moves over the opening of the vessel to the outside thereof so that the soup in the ladle is poured into a plateware from an outlet of the hopper.
- the soup supplying apparatus includes an apparatus body 1 for holding a vessel 5 accommodating a soup, an upper cap 2 openably covering the upper part of the body 1 and plateware placing portions 3 each located in front of the body 1 where a plateware 16 into which the soup is sub-divided is placed.
- the apparatus body 1 includes two vessel holding portions 21 each for holding a vessel 5 accommodating the soup.
- the vessel holding portion 5 is, on its bottom, provided with a heating device 22 for heating and keeping warm the soup accommodated in the vessel 5 .
- the upper cap 2 includes a cover 25 for covering the upper portion of the vessel 5 held in the vessel holding portion 21 ; a driving device 26 arranged on the cover 25 , which includes a driving motor 28 for driving a ladle 11 for ladling the soup in the vessel 5 ; and a control panel 31 arranged to orient forward in front of the driving device 26 and provided with sub-division switches 32 each for starting the sub-division operation of the soup and setting buttons 33 for setting a soup warm-keeping temperature and others.
- the upper cap 2 is rotatably vertically linked with the apparatus body 1 by a supporting shaft 35 located at the rear. By rotating upward the upper cap 2 to open the upper part of the apparatus body 1 (see FIG. 4 ), the vessel 5 accommodating the soup can be easily attached to or detached from the vessel holding portion 21 of the apparatus body 1 .
- the plateware placing portion 3 has a placing stand 17 on which the plateware 16 is placed, and a soup recovering bucket 18 which serves to recover and accumulate the soup spilled when the soup is sub-divided into the plateware 16 .
- the plateware 3 is detachably locked to the front of the apparatus body 1 by a hook 19 .
- the vessel 5 that accommodates the soup 5 is formed in a semi-circular shape when viewed from the side.
- a bottom 5 b is formed along the arc portion and an opening 5 a is formed at the chord.
- An expanded portion 5 d facing the opening 5 a and warping outward from the arc portion is formed.
- a hopper 40 is internally journaled on the expanded portion 5 d .
- the hopper 40 into which the ladle 11 is inserted rotates outward through an opening 5 a .
- the bottom 5 b is formed as a semi-circular curve with the center dished outwardly.
- Side portions 5 c are formed on both left and right sides of the bottom.
- a U-shape groove 6 (linkage portion supporting portion) in which the linkage mechanism 8 is detachably supported and grips 7 for carrying the vessel 5 .
- the vessel 5 is provided, at its upper portion, with a vessel cover 20 covering the opening 5 a.
- the linkage mechanism 8 arranged in the vessel 5 includes an axis 9 , a rotary arm member 10 composed of a pair of square pieces 10 a provided perpendicular to the axis 9 and a -shape swing arm member 12 which is journaled to the tip of the rotary arm member 10 and a ladle 11 which is rotatably supported or journaled to the open end of the swing arm member 12 .
- locking pins 14 a , 14 b are protruded outwardly for journaling the swing arm member 12 .
- the swing arm member 12 in the vicinity of the base of a pair of tongue pieces 12 bent in parallel, is provided with opposite pin holes 51 a , 51 b in which the locking pins 14 a , 14 b are to be fit, respectively.
- coupling holes 52 a , 52 b are formed for coupling the ladle 11 with the swing arm member 12 .
- Coupling pins 36 a , 36 b which are located above the ladle and to be fit in the coupling holes 52 a , 52 b of the swing arm member 12 are protrusively provided on a coupling plate 37 .
- the pair of square pieces 10 a of the rotary arm member 10 are formed of flat springs having elasticity so that the interval between their tips can be shortening.
- the pair of tongue pieces 12 a of the swing arm member 12 are formed of flat springs having elasticity so that the interval between their tips can be lengthened.
- the linkage mechanism 8 is journaled, in its both ends of the axis 9 , by the U-shaped grooves 6 formed on both sides 5 c , and hence can be freely rotatively moved in the vessel.
- the ladle 11 provided at the tip of the linkage mechanism 8 is adapted so that the distance from the axis 9 can be varied by the linkage structure including the rotary arm member 10 and the swing arm member 12 . Hence, the bottom of the ladle 11 can rotatively move along the bottom the vessel 5 .
- a plate-like coupling plate 24 is provided which is coupled with the driving device 26 arranged in the upper cap 2 to rotate the linkage mechanism 8 back and forth.
- the coupling plate 24 has a groove 24 a to be engaged with a driving coupling pin 30 a of the driving device 26 described later.
- the ladle 11 is formed in a sack shape with an opening 11 a at the one end.
- the ladle 11 has an soup accommodating section 11 b for ladling the soup in the inside thereof.
- the soup accommodating section 11 b also has a partitioning net 38 which partitions itself into a front side and a rear side.
- the ladle 11 is provided, on the bottom, with a scraper (scraping member) 39 that scrapes the bottom 5 b of the vessel 5 .
- the scraper 39 is designed so that its bottom 39 a extends along the bottom 5 b of the vessel 5 .
- the scraper 39 slides over the bottom 5 b while its bottom is in wide contact with the bottom 5 b of the vessel 5 . This prevents burning/sticking of the soup accommodated in the vessel 5 onto the bottom 5 b .
- the rear 39 b of the scraper 39 is formed so that it covers the rear of the ladle 1 to be sharp rearwards. So, when the ladle 11 rotatively moves rearward in the direction opposite to the opening 11 a , it can rotatively move with less resistance to the soup accommodated in the vessel 5 .
- the partition net 38 has a net adjusted so that it does not pass the substances contained in the soup and passes only the soup liquid.
- the ladle 11 has a plurality of net fitting portions 11 c where the partition net 38 is fit so that the partitioning position where the soup accommodating section 11 b is partitioned can be changed. This allows the ratio between the substances and soup liquid in the soup accommodated in the soup accommodating portion in the ladle 11 to be constant, and also the ratio to be changed by changing the portioning position of the partition net 38 as required.
- the ladle 11 configured in this manner is journaled on the tip of the linkage mechanism 8 so that its opening 11 a can be rotatively moved toward the hopper 40 provided at the expanded portion 5 d of the vessel 5 .
- the hopper 40 is rotatably supported or journaled on a hopper supporting member 45 provided at the expanded portion 5 d of the vessel 5 by a supporting shaft 41 .
- the hopper includes an inlet 40 into which the ladle 11 is inserted and an outlet 40 b from which the soup is poured into the plateware 16 .
