GB2272357A

GB2272357A - Decorating tip and method of producing a decorative extrusion on a surface

Info

Publication number: GB2272357A
Application number: GB9223710A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Brian West
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-11-12
Filing date: 1992-11-12
Publication date: 1994-05-18
Anticipated expiration: 2012-11-12
Also published as: GB2272357B; GB9223710D0

Abstract

A decorating tip for forming decorative extrusions of a hardenable fluid, in the form of a cylindrical shell (1) having an inlet for admitting the fluid under pressure, and an outwardly-convex base outlet portion (2) which tapers inwardly along an axis to an apex, the outlet portion having apertures (26) disposed around the apex for the extrusion of the fluid downwardly in use along the axis onto a surface adjacent the apex, the perimeter of each aperture in the external, convex surface of the outlet portion defining an outlet surface which is inclined at an acute angle (or at a range of acute angles) to the axis, whereby fluid emerging under pressure through the aperture is encouraged to expand and extrude not only axially but also transversely of the axis. The resulting extruded shape is in the form of a flower. The thickness of the wall (2) is preferably thick compared with the size of the aperture (26). Pin (25a) acts a distance piece to separate the tip the desired distance from the surface to be decorated. <IMAGE>

Description

Decorating Tip and Method of Producing a Decorative Extrusion on a Surface This invention relates to a decorating tip for forming decorative extrusions of a hardenable fluid such as royal icing or fluid cheese paste, and to a method of producing a decorative extrusion on a surface, such as a cake surface. The invention is particularly, but not exclusively, useful for cake decoration and the deposits are typically, but not exclusively, in the form of floral deposits.

Although cake decoration can be performed by machine, much of it is performed manually, and indeed cake decoration is a popular domestic activity. Accordingly, there is a wide market for cake decorating kits, comprising interchangeable decorating tips, in the form of extrusion nozzles, usually a form of adaptor cone, and a bag for pressurizing the decorating fluid by squeezing. Successful decorating tips of this type are disclosed in my Patent Applications nos. 2246941 and 2246061.

Decorating tips for producing floral patterns or shells, stars and the like are typically conical with an appropriately shaped single opening at the apex of the tip. Such one piece decorating tips are typically made of stainless metal foil.

There is a continuing demand for flower cone piping sets of the type described, capable of giving finer definition and more realistic petal patterns, yet without any increase in cost and without extra complexity in shape which might render the tips difficult to clean thoroughly.

Through my continued development work on decorating tips of this kind, I have discovered fundamental improvements whose effects are immediately apparent in the quality of decorative deposits which have been made.

My invention is a decorating tip for forming decorative extrusions of a hardenable fluid, in the form of a shell having an inlet for admitting the fluid under pressure, and an outwardly-convex base outlet portion which tapers inwardly along an axis to an apex, the outlet portion having apertures disposed around the apex for the extrusion of the fluid downwardly in use along the axis onto a surface adjacent the apex, the perimeter of each aperture in the external, convex surface of the outlet portion defining an outlet surface which is inclined at an acute angle (or at a range of acute angles) to the axis, whereby fluid emerging under pressure through the aperture is encouraged-to expand and extrude not only axially but also transversely of the axis. The outlet portion may be conical or frusto-conical or dome-shaped (part spherical, in one example), or a more complex convex shape.This invention arose from the discovery that improvements in definition in the extrusions, and improvements in the petal-like appearance of the extrusion from each aperture, can be obtained by encouraging transverse expansion of the extruded material; It is beneficial if the shell wall thickness of the outlet portion of the tip, in contrast to previous tips made of metal foil, should be thick relative to the aperture size. This appears to improve the definition of the extrusion. Preferably, the shell thickness is between 1/6 and 1/3 the radius of the tip; in one preferred example, the shell thickness is about 1/5 the radius. For producing floral patterns such as those representing buttercups, begonias and carnations, even roses, the apertures will be elongate slots.

Conveniently, the tip, or at least its outlet portion, has rotational symmetry about its axis; conveniently also, the apertures are disposed equi-angularly about the axis.

