Refrigeration – Processes – Congealing flowable material – e.g. – ice making
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-12
2001-04-17
Tapolcai, Wiliam E. (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Processes
Congealing flowable material, e.g., ice making
C062S345000, C425S126200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216472
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to preparing iced confectionery articles, in particular, iced lollipops, and to molds and equipment for mold transport and to means for freezing compositions for preparing the ice confectionery articles.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,359,858 and 5,394,707 disclose processes and apparatus for molding simple or composite iced lollipops comprising chocolate shells, wherein molds are precooled to a very low temperature, a liquid composition to be iced is introduced into the molds which are conveyed through a refrigerating atmosphere until a crust is formed on the surface, a stick is inserted into the still soft center, and the iced lollipops then are removed from the molds. All the operations of precooling the molds, filling, inserting the stick and freezing until removal from the molds take place in a very cold environment, in which the ice cooling rate is controlled, so that the lollipops can easily be removed from the molds, without the molds being heated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to make available a method and an apparatus which are simple and flexible and which allow high-productivity industrial production of small iced confectionery articles, in particular iced lollipops, by rapid freezing to a very low temperature to give the iced confectionery a fine texture.
The present invention provides a method for manufacturing small iced confectionery articles, in particular iced lollipops, in which a composition to be iced is introduced into molds, and the molds containing the composition are conveyed through a refrigerating atmosphere to freeze the composition and during the freezing, in which a stick is inserted into the composition being frozen and in which the molded articles are removed from the molds without heating characterized in that molds are used which are formed from two mold parts which are “half-shells” which define a cavity and which are fitted together to form molds having a mold cavity for molding an article, in that the freezing of the articles takes place in a heat-insulated compartment, by the application of a cryogenic gas to the molds, and in that removal from the molds takes place under “dry conditions” by the extraction of the articles after the two parts which form the molds have been parted and separated, “dry conditions” herein meaning that since the iced article prepared is not heated at its surface, and therefore melted, no liquid is formed.
The invention also provides apparatus for carrying out the process described above and which comprises a freezing compartment, a mold-filling station, a stick-depositing station and a station for extracting the articles, characterized in that the molds comprise two mold parts which are “half-shells” which have a surface which defines a cavity and each of which are separately integral with a bars transported step-by-step and in-line by a conveyor having two lateral chains, in that the compartment is heat-insulated and is cooled by means of a cryogenic gas applied to the surface of the molds, in that the apparatus comprises a molding section in which the mold part half-shells are fittable together one against the other to provide molds which define a cavity for preparing molded articles, and in that the apparatus comprises a mold-removal section in which a device for extracting the articles comprises means for parting and separating the mold parts and means for extracting the articles by their sticks.
The invention is described in more detail by way of illustration with the aid of the accompanying drawing Figures.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2582074 (1952-01-01), Sebring
patent: 4396367 (1983-08-01), Gram
patent: 4413461 (1983-11-01), Waldstrom
patent: 4505121 (1985-03-01), Gram
patent: 4546615 (1985-10-01), Gram
patent: 4548573 (1985-10-01), Waldström
patent: 5359858 (1994-11-01), Miller et al.
patent: 5394707 (1995-03-01), Miller et al.
patent: 4035720A1 (1992-05-01), None
patent: 989892 (1951-09-01), None
patent: 712909 (1954-08-01), None
Cenet Database Abstract, abstract of Probst, German Patent DE 40 35 720 (1992).
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 7, No. 131 (C-169), abstract of Japanese Patent Document JP 58 043748A (1983).
Cathenaut Philip Igor
Delande Bruno
Marianovic Nicolas
Nestec S.A.
Tapolcai Wiliam E.
Vogt & O'Donnell, LLP
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