CN211066114U

CN211066114U - Container lid for sealing container, container and food vending machine

Info

Publication number: CN211066114U
Application number: CN201920268538.9U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 冯光道
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-02-26
Filing date: 2019-03-04
Publication date: 2020-07-24
Anticipated expiration: 2029-03-04
Also published as: WO2020173408A1; CN109700296A

Abstract

The utility model discloses a machine is selld to container lid, container and food for sealed container. The container cover includes: a cover body; and one or more sachets located on an inner surface of the lid, the sachets being attached to the inner surface of the lid, the sachets being burstable upon microwave heating to release water therein. The utility model discloses still disclose one kind include the container and the food of container lid are selld machine. Through the utility model, the liquid sac is separated from the food and is heated by microwave independently. The food is heated for a certain time independently, the time is controlled by the strength of the fragile part of the liquid sac, the liquid sac bursts after being heated, the unvaporized water flows to the surface of the food and is continuously vaporized, the cavity of the container is filled with the vapor, and the food can be prevented from being overheated except for humidifying and heating the surface of the food. Meanwhile, the food can be heated from inside to outside by microwave heating, and the food can be heated from outside to inside by steam, so that the taste and the quality of the heated food can be obviously improved on the whole.

Description

Container lid for sealing container, container and food vending machine

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a food and beverage technical field roughly, especially relate to a container lid, container, food heating method and food vending machine that can be used to resume food taste.

Background

With the acceleration of life rhythm and the improvement of life quality, people increasingly require the quality of food while obtaining the food rapidly. Especially for steamed cooked food such as steamed stuffed buns, steamed buns, sheet jelly and rice, because the processing process is complicated, people often process the steamed cooked food in batches, store the steamed cooked food after cooling thoroughly, and heat the steamed cooked food again when needed. The heating method is usually, for example, re-steaming, or rapid heating using a microwave oven, a light wave oven. But the mouthfeel and the taste of the food after the secondary heating are obviously inferior to those of the food when the food is taken out of the pot newly. Especially for the variety of steamed stuffed buns with thin skin and stuffing, the steamed stuffed buns generally have water vapor and remain the taste, which is unpleasant and unwilling to eat again. After microwave and light wave heating, the food is often hardened and dried, and people can feel unpleasant feeling of eating the food. Other heating methods such as frying, roasting, frying and the like can completely modify the taste of the food.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved apparatus and method that restores the fresh mouthfeel of food.

The statements in the background section are merely technical equivalents which may be known to a person skilled in the art and do not, of course, represent prior art in this field.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of one or more of the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a container lid for sealing a container, comprising: a cover body; and one or more sachets located on the inner surface of the cover, the sachets being attached to the inner surface of the cover, wherein the sachets are configured to burst upon microwave heating to release water therein.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the container cover comprises a plurality of liquid pockets evenly distributed on the inner surface of the cover body, the liquid pockets having a weakened portion thereon, the wall thickness or strength of the weakened portion being lower than other portions of the liquid pockets, the liquid pockets being preferably made of PET.

The utility model also provides a container, include: a container body; and the container cover as described above, which is mounted on the container body.

According to an aspect of the utility model, container lid seal installation be in on the vessel, the marginal bore of vessel is greater than the marginal bore of container lid.

The utility model also provides a food heating method, include: providing a container as described above, wherein the container has food therein to be heated; the container is subjected to microwave heating and the liquid sac on the container cover of the container is burst to generate steam.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the food heating method further comprises: and after the liquid bag bursts, continuing to heat the container by microwave, allowing incompletely gasified water in the liquid bag to flow to the surface of the food to be gasified, continuing to humidify and heat the surface of the food by using water vapor, and absorbing the microwave by the water vapor to block excessive heating of the food.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the food heating method further comprises releasing the pressure of the container to discharge the steam.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the food includes one or more of steamed stuffed bun, steamed bread, dumpling, sheet jelly, and rice.

The utility model also provides a machine is selld to food, include: a storage device in which a container as described above is stored; the microwave heating device is used for heating the container in the microwave heating device; a conveyor configured to move the containers from the magazine into the microwave heating device and to move the containers out of the microwave heating device after heating.

According to the utility model discloses an aspect, the liquid bag of the container lid of container is by burst when microwave heating device heats the back that the liquid bag bursts, microwave heating device continues right the container carries out microwave heating, and the rivers that do not totally gasify in the liquid bag continue to gasify to the food surface, utilize vapor to continue right the food surface adds the humidity and heats, and vapor absorbs the microwave, blocks the excessive heating to food.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the food vending machine further comprises a pressure relief mechanism, the pressure relief mechanism is configured to make the container release pressure inside the container after the container is heated, and the pressure relief mechanism is preferably a pressure relief needle.

