Method of making printed baked goods

• US 5,534,281 A
• Filed: 11/23/1994
• Issued: 07/09/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kraft Foods Holdings Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nabisco, Inc. (Mondelez International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aquino, Agostino, Koppa, Daniel A., Pappas, Chris, Skeels, Roger E.
• Primary Examiner(s): WEINSTEIN, STEVEN L
• Application Number:
  US08/347,168
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 426/383, 426/104, 426/496, 101/169, 101/35, 101/153, 101/157, 101/150, 101/36, 264/132, 425/94
• US Class Current: 426/383
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 11/04 with cutting and embossing rollers or drums A21C11/106 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 15/002 Apparatus for spreading granular material on, or sweeping or coating the surface of baked articles of pieces of dough A21C9/04; for confectionary A23G3/28
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 9/04 Apparatus for spreading granular material on, or sweeping or coating the surfaces of, pieces or sheets of dough coating baked articles A21C15/002

Abstract

The present invention provides apparatus and a method for making printed foods such as cookies, crackers, and snacks at high production speeds on a continuous basis. The apparatus includes a rotary printer which is synchronized with dough forming apparatus such as a rotary cutter or rotary molder.

Claims

1. A method of making printed foods comprising:

rotary molding a dough into individual pieces in a predetermined arrangement comprising a plurality of aligned longitudinal rows and a plurality of aligned lateral rows;

transferring the individual pieces on a conveyor in the predetermined arrangement to at least one rotary printer;

maintaining the individual pieces in the predetermined arrangement during transfer to said printer;

registering the longitudinal rows of individual pieces with said printer; and

printing on the individual pieces in the predetermined arrangement with said printer, said printing comprising transferring ink to an inking roller which is engraved with rows of indicia for holding ink within the grooves forming the indicia wherein the rows of engraved indicia are spaced from each other by a circumferential groove, removing excess ink from the surface of the inking roller to form printed indicia within said grooves, directing at least a portion of the excess ink into each circumferential groove of the inking roller so as to avoid contact of the excess ink with said dough pieces, the depth of each circumferential groove being sufficiently shallow such that said at least a portion of said excess ink remains in each circumferential groove due to the surface tension of the ink preventing ink from spinning off during rotation of the inking roller during printing, transferring laterally aligned rows of printed indicia from the inking roller to a continuously rotating printing roller having a resilient surface which conforms to said individual pieces, the rows of printed indicia on said printing roller being spaced from each other by a circumferential groove with each groove of the printing roller being wider than each groove of the inking roller so that the edges of the printing roller defined by each circumferential groove do not contact the ink contained in each groove of the inking roller, and transferring the laterally aligned rows of printed indicia from the resilient surface to the predetermined arrangement of individual pieces by simultaneously contacting the individual pieces in each lateral row with the resilient surface of the continuously rotating printing roller.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the individual dough pieces are maintained in the preselected arrangement by adhering to a conveying web.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the individual dough pieces are adhered to the conveying web by being pressed into the mesh of the conveying web.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the individual dough pieces are registered with the printer by synchronizing the rotary molder and printer.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the rotary molder and rotary printer are mechanically timed to ensure proper printing registration.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the individual pieces are printed upon by a plurality of serially arranged rotary printers to obtain multi-colored printed food pieces.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the pieces which are printed upon are coated with a confectionery coating.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein registering comprises monitoring a longitudinal row of pieces on the side of the conveyor.

9. A method of making printed foods made from dough, comprising:

mixing ingredients to form a dough;

forming the dough into a sheet; and

printing rows of indicia on a surface of the dough sheet with at least one rotary printer, said printing comprising transferring ink to an inking roller which is engraved with rows of indicia for holding ink within the grooves forming the indicia wherein the rows of engraved indicia are spaced from each other by a circumferential groove, removing excess ink from the surface of the inking roller to form printed indicia within said grooves, directing at least a portion of the excess ink into each circumferential groove of the inking roller so as to avoid contact of the excess ink with said dough sheet, the depth of each circumferential groove being sufficiently shallow such that said at least a portion of said excess ink remains in each circumferential groove due to the surface tension of the ink preventing ink from spinning off during rotation of the inking roller during printing, transferring laterally aligned rows of printed indicia from the inking roller to a continuously rotating printing roller having a resilient surface which conforms to the surface of said dough sheet, the rows of printed indicia on said printing roller being spaced from each other by a circumferential groove with each groove of the printing roller being wider than each groove of the inking roller so that the edges of the printing roller defined by each circumferential groove do not contact the ink contained in each groove of the inking roller, and transferring the laterally aligned rows of printed indicia from the resilient surface to said dough sheet by contacting the dough sheet with the resilient surface of the continuously rotating printing roller.

10. A method according to claim 9, including the step of forming the dough sheet into individual pieces.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein said dough sheet is at least partially cut into individual pieces before printing.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the dough sheet is formed after the step of printing on the dough sheet.

13. A method according to claim 9, including the step of at least partially baking said dough prior to printing.

14. A method according to claim 9, wherein said dough is baked after printing.

15. A method according to claim 9, wherein said dough sheet is printed upon by a plurality of serially arranged rotary printers to obtain multi-colored printed foods.

16. A method according to claim 9 wherein printing pressure between the dough sheet and the continuously rotating printing roller is adjustable.

17. A method of making printed foods comprising:

forming individual dough pieces;

transferring the individual pieces on a conveyor in a predetermined arrangement comprising a plurality of aligned longitudinal rows and a plurality of aligned lateral rows to at least one rotary printer;

maintaining the individual pieces in the predetermined arrangement during transfer to said printer;

registering the longitudinal rows of individual pieces with said printer; and

printing on the individual pieces in the predetermined arrangement with said printer, said printing comprising transferring ink to an inking roller which is engraved with rows of indicia for holding ink within the grooves forming the indicia wherein the rows of engraved indicia are spaced from each other by a circumferential groove, removing excess ink from the surface of the inking roller to form printed indicia within said grooves, directing at least a portion of the excess ink into each circumferential groove of the inking roller so as to avoid contact of the excess ink with said dough pieces, the depth of each circumferential groove being sufficiently shallow such that said at least a portion of said excess ink remains in each circumferential groove due to the surface tension of the ink preventing ink from spinning off during rotation of the inking roller during printing, transferring laterally aligned rows of printed indicia from the inking roller to a continuously rotating printing roller having a resilient surface which conforms to said individual pieces, the rows of printed indicia on said printing roller being spaced from each other by a circumferential groove with each groove of the printing roller being wider than each groove of the inking roller so that the edges of the printing roller defined by each circumferential groove do not contact the ink contained in each groove of the inking roller, and transferring the laterally aligned rows of printed indicia from the resilient surface to the predetermined arrangement of individual pieces by simultaneously contacting the individual pieces in each lateral row with the resilient surface of the continuously rotating printing roller without deforming the pieces.

18. A method according to claim 17 wherein the individual dough pieces are selected from the group consisting of raw dough pieces, partially cooked dough pieces and fully cooked dough pieces.

19. A method according to claim 17 wherein registering comprises monitoring a longitudinal row of pieces on the side of the conveyor.

20. A method according to claim 17 wherein excess ink on the surface of said inking roller is removed by a doctor blade.