Methods and apparatuses for producing alternatively shaped confectionary products

• US 20060040041A1
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WM Wrigley Jr Company (Mars Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WM Wrigley Jr Company (Mars Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rybolt, Dennis, Flowers, Richard, Richey, Lindell, Rancich, Joseph, Shulski, Michael M., Bernatz, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 7,442,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/660
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 3/0025 Processes in which the material is shaped at least partially in a mould in the hollows of a surface, a drum, an endless band, or by a drop-by-drop casting or dispensing of the material on a surface, e.g. injection moulding, transfer moulding
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 3/0252 Apparatus in which the material is shaped at least partially in a mould, in the hollows of a surface, a drum, an endless band, or by a drop-by-drop casting or dispensing of the material on a surface, e.g. injection moulding, transfer moulding
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 4/04 for moulding or shaping

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for improving the quality, diversity and productivity of confectionery product forming. The process includes using a set of rollers to define three-dimensional shapes in a sheet of confectionery product. The rollers each define a series of pockets that impart a force on the sheet and push the sheet inward at a multitude of points to form at least a portion of the final shape of the products. The confectionary sheet exiting the rollers includes an array of products separated by a thin web of confectionery material. The pockets and other apparatus are provided to help prevent the products from sticking to the pockets. The rollers also cut the sheet so that the sheet is of a size suitable to be placed in a separator or tumbler.

Claims

1. A method for forming confectionary products comprising the steps of:

passing a confectionary mass through a pair of mating rollers that (i) shape the mass in three dimensions and (ii) cut the mass into sections having a plurality of at least partially formed confectionary products;

structurally urging an exiting of the sections from the rollers with reduced adherence between the sections and the rollers; and

separating the confectionary products from the sections.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein separating the confectionary products from the sections includes tumbling the sections.

3. The method of claim 1, which includes preforming the confectionary mass before passing the mass through the mating rollers to further aid the sections in exiting the rollers with reduced adherence.

4. The method of claim 1, which includes curing the sections before tumbling the sections.

5. The method of claim 1, which includes chilling (i) the confectionary mass, (ii) the rollers or (iii) both.

6. The method of claim 1, which includes applying a rolling compound to (i) the confectionary mass, (ii) the rollers or (iii) both.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the rolling compound is selected from the group consisting of:

talk, maltitol, nubia oil and any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, which includes varying a distance between the rollers based on (i) ambient conditions, (ii) process parameters or (iii) both.

9. The method of claim 1, which includes setting a distance between the rollers to create a desired webbing thickness.

10. The method of claim 1, which includes compensating for deformation of the sections caused by rolling or cutting forces.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the deformation of the section includes elongation of the section in a feed direction.

12. The method of claim 1, which includes providing a knife blade on at least one of the rollers to cut the mass into the sections.

13. The method of claim 1, which includes configuring the products to minimize an amount of webbing needed to hold the products together in the sections.

14. The method of claim 1, which includes counterbalancing a pulling force caused when cutting non-symmetrically shaped confectionary products.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein structurally urging an exiting of the sections from the rollers to reduce adherence between the sections and the rollers includes tapering an edge of each of a plurality of shape producing pockets provided by the rollers.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein structurally urging an exiting of the sections from the rollers to reduce adherence between the sections and the rollers includes providing an air dome in each of a plurality of shape producing pockets formed in the rollers.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein structurally urging an exiting of the sections from the rollers to reduce adherence between the sections and the rollers includes (i) reducing surface contact between each of a plurality of shape producing pockets formed in the rollers and the confectionary mass;

(ii) encouraging a formation of pressurized air between the pockets and the mass;

or (iii) both.

18. A method for forming confectionary products comprising the steps of:

preforming a confectionary mass so that (i) at least one dimension of a final shape of a plurality of confectionary products formed from the mass is at least partially established and (ii) the mass does not expand in any direction when passed through a pair of mating product-forming rollers that at least substantially finally shape the plurality of confectionary products; and

passing the preformed mass through the pair of mating product-forming rollers.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein preforming the confectionary mass includes scoring the mass in multiple places along lines substantially parallel to a direction of travel of the mass.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein preforming the confectionary mass includes passing the sheet through a pair of mating preforming rollers.

21. The method of claim 18, which includes an additional step selected from the group consisting of:

(i) feeding the mass from the product-forming rollers into a tumbler that separates the confectionary products from the mass;

(ii) cutting the mass into separate sections each including a plurality of confectionary products and feeding the sections into a tumbler that separates the confectionary products from the sections; and

(iii) conveying separate confectionary products exiting the product-forming rollers into a tumbler that smoothes the confectionary products.

22. A method for forming confectionary products into a shape comprising the steps of:

passing a confectionary mass through a pair of mating rollers;

urging an exiting of the mass from the rollers with reduced adherence between the sections and the rollers by providing shape-defining pockets on the rollers that have at least one dimension slightly larger than a corresponding dimension of the shape of the product; and

mechanically impacting the confectionary products that have exited the rollers to smooth excess confectionary material due to the slightly larger dimension.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein urging an exiting of the mass from the rollers with reduced adherence between the sections and the rollers further includes (i) reducing an amount of surface contact between the confectionary mass and the pockets;

(ii) encouraging a formation of an amount of pressurized air between the pockets and the mass;

or (iii) both.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein urging an exiting of the mass from the rollers with reduced adherence between the sections and the rollers further includes tapering an outer portion of the pockets.

