Patent Application
20180168206
The following disclosure relates generally to systems and apparatuses for melting sugar and, more particularly, to apparatuses for melting sugar and associated systems for use with popcorn machines and the like.
Popcorn machines for use in theaters, concession stands, and homes are well known. Industrial machines for making large quantities of popcorn, puffed rice, and other expanded food products for wholesale to retailers are also known. Conventional popcorn machines typically include a popping kettle positioned inside a cabinet. To make popcorn, unpopped corn kernels are placed in the kettle with cooking oil and heated with a gas or electric heating element. The cooking oil coats the kernels and ensures a relatively even distribution of heat, and rotating blades or other agitating devices mix the kernels with the cooking oil to ensure the kernels are evenly heated for popping.
“Continuous” popcorn popping machines for popping corn in, for example, industrial applications are also known. Such machines can include a feed end that receives unpopped corn kernels, a rotating auger that moves the corn kernels in hot oil along a cooking surface (e.g., a trough) having a semi-circular cross-section, and a discharge end that discharges the popped popcorn. Such machines are disclosed in, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/452,764, titled “POPCORN POPPING MACHINES AND OTHER MACHINES HAVING FLOW-THROUGH DECKS FOR POPPING POPCORN AND PRODUCING OTHER TYPES OF EXPANDED FOOD,” filed Apr. 20, 2012, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Popcorn and other expanded food products (e.g., puffed rice, etc.) are often coated with sugar. “Kettle corn,” for example, is a popular popcorn product with a light coating of sugar. In conventional systems for making kettle corn, granulated sugar is added to a kettle of corn kernels and oil, and the kettle heats the sugar, oil and corn kernels together. During the heating process, the sugar melts and coats the popped corn. One drawback to this process, however, is that “sugar balls” or clumps of hard sugar that have not melted properly can form in the kettle. Although most of the sugar balls are sifted out of the popped corn and lost as waste, occasionally some will inadvertently be included with the packaged product, which can be undesirable to consumers. Additionally, the kettle may require frequent cleaning to remove the buildup of sugar balls.
The presence of sugar balls and other un-melted clumps of hard sugar can also be problematic in continuous popping machines. For example, in the continuous popper described above solid sugar can adhere to portions of the rotating auger. As the auger rotates, the sugar is drawn from the heated oil bath on the auger blade, and cools as the auger blade rotates away from the heated oil. The cooled and solidified sugar then re-enters the heated bath of oil and sugar, and consequently picks up additional sugar and then cools again. This creates clumps of hardened, un-melted sugar that can eventually break off of the auger and, if not sifted out of the discharged product, can be inadvertently included in the packaged product. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide an apparatus for efficiently producing melted sugar for application to popcorn and/or other expanded food products.
The Appendix includes additional figures and photos illustrating various aspects of embodiments of the present technology.
The following disclosure describes various embodiments of systems, apparatuses and associated methods for melting sugar to be used with, for example, industrial and commercial popcorn machines. As described in greater detail below, in some embodiments sugar melters configured in accordance with the present technology can include a vertically disposed melting chamber having a heated auger that rotates within a cylindrical tube. Sugar (e.g., granulated sugar) can be introduced into the mouth of the tube, and driven downwardly by the heated auger. As the sugar travels downwardly, it melts to a liquid or semi-liquid state before being discharged through an outlet at the bottom of the tube. The liquid or semi-liquid melted sugar can then be dispensed into, for example, a popcorn machine to produce sugar-coated popcorn (e.g., “kettle corn”) with less tendency to form sugar balls or other undesirable forms of hardened sugar.
Certain details are set forth in the following description and in
The accompanying Figures depict embodiments of the present technology and are not intended to be limiting of its scope. The sizes of various depicted elements are not necessarily drawn to scale, and these various elements may be arbitrarily enlarged to improve legibility. Component details may be abstracted in the Figures to exclude details such as position of components and certain precise connections between such components when such details are unnecessary for a complete understanding of how to make and use the invention. Many of the details, dimensions, angles and other features shown in the Figures are merely illustrative of particular embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, other embodiments can have other details, dimensions, angles and features without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that further embodiments of the invention can be practiced without several of the details described below.
