METHOD FOR PREPARING PASTA AND RELATIVE IMPLEMENTATION DEVICE

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Field of the art

As known, pasta of the Italian gastronomic tradition made of wheat, packaged in various formats and intended to be boiled and dressed, consumed both with sauce and in soup, is sold both dry and fresh:

sold dry with production of the format in handmade or industrial scale and relative natural and/or forced drying:

sold fresh with production of the format normally in a handmade scale pasta factory, but often even industrial, especially when the format is sold frozen.

Objects of the invention

The main object of the present invention is, in this context, to provide an innovative and functional metliod for preparing, selling and defining the format of fresh pasta of the Italian gastronomic tradition, as well as the relative implementation device.

Another object of the present invention is to attain the preceding object through a method that can be implemented with the limited skills and equipment, substantially at the reach of any user though without any gastronomic skills, in cases where equipped with the device for implementing the method according to the present invention.

Still, another object of the present invention is to attain the preceding objects through a method suitable to substantially attain any type of fresh pasta format; as well as other types of foodstuffs from modelling pasta to be boiled, such as for example potato gnocchi and the like.

A further object of the present invention is to attain any of the aforementioned objects through a method and device for relative implementation that are simple and efficient, safe to use and relatively inexpensive considering the actual results attained therewith.

Summary of the solution concept

These and other objects are attained through the method for preparing pasta according to the present invention, comprising: preparing handmade or industrial dough for packaging pasta formats of the type to be consumed boiled for gastronomic use of pasta with sauce or pasta in soup; possible addition of the dough with preservative additives and anti-thickening/fluidifying agents as a function of the consumption times and product expiry; introduction of portions (7) of preparation in cylindrical containers (2), preferably made of plastic material suitable for handling food, or variously shaped containers adapted to serve a casing for an extrusion syringe (1); assembling - to the cylindrical container (2) - the plunger (3) adapted to slide therein against an extrusion port (4) with die (5), preferably multi-perforated metal (6), possibly interchangeable; said extrusion port (4) comprising retention means (8, 9) adapted to be perimetrically associated to interchangeable perforated (15) rotary cutting devices (10), also provided with means (16) for occluding the holes (6) of the die (5); wholesale and retail distribution or sales of the disposable packaging (1), constituted by a syringe or cartridge (1) filled with pasta portions (7), up to the end user; simultaneous distribution or sales up to the end user of the re-usable accessories for the utilisation of the disposable syringe or cartridge (1), constituted by a linear actuator or pusher element (17) to be associated to the plunger (3), for example of the manual activation handgunlike element type (17), and possible further rotary cutting devices (10) forming differentiated cutting septa (14, 15) which can be interchangeably associated to the extrusion port (4) with die (5); use of the assembly - by the end user - to extrude and cut types of pasta, diversified as a function of the shape of the die (5) and the cutting device (10), to be boiled and then dressed as fresh pasta; the possibility of solely partly using the preparation content (7) for the subsequent reuse of the surplus by sealing the holes (6) of the die (5) with the occlusion means (16) earned by the cutting septa (14) of the rotary cutting devices (10). These and other objects are also attained by the device for implementing said method for preparing pasta according to the invention, comprising a syringe like disposable packaging or cartridge (1), preferably cylindrical-shaped (2), preferably made of plastic material suitable for handling food products, filled with dough portions (7) of pasta possibly added with preservatives and anti-thickening or fluidifying agents, provided with a plunger (3) interacting with the apical extrusion port (4) with possibly interchangeable die (5), provided with retention means (8, 9) for perimetrically combining interchangeable rotary cutting devices (10) also provided with means (16) for occluding the holes (6) of the die (5); accessorised with a linear actuator or pusher element (17), for example of the manual activation handgun-like element type (17), to be associated to the plunger (3) and with a plurality of interchangeable rotary cutting devices (10) with differentiated shape of the cutting devices (14, 15),