My invention is particularly useful for making lifelike floral shapes involving petals extending over an appreciable angular range, for example about 90 , about the axis of the tip in use. Although cake decorators are capable of turning the tip during piping, in order to attempt to recreate such petal effects, the results are not reproducable accurately, and closer simulation of petals is desirable. Accordingly, the apertures are, for this purpose, elongate slots whose inner ends are tangential to an imaginary cylinder on the longitudinal axis and within the shell. For simplicity and ease of manufacture, the apex portion of the shell on the axis at the tip of the outlet end is supported solely by portions of the shell intermediate the slots.

By inclining the slots in this way, preferably at an angle of between 3 and 15, and preferably at about 5 , to the radius when viewed axially, the extrusion, by its own weight, tends to fold over and consequently to turn about the axis as it falls onto the surface, such as the cake surface. This allows the decorator to achieve realistic petal extrusions without the need to turn the tip; however, turning the tip will enhance the effect, provided of course it is performed in the correct rotational sense. A further advantage of inclining the slots in this way is that a greater slot length can be accommodated, for a given radius of decorating tip.

In order to minimize the cost of manufacture of any of these tips, the tip should be formed as a hollow, one-piece shell with rotational symmetry about a central longitudinal axis, such that the apex portion of the shell is supported solely by portions of the shell wall intermediate the apertures. Thus there is no need for a supportive web within the tip, and the configuration of the tip is particularly simple and easy to mould.

Preferably, the inner walls of the apertures, whether slots or other shapes, are flat and parallel to the axis. The apertures are then very easy to produce in the mould, for example by using the recently-available spark erosion process for moulds of steel or other metals. Accordingly, the decorating tip is preferably a one-piece plastics injection moulding.

The use of decorating tips embodying my invention leads to novel methods of decorating surfaces such as cakes.

Accordingly, my invention provides a method of producing a decorative extrusion on a surface, using a decorating tip according to my invention, comprising holding the tip adjacent to, but spaced from, the surface with its axis generally normal to the surface, and forcing the fluid through the apertures so as to reach and adhere to the surface and to harden thereon.

In the case of the use of a decorating tip with slots inclined to the radius when viewed axially, the method involves holding the tip directly above the surface with its axis generally upright, and forcing the fluid through the apertures so as to fall onto and adhere to the surface and to harden thereon, the inclination of each slot being such that the ribbon-shaped extrusion from that slot tends to turn about the axis, once its end has reached the surface. In this case, the rate of extrusion and the viscosity of the fluid are preferably such, in relation to the shape of the slot, that the extrusion adopts a sinuous path, which it retains, to give the overall effect of a petalled flower. The natural vibration inherent in a manual process will enhance the sinuous shape of the ribbon, imparting a natural-looking random ripple.As indicated above, the method may include rotation of the decorating tip about its axis during the extrusion process.

The method using any of the decorating tips of my invention preferably forms an annular extrusion, for example an annular array of overlapping petal shapes.

The method then preferably involves the step of filling the centre of the extrusion, optionally with a different fluid. However, it is an important advantage of my invention that the inner radius of the annular extrusion may be made very small, e.g. because the inner ends of the slots may be close to adjacent slots. Accordingly, filling of the centre of the extrusion may not always be necessary.

In order that the invention may be better understood, four specific decorating tips, and the associated floral extrusions, together with the ancillary equipment, will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures la to 1d are respectively an underneath plan view, a side elevation and a section taken on the line c-c, of a decorating tip embodying the invention; and a top plan view of the resulting extruded pattern, representative of a daisy; Figures 2a to 2d correspond to Figures la to 1d but are shaped so that the extrusion represents a begonia flower; Figures 3a to 3d again correspond to Figures la to ld, but are shaped so that the extrusion represents an anemone flower; Figures 4a to 4d correspond to Figures la to id, but are shaped so that the extrusion represents a buttercup flower; and Figure 5 is a perspective view of the ancillary piping equipment, connected to the decorating tip of Figures Ia to ic.

