System and method for bottom coating food products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9635873-B2
Application number	US-201313963143-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2013
Priority date	Aug 9, 2013
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

A product conveying and coating system includes at least first and second, sequentially arranged conveyor belts, with at least the second conveyor belt being a solid belt. Interposed in a gap between the first and second belts is a dispenser head of a coating manifold. The dispenser head spans a gap between upper surface portions of the first and second conveyor belts, with an elongated side wall outlet portion of the dispenser head being exposed, in a downstream direction of the conveyor unit, to the upper surface of the second conveyor belt. The system provides for dispensing of coating material directly onto the second, solid conveyor belt and enrobing at least bottom and partial side portions of food products upon the solid belt. Provisions are made for scraping from the solid belt, removing from the food products and recycling excess coating material.

First claim

I claim:

1. A method of coating bottom and partial side portions of a food product comprising:
directing the food product in a longitudinal direction along a first conveyor belt which is longitudinally spaced from a second, solid conveyor belt by a longitudinal gap extending in the longitudinal direction;
dispensing a coating material onto and laterally across a portion of the second, solid conveyor belt from a dispenser head positioned within the longitudinal gap, with the dispenser head including an uppermost wall, an upstream side wall, a downstream side wall and at least one dispensing opening provided in the downstream side wall, while being above and exposed to an upper surface of the second, solid conveyor belt for horizontally dispensing of the coating material;
transferring the food product from upon the first conveyor belt directly onto the second, solid conveyor belt wherein the food product becomes partially immersed in the coating material to establish a coated food product; and
removing the coated food product from the second, solid conveyor belt.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
pumping the coating material to the dispenser head through a manifold.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising: collecting excess coating material from the second, solid conveyor belt and recycling the excess coating material to the manifold.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein collecting the excess coating material includes scraping the excess coating material from the second, solid conveyor belt.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: forcibly pressing the food product into the coating material upon the second, solid conveyor belt.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein delivering the coating material across a portion of the second, solid conveyor belt constitutes delivering the coating material across a majority of the second, solid conveyor belt.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the coating material is thick such that, upon dispensing the coating material onto and laterally across the majority of the second, solid conveyor belt, the coating material does not flow laterally off the second, solid conveyor belt.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the coated food product from the second, solid conveyor belt includes transferring the coated food product to a third conveyor belt which is longitudinally aligned with the second, solid conveyor belt, said method further comprising chilling the coated food product on the third conveyor belt.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the food product constitutes a chewy grain bar and the coating material constitutes chocolate.

10. A system for coating bottom and partial side portions of a food product comprising:
a first conveyor belt, said first conveyor belt being configured to deliver a food product in a longitudinal direction;
a second, solid conveyor belt longitudinally spaced from the first conveyor belt by a longitudinal gap extending in the longitudinal direction; and
a dispenser head positioned within the longitudinal gap and including at least one dispensing opening exposed to an upper surface of the second, solid conveyor belt, wherein coating material is configured to be dispensed from the dispenser head onto and laterally across a portion of the second, solid conveyor belt from within the longitudinal gap such that food product delivered upon the first conveyor belt being transferred directly onto the second, solid conveyor belt and become partially immersed in the coating material in order to establish a coated food product, wherein the dispenser head includes an uppermost wall, an upstream side wall and a downstream side wall, said uppermost wall being above an upper surface of the second, solid conveyor belt, with the at least one dispensing opening being provided in the downstream side wall for horizontally dispensing of the coating material.

11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the uppermost wall of the dispenser head is substantially flush with an upper surface of the first conveyor belt.

12. The system according to claim 10 , further comprising a manifold for the coating material, said dispenser head projecting from the manifold.

13. The system according to claim 12 , wherein the second, solid conveyor belt includes a first longitudinal end juxtapose the gap and a second longitudinal end, said system further comprising a scraper device for removing excess coating material from the second, solid conveyor belt and a hopper for collecting the excess coating material, said scraper device being located at a position spaced from the second longitudinal end and below the upper surface of the second, solid conveyor belt.

14. The system according to claim 10 , further comprising: a presser unit mounted above the upper surface of the second, solid conveyor belt for forcibly pressing the food product into the coating material upon the second, solid conveyor belt.

15. The system according to claim 14 , wherein the presser unit includes a roller extending laterally across the second, solid conveyor belt and means for adjusting a height of the roller above the upper surface of the second, solid conveyor belt.

16. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the second, solid conveyor belt includes a first longitudinal end juxtapose the gap and a second longitudinal end, said system further comprising a spinner bar provided at the second longitudinal end for removing excess coating material from the food product.

17. The system according to claim 10 , further comprising: a third conveyor belt which is longitudinally aligned with the second, solid conveyor belt downstream of the first conveyor belt, said third conveyor belt constituting a chiller belt for chilling the coated food product on the third conveyor belt.

18. The system according to claim 17 , wherein each of the first and third belts are also constituted by solid belts such that the system is void of any open mesh belts.

19. A system for coating bottom and partial side portions of a food product comprising:
a first conveyor belt, said first conveyor belt being configured to deliver a food product in a longitudinal direction;
a second, solid conveyor belt aligned with and longitudinally spaced from the first conveyor belt by a longitudinal gap extending in the longitudinal direction; and
a dispenser head including an uppermost wall entirely positioned within the longitudinal gap substantially flush with an upper surface of the first conveyor belt and above an upper surface of the second, solid conveyor belt and including at least one dispensing opening exposed to an upper surface of the second, solid conveyor belt, wherein coating material is configured to be horizontally dispensed from the dispenser head onto and laterally across a portion of the second, solid conveyor belt from within the longitudinal gap such that food product delivered upon the first conveyor belt being transferred across the uppermost wall of the dispenser head and onto the second, solid conveyor belt and become partially immersed in the coating material in order to establish a coated food product.

Assignees

• Gen Mills Inc

Inventors

• Heinzen Thomas

Classifications

• B65G2201/0202

  Agricultural and processed food products · CPC title

• B65G15/24

  in tandem · CPC title

• A23P20/18

  by spray-coating, fluidised-bed coating or coating by casting (combined with breading A23P20/12) · CPC title

• A23P20/17

  by dipping in a bath · CPC title

• A23P20/11

  Coating with compositions containing a majority of oils, fats, mono/diglycerides, fatty acids, mineral oils, waxes or paraffins · CPC title