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GB2478429A - Apparatus for depositing viscous foodstuffs comprising moveable depositor head - Google Patents

Apparatus for depositing viscous foodstuffs comprising moveable depositor head Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2478429A
GB2478429A GB1103688A GB201103688A GB2478429A GB 2478429 A GB2478429 A GB 2478429A GB 1103688 A GB1103688 A GB 1103688A GB 201103688 A GB201103688 A GB 201103688A GB 2478429 A GB2478429 A GB 2478429A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
tray
depositor
receiving station
foodstuffs
tray receiving
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB1103688A
Other versions
GB201103688D0 (en
Inventor
David Thomas
Andrew Jones
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
AFE Group Ltd
Original Assignee
AFE Group Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by AFE Group Ltd filed Critical AFE Group Ltd
Publication of GB201103688D0 publication Critical patent/GB201103688D0/en
Publication of GB2478429A publication Critical patent/GB2478429A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23GCOCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
    • A23G3/00Sweetmeats; Confectionery; Marzipan; Coated or filled products
    • A23G3/02Apparatus specially adapted for manufacture or treatment of sweetmeats or confectionery; Accessories therefor
    • A23G3/20Apparatus for coating or filling sweetmeats or confectionery
    • A23G3/22Apparatus for coating by casting of liquids
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23GCOCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
    • A23G1/00Cocoa; Cocoa products, e.g. chocolate; Substitutes therefor
    • A23G1/04Apparatus specially adapted for manufacture or treatment of cocoa or cocoa products
    • A23G1/20Apparatus for moulding, cutting or dispensing chocolate
    • A23G1/201Apparatus not covered by groups A23G1/21 - A23G1/28
    • A23G1/205Apparatus in which the material is shaped at least partially in a mould, in the hollows of a surface, a drum or an endless band, or by drop-by-drop casting or dispensing of the material on a surface, e.g. injection moulding or transfer moulding
    • A23G1/206Apparatus for laying down material in moulds or drop-by-drop on a surface, optionally with associated heating, cooling, portioning, cutting cast-tail or anti-drip device
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23GCOCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
    • A23G3/00Sweetmeats; Confectionery; Marzipan; Coated or filled products
    • A23G3/02Apparatus specially adapted for manufacture or treatment of sweetmeats or confectionery; Accessories therefor
    • A23G3/0236Shaping of liquid, paste, powder; Manufacture of moulded articles, e.g. modelling, moulding, calendering
    • A23G3/0252Apparatus in which the material is shaped at least partially in a mould, in the hollows of a surface, a drum, an endless band, or by a drop-by-drop casting or dispensing of the material on a surface, e.g. injection moulding, transfer moulding
    • A23G3/0257Apparatus for laying down material in moulds or drop-by-drop on a surface, optionally with the associated heating, cooling, portioning, cutting cast-tail, anti-drip device
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23GCOCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
    • A23G3/00Sweetmeats; Confectionery; Marzipan; Coated or filled products
    • A23G3/02Apparatus specially adapted for manufacture or treatment of sweetmeats or confectionery; Accessories therefor
    • A23G3/20Apparatus for coating or filling sweetmeats or confectionery
    • A23G3/2007Manufacture of filled articles, composite articles, multi-layered articles
    • A23G3/2023Manufacture of filled articles, composite articles, multi-layered articles the material being shaped at least partially in a mould, in the hollows of a surface, a drum, an endless band or by drop-by-drop casting or dispensing of the materials on a surface or an article being completed
    • A23G3/203Apparatus for laying down the liquid, pasty or solid materials in moulds or drop-by-drop, on a surface or an article being completed, optionally with the associated heating, cooling, proportioning, cutting cast-tail, antidripping device
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29CSHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C31/00Handling, e.g. feeding of the material to be shaped, storage of plastics material before moulding; Automation, i.e. automated handling lines in plastics processing plants, e.g. using manipulators or robots
    • B29C31/04Feeding of the material to be moulded, e.g. into a mould cavity
    • B29C31/042Feeding of the material to be moulded, e.g. into a mould cavity using dispensing heads, e.g. extruders, placed over or apart from the moulds
    • B29C31/044Feeding of the material to be moulded, e.g. into a mould cavity using dispensing heads, e.g. extruders, placed over or apart from the moulds with moving heads for distributing liquid or viscous material into the moulds

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Food Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Robotics (AREA)
  • Baking, Grill, Roasting (AREA)

Abstract

A front-loadable viscous foodstuffs depositor comprises a tray receiving station 2 adapted to support a stationary tray incorporating one or more foodstuffs moulds, and an actuator housing 3 extending substantially vertically from the rear of the tray receiving station. The housing includes moveable carriage means 4 for moveably supporting one or more depositor heads 5. The depositor heads are suitable for selectively dispensing viscous foodstuffs at spaced intervals on a tray placed on the tray receiving station. The filled tray may be removed from the front of the apparatus. The carriage may move the depositor head and a corresponding hopper 6 horizontally across the apparatus. The height of the tray receiving station may be adjustable.