Description of the attached drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the method for preparing pasta and the device for the relative implementation according to the present invention shall be more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but non-exclusive embodiment thereof, represented solely by way of non-limiting example with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates perspective view of an embodiment of a portion of a partly sectioned device for the implementation of the method according to the present invention and the relative accessory in exploded view;

Figure 2 illustrates an enlargement of a portion of the assembly of figure 1 with the accessory illustrated in the other face thereof;

Figure 3 illustrates a lateral view of an embodiment of a partly sectioned device for the implementation of the method according to the present invention;

Figure 4 illustrates an enlargement of a partly sectioned portion of the assembly of figure 3;

Figures 5 to 9 (included) illustrate an equivalent number of alternative embodiments of an element constituting an accessory of a device for the implementation of the method according to the present invention;

Static description of the embodiment

With reference to such figures and in particular to figure 3, an example of a device, schematically illustrated, for the implementation of the method for preparing pasta according to the present invention, is indicated in its entirety with 1. The device 1 substantially integrates a syringe or cartridge packaging, of the disposable type, indicated with the same reference number 1 (also see figure 1) comprising a preferably cylindrical body 2, preferably made of plastic material suitable for handling food products, provided with a plunger 3 slidable therein and an apical extrusion port indicated in its entirety with 4 with a multi-perforated 6 die 5, preferably metallic.

The packaging or syringe 1 is suitable to contain pasta 7 suitable added for the functions illustrated hereinafter.

The multi-perforated die 5 of the extrusion port 4 is represented associated in a non-removable fashion to the syringe 1 in the illustrated embodiment, but it may be conceived interchangeable from among a variable series in terms of arrangement and shape of the holes 6 for example through fastening and unfastening ability of the apical portion of the cylinder hence allowing replacing the extrusion port with a cap and vice versa.

The apical extrusion port 4 develops in a coaxial piano-cylindrical protrusion, indicated with the same reference 4, of the cylinder 2 (also see figure 2) with respect to which it has a smaller diameter constituting a circumferential notch 8 on whose top part reliefs 9 are obtained;

A rotary cutting device (particularly see figure 2), constituted by a piano- cylindrical ring-like body 11 radially provided with gripping fins 12 adapted to be associated - in a complementary fashion - around the extrusion port 4 and rotatably assembled therein to interface said circumferential notch 8 through internal grooves 13 axially interacting with the reliefs 9 of the notch 8 (also see figure), is indicated in its entirety with 10.

The ring-like piano-cylindrical body 10 is occluded - on a base - by a multi- perforated 15 cutting septum 14, preferably made of metal, and an arrangement of holes 15 equal to that of said holes 6 of the die 5;

The same cutting septum 14 has, on the outer face, a plurality of reliefs 16 for occluding the holes 6 of the die 5, angularly staggered at bisector with respect to the development of the radial lines of the same holes 15 of the cutting septum 14. A linear actuator or pusher element (return to figure 3), for example of the suitably dimensioned manual activation hand-gun type, available in the market with functions of pushing the syringe plunger used in other technological sectors, for example sealing silicon paste, is indicated in its entirety with 17.

hi the device for implementing the method according to the present invention, the lineai- actuator or pusher element 17, suitably dimensioned, structured and materialised to come to contact with kitchen objects, is adapted to embrace the cartridge 1 and exert pressure on the plunger 3 to translate it therein and compress the pasta 7 towards and against the extrusion port 4 and through holes 6 of the die 5, for the functions to be specified hereinafter.

Dynamic description of embodiments

Thus, having completed the static description of preferred embodiments of the device for implementing the method for preparing pasta according to the present invention, below is the dynamic description, or the relative operation, substantially provided for by the method, which comprises the steps of:

handmade or industrial preparation of dough for packaging types of pasta to be consumed boiled for Italian traditional gastronomic consumption of pasta with sauce or pasta in soup;

possible addition of the dough with preservative additives and anti-thickening or fluidifying agents as a function of the times of consumption and expiiy of the product; introduction, preferably carried out through automatic dispensers, of portions 7 of preparation into cylindrical containers 2, preferably made of plastic material suitable for handling food products, or variously shaped containers that may serve the function of an extrusion syringe casing 1 ;

