The present invention relates to a tumble drum for use in applying flavoring materials to food portions that can recover and deposit at least some airborne flavoring material that would otherwise be lost into the environment onto the food portions. The tumble drum can be used with existing equipment to remove airborne flavoring material from the environment in which the tumble drum operates. More specifically, the present invention relates to a tumble drum adapted for controllably withdrawing air from an interior mixing chamber of the tumble drum in a manner that promotes deposition of at least some of the airborne flavoring material within the interior mixing chamber onto the food portions disposed within the tumble drum and for suppressing airborne flavoring material to prevent unwanted exposure of persons in the facility environment.
Many prepared foods are subjected to the application of flavoring materials during processing and prior to packaging in airtight enclosures such as, for example, bags. These prepared foods are often gently rolled or agitated in a tumble drum as a flavoring material such as, for example, salt and/or seasoning, is applied. Proper usage of the tumble drum ensures a favorably uniform application of the flavoring material to the food portions processed therein. The food portions are fed into an inlet of the tumble drum, flavoring material is dispensed over the food portions as the tumble drum rotates, and the food portions mixed with flavoring material are discharged through an outlet of the tumble drum.
Many flavoring materials generate airborne dust during application, and the dust can foul machinery. Also, personnel present within the processing facility environment may be sensitive to airborne dust generated during the application of the flavoring materials such as seasoning. In some cases, the generation of airborne dust that escapes the tumble drum during application of flavoring materials represents a loss of a very expensive material, thereby impacting the profitability of the food processing operation in addition to generating an airborne material to which personnel may be highly sensitive.
One solution is to draw air from the facility environment and move it through filters adapted for removing the airborne dust and flavoring material from the air. The expensive flavoring material removed in this manner is lost, but personnel working in the facility environment may be spared at least some exposure to the material.
One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for mixing a flavoring material with food portions, the apparatus comprising a tumble drum having an interior mixing chamber with an inlet at a first end, an outlet at a second end opposite the first end, a wall intermediate the inlet and the outlet and generally surrounding the interior mixing chamber, an axis extending through the inlet and the outlet about which the tumble drum can rotate, a circumferential cavity in fluid communication through a first set of apertures with the interior mixing chamber and also in fluid communication with a second set of apertures in an exterior section of the tumble drum, and a receiver supported relative to the axis of the tumble drum, the receiver having an inlet with a face conforming to the shape of at least an angular portion of the exterior section of the tumble drum and an outlet portion, wherein coupling the outlet portion of the receiver to a suction source with the inlet of the receiver engaged with at least a portion of the exterior section of the tumble drum draws air from the interior mixing chamber through the first set of apertures, then through the circumferential cavity, then through the second set of apertures to the inlet of the receiver, then through the outlet of the receiver.
Embodiments of the apparatus may further include a plurality of dividers angularly spaced within the circumferential cavity, wherein the plurality of dividers impair circumferential movement within the circumferential cavity of air drawn from the interior mixing chamber. The dividers isolate the suction provided through the receiver to the exterior section to one circumferential segment of the cavity (or to two adjacent circumferential segments of the cavity when the divider is straddled by the receiver) and prevents air from being drawn into the cavity through the full second set of apertures in the exterior section of the tumble drum, which would cause unwanted loss of suction and would impair sweeping of the interior mixing chamber and deposit of the airborne flavoring material onto the food portions within the interior mixing chamber. In one embodiment, the dividers within the cavity may be separated one from the others by a circumferential arc exceeding an arc length of the inlet of the receiver. This arrangement will better isolate the suction source coupled to the receiver from unwanted circumferential flow of air within the cavity. The dividers may reside in a plane that includes the axis of the tumble drum, and the dividers may be equiangularly spaced one from the others. For example, but not by way of limitation, the dividers may be disposed in the circumferential cavity at 45 degrees (0.785 radians) apart to divide the circumferential cavity into eight segments, 30 degrees (0.524 radians) apart to divide the circumferential cavity into 12 segments or 90 degrees (1.571 radians) apart to divide the circumferential cavity into 4 segments. There no requirement that the dividers be disposed equiangularly spaced one from the others.
