text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Mar 22, 2005
|Filing date
|Dec 21, 2001
|Priority date
|Dec 21, 2001
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|J. Antonio Gutierrez, Balakrishna Reddy, Hua Zhang
|Original Assignee
|Nestec S.A.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (36), Referenced by (13), Classifications (20), Legal Events (6)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
The invention relates to a compartmentalized dispensing device and method for dispensing flowable materials from packages such as pouches and the like and, more particularly, to a device and method for more accurately, uniformly and rapidly heating a food product and/or maintaining cool a food product and for dispensing the food product at a desired controlled temperature from the package.
Heated or refrigerated dispensers for delivering liquid or semi-liquid food products are commonly used in foodservice restaurants, catering, convenience stores and other commercial or public food establishments. The known dispensers are usually adapted for receiving food bags in a housing and for delivering the food by using pumps and/or gravity forces to a dispensing area.
Food products, such as cheese sauces and the like, usually requires to be served at warm temperature to adapt to culinary habits and/or to improve the digestion of fat. Other food products are adapted to be stored and dispensed cold such as salsa, ketchup or condiment sauces. Other foods are adapted to be dispensed at refrigerated temperatures such as UHT cream, yogurt, acidified milk based food or pudding. These food products may be easily subjected to bacterial spoilage when opened, whereby heating or cooling permits to keep the food in safer bacteriological conditions. The products usually need to be stored in aseptically hermetic flexible packages such as pouches, which are opened at the time the product is dispensed and therefore become sensitive to airborne pathogens. The problem is that the pouches are usually of relatively large size, in general of several kilograms, thus requiring a relatively long time before obtaining a controlled hot/cool temperature acceptable for serving.
One disadvantage of having a long heat-up/cooling-down time is that a fully warm/cool food package may not be rapidly available when the demand for food exceeds the warming/cooling operation time for the new package. Another disadvantage is when the package is opened before the product reaches a sufficiently safe temperature level, i.e., about 60� C. in the case of hot product or below 4-6� C. for refrigerated products, the risk of bacterial contamination or spoilage may seriously increase.
For instance, the American NSF standards require that potential hazardous food products having a pH level of 4.6 or less to be rethermalized; i.e., heated from refrigerated or ambient state to an elevated temperature of not less than 140� F., must be capable of heating the food product to that temperature within four hours. For example, by using existing commercial equipment, the average heat-up time for large size pouches is of more than 3 hours, most often more than 5 hours and sometimes more than 10 hours, before the temperature in the center part of the pouch can be raised from ambient to an acceptably warm temperature of 60� C.
In order to meet with these regulations, prior solutions consisted in pre-warming the bag in a hot water bath or in microwave oven, then transferring the preheated bag to the dispensing unit where the bag remains temperature controlled. However, this is not always satisfactory as it requires that an additional piece of equipment be available for heating. A water bath is usually cumbersome and requires a long time to warm up. Microwave heating also suffers from non-homogeneous heating problems with formation of cold and hot spots in the food. It also requires manipulation and surveillance by the foodservice operators to transfer the food pouch from the microwave unit to the holding unit. Handling of the bags when hot is not convenient and may cause burns for the operator due to contact with heated parts of the dispensing unit.
Similarly, there are food products that are preferably served slightly below ambient, such as cold sauce, salsa, ketchup, condiments and the like, so that the shelf life of the product in the dispensing unit can be prolonged significantly. Especially in hot seasons and non air-conditioned rooms, it is advisable to keep these type products at a temperature below 18� C., and preferably below 15� C. or lower. The known condiment or ketchup dispensing units usually have no cooling systems. The dispensing units for these products are usually kept separate from the dispensing units for hot products such as the cheese sauce dispensers. This is not convenient as this requires more room for storing those separate units.
Furthermore, the prior art does not disclose a dispensing device that is flexible enough in its design to be capable of providing either heat or cooling upon demand depending upon the needs while involving as little handling for the operator as possible.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,317 to Wheeler relates to a heated dispensing apparatus for dispensing products at elevated temperature which allows packaging of the product in a container, such as a flexible bag, with a discharge tube extending therefrom. The dispenser includes a receptacle with an outlet opening in the lower portion thereof and a pump adjacent to the outlet opening. A heater is provided for heating the food bag in a large heat-conductive receptacle and the discharge tube passing through the pump and maintaining both the bag and the tube at a desired elevated temperature. The receptacle is permanently mounted on the dispenser frame and accommodates the reception of a bulky flexible package with a fitment protruding on one side of the package. Therefore, loading of the package in the dispenser requires opening of the dispensing unit thus creating thermal loss and risks of burn. Furthermore, due to the position of the bag in the receptacle and the open configuration of the receptacle, the thermal transfer from the receptacle to the bag remains relatively poor, thereby leading to excessive heat-up time when packages are loaded for rethermalization. Furthermore, the heat loss is significant as the receptacle itself, especially its non-contacting parts, may form an important heat sink for the package. In addition, this dispensing system cannot be used for cooling and dispensing foodstuff.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,733 relates to an apparatus for the dispensing of heated viscous food product using convection means. The problem is that this heating mode requires more room for the air to properly circulate around the bags thereby rendering the apparatus more cumbersome. The heat also dissipates rapidly when the operator opens the heated cabinet for replacing a bag or maintenance therefore creating significant temperature drops and important heat losses. Furthermore, this dispensing system also cannot be used for cooling and dispensing foodstuff.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,935 relates to a viscous food dispensing and heating/cooling assembly which is adapted to receive large food reservoirs of the "bag-in-box" type in a manner similar to the previous patent references; the improvement consisting in a specific air flow circulation to heat both the reservoir and the discharge tube. This device has the same shortcomings as the previous patents.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,056,157 and 6,223,944 to Gehl relate to a dispensing device for a flowable substance comprising a housing comprising walls to define a compartment, a heating unit for maintaining the compartment at a predetermined temperature, a valve for selectively controlling flow of the material from the package. This device includes a dispensing portion and an actuating portion wherein the dispensing portion, which includes a valve body and a valve outlet, is entirely within the compartment and heated by the heating unit. This configuration requires the operator's direct handling of the package and manual connection of the package to the dispensing portion which both receive heat from the heating unit. Furthermore, a significant heat loss occurs when the operator opens the device for replacing the bag.
German company Herman Roelofsen GmbH manufactures food dispensing units comprising a relatively wide box-shaped aluminum container adapted to receive a flexible food bag. The bag is loosely housed within the container and a bar inserted in two slots of the container hangs up the bag to avoid collapsing of the bag within the container. The container fits within a heating metal compartment of the unit which is heated by flexible heating devices. Due to heat loss in the transitions and air gaps from the heaters to the food, the dispensing unit has poor heating performance on large size bags with an heat-up time of more than 10 hours from ambient state for cheese sauce bags. Therefore, microwave preheating of the bag is required before the bag can be installed in the dispensing unit. Furthermore, such dispensing system cannot be used for dispensing refrigerated foodstuff.
Thus, there is a need in the art for improved dispensing systems, and this is now satisfied by the present invention.
The invention provides a dispensing device that confers an improved heating or cooling output over the existing devices of the prior art, increases the amount of hot or cooled product available for dispensing, in particular, by reducing the heat-up/cooling down time significantly and is easy to hold the product at the desired controlled temperature while being less energy consuming than existing equipment.
The invention improves the convenient and safe handling of food containers from an operator's point of view while minimizing the operator's manipulation and eliminating hazards such as risks of burns with the container and/or hot parts of the device.