According to an aspect of the utility model, food vending machine, still include controlling means and user interface, user interface can receive user input, controlling means with user interface coupling and receiving user input, and according to user input, control conveyer, will with the corresponding container of user input is followed storage device immigration microwave heating device, and will after the heating the container shifts out microwave heating device.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the control device is configured to collect the number of containers in the storage device and send a prompt when the number of containers is below a threshold.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the food vending machine further comprises an insulation box located downstream of the microwave heating device and configured to store heated or not-taken containers.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the invention without undue limitation. In the drawings:

fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a container according to an embodiment of the invention;

figure 2 shows a schematic view of a container lid according to an embodiment of the present invention;

figure 3 illustrates a cooking method for heating food in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 shows a food vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In the following, only certain exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As those skilled in the art will recognize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of description and to simplify the description, but do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first", "second", may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the described features. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically limited otherwise.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless explicitly stated or limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning either a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection, either mechanically, electrically, or in communication with each other; either directly or indirectly through intervening media, either internally or in any other relationship. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations by those skilled in the art.

In the present disclosure, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may comprise direct contact between the first and second features, or may comprise contact between the first and second features not directly. Also, the first feature being "on," "above" and "over" the second feature includes the first feature being directly on and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicating that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply meaning that the first feature is at a lesser level than the second feature.

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different features of the invention. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present invention, the components and arrangements of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention may repeat reference numerals and/or reference letters in the various examples, which have been repeated for purposes of simplicity and clarity and do not in themselves dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or arrangements discussed. In addition, the present disclosure provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize applications of other processes and/or use of other materials.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and it will be understood that they are presented herein only to illustrate and explain the present invention, and not to limit the present invention.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a container 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 1, the container 1 includes a container body 11 and a container cover 13, and the container cover 13 is detachably placed on the container body 11. Although not shown in fig. 1, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the container lid 13 may be sealingly placed on the container body 11, such as by a seal, snap, thread, or other engagement provided on the edges of the container lid 13 and/or the container body 11, which may be sealingly engaged together to ensure good protection of the container 11 from food items stored therein. Alternatively, it is preferred that the outer diameter of the rim of the container body 11 be greater than the inner diameter of the rim of the container lid 13 so that when the container lid 13 is placed over the container body 11, an "interference" fit is formed therebetween to hold the two securely together. Of course, the present invention is not limited to the combination of the two.

The container body 11 is preferably shallow in depth, for example less than 5 cm in depth. Thereby, when microwave heating is performed, the food inside can be heated more effectively.

As shown in fig. 1, the container cover 13 includes a sac 131 on an inner surface thereof. Fig. 2 shows a bottom view of the container cover 13. As shown in fig. 2, one or more fluid cells 131 are attached to the inner surface of the body 133 of the container lid 13 (i.e., the surface of the container lid that faces the interior of the container when placed on the container body). Four sachets 131 are shown in fig. 1 and 2, but it will be understood by those skilled in the art that a different number of sachets 131 may be provided, e.g. one, two, three, five more sachets, depending on the type of food, specific needs and cost, all within the scope of the invention. The sac 131 contains a liquid, such as water, or an aqueous/non-aqueous seasoning, spice, or oil, therein, and when heated, the sac 131 bursts, thereby releasing the liquid contained therein. For example, when bladder 131 is heated, wherein all or a portion of the water or liquid vaporizes, causing the pressure inside bladder 131 to increase, when the rupture limit of the material of bladder 131 is reached, bladder 131 bursts, releasing the moisture and possibly not yet vaporized water therein, as well as flavors, fragrances, oils (typically "flavors"), and the like. Of course, the sac 131 may contain water, or some of the sacs may contain water and some of the sacs may contain flavoring (aqueous or non-aqueous)

The sac 131 is made of, for example, polyethylene PE, and is attached to the inner surface of the container cover body 133 by hot melt, adhesive (preferably food grade adhesive). According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the container cover 13 comprises a plurality of, for example four, sachets 131 evenly distributed on the inner surface of the cover 133, the sachets having a weakened portion with a wall thickness or strength lower than the rest of the sachets. The frangible portion may be achieved in a number of ways, for example, the wall thickness of the material of the frangible portion is less than the wall thickness around the frangible portion so that the frangible portion will burst first when heated. The frangible portion may also be implemented in other ways. For example, the sac may have an opening therein and be sealed with an edible material, such as cheese. The edible material melts after being heated, and the liquid in the liquid sac flows out automatically.