In the Figures, identical reference numbers identify identical, or at least generally similar, elements. To facilitate the discussion of any particular element, the most significant digit or digits of any reference number refers to the Figure in which that element is first introduced. For example, element 110 is first introduced and discussed with reference to
In the illustrated embodiment, a sugar hopper 110 contains sugar (e.g., unmelted granulated sugar) for melting by the sugar melter 100. More specifically, the sugar hopper 110 includes an internal volume in communication with a dispensing tube 111 (e.g., a cylindrical tube) having an outlet 112 positioned directly above the inlet opening 104 of the melting chamber 106. In operation, the sugar hopper 110 can include a gate or a valve that controls the flow of sugar from the hopper 110 into the melting chamber 106 via the dispenser outlet 112. Additionally, the sugar hopper 110 and/or the dispensing tube 111 can be moveable relative to the sugar melter 100 so that the dispensing outlet 112 can be moved away from the melter 100 for cleaning of the auger 108 and/or other components of the melting chamber 106. For example, in some embodiments the sugar hopper 110 can be a stand-alone unit equipped with casters so that it can be rolled up next to the sugar melter 100 for use or moved away for cleaning, service, etc. In some embodiments, the sugar hopper 110 can be positioned at floor level and equipped with a conveyor (such as a rotating auger (not shown)), so that an operator can manually maintain a level of sugar in the hopper without having to climb a ladder or work platform. The rotational speed of the auger in the sugar hopper 110 can be regulated by a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) to adjust the flow of sugar from the hopper 110 into the sugar melter 110. In other embodiments, the sugar hopper 110 can be mounted to a frame of the sugar melter 100 and require the operator to work from an elevated platform or ladder to manually load sugar into the hopper 110 and maintain an adequate level of sugar.
The term “sugar” is generally used herein for ease of reference to refer to all sugars and/or other similar substances that can be efficiently melted by the sugar melter 100 for use in the production of popcorn and other food products. For example, the term “sugar” can include sucrose in the form of granulated sugar, raw sugar and/or brown sugar, and/or other sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates with or without added flavorings or ingredients, etc. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the melter technologies described herein are not limited to use with a particular type of sugar or other substance, and is contemplated for use with a wide variety of substances used in the production of popcorn and other foods.
As described in greater detail below, the sugar melter 100 can additionally include a motor 122 (e.g., servomotor) that controls the speed and direction of rotation of the auger 108 via a drive mechanism (not shown in
By way of example, the various components of the sugar melter 100 described above can be formed from suitable materials joined together in a conventional manner. For example, the various components of the melting chamber 106, the sugar hopper 110, as well as other parts of the sugar melter 100 can be formed from stainless steel materials suitable for use with food processing equipment. The formed materials can be joined together by welding and/or suitable fasteners. In other embodiments, various parts of the sugar melter 100 can be formed from other suitable materials, e.g., synthetic and polymeric materials, in a conventional manner. In some embodiments, the sugar melter can have a height H of from about 18 inches to about 60 inches, or from about 24 inches to about 60 inches, or about 44 inches; and a width W of from about 6 inches to about 24 inches, or about 8 inches to about 18 inches, or about 10 inches. The central shaft 116 can have an outside diameter of from about 2 inches to about 18 inches or more, or from about 3 inches to about 8 inches, or about 4.5 inches. As those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, the foregoing dimensions are provided by way of example of the relative size of the sugar melter in some embodiments. Accordingly, other embodiments of sugar melters configured in accordance with the present technology can have other sizes and/or configurations of components without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure.
In operation, the motor 122 drives the first sprocket 131 via the motor shaft 132, and the first sprocket 131 in turn drives the second sprocket 134 via the drive member 140, which causes the central shaft 116 to rotate about its longitudinal axis. The rotational speed of the central shaft 116 can be controlled by, for example, the drive speed and direction of the motor 122, as well as the size of the first sprocket 131 relative to the second sprocket 134. In some embodiments, for example, the motor 122 can be configured to rotate the auger 108 at a speed of from about 10 revolutions per minute (RPM) to about 100 RPM, or from about 30 RPM to about 70 RPM, or about 57 RPM. The motor 122 can be configured to rotate the auger 108 in a forward direction (i.e., the counterclockwise direction (CCW) as shown in
Referring next to
In a further aspect of this embodiment, the sugar melter 100 includes a wiper 350 fixedly coupled to a distal end of the auger hub 352 such that the wiper 350 rotates in unison with the auger 108. As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the auger 108 is internally heated to melt sugar by means of a heating element 470 that extends downwardly from a mounting plate 482 within the central shaft 116. More specifically, in the illustrated embodiment the heating element 470 can be a resistive heater consisting of a tubular heating element that receives power (e.g., AC power) from the controller 474 via wires 472a,b. In some embodiments, the heating element 470 can be an industrial process heater provided by the Tempco Electric Heater Corporation, 607 North Central Avenue, Wood Dale, Ill. 60191, U.S.A. For example, the heating element 470 can be a Tempco Chromalox heating element, Model No. UTUA-224LT, PCN 106016, 2000 W, 240 v. In the illustrated embodiment, the heating element 470 can have an elongate “U” shape and extend for almost the entire length, or at least the majority of the length, of the auger 108 to provide relatively even heating of the auger 108. In operation, the heating element 470 can heat the auger 108 to efficiently melt sugar moving through the melting chamber 106. In other embodiments, other types of heating elements can be used to heat the melting chamber 106 either separately or in conjunction with the internal heating element 470. For example, as shown in
