Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR COATING FOOD ITEMS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001 ] The present invention relates generally to a method, apparatus, and
system
for coating food items. More particularly, the present invention relates to a
mask
apparatus and method of using the mask apparatus within a system for the
coating of food
items capable of containing liquid-based confections including, but not
limited to, empty
ice cream cones subsequently filled with ice cream.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In the field of dry-goods production, an ever-present problem related
to
humidity exists. The shelf life of any given dry-good is lessened by the
absorption of
water from adjacent moist materials, such as ice cream as a source of water
within an ice
cream cone product. This concern is no less than an issue in the production of
ice cream
products that include dry wafer containers in the common form of cones. Such
cones are
usually intended to be an edible part of the ice cream product. Ideally, such
cones
maintain their desirable attributes such as crispiness and flavour. However,
the high
relative humidity of ice cream detracts from such desirable attributes over
time. This is
due, in large part, from the migration of moisture from the ice cream into the
cone itself.
This results in undesirable effects such as reduced crispiness in the cone.
Indeed, a soggy
cone tends to absorb flavours from its surrounding environment resulting in a
taste that
may be more like the freezer compartment or cardboard packaging.
[0003] In order to overcome the undesirable effects of moisture migrating from
a
relatively moist ice cream material into a relatively dry cone, the frozen
confection
industry has provided a coating layer between the cone and ice cream to
prevent migration
of such moisture. The standard coating layer that has been used by the
industry is a
chocolate product that is vegetable oil based and thus provides a relatively
water-
impermeable moisture barner. In manufacture of the ice cream product, the cone
is coated
by some form of spray applied to the interior of the cone prior to
introduction of the ice
cream in order to maintain the crispiness of the cone.
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[0004] One critical point in contact with the ice cream is the rim of the
cone. Even
the relatively small area of the rim being exposed to ice cream can result in
detrimental
moisture increases within the entire wafer cone. For an unlived wafer sprayed
in an
upright position, the protection of the rim must be done by an over-spray.
Commonly, a
cardboard tray is currently used to carry the wafers on assembly lines. This
cardboard tray
serves at the same time to collect any over spray. In addition to significant
wastage of the
coating itself in terms of cost, such overspray represents potential
cleanliness problems in
regards to the assembly line as well as waste-disposal concerns related to the
soiled
cardboard trays.
[0005] While the problems elucidated herein are related to ice cream and wafer
cones that are used to hold such ice cream, it is equally apparent that any
spray coating
applied to a dry-good designed to hold a relatively moist food product would
incur the
same problems. Such other problematic food products may therefore not be
limited to
frozen ice cream cones, but may include snack items such as filled pie crusts
intended to
have an improved shelf life in terms of crispiness and flavour.
[0006] It is, therefore, desirable to provide a manner and mechanism of
coating
food items that alleviates problems associated with overspray.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at
least one
disadvantage of previous methods and apparatus for coating food items such as,
but not
limited to, ice cream cones intended for extended shelf life.
[0008] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a liquid recovery
apparatus
for use in coating food items, said apparatus comprising: a bottom section
having at least
one opening, each said opening including a collar; a first sidewall arranged
perpendicular
to said bottom section; a second sidewall arranged perpendicular to said
bottom section
and parallel to said first sidewall; a first endwall arranged perpendicular to
each of said
first and said second sidewalk and said bottom section; a second endwall
arranged
perpendicular to each of said first and said second sidewalls and said bottom
section and
parallel to said first endwall; a recovery means for recovering coating
liquid, said recovery
means located nearer said first endwall; and wherein said bottom section, said
first
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sidewalk said second sidewall, said first endwall, and said second endwall
enable
containment of coating liquid therein for recovery by said recovery means.
