FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a table-top automated multiple variant dosa/pancake making machine. The automatic dosa making machines known in the art have the disadvantages of being bulky in nature, weighing more than 20 kgs, occupying a lot of space, requiring expert handling, in addition to being expensive. Further these machines are incapable of producing dosa's in required quantities and generally are programmed to produce a set number of dosa's. Thus the available machines do not produce dosas as required and are used in industrial or bulk production only. Due to these reasons, the automatic dosa machines known in the art are not suitable for domestic/retail use. The table-top automated multiple variant dosa making machine of the present invention seeks to overcome these disadvantages, to provide a machine that is not only compact and energy-efficient, but capable of being used domestically as well, to make hygienic dosas, untouched by hand, in quantities determined by the end user. The automated dosa making machine of the present invention can also be used to make variants of dosa's such oothappams, pancakes etc, wherein the batter is poured and the thickness of the end product is adjustable from crisp thin dosa's to thick oothapams or adai's or pesarettu's or other similar food products.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Indian food is gaining increasing importance across the world. Indian food varieties, including but not limited to, dosas, rotis, idlis, samosas etc, have become a part of the menu in European countries and USA, among others. However, in comparison with burgers, pizzas and noodles, Indian food is not as widespread mainly because of the difficulty in manufacturing Indian food and the lack of automated food processing solutions available. Consider the example of dosa, a popular dish which has its origins in southern India, which is a crepe or pancake made using a fermented batter made of soaked rice and lentils. The fermented batter of the appropriate consistency is spread on a hot plate/heated tawa, and cooked by adding oil/ghee/butter to it. The cooked dosa is then removed from the tawa and served. This process of making a dosa is labour intensive, and often the dosas made are not uniform in size, shape or thickness. Moreover, the hygiene of the food product is not unquestionable when made using this method. The table-top automated dosa making machine of the invention has been conceptualized and designed to ease the process of making dosas, and is useful for making hygienic dosas in small or large quantities, as needed, making it suitable for being adapted to domestic as well as large scale applications. The automated dosa making machine is capable of producing uniform dosas of high quality and varying thicknesses with or without various additions such as chutneys, masala, podi's etc., as per the preferences of size, shape, thickness, crispiness and additions etc specified by the user. It is believed that such automated food processing solutions to produce Indian food would enable Indian cuisine to be taken across international territories.

PRIOR ART

Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, has developed a semi-automatic dosa machine which uses cooking gas for heating, and comprises of a main housing, a hot plate connected to a motor, and a variable frequency drive. The temperature of the hot plate is regulated by a temperature controller installed inside the control panel. Initially, the pilot burner is ignited manually after opening the cooking gas regulator and based on the temperature sensed by the Resistance Temperature Detector, the controller output opens the solenoid valve and the main burner starts. The thickness of the dosas is adjusted manually by the thickness control unit by rotating thumb wheels mounted above the hotplate. The dosa batter is fed from the batter tank through the solenoid valve/pump on the hot plate under gravity. Oil is spread on the dosa from the oil tank through the solenoid valve. The timings for opening and closing of the valves is set manually through the timers positioned inside the control panel. Water from the tank flows continuously on the hot plate, and dosas are continuously produced. This machine is capable of producing upto 400 dosas/hour, and is suitable for use in industrial canteens, hotels, festivals, large gatherings etc, where large volumes of dosas need to be produced. The disadvantages of this model include the bulky nature of the machine, inability to be adapted for domestic use, high energy consumption, high cost, and lack of hygiene.