- the inlet 40 a is formed so that the inner wall 40 c of the hopper 40 becomes in plane with the arc-shaped bottom 5 b of the vessel 5 when the ladle 11 is inserted into the inlet 40 a .
- the hopper 40 is provided with a detachable (replaceable) nozzle 43 constituting the outlet 40 b.
- the driving device 26 provided on the upper cap 2 includes a driving motor 28 , an driving arm 27 secured to the axis 28 a of the driving motor 28 , a driving linkage piece 30 with one end journaled on the tip of the driving arm 27 , a guiding shaft 29 engaged in a long slot 30 b provided longitudinally along the driving linkage piece 30 and a driving coupling pin 30 a engaged in a groove 24 a formed on the coupling plate 24 of the linkage mechanism 8 provided at the other end of the driving linkage piece 30 .
- the driving device 26 when the driving motor 28 is energized, the driving arm 27 rotates with the axis 28 a so that the driving linkage piece 30 journaled on the tip of the driving arm 27 swings while being guided by the guiding shaft 29 engaged in the long slot 30 b . Further, by the driving coupling pin 30 a provided at the other end of the driving linkage piece 30 , the coupling plate 24 of the linkage mechanism 8 , engaged therewith is rotatively moved around the axis 9 so that the linkage mechanism 8 is rotatively moved. In this way, the linkage mechanism 8 is rotatively moved by the rotation of the driving motor 28 .
- the ratio between the substances and soup liquid to be ladled up by the ladle 11 is determined. According to the ratio, the partition net 38 is fit in one of net fitting portions 11 c provided at a plurality of positions.
- the linkage mechanism 8 with the ladle 11 mounted is put in the vessel 5 so that the axis 9 of the linkage mechanism 8 is attached to the U-shaped grooves 6 provided on the sides 5 of the vessel 5 c .
- the soup is poured into the vessel 5 and accommodated therein.
- the upper cap 2 which closes the upper opening of the apparatus body 1 is rotatively moved upwards to open.
- the vessel 5 With the grips 7 of the vessel 5 being gripped, the vessel 5 is mounted in the vessel holding portion 21 of the apparatus body 1 .
- the upper cap 2 is rotatively moved downwards to close the upper part of the apparatus body 1 .
- the driving coupling pin 30 a of the driving device 26 provided in the upper cap 2 is engaged in the groove 24 a provided in the coupling plate 24 of the linkage mechanism 8 .
- the keeping temperature of the soup is set by the setting button 33 on the control panel 31 . In this status, the soup accommodated in the vessel 5 is kept at a predetermined temperature.
- the soup accommodated in the vessel 5 is stirred by the ladle 11 of the linkage mechanism 8 .
- the driving motor 28 of the driving device 26 provided in the upper cap 2 is energized, the link driving mechanism 8 and the ladle 11 at its tip are rotatively moved in one direction by the driving linkage piece 30 .
- the ladle 11 as well as the linkage mechanism 8 is rotatively moved in the other direction opposite to the one direction.
- a prescribed position e.g. position inclined by 60 degrees backward
- the ladle 11 as well as the linkage mechanism 8 is rotatively moved in the one direction. Such an operation is repeated successively or intermittently.
- the soup accommodated in the vessel 5 is stirred by the ladle 11 .
- the scraper 39 provided on the bottom of the ladle 11 slides over the bottom 5 b of the vessel 5 in wide contact therewith so that the soup is prevented from burning and sticking onto the bottom 5 b of the vessel.
- the ladle 11 makes an arc movement along the bottom 5 b of the vessel 5 in sliding-contact therewith so as to accommodate the soup in the soup accommodating potion 11 b from the opening 11 a .
- the soup is accommodated in the soup accommodating section 11 b at a predetermined ratio between the substances and soup liquid set by the partition net 38 .
- the ladle 11 is guided from the arc-shaped bottom 5 b of the vessel 5 along the inner wall 40 c of the inlet 40 a of the hopper 40 which is formed to lead to the bottom 5 b .
- the ladle 11 is eventually inserted into the inlet 40 a of the hopper 40 .
- the linkage mechanism 8 When the linkage mechanism 8 further rotatively moves, the ladle 11 , while being inserted in the hopper 40 and integral thereto, around the supporting shaft 41 journaling the hopper 40 , rotatively moves over the opening 5 b of the vessel 5 to the outside thereof as seen from FIG. 5B .
- the soup in the ladle 11 is poured into the plateware 16 placed on the plateware placing portion 3 .
- the soup accommodated within the soup accommodating section 11 b is poured into the plateware 16 in a nearly constant state through the hopper 40 from its outlet 40 b .
- the linkage mechanism 8 is rotated in an opposite direction so that the ladle 11 is returned into the vessel 5 again. Such an operation is repeated as required so that predetermined quantities of soup are sub-divided into the platewares 16 .
- the vessel cover 20 covering the opening 5 a of the vessel 5 is normally closed and is provided with a pouring mouth door 20 a which is opened owing to pushing force resulting when the ladle 11 , while being inserted in the hopper 40 and integral thereto, rotatively moves over the opening 5 b of the vessel 5 to the outside thereof.
- the soup ladled up in the ladle 11 is poured into the plateware 16 in a nearly constant state through the hopper 40 from its outlet 40 b .
- the ladle 11 while being inserted in the hopper 40 , rotatively moves the outside of the vessel 5 . This prevents the soup from dripping from the end of the opening 11 a of the ladle 11 to the outside of the vessel 5 .
- the apparatus therefore, can be kept clean.
- the hopper 40 is provided with the detachable (replaceable) nozzle 43 constituting the outlet 40 b , by replacing the nozzle 43 , the size and shape of the outlet 40 b of the hopper 40 can be easily changed. Specifically, even when the kind or density of the soup accommodated in the vessel 5 is changed, by mounting the nozzle 43 , having the outlet 40 b formed with the size and shape suitable to the pertinent soup, in the hopper 40 , the pouring state of the soup can be controlled so that the soup poured from the outlet 40 b of the hopper 40 does not splash nor scatter.
- the ladle 11 When the ladle 11 that rotatively moves along the arc-shaped bottom 5 b of the vessel 5 is inserted into the hopper 40 provided at the expanded portion 5 d of the vessel 5 , the ladle 11 is guided by the inner wall 40 c of the inlet 40 a of the hopper 40 which is formed to lead to the arc-shaped bottom 5 b . For this reason, the ladle 11 can be smoothly inserted into the hopper 40 . Accordingly, when the ladle 11 , while ladling the soup in the vessel 5 approaches the hopper 40 , the soup thus pushed aside is once carried in the hopper 40 and hence does not spill over the end of the opening 5 a of the vessel 5 to the outside thereof.