[0009] In a further embodiment, there is provided a method of coating a food
item
with a coating liquid including recovery of said coating liquid via a liquid
recovery
apparatus including a bottom section having at least one opening, each said
opening
including a collar, a first sidewall arranged perpendicular to said bottom
section, a second
sidewall arranged perpendicular to said bottom section and parallel to said
first sidewall, a
first endwall arranged perpendicular to each of said first and said second
sidewalk and
said bottom section, a second endwall arranged perpendicular to each of said
first and said
second sidewalls and said bottom section and parallel to said first endwall,
and a recovery
means for recovering coating liquid, said recovery means located nearer said
first endwall,
said method comprising: presenting one or more food items in a stationary
position below
said liquid recovery apparatus; lowering said liquid recovery apparatus such
that each said
collar surrounds a corresponding one of each said food item; spraying a
coating liquid
from above each said collar in order to coat each said food item such that
each said food
item is coated with said coating liquid and excess coating liquid sprayed
outside of a
periphery of said collar collects in said bottom section of said liquid
recovery apparatus;
raising said liquid recovery apparatus such that said excess coating liquid
flows towards
said first endwall; and collecting said excess coating liquid via said
recovery means such
that said excess coating liquid is available for reuse.
[0010] In still a further embodiment, there is provided a system for
manufacturing
a coated food product, said system comprising: a holding mechanism for moving
one or
more food items into a fixed position; a first spraying mechanism for coating
each of said
one or more food items; a liquid recovery apparatus including a bottom section
having at
least one opening, each said opening including a collar engageable with each
of said one
or more food items, a first sidewall arranged perpendicular to said bottom
section, a
second sidewall arranged perpendicular to said bottom section and parallel to
said first
sidewalk a first endwall arranged perpendicular to each of said first and said
second
sidewalls and said bottom section, a second endwall arranged perpendicular to
each of said
first and said second sidewalk and said bottom section and parallel to said
first endwall,
and a suction device for recovering excess coating liquid collected within a
space defined
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by said bottom section, said first sidewall, said second sidewalk said first
endwall, and
said second endwall, said suction device located nearer said first endwall; a
pump
mechanism operably connected to said suction device for evacuating said excess
coating
liquid; a reservoir for holding said excess coating liquid; a means for
filling each of said
one or more food items with an edible confection to form a food product; and a
second
spraying mechanism fed from said reservoir for providing further deposits of
said excess
coating liquid on said food product.
[0011] Other aspects and features of the present invention will become
apparent to
those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description
of specific
embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of
example only, with reference to the attached figures, wherein:
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the present invention in accordance
with the preferred embodiment;
FIGURE 1A is a perspective view of a mask in accordance with the
present invention shown in the preferred embodiment of FIGURE l;
FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the mask and a wafer cone in
accordance with the preferred embodiment of FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 3 is an end view of the present invention in accordance with the
preferred embodiment of FIGURE 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Generally, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for
coating food items by way of a mask apparatus that limits wasted coating
material. While
not intended to be limiting, the present invention is described in terms of
coating the
interior surfaces of wafer cones designed to hold ice cream. Accordingly, it
should be
understood that the present method and apparatus for coating may be applied to
a variety
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of dry food items capable of containing liquid-based or otherwise moist
confections
without straying from the intended scope of the present invention. Such may
include,
without limitation, snack cakes having pie shells, fruit-based frozen
confections having
rice or grain-based edible containers, and cream-filled baked goods.
[0014] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method and
apparatus provides coating of the interior of a wafer cone. Moreover, such
method and
apparatus enable overspray of the wafer cone in order to assure uniform and
thick coating
of the rim of the wafer cone.
(0015] With reference to FIGURE 1, the present invention is shown in the
context
of a precoating portion 100 of a full ice cream cone assembly line (not
shown). Within
precoating portion 100 of the assembly line, a tray-like device is provided in
the form of a
mask apparatus 110. The mask 110 is formed from a durable material. Stainless
steel is
preferred due to the necessary sanitary conditions and requisite cleaning
related to food
production. In the preferred embodiment, the mask is formed by at least one
double-
jacketed wall. The double jacketing is for the purpose of providing
circulation of a
warming medium, such as warm water, within the mask 110. The warming medium
transmits heat into the stainless-steel walls. The necessity of this will
become apparent
with further description discussed further herein.