Indian patent number 223932 titled "An improved device for producing different varieties of dosa and a method of preparing the said products using the device" claims a device comprising a machine base, a cover plate, a hot plate connected to a motor, a burner and pilot burner being installed under the hotplate and capable of being connected to a cooking gas cylinder, a resistance temperature detector (RTD) being fixed below the hot plate and connected to a programmable logic controller (PLC), where the PLC comprises a central processing unit (CPU), one input of the CPU being connected to a memory block, a second input being connected to a display cum keyboard unit, a third input being connected to RTD, a fourth input being connected to a thickness controlling unit, a fifth input being connected to the digital I/O unit, which is capable of driving the solenoid valve, motors, and pumps through isolating relay board, a water pump being connected to a water tank for spraying water on the hot plate, a scraper unit provided with a motor being fixed to the machine base for cleaning the hot plate, a proximity sensor being fixed on the side of the scrapper unit capable of cutting off the movement of the motor, a spreader assembly being connected to another motor fixed on the side of the hot plate capable of moving around 45 degree from its home position to the centre of the hot plate, a proximate sensor being fixed on the side of the spreader unit capable of cutting off the movement of the motor, a batter pump being fixed to the machine base for dispensing the required quantity of dosa batter from the batter tank to the hot plate, the spreader unit being connected to a thickness control unit connected with a stepper motor driven by the PLC unit to maintain the required thickness of the dosa, an oil pump being connected to an oil tank being fixed on to the machine base capable of spraying oil on the pre-cooked dosa and the motors and pumps being powered and controlled by the PLC.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig 1 shows the isometric top view of the assembled components of the automated dosa making machine of the invention.
1. BATTER TANK
2. OIL TANK
3. WATER TANK
4. FRAME
5. MECHANISM
6. SPREADER CLEANER
7. LM BEARING HOLDERS & SHAFT
8. HOTPLATE
9. STAND FOR THE MACHINE
10. IDLER PULLEY
11. SPREADER CLEANER KNOB
12. WATER TROUGH
13. BELT
14. TENSIONERS
15. DRIVER PULLEY
16. PIPE FOR WATER ENTRY
17. MAGNETIC SENSORS
18. WATER NOZZLE
19. HEIGHT ADJUSTER FOR SPREADER
20. PEELER
21. GEAR
22. BATTER MOTOR
23. MOTOR
24. OIL NOZZLE
25. SOLENOID VALVE
26. SPREADER

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present unit relates to a table top model of an automatic dosa making machine, wherein the user only punches in the requirements such as thickness of the product, the quantity of oil, the fillings, the crispness of the product etc. and pours the .

This automatic unit is run using a microprocessor which acts as the Control Unit. A microprocessor is a small computer on a single integrated circuit containing a processor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. Microprocessors are versatile devices that are used in a variety of electronic equipments such as automobile engine control systems, implantable medical devices, remote controls, office machines, appliances, power tools, toys and other embedded systems.- Microprocessors are available at a lower cost. Microprocessors are preferred control units used in the dosa making machine of the invention for these reasons. By means of simple touch screen interface, the user can control the various properties of the dosa being made, such as the size, thickness, crispiness, toppings etc.

The keys provided on the dosa making machine are used for various functions, which are controlled by means of microprocessors. The following are the functions of the various keys on the machine.

1. ON/OFF switch for the heating element
2. Dry run option to get the pan ready for making dosas
3. Selecting the type of dosa (e.g. Plain Dosa)
4. Selecting the type of filling for the dosa
5. Adjusting the thickness of the dosa (by controlling the height of the spreader from the pan)
6. Adjusting the temperature of the heating element
7. Cleaning the dosa machine after the dosas are made
8. Adjusting the amount of batter / oil/cleaning cycle/temperature/time of cooking/any parameter in making dosa
9. Key to START the machine
10. STOP key to shut off the machine.
The microprocessors used in the automated dosa making machine function as follows:
1. The user enters his preferences
2. The system checks for the ideal conditions based on the input received by the sensors
3. The dosa making process begins by dispersing of the dosa batter after the user's preferences are indicated to the motor driver
4. Movement of the slider over the pan powered by the DC motor, spreading the dosa batter on the pan to the required thickness as indicated by the user
5. Concurrently, oil is sprayed on the dosa through a solenoid valve connected to the oil dispersion system by activating the relay

6. Movement of the slider in the opposite direction powered by the DC motor, which peels the cooks dosa from the pan
7. Ascertaining the position of the spreader and peeler though a feedback mechanism
8. Putting in the filling into the dosa as per the user's choice, by means of the DC motor that is activated using a relay
The microprocessors perform all the above mentioned steps by carefully activating and de-activating various relays, motor drivers and sensors. The machine is a closed system, it contains various sensors and thereby employing better control and is very hygenic.

