Patent Application
20140161960
The field of the present invention relates generally to the manufacture or fabrication of chocolate articles and, more particularly, to a method, system and apparatus for manufacturing or fabrication of custom chocolate articles at a retail or point-of-sale location.
Chocolate is a food product that is well known and enjoyed by children and adults alike throughout the world. The source of all chocolate is cocoa beans. The primary ingredient in chocolate is chocolate liquor which is typically created when the frictional heat generated by grinding the nib of the deshelled (winnowed) cocoa beans causes cocoa fat or cocoa butter contained in the nib to be expressed from the nib, and combine with the ground cocoa solids to form a smooth liquid paste—also referred to as cocoa mass, unsweetened, bitter, baking or cooking chocolate. The chocolate liquor begins to harden to form unsweetened chocolate when it cools below approximately 95° F. (35° C.) and becomes more solid as it cools further.
When chocolate liquor is mixed with certain percentages of milk solids, sugar, vanilla or vanillin, lecithin, and/or additional cocoa butter, the combinations form dark chocolate (such as bittersweet or semi-sweet) and milk chocolate. Milk chocolate generally contains less chocolate liquor than dark chocolate and has additional milk solids and sugar. White chocolate resembles the composition of milk chocolate, but contains no chocolate liquor although it has cocoa butter.
All chocolate is solid at room temperature and, when heated, can be melted into a molten or liquid state so that it flows as a fluid. Typical melting points for chocolate can range between 86° F.-96° F. (30° C.-36° C.). Liquid chocolate will return to a solid state when cooled back to room temperature.
Chocolate can be poured into molds to form various shapes and sizes, and then cooled into a solid state (e.g., chocolate bars, solid blocks, hollow shells, or shells filled with confectionery material). Chocolate bars and finished molded chocolates are typically produced in a molding process to produce a chocolate product having a high gloss and fine surface detail. Conventional molding typically employs a large number of molds and requires very large, complex and expensive equipment to manipulate and process these molds.
Although the details may vary depending upon the particular manufacturer, in a typical conventional molding process, a chocolate mixture is initially melted at temperatures of about 113° F. (45° C.) and tempered by agitating the chocolate while cooling to somewhere between about 86° F.-90° F. (30° C.-32° C.) to produce liquid tempered chocolate. The tempering of chocolate causes a very small percentage of the fat (e.g., cocoa butter) to form small, stable crystals, which are dispersed throughout the liquid fat phase of the liquid chocolate. This ensures that the chocolate sets with an attractive, glossy and smooth surface and does not “bloom” (go gray). Tempering also ensures that the chocolate will have the desired hard “snap” when broken or bitten into. Uncontrolled crystallization of cocoa butter typically results in crystals of varying size. For example, uncontrolled crystallization may result in the surface of the chocolate appearing mottled and dull, and cause the chocolate to crumble rather than snap when broken. The uniform sheen and snap of properly processed chocolate are the result of consistently small, stable cocoa butter crystals produced by the tempering process. The more stable and consistent the final crystallization, the longer the shelf life of the chocolate, and this is important to most chocolate manufacturers whose products are intended to be sold in supermarkets, drug stores, and other similar large retail establishments. Many retailers generally require a minimum of 9 months of shelf life for chocolate bars and pre-packaged chocolate articles, and a minimum of 6 to 9 months of shelf life for other chocolate articles.
After melting and tempering, the tempered, liquid chocolate is then deposited into a reusable mold, which is shaken to remove air bubbles and to distribute the liquid chocolate evenly within the mold cavity. The chocolate-filled mold is then typically cooled in temperature-controlled cooling tunnels at about 50° F.-58° F. (10° C.-14° C.) with a relative humidity of about 55% or less (although sometimes as high as 70%), to solidify the chocolate. While the temperature and timing of each chocolate manufacturing process is specific to the particular chocolate article being made, the cooling cycle for molded chocolate articles generally takes much more than 10-15 minutes, and is typically anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes. Often, different “zones” are used within a cooling tunnel to prevent sudden temperature changes, with the outer zones closest to ambient temperature, and the inner zones gradually decreasing to the coolest tunnel temperature, then gradually ramping back up to approach ambient temperature. The solidified chocolate article is then removed from the mold, and the process repeats. For mass manufactured chocolate that is intended to have a long shelf life, it is critical that the chocolate be cooled very carefully to maintain gloss and smooth texture. Even a slight temperature or humidity change at the wrong time may cause the destabilization of the cocoa butter crystals resulting in “fat bloom” or “sugar bloom” leading to an undesirable gray surface and/or gritty texture. These phenomena may manifest relatively quickly or even after some days or weeks after completed manufacturing of the chocolate article.
Chocolate molding processes are known in the art, but such conventional molding processes typically require a great deal of space and a 30 to 40 minute time period in a typical cooling tunnel for optimal crystallization of the cocoa butter to ensure that the finished chocolate has the shiny appearance, smooth and even texture, and snap for best shelf life. As noted above, these processes generally require careful graduated control of temperature with cooling tunnel zones. Such conventional processes are not capable of being utilized in retail or point-of-sale locations for the manufacture of custom chocolate articles based on an individual customer's preferences or in a time frame appropriate for retail demands (or a retail selling environment). Moreover, conventional machinery used in mass manufacturing of chocolate articles does not lend itself very well to use in a point-of-sale establishment and, in particular, does not lend itself well to making customized chocolate articles.
A preferred method, system and apparatus for manufacturing or fabricating custom chocolate articles (e.g., chocolate bars) is disclosed that is capable of being utilized in retail and point-of sale locations. According to various embodiments, a point-of-sale apparatus is provided for customizing a chocolate article at a retail location, allowing customers to select a unique combination of chocolate type and “exclusions” (e.g., edible toppings, particulates and other ingredients). The apparatus may include one or more tanks for holding various types of tempered liquid chocolate, a dispensor for dispensing the tempered liquid chocolate of a selected type into a mold, an exclusion depositor for depositing one or more selected exclusions onto the surface of the tempered liquid chocolate while in the mold, and a cooling tunnel for rapidly cooling the chocolate article and thereby solidifying it significantly more rapidly than is done in typical conventional mass chocolate manufacturing of molded chocolate articles.
