Apparatus for coating products

Coating apparatus – Control means responsive to a randomly occurring sensed... – Responsive to attribute – absence or presence of work

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C118S684000, C118S696000, C118S019000, C118S020000, C118S024000, C118S303000, C118S315000, C118S320000, C118S418000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06206968

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to processes and devices utilized for coating products and especially sugar coatings to products including food, confectionery and pharmaceutical products and more specifically to adjustable double piston metering pumps which are used to supply a coating solution to rotating pans in which a product is retained and wherein the coating solution is supplied by the pumps on a predetermined schedule.
2. Brief Description Of The Related Art
The process and apparatus of the present invention may be utilized in substantially any coating of a food, confectionery or pharmaceutical product, however, the invention has been specifically developed for use in sugar panning processes wherein the product to be coated is contained in a revolving cylinder, referenced in the industry as a “pan”. In sugar panning, numerous thinly applied layers of solution consisting of mixtures of sugar, water, corn syrup, various gums and coloring agents are applied to the product. Each layer or dosage of the coating solution is measured, applied to the product and allowed to “distribute” within the product before the product is dried using either hot or cold air, depending whether the coating process is a “Hot Process” or a “Cold Process”. The number of layers or dosages applied is predetermined and the processes of coating continues successively until the predetermined number of coatings are applied to the product.
The process of applying liquid solution, allowing distribution time and subsequent drying is repeated numerous times until a desired appearance or size of the finished product is obtained. This may require from twenty to several hundred applications of the coating solution depending upon the particular product and the original intent for the panning of the product. Typically, confectionery items are coated with a crunchy candy shell which is usually colored, chocolate confections are coated to prevent melting and pharmaceutical products are made more palatable for consumer consumption.
Substantially all sugar panning is done in one of two types of equipment, conventional pans or automated pans. Automated pans are generally used by companies which specialize in panning in large mass utilizing batch processes of products in the one thousand to three thousand pound range. The pans are extremely large and the dosing functions are generally computerized such that the introduction of solutions, drying times and the like are automated. Automated pans are inherently more expensive than conventional pans and can easily cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Conventional pans are smaller and less expensive and process batch sizes from several pounds for laboratory uses up to several hundred pounds for commercial production models. The relatively small batch yield and inexpensive cost of conventional pans normally require that manufactures utilize a plurality of pans in series to accomplish coating tasks. Conventional pans are advantageous for processing multiple batches in various flavors and colors simultaneously.
Conventional pans are currently not automated for sugar panning. Dosing and control of drying air is done manually. Typically an operator proceeds from one pan to the next so as to control both the dosing and air supply to each pan in sequence. At each pan where the air is turned of, the coating solution is measured and poured into the revolving pan. The solution is allowed to distribute with the material to be coated before drying air is supplied. This process is repeated at each pan until the desired number of coatings is obtained. Unfortunately, extreme care must be taken so that the coating solution supplied to each pan is supplied not only in equal amounts but so that the amount of distribution time that the coating solution has with the product and the amount of drying time remains equal for all pans in a series of pans in order to provide a uniform product. A typical skillful operator may operate as many as fifteen pans in sequence.
In view of the foregoing, in the use of conventional sugar panning equipment, there is no method or apparatus for insuring uniformity of the coatings applied to products from one pan to the next and a great deal of reliance is placed upon the effective skills of an operator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was developed in view of the shortcomings outlined above with respect to limitations of coating processes utilizing conventional panning equipment. The invention provides both a process and metering pump for automatically supplying, to each pan in a series of pans, a predetermined dose of coating solution at predetermined timed intervals so as to ensure uniformity between the quantity of coating solution introduced into each pan, uniformity at distribution time of the solution within each pan, and uniformity of drying time for each pan in a series of pans. To this end, the present invention includes a coating solution supply assembly which is adapted to be mounted adjacent a conventional pan for supplying predetermined quantities of coating solution to the pan at predetermined time intervals.
Each coating solution supply assembly of the present invention includes a unique pan pump formed as a double piston metering and supply pump. Each pump includes a first cylinder chamber having a first metering piston member mounted therein wherein the piston member is adjustable relative to a piston rod which extends through the cylinder. The piston rod moves with the metering piston from a first position for introducing a control fluid into the chamber defined thereby to a second position for discharging the control fluid from the chamber. This action simultaneously causes the discharge of a coating solution from a separate cylinder defining a food grade coating solution supply chamber. The piston rod extends through the first chamber and into the separate second coating solution supply chamber which receives the coating solution. The coating solution supply chamber is maintained spaced from the metering chamber so that the operating or control fluid for the pan pump never contacts the coating solution thus insuring the sterility of the coating solution which is pumped from a supply source to a distribution header. The distribution header is connected in fluid communication with an outlet of the coating solution supply chamber of the pan pump. The piston rod is also connected to a second piston mounted within the coating solution supply chamber.
As the first metering piston member is moved by a control fluid within the metering chamber, the piston in the coating solution supply chamber is first moved in a direction to draw a coating solution from a supply container through a one-way check valve and into the solution supply chamber of the pan pump. Once the metering piston has been moved to a fully open position such as by the introduction of a pneumatic source into the chamber of the metering cylinder, the metering piston is activated by the pneumatic source to drive the piston rod to force coating solution out of the chamber of the coating supply chamber through another one-way check valve and to the distribution header. The effective stroke of the metering piston is changed by moving the piston member relative to the piston rod such as by utilizing a threaded engagement between the metering piston member and the piston rod. The effective stroke may also be controlled by the supply of pneumatic air or other fluid to the metering chamber by an appropriate valve and controller.
To maintain the solution supply chamber clean and operative, a source of cleaning and lubrication solution and is connected to the coating solution chamber. Cleaning lubricating solution is periodically introduced into the chamber on an opposite side of the piston from the face of the piston which is in contact with the coating solution. The cleaning and lubricating solution may be recycled over a period of time.
The coating solution supply assembly is designed to be mounted on a standar

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