The Novelty of the present invention lies in the following features:
1. A "Table Top Model"
2. A Stationary flat hot plate heated from both the top and the bottom.
3. A single part whose mechanism helps to spread batter, peel the dosa, roll the dosa, disperse water on the pan and clean the pan.
4. A web like oil disbursement design to ensure that the oil is sprayed uniformly all over the surface instead of being poured onto the hotplate.
5. A gear mechanism connected to a DC motor that is used to disperse batter
6. A C-shaped peeler
7. Using DC motors for movements in the Dosa Machine
8. A peeler that rotates about its parallel axis
9. Flip over from a spreading system to a peeling system using mechanical rotations only.
The preparation of dosas using the fermented batter of soaked rice and lentils involves the following six steps to be performed in a cyclic manner:
1. Dispersing the dosa batter on a heated tawa/hot plate
2. Spreading the batter on the heated tawa/hot plate to the required thickness
3. Spraying oil/ghee/butter on the dosa
4. Peeling off the dosa from the hot plate after the prescribed roasting limit
5. Spraying water on the hot plate
6. Cleaning the surface of the hot plate using a cloth or similar material.
The automated dosa making machine of the invention uses the following components for each of the 6 steps required to make a perfect dosa.

The automated dosa making machine is designed such that the spreader, peeler and hot plate cleaner are integrated into a single structure which moves on the surface of the hot plate/dosa pan by means of a V-groove belt arrangement or a lead screw mechanism. The movement of the integrated unit over the pan is synchronized in such a way that dosas cooked as per the specifications indicated by the user are produced continuously.
Heating system

The dosas are made on the surface of the Teflon coated Hot Plate [8], which is of prescribed dimensions suitable for making dosas, oothappams, and other similar food products. The Teflon coated hot plate [8] acts as the pan/dosa plate or tawa on which the dosas are made. The Teflon coated plate [8] is heated by means of a controlled mechanism using any of the following systems.
1. LPG gas outlet system that is used in domestic cooking
2. Induction heating
3. Electrical coil heating.
The hot plate 8 and the base are separated by a predetermined distance, and the heating element is placed in this gap between the hot plate 8 and the base , which heats the pan uniformly. The heaters under the hot plate [8] are located on the focus of a parallelogram, this arrangement has been proved to give maximum heat to the hot plate [8]. The heat that is radiated to places apart than the metal plate are also reflected back due this unique design. A heater is also place above the metal plate which is switched on when the thickness of the dosa is more, this helps in cooking the top portion of the dosa in the same time interval that is required to cook a thin variant.
Working

The machine utilizes the above described systems to make dosas :-
a)The hot plate [8] is brought to the desired temperature with the help of resistive
coil/induction coils/ LPG gas or a similar heating system.
b)The batter is dispersed with the help of the above mentioned batter dispersion mechanism
c)The batter is spread to the desired thickness/size by the mechanism [5] as described
d)The oil is dispe rsed onto the dosa with the help of the oil dispe rsion mechanism as
discussed above.
e)The dosa is peeled/removed from the pan with the help of the peeling mechanism of the
mechanism [5] as given above.

