TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a device for dispensing liquid foodstuff, for example jam, cream, or chocolate, into pastry, for example croissants. The invention also relates to a foodstuff container and coupling part and a set thereto.

PROBLEM SOLUTION

The document US3428000 A describes a machine for filling pastry with liquid foodstuff. In this machine the foodstuff is stored and transported completely open, which entails that it becomes unusable within a short time. An alternative is to add preservative to increase its lifetime, but you would rather avoid this.

The object of the device according to the present invention is to remedy this problem, which is achieved in that the invention has the features essentially set forth in the following claim 1.

The said dispensing device allows you to be no longer dependent on using the liquid foodstuff within a short time and to not need either to add preservative in order to prolong the shelf life.

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 shows a side view, and partly in section, of a device according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows a sectional view of various coupling parts, said coupling parts forming part of a coupling device which is part of the device according to the invention, wherein said coupling parts are shown prior to being coupled together. Figure 3 shows a sectional view of the coupling device according to figure 2, wherein its coupling parts are coupled together.

Figure 4 is a schematical plan view of a set associated with the device according to figure 1.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED DEVICE ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION

The drawings show a device 1 for dispensing liquid foodstuff 2 into a pastry 3 when this is finished baked and possibly after having been frozen and thawed. The liquid foodstuff 2 may be jam, cream, chocolate, or the like, and the pastry 3 may be croissants, buns, or the like. The device 1 may have an outer container 4 with a removable lid 5. A food container 6 containing the liquid foodstuff 2 may be placed in this outer container 4. In the outer container 4 there can also be placed a pump device 7, which has a pump handle 8. The pump device 7 can be of such known type where, with the help of the pump handle 8, liquid foodstuff 2 can be sucked out from the foodstuff container 6 and be caused to flow through a coupling device 9 arranged in the outer container 4 into the lower part of the pump device 7 and to a dispensing tube 11 arranged at the top of the pump device 7. Through this, the pump device 7 can dispense the foodstuff 2 into a pastry 3 which is slipped onto the dispensing tube 11.

Optionally, the coupling device 9 may be connected to the pump device 7 by a hose 10 or the like for conducting the liquid foodstuff 2 between them.

The lid 5 may have a groove 12 formed by a lower part 13, projecting horizontally outwards from the lid 5 and being disposed below the dispensing tube 1 , and two from the bottom part 13 upwards directed parts 14, which are disposed on opposite sides of the dispensing tube 11. These parts 13,14 help to control a pastry 3, which is slipped onto the dispensing tube 11 , so as to end up in a favourable position thereon, whereby the liquid foodstuff 2 can be injected into the centre of the pastry 3. The foodstuff container 6 is emptied of air, is provided with foodstuff 2, and is closed hermetically, i.e. gas tight. This closed foodstuff container 6 is coupled by means of the coupling device 9 to the pump device 7 and is only opened when said coupling thereof to the pump device 7 is effected. The foodstuff container 6 consists of a flexible plastics material that allows it to be able to subside, i.e. it can "collapse" when the liquid foodstuff 2 is sucked out therefrom.

The coupling device 9 preferably comprises a first coupling part 15 and a second coupling part 16, the first coupling part 15 expediently being a separate unit which is designed and intended for single use and which is connectable directly to the pump device 7 or indirectly thereto by the hose 10, as shown in the drawings.

Preferably, the second coupling part 16 has an annular portion 18 which is attached to the inside of an initially unbroken wall portion 17 of the foodstuff container 6, and which has a hole 19. Said second coupling part 16 has also a number of flanges 20 which are arranged on the annular portion 18 and extend therefrom inwards towards the inner parts of the foodstuff container 6. On inner parts of the flanges 20 there is provided an inner annular portion 21 with a hole 22. By this design of the second coupling part 16 it prevents the first coupling part 15 from puncturing an opposite wall of the foodstuff container 6 when the first coupling part 15 is coupled to the second coupling part 16.