[0016] With further reference to FIGURES 1A and 2, the mask 110 itself is
formed as an elongated chute or slideway including a bottom section 120,
sidewalk 122a,
122b with splashguards 121a, 121b endwalls 124a, 124b, and. FIGURE 2 is a cut-
away
view taken across line II-II in FIGURE 1A. The bottom 120 includes at least
one conical
opening 123. Each conical opening 123 is a truncated, hollow cone-shaped
collar with an
upper circumference 123a and a lower circumference 123b. The conical opening
123a
functions as a feedthrough for each empty ice cream cone 200. The upper
circumference
123a being dimensioned slightly larger than the widest circumference of the
empty ice
cream cone 200. The conical opening may be additional pieces, or inserts, that
are clipped
into the mask from the bottom to the top. Such inserts would therefore be
removable/replaceable and may be fabricated from a durable polymer or any
suitable
material that will give the advantage to be easily adapted if the wafer
diameter has been
changed. While eight conical openings 123 are shown in FIGURE 1, it should be
noted
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that any number of such openings may exist for the given application -e.g.,
pre-coating of
multiple wafer cones. The splashguards 121a, 121b are angled extensions of
sides 122a,
122b, respectively.
(0017) A spray means (not shown) produces a generally solid conical area of
spray
illustrated as the coating spray 130 in FIGURE 2. Any suitable spray means for
providing a cone of spray of the given coating material can be used in
accordance with the
present invention. However, the coating spray 130 has a preferred spray angle
a that is in
a range of between 20 degrees and 50 degrees and centered on the longitudinal
axis of
each cone 200. Each conical opening 123 in conjunction with the adjacent
exposed inner
surfaces of the bottom section 120, sidewalls 122a, 122b, endwalls 124a, 124b,
and
splashguards 121a, 121b serve to capture most, if not all, of the excess
coating (i.e.,
overspray) deposited by the coating spray 130 on each cone's inner surface and
rim. In
the preferred embodiment which pertains to chocolate coating the inner surface
and top
circumferential rim of a wafer cone, the spray coating will tend to solidify.
Accordingly,
heating of the mask 110 will assist in maintaining the spray coating in a
liquefied state.
[0018) In a preferred embodiment, heating of the mask 110 is accomplished as
mentioned above via hot water where the bottom section 120 is formed by a
double-walled
structure 140 as shown in FIGURE 2 that allows sealed hot water to flow
therein. The
specifics of hot water pumps and related tubing and heating elements that
provide such hot
water are not described or shown as these are features well within the
knowledge of
ordinary skill in the art. However, it should further be understood that
various other
mechanisms may be utilized in order to heat the mask 110 to a desired
temperature such
as, but not limited to, resistance heating applied to the outer surfaces of
the mask 110,
integrated inductance heating mechanisms, or elevated ambient temperatures by
way of air
heaters or by pre-coating in a heated chamber.
[0019] Each conical opening 123 is designed to avoid breakage of the wafer
cones
and to collect the maximum amount of coating overspray. Each conical opening
123 is
preferably formed by a thin-walled, conical plastic ring. It is well within
the intended
scope of the present invention to fabricate such plastic rings in such a way
that they are
replaceable in differing sizes for cones of differing sizes or replaceable for
maintenance
reasons related to normal wear and tear. While this would require a disruption
and
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servicing of the ice cream cone assembly line, only such plastic rings would
require
replacement. Still further, the conical opening 123 may be provided as an
integral part of
the bottom 120 and thereby formed from stainless steel.