In one embodiment, after a customer selects the type of chocolate desired and various exclusions to be deposited on the surface of the custom chocolate article, a mold bearing the customer's unique identifier is carried on a conveyor system to a chocolate dosing station, where the customer-specified, tempered chocolate is automatically deposited into the mold having a cavity corresponding to the desired shape of the chocolate article. The mold containing the tempered, liquid chocolate continues on the conveyor to a vibrating plate for evenly distributing the tempered chocolate within the mold cavity. The conveyor then carries the mold to an exclusion depositor, which distributes the customer-specified exclusions across the surface of the tempered liquid chocolate within the mold cavity. The conveyor system carries the mold containing the tempered liquid chocolate and customer-selected exclusions through one or more cooling tunnels, which may preferably include a spiral conveyor cooling unit to minimize cooling space requirements and visually enhance the customer's experience, and to cool and solidify the custom chocolate article in a period of time that is substantially less than conventional cooling times for molded chocolate articles in mass production. The mold containing the solidified custom chocolate article is then deposited in a box or other storage container, which is provided to the customer.
Further embodiments, variations and enhancements are also disclosed herein.
The method, system and apparatus for manufacturing custom chocolate articles at a retail or point-of-sale location are explained further below by reference to a preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, in which:
Preferred methods, systems and apparatuses for manufacturing custom chocolate articles at a retail or point-of-sale location (such as a kiosk) are illustrated in
The systems and apparatuses disclosed herein are preferably of a size and shape that will readily fit within a retail location where customers can purchase, view and participate in the manufacture of customer-specified custom chocolate articles (e.g., chocolate bars). For example, in an embodiment illustrated in
An example of a preferred process for the point-of-sale custom manufacture of chocolate articles is conceptually illustrated in
The single-use mold 310 may be automatically conveyed from the chocolate dispensing or dosing station to the exclusion depositing station, vibrating station, cooling tunnel, and packaging station, or else may be manually moved from station to station as needed. At the exclusion depositing station, one or more selected exclusions are preferably placed into a hopper 320 which facilitates the even distribution of the exclusions on the surface of the tempered liquid chocolate in the single-use mold 310. Depending on the size/weight of the exclusions and the relative density of the liquid chocolate, some of the exclusions may partially or wholly sink into the liquid chocolate, although many will typically remain on the surface. By contrast, in conventional mass chocolate production, added inclusions are either blended with the chocolate in advance of depositing in the mold or else added sequentially. The inclusions in such cases are often warmed to the same temperature as the chocolate to maintain maximum stability for long term shelf life. In addition, in conventional mass chocolate production different inclusion types are typically added sequentially, rather than different types being added to the chocolate together.
Returning now to
Turning now to the particular embodiment illustrated in
The POS station 155 is preferably provided as a location where an operator/employee 123 can greet a customer, explain the custom chocolate concept, take orders, and collect money or process credit cards for custom chocolate articles. When the customer pays for a custom chocolate article, the operator/employee 123 preferably provides the customer with a receipt (not shown) having a unique identifier (e.g., numbers, letters, or other identifiers or indicia). A duplicate adhesive-backed receipt is also generated bearing the same unique identifier as that provided to the customer at the time of purchase.
At the time of purchase, the operator/employee 123 also preferably provides the customer with a portion cup or other portion-controlled container (not shown) having a fixed volume (e.g., 4 oz.) and, optionally, a removable lid. The removable lid may, for example, take the form of a hinged or sliding lid that can be moved to allow access to the cavity of the portion cup or other container. The operator/employee 123 may place the duplicate adhesive-backed receipt (or a portion thereof bearing the unique identifier) onto the portion cup lid or other area of the portion container that is provided to the customer. Alternatively, the duplicate adhesive-backed receipt could be applied to the bottom or exterior of the portion cup or container.
Referring to
In a preferred embodiment, the dispensing containers 102 are gravity-enabled acrylic bulk candy bins (which may be any suitable shape, including rectangular, spherical, tubular, or any other shape, in any suitable size) that will dispense the customer-specified exclusions into the customer's portion cup or container. This permits the positioning of the gravity-enabled dispensing containers 102 in a convenient location, such as, for example, at or above eye level on a wall or any other suitable location, and allows the customer to view the exclusions through the clear acrylic walls of the dispensing containers 102. In addition, use of gravity-enabled bulk candy containers 102 minimizes product waste and assists in maintaining a safe and sanitary environment.
Once the customer selects the desired exclusions to be incorporated on or into the surface of the customer's custom chocolate article, the operator/employee 123 and/or customer dispenses the customer-specified mix of exclusions into the fixed volume portion cup from the gravity-enabled dispensing containers 102. The fixed volume portion cup ensures that the customer selects no more than the appropriate volume of exclusions to be incorporated on or into the surface of the customer's custom chocolate article.
As will be discussed further below, the operator/employee 123 pours the contents of the customer's fixed volume portion cup or container containing the customer-selected exclusions into a hopper 121 of an exclusion depositor 120 for subsequent distribution across the surface of the custom chocolate article. Because the chocolate is liquid when the exclusions are deposited, some of the exclusions may wholly or partially sink into the chocolate, depending on the size and weight of the exclusions and the relative density of the chocolate. In the preferred embodiment, the operator/employee 123 then may remove the adhesive-backed portion of the duplicate receipt (with unique identifier) from the fixed volume portion cup or container containing the customer-selected exclusions and may place the adhesive backed duplicate receipt onto a single-use chocolate article mold 110 to facilitate that mold being identified with that particular customer's order. The single-use mold 110 contains one or more cavities that correspond to and form the desired shape of the chocolate article. In a preferred embodiment, the cavity is dimensioned to hold approximately 2 oz. of liquid chocolate, and the chocolate article is preferably formed into a rectangular bar of corresponding size, e.g., 7¼ in.×4⅛ in.×¼ in. The cavity or cavities in the single-use mold 110 and the corresponding chocolate article, however, can be any desired shape and size, such as, for example, rectangular, round, triangular, or any other desired shape, including for example any novelty shape such as animals, cars, holiday shapes, etc. The single-use mold 110 is preferably made from plastic, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET, PETE or PETG), or other food-safe material, and is relatively thin as compared to, for instance, durable reusable molds typically used in mass chocolate production of molded articles. For example, the single-use mold 110 may have a thickness in gauges ranging from approximately 0.010″ to 050″ depending on the size of the mold. As explained further below, the single-use mold 110 is provided along with the finished custom chocolate article to the customer. In alternative embodiments the single-use mold 110 may be made of a lightweight and food-safe metal or alloy such as aluminum or tin.