The first coupling part 15 is substantially tubular and has a first coupling portion 23 and a second coupling portion 24 and, between these, a radially projecting flange 25. Preferably, the first coupling portion 23 has an inclined end edge 26 to facilitate puncturing of the unbroken wall portion 17 of the foodstuff container 6 by means of the first coupling portion 23. Said first coupling portion 23 is further designed with such outer diameter that it can be inserted into the hole 19 of the second coupling part 16 and be pressed onto the annular portion 18.

For coupling together the first coupling part 15 and the second coupling part 16, the first coupling portion 23 of the first coupling member 15 is pressed against the unbroken wall portion 17 so that it bursts. Thereafter, the first coupling part 15 is inserted into the hole 19 and is finally pressed onto the annular portion 18. Hereby the foodstuff package 6 is opened and a tight connection is obtained between it and the pump device 7.

The first coupling part 15 also has a second coupling portion 24, to which the pump device 7 or, as in the shown embodiment, a hose 10 connected thereto is connectable, or vice versa.

A locking device 27 is provided to lock the first coupling part 15 to the second coupling part 16 when they are coupled together so that the first coupling part 15 cannot be removed from the second coupling part 16 and, if an unauthorized attempt is made to remove the first coupling part 15, this becomes so damaged that it cannot be used again.

A locking device 27 with this property may be designed in many different ways, and a simple and efficient construction may consist in the first coupling portion 23 of the first coupling part 15 having a kind of hook means 28, which is inwards resilient when the first coupling part is inserted into the hole 19 in the annular portion 18 of the second coupling part 16, and which automatically springs out again when they have passed the annular portion 18 and will thereby be positioned within the inside thereof, whereby they, in conjunction with said annular portion 18, form an extraction obstacle.

As is apparent from Figure 2, the first coupling part 15 is a separate part, which due to said locking means 27 is not reusable and which is preferably first connected to the pump device 7 or its tube 10 and then coupled to the second coupling part 16.

When the foodstuff container 6 is emptied, the first coupling part 15, attached to the foodstuff container 6, is decoupled from the pump device 7 or its hose 10, or vice versa, and the empty foodstuff container 6, along with its first coupling part 15 attached thereto, will then be destructed.

Then, a new first coupling part 15 is used for connecting a filled foodstuff container 6 to the pump device 7, or vice versa. One or more first coupling parts 15 may be included in a set 30 which also includes a number of pastries 3. The set 30 may have a package 31 in which the pastries 3 are placed. In or on such a package there may also be arranged first coupling parts 15, but alternatively these may be included in said set 30 in other ways.

The invention is not limited to the above embodiment but may vary within the scope of the following claims and aspects. In this context, the pump device 7 may be arranged such that for each pump stroke with the pump handle 8 a predetermined amount of liquid foodstuff 2 is dispensed into a pastry 3. There may be an adjustment device, not shown, which allows this quantity of foodstuff 2 to be changed. The locking device 27 may exhibit locking members on both one of the two first and second coupling parts 15, 16 or on both, or it may be a separate unit.

Furthermore, there are the following aspects of the invention. Aspect 1 concerns a device for dispensing liquid foodstuff 2, for example jam, cream, or chocolate, into pastry 3, for example croissants, where a coupling device 9 is arranged for coupling a foodstuff container 6 with the liquid foodstuff 2 to a pump device 7, wherein at least one dispensing tube 11 is designed such that pastry 3 can be slipped thereon, or that it can be slipped into pastry 3, and wherein the pump device 7 is arranged such as to allow liquid foodstuff 2 to be pumped from the foodstuff container 6 through the coupling device 9 to the dispensing tube 11 and through this into the pastry 3, characterized in that the foodstuff container 6 with the liquid foodstuff 2 is emptied of air and is hermetically closed before being coupled to the pump device 7, that the foodstuff container 6 is openable when the said coupling takes place, and that the foodstuff container 6 has the ability to collapse when emptied of liquid foodstuff 2.

