Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Measuring – testing – or controlling by inanimate means – Preparing solid product in final form by heating
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-30
2004-04-27
Yeung, George C. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Measuring, testing, or controlling by inanimate means
Preparing solid product in final form by heating
C426S438000, C426S450000, C426S523000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06726945
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to popcorn poppers and more specifically to a automatic or manual popcorn poppers which produce popcorn in consecutive batches while reducing the amount of attention required from an operator and while producing a consistently high quality of popped corn. This invention also relates to an improved method for popping popcorn.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Popcorn is mass-produced for sale at movies and other events in commercial popcorn poppers which include an enclosed, transparent cabinet containing a tiltable kettle suspended above a catch area or platform. The kettle is heated and uncooked popcorn kernels are placed therein to be cooked and popped. Once the kernels are popped, the kettle is manually tilted and the popcorn spills onto the platform to be scooped up, packaged and sold to customers.
Conventionally, commercial popcorn poppers have been manually operated and have required an operator's constant attention for cooking the kernels and subsequently dumping the popped popcorn. For example, an operator would load the kettle with popping oil and unpopped corn kernels and then listen and watch for the unpopped corn to pop. When the operator decided, somewhat arbitrarily, that the corn was sufficiently popped, they would then dump the kettle and spill the popcorn onto the serving platform. Additional oil and corn would then be added for the next batch. While such conventional popcorn poppers are generally effective in mass-producing popcorn; the constant attention they require prevents the operator from other important tasks, such as selling the popcorn and other concession products, taking money and generally servicing customers.
As may be appreciated, the multiple duties entrusted concessionaire operators are not conducive to having them constantly monitor a popcorn popper. If attention is diverted for an extended length of time, the popcorn is susceptible to being burned or overcooked. In addition to the waste of burned popcorn, the aroma of the burned popcorn is not attractive to customers and may actually discourage purchases. Furthermore, if the operator inadvertently dumps the burned corn onto the platform, it will contaminate the usable popcorn which has already been produced and may render the entire batch inedible and thus unusable. Still further, the results and mess from burned popcorn is not easy to clean. The kettle is hot and must be allowed to cool before the burned popcorn is removed and the kettle placed back in service.
Additionally, the arbitrary nature of the dumping process with conventional poppers makes them subject to messes associated with premature dumping. For example, if the operator mistakenly believes that the corn has been completely popped and the oil used when indeed uncooked corn and oil remains in the kettle, tilting the kettle will spill oil onto the serving platform and possibly onto the counter. Such spills ruin and waste popcorn and create a mess which must be cleaned, adding to the already numerous tasks of a concessionaire.
Still further, too much oil may be added for a particular cooking cycle, and even if the cooking cycle is completed, excess oil might be left, again resulting in a mess upon dumping of the batch. For example, one operator may load the uncooked corn and oil for a batch, and another operator may subsequently and inadvertently load more oil, believing it had not been added. The excess oil does not burn off or cook and remains in the kettle. Not only is a mess created upon dumping, but the excess oil may also foul the batch of popcorn.
Another drawback of conventional popcorn poppers is the inherent delays which will occur between cooked batches of popcorn. When the popcorn has been cooked and dumped, the operator may begin serving it to customers without replenishing the supply of corn and oil and starting the next batch. Therefore, the next batch of popcorn will not be produced until the operator consciously sets aside time from his other activities to do so. Such delays interrupt production rates and introduce inefficiencies into the operation which reduce popcorn sales.
It is also desirable to pop popcorn consistently so that it produces high quality consistent taste from batch to batch. The vagaries of prior systems leave much to chance in this regard so that batches of corn are undercooked, burned or the like and at the least are inconsistent in taste.
Still another but related drawback to conventional popping processes or mechanisms is that they sometimes provide inconsistent or improper heating of the popcorn so that proper expansion of the kernels upon popping is not achieved. Particularly, when the heat is too high, the steam from the kernel is prematurely forced out and the popped kernel is small. If the temperature is too low, the kernels do not experience proper hull expansion and brittleness at popping and the popped kernels are small. It will also be appreciated that small popcorn kernels reduce the yield of popped popcorn per unit of uncooked kernels, thus reducing the efficiency of the popping apparatus and raising the cost of the operation.
While one aspect of the invention herein lends itself to reduction of the vagaries of operational and processing circumstances as noted above, it is also noted that it is important for an operator to tend to the process at specific times, yet remaining free to handle other chores while the popping process is processing. For example, in many popping systems, it is desirable and even necessary for an operator to tend to loading the kettle with corn and oil for popping at an appropriate time in the cycle. It is also desirable for an operator to monitor or to cause dumping of popped corn from the kettle at a particular time to keep it from burning. Yet it is also desirable both that the popping process does not fully engage the operator doing the whole process and that his attention to the process is positively obtained at such times as loading and dumping.
In another aspect of the invention, it is recognized that in the past, various improvements in popcorn have been made by popcorn producers in the science and technology of the corn. These have resulted in improved taste, improved kernel expansion rates and more complete popping. Improvement in the popping machines or equipment to produce better popped products have not generally kept pace with the improvements in the corn. While there have been certain improvements in poppers directed to better popped corn products, such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,743,172; 5,694,830 and 5,871,792, for example, there is still room for further equipment and process improvement to improve the final popcorn product.
In particular and as referred to above, it should be appreciated that popped popcorn should not be chewy, should have a high expansion ratio from the unpopped kernel, and should have about 12% to about 13% of the moisture of the raw, unpopped kernel. Popcorn meeting these parameters is highly desirable from a taste standpoint. Despite improvements in the corn kernels, however, these final desirable parameters require improvements in popping technology for consistency.
For example, if the moisture content of the kernel is reduced too fast in the popping process, the kernel pops prematurely, resulting in a small product. On the other hand, if the moisture content of the kernel is reduced too slowly, the hull first cracks, moisture leaks and the power of the remaining moisture is not sufficient to produce the desired expansion of the kernel for the final product. Thus the rate of application of heat to the corn is a factor in producing the most desirable popcorn.
In a typical popper, a covered heated popping kettle is generally used. Heating elements are usually mounted on the underside of the kettle and are controlled by a mechanical thermometer between on/off status to heat and pop the corn therein. In one instance, a thermocouple has been used. The elements are disposed on a heat dissipation plate or surface on the kettle bottom and have sufficient output to heat th
Gold Medal Products Company
Wood Herron & Evans LLP
Yeung George C.
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