Ice cream mould table with spray nozzle arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12035730-B2
Application number	US-202017612481-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2020
Priority date	Jun 26, 2019
Publication date	Jul 16, 2024
Grant date	Jul 16, 2024

Abstract

An ice cream mould table for moulding ice cream products, comprising a plate that has a plurality of mould pockets that each protrude from a bottom side of the plate, and a spray nozzle arrangement including a plurality of spray nozzles that is arranged to spray heating fluid on the exterior of the mould pockets to facilitate releasing of ice cream from the mould pockets. At least one spray nozzle comprises a first spray opening arranged to spray heating fluid towards a target mould pocket and in a first direction that is inclined by a first angle relative the vertical direction, and a second spray opening arranged to spray heating fluid towards the target mould pocket and in a second direction that is inclined by a second angle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ice cream mould table for moulding ice cream products, the ice cream mould table comprising
a mould arrangement comprising a plate that has a plurality of mould pockets that each protrude from a bottom side of the plate, and
a spray nozzle arrangement including a plurality of spray nozzles that is arranged to extend between the plurality of mould pockets in an alternating arrangement, such that heating fluid may be sprayed on the exterior of the mould pockets to facilitate releasing of ice cream from the mould pockets, wherein
at least one spray nozzle of the plurality of spray nozzles comprises
a first spray opening arranged to spray heating fluid towards a target mould pocket and in a first direction that is inclined by a first angle relative the vertical direction,
a second spray opening arranged to spray heating fluid towards the target mould pocket and in a second direction that is inclined by a second angle relative the vertical direction,
a third spray opening arranged to spray heating fluid towards the target mould pocket and in a third direction that is inclined by a third angle relative the vertical direction,
a fourth spray opening arranged to spray heating fluid towards the target mould pocket and in a fourth direction that is inclined relative the vertical direction, and inclined by a fourth angle relative the first direction, and
a fifth spray opening arranged to spray heating fluid towards the target mould pocket and in a fifth direction that is inclined relative the vertical direction, and inclined by a fifth angle relative the first direction,
wherein the fourth spray opening and the fifth spray opening are arranged at a distance from each other, and the fourth direction and fifth direction are mirrored in the first direction and directed towards a common point along the first direction and at a distance from the first spray opening.

2. The ice cream mould table according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle comprises
a sixth spray opening arranged to spray heating fluid towards a target mould pocket and in a sixth direction that is inclined by a sixth angle relative the vertical direction,
a seventh spray opening arranged to spray heating fluid towards the target mould pocket and in a seventh direction that is inclined relative the vertical direction, and inclined by a seventh angle relative the sixth direction an eight spray opening arranged to spray heating fluid towards the target mould pocket and in an eight direction that is inclined relative the vertical direction, and inclined by an eight angle relative the sixth direction, wherein
the seventh spray opening and the eighth spray opening are arranged at a distance from each other, and the seventh direction and eighth direction are mirrored in the sixth direction and directed towards a common point along the first direction and at a second distance from the first spray opening.

3. The mould arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the plate comprises
an insulation plate that has that has the form of an insulation layer, and
at least one support layer that is attached to the insulation layer, to support the insulation layer.

4. The mould arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein
the at least one support layer is made of a first material, and
the insulation layer is made of a second material different than the first material.

5. The mould arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein
the at least one support layer is a first support layer that is attached to a first side of the insulation layer, and
the insulation plate comprises a second support layer that is attached to a second side of the insulation layer that is opposite the first side of the insulation layer to support the insulation layer.

6. The mould arrangement according to claim 3 , comprising a space defined between the insulation plate and a wall of an adjacent one of the plurality of mould pockets.

7. The mould arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the spray nozzle has a cuboid shape including a height that extends along more than half of a height of the plurality of mould pockets.

8. The mould arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein the spray nozzle has at least one surface that defines a plurality of spray openings and faces the wall of an adjacent one of the plurality of mould pockets.

9. The mould arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the spray nozzle has at least two opposing surfaces that each define a plurality of spray openings.

10. A method for processing ice cream with a mould arrangement according to claim 1 , the method comprising
inserting ice cream into mould pockets arranged in the mould arrangement,
moving the mould pockets, by movement of the mould arrangement, to a first position at which a cooling fluid is supplied to an exterior surface of the mould pockets, such that a temperature of the ice cream in the mould pockets decreases, and
moving the mould pockets, by movement of the mould arrangement, to a second position at which the mould pockets pass by the spray nozzle arrangement that supplies a heating fluid to the exterior surface of the mould pockets, such that a temperature of the ice cream in the mould pockets increases to thereby facilitate extraction of the ice cream from the mould pockets.

11. The method according to claim 10 , comprising
stopping movement of the mould arrangement for a predetermined period of time at the second position where the spray nozzles are located between the mould pockets, and
spraying the heating fluid when the mould arrangement is at the second position, and
reducing the spraying of the heating fluid when the mould arrangement is again moving after the stopping movement.

Assignees

• Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

Inventors

• Skoglund Tomas
• Bonde Tommy
• Bendixen Ole
• Hansen Per Henrik

Classifications

• A23G9/503

  products with an inedible support, e.g. a stick · CPC title

• B05B1/205

  characterised by the longitudinal shape of the elongated body · CPC title

• A23G9/26

  for producing frozen sweets on sticks · CPC title

• A23G9/083

  using moulds · CPC title

• A23G9/22

  Details, component parts or accessories of apparatus insofar as not peculiar to a single one of the preceding groups · CPC title