Non-contact printed comestible products and apparatus and method for producing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10092020-B2
Application number	US-201514727608-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2015
Priority date	Mar 29, 2006
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

The present disclosure provides apparatuses and methods for non-contact printing on comestible products. The apparatus includes an extruder for extruding a slab of an edible substrate and a non-contact printing device for printing an edible ink on the slab. The apparatus provides versatility as the printing device may be placed anywhere along the apparatus. The printing device may be positioned along the apparatus as desired to operate in cooperation with other components of the apparatus.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a comestible product comprising:
extruding a slab of an edible substrate, wherein the edible substrate comprises a chewing gum; and
printing an edible ink onto the slab using a printing device without contacting a surface of the slab with the printing device,
wherein the edible ink is disposed as a layer added to a surface embossment of the edible substrate, and
wherein the method comprises dispensing an organoleptic component onto the slab using a dosing controller in operative communication with a weight detector, and wherein the weight detector is configured to detect a weight of the slab and the dosing controller is configured to dispense a quantity of the organoleptic component to the slab based on the weight of the slab detected by the weight detector.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising cutting the slab into individual confectionery pieces and printing the edible ink on the individual pieces.

3. The method of claim 2 comprising coating the individual confectionery pieces before the printing.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the slab has opposing first and second sides, the method comprising printing the edible ink on the first side and on the second side.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising inkjet printing the edible ink on the slab.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising moving the slab during the printing.

7. A method for producing a comestible product comprising:
extruding a slab of a chewing gum; and
printing an edible ink on the slab, wherein the printing comprises non-contact printing wherein the chewing gum has a moisture content of about 0.5% to about 20% by weight, wherein the method comprises dispensing an organoleptic component onto the slab using a dosing controller in operative communication with a weight detector, and wherein the weight detector is configured to detect a weight of the slab and the dosing controller is configured to dispense a quantity of the organoleptic component to the slab based on the weight of the slab detected by the weight detector.

8. The method of claim 7 comprising forming the slab into individual pieces of center-filled confectionery material and printing the edible ink on the individual pieces.

9. The method of claim 7 comprising placing the individual pieces of the center-filled confectionery material into a package, the edible ink being visible through the package.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the slab comprises a slab of chewing gum.

11. The method of claim 10 comprising cutting the slab of chewing gum into individual pieces, the non-contact printing occurring before the cutting.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the package is a blister package.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface embossment comprises a protrusion.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface embossment comprises an indentation.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the edible ink coats the indentation to form a coated indentation.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the coated indentation comprises a 3-D object.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the edible substrate has a moisture content of about 0.5% to about 20% by weight.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the edible substrate contains from about 1% to about 50% by weight of trim material.

Assignees

• Wrigley W M Jun Co

Inventors

• Ream Ronald L
• Valdez Enrique
• Rybolt Dennis W
• Gleffe William R

Classifications

• A23G3/0068

  the material being shaped at least partially by a die; Extrusion of filled or multi-layered cross-sections or plates, optionally with the associated cutting · CPC title

• A23G4/18

  characterised by shape, structure or physical form, e.g. aerated products · CPC title

• A23G3/0097

  Decorating sweetmeats or confectionery · CPC title

• A23G3/545

  hollow products, e.g. with inedible or edible filling, fixed or movable within the cavity · CPC title

• A23G3/50

  characterised by shape, structure or physical form, e.g. products with supported structure · CPC title