The present dispensing device has a reduced footprint without detriment to the dispensing capacity, and ensures a faster and more uniform heating or cooling of on-demand delivered food.
The invention also provides a dispensing device whereby uniform and optimal heating is promoted within the container with no significant heat gradient and overheating, therefore avoiding quality and safety issues as well as increasing the shelf life of the products that are dispensed by the unit.
The invention also ensures more continuity in delivering food product at a desirable controlled temperature; i.e., hot and/or cool temperatures to below ambient, and convenience for the foodservice operator. It thus provides the opportunity to include in the same unit products that require to be served hot or warmed such as cheese sauce and also products that require to be served at ambient temperature or slightly lower such as ketchup, sauce or salsa without the second ones being incidentally warmed by the first ones. Therefore, a better preservation and extended shelf life of cold served food products are obtained in the dispensing device after the first opening of package food products therein.
A first aspect of the invention is based on the principle of a dispensing device comprising a housing adapted to accommodate in a removable manner at least one substantially closed cassette having built-in temperature exchange means that provides direct heat or cooling along at least one heated or cooled surface to a food-containing package and insulating means for preventing significant radiant heat or frigorific loss to outside the boundaries of the cassettes.
In a preferred aspect, the cassette has an extensive interior oriented along an axial plane and are narrowly shaped in a transversal direction to this axial plane with at least one extensive heating or cooling surface of the interior directly heating or cooling the package. The cassette is substantially closed around the package except a passage for the delivery of the food. For instance, the passage may be sufficient for a discharge tube and fitment assembly to pass through the passage but with the passage in sufficiently close fitting with the tube and fitment assembly to avoid significant thermal losses.
Even preferably, the interior of the cassette has heating or cooling means directly heating or cooling at least two extensive conduction heating or cooling surfaces extending substantially parallel to the axial plane and transversal sides demarcating a narrow spacing for intimate heating contact with the package and heating in a direction normal to the two extensive conduction heating surfaces. Therefore, the food product is more rapidly and efficiently heated since the food product spreads over an overall large heating surface and receives heat from two opposite sides orthogonally to the smallest dimension of the interior of the cassette. Even preferably, the cassette has built-in heating means providing direct heat to at least five sides, even more preferably the six sides of the cassette, that form conduction heating surfaces in contact with the package. In order to further obtain a significant reduction of the heat-up time while more uniformly controlling the food temperature, the spacing or smallest transversal dimension is preferably less than 2 inches, even preferably less than 1 and � inches.
Preferably, the at least one heating surface receives heat from a heater under the form of a heat resistive substrate that uses energy converted into heat based on the resistivity of the material that electricity is flowing through. More preferably, the heater is chosen so to deliver an average power density of at least 0.3 Watts per square inch. Even preferably, the heater is capable of delivering a varying power density as a function of the location along the heating surfaces so as to provide a more uniform temperature throughout the product. For that, it is preferred to have a power density that varies from 0.3 W/sq.in to 0.8 W/sq.in, preferably from 0.45 W/sq.in to 0.65 W/sq.in. More preferably, the areas of higher power density, i.e., 0.6 to 0.8 W/sq.in, preferably of about 0.65 W/sq.in, are located in the bottom side of the cassette and near the passage for the discharge tube and fitment assembly. The areas of lower power density, i.e., 0.3 W/sq.in. to 0.55 W/sq.in., preferably about 0.45 W/sq.in., are located in the substantially planar areas of the heating surfaces so as to heat the body of the pouch. This results in a more uniform heating than with a single power density.
The heater preferably comprise a flexible heater that is capable of being folded in order to provide heat along at least two distinct planes, preferably along at least five distinct planes, even preferably along six distinct planes. Preferably, the flexible heater is at least one thin film heaters per cassette. Thin films of large areas used in the cassette allows substantial power to be delivered but at a low density average power density therefore providing a very efficient heating at low cost and with lower risks of overheating.
In another important aspect of the invention, in order to receive appropriate electrical power for its built-in heating or cooling means while avoiding time consuming manipulations, the cassette includes a self-aligning plug-in electrical connection means and the housing comprises complementary electrical receiving means adapted to complementary fit the electrical plug-in connection means of the cassette. The electrical plug-in connection means of the cassette is arranged to plug in to the electrical receiving means in the housing as directly resulting from the completion of the loading of the cassette within the housing. Therefore, the loading of the cassettes in the device is quick and convenient and does not require difficult and time consuming manipulation or handling from the operator. More particularly, electrical plugging of the cassette is carried out as resulting from the complete insertion of the cassette within the housing, preferably after sliding engagement of the cassette within the housing. For that, guiding means may be provided in the housing to guide the cassette in engagement within the housing until the cassette is inserted in the correct plug-in position. The cassette may preferably comprise complementary fitting means that cooperate in engagement with the guide means of the housing so as to aid the proper physical and electrical insertion of the cassette within the housing.
In another important aspect of the invention, an accurate and safe temperature control in the cassette is carried out by providing in the cassette at least one built-in product sensing means adapted to sense the package surface temperature and at least one built-in heater sensing means adapted to sense the heater surface in the cassette, both product and heater sensing means are adapted to provide temperature feedback to a controller of the device in accordance with a predetermined logic routine. Preferably, in order to obtain a more rapid heat-up of the food temperature while ensuring the food product does not experience overburning, the heating of the package is accurately controlled according to at least two separate heating modes; a first boost mode whereby heating in the cassette by the heater is carried out to a predetermined elevated temperature range of the heater and a second monitoring or maintenance mode whereby the heating of the cassette by the heater is carried out at a predetermined heater temperature range lower than the temperature range of the boost mode.
More preferably, for activating the boost mode, the temperature of the product must initially be sensed by the product sensing means below a product temperature threshold (lower than the product monitoring set point), e.g., 120� F., which allows to set a boost elevated set point for the heater temperature, e.g., 175� F.+/−tolerance value(s), until the product sensor reaches a product monitoring set point, e.g., 150� F.+/−tolerance value(s). Once the product monitoring set point is reached, the product sensor takes over the control and the heater sensor changes over to the monitoring mode and controls the heater surface not to exceed a lower set point of the heater temperature, e.g., 165� F. If the initial product temperature sensed by the product sensor is higher than the product temperature threshold, the boost cycle may be skipped and the monitoring mode may take place immediately after insertion of the cassette so that the product temperature is monitored at the predetermined product monitoring set point, e.g., 150� F.+/−tolerance value(s).
Such an exemplary control logic configuration promotes a precise and reliable temperature control, a temperature maintenance at optimal levels to achieve best quality through the life of the product and, a rapid rising of the product temperature in all conditions, whereas the product may be initially cold or already warm, while it also anticipates on the heater inertia to insure the product cannot be overburnt.
The boost and monitoring modes may preferably be carried out by a single resistive heating circuit of the cassette and can be controlled by the use of an electronic proportional controller that regulates the electric power based on the signal that is proportional to the differential of sensor temperature from the established set point. In an alternative, the control is obtain by a pulsing controller that pulses to a full power on/off alternatively.
In another inventive aspect, in order to assist dispensing of relatively viscous foodstuff, there is provided at least one volumetric displacement pump such as a peristaltic pump, that is independent of the cassette and is adapted to engage a discharge tube of the food package. The discharge tube is preferably heated directly in a manner separate from the cassette. Thus, the temperature of the product in the tube can be more accurately controlled and less the energy is used for maintaining the tube at the required hot temperature in the tube. The discharge tube can be controlled at a predetermined hot temperature by suitable heating means associated to a temperature sensing means that provides temperature feedback to the controller. The heating means may be coupled to a part of the pump in contact with the tube or may, alternatively, be directly coupled to the discharge tube.