assembling - on the cylindrical container 2 - a plunger 3 adapted to slide therein, against the apical extrusion port 4 with die 5 preferably multi-perforated 6 possibly interchangeable, developing in the coaxial piano-cylindrical protrusion 4 of the cylinder 2, with respect to which it has a smaller diameter to constitute a circumferential notch 8, at whose top part there are obtained reliefs 9; providing said extrusion port 4 with retention means adapted to perimetrically associate thereto the interchangeable perforated 15 rotary cutting devices 10 and also provided with means 16 for the occlusion of the holes 6 of the die 5;

wholesale and retail distribution or sales of the disposable packaging, constituted by a syringe or cartridge 1 filled with pasta 7, up to the end user;

simultaneous distribution or sales - up to the end user - of the re-usable accessories for the utilisation of the disposable syringe or cartridge, constituted by a linear actuator or pusher element 17 to be associated to the plunger 3 of the syringe 1, for example of the manual activation handgun-like element type, and possible rotaiy cutting devices 10 with differentiated cutting shape 14, which can be interchangeably associated to the extrusion port 4 with the die 5;

use of the assembly constituted by a syringe 1, handgun-like element pusher element 17 and rotary cutting devices 10, suitably rotatable through the relative radial fins 12 - by the end user - to extrude and cut types of pasta, diversified as a function of the shape of the extrusion die 4 (see figures 5 to 9) and the cutting device 10, to be boiled and then dressed like fresh pasta;

the possibility of solely partly using the preparation content for the subsequent reuse of the surplus by sealing the holes 6 of the die 4 using occlusion means 16 carried by the rotaiy cutting devices 10.

Alternative embodiments

It is obvious that in alternative embodiments, still falling within the innovative concept of the embodiment illustrated above and claimed below, the method for preparing pasta and the relative implementation device according to the present invention may also be obtained differently, through equivalent technical and mechanical solutions or provided with further supplementary solutions, same case applying to the relative procedural steps which may vary in a manner suitable for the purpose;

in particular,

a type of pasta different from the classic type made of wheat for obtaining gastronomic formats to be boiled may be used; for example it may be made of potato flour for making gnocchi, or however mixed with an additive or purified to obtain diet foods; the linear actuator for the translation of the plunger may be variously conceived with respect to the manual actuation handgun-like element illustrated by way of example, for example of the manual or automatic actuation screw-like type;

as mentioned, the syringe or cartridge may be provided with a fixed die or interchangeable dies, for example fixed with a screw ring nut, structured to be associated to the rotary retention structure of the interchangeable cutting devices;

the package shall be preferably provided with a protection film to be removed during use, external and/or internal with respect to the extrusion port, depending on whether it is interchangeable or not, i.e. depending on whether it is fixed to the syringe or removable and replaceable with another one of a series.

Advantages of the invention

As observable from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment above, the method for preparing pasta and relative implementation device according to the present invention offers advantages corresponding to the attainment of these and other preset objects:

as a matter of fact, it is supplemented with a functional, modular, polyvalent and economic solution adapted to immediately attain fresh pasta, even by those not particularly skilled in cooking, with the possibility of reutilising any residual product.

KEY TO REFERENCE NUMBERS

1) syringe packaging in its entirety

2) cylindrical body of the syringe

3) syringe plunger

4) apical extrusion port or cylindrical-surface protrusion in its entirety

5) extrusion port die

6) die holes

7) pasta

8) circumferential notch

9) reliefs of the top part of the circumferential notch for the retention of the rotatable cutting device

10) rotary cutting device in its entirety

11) piano-cylindrical ring-like body of the rotaiy cutting device

12) radial fins for handling the rotatable cutting device

13) internal grooves of the ring-like body for extrusion port body assembly

14) cutting septum of the rotary cutting device

15) holes of the cutting septum of the rotaiy cutting device

16) reliefs for occluding the septum of the rotaiy cutting device

17) linear actuator or pusher element with manual actuation