Aspect 2 concerns a device according to aspect 1 , characterized in that the coupling part 9 has a first coupling part 15 and a second coupling part 16 through which liquid foodstuff 2 can pass from the foodstuff container 6 to the pump device 7, and that the first coupling part 15 is a separate part designed for single use and is connectable to the second coupling part 16, or vice versa, and directly or indirectly to the pump device 7, or vice versa. Aspect 3 concerns a device according to aspect 2, characterized in that the first and/or the second coupling part 15 and/or 16 has/have a locking device 27 which locks the first coupling part 15 to the second coupling part 16 when these are coupled together such that the first coupling part 15 is unremovably locked to the second coupling part 16 and/or such that, at unauthorized attempts of removal from the second coupling part 16, the first coupling part 15 is damaged, and thereby becomes unusable.

Aspect 4 concerns a device according to aspect 2 or 3, characterized in that the first coupling part 15 is substantially tubular and has a first coupling portion 23 and a second coupling portion 24, that the second coupling part 16 is arranged on the inside of an unbroken wall portion 17 of the foodstuff container 6, and that the first coupling portion 23 of the first coupling part 15 is designed to be pressed through the unbroken wall portion 17 of the foodstuff container 6 to open it and to be inserted into a hole 19 in the second coupling part 16 for coupling the first and second coupling parts 15,16 to each other.

Aspect 5 concerns a device according to aspect 3 or 4, characterized in that at least parts of the locking device 27 are arranged on the first coupling portion 23 of the first coupling part 15.

Aspect 6 concerns a device according to any of the preceding aspects, characterized in that the pump device 7 is hand operable and is adapted such that, for each full pump stroke, it delivers a predetermined amount of liquid foodstuff 2 into a pastry 3 and that the size of the pump strokes can preferably be modified to change the amount of delivered liquid foodstuff 2 with each pump stroke.

Aspect 7 concerns a device according to any of the preceding aspects, characterized in that the dispensing tube 11 is arranged in a groove 12 formed by an outer container 4 or a lid 5 thereon, in which outer container 4 the foodstuff container 6 and the pump device 7 are positioned or positionable. Aspect 8 concerns a foodstuff container for a device for dispensing therefrom liquid foodstuff 2, for example jam, cream, or chocolate, into pastry 3, for example croissants, characterized in that the foodstuff container 6 is emptied of air and is hermetically closed before being coupled to said device 1 , that the foodstuff container 6 is designed to open only when this coupling is effected, and that the foodstuff container 6 consists of flexible material, preferably plastics material, and has the ability to collapse when emptied of liquid foodstuff 2.

Aspect 9 concerns a coupling part for a device for dispensing liquid foodstuff 2, for example jam, cream, or chocolate, into pastry 3, for example croissants, characterized in that the coupling part is a first coupling part 15 for a coupling device 9 which is intended to be arranged between a foodstuff container 6 and a pump device 7 which is intended for pumping liquid foodstuff 2 from the foodstuff container 6 to at least one dispensing tube 11 and through this into a pastry 3 positioned thereon, and that said first coupling part 15 is a separate part, which is designed for single use and which directly or indirectly is connectable to the pump device 7 and a second coupling part 16 on the foodstuff container 6 so that it is unremovably locked thereto and/or such that, at unauthorized attempts of removal from the second coupling part 16, it is damaged, thus becoming unusable for reuse.

Aspect 10 concerns a set for a device for dispensing liquid foodstuff 2, such as jam, cream, or chocolate, into pastry 3, for example croissants, characterized in that it comprises a package 31 or the like with a number of pastries 2, and that it has at least one coupling part 15 associated with package 31 or the like, said coupling part preferably being arranged in or on the package 31 , said coupling part 15 thus being connectable to a second coupling part 16 for coupling together a foodstuff container 6 and a pump device 7 which is intended for pumping liquid foodstuff 2 from the foodstuff container 6 to at least one dispensing tube 11 and through this into a pastry 3 positioned thereon.