Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23G—COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
  • A23G9/00—Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor
  • A23G9/52—Liquid products; Solid products in the form of powders, flakes or granules for making liquid products ; Finished or semi-finished solid products, frozen granules
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23G—COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
  • A23G9/00—Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor
  • A23G9/04—Production of frozen sweets, e.g. ice-cream
  • A23G9/22—Details, component parts or accessories of apparatus insofar as not peculiar to a single one of the preceding groups
  • A23G9/28—Details, component parts or accessories of apparatus insofar as not peculiar to a single one of the preceding groups for portioning or dispensing
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23G—COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
  • A23G9/00—Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor
  • A23G9/32—Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor characterised by the composition containing organic or inorganic compounds
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23G—COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
  • A23G9/00—Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor
  • A23G9/32—Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor characterised by the composition containing organic or inorganic compounds
  • A23G9/42—Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor characterised by the composition containing organic or inorganic compounds containing plants or parts thereof, e.g. fruits, seeds, extracts
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23G—COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
  • A23G9/00—Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor
  • A23G9/44—Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor characterised by shape, structure or physical form
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
  • A23G—COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
  • A23G9/00—Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor
  • A23G9/44—Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor characterised by shape, structure or physical form
  • A23G9/48—Composite products, e.g. layered, laminated, coated, filled

Definitions

• the present invention relates to ice cream and more particularly to an apparatus and method for combining particulate and traditional conventional ice cream.
• Fig. 1 shows a portion of the present invention
• Fig. 2 shows a first embodiment of the present invention
• Figs. 3 and 4 show a second embodiment of the present invention
• Figs. 5A and 5B show an exemplary packaging technique of the present invention.
• Fig. 6 shows an electron microscope photograph of the combination made using the present invention.
• FIG. 1 shows a cryogenic processor constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention to produce free-flowing beads 56.
• the fundamental method utilized to produce the product is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,126,156, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
• a cryogenic processor 10 includes a freezing chamber 12 that is most preferably in the form of a conical tank that holds a liquid refrigerant therein.
• a freezing chamber 12 incorporates an inner shell 14 and an outer shell 16. Insulation 18 is disposed between the inner shell 14 and outer shell 16 in order to increase the thermal efficiency of the chamber 12. Vents 20 are also provided to ventilate the insulated area formed between the shells 14 and 16.
• the freezing chamber 12 is a free-stapding unit supported by legs 22.
• the refrigerant 24 is introduced into a chamber 12 through the inlet 26 in order to maintain a predetermined level of liquid refrigerant in the freezing chamber because some refrigerant 24 can be lost by evaporation or by other means incidental to production.
• Gaseous refrigerant that has evaporated from the surface of the liquid refrigerant 24 in freezing chamber 12 primarily vents to the atmosphere through exit port 29 which cooperates with the vacuum assembly 30, which can be in the form of a venturi nozzle. Extraction of the frozen beads occurs through product outlet 32 adapted at the base of the freezing chamber 12.
• An ambient air inlet port 28 with adjustment doors 38 and exit port 29 with adjustment doors 39 are provided to adjust the level of gaseous refrigerant which evaporates from the surface of the liquid refrigerant 24 so that excessive pressure is not built up within the processor 10 and freezing of the liquid composition in the feed assembly 40 does not occur.
• a feed tray 48 receives liquid composition from a delivery source 50.
• a pump (not shown) drives the liquid composition through a delivery tube 52 into the feed tray 48.
