"A CONSTRUCTIVE ARRANGEMENT PROVIDED IN A SET FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HOME-MADE YOGHURT".

Disclosure of The Invention

The present specification is directed to a Utility Model Patent that proposes a new constructive arrangement provided in a set for the production of home-made yoghurt that exhibits a distinguishing aspect when compared to the sets of the state of the art, that is, the provision of all items necessary for the production of home-made yoghurt, such items being designed and constructed so that they can be suitably packed in a fully organized way inside the structure of the set itself.

As is of common knowledge, the production of home-made yoghurt has become a highly spread practice, either due to the simplicity that involves the production of such product (through the fermentation of milk) or to the extremely favorabfe cost-benefit rate of the home-made product when compared to industrialized products.

The present state of the art contemplates several models of devices and/or equipment that are especially designed and manufactured for the sole purpose of making it possible to produce home-made yoghurt.

Among the options foreseen in the state of the art, the class of household appliances provided with electric resistance can be cited, so that when the electric resistance is activated it is possible to keep the optimum temperature required for transforming the mixture of milk and milky yeast, which mixture is transformed into yoghurt after being subjected to a fermentation process. Another article which is designed for the production of homemade yoghurt is the one provided in Utility Model Patent MU7402112-5, filed on 10/21/1994, that proposes a "Kit for the production of yoghurt", that has been developed by the present Applicant.

In said kit described in Utility Model Patent MU7402112-5 a set

of pots for housing the mixture to be fermented, a mixing spoon and a thermometer are provided, wherein the thermal chamber itself is comprised of a polygon-shaped thermal cradle, defining a tightly ctosed vat that is dosed by a thermal lid, so that both the thermal chamber and its respective Hd are made of such an isolating materia} that prevents the exchange of temperature between the mixture to be fermented and the environment

Specifically with relation to the kit described in Patent MU7402112-5, a positive constructive simplicity can be noticed that makes it possible to manufacture same in a large scale at a relatively reduced cost when compared to the items pertaining to the class of state of the art household appliances.

Irrespective of its high efficiency and relatively low cost of manufacture and commercialization, the kit object of Utility Model Patent MU7402112-5 continues to be devefoped and improved, resulting in the set for producing home-made yoghurt herein that has been developed for implementing the provision of items that are directly involved in the production of home-made yoghurt in a fuiy practical way.

The now described set that has been developed within this context aggregates a portable thermal chamber provided with its respective thermal lid and the whole set of devices required for producing yoghurt in an innovative way, said thermal chamber being especially shaped and configured so that it can house all the items to be used in the effective production of yoghurt, in this case a dispensing milk jug and its respective lid, a set of trays that receive the pots wherein the mixture to be fermented is kept, the pots themselves and their respective lids, and a device for separating the fraction of serum that is a by-product deήved from the production of yoghurt.

One of the basic advantages of the thus formed set is the fact that it is designed to aggregate att the above mentioned items that are conveniently kept inside the fftermaf chamber in a fully organized way, thus

simplifying both the availability of the set for sale and th£ storage thereof when it is not effectively being used, afready at the user's home.

From the point of view of the effective production of home-made yoghurt, also the present set stiff makes ft possible to place the pots containing the mixture to be fermented inside the thermal chamber (through the use of trays) in a fuliy controlled way.

The present set for producing home-made yoghurt will be described in details with reference to the drawings shown below, wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of the thermal chamber and its respective thermal lid;

Figure 2 illustrates a perspective exploded view of all items that make out the set for producing home-made yoghurt, which items are duly housed and kept inside the thermal chamber;

Figure 3 illustrates a longitudinal view of the set for producing home-made yoghurt in its storage condition, with aff its items dufy housed inside the thermal chamber;

Figure 4 illustrates a foπgitudinaf view of the set for producing home-made yoghurt in its practical use condition, wherein onty the pots, their respective lids and trays that organize the pots inside the thermal chamber are present;

Figure 5 illustrates a top view of the present set that is shown with its items arranged inside the thermal chamber that is shown without its thermal lid for visualization purposes;

Figure 6 illustrates a detail of the closure that provides a tight attachment between the thermal chamber and its respective thermal lid, said closure being an expanded detail of figure 1, where it is designated by the arrow; and

Figure 7 iffustrates a view of the practical use of the serum separating device that is disposed on the present m ^' rik jug, this last view only

showing its fop portion.

According to what is illustrated in the figures cited hereinabove, the set for producing home-made yoghurt object of this Utility Model Patent comprises a thermal chamber 1 that is dosed by a respective thermal lid 2, wherein both the chamber 1 and its fid 2 are provided with internal and external structures that define a hollow space that is filled with thermal isolating material 3, as can be seen in figures 3 and 4.