With reference first to Figures la to id and 5, a decorating tip 1 is in the form of a hollow shell with a cylindrical portion open at one end, and connected at the other end to a truncated conical portion 2. Two teeth 3 projeet from opposed sides of the cylindrical portion at the open end, for slotting into an L-shaped path 53 in a frusto-conical adaptor 52. The decorating tip thereby has a bayonet-type coupling with the adaptor 52, over which is mounted a flexible squeeze bag 54, shown schematically in broken lines in Figure 5. When the decorating tips are sold as a set, they are all interchangeable with a common adaptor and bag.

The outer wall of the tip 1, where the cylindrical portion meets the conical portion, is formed with a broken circle of small projections 4, which facilitate gripping and turning of the tip 1 relative to its adaptor 52.

Twelve elongate slots 6 are formed symmetrically about the axis, and equi-angularly disposed, in the conical part of the shell wall. Each slot extends radially, and the inner walls 7 of each slot are planar and are parallel to the longitudinal axis which corresponds to the rotational axis of symmetry of the slots. The apex or extreme end portion 5 of the tip is flattened in a transverse plane, and this portion of the wall is supported solely by portions of the wall intermediate the apertures 6.

The wall thickness in the conical portion of the tip is substantially greater than the width of each slot 6.

The periphery of each slot in the external convex surface 2, which includes the edges 8, 9 at opposite ends of the slot, defines an outlet surface whose normal is inclined at about 45 to the axis. Clearly this inclined effect would be absent if the tip were not convex to the exterior.

In use, decorating fluid such as royal icing or cheese or mashed potato enters the tip under pressure, and expels air from the tip so as to fill its interior. The piping arrangement of Figure 5 is held over the surface to be decorated, its apex 5 close to the surface, generally with its axis upright and normal to the surface. With continued pressure on the bag 54, fluid emerges from the slots 6 simultaneously, in the form of continuous ribbons, which then fall the short distance to the food surface, to which they adhere. There is no automatic tendency of the ribbons to turn in one sense or the opposite sense, so a slight rotation is imparted by the decorator, to ensure that each ribbon collapses and turns in the same rotational sense.A deposit such as that shown in Figure 1d is produced on the surface, each ribbon producing a petal-like extrusion 6a, together forming an annulus 10. Depending on the dimensions of the overlapping petals required, extrusion is terminated by releasing pressure on the bag 54, and an abrupt upward movement of the piping set will shear the extruded ribbon from the tip 1. The central portion 5a of the deposit may subsequently be filled by a further extrusion, usually of a different fluid or a differently-coloured fluid.

In the description of the second, third and fourth examples of decorating tip which follows, only those features which differ from the tip of Figure 1 will be identified. Reference numberals are maintained in cases where the parts correspond. In the example of Figs 2a to 2d, the slots 26 are inclined to the diametral plane, so that they are tangential to a co-axial cylinder of small diameter. In this example, the semi-angle of the conical portion is substantially less than the tip of Figure 1, and the slots are substantially longer, their ends being very close to one another near the axis.

Despite the proximity of the inner ends of the slots 26, the decorating tip is still formed as a one-piece plastics moulding by an injection moulding process. The portion 25 at the extreme end of the tip is supported by portions of the shell intermediate the slots. The portion 25 includes an axially downwardly-projecting pin 25a which acts as a distance piece for separating the tip the required axial distance from the surface to be decorated.

As with the tip of Figure lc, it is apparent from Figure 2c that this tip also encourages transverse expansion and extrusion of the fluid, with an outlet surface of each slot, between end points 28 and 29, facing outwardly, the normal being inclined at about 60 to the axis.

As shown in Figure 2d, the decorative deposit 10 from this tip resembles a begonia flower, with petals extending over an angular range of about 90'. This angular range is achieved partly by virtue of the inclination of the slots 26, and partly by rotating the set in use.

The decorating tip of Figures 3a to 3c has two circular rows of oval-shaped apertures 36, 36a respectively, formed in a frusto-conical end portion 2 of the tip, and produces a deposit 10, Figure 3d resembling an anemone flower.