In another advantageous aspect of the invention, the volumetric displacement pump is a peristaltic pump with its rotor plane oriented in alignment or parallel to the axial plane of the at least one cassette or, similarly, in alignment or parallel to the axial plane of the cassette location in the dispensing device. Therefore, the orientation of the pump participates to the reduction of the footprint of the device while it also renders the installation of the package easier and quicker.
In a preferred aspect, the device comprises a series of cassettes as defined above that are interchangeable in the housing. A plurality of cassettes enables to ensure a continuity in the supply in hot and/or cool food product. Each cassette is preferably oriented with its axial plane substantially vertical within the housing to promote gravity flow.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a heating or cooling cassette adapted to fit in a dispensing device as aforementioned.
The invention also relates to a dispensing device for dispensing flowable food product comprising:
Preferably, the interior of each cassette has at least two extensive direct conduction heating surfaces extending along the axial plane and transversal sides demarcating a narrow spacing wherein the spacing is below 2 inches, preferably below one and � inches. A limited spacing as defined allows the food product to intimately spread along the heating surfaces regardless of the package capacity while eliminating the areas of higher thermal inertia in the food product. Such spacing promotes lowering of the heating rate of the package and requires less energy for constantly maintaining the package at an elevated temperature. Therefore, it also contributes to more uniformly and accurately control the temperature of the food product with reduction of heat gradients. Consequently, it is made possible to eliminate the hot spots which normally create local browning of the food, thereby affecting the quality and shelf life of the food product. The temperature of the food product can also be more easily maintained substantially uniform and constant over time at a required temperature level, thereby similarly ensuring a longer shelf life. Although not expressly limited to large capacity packages, the invention promotes a more efficient, accurate and rapid heating of the food product; i.e., in less than 2 and � hours from ambient, preferably 2 hours or less, for packages containing more than 2.5 Kg, e.g. for 3.0 Kg of food product.
In a preferred mode, at least two interchangeable cassettes are provided within the housing to offer the possibility to have a first dispensing cassette and a second preheating cassette; the dispensing cassette being removable to be replaced by the preheated cassette at any desired time after the food in the preheated cassette has reached a monitoring temperature within the housing.
Preferably, the first cassette is positioned in the housing in a position adapted to a dispensing mode; e.g., whereby the outlet opening of the cassette may preferably substantially be aligned with valve means. Preferably, the valve means is a volumetric displacement pump such as a peristaltic pump. Still in a preferred mode, the first and second cassettes are configured in parallel in the housing to permit one cassette to be replaced by the other more easily. The cassettes may preferably be removable from the housing by sliding motion of the cassette(s) in a primary direction after opening of the housing.
It is meant that the same modularity approach can be applied for cooling of the pouch; i.e., using dispensing cooled cassette(s) which can be exchanged one by the other to ensure a continuity in the supply of cooled product and, therefore, provide more convenience to the foodservice operator. It is also possible to have both at least one heating cassette and at least one cooling cassettes in the housing to both dispense hot food product and cool product separately via separate volumetric displacement means. Cooling of the food products is primarily sought to ensure an extended shelf life and keep longer freshness of the product.
The modularity approach with a plurality of cassettes having built-in heating or cooling means with further built-in temperature sensing means also offers the opportunity to have a plurality of cassettes that can be controlled independently from a central controller located in the dispensing unit. Hence, cassettes can be independently monitored at different temperatures so to deliver in the same dispensing unit products of the same or different types at different temperatures.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a heating device of reduced foot print adapted for providing a high capacity in heated flowable food whereby removable cassettes are provided for receiving a package containing food; the cassettes comprising an interior with internal direct conduction heating surfaces wherein the interior has a width of less than 2 inches and insulating external means are provided to reduce radiant loss and facilitate handling and loading of the cassette out and in the heating device.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a dispensing device of reduced foot print adapted for providing a high throughput of heated or cooled flowable food whereby at least a pair of removable cassettes is provided for receiving a food-containing package; the cassettes comprising built-in electrical heating or cooling means wherein it comprises at least one peristaltic pumping means for dispensing the food out of the dispensing device having its rotor plane oriented in alignment or parallel to the axial plane of at least one cassette. In particular, the device is capable of having at least four locations for the cassettes while respecting an external width of less than 10 inches, preferably about 9 inches.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a dispensing device for dispensing flowable food product comprising a housing at least a removable cassette within the housing adapted for receiving a package containing flowable food wherein the cassette has a closed interior for receiving the package and comprises built-in heating or cooling means providing direct heat or cooling to at least one extensive conduction heating surface extending substantially parallel the axial plane of the cassette; and built-in sensing means and further a centralized control means including a controller and wherein the sensing means comprise at least one temperature product sensor and at least one heater sensor both providing temperature signals to the centralized controller to precisely control temperature inside the cassette. Preferably, the dispensing device has a plurality of cassette locations adapted to receive a plurality of cassettes having built-in heating or cooling means and built-in sensing means allowing independent monitoring of the product temperature inside each cassette.
In an aspect the invention also relates to a method for rapidly and uniformly heating a food package in a dispensing unit wherein it comprises the use of at least one removable cassette provided for individually receiving a food-containing package wherein the cassette is effective to heat a food package while delivering an average power density of at least 0.3 W/sq. in. but less than 1 W/sq.in. by direct conduction effect with heating elements directing heat at least in a direction transversal to the axial plane of the cassette through the width of the cassette.
The details of the preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the appended drawings figures, wherein:
Referring initially to
In a preferred aspect of the invention, the housing is adapted to accommodate a plurality of individual narrowly profiled cassettes 18 which can be vertically arranged in parallel within the housing. A vertical arrangement of the cassette along their primary axial plane is preferred to promote gravity flow of the product contained in the package inside the cassette. The cassettes are insertable in the interior cavity 11 in sliding engagement along guiding means, in particular, sets of slots including lower slots 80 and upper slots 81 provided respectively in a lower base support 82 and in an upper base support 83. The lower and upper base supports may be fixed to the housing between two half-frames 100, 101 that longitudinally connect together by means of connection means such a rigid metal connecting plate 102 and other elements such as screws and the like, as illustrated in FIG. 2. In order to ensure rigidity and stability to the pedestal, a lower plate 150 may be further provided that is screwed to the bottom of the half-frames. The lower pumping block 12 is also partially inserted between the two half-frames 100, 101 and fixed by any one of a variety of connection means (not shown). Its detailed structure will be further described later in the present description.
In the bottom of rear side 183 of the cassette is located a plug-in electrical connection 188 which is adapted to fit a complementary electrical receiving connection 820 located in the rear wall of the interior cavity of the housing (connection 820 is apparent in FIG. 2). The electrical connection 188 bears the power and control connections necessary for the cassette to provide heating and be thermally regulated. The power and control connections links the wires for the heater power, the temperature sensors, security cut off systems in the cassette to a controller system such as a central PCB controller or any equivalent controlling system in the main unit. The connection can be automatically obtained as a result of the insertion of the cassette in the housing without any need for the operator to manipulate electrical wires or plugs. Due to the accurate guiding of the cassette along the slots of the housing, the plug-in connection of the cassette is aligned to the receiving connection in the rear of the housing along the guiding direction so as to confer rapid and reliable operational installation of the cassette in the housing.
