Depositing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9451782-B2
Application number	US-201414498463-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2014
Priority date	Dec 22, 2003
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

The invention is a depositing device for depositing flowable food containing gas comprising a pressurized feed N line conveying flowable food containing gas under pressure into the food; piston means operatively connected to the feed line comprising a piston and a chamber; an outlet to deliver food at the atmospheric pressure into molds. The device comprises a pressure retaining means arranged to retain the product in the chamber at the same pressure as the line pressure and to deliver the product through the outlet as pressure in the chamber increases from the line pressure upon descent of the piston in the chamber.

First claim

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A method for aerating and depositing an aerated food comprising:
pumping a food from a source of liquefied food;
adding gas from a source of gas in controlled amounts in the liquefied food to produce a gasified food;
maintaining a constant pressure of the gasified food from the adding of the gas until a piston is activated to deposit the gasified food and retaining the product at said pressure in a chamber before a depositing point to prevent a decrease in the pressure of the gasified food and prevent the product from expanding; and
depositing amounts of the gasified food by descending the piston in the chamber toward the depositing point to open an aperture leading to the depositing point and force the product through the depositing point.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the constant pressure is between 6 and 15 bars.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the descending of the piston comprises descending the piston in multiple steps to deliver discrete volumes of the gasified food.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the depositing of a first portion of the gasified food through the depositing point concurrently draws a second portion of the gasified food through the aperture into the chamber.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pumping of the food comprises using a first pump and a second pump located in series along a portion of a feed line which leads to the chamber.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the constant pressure is generated entirely by the first pump.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the adding of the gas comprises directing the gas into the feed line from a gas inlet that emerges into the feed line downstream from the first pump and upstream from the second pump.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first pump comprises an exit, and the constant pressure is present from the exit of the first pump to the depositing of the gasified food to prevent the gasified food from expanding until completion of the depositing.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein a valve is located between the feed line and the chamber, and the method comprises operating the valve between an opening position in which the chamber is filled with the gasified food and a closed position in which the chamber is isolated from the feed line.

10. The method of claim 5 , comprising driving the second pump at a greater speed relative to the first pump.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the driving of the second pump comprises controlling a ratio of the speed of the first pump to the speed of the second pump to be between 1:1.1 and 1:2.

Assignees

• Nestec Sa

Inventors

• Nelson Roy B
• Coatesworth William Walter
• Walker John Howard
• Sutton Jonathan
• Craggs Richard Johnson

Classifications

• B29K2105/04

  cellular or porous · CPC title

• B05C5/0225

  characterised by flow controlling means, e.g. valves, located proximate the outlet (B05C5/0258, B05C5/0275 take precedence; supply valves upstream the coating head B05C11/1036) · CPC title

• B05B12/087

  Flow or presssure regulators, i.e. non-electric unitary devices comprising a sensing element, e.g. a piston or a membrane, and a controlling element, e.g. a valve · CPC title

• A23G3/02

  Apparatus specially adapted for manufacture or treatment of sweetmeats or confectionery; Accessories therefor · CPC title

• A23G1/208 Primary

  Moulding or shaping of cellular or expanded articles · CPC title