Patent Application
20130034640
When precooking patties (for example, beef, chicken, or soy patties) and other food products at a high production rate for fast food or for frozen dinners, it is often desirable to simulate the effect of broiling food products on a grill, which is commonly called “char marking” in the food processing industry. Char marking improves the eye appeal of the product by branding spaced parallel stripes, giving the appearance that the product was broiled over charcoal on spaced grill bars.
In a previously designed char marking assembly described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,201, issued to Fetzer, a plurality of hot parallel rings roll on a mandrel over products carried by a conveyor belt. Each ring is allowed to independently follow its own rolling path on the mandrel, thereby compensating for size irregularities in the individual products. This assembly, however, has been found to be limited in performance as a result of limitations in heat absorption on the outer perimeter marking surface of its individual rings. Limited heat transfer to the marking surface limits the marking speed of the char marker, which in turn means that the overall speed of a food processing line may be limited by the speed of the char marker.
Therefore, there exists a need for improved heat transfer to the marking surface of the rings to improve char marking results and potentially increase the throughput of a char marking system.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a char marker ring is provided. The char marker ring generally includes a ring body having first and second sides, an inner hole extending through the body from the first side to the second side, and an outer perimeter marking surface. The char marker ring further includes at least a first shield extending outwardly from either of the first and second sides, wherein the first shield surrounds at least a portion of the inner hole.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a char marker ring assembly is provided. The char marker ring assembly generally includes a mandrel assembly and a plurality of char marker rings received on the mandrel assembly, each of the char marker rings comprising a ring body having first and second sides, an inner hole extending though the body from the first side to the second side, and an outer perimeter marking surface. At least a first shield extends outwardly from either of the first and second sides, wherein the first shield surrounds at least a portion of the inner hole.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of using a char marker ring assembly is provided. The method generally includes obtaining a char marker ring assembly comprising a plurality of char marker rings received on a mandrel assembly, each of the char marker rings having an outer perimeter marking surface. The method further includes rotating the plurality of char marker rings on the mandrel assembly, heating the outer perimeter marking surfaces of each of the plurality of char marker rings with a plurality of flames, and shielding at least a portion of the direct flame heat from the mandrel assembly.
The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this disclosure will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings where like numerals reference like elements is intended as a description of various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter and is not intended to represent the only embodiments. Each embodiment described in this disclosure is provided merely as an example or illustration and should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The illustrative examples provided herein are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Similarly, any steps described herein may be interchangeable with other steps, or combinations of steps, in order to achieve the same or substantially similar result. Accordingly, the following descriptions and illustrations herein should be considered illustrative in nature, and thus, not limiting the scope of the disclosed subject matter.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that many embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without some or all of the specific details. In some instances, well-known process steps have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure various aspects of the present disclosure. Further, it will be appreciated that embodiments of the present disclosure may employ any combination of features described herein.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are generally directed to char marker rings, char marker ring assemblies that include a plurality of char marker rings, and methods of using char marker ring assemblies to brand products. Referring to
Char marking in accordance with embodiments described herein generally involves the production of a large number of food products that are carried by a conveyor system 28. In that regard, products P are generally conveyed by a conveyor belt 30 in a plurality of rows across the width of the conveyor belt 30, as can be seen in
Although shown and described as being used for char marking food products, such as patties (for example, beef, chicken, or soy patties), it should be appreciated that embodiments of the present disclosure may be useful in other food processing or non-food processing applications. For example, this assembly may also be used to create branding marks on leather, paper, canvas, fabric, and wood products.
When a char marking assembly 20 is in operation in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, char marker rings 22 are heated to a branding temperature, for example, in the range of about 1500-2000° F., by a heating system 26 (see
The mandrel assembly 24 receives and supports the plurality of char marker rings 22. In the illustrated embodiment, the mandrel assembly 24 includes a supporting shaft 36 and a ring support tube 38. The char marker rings 22 are received on the ring support tube 38, which is in turn received on the supporting shaft 36. Two end rings 40 are rigidly attached to the ring support tube 38 and maintain the plurality of char marker rings 22 on the tube 38. For example, the end rings 40 may be welded or otherwise rigidly attached to the mandrel assembly 24. A biasing member 66, such as a capture spring, may be used to maintain the plurality of rings 22 in compression to maintain consistent spacing between adjacent rings 22.
The mandrel assembly 24 is configured to rotate the plurality of char marker rings 22. Typically, the char marker ring assembly 20 is configured to rotate around the supporting shaft 36 and ring support tube 38 at substantially the same speed as the conveyor belt 30, with the plurality of individual char marker rings 22 ideally rotating together. In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the char marker ring assembly 20 is not a driven assembly, and the plurality of rings 22 rotate at substantially the same speed as the conveyor belt 30 as a result of friction contact with the products P on the conveyor belt 30 and with adjacent rings 22. In another embodiment, the char marker ring assembly 20 may be a driven assembly. The drive assembly may be run at substantially the same speed as the conveyor belt 30 and may help with ring 22 slip relative to the conveyor belt 30.