The cassette also includes hinge means 187 mounted on the upper side of the cassette to allow the opening of the cassette in two halves for installing the food package. Closure of the cassette is carried out by latch means 188 located on the opposite side 184 of the cassette. The position of the hinge and latch means is not critical and many other variants for opening and closing the cassette can be envisioned for equivalent result. Also, the hinge means may be replaced by additional latches that would allow to separate the two half-trays.
The cassette has further integrated temperature control means including at least two temperature sensors 31, 32 preferably located on the bottom side of the cassette. The bottom of the cassette is preferred for location of the sensors firstly because the product drains out toward the end of the pouch in this area and has contact with the sensor and secondly because the bottom has the lowest temperature. Sensor 31 is a product temperature sensor in an area that allows it to directly contact the food package. For that, the sensor is preferably mounted in an aperture 330 of the gasket 33 and an aperture 230 of conductive member 23 to be able to sense temperature at the surface of the food package. Sensor 32 is inserted between gasket 33 and heater internal side 301 to be able to sense the temperature of the heater. Preferably, sensor 32 is a boost sensor that is located in contact with the heater where the watt density is the highest. The sensors are electrically connected to the electrical plug-in connector 188 through suitable electrical wires protected in a small cavity 189 provided in the bottom of the half trays 20, 21. Preferably, a thermal cut off system may be installed in the cassette at the bottom, in contact with the heater where the watt density is the highest. In case of failure of the temperature monitoring system, the cut off system will allow to detect an abnormal heater temperature and to directly switch off the heater.
The thin film heater 30 used in the present invention, in a preferred mode, is initially formed as a flat flexible element. It has an electrically non-conductive surface 310, a thin film electrical conductor 311 deposited on the surface 310 and a pair of electrical terminals 312, 313 electrically coupled to the thin film electrical conductor. The non-conductive surface 310 may form the upper surface of a substrate comprising an electrically insulating polymeric layer. Electrically conductive film is electrically isolated by the polymeric layer. The polymeric layer may be a 4-mil polyester layer or any similar durable, heat and shock resistant plastic material. Electrically conductive material 311 most preferably is provided by a very thin film of conductive carbon-based ink or, alternatively, metal-oxide, for example, stannic oxide (SnO2), nitrides, borides or carbides. The carbon-based ink may be deposited as a very thin film by printing on the plastic base. Then a clear adhesive plastic layer is layered on the printed surface to further protect the conductive track. The metal oxide film is most desirably deposited using a spray gun which atomizes and blows the metal oxide producing chemicals onto the polymer-based layer. Hence, the thin film becomes a molecularly bonded resistance film that is durable and can withstand repeatedly heating cycles without experiencing failures. Durability of such heaters is usually better than any other types of resistance heaters such those formed by adhering resistance heater wires to a substrate or when encircling a tubular substrate with a silicone blanket. Other solutions include chemical vapor deposition, which is a more expensive technology, silk screening, painting or other known techniques. Spaced-apart electrical terminals 312, 313 are preferably provided that connect the carbon based or metal oxide conductive track. A bus bar strip is provided along the periphery of the element and a second bus bar strip is provided along the center line of the element so as to distribute current substantially evenly all along the conductive layered surface. The bus bar terminals can be typically formed by silk screening techniques using, for example, silver or nickel-silver alloy, to form the bus bar. The thin film using a carbon ink conductive track printed on a polyester layer can be manufactured by Calorique, West Wareham, Mass.
As can be seen in
Referring again to
The peristaltic pump block comprises a housing 60 that is preferably formed of a top panel 61 and a front and lateral cover 62 in both of which are provided elongated vertical tube passages 63, 64. The tube passages are substantially aligned with one cassette location or set of slots as described earlier. The passage is positioned such that when a cassette is properly installed in operational position in a dispensing location, its axial plane is substantially aligned to the axial plane of the passage. The housing 60 can be made of materials or insulated with materials that conduct very badly heat so as to reduce the heat or frigorific losses outside the boundaries of the pump block.
As is apparent in
A stator assembly 75 is provided which has a substantially actuate shape to conform to the shape of the rotor assembly for a pinching effect on the discharge tube. The stator assembly is pivotally mounted on lower bearings 662, 663 of the frames 65, 66. The stator assembly is made thus moveable from an open position to a closed position. In the open position, the passages 63, 64 are cleared from above for an easy loading of the dispensing tube between the rotor assembly and the stator assembly. In the closed position, the passage is totally closed with no significant portion of tube visible from the exterior of the pump block. Therefore, the food product contained in the discharge tube can be maintained more easily at the required temperature while needing less energy for that. The stator assembly further comprises a lower outlet 76 for allowing the tube end to emerge from underneath the block. The stator assembly can be locked in a closed position by means of a locking mechanism that can manually be actuated by a latch lever 77. The latch lever 77 can move reciprocally to act on a latch member that fits a lateral hole of the rotor assembly.
The rotor assembly is formed of two laterally spaced apart discs 71, 72 between which a series of pressing rollers 73 is mounted. The rollers are located at a radial distance of the stator internal surface 78 adapted for the compressing effect on the discharge tube that is necessary for transporting the flowable substance through the discharge tube. The disc 72 is a gear disc in connection with an electrical DC or stepped motor 8, optionally, via a secondary gear 74 of lower diameter for achieving the proper gear reduction.
The pump assemblies can deliver portion control of food upon a simple push on a corresponding button located on the front switch board. The presence of a cassette in the dispensing location will be detected by the controller. If the cassette is in place, the controller will run the pump on according to a portion duration stored in a nonvolatile memory of the controller. Upon initial setup, the operator may have the option to adjust the portion control by accessing a portion control button connecting to the PCB that can be placed in a remote location such as in the back of the dispensing unit. Visualization of the increase or decrease of the portion control may be realized by a series of LED's or by any suitable visualizing means.
Referring to the schematic block diagram for the thermal control of the device of the invention in
The PCB controller also controls the on/off activation (via relays) of the heaters H5, H6 of the two pumps P2, P3 located in substantially vertical alignment with slot locations SL2 and SL3 that correspond to product dispensing locations. Thermistors S9, S10 are located inside the pump stators to provide feedback signals to the PCB to decide on an action for the heaters H5, H6.
Where there is need for serving cold flowable food out of the dispensing unit, the device offers the possibility to accommodate cooling cassettes in at least one dispensing slot location of the device. The purpose of the cooling cassette is primarily to maintain the flowable product in a cold temperature range that is suitable for serving. The product does not necessarily require refrigeration but simply cooling slightly below ambient, i.e., 10 to 18� C., so that the freshness and shelf life of the product is prolonged. Furthermore, cooling of cassette ensures the product does not warm to a temperature that could be prejudicial to the quality or microbiological safety of the food product, especially if neighboring heating cassettes are provided in the dispensing unit.
In a preferred embodiment, the bottom corner region has a truncated corner 856 to reduce the dead zone that is submitted to folding when the pouch is put into place in the cassette as it will be apparent in the next figures. Preferably, the fitment is located in region at a distance "d" from the sealed edge 853 of the pouch that is sufficient to provide a proper folding of the corner region 852 along a line 857 that is inclined with respect to the median longitudinal plane P0 of the pouch. If this distance "d" is too long, the portion submitted to folding may be too large which would cause problems to evacuate product from dead zones of the folded portion. If the distance is too short, the portion may have difficulties to fold properly and it may be difficult to engage the fitment through the passage. Furthermore, if the distance between the two plies 850 a, 850 b of the pouch is too short due to the proximity of the corner, it could cause a problem to engage the spacer with risks of accidentally puncturing the pouch. Depending on the pouch and fitment's sizes, the distance from the edge may vary greatly. However, it should approximately be between 1 to 3 inches to accommodate a standard pouch capacity.