It will be understood that the source of suction coupled to the receiver for engagement with the exterior section of the tumble drum and, through the second set of apertures, the cavity and the first set of apertures, to the interior mixing chamber may be provided an air mover. For example, but not by way of limitation, an electric motor driven squirrel cage (centrifugal) air mover can be provided, and the inlet to the air mover can be coupled to the outlet of the receiver using a duct to draw air laden with airborne flavoring material downwardly within the interior mixing chamber and through the food portions within the interior mixing chamber, through the first set of apertures, into the circumferential cavity, through the second set of apertures in the exterior section of the tumble drum, into the inlet of the receiver, through the outlet of the receiver, and towards the air mover.
One embodiment of the apparatus further includes a filter media disposed intermediate the outlet of the receiver and an inlet to the air mover to capture airborne flavoring material entrained in the air drawn from the interior mixing chamber. Although the flavoring material captured in the filter media is not ordinarily recoverable, the filter media can capture airborne flavoring material to prevent unwanted airborne flavoring material from entering the facility environment in which the food portions are processed.
One embodiment of the apparatus may further include an adjustable valve disposed intermediate the outlet of the receiver and an inlet to the air mover. The valve can be adjusted to modulate the volumetric rate of air flow from the interior mixing chamber and to thereby optimize deposition of the flavoring material from within the interior mixing chamber onto the food portions in the tumble drum.
In one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the exterior section of the tumble drum includes a radially inwardly recessed channel in the exterior section of the tumble drum. The radially inwardly recessed channel may be, for example, but not by way of limitation, in an exterior section that is on a cylindrical exterior portion or on a frustoconical exterior portion of the tumble drum. “Radially inwardly recessed,” as that term is used herein, means that the channel in the exterior section is recessed towards the interior mixing chamber and in the direction of the axis of the tumble drum when the exterior section is on a cylindrical exterior portion or on a frustoconical exterior portion of the tumble drum.
In one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the radially inwardly recessed channel in the exterior section of the tumble drum is continuous in that it extends about the entire circumference of the tumble drum.
In another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the radially inwardly recessed channel in the exterior section of the tumble drum is in fluid communication through a second set of apertures with a circumferential cavity that is in fluid communication through a first set of apertures with the interior mixing chamber of the tumble drum. This arrangement permits air to be drawn from the interior mixing chamber, through the first set of apertures, into the circumferential cavity that surrounds the interior mixing chamber, through the second set of apertures, and to the exterior section where a receiver engages the exterior section of the tumble drum. The receiver may be coupled to a suction source to provide for drawing air laden with airborne flavoring material from the interior mixing chamber.
In one embodiment of the tumble drum of the present invention, the circumferential cavity that surrounds the interior mixing chamber is segmented by angularly spaced dividers that impair circumferential movement of air within the cavity of the tumble drum.
In one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, a receiver is adapted to engage an exterior section of the tumble drum. The receiver has an inlet that is adapted to engage the exterior section of the tumble drum and includes a radially inwardly recessed channel having a protruding face that is shaped to be received into the radially inwardly recessed channel of the tumble drum so that, when the outlet of the receiver is coupled to a suction source, such the suction inlet to an air mover, the receiver will draw air out of the interior mixing chamber, through the first set of apertures, into the circumferential cavity that surrounds the interior mixing chamber, through the second set of apertures in the exterior section of the tumble drum, into the inlet of the receiver, through the outlet of the receiver and towards the suction source.
In another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the exterior section of the tumble drum includes a radially outwardly protruding rail on the exterior section of the tumble drum. The radially outwardly protruding rail may be, for example, but not by way of limitation, on a cylindrical exterior portion or on a frustoconical exterior portion of the tumble drum. “Radially outwardly protruding,” as that term is used herein, means that the rail protrudes outwardly and away from the interior mixing chamber and in the direction away from the axis of the tumble drum. In one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the radially outwardly protruding rail on the exterior section of the tumble drum is continuous in that it extends about the entire circumference of the tumble drum. A receiver that has an inlet that is adapted for engagement with a tumble drum having an exterior section that includes a radially outwardly protruding rail will include a recessed face that is shaped to be received onto the radially outwardly protruding rail so that, when the outlet of the receiver is coupled to a suction source, such as an air mover, the receiver will draw air out of the interior mixing chamber, through the first set of apertures, into the circumferential cavity that surrounds the interior mixing chamber, through the second set of apertures in the exterior section of the tumble drum, into the inlet receiver, out of the outlet of the receiver and towards the suction source.