The following is the sequence of events to use the machine

l.The user enters the following details into the circuit with the help of a screen and an input keyboard.
a) Amount of batter
-This is calibrated in the form of seconds the batter motor [22] is switched in the batter
dispersion mode(forward direction)
b)Amount of oil
-This is calibrated in the form of seconds the solenoid valve [25] is switched in the toggle
mode.
c)Cooking time
-This is the time required to cook the dosa.
d)Number of dosas
e)Temperature of the pan
" The temperature is set according to the crispiness that is desired.
2. After setting the circuit, the user adjusts the height adjuster [19] to his desired thickness.
3. Post all the selections the user clicks on the "RUN" command switch of the input
keyboard.
The circuit checks for the desired data and proceeds with making a dosa. Before running the desired dosa algorithm, the machine checks for various standard specifications. Like, presence of the mechanism at position-1, if the pan has reached the desired temperature as indicated by the user. And also if the quantity of batter and oil are present based are based on the user's requirements. If there is a lack in any of the specified requirements, the machine indicates the errors and the user might have to wait till the errors are resolved.
If optimum conditions are sensed by the circuit, the machine proceeds to make dosas. The batter motor [22] rotates in the forward direction for the indicated duration, thereafter the batter motor [22] immediately rotates in the opposite direction for a specific duration of time to push the residual batter inside the batter tank [1]. Post the preparation of the batter, the mechanism motor goes in the forward direction from postion-1 towards position-2. When the circuit senses that the mechanism [5] has reached postion-2 the main motor is turned off. When the mechanism reaches the position-2 the spreading mode is dis-engaged and the peeling mode is engaged. This shift happens with the help of the toggle mechanism. The toggle mechanism works like the bike stand, it has two positions to rest, on the top the other on the bottom (90degrees away). While one angle gives the mechanism a spreading system the other angle gives the mechanism a peeling system. The toggle is arranged in such a way that when the mechanism moves from position 1 to position 2 it is in spreading mode and during its return journey from position 2 to position 1 it is in peeling mode. Once the spreader has reached position 2, the spreader cleaner goes on, cleaning the residues of the spreader for a fixed duration of time. There is a brush coupled to a motor and partially immersed in a water trough, which rotates and cleans the spreader and also sprinkles water onto the hotplate cleaner brush which is located underneath the peeler. This spreader cleaner brush is stationer and is fixed to position 2.

In the peeling mode, the hot plate cleaner also comes into play, thus cleaning the residues on the hotplate. The hotplate is cleaned by means of a brush located underneath the peeler which already moist, thereby cleaning ing the hotplate with water.

After the batter is spread on the Teflon coated hot plate, the solenoid valve [25] toggles for the desired duration of the user and having oil on the length of the pan in the desired place. Parallel to all these activities the circuit is counting on the remaining time for the dosa to be cooked. Once the cook time is over, the circuit switches on the mechanism motor to move in the reverse direction from position 2 to position 1, thus peeling the dosa. While the dosa is being peeled, the brush under the peeler [20] cleans the pan. The brush already being moist gives a shiny look to the pan. On reaching position 1 the mechanism automatically gets into the spreading mode thereby dis engaging the peeling mode.

Once the mechanism reaches the position-1 the dosa would have been peeled, and rolled and dispersed onto the pan outside. This whole process of movements in the dosa machine are controlled by the main circuit board which is an microprocessor and is programmed according to the requirement. The motors, sensors and the solenoid valve [25] are connected to the relays that help is timely engagement and dis-engagement.

Adding a filling onto the dosa:-
Dosas normally come with a filling, there can be various types of fillings to a dosa, like the onions, mashed potatoes, different types of chutneys and dried powders based on the taste. The dosa machine gives an access tray that has multiple types of cups to add the fillings. The fillings get dumped onto the dosa immediately after the oil falls onto the dosa. Every cup is connected to a linear actuator and the actuator springs the respective cup onto the pan and thereby dispersing the filling onto the dosa. The cups have a lid that opens according to the amount of filling the user would like to have on the dosa. The user can also control the amount of filling he wants on the dosa with the help of the key pad, from little to more with 5 equivalent steps.

The user can also switch between ghee butter or oil before the dosa is being made, there are partitions in the container that contains oil, for various add ons.

