AU624256B2

AU624256B2 - Ice cream making

Info

Publication number: AU624256B2
Application number: AU59091/90A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Mervyn Douglas Ingram
Original assignee: PETERSVILLE Ltd AND TOOTHS FOO
Current assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle SA
Priority date: 1989-09-22
Filing date: 1990-07-18
Publication date: 1992-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 2010-07-18
Also published as: AU5909190A

Description

I

624 56 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1952 9 0000 a a 0 o 0 0 oo00 0 o o o o O 0 0 0*0 0 Name of Applicant Address of Applicant Actual Inventor(s) Address for Service COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Petzrsville Ltd and Tooth Foods Australia Pty Limited trading as Australian United Foods 62 Montague Road, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia South 4101, 0 0 0 0 00 a 0o GRANT ADAMS COMPANY Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Level 9 NATIONAL MUTUAL CENTRE 144 Edward Street Brisbane, Queensland, 4000

AUSTRALIA.

FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: 00M00 Ice Cream Making The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to the applicant.

I,

THIS INVENTION relates to the manufacture of confectionery products and other like products. In particular the invention applies a mixing apparatus which imparts a twist to streams of material in a plastic state.

Whilst the invention applies to materials in a plastic state, the invention particularly applies to icecream and in the subsequent description, reference is made to icecream making.

Ice creams are routinely produced in a combination of colours and/or flavours, and various apparatus are known to produce such products. There being a certain component to marketing success that 0 0 .o1. depends upon novelty in presentation, there is a o 15 continuing call for apparatus that is able to combine ice creams in new patterns.

aoo o"o It is an object of the present invention to 4000 provide an ice cream apparatus which is able to combine ice creams in a particular way to establish a twisted or coiled appearance.

In Australian patent 283860 (AU-B-5139/64) to 00oo0 0 .000o" Unilever Limited, two streams are twisted about each o" other when flowing past a rotated paddle. In Australian patent 547263 (AU-B 74162/81) to Unilever PLC, two o .a 25 streams are coiled about each other as they exit nozzles in a rotating head.

In the ensuing description, reference is made to mixing streams of icecream together. The output of the apparatus is a stream of icecream comorised of two or more streams which are twisted, coiled or curled about each other each in the manner of a spiral or helix to produce a swirled mix of the streams at an output where the product is loaded to a container. The above process is hereinafter referred to as mixing for convenience.

2 1 The invention achieves its objects in the provision of an extrusion apparatus which twist streams of material about each other comprising:a plurality of feed lines through which material to be twisted may be pumped; a twisting chamber fed by the plurality of feed lines, the twisting chamber incorporating therein a rotary means whereby streams of material fed from the feed lines are rotated about a common axis; and an outlet line receiving the rotated streams of material; the rotary means dividing the twisting chamber into a series of axially spaced compartments each fed by at least one of the feed lines; each compartment being connected by at least one tubular member which is extended from its respective °0 compartment to a substantially conical outlet chamber 0 o whose apex end is connected to the outlet line; each said tubular member being substantially o: 20 parallel to the common axis.

o o Apparatus in accordance with the invention i00 achieves a twist in separate feeds of confection to establish a twisted, coiled, swirled, or barber's pole 00 effect in the output of the apparatus.

:0:o 25 In use of the above apparatus, the mixing means may be provided with a tapered output to establish a back pressure to the ice cream which back pressure increases drag to assist in creating a twist in the stream of ice cream issuing out the outlet.

L

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an axial section through an ice cream mixing means that may be used in the invention of L/ 3L /V S 7 7 NT 0r FIG. 1; FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan views and end elevations of a mixing means which might be employed in the invention; 0 a 00 o

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FIGS. 5 and 6 are transverse sections through the ice cream mixing means of FIGS. 2 to 4; and FIG. 7 is another axial section through an ice cream mixing means.

In FIG. 1 the ice cream apparatus 10 is driven by a motor 11 through a gear box 12 connected to a mixing means 13 having an outlet 14 connected to a flexible line 15 which terminates with a tapered outlet 16.

In FIG. 2 the ice cream mixing means 13 has inlets 17 to 19 whereat ice cream lines (not shown) may be coupled to feed streams of ice cream to the mixing means 13. The inlets 17 to 19 may be provided with any suitable means for connecting lines thereto such as the screwthreaded ends shown. Ice cream which is fed to the 0 mixing means is passed through tapered end 20 to outlet *000 oo 21 which is provided with a means for coupling the line 0o 00 15 of FIG. 1.

In FIG. 2 the drive shaft 22 from gear box 12 is coupled to the drive shaft 23 of the mixing means 13 disconnectably for cleaning, maintenance, etc. The 0000 drive shaft 23 passes at 24 through the casing of the mixing means and is sealed thereto with suitable seals at 24. At section 25 is mounted two separator plates 26 o 25 and 27 which are rotated thereby within the casing with outer seals to establish two inlet chambers 28 and 29 whereat lines 17 and 18 are connected and ice cream is fed to. The drive shaft 23 and separator plates 26 and 27 support an array of feed tubes and constitute the Aarotary means by which a twist may be established in ice cream fed to the mixing means 13. Four feed tubes 30 to 33 are provided as seen in the sections of FIGS. 5 and 6. Ice cream which is pumped to chamber 28 via inlet 17 is forced into feed lines 30 and 31. Ice cream which is pumped to chamber 29 via inlet 18 is forced into feed lines 32 and 33. A further quantity of ice cream may be 4 F -c fed via tangential inlet 19 into the cavity about the ends of the feed tubes 30 to 33 to bring three streams of ice cream together in tapered section 20 for expulsion at the outlet 21. Whilst the ice cream is being pumped to the mixing means 13, the rotary means may be turning at a preselected speed to give a predetermined twist to 'he three streams at the output.