In certain embodiments, the operator/employee 123 may select a single-use mold 110 from among a plurality of different sizes, e.g., small, medium or large, thereby allowing further customization of the chocolate article. In such a case, the customer may be provided with an exclusion portion cup of appropriate size to match the particular single-use mold. In other embodiments, the single-use mold 110 may be divided into two or more sections, with each section capable of receiving a different type of chocolate—for instance, one section may receive dark chocolate, while another may receive milk chocolate, as selected by the customer and/or operator/employee 123. For purposes of illustration,
In alternative embodiments, rather than use of an adhesive sticker, the single-use mold 110 may be pre-stamped with an identifier (e.g., number and/or bar code), thus providing a similar way to identify the single-use mold 110 and associate it with a particular customer. Also, rather than providing the customer with a portion cup for the exclusions, the operator/employee 123 may dispense the exclusions into the portion cup or, in a more highly automated version of the system, may provide the customer's exclusion selection to an automated control system which, in turn, deposits the appropriate amount of exclusions into the hopper 121 automatically from the appropriate container 102. The automated control system may have any suitable interface, including a touchscreen, keyboard set of buttons, knobs, levers, mouse, joystick, laser pointer, or any other means for inputting data or manually entering information into an automated system.
Referring to
Once the adhesive-backed portion of the duplicate receipt (with unique identifier) is placed on the single-use mold 110, the operator/employee 123 then places the mold 110 on a locator on a first conveyor belt 105. The locator is utilized to ensure that the mold is properly positioned on the conveyor belt 105. The locator may be a holder or fixture affixed to the conveyor 105 into which the mold is placed, locating pins fixed to the conveyor that cooperate with corresponding openings in the mold (or vice versa), or other conventional means for positioning molds (or other items) on a conveyor.
The conveyor 105 carries the single-use mold 110 bearing the unique identifier to a chocolate depositing or dosing station 112. The chocolate depositing or dosing station 112 contains one or more tanks 115 for storing tempered liquid chocolate. In a preferred embodiment, the chocolate depositing or dosing station 112 contains a first tank for storing a suitable amount (e.g., approximately 44 lbs. (20 kilos)) of tempered dark chocolate and a second tank for storing a suitable amount (e.g., approximately 66 lbs. (30 kilos)) of tempered milk chocolate, although, as noted elsewhere, more than two chocolate tanks of may be utilized. Each tank 115 is temperature regulated and preferably agitated to temper the chocolate contained therein. The construction of a suitable chocolate tempering and storage tank is considered within the purview of one skilled in the art and may be similar, for instance, to commercial tanks made by Selmi s.l.r. of Cuneo, Italy, and sold under trade names such as Color™, Future™ or Plus™. In a preferred embodiment, the chocolate reaches a tempered state between about 86° F.-90° F. (30° C.-32° C.). However, the specific tempering process employed—that is, the temperature regulation and agitation speed utilized to ensure that the chocolate contained within the tank 115 forms an appropriate amount of stable crystals—is well known in the art and is dependent for example upon the particular chocolate being utilized and the volume of chocolate in the tempering tank.
The chocolate depositing or dosing station 112 may comprise one or more depositing or dosing heads for depositing tempered, liquid chocolate in predetermined volumes into the mold cavity of the single-use mold 110. One or more precision depositing pumps may be used to pump the desired liquid, tempered chocolate from the tempering tank 115 to the depositing or dosing head when the mold cavity carried by the conveyor 105 is positioned below the dosing head. Conventional techniques, such as the use of sensors, may be utilized to control the timing of the pumps when the mold cavity of the single-use mold 110 is positioned below the dosing head. In a preferred embodiment, the operator/employee 123 selects the particular tank 115 from which the chocolate will be pumped based on the customer-specified preference, and the appropriate amount (e.g., 2 oz.) of tempered liquid chocolate is preferably deposited into the mold cavity. The selection may be made manually or else may be entered into the automated control system previously described.
Where two different chocolate types are desired in the same chocolate article, the single-use mold 110 may be moved to each dosing head in succession, as it would in the case of a single-chocolate-type article. The different types of chocolate may be deposited sequentially in the same mold cavity, or else the dosing heads may be placed close enough together so that they can simultaneously deposit the different chocolates together into the same mold cavity. The different chocolate types may be physically mixed together after being deposited in the mold, either manually using a skewer, fork, whisk or other utensil or else automatically with a retractable member having similar qualities. Where a divided mold is used, the different types of chocolate may likewise be deposited sequentially or, if the dosing heads are close enough together, simultaneously. Where more than two types of chocolates are available, there may be, for example, three (or more) dosing heads in succession, or else three (or more) dosing heads clustered together so that operation of any one or more of them deposits chocolate into the single-use mold. For divided mold cavities, there may be two separate clusters of dosing heads, one cluster positioned over each cavity section of the single-use mold. The dosing heads may be retractable (e.g., on a retractable arm), so that each dosing head is extended over the conveyor when needed and retracted when not in use. In certain embodiments, a single dosing head may dispense multiple different types of chocolate, with different pumps feeding into the dosing head being selectively activated based on the desired chocolate types.
In one embodiment conducive to the use of different sized chocolate molds, multiple conveyor “tracks” are provided with each track corresponding to a different size mold, and in such a case the chocolate dispensing or dosing station 112 may be configured to provide chocolate dosing on any of the tracks.
The dosing heads 1051, 1052 and 1053 may be sized differently according to the size of the mold 110 that will be filled at the particular station. Where different chocolate types are available, the dosing station 1050 may be duplicated for each chocolate type, or else each dosing head 1051, 1052 and 1053 may be selectively coupled to each of the tanks holding the different types of chocolate. In such a case, activation of the appropriate pump would result in the desired chocolate type being dispensed from the appropriate dosing head 1051, 1052 or 1053. As noted previously, the dosing station 1050 need not be stationary, but for example can be embodied as one or more retractable arms that can be swung and/or pivoted into position above the mold 110. A retractable arm may allow a single dosing head to serve more than one track A, B and C.