In y et another addition to the machine, the height of the spreader [26] can be digitally controlled with the help of the keypad. The spreader [26] is attached to a small stepper motor that is accurately calibrated to move based on the thickness of the dosa. The spreader [26] height can also be digitally controlled.

SINGLE PART MECHANISM OF SPREADER, PEELER AND HOT PLATE CLEANER

After the dosa batter has been spread on the pan by the spreader [26], oil is dispersed on the dosa by means of a solenoid valve connected to the oil dispersion system. The mechanism [5] operates under one setting when it moves from position 1 to position 2 and in other system when it moves from position 2 to position 1. The interchange in the two settings is done dynamically. The setting-1 when the mechanism moves from position 1 to position 2 is called the spreading cycle of the machine while the vice versa is called the peeling cycles. When at position 1, the peeler [20] is not in contact with the pan. At position 2 after spreading the batter on the pan, the peeler [20] rotates on an axis that is parallel to the axis of the slider, and comes in contact with the pan. The rotation of the peeler [20] is restricted to < 90degrees. The peeler in contact with the pan at position 2 enables the cooked dosa to be peeled and rolled, and the pan to be cleaned by the brush as the mechanism [5] moves back to position 1. On reaching position 1, the peeler [20] is again lifted from the surface of the pan. Thus, at position 1, the peeler [20] is lifted/disengaged, while the spreader [26] is in contact with the pan; and at position 2, the peeler is engaged and in contact with the pan to peel and roll the dosa, the spreader is not in contact with the pan and the brush connected to the peeler cleans the pan as the peeler peels the dosa. The extraneous matter thus scrapped is collected in a trough which is yet another removable portion of the machine. This can be slid out, cleaned and put back.

BATTER DISPERSION MECHANISM

Referring to Fig 1, The batter tank [1] is used to disperse a desired quantity of batter onto the Teflon coated hot plate [8]. The batter tank [1] is a container that is used to store a specific amount of batter and discharges a user defined quantity on to the hot plate [8]. The dispersion is made through a twin gear [21] mechanism. The gears [21]are used to squeeze the batter content from the container onto the hot plate [8]. The gear [21] are rotated with the help of a motor. The motor is controlled by the circuit. Every rotation of the gear [21] gives a specific quantity of batter. The number of rotations if perfectly calculated gives the desired volume or weight of the batter.

The gear [21] can move in both the directions, this aids in preventing any leakage that might occur from the gear [21] mechanism while the machine is idle. When a command for a specific type of dosa is made, the circuit gives a calculated order to the motor of the batter tank [1] to rotate the number of desired rotations thereby dispersing the desired volume of batter. The containers design and the gear [21] design helps the user to use various types of batter in the machine. The user can use various consistencies of batter and can have various types of ingredients while making a batter. This system of dispersion is a much improved type of batter dispersion and is better than the existing systems as it helps to disperse multiple types of batter and calculated amounts of batter. The existing systems use gravity fall for batter to be dispersed and this depends on the head which is always changing. The batter tank [1] is covered by a layer of insulation to prevent the batter from getting warm because of the ambient temperature of the surroundings.

The batter tank [1] also has a stirrer that keeps the batter inside the tank always in motion. The job of the stirrer is to move the sediments of the batter that get stuck in the various parts of the batter tank [1] and to maintain the consistency of the batter. The batter tank [1] is provided with lids and suitable knobs to keep the batter free from contamination and for ease of access of the tank for cleaning purposes respectively. The batter tank [1] is also provided with handles which aids in the mounting and the un-mounting of the tank from the machine easily.

Yet another addendum to the present patent is that the batter tank is made up of two layers, a rectangular outer shape and an insulated later and a conical shape on the inside surface and the end of the cone is fixed towards the gear [21]. This incline helps the batter to go directly into the gear [21], helping in the increase of the head/pressure, and also no quantity of batter goes waste, as all the batter is used due to this angle of placement of the batter tank. Furthermore, a level sensor is used in the batter tank to aid in batter dispersion as well as to communicate to the end user, the refill requirements. Hence the batter dispersion is not determined only by gravitation.