As best shown in
As best shown in
As a consequence of its insertion within the interior of the cassette, the body 850 of the pouch aligns itself along the axial plane P of the cassette whereas the corner region 852 that supports the fitment is folded substantially at 90 degrees with respect to the rest of the body along line 857 so that the fitment can properly orient itself downward through the intended passage. As a result, the outlet of the fitment is put in a position that is the lowest of the pouch thereby improving the evacuation of the food in the cassette. At the same time, the body of the pouch has its two main sides intimately contacting the larger heating surfaces of the cassette thereby rendering the heat transfer particularly effective.
According to the invention, a spacer means is provided under the form an adapter 860 that fits into the fitment 851 via a thread 861 and has a central aperture able to establish fluid connection with the outlet 854 of the fitment. The spacer means has the function to maintain a sufficient clearance in the vicinity of the outlet inside the pouch where there is a risk for the pouch to collapse due to the folding of the corner portion 852. For that, the spacer means preferably axially engages the fitment and has at least one internally protruding rigid element that extends beyond the outlet inside the pouch. Even more preferably, there are a plurality of prongs 862 extending axially and internally on the periphery of the aperture. The prongs configuration forms a sufficient clearance around the aperture while providing radial passages 863 of sufficient surface for not disturbing the flow of product from the interior of the pouch through the fitment assembly. The prongs keeps the back side of the pouch from choking of the flow of product from the pouch. They proved to be essential to the vertical configuration in the cassette and desirable for the horizontal or inclined flat configuration in traditional dispensing systems. As shown in
The pouch assembly further includes a discharge tube 87 that can engage the volumetric displacement pump of the dispensing unit. The discharge tube 87 is connected to the pouch assembly by press fitting on a gland 864 of the adapter located at the terminal or lower end of the adapter.
The pouch assembly embraces many variants that may be found equivalent to the preferred embodiment apparent in the figures. For instance, the spacer means could be made integral to the fitment instead of being supported by the adapter. The fitment could thus protrude internally by prongs or any equivalent internally protruding elements. Another possible variant can consists in making the spacer means under the form of an apertured tubular member replacing the discontinuous spaced apart prongs. Another variant can consists in making the spacer means as a central rod attached to the outlet or aperture by radial ribs or a grid.
The benefit of having a fitment sealingly attached to a corner portion of the bag but still on one side of the pouch is that the pouch assembly of the invention can use the technology of the FDA approved preformed bags and be aseptically filled in standard filling machines. Preformed bags are commonly used in the food industry. Contrary to from-fill-seal bags, the preformed bags are produced with a capped fitment, sterilized and sent empty to a filling station either as separate bags or a chain of bags connected via a continuous web. Therefore, the pouch of the invention may be produced from preformed bags that have a food capacity of from 3 to 10 liters, as approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The pouch may alternatively employ the form-fill-seal technology which consists in aseptically filling the bag from an upper edge that is subsequently sealed right after filling. In that event, the fitment would previously be sealed on the corner region as aforementioned. The outlet would have to be made by puncturing the pouch side inside the fitment to establish fluid connection. Puncturing may be carried out before engaging the adapter by using any suitable piercing element or by means of the adapter itself that pierces the pouch when securely engaging the fitment.
The terms "vertical" or "standing" in the present invention refer to a position or configuration strictly vertical or close to vertical so that flow of product by gravity is promoted. In particular, a pouch standing at an acute angle to vertical would still be considered as part of the present invention.
Further details regarding the pouch assembly can be found in a co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/032,169, filed Dec. 21, 2001 by Balakrishna Reddy and Richard Artman entitled "Food Pouch for Dispensing a Flowable Food Product From a Cassette-type Dispenser" (W+S Ref. 88265-7217), the content of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
While various description of the present invention are described above, it should be understood that the various features can be used singly or in any combination thereof. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to only specifically preferred embodiments depicted herein. For instance, it is possible to use the dispensing device only for maintaining food product in their package in a cool state. Hence, cassettes in the dispensing unit might be only cooling cassettes. Furthermore, it can also be envisioned to refrigerate food products in the cassettes, i.e., at temperature slightly higher than 32� F., by providing more powerful refrigerating means for example to dispense milk-based flowable food such as acidified milk, liquid cheese or yogurt and the like.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Mar 4, 1964
|Mar 16, 1965
|Corrugated Container Company
|Disposable type dispensing container package
|Oct 9, 1963
|Oct 19, 1965
|Gen Films Inc
|Container structure
|Oct 11, 1965
|Jan 10, 1967
|Scholle Container Corp
|Assembly for containing and dispensing liquid material
|Oct 16, 1967
|Apr 1, 1969
|Pike Albert M Jr
|Beverage dispenser and method of refilling
|May 6, 1968
|Jul 14, 1970
|Ashizawa Hiroshi
|Sanitary milk dispenser
|Mar 1, 1976
|Jun 13, 1978
|Wyott Corporation
|Heated dispenser for hot toppings and the like
|Jul 9, 1976
|Feb 27, 1979
|Kenova Ab
|Self-closing closure utilizing a single diaphragm
|Jun 22, 1983
|Oct 1, 1985
|Taylor Freezer Company
|Pump type dispenser for heat softenable food products
|Dec 12, 1984
|Mar 24, 1987
|Michael Bell
|Milk dispenser
|Aug 23, 1985
|Jan 5, 1988
|Douwe Egberts Koninklijke Tabaksfabriek-Koffiebranderijen-Theehandel B.V.
|Disposable coffee concentrate storing and transporting apparatus
|Aug 26, 1987
|Jan 10, 1989
|Liqui-Box Corporation
|Bag-in-box packaging and dispensing of substances which will not readily flow by gravity
|Jun 16, 1989
|Apr 3, 1990
|Riclar International
|Versatile countertop cooler
|Oct 25, 1985
|Jul 17, 1990
|Metal Masters Foodservice Equipment Co.
|Dispenser with heated spout
|Sep 8, 1987
|Mar 19, 1991
|The Coca-Cola Company
|Concentrate dispensing system for a post-mix beverage dispenser
|Mar 10, 1988
|Aug 20, 1991
|Wells Manufacturing
|Melted cheese dispenser warming method and apparatus
|Mar 8, 1990
|Apr 7, 1992
|Vita-Mix Corporation
|Fluid food dispenser
|Oct 26, 1989
|May 19, 1992
|Bongrain S.A.
|Method and an installation for conserving and/or dispensing a liquid or semi-liquid substance
|Sep 27, 1991
|Aug 25, 1992
|Sunbeam Corporation
|Liquid heating and dispensing appliance and valve construction
|Aug 3, 1990
|Oct 5, 1993
|John Szabo
|Refrigerated liquid dispenser having a shut-off valve
|Nov 30, 1992
|Apr 12, 1994
|C. Cretors & Company
|Storage and metering apparatus for popcorn popping oil
|May 18, 1993
|Sep 27, 1994
|H. C. Duke & Son, Inc.
|System and method for dispensing a confectionery product using a peristaltic pump
|Jun 2, 1993
|Oct 11, 1994
|Karma, Inc.
|Post mix dispenser
|Jun 11, 1993
|Nov 22, 1994
|Crispino Louis T
|Hot asphalt transfer and application device
|Jan 24, 1994
|Jun 3, 1997
|Alko Group, Ltd.
|Beverage cooling dispenser
|Jul 22, 1996
|Sep 8, 1998
|Wheeler; James R.
