The present invention relates to an ice cream mechanism, and more particularly to a system and mechanism for forming and then coating units of ice cream.
Ice cream products are known to be popular. However, there is also a market for combining ice cream shapes with various coatings. By adding such coatings to ice cream shapes, the variety of flavors and products can be greatly increased. However, many types of coatings have difficulty being uniformly applied at temperatures where the ice cream is solid or semi-solid. As a result, coated ice cream products may sometimes be unintentionally produced which are unappealing in either taste or appearance, or both. Consequently, an improved system for combining ice cream with coatings is desired. The need for such improvement is especially great with regards to ice-cream type food products formed using cryogenically cooled equipment.
One aspect of the present invention relates to a method for producing coated frozen food products. In accordance with this method, ice cream is formed into a plurality of substantially uniformly-shaped units and the units are conveyed along a conveyor, the conveyor being cryogenically cooled. The units are then covered with at least one coating while the units are within a cryogenically cooled container. Ultimately, the units are removed from the cryogenically cooled container and can be stored in a frozen form.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to an apparatus for producing coated frozen food products. This apparatus includes a) a first and second cylindrical roller adjacent one another such that an aperture is formed along a respective major axis of each roller, each roller having a plurality of indentations and being rotatable around their respective longitudinal axis; b) an ice cream feeder positioned so as to feed ice cream to the aperture to pass between the first and second cylindrical roller and be forced into at least some of the indentations to form a plurality of substantially uniformly-shaped units; c) a conveyor positioned to catch the plurality of substantially uniformly-shaped units, the conveyor being maintained at a cryogenic temperature; and d) a cryogenically cooled container configured to receive the units from the conveyor and cover the units with at least one coating. In this way, a frozen confection can be cryogenically made but use far less liquid nitrogen and cost far less than other known methods of making such confections.
It is understood that other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein it is shown and described only various embodiments of the invention by way of illustration. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the invention.
Also, rather than a flat surface on the rollers 112L, 112R, the surface may be textured so as to add a texture pattern to a surface of each of the units 104 as well. Once stamped or pressed, the units 104 are dropped by gravity onto a conveyer 124, which is also maintained at a cryogenic temperature. For example, the conveyor may be located within a trough suspended above a region where liquid nitrogen is fed. Thus, the ambient temperature near the conveyor is maintained near cryogenic temperatures. The conveyer 124 then transports the units 104 to a coating and tumbling mechanism 300 (shown in
By making the all indentations 120 the same on the rollers 112L, 112R, the resulting units 104 will be substantially similar in size and shape. While this is preferable because it assists with sorting units 104 ensuring a uniform coating during a later processing step, the indentations 120 may be shaped different from one another in order to produce different shaped or sized units 104 at the same time.
One potential shape of the unit 104 could be discs, although many other shapes are contemplated within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Other shapes could include but are not limited to hearts, spheres, footballs, or iconic symbols such as, for example, a Pac-Man symbol. The important factor is that the units 104 be a recognizable, familiar shape, and be substantially uniform in size.
Because of the rollers 112L, 112R are generally cylindrical in nature, the aperture 108 that extends along the length or major axis of each roller exists above the rollers but is almost non-existent at the point where the two rollers meet near their centers. In this way, the sheet 116 is mechanically forced into the indentations 120 through pressure exerted by the surface of the opposite roller. As they each rotate around their center or longitudinal axis (as shown by the arrows in
Portions of the coating mechanism are maintained at cryogenic temperatures. This may be accomplished by having at least a portion of the hopper 302 constructed to allow introduction of cryogenic refrigerant in or through portions of the hopper. For example, the hopper 302 may have an inner and outer sleeve so that cryogenic refrigerant may be circulated or located between the two sleeves. However, the fluid passageway, such as the insulated pipe 304, is maintained at a much higher temperature, in order to facilitate the spray-on coating 308 staying at a temperature to adhere to the units 104, and to not prematurely solidify until it hits its target. Potential coatings include, but are not limited to, candy, syrup, chocolate, butterscotch, and caramel. The particular type of coating chosen will determine the temperature at which the fluid passageway 304 must be maintained in order to ensure the coating material remains free flowing.
Although the mechanism 300 of
After a predetermined period of time, the coating mechanism 300 is deactivated and the coated units 104 are removed. These coated units 104 can be packaged in bulk bags, or placed directly in consumer-friendly packaging that is ready for shipping or ready for retail sales. Until that time, the coated units are stored temporarily in frozen form as part of the manufacturing process.
The above processes shown in
The stamping mechanism 100 also has a “return of flash” feature. Because some of the sheet 116 will not be stamped into units 104, but instead passes through the rollers 112L and 112R without contacting the indentations 120, it is necessary to capture and recycle this raw ice cream or “flash” and any smaller pieces as well. To achieve this, the stamping mechanism 100 has a return filter which ensures that only properly formed units 104 are conveyed to the coating mechanism 300. The filter acts to screen out objects that are too large and also objects that are too small to be properly shaped units 104. The remainder or flash is returned to the device that forms the sheets 116, where that flash gets another chance to be transformed into a unit 104.
The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various embodiments described herein. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with each claim's language, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”