- the scraper 39 provided on the bottom of the ladle 11 slides over the bottom 5 b in wide contact with the bottom 5 b of the vessel 5 , the burning (or sticking) of the soup onto the bottom 5 b of the vessel 5 can be prevented. Thus, when the vessel 5 is washed, it can be easily made clean.
- the arc-shaped bottom 5 b of the vessel 5 is formed as a semi-circular curve with the center dished outwardly. Side portions 5 c are formed on both left and right sides of the bottom.
- the soup supplying apparatus where the soup in the vessel 5 is sub-divided into the plateware, can prevent the respective components of the apparatus from being soiled by the soup, and even where the apparatus has been soiled, allows these components to be easily washed clean.
- the soup supplying apparatus includes: a vessel having an opening for accommodating a soup; a funnel member arranged within the vessel and rotatively moving to the outside of the vessel through the opening; a ladling member for ladling up the soup within the vessel; a linkage mechanism provided with the ladling member at its one end; a linkage supporting portion for rotatably supporting the linkage mechanism within the vessel; and a driving device for rotatively moving the linkage mechanism, wherein when the linkage mechanism supported within the vessel is rotatively moved by the driving device and the ladling member provided at its end approaches the opening of the vessel, the ladling member is inserted into an inlet of the funnel member, the funnel member as well as the ladling member is rotatively moved past the opening to the outside of the vessel, and the soup ladled up by the ladling member is sub-divided into a plateware from an outlet of the funnel member.
- the soup is poured out through the hopper from its cylindrical slot. For this reason, the pouring state can be kept nearly constant. Further, since the ladling member is inserted in the funnel member, the soup can be prevented from dripping from the ladling member to the outside of the vessel.
- the funnel member is provided with an outlet changing member which can change the size and shape of the outlet. According to this configuration, according to the size of substances or density of the soup liquid of the soup accommodated in the vessel, the size or shape of the cylindrical slot of the funnel member can be changed.
- the vessel includes an bottom in an arc shape with its upper portion opened, and an expanded portion formed at the upper end of the bottom to face the opening and being expanded outward from the arc shape; the linkage supporting portion arranges an axis of the linkage mechanism concentrically with the arc shape to rotatably support the ladling member along the bottom in the arc shape; and the funnel member is arranged at the expanded portion so that an inner wall of the inlet leads to the bottom in the arc shape.
- the inner wall of the inlet of the funnel member provided at the expanded portion guides the ladling member rotatively moving along the bottom so that the ladling member can be smoothly inserted into the funnel member.
- the ladling member is provided with a scraping member in contact with the bottom of the vessel. According to this configuration, when the soup is accommodated in the vessel, the burning (or sticking) of the soup onto the bottom can be prevented.
- the bottom of the vessel is formed to link both side plates of the vessel by a curve with a curved surface that a central portion thereof being expanded outwardly. According to this configuration, when the quantity of the soup accommodated in the vessel becomes little, the soup is accumulated at the center of the bottom so that it can effectively ladled up by the ladling member.
- the soup supplying apparatus where the soup ladled up by the ladling member is poured into the plateware, the soup is poured out through the funnel member from its cylindrical slot so that the pouring state can be kept nearly constant. This prevents the soup poured through the funnel member from splashing or scattering to be applied to the vessel and apparatus components in the vicinity thereof, thereby keeping the apparatus clean. Further, since the ladling member is inserted in the funnel member, the soup can be prevented from dripping from the ladling member to the outside of the vessel. So, the apparatus, likewise, can be kept clean.
- the size or shape of the cylindrical slot of the funnel member can be changed. Therefore, even when the kind or density of the soup is changed, the pouring state of the soup can be controlled so that the soup poured from the outlet of the funnel member does not splash nor scatter.
- the inner wall of the inlet of the funnel member provided at the expanded portion guides the ladling member rotatively moving along the bottom so that the ladling member can be smoothly inserted into the funnel member. For this reason, when the ladling member, while ladling the soup in the vessel, approaches the funnel member, the soup thus pushed aside does not spill over and outside the end of the opening of the vessel.
- the soup supplying apparatus when the soup is accommodated in the vessel, the burning (or sticking) of the soup onto the bottom can be prevented. So the vessel can be easily washed clean.
- the soup supplying apparatus when the quantity of the soup accommodated in the vessel becomes little, the soup is accumulated at the center of the bottom so that it can effectively ladled up by the ladling member. Thus, insufficient ladling of the soup can be avoided and the apparatus can be kept clean.
Abstract
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a soup supplying apparatus for supplying customers with a prescribed sub-divided quantity of soup such as stew, soup, curry and miso soup accommodated in a vessel.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- Such a previously known soup supplying apparatus is described in Japanese Patent No. 3449554. This soup supplying apparatus is one in which sub-divided predetermined quantities of soup including substances and accommodated in the vessel are distributed to a plateware. The soup supplying apparatus includes a vessel having an opening, for accommodating a soup; an axis which is rotated by a prescribed driving force; an expandable linkage mechanism attached to the axis which rotates in the vessel; a ladle attached to a tip of the linkage mechanism and having a ladle-out mouth on the opening side of the vessel; and a ladle leaning means for leaning the ladle when the ladle reaches the opening of the vessel in synchronization with the rotation of the axis. In this apparatus, when the ladle in the vessel containing the soup rotates toward the side of the opening in synchronization with the axis, the soup is accommodated in the ladle. Further, when the ladle reaches the opening of the vessel, the ladle is leaned by the ladle leaning means so that the soup within the ladle is supplied into the plateware. In this way, subdivided quantities of soup are given to customers.
- Further, this soup supplying apparatus is designed so that an operator can directly touch the mechanism for ladling the soup accommodated in the vessel using the ladle, the mechanism such as the vessel containing the soup, ladle, linkage mechanism, on which the soup is applied. Therefore, these components can be cleaned relatively easily. Further, the ladle of the apparatus incorporates a net-like separating means for passing the soup liquid when accommodating the soup thereby separating the substances and the soup liquid at a prescribed ratio. Therefore, the substances and soup liquid ladled up at a certain ratio can be sub-divided into platewares from the soup in the vessel.