The sugar melter 100 can additionally include one or more temperature sensors 480 (identified individually as temperature sensors 480a-e) for monitoring the temperature of the melting chamber 106 and the discharge outlet 118, and providing this information to the controller 474 to ensure efficient operation of the sugar melter 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the temperature sensors 480a-c can be coupled to the exterior surface of the outer tube 107 at various locations along its length, and the temperature sensor 480d can be coupled to the exterior surface of the discharge funnel 118. The temperature sensor 480e can be comprised of an elongate rod that extends downwardly into the central shaft 116 and is positioned adjacent to the interior wall of the central shaft 116. By way of example, the temperature sensor 480e can be an MgO insulated thermocouple provided by Pyromation, Part No. J38G-010-01A-16-F1A090-3, configured to detect the temperature proximate the distal end portion of the elongate rod. In one embodiment, for example, the sugar melter 100 can include at least one exterior temperature sensor coupled to the exterior surface of the outer tube 107 two-thirds of the way, or approximately two-thirds of the way, down the length of the outer tube 107 toward the discharge funnel 118, and at least one interior temperature sensor positioned near the interior surface of the central shaft 116 two-thirds of the way, or approximately two-thirds of the way down the length of the central shaft 116 toward the discharge funnel 118. In other embodiments, the sugar melter 100 can include more or fewer temperature sensors 480 at other locations relative to the sugar melter 100 and/or the discharge funnel 118 as necessary to suitably monitor and/or control operating temperatures. In some embodiments, the temperature sensors 480a-d can be thermocouples, such as Type J thermocouples. In other embodiments, other types of temperature sensors, including other types of thermocouples can be used. The temperature sensors 480 can provide operating temperature information to the controller 474, which can then control power to the heating element 470 according to preset logic to maintain the melting chamber 106 (and/or portions thereof) within a preset temperature range. For example, in some embodiments the melting chamber 106 can be controlled within a temperature range of from about 200 degrees F. to about 450 degrees F., or from about 300 degrees F. to about 400 degrees F., or from about 360 degrees F. to about 380 degrees F. In some embodiments, the desired operating temperature can be manually input via the user interface 478. In other embodiments, the operating temperature can be controlled by a relay logic or PLC system that, for example, automatically controls the operating temperature for automated start-up, run, stop, and clean sequences of operation.
Although specific circuitry is described above, those or ordinary skill in the art will recognize that a microprocessor-based system could also be used where any logical decisions are configured in software. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the functions and methods described above can be implemented as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), by a digital signal processing (DSP) integrated circuit, through conventional programmed logic arrays or circuit elements. While many of the embodiments are shown and described as being implemented in hardware (e.g., one or more integrated circuits designed specifically for a task), such embodiments could equally be implemented in software and be performed by one or more processors. Such software can be stored on any suitable computer-readable medium, such as microcode stored in a semiconductor chip, on a computer-readable disk, or downloaded from a server and stored locally at a client.
Referring to
The sugar melter 100 described in detail above can be used in various types of food processing applications where food is provided with a light coating of sugar, or sugar is otherwise added to food. For example, the sugar melter 100 can be used in various types of food expanding machines, such as popcorn machines, to produce popcorn having a light coating of sugar (e.g., “kettle corn”), caramel corn, etc.
In one aspect of the illustrated embodiment, the discharge funnel 118 of the sugar melter 100 can be positioned to introduce melted sugar into the popcorn popper 580 at a position spaced apart from the inlet 584. Alternatively, the popper assembly 500 can include a conduit (not shown) that extends from the opening 120 of the discharge funnel 118 and directs the melted sugar to a desired location on the cooking surface 596. For example, in some embodiments the discharge funnel 118 of the sugar melter 100 can be positioned approximately two-thirds of the distance down the length of the popcorn popper 580 so that it introduces the melted sugar onto the cooking surface 596 at a position in which the popcorn popping process has begun. In other embodiments, the sugar melter can introduce melted sugar into the popcorn popper 580 at other locations.
Although
The Appendix includes additional photographs and drawings describing various aspects of embodiments of the sugar melter described herein, and form a part of the present disclosure.
References throughout the foregoing description to features, advantages, or similar language do not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present technology should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present technology. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the present technology may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the present technology can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the present technology.
Any patents and applications and other references noted above, including any that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the invention can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the various references described above to provide yet further implementations of the invention.
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” As used herein, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” or any variant thereof means any connection or coupling, either direct or indirect, between two or more elements; the coupling or connection between the elements can be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used in this application, refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where the context permits, words in the above Detailed Description using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number respectively. The word “or,” in reference to a list of two or more items, covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.
The teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various examples described above can be combined to provide further implementations of the invention. Some alternative implementations of the invention may include not only additional elements to those implementations noted above, but also may include fewer elements. Further any specific numbers noted herein are only examples: alternative implementations may employ differing values or ranges.
While the above description describes various embodiments of the invention and the best mode contemplated, regardless how detailed the above text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. Details of the system may vary considerably in its specific implementation, while still being encompassed by the present disclosure. As noted above, particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific examples disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the invention encompasses not only the disclosed examples, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention under the claims.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the various embodiments of the invention. Further, while various advantages associated with certain embodiments of the invention have been described above in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited, except as by the appended claims.
