Pneumatic-driven double-compression popping apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9924738-B2
Application number	US-201514696919-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2015
Priority date	Apr 27, 2015
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

There is provided a double-compression, pneumatic-driven popping apparatus for making chip-like snack foods. The apparatus includes a first and second popping machine sections, each having a pneumatic-driven compression cylinder; and a mold plate coupled to the pneumatic cylinder and responsive to urging of the first pneumatic cylinder. A ring mold is located between the first and second machine sections and is subjected to compression by the first mold plate and the second mold plate. The apparatus has a pneumatic drive system including a compressed gas vessel, and a controller configured to control the pneumatic-driven compression cylinders independently through fast-acting control valves. During use, the apparatus applies pneumatic double-compression in a controlled manner such that a time interval between the first and the second compression steps is in the range of milliseconds, to produce a chip-like snack food product.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A double-compression, pneumatic-driven popping apparatus for making chip-like snack foods, the apparatus comprising:
(a) a first popping machine section including:
(i) a first pneumatic-driven compression cylinder;
(ii) a first mold plate coupled to the first pneumatic-driven compression cylinder and responsive to urging of the first pneumatic-driven compression cylinder;

(b) a second popping machine section including:
(i) a second pneumatic-driven compression cylinder;
(ii) a second mold plate coupled to the second pneumatic-driven compression cylinder and responsive to urging by the second pneumatic-driven compression cylinder;

(c) a ring mold located between the first and second popping machine sections to be subjected to compression by the first mold plate and the second mold plate;
(d) a pneumatic drive system including a compressed gas vessel, configured to receive and contain compressed gas from a source, the compressed gas vessel in controlled and operative fluid communication with each of the first and second pneumatic-driven compression cylinders, wherein the operative fluid communication with the first pneumatic-driven compression cylinder is independent of the operative fluid communication with the second pneumatic-driven compression cylinder; and
(e) a control system controlling the pneumatic drive system, the control system controlling the pneumatic drive system to urge the first pneumatic-driven compression cylinder independently of the second pneumatic-driven compression cylinder to apply a second operative compression spaced, by a time interval of from about 2 to about 75 milliseconds, from a first operative compression to the ring mold.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pneumatic drive system comprises a first three-way control valve downstream of the compressed gas vessel controlling fluid communication operative for pneumatic operation between the compressed gas vessel and the first pneumatic-driven compression cylinder, and a second three-way control valve downstream of the compressed gas vessel controlling fluid communication operative for pneumatic operation between the compressed gas vessel and the second pneumatic-driven compression cylinder.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first and second three-way control valves are solenoid operated valves and are each controlled independently by the control system.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a compressor, the compressor in fluid communication with the compressed gas vessel and sized for supplying compressed air to the vessel.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the compressed gas vessel is sized to provide compressed gas with a reduction of gas pressure in the compressed gas vessel during a double compression process, including a first compression step and a second compression step.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the compressed gas vessel is sized to provide compressed gas with a reduction of gas pressure in the compressed gas vessel during a double compression process, including a first compression step and a second compression step.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first popping machine section further comprises a first outboard pneumatically-driven compression cylinder, the first outboard pneumatically-driven compression cylinder located outboard of, and mechanically coupled to, the first pneumatic-driven compression cylinder and in fluid communication with the compressed gas vessel to operatively apply compressive force in concert with the first pneumatic-driven compression cylinder to the ring mold.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second popping machine sections further comprises a second outboard pneumatically-driven compression cylinder, the second outboard pneumatically-driven compression cylinder located outboard of, and mechanically coupled to, the second pneumatic-driven compression cylinder and in fluid communication with the compressed gas vessel to operatively apply compressive force, in concert with the second pneumatic-driven compression cylinder to the ring mold.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the second popping machine sections further comprises a second outboard pneumatically-driven compression cylinder, the second outboard pneumatically-driven compression cylinder located outboard of, and mechanically coupled to, the second pneumatic-driven compression cylinder and in fluid communication with the compressed gas vessel to operatively apply compressive force, in concert with the second pneumatic-driven compression cylinder to product in the ring mold.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising a third three-way control valve downstream of the compressed gas vessel controlling fluid communication between the compressed gas vessel and the first outboard pneumatic-driven compression cylinder, and a fourth three-way control valve downstream of the compressed gas vessel controlling fluid communication between the compressed gas vessel and the second outboard pneumatic-driven compression cylinder.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein each of the third and fourth three-way control valves is controlled independently of each other by the control system.

12. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein
the first popping machine section further comprises a first outboard pneumatically-driven compression cylinder, the first outboard pneumatically-driven compression cylinder located outboard of the first pneumatic-driven compression cylinder and in fluid communication with the compressed gas vessel via a third three-way control valve to operatively apply compressive force, in concert with the first pneumatic-driven compression cylinder;
the second popping machine section further comprises a second outboard pneumatically-driven compression cylinder, the second outboard pneumatically-driven compression cylinder located outboard of the second pneumatic-driven compression cylinder and in fluid communication with the compressed gas vessel via a fourth three-way control valve to operatively apply compressive force, in concert with the second pneumatic-driven compression cylinder; and
wherein the control system is configured to operate the first, second, third and fourth three-way control valves independently of each other.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to include a thickness delay timer and a delay expansion timer,
whereby during use in popping operations, the thickness delay timer allows a gelatinized product in the ring mold to be held for a specified time, without application of compressive force, and the delay expansion timer controls a time for holding the first and second mold plates in position.

14. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the control system is configured to include a thickness delay timer and a delay expansion timer,
wherein during use of the apparatus in popping operations, the thickness delay timer allows a gelatinized product in the ring mold to be held for a specified time, without application of compressive force; and the delay expansion timer controls a time for holding the first and second mold plates in position.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the time interval is from about 2 to about 50 milliseconds.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pneumatic drive system, the control system controlling the pneumatic drive system to urge the first pneumatic-driven compression cylinder independently of the second pneumatic-driven compression cylinder to apply a second operative compression spaced, by a time interval of from about 3 to about 15 milliseconds, f

Assignees

• Frito Lay North America Inc

Inventors

• Graham David Wallice

Classifications

• A23L7/178

  by pressure release with or without heating · CPC title

• A23P30/10 Primary

  Moulding · CPC title

• A23P30/38

  by heating (combined with pressure release or vacuum treatment A23P30/32) · CPC title

• A23P1/148 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A23P30/36 Primary

  in discontinuously working apparatus · CPC title