- Meanwhile, in the above described conventional soup supplying apparatus, when the soup accommodated in the vessel is sub-divided into the plateware, the ladle ladles up the soup in the vessel along the arc-shaped bottom wall of the vessel and leans in a state stopped at a prescribed position slightly protruding from the upper end of the vessel. Thus, the soup in the ladle is poured into the plateware. Therefore, when the ladle ladles up the soup past the upper end of the vessel, as the case may be, the soup pushed aside by the ladle in the vessel climbs over the upper end to spill outside the vessel, thereby soiling the apparatus. Further, the ladle leans in the neighborhood of the upper end of the vessel to pour the soup from the ladle-out mouth into the plateware. Therefore, the soup poured out may splash to soil the vessel.
- The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and therefore one of objects of the present invention is to provide a soup supplying apparatus which when a soup is ladled up by a ladle past the upper end of a vessel, can prevent the soup pushed aside by the ladle from climbing over the upper end of the vessel to spill; when the soup ladled up by the ladle is poured into a plateware, can prevent the soup from splashing to soil the outer wall of the vessel; and can make it difficult for the soup accommodated in the vessel to burn and stick onto the wall of the vessel so that when the vessel is washed, it can be easily washed clean.
- According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a soup supplying apparatus including: a vessel having an opening and accommodates a soup therein; a funnel member arranged within the vessel and rotatively moves out of the vessel through the opening; a ladling member that ladles up the soup accommodated in the vessel; a linkage mechanism provided with the ladling member at one end thereof; a linkage supporting portion that rotatably supports the linkage mechanism within the vessel; and a driving device that rotatively moves the linkage mechanism, wherein the ladling member is configured to be inserted into an inlet of the funnel member, when the driving device rotatively moves the linkage mechanism and the ladling member approaches the opening of the vessel, and to be rotatively moved out from the vessel together with the funnel member to supply the soup ladled by the ladling member into a plateware from an outlet of the funnel member, when the driving device further rotatively moves the linkage mechanism.
- The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1 is an appearance perspective view showing a soup supplying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing an internal structure of the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment; -
FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing the internal structure of the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment; -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment when an upper cover covering the opening of an upper portion of an apparatus body has been rotated upward to open; -
FIGS. 5A-5D are side sectional views showing in order the operating states of a linkage mechanism within a vessel, a ladle, and a hopper, when the soup accommodated in the vessel is sub-divided into a plateware in the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment of this invention, whereinFIG. 5A shows a state when the linkage mechanism in the vessel has rotatively moved to a predetermined position opposite to the hopper,FIG. 5B shows a state where the linkage mechanism in the vessel rotatively moves toward the hopper so that the ladle is guided by the inner wall of an inlet of the hopper,FIG. 5C shows a state when the linkage mechanism further rotatively moves so that the ladle has been inserted into the hopper,FIG. 5D shows a state when the ladle being inserted in the hopper rotatively moves over the opening of the vessel to the outside thereof so that the soup in the ladle is poured into a plateware from an outlet of the hopper. - Referring now to the accompanying drawings, a description will be given in detail of a preferred embodiment of the invention.
-
FIG. 1 is an appearance perspective view showing a soup supplying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing an internal structure of the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment.FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing the internal structure of the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment.FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment when an upper cover covering the opening of an upper portion of an apparatus body has been rotated upward to open. -
FIGS. 5A-5D are side sectional views showing in order the operating states of a linkage mechanism within a vessel, a ladle, and a hopper, when the soup accommodated in the vessel is sub-divided into a plateware in the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment of this invention, whereinFIG. 5A shows a state when the linkage mechanism in the vessel has rotatively moved to a predetermined position opposite to the hopper,FIG. 5B shows a state where the linkage mechanism in the vessel rotatively moves toward the hopper so that the ladle is guided by the inner wall of an inlet of the hopper,FIG. 5C shows a state when the linkage mechanism further rotatively moves so that the ladle has been inserted into the hopper,FIG. 5D shows a state when the ladle being inserted in the hopper rotatively moves over the opening of the vessel to the outside thereof so that the soup in the ladle is poured into a plateware from an outlet of the hopper. - As seen from
FIGS. 1-4 , the soup supplying apparatus includes anapparatus body 1 for holding avessel 5 accommodating a soup, anupper cap 2 openably covering the upper part of thebody 1 and plateware placingportions 3 each located in front of thebody 1 where aplateware 16 into which the soup is sub-divided is placed. - The
apparatus body 1 includes twovessel holding portions 21 each for holding avessel 5 accommodating the soup. Thevessel holding portion 5 is, on its bottom, provided with aheating device 22 for heating and keeping warm the soup accommodated in thevessel 5. - The
upper cap 2 includes acover 25 for covering the upper portion of thevessel 5 held in thevessel holding portion 21; adriving device 26 arranged on thecover 25, which includes adriving motor 28 for driving aladle 11 for ladling the soup in thevessel 5; and acontrol panel 31 arranged to orient forward in front of thedriving device 26 and provided withsub-division switches 32 each for starting the sub-division operation of the soup and settingbuttons 33 for setting a soup warm-keeping temperature and others. Theupper cap 2 is rotatably vertically linked with theapparatus body 1 by a supportingshaft 35 located at the rear. By rotating upward theupper cap 2 to open the upper part of the apparatus body 1 (seeFIG. 4 ), thevessel 5 accommodating the soup can be easily attached to or detached from thevessel holding portion 21 of theapparatus body 1. - The plateware placing
portion 3 has aplacing stand 17 on which theplateware 16 is placed, and asoup recovering bucket 18 which serves to recover and accumulate the soup spilled when the soup is sub-divided into theplateware 16. Theplateware 3 is detachably locked to the front of theapparatus body 1 by ahook 19. - The