|Heated dispensing apparatus
|May 9, 1997
|Aug 17, 1999
|Stevens-Lee Company
|Valve for beverage dispenser
|Aug 17, 1998
|Dec 21, 1999
|Compass Worldwide
|Apparatus for the dispensing of heated viscous food product
|Aug 1, 1998
|Jan 25, 2000
|Star Manufacturing International, Inc.
|Viscous food dispensing and heating/cooling assembly and method
|Apr 1, 1996
|May 2, 2000
|Gehl's Guernsey Farms, Inc.
|Device for dispensing flowable material from a flexible package
|Jun 1, 1999
|Jul 18, 2000
|Server Products
|Packaged food warmer and dispenser
|Jun 28, 1999
|Aug 1, 2000
|Stevens-Lee Company
|Beverage dispenser cabinet and holder
|May 2, 2000
|May 1, 2001
|John P. Gehl
|Device for dispensing flowable material from a flexible package
|Oct 27, 2000
|Apr 30, 2002
|Nestec S.A.
|Quick-locking device for effecting hygienic transfer of flowable material from a container by piercing
|Feb 20, 2001
|Jul 16, 2002
|Nestec, S.A.
|Dispensing device and method for rapidly heating and delivering a flowable product
|Nov 12, 2001
|Dec 3, 2002
|Zoran Vujicic
|Disposable aseptic cassette with control center
|May 22, 2002
|Oct 3, 2002
|Ebac Limited
|Bottled liquid dispensers
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Jul 30, 2002
|Apr 13, 2010
|Nestec S.A.
|System for dispensing a liquid substance
|May 8, 2007
|Dec 18, 2012
|Anthony V. Feola
|Frozen confection machine
|Oct 16, 2008
|Jan 1, 2013
|Automatic Bar Controls, Inc.
|Cassette and vat supply source for an on-demand mixing and distributing of a food product
|Apr 25, 2009
|Jul 22, 2014
|Stephen J. Madigan
|Device for heating products used in sexual activities
|Apr 29, 2005
|Dec 15, 2005
|Adventus Consumer Products, Llc
|Thermoelectric food product dispenser
|Jul 30, 2002
|Jul 6, 2006
|Laurens Last
|System for dispensing a liquid substance
|May 8, 2007
|Nov 15, 2007
|Feola Anthony V
|Frozen confection machine
|Oct 16, 2008
|Apr 22, 2010
|Automatic Bar Controls, Inc.
|Cassette and Vat Supply Source for an On-Demand Mixing and Distributing of a Food Product
|Oct 16, 2008
|Apr 22, 2010
|Automatic Bar Controls, Inc.
|Electronic Systems and Methods for Distributing a Food Product Over a Turntable
|Apr 25, 2009
|Jul 21, 2011
|Madigan Stephen J
|Device for Heating Products Used in Sexual Activities
|Aug 29, 2014
|Dec 2, 2014
|Gehl Foods, Inc.
|Fitment for interconnection between product packaging and a product dispenser
|Oct 22, 2014
|Aug 9, 2016
|Gehl Foods, Llc
|Jun 21, 2016
|Apr 4, 2017
|Gehl Foods, Llc
|U.S. Classification
|392/470, 222/146.1, 222/325
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Mar 6, 2002
Owner name: NESTEC S.A., SWITZERLAND
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:GUTIERREZ, J. ANTONIO;REDDY, BALAKRISHNA;ZHANG, HUA;REEL/FRAME:012690/0166
Effective date: 20020304
|Jun 21, 2005
|Certificate of correction
|Sep 17, 2008
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Aug 22, 2012
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|Oct 28, 2016
|Maintenance fee reminder mailed
|Mar 22, 2017
|Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees


text:
Aspen Re, the reinsurance segment of Aspen Insurance Holdings, has announced that its Aspen Capital Markets division has renewed Silverton Re for 2016.
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Silverton Re, Aspen Re, Stephen Postlewhite, Bermuda, Europe

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Daffodil Primrose Beauty produces double flowers with a blush yellow centre ideal for planting in groups in the flower border or for cutting for use in the house.
Daffodil Primrose Yellow was a new introduction for 2010.
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Average contents per pack: 6kg when packed
Range type: Nets
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text:
The Secret Life of BeesHD Closed Captioning
Gina Prince-Bythewood
Open iTunes to preview, buy, and download this movie.
About the Movie
Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning lead a stellar ensemble cast including Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo, and Paul Bettany in this wonderful film about family, independence and the transcendent power of love based on the acclaimed best-selling novel. To escape her cruel, angry father, and discover the truth about her late mother's past, 14-year old Lily Owens flees with her caregiver and friend Rosaleen to a South Carolina town where she's taken in by the bee-keeping Boatwright sisters. Surrounded by the unexpected love, grace and spirituality she encounters there, Lily forms a bond with each of these uniquely gifted women and discovers that sometimes you must leave home in order to find it.
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
- Reviews Counted: 136
- Fresh: 79
- Rotten: 57
- Average Rating: 5.9/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Rotten: Sweat and good intentions, however, will take you only so far. And they take Bees right up to the threshold of entertaining%u2014but not one step further.
Fresh: The filmmakers give Latifah and Fanning room to create characters that breathe in the sweet smell of clover and breathe out the contented sigh of independence.
Fresh: A sweet, sentimental story with a sting in the tail.
Rotten: Glossy yet ultimately shallow, this platitudinous, unconvincing drama makes The Colour Purple look like Mississippi Burning.
Customer Reviews
This movie has an amazingly talented cast, and it shows. I loved the book, and I loved the movie as well. It is a must buy. This movie is not only entertaining, it has depth and heart, which you don't find in many movies. I highly recommend it!
This is in my top 5 most importaint movies
All star cast, the book was good. And the movie was even better This is a must buy.
See This Movie!
This book was the BEST I had read in many years when I read it after it was first published. I gave a copy to all of my sisters. When I saw the movie, I was not disappointed. It was as good as the book. I will buy this movie in a heartbeat!
Viewers Also Bought
- My Sister's Keeper (2009) [2009]
- Nick Cassavetes
- View in iTunes
- The Lovely Bones
- Peter Jackson
- View in iTunes
- The Kite Runner
- Marc Forster
- View in iTunes
- August Rush
- Kirsten Sheridan
- View in iTunes
- People Like Us
- Alex Kurtzman
- View in iTunes
- $14.99
- Genre: Drama
- Released: 2009
- © 2008 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.


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Pack less. Be more.
Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Make Your Own Gear › MYOG 15.3 gram Inflatable Pillow Version 0.1
@benderLocale: NEO
I have been toying with the idea of making an inflatable pillow and possibly a sleeping pad. This is the very first creation. As you can see where I inflated the pillow it has been sealed. I didn't use a valve since this was just a test. I wanted to see how durable the material was and how the seams hold up. A 72x20x2.5" pad made of this would weigh 11oz with the valve.
Here are some numbers.
Weight: 15.3g
Size: 12×6
Material: special coated ripstop nylon
For testing I have been sitting on the pillow for quite some time with no signs of trouble. I tried the bic pen test with some scraps and it is reasonably durable for its weight. Of course I was able to puncture it but it took a decent amount of force.
Nice work. Is that 30D heat sealable nylon? Sounds like a winner. I've been toying with the idea of making a DAM out of it, but I can't find a valve. I dont think the thermarest valve kit comes with the male part that bonds to the fabric, but I may be wrong. Any ideas on a valve?