[0020] As mentioned above, the upper circumference 123a of the conical opening
123 is sized to be slightly larger than the largest circumference (i.e., top
rim) of the cone
200. This results in a spacing 150 between the inner edge of the upper
circumference
123a and the rim of the cone 200. Such spacing 150 will allow some room for
lateral
displacement of each cone 200 that may normally occur during movement of the
assembly
line. The spacing also thereby minimizes physical contact with the cone 200 by
the mask
110 such that the opportunity for wafer breakage is reduced. Further, in order
to prevent
or otherwise minimize the amount of chocolate coating going through the gap
formed by
such spacing 150, two variables should be preferably set. First, the rim of
the cone 200
should be located at a minimum distance above the underside of the bottom
section 120 of
the mask 110. This minimum distance shall be termed "wafer rise" for purposes
of this
application and indicated by "h" in FIGURE 2. The wafer rise should be a
minimum of
one inch, and more preferably, two inches. For this purpose, it would be
within the scope
of the present invention to include a means that could lift the wafer through
its conical
opening so as to rise it at the optimum position "h". Secondly, the angle a at
which the
chocolate spray is dispatched from above should be not smaller than
20°, and preferably
SO°.
[0021] In operation just at the spray position, the mask 110 is placed such
that each
conical opening 123 rests around the cone 200 in the region of the wafer rise.
In this
position, the mask 110 is laid on the cone carnet of the assembly line during
the spraying
of the rim in order to collect the over-spray. In normal operation, wafer
cones are known
to flake or otherwise break such that some wafer scraps are also collected by
the mask 110
and mixed with the chocolate coating. Such coating overspray and wafer scraps
thereby
collect in the bottom section 120 of the mask 110. After a row of cones is
sprayed in
accordance with the preferred embodiment, the mask 110 will be lifted, as
shown in
FIGURE 3, on one end to allow the sprayed cones to move along and be replaced
by
another row of empty cones for the next spray. Lifting occurs via actuators
310, 320
located at the ends of the mask 110. The mask 110 itself is lifted up when the
carnet is
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moving forward. During the lift, one end of the mask 110 rotates about a fixed
point while
the other end travels along an arcuate path. Thus, the mask 110 is sloped to
form a
slideway that allows the excess coating (with or without wafer scraps) to flow
towards the
lower end where such excess coating is then pumped out of the mask 110 via
recovery
means 330 that includes any type of suitable suction pump and reservoir. For
purposes of
clarity, the pump and reservoir have been omitted from the description as
details of any
suitable pump or reservoir would be clear to one of ordinary skill in the art.
[0022] With further reference to FIGURE 3, a recess or gathering area for the
excess coating may be provided at the lower end 110a of the mask 110. Also,
channels
may be provided in the surface of the bottom 120 to assist gathering and flow
of the excess
coating to the lower end during the rise position. Due to the fact that the
excess coating
may include fairly sizeable particles of wafer from the cones, the egress pipe
330a that
removes the excess coating from the recess or gathering area should be at
least '/2" in
diameter.
[0023] The present invention as described above is useful within assembly line
systems that use chocolate coating in multiple areas of the assembly line.
That it to say,
the present invention provides for a method of coating a wafer cone where
excess coating
collected during the precoating of empty cones can be recirculated to
subsequent filling
steps. Specifically, the excess coating may be used within a step after the
cones are filled
with ice cream to provide a topping of chocolate coating on the ice cream.
Subsequent
introduction of nuts, cookie crumble, or other such similar topping may then
be provided
to adhere to the chocolate topping. Accordingly, a substantial savings is
realized in the
manufacture of ice cream cones by recirculating excess coating that is
recovered from the
precoating step via the present inventive apparatus.
[0024] It should be understood that the embodiment shown and described is
illustrative of only one embodiment of the present invention and should not be
construed
as limiting. While the wafer cone as shown is resting on a lamella 340, an
alternative that
is well within the scope of the present invention would be to provide each
wafer cone in a
respective holder (not shown). Such a holder could allow the wafer to sit
higher with an
increased wafer rise. This would reduce the need for a conical opening 123 and
instead
allow use of a cylindrical opening (not shown) in the base section 120.
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[0025] The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended
to
be examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations may be effected to
the
particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the
scope of the
invention, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.
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