Now referring to
Although the mandrel assembly 24 is configured to rotate with the char marker rings 22 together and at substantially the same speed as the conveyor belt 28, the rings are designed to independently move up and down, within certain limits, relative to the mandrel assembly 24. With such up and down movability, the char marker assembly 20 can accommodate irregularly shaped products P, as can be seen in
The diameter of the ring 22 itself may be sized to be suitable for any specific marking application. In that regard, both large and small diameter rings 22 are within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, in certain applications, larger diameter rings create more distance between the heating system 26 and the mandrel assembly 24. Therefore, larger diameter rings may further aid in reducing the heat transfer to the supporting shaft 36 and other components of the mandrel assembly 24 by increasing the distance between the heating system 26 (for example, flame F in
The individual rings 22 are designed such that, when assembled together, the outer perimeter marking surfaces 48 are spaced from one another to achieve stripes on the food products that simulate branding from parallel grill bars on a conventional broiling grill. This spacing is achieved by a shielding assembly 50 having a certain shield height. In the illustrated embodiment, the shielding assembly 50 includes a first shield 52 extending outwardly from the first side 42 of the ring 22 and a second shield 54 extending outwardly from the second side 44 of the ring 22. The height of the shields 52 and 54 extending from the planar surfaces of the first and second sides 42 and 44 is determined by the desired spacing to be achieved between adjacent outer perimeter marking surfaces 48. For example, the shield height may be in the range of about ⅛ inch to about 1 inch. The thickness of the ring 22, which defines the thickness of the outer perimeter marking surface 48, may be in the range of about ⅛ inch to about ½ inch. However, it should be appreciated that other shield heights and ring thicknesses are also within the scope of the present disclosure.
While the first and second shields 52 and 54 have a shield height to create proper spacing between adjacent outer perimeter marking surface 48, the shielding also improves heat transfer from the heating system 26 to the marking surfaces 48 as a result of increased ring mass and ring surface area. Further, the shielding also creates a labyrinth for the heat path and prevents a direct heat source (such as a direct flame) from impinging the surface of the mandrel assembly 24, as described in greater detail below.
The shields 52 and 54 surround at least a portion of inner hole 46. In the illustrated embodiment of
In the illustrated embodiment, the first and second shields 52 and 54, which have a continuous circular shape, form cylindrical shaped shields. In a circular shape, the shields 52 and 54 may be concentric with either the inner hole 46 or the outer perimeter marking surface 48, or both. However, it should be appreciated that other shield shapes, such as rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal, and other polygonal shapes, are also within the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, concentricity is not required. Further, it should be appreciated that non-continuous shields are also within the scope of the present disclosure, so long as the mandrel assembly 24 is at least partially shielded from direct impingement of the heating system 26 (for example, see alternate embodiments in
As can be seen in
The first and second shields 52 and 54 may be located at any position on the ring sides 42 and 44 between the inner hole 46 and the outer perimeter marking surface 48. It should be appreciated, however, that improved heat transfer may be achieved when the first or second shield 52 and 54, or both, are positioned near the outer perimeter marking surface 48 on the first and second sides 42 and 44. With outermost positioning, heat from the heat source 28 is stored in the capacitor shields 52 and 54 nearest the outer perimeter marking surface 48 and is retained as far as possible from the mandrel assembly 24.
In the illustrated embodiment, each of the first and second shields 52 and 54 includes a plurality of scalloped extensions 56 that interface with second and first sides 44 and 42 of adjacent rings 22. Such extensions 56 are designed to minimize the contact points between adjacent rings 22. In that regard, the inventors have found that when metal rings 22, for example, stainless steel rings, rub together, they may generate undesirable black particles that may fall onto and contaminate the products P passing under the rings 22. Although shown as trapezoidal shaped extensions 56, it should be appreciated the pins, knobs, or other suitable spacers are also within the scope of the present disclosure. Further, it should be appreciated that extensions are desirable but are not required, and each shield 52 or 54 may interface directly with the respective second or first side 44 or 42 of an adjacent ring 22 (see, for example, the illustrated embodiment of
A non-limiting example of a method of making a ring 22 can be seen in
Suitable materials for the ring 22 include metal and metal alloys such as stainless steel and other suitable metals that are capable of withstanding high temperatures and other harsh factors in a food processing environment. It should also be appreciated that the ring 22 may be made from a different metal having different thermal conductivity properties than the shield assembly 50. For example, the material selection for the ring 22 may be a metal or metal alloy having thermal conductivity properties for retaining heat and having a longer life cycle at higher temperatures. In contrast, the material selection for the shield assembly 50 may be a metal or metal alloy having higher thermal conductivity relative to the metal or metal alloy material in the ring 22. This difference in thermal conductivities may enable heat loss from the outer perimeter marking surfaces 48 of the ring 22 to food products P on the conveyor belt 30 to be replenished from heat stored in the shield assembly 50. Suitable metals for use in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure may include tungsten, carbon steel, zirconium, silver, and various alloys including one or more of these metals.
As can be seen in
The advantage of the shielding assembly 50 is that the shields 52 and 54 prevent direct impingement by the flame F on the mandrel assembly 24. In addition, the shielding assembly 50 acts like a heat capacitor to deliver more heat from the outer perimeter marking surfaces 48 of each individual char marker ring 22 to the product P.
Comparatively, an illustration of a previously designed char marking assembly described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,201, issued to Fetzer, is shown in
Returning to
Moreover, the shielding assembly 50 acts like a heat capacitor to deliver more heat from the outer perimeter marking surfaces 48 of each individual char marker ring 22 to the product P. In that regard, because of the increase in mass of the ring 22 by adding the shielding assembly 50, more heat is absorbed by the ring 22. Such heat capacity allows the outer perimeter marking surfaces 48 to be maintained at a higher temperature for a longer period of time as portions of the ring 22 rotate away from the flame F. With heat preservation on the outer perimeter marking surface 48 as the ring 22 rotates on the mandrel assembly 24, it can be assumed that a higher temperature will be achieved on the marking surface 48 than if no shielding assembly 50 was provided. Moreover, because of the increase in the overall surface area of the ring 22 by adding the shielding assembly 50, more energy from the flame F is blocked by the ring 22.
Turning now to
Referring to
In the illustrated embodiment of
In the illustrated embodiment of
While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