The convex shape of the tip and its wall thickness, on the one hand, and the one-piece nature of the end portion 25 on the other hand, are important. As with the example of Figure id, there is a substantial area 5a at the centre over which no deposit is made, allowing space for a further deposit representative of the centre of the flower.

The decorating tip of Figures 4a to 4c is similar in function to that of Figures 2a to 2c, and the corresponding extruded pattern, shown in Figure 4d, represents a buttercup flower. The shell-like shape of each petal is derived from the arcuate shape of each slot 46, formed in a dome-shaped tip portion 2. The part-spherical outlet surface of each slot 46, whose perimeter includes outer edges 48 and 49 shown in Fig.

4c, has, at each point, a normal which is inclined at an acute angle to the axis. The range of acute angles is about 10 to 80.

Each of the decorating tips identified above is represented in the drawings to twice its actual size, although of course variations in size and shape fall within the scope of the invention. In this example, each tip is injection moulded from stainless steel moulds which are formed using spark erosion in numerical-controlled tool-making equipment. It is only relatively recently that such equipment has been available, allowing products such as these to be made with such fine definition. The plastics injection moulds are of coloured plastics capable of satisfying standard health and safety requirements for catering equipment.

Claims

1. A decorating tip for forming decorative extrusions of a hardenable fluid, in the form of a shell having an inlet for admitting the fluid under pressure, and an outwardly-convex base outlet portion which tapers inwardly along an axis to an apex, the outlet portion having apertures disposed around the apex for the extrusion of the fluid downwardly in use along the axis onto a surface adjacent the apex, the perimeter of each aperture in the external, convex surface of the outlet portion defining an outlet surface which is inclined at an acute angle (or at a range of acute angles) to the axis, whereby fluid emerging under pressure through the aperture is encouraged to expand and extrude not only axially but also transversely of the axis.

2. A tip according to Claim 1, in which the outlet portion is conical or frusto-conical or dome shaped.

3. A tip according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the shell wall thickness of the outlet portion of the tip is thick relative to the aperture size.

4. A tip according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the shell thickness is between 1/6 and 1/3 the radius of the tip.

5. A tip according to Claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, in which the apertures are elongate slots.

6. A tip according to any preceding claim, in which the tip, or at least its outlet portion, has rotational symmetry about its axis.

7. A tip according to any preceding claim, in which the apertures are disposed equi-angularly about the axis.

8. A tip according to Claim 5, in which the inner ends of the slots are tangential to an imaginary cylinder on the longitudinal axis and within the shell.

9. A tip according to Claim 8, in which the apex portion of the shell on the axis at the tip of the outlet end is supported solely by portions of the shell intermediate the slots.

10. A tip according to any preceding claim, in which the tip is formed as a hollow, one-piece shell with rotational symmetry about a central longitudinal axis, such that the apex portion of the shell is supported solely by portions of the shell wall intermediate the apertures.

11. A tip according to any preceding claim, in which the inner walls of the apertures, whether slots or other shapes, are flat and parallel to the axis.

12. A tip according to any preceding claim, which is a one-piece plastics injection moulding.

13. A method of producing a decorative extrusion on a surface, using a decorating tip according to any of Claims 1 to 12, comprising holding the tip adjacent to, but spaced from, the surface with its axis generally normal to the surface, and forcing the fluid through the apertures so as to reach and adhere to the surface and to harden thereon.

14. A method according to Claim 13 using a decorating tip with slots inclined to the radius when viewed axially, comprising holding the tip directly above the surface with its axis generally upright, and forcing the fluid through the apertures so as to fall onto and adhere to the surface and to harden thereon1 the inclination of each slot being such that the ribbon-shaped extrusion from that slot tends to turn about the axis, once its end has reached the surface.

15. A method according to Claim 14, in which the rate of extrusion and the viscosity of the fluid are such, in relation to the shape of the slot, that the extrusion adopts a sinuous path, which it retains, to give the overall effect of a petalled flower.

16. A decorating tip substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. A method of decorating, substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.