@steve_evansLocale: Canada
Nice work…I actually just added a "UL Pillow" to my list of things to make. I picked up one of the thermarest valves and am going to see if I can make a small plastic piece to aid in mounting it to the pillow.
How did you end up sealing the sides of your pillow? Is it permanently sealed then?
@benderLocale: NEO
The material is 30d heat sealable nylon so I used an iron to seal the sides. Getting just the right temp on the iron was a bit tricky. Something like a MonoKote iron would probably be better. I actually have a replacement valve but I will need to figure a way to adapt it to fit. The pillow with a valve could easily be under an ounce.
@debiantLocale: Mid-west
David the Therm-a-rest valve kit is complete, and includes a hot bonding agent. I have one in my closet.
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text:
The benchmark Sensex of the Bombay Stock Exchange lost 229 points, or 1.2%, on Monday to close at 18,709 points, its lowest in 10 days, on global concerns and profit booking.
"The investors are focusing on the outcome of the euro zone finance ministers' meeting later in the day," said Alex Mathew, head, research, Geojit BNP Paribas. "The European markets were also trading lower as the growing concerns over the economic outlook and ahead of the corporate earnings season."
Realty, oil and gas and consumer durables stock were down by 3.5%, 2.8% and 2.7% respectively. Health care was the only sector that registered some gains with a 1.2% rise. On Monday, 1,380 stocks were up, while 1,505 stocks declined on the BSE.
DLF, United Spirits, Bajaj Finsery, Pantaloon Retail and RIL were the biggest losers and were down by 7.2%, 6.3%, 5.9%, 4.9% and 4.5% respectively.
The broader Nifty of the National Stock Exchange was down 71 points, or 1.2%, to close at 5,676.


text:
Soft porn, hard talk
More Richard Desmond tales, inevitably, reach us following the leisure-magazine-with-a bit-of-porn-on-the-side magnate's purchase of Express Newspapers.
Sadly, most are unprintable, m'lords, but we do like the story about an old driver-cum-manager of Dickie's - the one who got seven years for doing naughty things with a shotgun. We hear of a particularly lively meeting when this character went nose-to-nose with faces on the other side of the negotiations 'just so I'll recognise youse in the dark'.
Of course, there's no suggestion that Desmond would condone such unorthodox negotiating tactics. The driver, we hear, later opted for the quiet life and went off to work for the US soft-porn title Hustler.
Express? Try the bus
Still at the Express, Richard Desmond's promise 'to spend whatever it takes' to make the paper a success is already looking like the kind of hot talk that promises so much and delivers so little in his top-shelf titles.
Among the things it takes to make a paper work are making sure writers can get around and getting words and photographs to editors on deadline. Taxis and couriers are often quickest and easiest. Yet managing editor Lindsay Cook has banned both. Before they can hail a cab or order a bike, staff now need a chit signed by a senior staff member. So harassed news journalists found it was the bus or nothing when they needed an urgent picture and the signer of chits 'could not be disturbed'.
Cracker of a tale...
Stand by for a festive spat between Downing Street and the BBC. Our moles tell us a reporting team has been set up to cover the 'NHS crisis at Christmas'. The Beeb's finest have been donning their white coats and heading for the nearest hospital to cause Downing Street as much embarrassment as they can. There is one problem. The NHS appears to be coping well. Stand by for lots of stories that start 'NHS braced...'


text:
Disclaimer: "Angel", along with all related characters and concepts, was created by Joss Whedon and Co., so they don't belong to me, while "Charmed" characters and concepts belong to Constance M Burge. Anyway, enjoy
Feedback: As always, I'd appreciate it
AN: Well, here we are; the second story in my "Sent to the Witch" series, combining the events of "Charmed" Season Five with some of Angel's cases in "Angel" Season One. Reading the previous story is recommended, but here's a quick recap; Angel was sent to help Paige become a witch after she gained her powers, the two fell in love, Angel lost his soul, Angelus formed a brief 'alliance' with the ColeSource before he was vanquished, and the Charmed Ones- with the aid of Jenny Calendar- were subsequently able to re-curse Angel with a modified curse that means that Angel will only lose his soul if he doesn't think about the clause when he reaches his 'peak'.
AN 2: This story begins during the events of "A Witch's Tail"; whatever you don't see here- such as the confrontations with the Sea Hag, Mylie and the demon or Mylie's meetings with Craig and Phoebe, or Cole's initial meetings with Phoebe and Darryl- happened the same as they did in the show
The Love of a Vampire
As she slowly opened her eyes to look out of her window at the rising sun, Paige couldn't stop a slight smile of simultaneous relaxation and disappointment from filling her mind; relaxation at the thought of another calm day at work- things had been pretty quiet on the demon front over the last few months after the vanquishing of the Source and the Seer, to say nothing of them managing to stop Alcathla from sucking the world into Hell-, but disappointment at the realisation that Angel had once again not stayed the night.
Ever since he'd regained his soul, Paige and Angel had made a genuine effort to rebuild their original relationship- she'd never expected that they could just pick up where they'd left off, given that Angel still had to deal with Angelus's memories of the last few months on top of his own pre-existing guilt-, but they had yet to take their relationship back to the physical level. They'd dated, they'd danced, and they'd shared dinner on more than one occasion over the last few months, but they still hadn't 'picked up where they left off' as far as the… physical… side of things went; they'd both, by an unspoken agreement, decided to wait until they more comfortable to take things all the way.
After all, the last time- hell, the only time- they'd… done it… Angel had lost his soul and become a remorseless killer; just because they'd taken precautions to stop that happening again didn't stop them being nervous about having to deal with it again.
Neither of them had even needed to talk with Phoebe about it; both of them had silently agreed that it would be best to act like they were starting from scratch with this relationship and take everything from there. The dates had been straightforward and fun, their training sessions as Paige learned further combat skills from Angel were challenging without risking crossing the line, and their occasional shared demon-vanquishing experience was enjoyable without pushing them into going up against anything too big (With Piper's pregnancy they were trying to avoid 'Power of Three'-level demons and problems).
Admittedly, Paige still had some way to go with some of her spell work; it hadn't been anything serious yet, but she'd made more than the occasional mistake while working on potions for any occasions when she'd needed some extra help vanquishing the current bad guy. The red hair she'd picked up from the recent potion mishap in particular had been an unexpected surprise; she'd just put a couple of the wrong herbs in while preparing another standard vanquishing potion, and then she'd looked in the mirror and found out that her hair had turned a brilliant shade of orange-red.
It looked great, of course- Angel had certainly said that he liked it, and she'd come to know when the guy was lying well enough, to say nothing of Piper and Phoebe complimenting it as well once they'd recovered from the shock of the initial 'explosion'-, but she'd still have preferred it if she'd actually planned for that to happen, rather than it being the freak accident that it was.
Still, freaky cosmetic potion accidents aside, things were going pretty well as far as their personal lives went. Leo had Piper had gone to great lengths restructuring Piper's old closet to turn it into a nursery for the baby- Angel had volunteered to help out with sorting out some of the materials necessary before Leo got around to installing the window that would naturally limit the aid the vampire could provide-, she and Angel were making at least some progress in rebuilding their old relationship even if it would never be quite the same as it had been, and Phoebe's new job as an advice columnist was definitely taking off over the last few months.
Yep; it's official, Paige reflected, as she sat up in bed, stretching slightly as she glanced over at her wardrobe, already picking out the day's clothes in her mind. Life is pretty good.
Looking back on that moment later on as the events of the next few days unfolded, she would always wonder if she'd jinxed it with that thought.