In alternative embodiments, the chocolate depositing or dosing station 112 may make use of a chocolate tempering machine having a spout under which the operator/employee 123 holds a single-use mold 110. An illustration of such a chocolate tempering machine 900 is shown in
In the particular embodiment mentioned immediately above, the chocolate tempering machine 900 is preferably outfitted with a versatile spout 800 for facilitating the dispensing of liquid chocolate into different sized chocolate molds while achieving relatively even distribution. A more detailed depiction of the versatile spout 800 is shown in
In operation, tempered liquid chocolate circulated by the spinning wheel 905 is scraped off by wall 813 and enters the trough 810 (as depicted by the arrow 803), and gradually builds up and the flow is compressed towards the short end section of the spout 800. Liquid chocolate flows gradually out of holes 820a, 820b, and 820c. The size and spacing of holes 820a, 820b and 820c are preferably matched to the different sizes of single-use molds that are available for use. According to one example of operation in which three mold sizes are available, for a small mold the operator/employee 123 holds the mold under one of the holes 820a, 820b, or 820c, and the flow of liquid chocolate evenly fills the mold. For a medium mold the operator/employee 123 holds the mold under two adjacent holes 820a/820b or 820b/820c, and the flow of liquid chocolate from the two holes evenly fills the medium size mold. For a large mold the operator/employee 123 holds the mold under all three of the holes 820a, 820b, or 820c, and the flow of liquid chocolate evenly fills the larger mold. The spacing of the holes 820a, 820b and 820c is such that the width of the small, medium and large molds matches the appropriate combination. For the small and medium molds, liquid chocolate that does not dispense into the mold cavity, instead simply overflows back into the tank of the chocolate tempering machine 900 and is recirculated. In order to facilitate the dispensing of chocolate using spout 800, the speed of the wheel 905 is preferably slowed down to some degree, generally to between 20 and 30 RPM (depending in part on the viscosity of the chocolate), while the speed of the agitator may be increased to compensate and maintain the proper continued stirring of the liquid chocolate for tempering purposes.
In some cases, the chocolate tempering machine with spinning wheel and agitator may be too small to use a spout of the type illustrated in
After the tempered, liquid chocolate is deposited in the mold cavity of the single-use mold 110, whether by any of the techniques described above, the single-use mold 110 is moved to a vibrating unit 119. For example, the conveyor 105 may carry the single-use mold 110 to a vibrating unit 119, which removes air bubbles and may facilitate even distribution of the tempered liquid chocolate throughout the mold cavity of the single-use mold 110. Alternatively, the operator/employee 123 may move the single-use mold 110 to the vibrating unit 119. It is generally expected that vibrating the mold 110 for 5 to 30 seconds, and generally for 15 seconds or less, will be sufficient for these purposes. Conventional vibrating plates or tables may be utilized in accordance with a preferred embodiment.
The single-use mold 110 is then preferably moved to the vicinity of the exclusion depositor 120. For example, the conveyor 105 may carry the single-use mold 110 containing the tempered liquid chocolate to the exclusion depositor 120. Alternatively, the operator/employee 123 may move the single-use mold to the exclusion depositor 120. As discussed above, in a preferred embodiment, the operator/employee 123 places the contents of the customer's fixed volume portion cup or container containing the customer-selected exclusions into a hopper 121 of the exclusion depositor 120. When the mold cavity of the single-use mold 110 is positioned below the exclusion depositor 120, the depositor 120 preferably vibrates, causing the exclusions contained within the hopper 121 to move toward and through an outlet in the depositor 120. The hopper 121 may in some settings be positioned adjacent to the conveyor, with the outlet either immediately above or to the side of the mold on the conveyor, or else the hopper 121 may be positioned (or moved) directly above the conveyor. As described in more detail below, the hopper 121 may be manually placed over the mold 110 so that it closely surrounds the periphery of the mold 110, or else it may be lowered from an overhead position manually or automatically with, e.g., a hydraulic arm or other assisted mechanism when the mold 110 is properly lined up (as may be detected by mechanical or optical/electronic sensors), and later retracted in a like manner after the exclusions are deposited. The depositor outlet is preferably funnel-shaped, and the depositor 120 distributes the customer-specified exclusions atop the surface of the tempered liquid chocolate contained within the mold cavity of the single-use mold 110. Conventional techniques may be utilized to control the timing of depositing the exclusions when the mold cavity is positioned below the exclusion depositor 120. For example, the speed of the conveyor 105 may be used to determine when the mold cavity is in the appropriate position below the exclusion depositor 120, and/or sensors may be utilized to detect the position of the mold cavity below the exclusion depositor 120. Alternatively, the operator/employee 123 may either move the single-use mold 110 to the appropriate location adjacent to or beneath the exclusion depositor 120, and may trigger the operation of the exclusion depositor 120 to commence depositing the exclusions.
An example of a hopper 121 that may be used in connection with the various custom chocolate article manufacturing processes as described herein is illustrated in
The hopper 400 and grate 420 are preferably formed of a lightweight, durable, and food-safe material such as PVC plastic, although they could alternatively be formed of a lightweight durable metal/alloy such as aluminum or stainless steel. In operation, exclusions are either dropped manually or else can be deposited automatically (if the exclusion containers 102 are located proximate the hopper 121 or 400) into the top opening of the hopper. In an automatic system, the exclusions may be selected, either by the customer or the operator/employee 123, through a user interface of the type mentioned previously (e.g., touchscreen, keyboard, etc.), and the appropriate amount of exclusions may be dropped from the selected exclusion container 102 into the hopper 121 of the exclusion station 120. The appropriate amount of exclusions may be automatically measured by a weight sensor or else mechanically by a rotating compartment beneath the exclusion containers 102, similar to a conventional food/candy vending machine that has a manually rotatable knob or performs a similar function automatically. The hopper 121 may be of any suitable size; for example, with particular reference to the unique hopper 400 of
As noted, the hopper 121 (which may be embodied as hopper 400) is vibrated to facilitate the deposit of exclusions onto the liquid chocolate in the mold 110. If the hopper 121 is positioned directly above the conveyor 105, then mechanical supports or arms may be used to suspend the hopper 121 above the conveyor 105, and may be positioned for example underneath the upper lip 405 of hopper 400, or else a rectangular-shaped frame may be provided with an opening sized to allow the hopper 400 to drop in so that the frame supports the hopper 400 by the upper lip 405 and/or snugly holds the upper walls of the hopper 400. Other alternative means for hold the hopper 121 above or proximate to the mold 110 may also be employed. The vibrating time can be pre-established, and may be triggered by manual operation of the operator/employee 123 or else can automatically triggered by detection of the presence of single-use mold 110 beneath the hopper 121, using any type of suitable sensor. The mold 110 may be held in position temporarily through a mechanical gate, or else the portion of conveyor 105 running next to the exclusion depositor 120 may be temporarily halted during the exclusion depositing process. Where different sized molds 110 are utilized, the system 100 may be configured with multiple exclusion depositors 120 each having a hopper 121 sized to match a given mold size. In automated or semi-automated systems, the size of the mold 110 may be detected as the mold 110 approaches the exclusion depositor(s) 120 and the mold 110 then may be routed to the appropriate station, or else the system 100 may be configured with multiple “tracks” or conveyors 105 running in parallel, one for each mold size, and each having an appropriately sized exclusion depositor 120.