25. A method for forming confectionary products into a shape comprising the steps of:

passing a confectionary mass through a pair of mating rollers; and

counteracting an elongation force applied by the rollers to the confectionary mass by configuring the rollers to include shape-defining pockets that have at least one dimension slightly smaller than a corresponding dimension of the shape of the product.

26. The method of claim 25, which includes reducing a pocket dimension parallel to a direction of travel of the mass to a greater extent than reducing a pocket dimension diagonal to the direction of travel of the mass.

27. The method of claim 25, which includes not reducing a pocket dimension perpendicular to a direction of travel of the mass.

28. A method for forming confectionary products into a final shape comprising the steps of:

passing a confectionary mass through a pair of mating rollers; and

structuring shape-defining pockets on the rollers to apply at least a substantially net zero force to the confectionary mass in a direction transverse to a direction of travel of the mass.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the shape-defining pockets are asymmetrical about a line taken through the pockets in the direction of travel of the mass.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein structuring the shape-defining pockets includes configuring the shape-defining pockets in mirror image pairs along a length of the rollers.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein structuring the shape-defining pockets includes providing force balancing pockets in addition to the shape-defining pockets to counteract a force applied by the shape-defining pockets to the confectionary mass in the transverse direction.

32. A method for forming confectionary products comprising the steps of:

passing a confectionary mass through a pair of preforming rollers; and

passing the confectionary mass through a pair of product-forming rollers to form confectionary products having at least a substantially completed shape.

33. The method of claim 32, which includes tumbling the confectionary products.

34. The method of claim 32, which includes separating the confectionary products from a webbing (i) by passing the confectionary mass through the pair of product-forming rollers or (ii) after passing the confectionary mass through the pair of product-forming rollers.

35. A confectionary product forming device comprising:

a first roller including first product-forming pockets;

a second roller including second product-forming pockets, the second product-forming pockets aligned with the first product-forming pockets;

at least one motion producing device coupled operably to the first and second rollers and operable to cause the first and second rollers to rotate and define in a confectionary mass fed into the rollers a plurality of three dimensional confectionary shapes caused by the first and second pockets; and

wherein the rollers are configured to have at least one adhesion reducing device that sufficiently reduces adhesion between the confectionary mass and the rollers so that neither the mass nor the rollers require cooling.

36. The confectionary product forming device of claim 35, which includes a third roller including first preforming structures and a fourth roller including second preforming structures, the second preforming structures aligned with the first preforming structures.

37. The confectionary product forming device of claim 36, wherein the third roller is spaced apart from the forth roller by a gap G, the gap G being larger than a gap W separating the first and second rollers.

38. The confectionary product forming device of claim 36, wherein the preforming structures preform at least one dimension of the three dimensional confectionary shapes.

39. The confectionary product forming device of claim 35, wherein the adhesion reducing device includes air domes provided with the first and second pockets that trap air between the pockets and the confectionary shapes.

40. The confectionary product forming device of claim 35, wherein the adhesion reducing device includes drafted edges provided along the first and second product-forming pockets.

41. The confectionary product forming device of claim 35, wherein the first product-forming pockets are (i) each of a same size and shape (ii) of different sizes (iii) of different shapes (iv) arranged in a mirrored formation (v) at least partly curvilinear or (vi) any suitable combination thereof.

42. The confectionary product forming device of claim 35, wherein the first and second product-forming pockets are both (i) of a same size and shape (ii) of different sizes (iii) of different shapes (iv) arranged in a mirrored formation (v) at least partly curvilinear or (vi) any suitable combination thereof.

43. The confectionary product forming device of claim 35, wherein the first and second product-forming pockets are positioned and arranged to apply at least a substantially net zero force to the confectionary mass in a direction transverse to a direction of travel of the mass.

44. The confectionary product forming device of claim 35, wherein the first and second rollers are linked via an apparatus selected from the group consisting of:

mating gears and a timing belt.

45. The confectionary product forming device of claim 35, wherein the first and second rollers are adjustable with respect to each other to vary a distance between the rollers.

47. The confectionary product forming device of claim 45, wherein the motion producing device is a first motion producing device and which includes a second motion producing device operably coupled to the first and second rollers to vary the distance between the rollers.

48. The confectionary product forming device of claim 35, wherein the motion producing device is a first motion producing device and which includes a second motion producing device operable to feed the confectionary mass into the rollers.

49. The confectionary product forming device of claim 48, which includes a predetermined rate ratio employed between the first and second motion producing devices.

50. The confectionary product forming device of claim 48, wherein a speed of one of the first and second motion producing devices is set to follow speed fluctuations in the other of the first and second motion producing devices.