By providing the frangible portion, the timing of bursting of the sac 131 can be controlled, for example, by microwave heating for about 40 seconds, the sac 131 bursts. It is also preferred that different liquids and/or solids may be provided in the plurality of pockets as desired, for example wherein some pockets include only water and some pockets include other types of flavours or fragrances or oils. In this way, after the water-containing sac bursts, the water vapor or the water in the water-containing sac can humidify and heat the food in the container; after the liquid bag containing the seasoning or spice or oil bursts, the seasoning or spice or oil in the liquid bag can season the food in the container so as to realize the fresh taste of the food. Further preferably, a plurality of the liquid pockets 131 may be provided to have weak portions of different strengths so as to burst at different timings. For example, aqueous sachets may have a low burst strength, bursting when microwave heated for one minute; whereas capsules containing flavours or fragrances or oils have a high burst strength, e.g. burst when microwaved for one minute. The reverse is also possible. These are all within the scope of the present invention.

The container lid 13 is shown in fig. 2 as having a circular shape. The present invention is not limited thereto. The container cover 13 and the container body can be circular, rectangular or elliptical, and the two can be matched.

Figure 3 shows a cooking method 3 for heating food by means of the container of the invention.

As shown in fig. 3, in step S301, a container 1 as described above is provided, in which a food with heating, such as one or more of steamed stuffed bun, steamed bread, dumpling, sheet jelly, rice, or other food, is placed.

The container 1 has one or more pockets on the inside of the container lid containing water and/or other types of food flavors, spices, oils or mixtures thereof.

In step S302, the container is heated by microwave, and during the heating process, the liquid sac on the container cover of the container bursts to generate water vapor.

After the liquid sac bursts, water vapor generated in the liquid sac escapes into the container, so that the surface of food in the container can be effectively humidified and heated. While water that may not be vaporized in the sac flows onto the surface of the food, the microwave heating of the container is preferably continued so that water that flows onto the surface of the food continues to vaporize, humidifying and heating the food. Meanwhile, the water vapor can also absorb microwaves to a certain extent, so that the situation that the food tastes bad due to the fact that the microwaves excessively heat the food is avoided. Under the condition that the liquid bag contains seasonings and spices, the seasonings and the spices in the liquid bag can also escape onto food along with water vapor or flow onto the surface of the food after the liquid bag is broken, the food is seasoned while the food is heated, and the seasonings are provided during heating, so that the taste of the food is fresh, and the problem that the taste of the food is not fresh enough during secondary heating can be avoided.

The time for microwave heating may be determined according to the type, amount, user preference, and other factors of the food to be heated, such as within one minute or two minutes.

According to a preferred embodiment, the cooking method 3 further comprises: after microwave heating, the vessel was depressurized to expel water vapor. The advantage of this treatment is that it can prevent the water vapor in the container from dripping to the surface of the food after condensation, which affects the taste of the food.

Through the embodiment of the utility model, the liquid bag is separated from the food, and can be guaranteed to be heated by the microwave independently. The food is heated for a certain time independently, the time is controlled by the strength of the fragile part of the liquid sac, the liquid sac bursts after being heated, the unvaporized water flows to the surface of the food and is continuously vaporized by microwave heating, and the cavity of the container is filled with the water vapor, so that the food can be prevented from being overheated except for humidifying and heating the surface of the food. Meanwhile, the food can be heated from inside to outside by microwave heating, and the food can be heated from outside to inside by steam, so that the taste and the quality of the heated food can be obviously improved on the whole.

The applicant found through experiments that the foods treated by the cooking method 3, such as steamed cold foods like steamed stuffed buns, steamed bread, sheet jelly and rice, can recover the taste when being taken out of the pan.

Fig. 4 shows a food vending machine 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 4, the food vending machine 4 includes a stocker 41, a microwave heating device 42, and a conveying device 44. The storage device 41 is stored with the container 1 of the utility model, and the inside is the food to be heated. According to a preferred embodiment, the storage device 41 may be, for example, a freezer or a refrigerator, which may be divided into a plurality of different zones for storing different types of food, respectively, for example, as shown by the 4 x 4 grid zones comprised by the storage device 41 in fig. 4, one of which may be used for storing steamed stuffed buns, one of which may be used for storing steamed bread, etc., or for storing food supplied by different brands and different manufacturers.