The batter dispersion mechanism comprises of a DC motor coupled to a pair of gears. This method of batter dispensation is extremely accurate and disperses the same amount of batter regardless of anyother parameter. . Furthermore, the batter tank is a removable container and the remaining batter if any can be stored directly in the batter tank itself till the next use.

SPREADER MECHANISM

Referring to Fig 1, The spreader [26] is the part of the mechanism [5] that spreads the batter to the desired thickness and shape. The edge of the spreader [26] is inclined at an angle of 45 degrees that helps the spreader [26] to spread much more effectively. The height of the spreader [26] is the determining factor for the thickness of the end product be it thin dosas or thicker pancakes. The thickness of the end product can be changed by varying the height of the spreader [26] from the pan. This change in the height can be achieved by varying the height adjuster [19]. The height adjuster [19] has two parts to it. The external height adjuster [19] in the form of steps that gives a 0.5 mm height variant from 0 mm to 5 mm. This is the adjustment that can be accessed by the user. The other height adjuster [19] is by the rotation of the studs that the height adjuster [19] has. These studs are rotatable and give the base height to the spreader [26] from the pan. When both these height adjuster [19] are used, a desired height adjustment from 0 to 12 mm are achieved. There is also a stepper motor connected to the spreader [26] that increases or decreases the height of the spreader [26] to increase or decrease the thickness of the dosa. The stepper motor is controlled by the circuit, which can be administered using key pad that the user can use, thus giving a digital and a mechanical leverage to the user.

The extraneous material stuck to the peeler is also cleaned by means of a spreader cleaning mechanism at the end of each round of delivery to ensure further hygiene.

SPREADER CLEANING MECHANISM:

Referring to Fig 2, there is a mechanism at the position-2 of the machine to clean the residues on the spreader [26] that have been accumulated due to the spreading action. The spreader cleaner [6] helps remove the residues. The spreader cleaner [6] has the following components Motor [23] Brush with bristles Water trough [12] Water tank [3]
The motor [23] rotates the brush within the boundaries of a trough which is partially filled with water. When the spreader [26] reaches position-2, the brush with bristles comes into action and cleans the spreader [26]. This happens by the motor [23] that turns the brush, the bristles of the brush nick the spreader [26] residues out into the trough. The water helps give a proper finish to the spreader [26]. The height of the water in the water trough [12] is important in this system. The water is maintained with the help of the water tank [3] that is filled. There is a mechanical system that exactly maintains the height of the water in the water trough [12].

The water trough [12] is connected to the main water tank [3] through a sealed pipe line. One end of the pipe line enters the water tank [3] which is air sealed. The other end of the water pipe is placed at the desired height in the water trough [12]. This results in water only coming to the height of the pipe in the water trough [12] and not over flowing. As and when there is a water usage during the cleaning process of the spreader cleaner [6], additional water flows into the water trough [12] exactly till the height of the pipe that is in the water trough [12]. The water trough [12] also acts as waste collection pit. If there is any excess waste that is generated from the spreading action, the waste is collected in the water trough [12].

OIL DISPERSION MECHANISM

Oil is used on the dosa to increase the thermal conductivity on the dosa and help spread the heat among the surface of the dosa easily. Oil adds flavour to the dosa and helps cook the dosa fast. Oil needs to be spread on various parts of the dosa rather than it being placed in remote locations. The oil increases the oligophatic properties of the dosa. The exact amount of oil gives a dosa the crispness and smoothness. Instead of oil, alternatives such as butter, ghee, dalda etc can also be used.

The oil is filled in the oil tank [2] and then mounted onto the dosa machine. The Oil tank [2] is provided with a nozzle that opens the oil tank to a small chamber above the solenoid valve [25]. The oil is then collected in a small chamber just above the solenoid valve [25]. The electronically operated solenoid valve [25] allows the oil to be dispersed onto the dosa when required. Referring to Fig 3, the solenoid valve [25] leads the oil into a distribution mechanism that resembles a spider web. The distribution mechanism works for all kinds of oils and similar substances.