Description

Improvements in and relating to viscous foodstuffs depositors This invention relates to foodstuffs depositors of the type typically used to deposit confectionary products onto moulds of a baking tray at spaced intervals.
As is well known, industrial-sized depositors for depositing viscous liquid confectionary into moulds mounted on a conveyor prior to the moulds being transferred to a baking station are well known, an example being in UK Patent GB1471347. Apparatus of this type are necessarily large in terms of the area and volume they use up, since the conveyor and associated operating mechanism have to be placed beneath the depositor and allow sufficient space for successive moulds to be positioned below the depositor in sequence, whereafter they are filled and then moved initially at least linearly further along to allow the next successive mould or mould tray to be moved into position. Above the or each depositor nozzle is a reservoir of viscous foodstuffs to be deposited, which further adds to the size of the apparatus, which is therefore unsuitable for use in e.g. small bakeries where foodstuffs such as confectionary are to be baked in-house on trays of individual moulds.
The foregoing problem has been addressed by the miniaturisation of industrial-sized depositors which are adopted for table-top use of which, effectively, adopt the same kind of layout in which baking trays, sometimes with moulds, are placed on a suitable tray receiving station to one side and below the or each depositor head and are then moved sideways relative to the front of the apparatus to sequentially fill each tray under a stationary depositor head or heads. However, it will be apparent that in such arrangements the total width of the depositor apparatus must be at least equal to the length of a tray in order to allow it to be placed on the tray receiving station before they are filled, plus the width of the depositor head or heads plus the length of the tray up to half the width of the depositor head or heads in order to ensure that all of the tray can be filled. In addition, the conveyor machinery used to transfer trays from one side of the depositor head or heads to the other necessarily increases the working height of the apparatus which may therefore be well above the working height of the table top onto which it has been placed, and since an important part of the operation of depositing e.g. confectionary products into moulds within a baking tray is to ensure that the apparatus is regularly cleaned it will be apparent that if the apparatus is placed next to other machines on the same table-top surface they may need to be removed relative to the apparatus to allow for cleaning at regular intervals.
The present invention is derived from the realisation that there is a need for viscous foodstuffs depositor apparatus in which the foregoing disadvantages are obviated, where such apparatus can be cleaned without first being moved relative to adjacent apparatus or machines etc and where the working height for the operator of the apparatus is not impeded by the presence of e.g. conveyor apparatus below and to either side of the tray.
According to the invention there is provided a front-loadable viscous foodstuffs depositor apparatus comprising or including a tray receiving station adapted to, in use, support a stationary tray incorporating one or more moulds immediately above a table top surface, an actuator housing extending substantially vertically from the rear of the tray-receiving station and including moveable carriage means for moveably supporting one or more depositor heads for selectively depositing viscous foodstuffs at spaced intervals on a tray placed on the tray receiving station and thereafter permitting the filled tray to be removed from the front of the apparatus.
With this arrangement the overall width of the depositor apparatus need only amount to substantially the sum of the width of a tray and the combined width of the or each depositor heads, such that the or each mould at each end of the tray can be filled with foodstuffs as required, thereby providing a more compact and ergonomic arrangement than the arrangements described earlier.
Conveniently, the moveable carriage is a slideable carriage providing linear movement of the or each depositor head in a horizontal sideways manner with respect to the front of the apparatus and means may also be provided for vertical movement of the tray receiving station to thereby provide height adjustment for different sizes of trays and/or moulds relative to the or each depositor head.
The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-Figure 1 is a front elevation of foodstuffs depositor apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention, Figure 2 is a top view of the apparatus of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a side view of the apparatus of Figure 1, Figure 4 is a perspective view of the apparatus of Figure 1, and, Figure 5 is a general arrangement front view of the apparatus of Figure 1.
Referring to the drawings a viscous foodstuffs depositor apparatus shown generally at 1 comprises a tray receiving station 2 for supporting a tray (not shown), having one or more moulds therein or thereon, an actuator housing 3 extending vertically from the rear of the tray receiving station 2 and including carriage means 4 for moveably supporting a set of depositor heads shown generally at 5 mounted beneath a hopper 6 having a vented lid 7.
The tray receiving station 2 is moveably mounted between a pair of support arms 8 just above a table top surface (not shown) so that, in use, the tray receiving station 2 is substantially at worktop height but can be highered or lowered relative to the depositor heads 5.
The carriage 4 and hence depositor heads 5 and hopper 6 are moveable horizontally from the position shown above a cross-member 9 near the bottom of the actuator housing 3 (shown more clearly in Figure 4) from the position shown in which the set of depositor heads 5 are centred over the extreme left-side edge of the tray receiving station 2 to a position on the opposite side of the apparatus 1 centred on the right-side end of the tray receiving station 2 such that the overall width of the apparatus 1 corresponds to the sum of the width of the tray receiving station 2 as viewed from the front and the full width of the set of depositor heads 5.
In Figure 5 there is shown a general arrangement drawing corresponding to Figure 1 in which the various internal mechanisms of the apparatus 1 are shown in broken outline. These include a slide rail 10 along which the upper part of the moveable carriage 4 can be moved as a result of it being mechanically connected to a ball screw 11 which is turned clockwise or anti clockwise as required by means of an electric motor 12 and associated drive train between it and the ball screw 11.
Vertical movement of the tray receiving station 2 towards and away from the set of depositor heads 5 and hopper 6 is effected by means of a rack and pinion assembly shown generally at 13 operated by an electric motor 14 so that, depending upon the height of any tray and associated moulds requiring filling by the apparatus 1, the relative distance between the depositor head set 5 to the tray receiving station 2 can be adjusted as required.
The invention therefore provides a relatively compact depositor apparatus suitable for use in e.g. a bakery where space is at a premium, which has the further advantage of being easily accessible with relatively few moving parts requiring cleaning and where loading and unloading of the tray is from the front of the apparatus rather than from the sides. The configuration also lends itself to having the ability to detach the tray receiving station, thereby improving access to the table surface on which the depositor 1 is resting for the purposes of cleaning and/or maintenance.