• a premixing device 54 allows several compositions, not all of which must be liquid, such as powdered flavorings or other additives of a size small enough not to cause clogging in the feed assembly 40, to be mixed in predetermined concentrations for delivery to the feed tray 48.
• uniformly sized droplets of liquid composition are required to be fed through gas diffusion chamber 46 to freezing chamber 12.
• the feed tray 48 is designed with feed assembly 40 that forms droplets of the desired character.
• the frozen product takes the form of beads that are formed when the droplets 58 of liquid composition contact the refrigerant vapor in the gas diffusion chamber 46, and subsequently the liquid refrigerant 24 in the freezing chamber 12. After the beads 56 are formed, they fall to the bottom of chamber 12.
• a transport system connects to the bottom of chamber 12 at outlet 32 to carry the beads 56 to a packaging and distribution network for later delivery and consumption.
• the vacuum assembly 30 cooperates with air inlet 28 and adjustment doors 38 so that ambient air flows through the inlet and around feed assembly 40 to ensure that no liquid composition freezes therein. This is accomplished by mounting the vacuum assembly 30 and air inlet 28 on opposing sides of the gas diffusion chamber 46 such that the incoming ambient air drawn by the vacuum assembly 30 is aligned with the feed assembly.
• Fig. 6 is a single electron micrograph of a exemplary ice cream combination made using the present invention.
• a bead 56 On the upper left is a bead 56, while the lower right shows typical ice cream. The two portions are divided by a white dashed line. The microscope was carefully positioned so as to photograph the borderline between the bead 56 and the conventional ice cream. As indicated by the lead lines, many ice crystals 604 are shown in the upper left bead portion of Fig. 6, but they are all quite small. Conversely, the lower right conventional portion of Fig. 6 also shows small ice crystals 604 near the border, but then shows larger ice crystals 604 positioned away from the border.
• another advantage of the present invention is that interspersing ultra-cold beads 56 within conventional ice cream can reduce the size of the ice crystals of the adjoining conventional ice cream.
• the ultra-cold beads 56 transform some of their advantageous cryogenically frozen properties to the surrounding conventional ice cream. This occurs partly because the combined product is frozen from the inside out, rather than from the outside in. The result is that the entire combination has a smoother taste and mouthfeel, with a corresponding reduction in dilution or grainy, sandy effects, and also takes less energy than conventional ice cream to reach the desired state of frozenness.
• Fig. 2 shows an exemplary apparatus for blending particulate and conventional ice cream.
• the beads 56 are fed into a variable speed fruit and nut feeder 204 either directly from the outlet 32 or from a transport mechanism.
• the beads 56 are combined with the semi-frozen soft ice cream from a barrel freezer (not shown) by a combining mechanism 208 such as but not limited to a star wheel, which forces the combination through a static mixer 212 where it is blended and then output into a container 220 either for consumption, shipping, or temporary storage within a hardening cabinet.
• a combining mechanism 208 such as but not limited to a star wheel, which forces the combination through a static mixer 212 where it is blended and then output into a container 220 either for consumption, shipping, or temporary storage within a hardening cabinet.
• the combining mechanism 208 ensures that a pre-configurable percentage of beads 56 are inserted into the semi- frozen soft ice cream, yet regulates the pressure and flow such that the beads 56 are not crushed. Additionally, the soft combination does not become too viscous to pump properly.
• the combining mechanism 208 feeds back information to a central control device 240 which can automatically make real-time adjustments to both the variable speed fruit and nut feeder 204 as well as a mechanism which controls the flow of the semi-liquid conventional ice cream from the barrel freezer.
• a central control device 240 can automatically make real-time adjustments to both the variable speed fruit and nut feeder 204 as well as a mechanism which controls the flow of the semi-liquid conventional ice cream from the barrel freezer.
• An operator may also use the central control device 240 to make manual adjustments.
• the central control device 240 may be located at a standard room temperature environment separate from the food-preparation environment, and information communicated thereto could be wirelessly or remotely transmitted to the combining mechanism 208 and other mechanisms via communication means such as but not limited to WiFi or Bluetooth.
• Fig. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which the fruit and nut feeder 204 is not used, but instead the beads 56 are gravity fed into a screw-drive apparatus 312 powered by a drive motor 308.