In another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the exterior section of the tumble drum is on an anterior wall of the tumble drum that surrounds the inlet of the tumble drum. The anterior wall of the tumble drum may lie in a plane that is perpendicular to the axis of the tumble drum or, alternately, the anterior wall may have a substantial radial component that, although it may not lie in a plane that is precisely perpendicular to the axis of the tumble drum, if projected to the axis, it forms a substantial angle with the axis of the tumble drum or is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the tumble drum. The exterior section of the tumble drum may be on the anterior wall and it may be an axially inwardly recessed channel in the anterior wall of the tumble drum that surrounds the inlet of the tumble drum. “Axially,” as that term is used herein, means extending along the axis of the tumble drum or having a substantial axial component of the angle that the recessed channel makes along the axis of the tumble drum. An axially inwardly recessed channel in the anterior wall of the tumble drum is recessed inwardly towards the interior mixing chamber and in a direction along or substantially along the axis about which the tumble drum rotates. A receiver that has an inlet adapted to engage with an exterior section of the tumble drum that includes a axially inwardly recessed channel in the anterior wall of the tumble drum will include a protruding face that is shaped to be received into the axially inwardly recessed channel in the anterior wall of the tumble drum so that, when the outlet of the receiver is coupled to a suction source, such as an air mover, the receiver will draw air out of the interior mixing chamber, through the first set of apertures, into the circumferential cavity that surrounds the interior mixing chamber, through the second set of apertures in the exterior section of the tumble drum and into the inlet of the receiver.
In another embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention may include a tumble drum that has an exterior section that includes an axially outwardly protruding rail in the anterior wall of the tumble drum surrounding the inlet of the tumble drum. A receiver that has an inlet that is adapted to engage with a tumble drum having an exterior section that includes an axially outwardly protruding rail will include a recessed face that is shaped to be received onto the axially outwardly protruding rail so that, when the outlet of the receiver is coupled to a suction source, such as an air mover, the receiver will draw air out of the interior mixing chamber, through the first set of apertures, into the circumferential cavity that surrounds the interior mixing chamber, through the second set of apertures in the exterior section of the tumble drum and into the inlet of the receiver.
In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the receiver is supported relative to the axis of the tumble drum to engage at least a portion of the exterior section of the tumble drum that is proximal a lowermost portion of the exterior section wherein at least a portion of the air drawn from the interior mixing chamber to the receiver moves through food portions that are supported within the interior mixing chamber of the tumble drum before the air passes through the first set of apertures and into the circumferential cavity that surrounds the interior mixing chamber. The receiver is supported at a stationary position relative to the axis of the tumble drum and, in some embodiments, may be supported by the same frame that supports the tumble drum as it rotates about its axis. It will be understood that by strategically locating the receiver proximal to the lowermost portion of the exterior section of the tumble drum, the receiver remains in a position to draw air laden with flavoring material downwardly within the mixing chamber and through the food portions that will, due to gravity, reside proximal to the bottom or lowermost portion of the interior mixing chamber. Further, it will be understood that, in embodiments of the apparatus in which the tumble drum includes radially inwardly protruding flutes to promote agitation and turning of the food portions within the interior mixing chamber as the tumble drum rotates about its axis, the receiver may be supported at a stationary position proximal the lowermost portion of the exterior section of the tumble drum but slightly angularly offset from the lowermost point of the exterior section because the rotation of the tumble drum with inwardly extending flutes causes the bed of food portions within the interior mixing chamber to be angularly offset from the lowermost point. In this embodiment, the deposition of the flavoring material entrained in the air drawn from the interior mixing chamber is optimized by drawing the air through the thickest and densest portion of the bed of food portions within the interior mixing chamber. In one embodiment, the angular offset from the lowermost point of the exterior section of the tumble drum at which the center of the receiver is supported in a stationary position is between five and 45 degrees (0.785 radians) separated from the lowermost point of the exterior section in the direction of rotation of the tumble drum. Stated another way, in one embodiment, the angular offset from the lowermost point of the exterior section of the tumble drum at which the center of the receiver is supported in a stationary position is between five and 45 degrees (0.785 radians) clockwise for a tumble drum that rotates about its axis in a clockwise direction as seen from the inlet, and in a counterclockwise direction for a tumble drum that rotates about its axis in a counterclockwise direction as seen from the inlet. This offset ensures that the air laden with flavoring material and drawn from within the interior mixing chamber is drawn downwardly and through the deepest and densest portion of the bed of food portions being processed in the tumble drum for optimal deposition of the airborne flavoring material onto the food portions to prevent unwanted waste of a very expensive flavoring material.