Claims (5)

  1. Claims 1. Front-loadable viscous foodstuffs depositor apparatus comprising or including a tray receiving station adapted to, in use, support a stationary tray incorporating one or more foodstuffs moulds, an actuator housing extending substantially vertically from the rear of the tray receiving station and including moveable carriage means for moveably supporting one or more depositor heads for selectively depositing viscous foodstuffs at spaced intervals on a tray placed on the tray receiving station and thereafter permitting the filled tray to be removed from the front of the apparatus.
  2. 2. Apparatus according to Claim 1 further characterised in that the moveable carriage is a slideable carriage providing linear movement of the or each depositor head in a horizontal sideways manner with respect to the front of the apparatus.
  3. 3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 further characterised in that the overall width is substantially the sum of the width of a tray receivable on the tray receiving station and the width of the or each depositor heads.
  4. 4. Apparatus according to any preceding Claim further characterised that means are provided for vertical movement of the tray receiving station relative to the or each depositor heads to thereby provide height adjustment for different sizes of trays and/or moulds relative to the or each depositor head.
  5. 5. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.
GB1103688A 2010-03-05 2011-03-04 Apparatus for depositing viscous foodstuffs comprising moveable depositor head Withdrawn GB2478429A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB1003671.3A GB201003671D0 (en) 2010-03-05 2010-03-05 Foodstuffs depositor apparatus

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB201103688D0 GB201103688D0 (en) 2011-04-20
GB2478429A true GB2478429A (en) 2011-09-07

Family

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Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GBGB1003671.3A Ceased GB201003671D0 (en) 2010-03-05 2010-03-05 Foodstuffs depositor apparatus
GB1103688A Withdrawn GB2478429A (en) 2010-03-05 2011-03-04 Apparatus for depositing viscous foodstuffs comprising moveable depositor head

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GBGB1003671.3A Ceased GB201003671D0 (en) 2010-03-05 2010-03-05 Foodstuffs depositor apparatus

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (2) GB201003671D0 (en)

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB180528A (en) * 1921-04-23 1922-06-01 Asbjorn Sonsthagen Improvements in and relating to chocolate and like depositing, coating or similar machines
GB227609A (en) * 1923-12-27 1925-01-22 Joseph Geary Improvements in or relating to means for delivering measured quantities
US1903570A (en) * 1930-07-19 1933-04-11 Kremmling Aribert Apparatus for depositing plastic or semifluid substances
US2031386A (en) * 1935-01-18 1936-02-18 Edward D Rapisarda Printing and depositing mechanism
GB700962A (en) * 1951-02-20 1953-12-16 Earle Thomas Oakes Method and apparatus for depositing marshmallow, dough, batters and the like
US5404922A (en) * 1993-08-02 1995-04-11 Sliter; Spencer Apparatus and method for evenly dispensing gelatin-based solutions

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB180528A (en) * 1921-04-23 1922-06-01 Asbjorn Sonsthagen Improvements in and relating to chocolate and like depositing, coating or similar machines
GB227609A (en) * 1923-12-27 1925-01-22 Joseph Geary Improvements in or relating to means for delivering measured quantities
US1903570A (en) * 1930-07-19 1933-04-11 Kremmling Aribert Apparatus for depositing plastic or semifluid substances
US2031386A (en) * 1935-01-18 1936-02-18 Edward D Rapisarda Printing and depositing mechanism
GB700962A (en) * 1951-02-20 1953-12-16 Earle Thomas Oakes Method and apparatus for depositing marshmallow, dough, batters and the like
US5404922A (en) * 1993-08-02 1995-04-11 Sliter; Spencer Apparatus and method for evenly dispensing gelatin-based solutions

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB201003671D0 (en) 2010-04-21
GB201103688D0 (en) 2011-04-20

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)