It will be apparent that the pattern that is output from the mixing means 13 will depend upon factors such as how many of the feed lines are operated, what pumping pressures are applied to each that is operated, and what speeds are given to the rotary means.

The mixing means of FIGS. 1 and 2 is seen from other angles in FIGS. 3 and 4 with the mixing means 13 mounted to a mounting plate 34 by bolts 35, 36 and 39 with a control box 37 below with suitable speed control functions, etc, and setting knobs 38 therefor.

o In FIGS. 5 and 6 are sections through a mixing means 13 with inlets 17 and 18 feeding chambers 28 and 29 of FIG. 2 with two tangential inlets 19 and feeding the area around the feed tubes 30 to 33 of FIG.

O#00 040 2.

0O^% As seen in FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, the body of the mixing means 13 may be in sections held together by a°B 25 clamping rings 42 and 44 squeezed by wing nuts 41 and 43 respectively.

FIG. 7 is another view of a mixing means as in FIGS. 3, and 6. The mixing means is a rotary mechanice device which may be of stainless steel construre Lon to be sanitary and easily dismantled which is inserted within the ice cream extruding pipework, between the ice cream freezer (churn) barrels and the filler (extruded) heads, for filling round, square, or square-round tubs and cans fri 1 litre to 12 litres in capacity. The intention of the device is to impart a twist (or Barber's Pole) or other symmetrically consistent patterns of two, three or four colours or flavours of ice confection or ice cream within its container.

The unit may be directly driven from a variable speed motor, of either pneumatic, hydraulic or electrical design. Speeds can be varied between 10 to 200 revolutions per minute. In fact streams of semihardened ice cream or ice confection being piped directly from ice cream freezers (churns) may be delivered in sanitary hoses or pipes to either the inside rotating tubes via an annulus between valve plates, which can also support the rotating tubes, or to the outside body of the system, containing the rotating tubes via tangentially dispersed feed tubes.

The discharge section of the mixing means is in the form of a stationary tapered tube. The objective of the taper is to inpart back pressure to the ice cream, in turn inducing grip to the outer surface of the ice cream, thus allowing the stream of ice cream to twist in a rope winding fashion. The taper also ensures that the final extruded pattern remains circular without air cavities.

Capacity of the system may vary between 33 litres per hour to 4000 litres per hour, depending on S 25 the number of colours or flavours, the size of freezer attached and the possible filler speed.

Whilst two valve plates establish two chambers feeding two pairs of feed tubes, it will be apparent that more valve plates may be arranged along the length of the device to mix in additional streams of ice cream.

6

Claims

1. An extrusion apparatus which twist streams of material about each other comprising:- a plurality of feed lines through which material to be twisted may be pumped; a twisting chamber fed by the plurality of feed lines, the twisting chamber incorporating therein a rotary means whereby streams of material fed from the feed lines are rotated about a common axis; and an outlet line receiving the rotated streams of material; the rotary means dividing the twisting chamber into a series of axially spaced compartments o each fed by at least one of the feed lines; each compartment being connected by at least one tubular member which is extended from its respective o 0 compartment to a substantially conical outlet chamber 0 whose apex end is connected to the outlet line; each said tubular member being substantially 00 0 O0 20 parallel to the common axis. 0 0 S2. An extrusion apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 ao wherein: the twisting chamber is an axially extended :oochamber and it has an inlet end which is transversely q 25 segmented by separator plates on the rotary means to establish the series of axially spaced compartments, each compartment being fed material from a feed line coupled thereto, each compartment being connected to at least one axially extended tube.

3. An extrusion apparatus as claimed in either one of Claims 1 or 2 wherein: the tubular members are axially extended tubes and they open into the conical outlet chanmber which is an end of the axially extended chamber at a point thereof where the chamber cross-secion is progressively reduced in area. A 7 NT0

4. An extrusion apparatus as claimed in either one of Claims 2 or 3 wherein: the rotary means comprist.s separator plates which are mounted to a drive shaft which extends axially along the twisting chamber and the tubular members are axially extended tubes comprising parallel axially extended tubes extended through one or more of the separator plates to open into respective compartments. An extrusion apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein: the output line feeds an output tube with a dispensing head attached thereto.

6. An extrusion apparatus as claimed in any one o. of the preceding claims wherein: 15 the feed lines are valved to enable 00.0 ri l to b selective switching of streams of material to be a o 0 0 processed and the rotation speed of the rotary means is variable to enable control of the degree of twist applied to the streams of material switched to the 0 00 20 apparatus. 0 0 0 7. An extrusion apparatus substantially as 00 o0 o hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings. DATED this thirteenth day of March 1992. PETERSVILLE LTD. and 0 25 TOOTH FOODS AUSTRALIA PTY. LIMITED trading as AUSTRALIAN UNITED FOODS, by its Patent Attorneys, GRANT ADAMS COMPANY.