In another preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the circumferential cavity includes a plurality of angularly spaced dividers that divide the circumferential cavity into cavity segments and that impair the circumferential movement of air within the cavity. For example, but not by way of limitation, if the dividers are disposed within the cavity and angularly separated by 20 degrees (0.349 radians) between each pair of adjacent dividers, there will be 18 cavity segments that make up the circumferential cavity (for 20 degrees or 0.349 radians of separation). If the dividers are separated at only 10 degrees (or 0.174 radians), there will be 36 cavity segments that make up the circumferential cavity (for 10 degrees or 0.174 radians of separation). In embodiments of the tumble drum of the present invention having an exterior section on a frustoconical exterior portion or on a cylindrical exterior portion of the tumble drum, the dividers are disposed within the circumferential cavity that surrounds the tumble drum and may extend the length of the cavity and along the axis of the tumble drum about which the tumble drum rotates. In embodiments of the tumble drum of the present invention having an exterior section on an anterior wall of the tumble drum, the dividers are disposed within the circumferential cavity that surrounds the tumble drum and may extend the length of the cavity and along the axis of the tumble drum about which the tumble drum rotates and may additionally extend into the portion of the cavity that is proximal the anterior wall and proximal to the exterior section in which the second set of apertures are disposed.
Another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention comprises a tumble drum for use in processing food portions, the tumble drum comprising an inlet at a first end, an outlet at a second end opposite the first end, an interior mixing chamber intermediate the first end and the second end, the interior mixing chamber surrounded by a wall having an exterior section, an axis extending through the inlet, the interior mixing chamber and the outlet about which the tumble drum can rotate, an anterior wall at the first end of the tumble drum surrounding the inlet and a circumferential cavity proximal to the wall and surrounding the interior mixing chamber, the circumferential cavity having a first set of circumferentially distributed apertures through which the cavity is in fluid communication with the interior mixing chamber, the cavity further being in fluid communication with a second set of circumferentially distributed apertures in the exterior section of the wall of the tumble drum, wherein a receiver coupled to a suction source can be engaged with the exterior section to draw air laden with airborne flavoring material from the interior mixing chamber, through the first set of apertures, into the cavity, through the second set of apertures to the inlet of the receiver and wherein the air drawn from the interior mixing chamber can be filtered to remove airborne flavoring material. In one embodiment of the tumble drum of the present invention, the receiver is engaged proximal to a lowermost portion of the exterior section of the tumble drum and the air drawn from the interior mixing chamber is directed downwardly through the bed of food portions moving within the tumble drum as it rotates to deposit at least some of the airborne flavoring material entrained in the air drawn from the interior mixing chamber onto the food portions as the air is drawn from the interior mixing chamber towards the first set of apertures and the circumferential cavity. One embodiment of the tumble drum further includes a plurality of angularly spaced dividers disposed within the circumferential cavity to impair circumferential movement of air drawn into the cavity from the interior mixing chamber. The angularly spaced dividers separate the circumferential cavity into cavity segments. For example, but not by way of limitation, each of the plurality of angularly spaced dividers are angularly separated from an adjacent divider by between 20 degrees (0.349 radians) and 60 degrees (1.047 radians) to separate the circumferential cavity into six (for dividers angularly separated by 60 degrees or 1.047 radians) to eighteen (for dividers angularly separated by 20 degrees or 0.349 radians) segments.
In one embodiment of the tumble drum of the present invention, the exterior section of the tumble drum comprises one of a radially inwardly recessed circumferential channel in an exterior section of the tumble drum and a radially outwardly protruding circumferential rail in the exterior section of the tumble drum. A radially inwardly recessed circumferential channel is recessed inwardly towards the interior mixing chamber and in the direction of the axis about which the tumble drum rotates, and a radially outwardly protruding circumferential rail protrudes outwardly away from the interior mixing chamber and in the direction radially away from the axis about which the tumble drum rotates.
In another embodiment of the tumble drum of the present invention, the exterior section of the tumble drum comprises one of an axially inwardly recessed channel in the anterior wall of the tumble drum and an axially outwardly protruding rail in the anterior wall of the tumble drum. An axially inwardly recessed channel in the anterior wall of the tumble drum is recessed inwardly towards the interior mixing chamber and in the direction generally parallel to the axis of the tumble drum, and an axially protruding rail in the anterior wall of the tumble drum protrudes outwardly away from the interior mixing chamber and in the direction generally parallel to the axis of the tumble drum.