vessel 5 that accommodates thesoup 5 is formed in a semi-circular shape when viewed from the side. Abottom 5 b is formed along the arc portion and anopening 5 a is formed at the chord. At the upper end of thebottom 5 b, an expandedportion 5 d facing theopening 5 a and warping outward from the arc portion is formed. Ahopper 40 is internally journaled on the expandedportion 5 d. Thehopper 40 into which theladle 11 is inserted rotates outward through anopening 5 a. Thebottom 5 b is formed as a semi-circular curve with the center dished outwardly.Side portions 5 c are formed on both left and right sides of the bottom. Provided at theside portions 5 c are a U-shape groove 6 (linkage portion supporting portion) in which thelinkage mechanism 8 is detachably supported and grips 7 for carrying thevessel 5. By designing thevessel 5 in such a manner, where the soup is accommodated within thevessel 5, the soup can be easily accumulated to the center of thebottom 5 b of thevessel 5. Thevessel 5 is provided, at its upper portion, with avessel cover 20 covering theopening 5 a. - The
linkage mechanism 8 arranged in thevessel 5 includes anaxis 9, arotary arm member 10 composed of a pair ofsquare pieces 10 a provided perpendicular to theaxis 9 and a -shapeswing arm member 12 which is journaled to the tip of therotary arm member 10 and aladle 11 which is rotatably supported or journaled to the open end of theswing arm member 12. - At the tip of the pair of
square pieces 10 a which are provided on theaxis 9 to constitute therotary arm member 10, locking pins 14 a, 14 b are protruded outwardly for journaling theswing arm member 12. Theswing arm member 12, in the vicinity of the base of a pair oftongue pieces 12 bent in parallel, is provided with opposite pin holes 51 a, 51 b in which the locking pins 14 a, 14 b are to be fit, respectively. At the tip of theswing arm member 12, coupling holes 52 a, 52 b are formed for coupling theladle 11 with theswing arm member 12. Coupling pins 36 a, 36 b which are located above the ladle and to be fit in the coupling holes 52 a, 52 b of theswing arm member 12 are protrusively provided on acoupling plate 37. - The pair of
square pieces 10 a of therotary arm member 10 are formed of flat springs having elasticity so that the interval between their tips can be shortening. Likewise, the pair oftongue pieces 12 a of theswing arm member 12 are formed of flat springs having elasticity so that the interval between their tips can be lengthened. By shortening the interval between the tips of the pair ofsquare pieces 10 a of therotary arm member 10, theswing arm member 12 coupled with the tips can be easily attached or detached. Likewise, by lengthening the interval between the tips of the pair oftongue pieces 12 a of theswing arm member 12, theladle 11 coupled with the tips can be easily attached or detached. In short, the linkage mechanism can be easily dismantled into its respective components. - The
linkage mechanism 8 is journaled, in its both ends of theaxis 9, by theU-shaped grooves 6 formed on bothsides 5 c, and hence can be freely rotatively moved in the vessel. Theladle 11 provided at the tip of thelinkage mechanism 8 is adapted so that the distance from theaxis 9 can be varied by the linkage structure including therotary arm member 10 and theswing arm member 12. Hence, the bottom of theladle 11 can rotatively move along the bottom thevessel 5. - At the one end of the
axis 9, a plate-like coupling plate 24 is provided which is coupled with the drivingdevice 26 arranged in theupper cap 2 to rotate thelinkage mechanism 8 back and forth. Thecoupling plate 24 has agroove 24 a to be engaged with a drivingcoupling pin 30 a of the drivingdevice 26 described later. - The
ladle 11 is formed in a sack shape with anopening 11 a at the one end. Theladle 11 has ansoup accommodating section 11 b for ladling the soup in the inside thereof. Thesoup accommodating section 11 b also has apartitioning net 38 which partitions itself into a front side and a rear side. Theladle 11 is provided, on the bottom, with a scraper (scraping member) 39 that scrapes the bottom 5 b of thevessel 5. - The
scraper 39 is designed so that its bottom 39 a extends along the bottom 5 b of thevessel 5. When thelinkage mechanism 8 rotatively moves within thevessel 5, thescraper 39 slides over the bottom 5 b while its bottom is in wide contact with the bottom 5 b of thevessel 5. This prevents burning/sticking of the soup accommodated in thevessel 5 onto the bottom 5 b. The rear 39 b of thescraper 39 is formed so that it covers the rear of theladle 1 to be sharp rearwards. So, when theladle 11 rotatively moves rearward in the direction opposite to theopening 11 a, it can rotatively move with less resistance to the soup accommodated in thevessel 5. - The
partition net 38 has a net adjusted so that it does not pass the substances contained in the soup and passes only the soup liquid. Theladle 11 has a plurality of netfitting portions 11 c where thepartition net 38 is fit so that the partitioning position where thesoup accommodating section 11 b is partitioned can be changed. This allows the ratio between the substances and soup liquid in the soup accommodated in the soup accommodating portion in theladle 11 to be constant, and also the ratio to be changed by changing the portioning position of thepartition net 38 as required. - The
ladle 11 configured in this manner is journaled on the tip of thelinkage mechanism 8 so that itsopening 11 a can be rotatively moved toward thehopper 40 provided at the expandedportion 5 d of thevessel 5. - The
hopper 40 is rotatably supported or journaled on ahopper supporting member 45 provided at the expandedportion 5 d of thevessel 5 by a supportingshaft 41. The hopper includes aninlet 40 into which theladle 11 is inserted and anoutlet 40 b from which the soup is poured into theplateware 16. Theinlet 40 a is formed so that theinner wall 40 c of thehopper 40 becomes in plane with the arc-shapedbottom 5 b of thevessel 5 when theladle 11 is inserted into theinlet 40 a. Thehopper 40 is provided with a detachable (replaceable)nozzle 43 constituting theoutlet 40 b. - The driving
device 26 provided on theupper cap 2 includes a drivingmotor 28, an drivingarm 27 secured to theaxis 28 a of the drivingmotor 28, a drivinglinkage piece 30 with one end journaled on the tip of the drivingarm 27, a guidingshaft 29 engaged in along slot 30 b provided longitudinally along the drivinglinkage piece 30 and a drivingcoupling pin 30 a engaged in agroove 24 a formed on thecoupling plate 24 of thelinkage mechanism 8 provided at the other end of the drivinglinkage piece 30. In the drivingdevice 26 thus configured, when the drivingmotor 28 is energized, the drivingarm 27 rotates with theaxis 28 a so that the drivinglinkage piece 30 journaled on the tip of the drivingarm 27 swings while being guided by the guidingshaft 29 engaged in thelong slot 30 b. Further, by the drivingcoupling pin 30 a provided at the other end of the drivinglinkage piece 30, thecoupling plate 24 of thelinkage mechanism 8, engaged therewith is rotatively moved around theaxis 9 so that thelinkage mechanism 8 is rotatively moved. In this way, thelinkage mechanism 8 is rotatively moved by the rotation of the drivingmotor 28. - In the soup supplying apparatus configured as described hitherto, an explanation will be given of the functions and operations of the respective components where the soup accommodated in the
vessel 5 is sub-divided into theplateware 16. - First, taking the quantity of the substances contained in the soup into consideration, the ratio between the substances and soup liquid to be ladled up by the
ladle 11 is determined. According to the ratio, thepartition net 38 is fit in one of netfitting portions 11 c provided at a plurality of positions. Next, thelinkage mechanism 8 with theladle 11 mounted is put in thevessel 5 so that theaxis 9 of thelinkage mechanism 8 is attached to theU-shaped grooves 6 provided on thesides 5 of thevessel 5 c. The soup is poured into thevessel 5 and accommodated therein. - Subsequently, as seen from
