Flavoring system and method

• US 20040231299A1
• Filed: 05/23/2003
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ishida Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ishida Company Limited
• Inventors: Sunter, Adrian Meredith, Yakushigawa, Yasushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,117,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 53/474
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 27/00 Spices; Flavouring agents or condiments; Artificial sweetening agents; Table salts; Dietetic salt substitutes; Preparation or treatment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 20/13 involving agitation of the foodstuff inside a rotating apparatus, e.g. a drum

Abstract

A flavoring system has a portioning device such as a weigher for receiving unflavored food items and sequentially supplying batches of a specified quantity of them, dispenses measured quantities of a flavoring material with a dispenser, applies these measured quantities of flavoring material to the supplied batches and packages the flavored batches of items in a bag. A sensor monitors the discharge of the flavoring material and a sorting device discards packaged products if the sensor detects an abnormality in the discharge of the flavoring material. A plurality of dispensers may be provided for dispensing measured quantities of different flavoring materials.

Claims

1. A flavoring system comprising:

a portioning device for receiving items and sequentially supplying batches of a specified quantity of said items;

a flavoring dispenser for dispensing measured quantities of a flavoring material;

an applying device downstream of said portioning device for individually applying said measured quantities of flavoring material to said batches of items;

a packaging device downstream of said applying device for packaging in a bag said batch of items;

a sensor for monitoring discharge of flavoring material; and

a sorting device for discarding a packaged product packaged by said packaging device if said sensor detects an abnormality in said discharge of said flavoring material.

2. The flavoring system of claim 1 further comprising a control unit for operating said portioning device, said dispenser and said flavoring device in a mutually correlated manner.

3. The flavoring system of claim 1 wherein said applying device applies said flavoring material at a set ratio to each of said batches of said specified quantity.

4. The flavoring system of claim 1 wherein said applying device and said dispenser are exchangeably attached to said flavoring system.

5. The flavoring system of claim 1 wherein said applying device includes a charging device for electrically charging particles of said flavoring material and an ejecting device for ejecting said electrically charged particles of said flavoring material towards said items of said batch.

6. The flavoring system of claim 1 wherein said applying device includes a mixing device for mixing together said flavoring material and each of said batches of items.

7. The flavoring system of claim 1 wherein said portioning device comprises a weighing device which serves to supply said items to a plurality of weigh hoppers, to measure the individual weights of the items in said weigh hoppers, to select a combination of said weigh hoppers with a specified weight on the basis of the measured weights and to thereby supply one of said batches.

8. The flavoring system of claim 1 wherein said applying device is one of a plurality of applying devices receiving said items from a common supplying device, each of said plurality of applying devices applying a different flavoring material.

9. The flavoring system of claim 2 wherein said control unit operates said packaging device in a mutually correlated manner with the other components of said flavoring system.

10. The flavoring system of claim 1 wherein said packaging device is a vertical pillow packaging machine which serves to form an elongated film into a tubular form to produce a bag while filling said bag with said batch of items, to seal said film between said bag and another bag being subsequently formed, and to cut said film to separate said bag from said another bag.

11. The flavoring system of claim 1 wherein said applying device serves to coat the items with the flavoring material.

12. The flavoring system of claim 1 comprising a plurality of flavoring dispensers each serving to dispense measured quantities of a different flavoring material.

20. The flavoring system of claim 2 wherein said control unit operates said packaging device in a mutually correlated manner with the other components of said flavoring system.

21. The flavoring system of claim 1 wherein said packaging device is a vertical pillow packaging machine which serves to form an elongated film into a tubular form to produce a bag while filling said bag with said batch of items, to seal said film between said bag and another bag being subsequently formed, and to cut said film to separate said bag from said another bag.

22. The flavoring system of claim 1 wherein said applying device serves to coat the items with the flavoring material.

23. The flavoring system of claim 1 comprising a plurality of flavoring dispensers each serving to dispense measured quantities of a different flavoring material.

13. A flavoring system comprising:

a portioning device for receiving items and sequentially supplying batches of a specified quantity of said items;

a flavoring dispenser for dispensing measured quantities of a flavoring material;

an applying device downstream of said portioning device for individually applying said measured quantities of flavoring material to said batches of items;

a packaging device downstream of said applying device for packaging in a bag said batch of items;

a sensor for monitoring discharge of flavoring material;

a sorting device for discarding a packaged product packaged by said packaging device if said sensor detects an abnormality in said discharge of said flavoring material; and

a control unit for operating said portioning device, said dispenser and said flavoring device in a mutually correlated manner, said control unit controlling such that, if said portioning device discharges a defective batch which is not of said specified quantity of said items, said flavoring material is not applied to said defective batch discharged from said portioning device.

14. The flavoring system of claim 13 wherein said applying device applies said flavoring material at a set ratio to each of said batches of said specified quantity.

15. The flavoring system of claim 13 wherein said applying device and said dispenser are exchangeably attached to said flavoring system.

16. The flavoring system of claim 13 wherein said applying device includes a charging device for electrically charging particles of said flavoring material and an ejecting device for ejecting said electrically charged particles of said flavoring material towards said items of said batch.

17. The flavoring system of claim 13 wherein said applying device includes a mixing device for mixing together said flavoring material and each of said batches of items.

18. The flavoring system of claim 13 wherein said portioning device comprises a weighing device which serves to supply said items to a plurality of weigh hoppers, to measure the individual weights of the items in said weigh hoppers, to select a combination of said weigh hoppers with a specified weight on the basis of the measured weights and to thereby supply one of said batches.

19. The flavoring system of claim 13 wherein said applying device is one of a plurality of applying devices receiving said items from a common supplying device, each of said plurality of applying devices applying a different flavoring material.

24. A method of flavoring items, said method comprising the steps of:

providing batches of items of a specified quantity sequentially;

dispensing measured quantities of a flavoring material;

applying each of said measured quantities of flavoring material to a respective one of said batches of items; and

packaging the flavored items.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the quantity of flavoring material is determined in accordance with the number of items in the batch.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the quantity of flavoring material is determined in accordance with the weight of items in the batch.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the quantity of flavoring material is determined in accordance with the volume of items in the batch.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein the items are food items.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein said flavoring material is in a form selected from the group consisting of particulate, powder and liquid.