Returning to the preferred hopper 400 and grate 420 shown in
While in the present example of
Once the exclusions are deposited, the single-use mold 110 containing the tempered chocolate with exclusions may optionally be carried by a conveyor to a vibrating plate or table (not shown) to ensure that the exclusions are evenly distributed over the surface of the chocolate within the mold cavity. Alternatively, as already explained, the exclusion depositor 120 may be configured to vibrate or otherwise move to evenly distribute the exclusions across the surface of the chocolate contained within the mold cavity of the single-use mold 110.
To line up the mold 110 with the hopper 121 in an automated or semi-automated system, according to one embodiment, a mechanical latch or gate may stop the forward motion of the mold 110 and cause the conveyor to stop temporarily. The latch or gate may then retract, allowing a pair of flat retractable plungers located on each wall of the track to be moved towards each other slightly to align the mold, then retract leaving it in properly aligned position. The hopper 121 may then be lowered from an overhead position, so that the base of the hopper 121 fully surrounds the mold 110 while the exclusions are deposited. The hopper 121 may remain in that position while the mold is vibrated, and then may be removed from the mold 110 and returned to its stationary position. Alternatively, in a simpler embodiment, the guiding sidewalls (such as 1026, 1027 and 1028 in
Examples of chocolate articles showing potential distributions of exclusions are illustrated in
After the customer-selected exclusions are deposited over the surface of the chocolate contained within the mold cavity, the single-use mold 110 is preferably carried by a conveyor (which may be a continuation of conveyor 105 in a more fully automated system, or may be a separate conveyor) through at least one cooling tunnel 125, 130 and/or 135 to cool and solidify the tempered chocolate. The portions of the conveyor 105 traveling through the cooling tunnel(s) 125, 135 and/or 140 may have a flexible wire/metal mesh belt, so that the coolness of the metallic conveyor belt facilitates the cooling of the underside of the single-use mold 110. As more than one mold 110 with tempered liquid chocolate can be processed simultaneously in the overall system 100, the example in
The first and second cooling tunnels 125, 140 and the spiral conveyor enabled cooling unit 135 may utilize convective cooling from one or more compressors to cool ambient air within each tunnel and the cooling unit to a temperature sufficient to rapidly cool the chocolate article, preferably within the range of about 50° F. to 58° F., and more preferably about 55° F. (13° C.), while maintaining a sufficiently low relative humidity of less than about 55% and more preferably about 50% or less. Fans (e.g., 129, and as illustrated conceptually by fan symbols in
As illustrated in
Several factors may combine in order to provide a substantially shorter cooling time than is conventionally possible in, for example, mass chocolate production. First, the cooling tunnel temperature and humidity are preferably chosen so as to provide an optimal cooling time, as noted above. Second, because the chocolate article is made to be consumed by customers shortly after completion or perhaps within a few hours or days, the need for typical shelf stability of 6 to 9 months for mass produced chocolate articles (most retailers, as noted, require an even longer minimum 9 months of shelf life for chocolate bars) is not present. This means that the crystallization of the chocolate can be less stable, e.g., the chocolate can be cooled more quickly, without sacrificing perceived quality, so long as the chocolate is consumed within a relatively short period. It also means that the cooling time can be selected to be shorter without necessarily affecting the end product as perceived by the consumer. In a similar vein, the need for strict graduated temperature control throughout the cooling tunnel may be avoided. Whereas in mass chocolate production, the cooling tunnel is typically “zoned” so that the temperature gradually falls off to the lowest cooling temperature, then gradually ramps up back to the ambient temperature outside the cooling tunnel, in embodiments of the chocolate article manufacturing system disclosed herein the cooling tunnel need not be zoned but rather can be maintained at a single low temperature (falling within the range of, e.g., about 50° F. to 58° F.) throughout. Consequently, when the mold 110 enters the cooling tunnel(s), it is immediately exposed to a relatively low temperature, rather than experiencing only a slight temperature drop as is commonplace in cooling tunnels used for mass chocolate production. In addition, unlike molds used in conventional mass chocolate manufacturing that must be durable for multi-use and significantly thicker, the walls of the single-use mold 110 can be made relatively thin, since the mold 110 does not need to be durable for reuse, so that the cool air within the cooling tunnel(s) can penetrate more rapidly. The fact that the single-use mold 110 generally holds a single chocolate article (possibly sectioned however) means that the liquid chocolate has more area exposed to the cool air due to the fact that it is surrounded on all sides by the thin walls of the mold 110. By contrast, in mass chocolate article manufacturing, a mold often contains many cavities for chocolate, often arranged in rows, and the warm liquid chocolate in the outer cavities insulates the inner cavities, requiring more cooling time to ensure that all chocolates are cooled down as necessary. In addition, in a preferred system, use of a flexible mesh/metal conveyor belt within the cooling tunnels can help dissipate heat from the underside of the mold 110, due to convective action and the coolness of the mesh/metal, and holes in between the mesh links can additionally help expose the underside of the mold 110 to the cool air within the cooling tunnel(s). Placing the exclusions at room temperature across the tempered liquid chocolate in the mold 110 also has the immediate effect of partially cooling the liquid chocolate. By contrast, in a mass chocolate production settings, ingredients are often combined with the chocolate at similar temperatures so as not to disrupt the crystallization process, which otherwise might risk the intended long shelf life of the article. When the mold 110 exits the cooling tunnel(s), it is placed into a package, as described below, instead of necessarily needing to be fully solidified to allow removal from the mold. Some or all of these factors may be used in combination to achieve a rapid cooling time.
The overall length(s) of the cooling tunnel(s) is preferably chosen so that the mold 110 remains within the cooling tunnel for the appropriate time period. For example, where the conveyor moves through the cooling tunnel(s) at one foot per second, the total length of the cooling tunnel(s) may be selected to be 10 feet, for a total cooling time within the tunnel(s) of 10 minutes. If the conveyor moves slower, a shorter cooling tunnel may be used, and if it moves faster a longer cooling tunnel may be used. The cooling tunnel(s) may have small openings on either end that may correspond to the single-use mold sizes to help insulate the interior from the ambient outside air, and/or may have automatic doors which, upon sensor detection of an approaching mold 110, temporarily open to allow the mold 110 to pass into the cooling tunnel, thereby minimizing the outflow of cool air and the inflow of ambient warmer air into the cooling tunnel.