The set for producing home-made yoghurt object of this Utility Mode) Patent is characterized by the fact that the thermal chamber 1 has an essentially vertical and basically paralelepipedical configuration (as can be seen by looking at the set of figures 1 , 2, and 5 as a whole, and particularly in figure 5 the thermal chamber is shown without its Hd in a top view).

The configuration of thermal chamber 1 makes it possible to suitably arrange a number of items required for the pracficaf production of home- made yoghurt within same, such items including: a milk jug 4 and its respective iid 5; trays 6 that are used as a support for the cσntroWed positioning of individual pots 7, each one of which provided with its own Hd 8; and a serum separating device 9.

The set of cited items, as well as the portable thermal chamber 1 and its thermal lid 2, can be seen in a stored condition, as shown in figure 3, where it can be seen that the milk jug 4 is housed inside the portable thermal chamber 1, the trays 6 are sequentially piled up inside said milk jug, the sets of individual pots 7 are grouped on the first tray 6 (from top to bottom), which pots are disposed one inside the other as far as just before the upper limit of the milk jug 4 that receives its Ud 5 (that it disposed in an inverted position). All the lids 8 of the individual pots 7 are grouped over the \ϊά 5 of the milk jug 4, which lid fills the space defined for the serum separating device that is disposed in an inverted position on the milk jug 4. All the items cited hereinabove are then closed inside the portable thermal chamber 1 by mounting the respective therrπaf iid 2 on said

thermal chamber 1.

The arrangement shown in figure 3 fffustrafes the way the items of the present set are disposed either at the saies point or at the user ¹ home, whenever said set is not in use. By looking at figure 3, it can be noticed that each item of the present set has a place defined for its arranged storage.

The items described hereinabove also can be seen in figure 1 , wherein all of them are shown in a perspective exploded view and arranged sequentially inside the thermal chamber 1. Specifically with relation to the thermal chamber 1, it can be noticed that it can receive its respective thermal lid 2 firmly through the action of locking dosures 10 that are provided with pin-shaped projections 11 that can be housed in cavities provided in the portion of the surrounding edge 12 of thermal lid 2. Each one of the locking fatches 10 is configured as a rectangular plate that is provided, in its lower edge, with a tocking shoulder 13 that can be coupled to the profile of the surrounding edge 14 of the thermaf chamber 1, as can be understood more easily by looking at figure 6 that is an expanded detail and partially cut from figure 1, such as the one designated by the arrow. The milk jug 4 follows the same general configuration of thermal chamber 1, exhibiting an essentially parafefeplpedical shape, provided with a handle 15 in one of its vertices of its upper region and a small dispensing nozzle 16 in the opposite vertex thereof.

Along the edge that corresponds to the dispensing nozzle 16, the milk jug 4 is provided with markings 17 that represent a variety of measured sequential volume measurements and act as a scale, said markings 17 being schematically shown in the representation of the milk jug 4 that is illustrated in figure 2.

The above described scale makes it possible to dose the

portions of mffk and serum (afso making if possible fo attain the fermentation of milk for the purpose of producing yoghurt), a fact that facilitates the practical use of the present set.

Each one of the trays 6 has a square-shaped base 18 with high relief ribs 19 that come from a central tower 20 and run towards the central region of the respective lengths of the surrounding wall 21, thus defining relatively low relief areas 22, on which individual pots (for the purposes of the effective production of yoghurt) are disposed, as can be understood more easily by looking at figure 4. Each one of the trays 6 is configured so that its respective central tower 20 can be inserted in the central tower of one another unit of tray 6 disposed thereon, thus making it easier to pile up same as schematically shown in figure 3.

However, when in effective use, the trays 6 can be mounted and disposed such as shown in figure 4, that is, each tray 6 receives the suitable number of individuaf pots 7 duly closed by their fids β.

The individual pots 7, following the same basic configuration shown by both the thermal chamber 1 and the dispensing milk jug A ₁ also present an essentially paralelepipedical shape, a fact that determines that the lids 8 essentially have a square shape.

The dispensing milk jug 4 is provided with a lid 5 that also has a square shape having a convex centra! portion, in the center of which a projection that acts as a handle is provided.

When the items that make out the present set are stored, the lid 5 is placed in an inverted position on the milk jug 4, a condition that can be particularly seen by looking at figure 3.

On the fid 5, and stiff with respect to figure 3, it can be seen that the set of lids 8 is arranged between said lid 5 and the serum separating device 9 in an organized way.

The device 9 is essentially a sieve that is comprised of a screen 23 that follows the transversal contour of its structure and exhibits a configuration like a letter "W".

The upper edge of the device 9 ϊs provided with projecting flaps 24 that make it possible to accommodate the device θ on the dispensing milk jug 4, as can be seen in figure 7.

As evidenced, the set for producing home-made yoghurt object of this Utility Model Patent includes all the items required for the practical production of home-made yoghurt in an organized way, thus making it possible, through its design, to dispose such items in an organized way.