As Paige walked into her office, still dripping wet from the sudden storm that had started while she was out, she shook her head slightly at the memory of how things had turned out after waking up.
She still couldn't believe it; she was really getting the hang of this magic thing. True, she'd needed Piper to take out that Borneo demon earlier today- she'd initially been orbing to see about grabbing one of the weapons she'd taken to keeping in her room, but then she'd accidentally orbed into the nursery (Her best guess was that she'd instinctively gone to the location of what could do the most damage to the demon) and Piper had just taken over before she could shift her location-, but she'd picked up a stake and taken a quick detour to take out a small vampire nest- only a couple of the suckers- on her way here to 'prove' that she still had it on her way to the courthouse to drop off some files.
Maybe I should give Angel a quick ring to ask him to check that out, she reflected as she walked over to her cubicle, trying to brush the damp out of her hair as she did so. After all, in this rain it's not like there'd be much risk of him being hit by sunlight before he can get there, and the 'enhanced senses' thing he's got going on would definitely help him find anything interesting…
"Matthews!" Mr Cowans' voice yelled, cutting off Paige's train of thought. "In my office, now!"
Pushing thoughts of her boyfriend aside for the moment- whatever Mr Cowan wanted to see her about, it wouldn't do her any good to look like she was distracted during the conversation-, Paige turned away from her cubicle and walked over to Mr Cowan's office, grateful that the water was at least slightly warm as she walked through the door; she might be wet, but at least she wasn't too cold.
"Weather advisory?" she said as she looked at Mr Cowan, trying to wring the remaining water out of her top as she spoke. "If you're gonna go outside, bring a paddle."
"Where were you?" Mr Cowan asked, sitting back in his chair as he looked critically at her.
"Had to run the Mackenzie papers over to the courthouse," Paige replied briefly, indicating the door with one hand as she continued to try and drain the worst of the water away from her clothes.
"You've been gone an hour," Mr Cowan said, his tone slightly incredulous as he looked at her.
"Yeah, well," Paige replied, shrugging as nonchalantly as she could while still trying to dry herself off, "there's a freak rainstorm; the entire city's flooded."
And taking out the vampire nest probably didn't help matters, she reflected silently to herself; that alone had probably cost her around fifteen minutes, given the time she'd taken to come up with the quickest possible means to take them out and the subsequent time to heal, but having found them she hadn't felt right just abandoning them.
"Well, you should've let someone know where you were headed," Mr Cowan continued, shaking his head slightly as he looked at her. "You have this habit of coming and going as you please."
"'As I please'?" Paige repeated. "No; I come and go as other people please."
(Which was true enough in both her lives, now that she thought about it; she was subject to the orders of her superiors here at the office, and she was forced to go to wherever the demons and vampires were in order to take them out; in neither case did she get to pick where she went or when she did what.)
"That's what assistants do," she continued, a part of her grateful that she'd been here as long as she had been as she placed her hands on her hips while looking at Mr Cowan; you could get away with a lot more when you'd been here as long as she had than you could in the beginning. "They run errands. I'll tell you a little secret; they don't like it."
"Well, your behaviour's got to change," Mr Cowan replied, shaking his head slightly as he picked up a cup of coffee on his desk.
"Maybe it'll change if you promote me to social worker," Paige countered, making sure to keep her tone light; even if she would enjoy the opportunity to spend more time with Angel, it wouldn't do her any favours in the future.
"I already did," Mr Cowan replied, a slight smile on his face as he looked at her, his tone still making his authority clear even as his expression became slightly softer as he looked at her. "You start tomorrow."
Paige could only stare incredulously at him as he sipped at his cup of coffee.
Whatever else she'd been expecting to hear from him, she hadn't been expecting that…
As he slowly blinked his eyes open- he hardly 'slept like the dead', but he could still be a deep enough sleeper when the time came, particularly after the previous night-, Angel briefly wondered what had woken him up, before his ears finally detected the familiar sound of his cell phone; it had been one of the things Paige had insisted he buy after his soul had been restored to him, so that she could check on him whenever she wanted.
True, he sometimes forgot to charge it- you tended to lose touch with the world after spending the better part of a century hiding in alleys and eating rats, but he was getting better at it…
"Hello?" he asked, as he tapped the 'Accept Call' button and held the phone to his ear.
"Hi," Paige replied, her voice, as it always did, making Angel feel better about the day ahead (Angelus's newest memories still haunted his dreams at night, but hearing the warmth in Paige's voice always helped him deal with that particular issue). "How's things?"
"Is something wrong?" Angel asked, sitting up in bed as he listened anxiously for Paige's response. She might be one of the most compassionate people he'd ever met, but Paige knew him well enough to know that he would let her know if something had happened to him since they last parted company, which could only mean that something was wrong at her end.
"Well, depends on your definition of 'wrong', really," Paige replied. "My boss just promoted me to full-time social worker."
"He did?" Angel replied, smiling slightly as he sat up in bed. "Nice work; congratulations."
"Yeah…" Paige replied, her tone sounding uncertain.
Angel frowned.
"This… is good news, isn't it?" he said uncertainly, nearly moving the phone away to look at it in the absence of Paige before he remembered that Paige couldn't hear him if he held it too far away. "I mean, you've worked so hard at that office, and now they're finally showing their appreciation…"
"Well, Cowan gave me this big speech about responsibility and not coming to work late, no long lunches, things like that," Paige admitted, sounding like she was sighing over the phone. "I just… well, seriously, how am I going to manage that if I've got my witch-related duties to deal with? Piper might be lucky enough to own her own business, and Phoebe can pretty much work on her column whenever she wants- even if she's got a lot of other stuff to deal with to publicise it-, but me? It's hard enough finding time now; how am I going to do the job right and protect innocents?"
Angel sighed.
"I… as much as I wish I could help you, Paige, I'm really not the best person to ask for career advice," he said, shaking his head in frustration at his inability to help the woman he loved with this latest problem. "I never really had a job myself when I was alive, and as for after I was sired…"
"Yeah, I know; not really easy to get a job where you can guarantee you won't be exposed to sunlight at any point these days, is it?" Paige replied, allowing herself a slight chuckle before she continued. "I don't know… I think I just wanted to tell someone, you know?"
"Yeah," Angel replied, nodding sympathetically as he reached over to grab his clothes, shrugging on his shirt even as he continued to listen to Paige. "Sometimes, we all need someone to-"
"Hold on; I've got a call on the other line," Paige said, cutting him off mid-sentence as she put her phone down. Angel could just about pick up the sound of her talking on another phone over the line- electronic distortion over the phone lines always made it that little bit harder for him to hear what was going on at the other end, and the phones were never that sensitive to begin with anyway-, before she put the other phone down and picked up the one she'd been talking to him on again. "Sorry, but it looks like we're going to have to cut this short; I just got a call from Piper that Phoebe's found something we need to deal with."
"Right," Angel said, glancing out of the window as he stood up from his bed; with the rain the way it was, he could probably make it to the Halliwell's house without even needing to use the sewers (A fact that he was particularly grateful for; with the water the way it was he had a feeling he'd have been forced to swim if he tried going via the sewers). "I'll see you when we get back to the mansion, OK?"
"Gotcha," Paige replied before she terminated the call.
Slipping his phone into his pocket, Angel stood up and grabbed his coat, walking over to the cupboard where he kept his weapons even as he shrugged it on.
Whatever the situation Phoebe had discovered, Angel wasn't going to go in unarmed; even if he couldn't do much against the Charmed Ones' regular class of demon, he was still going to at least try and do what he could.