FIG. 4 , theupper cap 2 which closes the upper opening of theapparatus body 1 is rotatively moved upwards to open. With thegrips 7 of thevessel 5 being gripped, thevessel 5 is mounted in thevessel holding portion 21 of theapparatus body 1. Next, theupper cap 2 is rotatively moved downwards to close the upper part of theapparatus body 1. At this time, the drivingcoupling pin 30 a of the drivingdevice 26 provided in theupper cap 2 is engaged in thegroove 24 a provided in thecoupling plate 24 of thelinkage mechanism 8. The keeping temperature of the soup is set by thesetting button 33 on thecontrol panel 31. In this status, the soup accommodated in thevessel 5 is kept at a predetermined temperature. - Further, in this state, the soup accommodated in the
vessel 5 is stirred by theladle 11 of thelinkage mechanism 8. Concretely, when the drivingmotor 28 of the drivingdevice 26 provided in theupper cap 2 is energized, thelink driving mechanism 8 and theladle 11 at its tip are rotatively moved in one direction by the drivinglinkage piece 30. When they are rotatively moved to a prescribed position (e.g. position inclined by 60 degrees backward), theladle 11 as well as thelinkage mechanism 8 is rotatively moved in the other direction opposite to the one direction. Likewise, when they are rotatively moved to a prescribed position (e.g. position inclined by 60 degrees forward), theladle 11 as well as thelinkage mechanism 8 is rotatively moved in the one direction. Such an operation is repeated successively or intermittently. Thus, the soup accommodated in thevessel 5 is stirred by theladle 11. Further, simultaneously, thescraper 39 provided on the bottom of theladle 11 slides over the bottom 5 b of thevessel 5 in wide contact therewith so that the soup is prevented from burning and sticking onto the bottom 5 b of the vessel. - Now when the
plateware 16 is placed on theplateware placing portion 3 and asub-division starting switch 32 on thecontrol panel 31 is operated, the sub-division operation of the soup is started. Concretely, when the drivingmotor 28 of the drivingapparatus 26 is energized, thelinkage mechanism 8 is rotated through the drivinglinkage piece 30 in a direction opposite to theopening 11 a of theladle 11 from a stand-by status as shown inFIG. 3 . As seen fromFIG. 5A , when thelinkage mechanism 8 is rotatively moved to a predetermined position (e.g. position inclined by 45 degrees backward), it starts to rotate in the direction of the opening 11 a of theladle 11. At this time, theladle 11 makes an arc movement along the bottom 5 b of thevessel 5 in sliding-contact therewith so as to accommodate the soup in thesoup accommodating potion 11 b from the opening 11 a. Thus, the soup is accommodated in thesoup accommodating section 11 b at a predetermined ratio between the substances and soup liquid set by thepartition net 38. - When the rotation further proceeds, as seen from
FIG. 5B , theladle 11 is guided from the arc-shapedbottom 5 b of thevessel 5 along theinner wall 40 c of theinlet 40 a of thehopper 40 which is formed to lead to the bottom 5 b. Theladle 11 is eventually inserted into theinlet 40 a of thehopper 40. - When the
linkage mechanism 8 further rotatively moves, theladle 11, while being inserted in thehopper 40 and integral thereto, around the supportingshaft 41 journaling thehopper 40, rotatively moves over theopening 5 b of thevessel 5 to the outside thereof as seen fromFIG. 5B . Thus, the soup in theladle 11 is poured into theplateware 16 placed on theplateware placing portion 3. In this case, the soup accommodated within thesoup accommodating section 11 b is poured into theplateware 16 in a nearly constant state through thehopper 40 from itsoutlet 40 b. When the whole soup accommodated in thesoup accommodating section 11 b has been sub-divided into theplateware 16, thelinkage mechanism 8 is rotated in an opposite direction so that theladle 11 is returned into thevessel 5 again. Such an operation is repeated as required so that predetermined quantities of soup are sub-divided into theplatewares 16. - Incidentally, the
vessel cover 20 covering theopening 5 a of thevessel 5 is normally closed and is provided with a pouringmouth door 20 a which is opened owing to pushing force resulting when theladle 11, while being inserted in thehopper 40 and integral thereto, rotatively moves over theopening 5 b of thevessel 5 to the outside thereof. - Thus, where the soup in the
vessel 5 is ladled up by theladle 11 and poured into theplateware 16, the soup ladled up in theladle 11 is poured into theplateware 16 in a nearly constant state through thehopper 40 from itsoutlet 40 b. This prevents the soup poured from splashing or scattering. Further, theladle 11, while being inserted in thehopper 40, rotatively moves the outside of thevessel 5. This prevents the soup from dripping from the end of the opening 11 a of theladle 11 to the outside of thevessel 5. The apparatus, therefore, can be kept clean. - Further, since the
hopper 40 is provided with the detachable (replaceable)nozzle 43 constituting theoutlet 40 b, by replacing thenozzle 43, the size and shape of theoutlet 40 b of thehopper 40 can be easily changed. Specifically, even when the kind or density of the soup accommodated in thevessel 5 is changed, by mounting thenozzle 43, having theoutlet 40 b formed with the size and shape suitable to the pertinent soup, in thehopper 40, the pouring state of the soup can be controlled so that the soup poured from theoutlet 40 b of thehopper 40 does not splash nor scatter. - When the
ladle 11 that rotatively moves along the arc-shapedbottom 5 b of thevessel 5 is inserted into thehopper 40 provided at the expandedportion 5 d of thevessel 5, theladle 11 is guided by theinner wall 40 c of theinlet 40 a of thehopper 40 which is formed to lead to the arc-shapedbottom 5 b. For this reason, theladle 11 can be smoothly inserted into thehopper 40. Accordingly, when theladle 11, while ladling the soup in thevessel 5 approaches thehopper 40, the soup thus pushed aside is once carried in thehopper 40 and hence does not spill over the end of theopening 5 a of thevessel 5 to the outside thereof. - Further, since the
scraper 39 provided on the bottom of theladle 11 slides over the bottom 5 b in wide contact with the bottom 5 b of thevessel 5, the burning (or sticking) of the soup onto the bottom 5 b of thevessel 5 can be prevented. Thus, when thevessel 5 is washed, it can be easily made clean. - The arc-shaped
bottom 5 b of thevessel 5 is formed as a semi-circular curve with the center dished outwardly.Side portions 5 c are formed on both left and right sides of the bottom. In thevessel 5 designed in this manner, when the quantity of the soup accommodated in thevessel 5 becomes little, the soup can be accumulated at the center of the bottom 5 b of thevessel 5. This allows the soup to be effectively ladled up by theladle 11. Thus, insufficient ladling of the soup can be avoided to prevent its sticking to thevessel 5. Accordingly, the apparatus can be kept clean and the vessel can be easily washed clean. In this way, the soup supplying apparatus according to the embodiment, where the soup in thevessel 5 is sub-divided into the plateware, can prevent the respective components of the apparatus from being soiled by the soup, and even where the apparatus has been soiled, allows these components to be easily washed clean. - Incidentally, it is needless to say that this invention should not be limited to the apparatus given by the embodiment and can be modified within a scope including the intention of this invention.