One embedment of the method of the present invention is a method of applying an airborne flavoring material to a plurality of food portions comprising the steps of providing a tumble drum having an inlet at a first end, an outlet at a second end opposite the first end, an interior mixing chamber intermediate the first end and the second end, the interior mixing chamber surrounded by a wall having an exterior section, an axis extending through the inlet, the interior mixing chamber and the outlet about which the tumble drum can rotate, an anterior wall at the first end of the tumble drum surrounding the inlet and a circumferential cavity proximal to the wall and surrounding the interior mixing chamber, the cavity having a first set of circumferentially distributed apertures through which the cavity is in fluid communication with the interior mixing chamber, the cavity further being in fluid communication with a second set of circumferentially distributed apertures in the exterior section of the wall of the tumble drum, providing a receiver having an outlet coupled to suction source such as, for example, but not by way of limitation, an air mover, and an inlet on the receiver shaped to engage at least a portion of the exterior section of the tumble drum as the tumble drum rotates about the axis, the receiver disposed proximal a lowermost portion of the exterior section of the tumble drum, rotating the tumble drum about the axis while dispensing a flavoring material onto food portions moving within the tumble drum interior mixing chamber and operating the air mover to draw air laden with airborne flavoring material downwardly towards the lowermost portion of the tumble drum, through the bed of food portions accumulated within the interior mixing chamber, through the first set of apertures, into the circumferential cavity, through the second set of apertures of the exterior section, into the inlet of the receiver and through the outlet of the receiver towards the suction source. In one embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of providing a filter housing having an inlet and an outlet, providing a filter media within the filter housing, fluidically coupling the inlet of the filter housing to the outlet of the receiver and fluidically coupling the outlet of the filter housing to the air mover, wherein the air drawn from the interior mixing chamber can be filtered through the filter media to remove residual airborne flavoring material that is not deposited onto the bed of food portions in the interior mixing chamber.
In one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the apparatus includes a receiver that is supported in a stationary position and in engagement with the exterior section of the tumble drum at a position proximal to the lowermost portion of the exterior section of the tumble drum. This arrangement strategically disposes the receiver at a position that causes air laden with flavoring material within the interior mixing chamber of the tumble drum to downwardly move through the bed of food portions accumulated at the bottom or lowermost portion of the interior mixing chamber of the tumble drum and to recover at least that portion of the flavoring material that deposits onto or adheres onto the food portions as the air is withdrawn from the interior mixing chamber through the food portions, through the first set of apertures, into the circumferential cavity of the tumble drum, through the second set of apertures in the exterior section of the wall of the tumble drum and to the inlet of the receiver.
In one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the receiver is supported in engagement with the tumble drum at a position that is slightly angularly offset from the lowermost portion of the exterior section in the direction of movement of the lowermost portion of the exterior section, wherein an angle of offset of the receiver from the lowermost portion of the exterior section of the tumble drum is between one degree and thirty degrees. This arrangement provides for an even more strategic placement of the receiver to move air withdrawn from the interior mixing chamber of the tumble drum through the portion of the wall of the tumble drum that will be adjacent to the greatest accumulation of the food portions. It will be understood that in drums, agitators, dryers, etc., a drum may have a plurality of vanes or flutes extending radially inwardly from the wall of the drum to prevent the articles within the rotating drum from merely sliding along the wall. These flutes or vanes cause the largest accumulation in the interior mixing chamber of the tumble drum to be slightly angularly offset from the lowermost portion of the tumble drum and to instead me angularly offset in the direction of movement of the lowermost portion of the tumble drum.
One embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention further includes a valve disposed intermediate the air mover and the receiver, the valve being adjustable to modulate the rate at which air is drawn from the interior mixing chamber.
Other embodiments of the apparatus of the present invention will become apparent as a result of the description of an embodiment that follows. The invention is limited only by the claims appended hereto.
It will be understood that, while embodiments of the tumble drum 10 and the receivers 20 and/or 120 illustrated in the appended drawings include a radially inwardly recessed channel 80 (
Although the axially inwardly recessed channel 280 of the anterior wall 11 of
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The terms “preferably,” “preferred,” “prefer,” “optionally,” “may,” and similar terms are used to indicate that an item, condition or step being referred to is an optional (not required) feature of the invention.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or steps plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but it is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.