When the oil is required to be dispersed onto the dosa, the circuit activates the magnetic field in the solenoid. This activated solenoid valve [25] allows the passage of oil onto the oil distribution mechanism. The oil is then directed to various points in the distribution system. The solenoid valve [25] is toggled (switched on and switched off) at a low frequency. The toggle of the solenoid valve [25] gives a pumping action in the oil flow. This results in the oil to spray rather than fall, helping a wider spread of oil due to the unique web like design of the distribution mechanism.No matter on which part of the dosa the oil is being dispersed, the total distance travelled by the oil, in that path is the same, irrespective of the displacement of the oil.

PEELER MECHANISM

The peeler [20] is a C shaped blade inclined at 24 degrees from the hot plate [8] that peels/scrapes the dosa out of the hot plate [8]. The peeler [20] is designed to not only remove the dosa from the hot plate [8] but also to roll into a cylindrical form due to its unique shape. This unique shape also ensures that the fillings if any in the end product is retained inside the end product thus avoiding spilling of the fillings at the time of removal from the hotplate. The peeler [20] after delivering the end product has to come back to position 1.

HOT PLATE CLEANING MECHANISM:

The cleaning brush engages just behind the peeler [20] during the peeling cycle and helps clean the pan. The cleaning brush consists of a material like cotton or similar materials that are good absorbents. The cleaning brush makes sure that there are no residual particles that are left on the pan and that there is no stagnating oil on the pan. The cleaning brush also makes sure that it cleans the pan with some water thereby giving the pan a clean dirt free, oil free and odour free nature. This nature of the pan becomes very important for the quality of products that the machine makes.

The mechanism [5] operates under one setting when it moves from position 1 to position 2 and in other system when it moves from position 2 to position 1. The interchange in the two settings is done dynamically. The setting-1 when the mechanism moves from position 1 to position 2 is called the spreading cycle of the machine while the vice versa is called the peeling cycles. The interchange happens with the help of springs, toggle system and a series of sensors. The movement is co-ordinated by circuit with the help of position sensors that are located in the machine. The position sensors are magnetic powered but led/ultraviolet ray sensors can also be used. The movement of the mechanism is powered by a motor. The motor transmits the motion through the pulley and the belt [13] systems. The pulley and the belt [13] systems are connected to the mechanism [5] that generate a pull to move the system. A chain or linear drive motor or a chain sprocket motion or even a simple gear [21] mechanism can also be used to achieve the movement. There are tensioners, springs, Idler pulley [10] and heat shields present in the system that help in the effectiveness and robustness in the mechanism.

Intelligent Customer Estimation System

The automated dosa making machine can be used by small business owners to produce high quality dosas with minimal effort, which contributes to their profit. A common problem that is encountered by a majority of such food stall owners is estimating the number of customers for a given session. It is quite a challenging task, and even a high degree of familiarity with the way the food industry operates is not sufficient to exactly estimate the number of customers. But customer estimation is an extremely important step, because the raw materials for the next session are prepared based on these figures. The powered application of the automated dosa making machine uses algorithms to estimate the customer walk-ins for the next session. The algorithm is a self-learning one, and performs customer estimation based on factors such as previous day sales, trend estimations based on previous month's sales, trend estimations for the frequency of current sales, and data analysis based on similar frequency trends in the remote past.