- As described above, the soup supplying apparatus includes: a vessel having an opening for accommodating a soup; a funnel member arranged within the vessel and rotatively moving to the outside of the vessel through the opening; a ladling member for ladling up the soup within the vessel; a linkage mechanism provided with the ladling member at its one end; a linkage supporting portion for rotatably supporting the linkage mechanism within the vessel; and a driving device for rotatively moving the linkage mechanism, wherein when the linkage mechanism supported within the vessel is rotatively moved by the driving device and the ladling member provided at its end approaches the opening of the vessel, the ladling member is inserted into an inlet of the funnel member, the funnel member as well as the ladling member is rotatively moved past the opening to the outside of the vessel, and the soup ladled up by the ladling member is sub-divided into a plateware from an outlet of the funnel member.
- According to this configuration, where the soup ladled up by the ladling member poured is into the plateware, the soup is poured out through the hopper from its cylindrical slot. For this reason, the pouring state can be kept nearly constant. Further, since the ladling member is inserted in the funnel member, the soup can be prevented from dripping from the ladling member to the outside of the vessel.
- In the soup supplying apparatus, the funnel member is provided with an outlet changing member which can change the size and shape of the outlet. According to this configuration, according to the size of substances or density of the soup liquid of the soup accommodated in the vessel, the size or shape of the cylindrical slot of the funnel member can be changed.
- In the soup supplying apparatus, the vessel includes an bottom in an arc shape with its upper portion opened, and an expanded portion formed at the upper end of the bottom to face the opening and being expanded outward from the arc shape; the linkage supporting portion arranges an axis of the linkage mechanism concentrically with the arc shape to rotatably support the ladling member along the bottom in the arc shape; and the funnel member is arranged at the expanded portion so that an inner wall of the inlet leads to the bottom in the arc shape. According to this configuration, the inner wall of the inlet of the funnel member provided at the expanded portion guides the ladling member rotatively moving along the bottom so that the ladling member can be smoothly inserted into the funnel member.
- In the soup supplying apparatus, the ladling member is provided with a scraping member in contact with the bottom of the vessel. According to this configuration, when the soup is accommodated in the vessel, the burning (or sticking) of the soup onto the bottom can be prevented.
- In the soup supplying apparatus, the bottom of the vessel is formed to link both side plates of the vessel by a curve with a curved surface that a central portion thereof being expanded outwardly. According to this configuration, when the quantity of the soup accommodated in the vessel becomes little, the soup is accumulated at the center of the bottom so that it can effectively ladled up by the ladling member.
- As described hitherto, according to the soup supplying apparatus, where the soup ladled up by the ladling member is poured into the plateware, the soup is poured out through the funnel member from its cylindrical slot so that the pouring state can be kept nearly constant. This prevents the soup poured through the funnel member from splashing or scattering to be applied to the vessel and apparatus components in the vicinity thereof, thereby keeping the apparatus clean. Further, since the ladling member is inserted in the funnel member, the soup can be prevented from dripping from the ladling member to the outside of the vessel. So, the apparatus, likewise, can be kept clean.
- According to the soup supplying apparatus, according to the size of substances or density of the soup liquid of the soup accommodated in the vessel, the size or shape of the cylindrical slot of the funnel member can be changed. Therefore, even when the kind or density of the soup is changed, the pouring state of the soup can be controlled so that the soup poured from the outlet of the funnel member does not splash nor scatter.
- According to the soup supplying apparatus, the inner wall of the inlet of the funnel member provided at the expanded portion guides the ladling member rotatively moving along the bottom so that the ladling member can be smoothly inserted into the funnel member. For this reason, when the ladling member, while ladling the soup in the vessel, approaches the funnel member, the soup thus pushed aside does not spill over and outside the end of the opening of the vessel.
- According to the soup supplying apparatus, when the soup is accommodated in the vessel, the burning (or sticking) of the soup onto the bottom can be prevented. So the vessel can be easily washed clean.
- According to the soup supplying apparatus, when the quantity of the soup accommodated in the vessel becomes little, the soup is accumulated at the center of the bottom so that it can effectively ladled up by the ladling member. Thus, insufficient ladling of the soup can be avoided and the apparatus can be kept clean.
- The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, and their equivalents.