In a preferred embodiment, the second cooling tunnel 140 terminates in a funnel-shaped ramp or chute 142 that feeds the single-use mold 110 containing the custom chocolate article into a box, container or other packaging. The operator/employee 123 then may remove the completed packaging from the end of the ramp or chute 142 and either places the packaging in a temperature-controlled display case 150 or gives it to the waiting customer. The operator/employee 123 may remove the adhesive sticker from the mold 110 and place it on the box, container or other packaging. Alternatively, the mold 110 may be boxed after it exits the cooling tunnel(s) by an automatic packaging machine (not shown), which may be of any conventional design and which are generally commonplace in food processing manufacturing plants or facilities. The automatic packaging machine may be relatively simple and small, or else in more elaborate settings may be larger and capable of packaging multiple chocolate articles at a time. The boxes used for packaging may have a clear (e.g. cellophane) window positioned where the adhesive sticker or other identifying indicia appears on the mold 110, so they can be readily identified by the customer and/or the operator/employee 123.
In a preferred embodiment, various components of the system and apparatus may be encased or windowed in acrylic or similar transparent material to allow customers to view the various stages of the manufacturing process. For instance, the exclusion depositor 120, spiral cooling unit 135, cooling tunnels 130, 140 and funnel-shaped ramp or chute 142 may be encased in acrylic or similar transparent material. In addition, one or more digital cameras (such as a fiber optic snake camera conventionally available for surveillance) may be used in various parts of the system to allow customers to view the chocolate article manufacturing process on a nearby display screen. For example, one or more digital cameras may be positioned so as to view within the cooling tunnel(s), so that customers may watch the chocolate article during the cooling process, thereby increasing the interactive customer experience.
Many variations of the aforementioned sequence of processing steps may be envisioned by those skilled in the art. Several such variations are illustrated in more detail by the process flow diagrams of
According first to the process flow diagram illustrated in
In a next step 505, one or more exclusions are selected from among the plurality of exclusions in the various containers 102. Similar to the chocolate selection, the exclusions may be selected by inputting customer selections via a user interface into an automated processing system or POS device, or else may be recorded by the operator/employee 123 in a more manual procedure. Optionally, the customer may be provided a portion cup or container to be filled from one of the exclusion containers 102 as previously described. In a more automated system, the automated processing system may cause the exclusions to be automatically measured and deposited into the hopper 121 of the exclusion depositor 120. In such a case the exclusion containers 102 are preferably located in proximity to and above the hopper 121, so that gravity assist may be used in guiding the exclusions into the hopper 121.
In the next steps 508 and 512 of the process 500, an adhesive order sticker is generated and placed on a single-use chocolate mold 110. In alternative methods, the single-use mold 110 may be pre-marked with identifying indicia, or else in a more automated setting, the automated processing system may either apply an adhesive sticker to the chocolate mold 110 or automatically read a pre-marked identifier (such as a bar code) from the chocolate mold and thereby associate the mold 110 with the customer's order, entered by the operator/employee 123 (or customer) into a POS device.
In a next step 515, the single-use mold 110 is moved to a chocolate dispensing or dosing station 112 nearby the one or more tanks 115 holding liquid, tempered chocolate 115. The mold 110 may either be conveyed on a conveyor 105 or else manually carried to the chocolate dispensing or dosing station 112. In a more automated system, the appropriate size of mold 110 may be selected from a given stack or collection of molds and dropped or placed onto the conveyor 105 automatically, based on the customer's chocolate article size and type selection as input into the automated processing system. Machinery for placing chocolate molds on a conveyor is conventionally known and is used for example in larger mass chocolate production settings. Alternatively the operator/employee may place the mold 110 onto the conveyor 105. As previously mentioned, the chocolate may be contained in a chocolate tempering machine having a wheel and agitator configuration, whereby the operator/employee 123 may hold the mold 110 underneath a spout (see
In a next step 523, which may be concurrent with some of the preceding steps, the hopper 121 of the exclusion depositor 120 is filled with the customer's selection exclusion type(s). This can be done in a variety of different ways. For example, the operator/employee 123 may take a portion cup or container with the exclusions selected in step 505 and deposit them in the hopper 121 manually. Alternatively, in a more automated system, the exclusions may be automatically deposited into the hopper as previously described. In the latter case, where multiple chocolate articles (and hence molds 110) are being processed simultaneously, a sensor at the exclusion depositor 120 may detect the presence of a mold 110 and read its identifying indicia, and only at that point cause the exclusions to be deposited into the hopper 121. That way, multiple customer selections may be input into the automated processing system in advance while the molds 110 are being processed sequentially.
In next steps 525 and 530, the mold 110 is moved to the exclusion depositor 120 and the exclusions are deposited on the surface of the tempered liquid chocolate in the mold 110, which is vibrated to remove air bubbles and their distribution onto the liquid chocolate. As noted previously, the mold 110 may be automatically conveyed from the chocolate dispensing or dosing station 112 to the exclusion depositor 120, or else it may be manually carried by the operator/employee 123 to the exclusion depositor 120. Before, during or after the exclusion depositing step, the mold 110 may be vibrated (e.g., at vibrating table 119) to remove air bubbles from the liquid chocolate. As also noted previously, the hopper 121 when particularly embodied as the preferred hopper 400 in
After step 530, the single-use mold 110 is moved to the cooling tunnel(s) 125, 135 and/or 140. The mold 110 may be automatically conveyed from the exclusion depositor 120 to the cooling tunnel(s), or else may be manually carried by the operator/employee 123 and placed on a conveyor entering the cooling tunnel(s). From that point on, the mold 110 is preferably automatically conveyed until it exits the cooling tunnel(s) at the end of the cooling process. The rapid cooling cycle process 538 and preferred temperature, timing and other characteristics have already been described in detail above.
After the mold 110 exits the cooling tunnel(s), in next steps 540 and 545, the operator/employee 123 removes the adhesive sticker from the mold 110 and places it on a box, and the place the mold containing the cooled chocolate article within the box. Alternatively, the box may have a clear window at a specified location matching the location of the sticker or other identifying indicia on the mold 110, and in such a case the mold 110 can be placed directly in the box. In a more automated system, as previously described, the chocolate article in the mold 110 can be automatically packaged in the box after it exits the final cooling tunnel.
In a last step 550, the box containing the chocolate article still in the mold may be provided to the customer, or else it may be placed in a temperature-controlled display area 150 for temporary storage.