We Claim:

1. An automatic self-cleaning table top device for making dosas, pancakes with oil and fillings/toppings using microprocessors which enable pre-programming of the desired end product; comprising of an insulated removable batter tank coupled with a motor; the tank designed in a regular shape on the outside and conical on the inside; the end of the cone being directed towards the gear end enabling the flow of the batter not only due to gravity but also due to shape of the batter tank; the gap between the outer and inner layer of the batter tank being filled with an insulating material; an end user determinable height adjuster fixing the height of the batter comprising of external and internal adjusters; the said external adjuster adjusting the height by steps of 0.5 mm, the said internal height adjuster adjusting the height by means rotation of studs, the entire thickness varying from 0.5mm upwards; an oil dispensing mechanism which dispenses the oil through a nozzle which opens into a small chamber above a solenoid valve which enable the oil to fall onto the distribution mechanism, which is designed in the form a web shaped design having multiple perforations, controlled by an electrical circuit which activates a magnetic field which permits the passage of the oil to various points in the distribution system, the solenoid valve is toggled at a low frequency to result in the oil moving in the distribution system in spurts; resulting in the oil being sprayed on various points on the surface; a Teflon coated hot plate heated from both top and bottom, the top heater coming into play only when the thickness of the batter is over mm; a single mechanism comprising of the spreader, peeler and hot plate cleaner are integrated into a single structure which moves on the surface of the hot plate by means of a V-groove belt arrangement; comprising a teflon coated flat spreader, a C shaped peeler and hotplate cleaner brush; the spreader being inclined at an angle of 45° to the hot plate; said mechanism moving from position 1 to position 2 at a pre-determined height spreading the batter onto the hot plate; on reaching position 2, the spreader being disengaged and cleaned by means of a stationery brush partially immersed in a trough of water located at position 2 coupled to a motor, , the water being fed from a water dispenser; the spreader cleaning mechanism wetting the hotplate cleaning brush located beneath the peeler; the said mechanism moving from position 2 to position 1 once the product is cooked; engaging the C shaped peeler at mild angle to the hot plate to scoop out the cooked product in a roll form; simultaneously peeling and deliverin g t he cooked end product as well as cleaning the hotplate wit h moisture; the said peeler rotating about its parallel axis; the scrapped remains of the hotplate being collected in a removable tray; the oil dispensing mechanism dispensing oil on the surface at multiple points once the spreader has reached position 2; the topping/filling dispenser dispensing the topping/filling onto the surface of the product; the end product being produced in a roll form of specified thickness, with all the toppings/fillings intact in the said product; the said product being customised to the end user's taste by means of microprocessor; a display unit, wherein the user enters details into the circuit with the help of a screen and an input keyboard.

2. The single mechanism as claimed in Claim 1 comprsing the spreader, peeler and hot plate cleaner are integrated into a single structure, alternatively moving on the surface of the hot plate by means of a lead screw mechanism.

3. The batter motor as claimed in Claim 1 which rotates in the forward direction for the indicated duration to dispense the specified quantity of batter, which reverses direction immediately after dispensing rotating in the opposite direction for a specific duration of time to push the residual batter inside the batter tank.

4. The batter tank as claimed in Claim 1 comprises of a stirrer which ensures that the batter tank is free of sediments and results in a smooth flow of the batter.

5. The engaging and disengaging of the Peeler and Spreader mechanism as claimed in Claim 1 is by means of a toggle mechanism arranged in such a manner that while one angle gives the mechanism a spreading system, the other angle gives the mechanism a peeling system, arranged in such a manner that when the mechanism moves from position 1 to position 2 it is in spreading mode and during its return journey from position 2 to position 1 it is in peeling mode.

6. The process as claimed in Claim 1 is controlled by the main circuit board which is a microprocessor comprising of motors, sensors and the solenoid valves which are connected to the relays that help in timely engagement and dis-engagement.

7. The toppings/fillings as claimed in Claim 1 is dispensed from the topping/filling tank by means of a linear actuator which springs the respective topping/filling tank onto the pan and thereby dispersing the topping/filling onto the dosa at a pre-determined quantity set by the end user.

8. The height adjuster as claimed in Claim 1 alternatively can be digitally controlled with the help of the keypad, wherein the spreader is attached to a small stepper motor that is accurately calibrated to move based on the thickness of the end product.

9. An automatic self cleaning dosa, pancake machine substantially as herein described.