• a container 220 can be filled first with a layer of beads 56, then a layer of semi-frozen soft ice cream, then another layer of beads 56, and then a layer of something else, and so on.
• a variety of aesthetically pleasing packaging effects can be obtained, as shown in Figs. 5A and 5B.
• the screw-drive apparatus 312 is not drawn to scale. However, it is important to note that the distance 'd' between the threads 312t of the feed screw and the screw housing 312h is small enough that the beads 56 only advance when the feed screw is rotating. This feature is not clearly discernable from Fig. 3, because portions of Fig. 3 are exaggerated for clarity. [00024] Fig.
• FIG. 5A shows the horizontal layering alternating beads and conventional ice cream described above.
• Fig. 5B shows an alternate embodiment in which the container 220 is filled from the side rather than from the top, and sealed in such a way that a customer will be immediately presented with a striped pattern of alternating layers of beads 56 and conventional ice cream upon opening the container 220.
• the re-usable flaps 244 are closed.
• the flaps 244 are open.
• the packaging suggestion of Fig. 5A could be packaged in a translucent plastic container 220T which makes the horizontally layered contents eminently visible to a potential customer while on display in a typical retail environment such as dairy case at a supermarket.
• a translucent plastic container 220T which makes the horizontally layered contents eminently visible to a potential customer while on display in a typical retail environment such as dairy case at a supermarket.
• the interior of the mixing apparatus 312 be appropriately evacuated between layers of the dissimilar ice cream compounds, so that a sharp, crisp visual transition between the resulting layers occurs.
• Fig. 4 shows a variation of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, in which a twist-lock changeable pattern mechanism 408 is added to the screw-drive apparatus 312.
• the pattern mechanism 408 could also be fitted to the output of the static mixer 212.
• the pattern mechanism 408 allows the inscribing of configurable patterns of beads 56 within the conventional ice cream.
• Various shapes including but not limited to those shown in Fig. 4 are possible, as well as letters, caricatures, and other artistic renderings. Such a feature could be a useful marketing device around holidays such as Valentine's Day, Halloween, and Christmas.
• the pattern mechanism 408 works as follows.
• the beads 56 are forced through a changeable pattern stencil 412 which starts out at the bottom of the empty container 220 and is raised at the same rate that the container 220 is filled.
• the rate at which the beads 56 and conventional ice cream are pumped into the pattern mechanism 408 and the container 220 must be are carefully monitored and controlled, potentially by the central control device 240 although not limited thereto, using information obtained from sensors within the pattern mechanism 408. Such control is needed in order to accurately reproduce the desired pattern throughout the entire container 220.
• FIG. 3 An additional alternative embodiment exists in which the beads 56 are swirled into the flowing ice cream by modifying the mixing apparatus 312 of Fig. 3.
• the modified mixing apparatus pontains two separate output nozzles, rather than a single output such as that shown in Fig. 3.
• the beads 56 are dropped into the container 220 which is simultaneously but separately being filled with conventional ice cream.
• the nozzle for the beads 56 can be adapted to rotate, zigzag, or move in a variety of directions so that the beads are swirled, spirally deposited, or linear deposited in some other type of recognizable pattern involving pre-arranged lines and curves.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
• Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
• Botany (AREA)
• Confectionery (AREA)

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=34520008

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Cited By (6)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 2004
  • 2004-09-07 WO PCT/US2004/028988 patent/WO2005039303A2/en active Application Filing
  • 2004-09-07 JP JP2006533892A patent/JP2007508010A/ja active Pending
  • 2004-09-07 BR BRPI0411134-6A patent/BRPI0411134A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2004-09-07 CA CA002526159A patent/CA2526159A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2004-09-07 AU AU2004283648A patent/AU2004283648A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2004-09-07 MX MXPA05012940A patent/MXPA05012940A/es not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2004-09-07 CN CNA2004800172873A patent/CN1960640A/zh active Pending
• 2005
  • 2005-12-30 KR KR1020057025494A patent/KR101212542B1/ko active IP Right Grant
• 2006
  • 2006-01-26 CO CO06007205A patent/CO6220916A2/es active IP Right Grant

Patent Citations (2)

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