Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Normally noningestible chewable material or process of... – Packaged – structurally defined – or coated
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-24
2001-09-04
Yeung, George C. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Normally noningestible chewable material or process of...
Packaged, structurally defined, or coated
C425S233000, C425S235000, C425S345000, C426S512000, C426S524000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06284291
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
A system for continuously forming center-filled gum, particularly for continuously forming individual sealed pieces of liquid-filled gum from a continuous rope or strand.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Liquid or center filled gum and other confectionery products are in popular demand today. These products have a hard or solid exterior shell and a soft or liquid center. The outer shell portion can be chewing gum or bubble gum of some type, while the liquid center portion can be a flavored material typically having a syrup-like consistency.
There are numerous mechanisms and systems known today for forming liquid-filled gum and other confectionery products. One of these systems is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,963 to Graff et al. Although many of these known mechanisms and processes operate satisfactorily and produce acceptable results, there are a number of mechanical and processing concerns which need improvement. In particular, there is a need for faster, high volume systems as well as systems which are more efficient, easier to operate, and have fewer mechanical breakdowns.
One of the difficulties in the art of gum manufacturing is the fact that the gum products are tacky and have a tendency to stick or adhere to molds and operating machinery. Thus, it is recognized that gum producing mechanisms need to be operated at low temperatures, such as minus one hundred degrees Fahrenheit (−100° F.). At these low temperatures, however, the costs of operation increase and the operation of machinery becomes more difficult. For example, oils and greases can congeal into non-fluid masses, thereby reducing the lubricating ability of the materials and causing increased friction of moving parts. This also causes additional heat load on the moving parts resulting in less efficient high speed operation.
It is also necessary with some known low-temperature gum forming operations to cool virtually the entire machinery, including all of the rotating parts. This is particularly true with systems which utilize rotating piece-producing drum members wherein the products are in contact with the drum members virtually the entire circumference of the drum. Cooling in these systems is typically done with liquid nitrogen in order to provide the necessary low temperatures. Cooling all parts of the apparatus with liquid nitrogen, however, creates significant additional expense, as well as further mechanical and friction difficulties in the operation of the machinery.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved mechanism and system for producing center-filled gum products. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved system for continuously producing pieces of center-filled gum from a continuous rope or strand of gum material.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a continuous gum manufacturing mechanism and system in which the necessity to cool all of the various components is lessened and it is also unnecessary to provide cooling to the degree required in the prior art. It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved gum manufacturing mechanism and system which produces center-filled gum products on a faster and more efficient basis and wherein heat build-up and frictional forces are lessened.
These and other objects are met by the unique and inventive gum forming mechanism and system in accordance with the present invention. The system includes an extrusion and gum forming mechanism with a rotating drum and continuous chain member which produces center-filled gum pieces on a faster, more efficient and less costly basis.
The gum forming mechanism includes a sizing and transport table which conveys the rope of gum material to the rotating drum and continuous chain section. The rotating drum mechanism and continuous chain mechanism work together in combination, each having semi-circular die groove members which together form a circular (cylindrical) die which separates, shapes, and forms the gum pieces. A series of cam-operated plunger members are positioned in the drum mechanism on opposite sides of the cylindrical die groove members in order to help shape and form the individual pieces of gum. The pieces of gum are formed along only a relatively short portion of the continuous chain mechanism and rotating drum mechanism, thus reducing the cooling requirements of the system. This also reduces heat build-up, friction losses, and the tendency of lubricating materials to congeal.
The axial movement of the plunger members is also limited, thus reducing possible frictional forces. The limited contact of the gum with the moving members also minimizes the opportunities of the gum pieces to stick to the machine members.
Tubular cooling members are positioned around the rotating drum mechanism and adjacent to the continuous chain mechanism in order to provide cooling air as needed. A stream of air is also utilized to help discharge formed gum pieces from the die groove members. The semi-circular die groove members on the chain member open up or expand to allow easier removal of the formed gum pieces.
With the present invention, less cooling is necessary and only cooling air is needed; the use of expensive nitrogen gas is unnecessary. The cooling also can be regulated or balanced in order to reduce the tendency for the formed gum pieces to be retained on the rotating drum mechanism. As a result, with the present invention, liquid-filled pieces of gum are formed in a faster and more efficient manner than with known processes and systems.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3857963 (1974-12-01), Graff et al.
patent: 4543769 (1985-10-01), Schmitz
patent: 5667824 (1997-09-01), Ream et al.
patent: 5756133 (1998-05-01), Duggan et al.
patent: 5971739 (1999-10-01), Hoffman et al.
Marcilio Jose
Siecke Albert
Warner-Lambert & Company
Yeung George C.
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