Claims (5)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JPP2004-063717 | 2004-03-08 | ||
JP2004063717A JP4168956B2 (en) | 2004-03-08 | 2004-03-08 | Soup supply equipment |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20050193894A1 true US20050193894A1 (en) | 2005-09-08 |
US6948422B1 US6948422B1 (en) | 2005-09-27 |
Family
ID=34909318
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/929,834 Active US6948422B1 (en) | 2004-03-08 | 2004-08-30 | Soup supplying apparatus |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US6948422B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4168956B2 (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP4645209B2 (en) * | 2005-02-03 | 2011-03-09 | 富士電機リテイルシステムズ株式会社 | Soup supply equipment |
US8066427B2 (en) | 2006-06-12 | 2011-11-29 | Don Wong | Stirring and mixing apparatus |
CN107997575B (en) * | 2017-12-20 | 2020-10-27 | 西安工程大学 | Stirring system of cooking robot |
Citations (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3185348A (en) * | 1963-04-04 | 1965-05-25 | George A Pollak | Beverage reconstituting and dispensing device |
US3340790A (en) * | 1965-11-22 | 1967-09-12 | Gen Res Inc | Dispensing apparatus |
US4189071A (en) * | 1977-08-25 | 1980-02-19 | Maryland Cup Corporation | Soup Dispenser |
US4357861A (en) * | 1976-08-06 | 1982-11-09 | Silvestro Di Girolamo | Apparatus for brewing a hot beverage made up of a solution of a powdered substance in a liquid |
US4359935A (en) * | 1979-11-01 | 1982-11-23 | Ramatian Pty. Ltd. | Apparatus for cooking and dispensing food |
US4544085A (en) * | 1983-06-22 | 1985-10-01 | Taylor Freezer Company | Pump type dispenser for heat softenable food products |
US4671966A (en) * | 1984-07-30 | 1987-06-09 | Battelle Memorial Institute | Method for fabricating a thickener concentrate for thickening sauces |
US4748902A (en) * | 1987-01-21 | 1988-06-07 | Vito Maurantonio | Automatic food cooker and dispenser |
US4993593A (en) * | 1989-07-21 | 1991-02-19 | Ralph Fabiano | Apparatus and methods for dispensing a flowable medium |
US5897020A (en) * | 1995-11-29 | 1999-04-27 | Liu; Shu Lien | Food container with ladle holding structure |
US6006657A (en) * | 1999-02-05 | 1999-12-28 | Ikuta; Kazumasa | System for allotting soup with ingredients |
US6152020A (en) * | 1999-04-12 | 2000-11-28 | Ikuta; Kazumasa | System for allotting soup with ingredients |
US6703063B2 (en) * | 2000-07-14 | 2004-03-09 | Seiko Takatsu | Sweet jellied paste, method of manufacturing the same, and cake using the same |
Family Cites Families (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP3449554B2 (en) | 2000-01-28 | 2003-09-22 | 和男 永山 | Ingredient soup subdivision supply device |
-
2004
- 2004-03-08 JP JP2004063717A patent/JP4168956B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2004-08-30 US US10/929,834 patent/US6948422B1/en active Active
Patent Citations (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3185348A (en) * | 1963-04-04 | 1965-05-25 | George A Pollak | Beverage reconstituting and dispensing device |
US3340790A (en) * | 1965-11-22 | 1967-09-12 | Gen Res Inc | Dispensing apparatus |
US4357861A (en) * | 1976-08-06 | 1982-11-09 | Silvestro Di Girolamo | Apparatus for brewing a hot beverage made up of a solution of a powdered substance in a liquid |
US4189071A (en) * | 1977-08-25 | 1980-02-19 | Maryland Cup Corporation | Soup Dispenser |
US4359935A (en) * | 1979-11-01 | 1982-11-23 | Ramatian Pty. Ltd. | Apparatus for cooking and dispensing food |
US4544085A (en) * | 1983-06-22 | 1985-10-01 | Taylor Freezer Company | Pump type dispenser for heat softenable food products |
US4671966A (en) * | 1984-07-30 | 1987-06-09 | Battelle Memorial Institute | Method for fabricating a thickener concentrate for thickening sauces |
US4748902A (en) * | 1987-01-21 | 1988-06-07 | Vito Maurantonio | Automatic food cooker and dispenser |
US4993593A (en) * | 1989-07-21 | 1991-02-19 | Ralph Fabiano | Apparatus and methods for dispensing a flowable medium |
US5897020A (en) * | 1995-11-29 | 1999-04-27 | Liu; Shu Lien | Food container with ladle holding structure |
US6006657A (en) * | 1999-02-05 | 1999-12-28 | Ikuta; Kazumasa | System for allotting soup with ingredients |
US6152020A (en) * | 1999-04-12 | 2000-11-28 | Ikuta; Kazumasa | System for allotting soup with ingredients |
US6703063B2 (en) * | 2000-07-14 | 2004-03-09 | Seiko Takatsu | Sweet jellied paste, method of manufacturing the same, and cake using the same |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP4168956B2 (en) | 2008-10-22 |
JP2005247399A (en) | 2005-09-15 |
US6948422B1 (en) | 2005-09-27 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
KR101148723B1 (en) | Brew chamber for a single serve beverage brewer | |
US5341961A (en) | Coffee dispenser with agitator | |
JP3876235B2 (en) | Coffee dispenser for coffee machine | |
JP2004033725A (en) | Washing machine | |
US6948422B1 (en) | Soup supplying apparatus | |
JP3954880B2 (en) | Beverage raw material supply device and beverage cooking device | |
US4376499A (en) | Container with dispensing element | |
JPH0895366A (en) | Printer with toner door | |
JP4124155B2 (en) | Soup supply equipment | |
JP4506266B2 (en) | Soup supply equipment | |
KR20190134273A (en) | Easyly stick-replaceable roast board | |
US20050263008A1 (en) | Soup supplying apparatus | |
JP2006050937A (en) | Apparatus for supplying soups | |
JP3449554B2 (en) | Ingredient soup subdivision supply device | |
JP2006050938A (en) | Apparatus for supplying soups | |
JP2002191505A (en) | Beverage providing device | |
JP2005297985A (en) | Soup feeder | |
JP2006075094A (en) | Feeder for soups | |
JP2006094790A (en) | Soup feeder | |
JP2000229037A (en) | Drink dispenser | |
JP4329620B2 (en) | Soup beverage supply equipment | |
JP4506287B2 (en) | Soup beverage supply equipment | |
CN218390630U (en) | Blending box | |
JP2006006104A (en) | Soup dispenser | |
CN117717257A (en) | Automatic egg stirring device, automatic egg frying machine and egg frying method |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: FUJI ELECTRIC RETAIL SYSTEMS CO., LTD., JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:NAGASAKI, TADASHI;REEL/FRAME:016031/0076 Effective date: 20041119 |
|
FEPP | Fee payment procedure |
Free format text: PAYOR NUMBER ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: ASPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY |
|
STCF | Information on status: patent grant |
Free format text: PATENTED CASE |
|
FEPP | Fee payment procedure |
Free format text: PAYOR NUMBER ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: ASPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY Free format text: PAYER NUMBER DE-ASSIGNED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: RMPN); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 4 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD., JAPAN Free format text: MERGER;ASSIGNOR:FUJI ELECTRIC RETAIL SYSTEMS CO., LTD.;REEL/FRAME:029555/0128 Effective date: 20121001 |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 8 |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 12 |