Some of the steps illustrated in
In a next step 605, one or more exclusions are selected from among the plurality of exclusions in the various containers 102. Similar to the chocolate selection, the exclusions may be selected in part by inputting customer selections into a POS device or else may otherwise be recorded by the operator/employee 123. Optionally, the customer may be provided a portion cup or container to be filled from one of the exclusion containers 102 as previously described, and may provide the portion cup or container to the operator/employee 123 for placement in the hopper 121 of the exclusion depositor 120.
In the next steps 608 and 612 of the process 600, an adhesive order sticker is generated and placed on a single-use chocolate mold 110. In alternative methods, as previously described, the single-use mold 110 may be pre-marked with identifying indicia, and/or the POS device may read a pre-marked identifier (such as a bar code) from the custom chocolate mold and thereby associate the mold 110 with the customer's order.
In a next step 620, the single-use mold 110 is moved to a chocolate dispensing or dosing station 112 nearby the one or more tanks 115 holding liquid, tempered chocolate 115, and the mold 110 is filled with liquid chocolate. As previously mentioned, the chocolate may be contained in a chocolate tempering machine having a wheel and agitator configuration, whereby the operator/employee 123 may hold the mold 110 underneath a spout (see
In next steps 623, 625 and 630, the operator/employee 123 fills the hopper 121 of the exclusion depositor 120 with the customer's selection exclusion type(s) from the portion cup, carries or conveys the single-use mold 110 to the exclusion depositor 120, and deposits the exclusions atop the tempered liquid chocolate in the mold 110. More specifically, according to one particular technique, the operator/employee 123 may move the mold 110 manually (or by conveyor) to the vibrating unit 119, place the hopper 121 over the mold 110, add exclusions to the hopper 121, and activate the vibrating unit 119 to facilitate distribution of the exclusions over the tempered liquid chocolate in the single-use mold 110. While the vibrating unit 119 may also have the effect of removing air bubbles from the tempered liquid chocolate in the mold 110, as noted previously the mold 110 may also be vibrated before or after the exclusion depositing process in order to remove air bubbles.
After the exclusions have been deposited, the single-use mold 110 is moved to the cooling tunnel(s) 125, 135 and/or 140. The mold 110 may be automatically conveyed from the exclusion depositor 120 to the cooling tunnel(s), or else may be manually carried by the operator/employee 123 and placed on a conveyor entering the cooling tunnel(s). From that point on, the mold 110 is preferably automatically conveyed until it exits the cooling tunnel(s) at the end of the cooling process, as previously described. The rapid cooling cycle process 638 and preferred temperature, timing and other characteristics have already been described in detail above.
After the mold 110 exits the cooling tunnel(s), in next steps 640 and 645, the operator/employee 123 removes the adhesive sticker from the mold 110 and places it on a box, and places the mold containing the cooled chocolate article within the box. Alternatively, the box may have a clear window at a specified location matching the location of the sticker or other identifying indicia on the mold 110, and in such a case the mold 110 can be placed directly in the box. In a last step 650, the box containing the chocolate article may be provided to the customer, and/or else it may be placed in a temperature-controlled display area 150 for temporary storage.
In a next step 705, one or more exclusions are selected from among the plurality of exclusions in the various containers 102. Similar to the chocolate selection, the exclusions may be selected by inputting customer selections via a user interface into an automated processing system or POS device. The automated processing system may cause the exclusions to be automatically measured and deposited into the hopper 121 of the exclusion depositor 120. In this case the exclusion containers 102 are preferably located in proximity to and above the hopper 121, so that gravity assist may be used in guiding the exclusions into the hopper 121.
In the next steps 708 and 712 of the process 700, as previously described in connection with the
In a next step 715, the single-use mold 110 is conveyed to a chocolate dispensing or dosing station 112 nearby the one or more tanks 115 holding liquid, tempered chocolate 115. Where different mold sizes or shapes are available, the appropriate size and shape of mold 110 may be selected from a given stack or collection of molds and dropped or placed onto the conveyor 105 automatically, based on the customer's mold type selection as input into the automated processing system. Machinery for placing chocolate molds on a conveyor is conventionally known and is used for example in larger chocolate factory settings. Alternatively the operator/employee may place the selected sized/shaped mold 110 onto the conveyor 105. Each chocolate tempering machine is preferably coupled to at least one dosing head for automatically dispensing the appropriate chocolate type in accordance with the customer's selection when the mold 110 is beneath the dosing head. As previously described, multiple tracks of the conveyor belt may be provided with each track associated with a given chocolate type, or else multiple dosing heads may be clustered above a given track and selectively actuated to dispense the proper chocolate type(s) when the mold is located beneath the cluster of dosing heads. The automatic processing system preferably activates the appropriate dosing head(s) for a time programmed to fill the given size chocolate mold. A digital scale may also be used to provide feedback to the automated processing system, and/or optical or other sensors may be used to detect when the level of the chocolate has reached a given height.
In a next step 723, which may be concurrent with some of the preceding steps, the hopper 121 of the exclusion depositor 120 is filled with the customer's selection exclusion type(s). Although this can be done by the operator/employee 123 filling the hopper 121 manually with the customer's selected exclusions, in the more automated system the exclusions are preferably automatically deposited into the hopper 121 directly from the exclusion containers 102 under control of the automated processing system as previously described. As noted, where multiple chocolate articles (and hence molds 110) are being processed simultaneously, a sensor at the exclusion depositor 120 may detect the presence of a mold 110 and read its identifying indicia, and only at that point cause the exclusions to be deposited into the hopper 121, so that multiple customer selections may be input into the automated processing system in advance while the molds 110 are being processed sequentially.
In next steps 725 and 730, the mold 110 is moved to the exclusion depositor 120 and the exclusions are deposited on the surface of the liquid chocolate in the mold 110, which is vibrated to remove air bubbles and/or facilitate the deposit of exclusions from the hopper 121 and their distribution on/in the liquid chocolate. The mold 110 may be automatically conveyed from the chocolate dispensing or dosing station 112 to the exclusion depositor 120. Before, during or after the exclusion depositing step, the mold 110 may be vibrated (e.g., at vibrating station 119) to remove air bubbles from the liquid chocolate. As also noted previously, the hopper 121 when particularly embodied as the preferred hopper 400 in
After the exclusions are deposited, the single-use mold 110 is automatically conveyed (step 735) to the cooling tunnel(s) 125, 135 and/or 140, which operate to cool the liquid chocolate with exclusions in a manner previously described. The rapid cooling cycle process 737 and preferred temperature, timing and other characteristics have already been described in detail above.