It will be readily appreciated that the microwave heating apparatus 42 has a heating chamber and a microwave unit to subject food therein to a microwave heating process. The conveying device 44 is configured to move the containers 1 from the magazine 41 into the microwave heating device 41 and, after heating, to move the containers 1 out of the microwave heating device 41, for example to be delivered to a food outlet 43 of the food vending machine 4, to be taken away by a user, or to be provided to the user by a merchant. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conveyor 44 may be any of a variety of types of conveying mechanisms, such as a robotic arm, a conveyor track, a channel, a screw conveyor (such as those used in existing food and beverage vending machines), or a combination thereof. The present invention is not limited to a particular type of conveyor 44, and one skilled in the art can use an existing conveyor or design a new electromechanical structure to implement as desired.

A liquid sac is attached to the container lid of the container 1. After the container 1 is transferred to the microwave heating device 42 and is subjected to microwave heating, the steam pressure generated inside the sac increases after the sac is heated to a certain degree, so that the sac bursts. After the liquid sac bursts, the microwave heating device can continue to perform microwave heating on the container, water which is not completely gasified in the water sac flows to the surface of food to be continuously gasified, the surface of the food is continuously humidified and heated by using water vapor, and the water vapor absorbs microwaves to block excessive heating of the food. Or if part of the liquid sac contains other seasonings, spices and oil, after the liquid sac bursts, the seasonings and spices in the liquid sac can also escape to the food along with the water vapor or flow to the surface of the food, and the food is seasoned while being heated.

According to a preferred embodiment, the food vending machine 4 further comprises a pressure relief mechanism (not shown) configured to relieve the inside of said container after it has been heated. The pressure relief mechanism, which may be, for example, a pressure relief needle, is attached to the top wall of the microwave heating device 42 and may move up and down. After microwave heating accomplished, the pressure release needle descends, punctures the container lid of container 1 for the inside vapor of container 1 can in time discharge, avoids vapor to meet the condensation and drips to the food surface, otherwise is unfavorable for the taste of food. The pressure relief mechanism may be other types of mechanisms capable of relieving the pressure inside the container, for example, a cap release mechanism that releases the container cap from the container body after microwave heating is completed to sufficiently discharge water vapor in the container. It is contemplated by those skilled in the art that the pressure relief mechanism could be located elsewhere, such as in the food outlet 43, to vent the container immediately prior to the food being served to the consumer. These are all within the scope of the present invention.

According to a preferred implementation of the present invention, the food vending machine 4 further comprises control means 45 and a user interface 46. The user interface, for example, includes a touch screen, a computer, buttons, etc., and may receive input from a user. For example, the user may select the type and quantity of food to be purchased, such as steamed stuffed buns, steamed bread, dumplings, wrappers, rice, etc., via the user interface 46. The control device 45 is coupled to the user interface 46 and receives user inputs and, in response to said user inputs, controls the conveyor to move food containers corresponding to said user inputs from the magazine 41 into the microwave heating device 42 and, after heating, to move said containers out of the microwave heating device 42. The control device 45 may be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware, and may be implemented by a single chip, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), etc., or other integrated formats, which are all within the scope of the present invention.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 4, the control device 45 is coupled to the storage device and configured to collect the number of containers in the storage device 41 and send a prompt message when the number of containers is lower than a threshold value (e.g. lower than 30%), and the central control computer notifies the stock information to the manager through a predetermined communication path. And the manager receives the residual alarm information, supplements the corresponding food in time and ensures that the normal sale process is not influenced. For example, solid cold steamed food is sealed in the container of the present invention, and is put into the corresponding receiving position of the storage device 41 according to the brand and variety, and the quantity and variety information is automatically transmitted to the control device 45. When adding food containers to the food vending machine, the record in the control device 45 is updated, increasing the corresponding number; when the user buys the food, the record in the control means 45 is updated, decreasing by a corresponding amount. When the quantity of the food is lower than the threshold value, the control device 45 sends out prompt information, for example, by means of buzzing and graphic display, so that the prompt alarm can be performed on the user interface 46, and the prompt information can also be communicated with the server 47 in the background to prompt the manager of the food vending machine to replenish the goods as soon as possible. In addition, for various types of foods, different thresholds may be set according to consumption information. For example, by setting the threshold relatively high for foods such as steamed stuffed buns that are consumed frequently; for food such as rice which is frequently mixed with other consumption, the threshold value is set to be relatively low, so that the food is prevented from being stored in the vending machine for too long time. The control device 45 and the background server 47 may be connected via a wired network or via a wireless network, including but not limited to wireless connection modes such as WIF I, 3G, 4G, 5G, EDGE, bluetooth, etc., which are all within the scope of the present invention.

Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, food vending machine 4 may further include an incubator 48, located downstream of the microwave heating device, configured to store heated, or unremoved, containers. When the broadcasting system informs the guests to start timing when the food fetching time exceeds 45 seconds, the food is not fetched by people, the central control computer sends a food fetching code to the food ordering channel, and the food is returned to the heat preservation box for selling and storage through the transmission channel.

According to a preferred embodiment, the working process of the food vending machine of the utility model is as follows:

the first step is as follows: the solid cold-steamed food is sealed in the container of the utility model, and is put into the corresponding receiving position in the warehousing device according to the difference of brands and varieties, and the information of the quantity and the varieties is automatically transmitted to the central control computer to be warehoused;

the second step is that: the customer selects varieties to order by means of a payment peripheral or a user interface, and pays an order to the transfer account through WeChat or Payment treasured payment.

The third step: the ordering information is transmitted to the control device, and the control device gives an instruction to start the corresponding mechanism to execute the production program. The method comprises the following specific steps:

the distribution and transmission device drives the corresponding transmission motor to push the solid cool steamed food container to advance and fall into the transmission channel;

the food is conveyed to the microwave heating device through the conveying channel to be heated, the food is heated in the microwave oven by microwaves, and meanwhile, after a certain period of time, a liquid bag of the container bursts, moisture in the food can be used for humidifying and heating the food, seasoning, spice, oil and the like in the food can be used for seasoning the food, the top end of the microwave heating device is popped out, an air leakage needle is punctured through the center round hole of the preservation box cover to release the pressure, and the heating procedure is completed;

the conveying device pushes the heated food to a next conveying channel, and the conveying channel conveys the food to the solid food outlet.

The fourth step: and the customer takes the food from the corresponding outlet, the outlet food placing plate bounces to disconnect the limit switch to inform the central control computer, if the limit switch is continuously disconnected in five seconds, the central control computer approves the completion of the sale, the selling machine subtracts the sold share from the corresponding stock, and simultaneously informs the central control computer to transfer the corresponding money to the income account.

The present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the example of heating cooked food. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the scope of application or protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the method, apparatus and device of the present invention may be used to heat semi-finished products, or may be used to cook raw food, such as raw rice, uncooked steamed stuffed buns, noodles, etc., all within the scope of the present invention.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and should not be taken as limiting the invention, and any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Finally, it should be noted that: although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiments described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof. Any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A container lid for sealing a container, the container lid comprising:

a cover body; and

one or more sachets located on the inner surface of the cover, the sachets being attached to the inner surface of the cover,

wherein the sac is configured to burst when heated to release water and/or flavoring therein.

2. A container closure for a sealed container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said container closure comprises a plurality of sachets having a weakened portion thereon, said weakened portion having a wall thickness or strength less than other portions of the sachets, said sachets being formed from PET.

3. The container lid for a sealed container of claim 1, wherein the container lid comprises a plurality of sachets, the plurality of sachets containing water and flavoring, respectively, and the flavor-containing sachets having a burst strength higher than the water-containing sachets, the plurality of sachets being evenly distributed on the inner surface of the lid body.

4. A container, characterized in that it comprises:

a container body; and

the container lid of any of claims 1-3 mounted on the container body.

5. The container of claim 4, wherein the container lid is sealingly mounted to the container body, and wherein the container body has an edge finish size that is greater than an edge finish size of the container lid.

6. A food vending machine, characterized in that it comprises:

a storage device in which a container according to any one of claims 4 to 5 is stored;

a microwave heating device for heating the container;

a conveyor configured to move the containers from the magazine into the microwave heating device and to move the containers out of the microwave heating device after heating.

7. The food vending machine of claim 6, further comprising a pressure relief mechanism configured to relieve pressure inside the container after the container is heated.

8. A food vending machine according to claim 6 or claim 7, further comprising a control device and a user interface, the user interface being operable to receive a user input, the control device being coupled to the user interface and receiving the user input and, in dependence thereon, controlling the conveying device to move a container corresponding to the user input from the magazine into the microwave heating device and, after heating, to move the container out of the microwave heating device.

9. A food vending machine according to claim 8, wherein the control means is configured to collect the number of containers in the bin means and to issue a prompt message when the number of containers is below a threshold value.

10. The food vending machine of claim 7, further comprising an incubator downstream of the microwave heating device configured to store heated, or un-removed, containers.

11. The food vending machine of claim 7, wherein the pressure relief mechanism is a pressure relief needle.