After the mold 110 exits the cooling tunnel(s), in next step 738 and 745, as previously described, the mold 110 is preferably automatically packaged in a single article box. The box may have a clear window so that the identifier on the mold 110 can be seen. In a last step 750, the box containing the chocolate article may be provided to the customer, or else it may be placed in a temperature-controlled display area 150 for temporary storage.
The user interface 1201 is coupled to a main controller 1213, which may be embodied as computer or computerized device such as a PC or an embedded control system. The main controller 1213 is in turn coupled to the other components of the automated control system 1200, including a dosing control subsystem 1280, an exclusion depositing control subsystem 1281, a packaging control subsystem 1282, and a conveyor control subsystem 1283, each of which control the operations of a local portion of the overall custom chocolate article manufacturing process or machinery as heretofore described. Thus, for example, the dosing control subsystem 1280 may control the chocolate dispensing or dosing station 1280 and associated dosing heads, along with a position sensor 1262 (for detecting the presence or position of the mold 110, and which may be mechanical or optical/electrical), a digital scale 1261 (for measuring the liquid chocolate in the mold by weight), and/or a timer 1260 (for timing the dosing operation so that the appropriate amount of liquid chocolate is dispensed). The conveyor control subsystem 1283 may control the various sections of the conveyor and associated gating, including the dosing conveyor/gating 1263, exclusion depositor conveyor/gating 1273, and packaging station conveyor/gating 1293, all for the purpose of controlling the forward motion of the mold 110 on the conveyor at the different stations. The exclusion depositing control subsystem may control the exclusion depositor 1220 and associated hopper 1221, the exclusion containers 1202 (so as to automatically deposit exclusions in the hopper 1221 as needed), a position sensor 1272 for detecting the presence or position of the mold 110), and a vibrating plate 1219 (for shaking/vibrating the mold 110 after exclusions are deposited). The packaging control subsystem 1282 may control the automated packaging station 1245 including a box selector where different size boxes are provided, and a position sensor 1292 (for detecting the presence of position of the mold 110). The main controller 1213 may also monitor various parameters from the cooling tunnel 1225, such as temperature and humidity, and may also in certain scenarios send commands to the cooling tunnel 1225 to adjust the temperature and humidity based on the monitored readings. As noted previously, a digital camera 1275 may be provided in the cooling tunnel 1225, and the output therefrom may be transferred to a screen display 1291 in the customer waiting area, so that customers can see the progress of the chocolate article during production.
While not shown in
Although the dosing control subsystem 1280, the exclusion depositing control subsystem 1281, the packaging control subsystem 1282, and the conveyor control subsystem 1283 are conceptually shown for purposes of illustration as separate functions, their functionality may be combined into one or more units, may be incorporated into the main controller 1213, may be subdivided into additional sub-functions, or may be omitted where a particular function is not utilized, all depending upon the particular needs of a given implementation.
While the preferred embodiments illustrated in
Where different size molds 110 are provided, a single cooling tunnel size may not be optimal for all of the different sized molds. In some cases, a shorter cooling tunnel may be used, with the smaller molds passing through the cooling tunnel once, and the larger molds being sent through the cooling tunnel twice.
Additional steps or modifications may be added to any of the foregoing embodiments for the purpose of providing increased flexibility or variety. For example, flavoring may be added to the chocolate article to enhance or alter the basic chocolate taste and provide more customization opportunities for the consumer. Because chocolate has a specific chemistry, however, one cannot add any type of off-the-shelf flavoring. Rather, according to a preferred method, flavored cocoa butter is used as a flavoring agent for this purpose, and is preferably made with Beta 6 crystals (which are the smallest and most stable cocoa butter crystals). The same kinds of flavoring agents that are compatible with (e.g., lipo-soluble) and commonly used for directly flavoring chocolate in mass production settings may be used to flavor cocoa butter instead. Different types of flavored cocoa butter, such as raspberry, blueberry, orange, mint, lemon, cherry, watermelon, apple, etc., may be kept in squirt bottles or, in a more automated system, in small holding tanks with one or more automated dosing heads. In either case, the flavored cocoa butter is preferably maintained at a warm temperature to keep the cocoa butter sufficiently fluid such as approximately 86° F. To accomplish this, the flavored cocoa butter bottles may be kept in a warming container/tray, or in the more automated system may be heated moderately with any standard heating elements. The flavored cocoa butter is preferably added to the mold 110 after the tempered liquid chocolate is dispensed in the mold 110, but before the exclusions are added. The mold 110 with the added flavored cocoa butter may be vibrated, either before or after the exclusions.
As an alternative to using flavored cocoa butter, it may also be possible to add chocolate-compatible flavoring agents directly to the tempered liquid chocolate in the mold. In such a case, different flavoring agents (e.g. particulates) for each type of chocolate (e.g. dark, milk and white) must be kept on hand, since each type of chocolate has different characteristics such as cocoa butter content and hence needs a flavoring agent with particular qualities. By contrast, the same type of flavored cocoa butter could be directly added to any type of chocolate, whether dark, milk or white.
It is possible to provide predefined combinations of chocolate type(s), topping(s), and/or flavoring(s) (where provided) that may be selected, for example, via the user interface 1202 (see
As another possible enhancement, the custom chocolate article manufacturing system and process may include use of a transfer sheet within the mold to apply a particular design to the chocolate article. The transfer sheet design may be created in any of a variety of different ways. For example, the retail or point-of-sale location may have stored transfer sheets or else, if a transfer sheet “printing” machine is onsite, may have a database of stored digital images from which a customer may select. The transfer sheet printing machine converts the image to a set of instructions for applying colored cocoa butter to the transfer sheet to match the image. Along these same lines, the onsite location may allow the customer to type in a message or else provide an image to be scanned (including a photographic image) which in turn can be automatically converted to colored cocoa butter on the transfer sheet. Once the transfer sheet is created, it is placed on the bottom of the mold with the exposed colored cocoa butter surface facing upwards, so that when the liquid chocolate is added the image on the transfer sheet adheres to the chocolate.
Although the preferred embodiments are described in relation to point-of-sale or retail locations, they may also have applicability to other environments, such as fulfilling custom chocolate orders made by customers online, by phone or by mail, for instance.
While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described herein, many variations are possible which remain within the concept and scope of the invention. Such variations would become clear to one of ordinary skill in the art after inspection of the specification and the drawings. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except within the spirit and scope of any appended claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 12/111,186, filed Apr. 28, 2008 and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/915,119 filed on May 1, 2007, hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth fully herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12111186 | Apr 2008 | US |
| Child | 13944831 | US |
