IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0736213
(2013-01-08)
|
등록번호 |
US-8790729
(2014-07-29)
|
우선권정보 |
NL-1010630 (1998-11-23) |
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Van Esbroeck, Maurice Eduardus Theodorus
- Van De Eerden, Hendricus Franciscus Jacobus Maria
- Janssen, Petrus Christianus Marius
- Van Den Nieuwelaar, Adrianus Josephes
|
출원인 / 주소 |
- Marel Stork Poultry Processing B.V.
|
대리인 / 주소 |
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
2 인용 특허 :
31 |
초록
▼
The invention provides methods and molding devices for molding three-dimensional products from a mass of foodstuff. The molding device includes a rotatable drum provided with mold cavities that are filled with the mass of foodstuff to form the three-dimensional products. The method includes use of t
The invention provides methods and molding devices for molding three-dimensional products from a mass of foodstuff. The molding device includes a rotatable drum provided with mold cavities that are filled with the mass of foodstuff to form the three-dimensional products. The method includes use of the molding device to continuously fill mold cavities in filling operations without a time gap between successive filling operations.
대표청구항
▼
1. A method for forming molded products from a mass of foodstuff suitable for human consumption using a molding device comprising: a drum rotatable about an axis of rotation, wherein: i. the drum comprises a cylindrical outer surface, a circumference, and a longitudinal axis;ii. the drum comprises a
1. A method for forming molded products from a mass of foodstuff suitable for human consumption using a molding device comprising: a drum rotatable about an axis of rotation, wherein: i. the drum comprises a cylindrical outer surface, a circumference, and a longitudinal axis;ii. the drum comprises a plurality of mold cavities, each mold cavity having a cavity opening in the outer surface of the drum; andiii. the mold cavities are arranged on the drum in rings about the circumference of the drum, wherein adjacent rings are positioned along the longitudinal axis of the drum and wherein the mold cavities in adjacent rings are offset about the circumference of the drum;a drum drive adapted to rotate the drum along a path about the axis of rotation;a mass-feed component for feeding the mass of foodstuff into the mold cavities, wherein the mass-feed component is positioned at a filling position along the path of the drum, wherein the mass-feed component comprises fixed walls that define a chamber for holding foodstuff and that delimit an opening of the chamber proximate the outer surface of the drum, and wherein the walls of the chamber have an edge provided with sealing means that contacts the drum to prevent leakage of foodstuff out of the chamber; a pump device coupled to the mass-feed component;a closure component positioned along the path of the drum downstream the mass-feed component; anda conveyor extending beneath the drum, the method comprising:a. rotating the drum via the drum drive along the path at a substantially constant rotational speed;b. supplying the mass of foodstuff under pressure to the chamber of the mass-feed component with the pump device;c. continuously filling mold cavities via the opening of the chamber of the mass-feed component with a portion of the mass of foodstuff in filling operations without a time gap between successive filling operations;d. temporarily closing with the closure component the cavity openings of the mold cavities over at least part of the path of the drum between the mass-feed component and a downstream discharge position; ande. discharging as a molded product the mass of foodstuff from each mold cavity onto the conveyor. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of mold cavities comprise inserts that are removable from the drum and wherein the method further comprises removing a first mold cavity insert from the drum and inserting a second mold cavity insert into the drum. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of mold cavities comprises a shape and wherein at least some of the shapes are different. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein temporarily closing the cavity openings of the mold cavities comprises positioning the closure component against the outer surface of the drum. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the mass of foodstuff comprises a meat mass. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein supplying of the mass of foodstuff under pressure to the chamber of the mass-feed component with the pump device establishes a foodstuff pressure between 0.2 and 5 bars in the chamber. 7. A method for forming molded products from a mass of foodstuff suitable for human consumption using a molding device comprising: a drum rotatable about an axis of rotation, wherein: i. the drum comprises a cylindrical outer surface, a circumference, and a longitudinal axis;ii. the drum comprises a plurality of mold cavities, each mold cavity having a cavity opening in the outer surface of the drum; andiii. the mold cavities are arranged on the drum in rings about the circumference of the drum, wherein adjacent rings are positioned along the longitudinal axis of the drum and wherein the mold cavities in adjacent rings are offset about the circumference of the drum;a drum drive adapted to rotate the drum along a path about the axis of rotation;a mass-feed component for feeding the mass of foodstuff into the mold cavities, wherein the mass-feed component is positioned at a filling position along the path of the drum; a pump device coupled to the mass-feed component;a closure component positioned along the path of the drum downstream the mass-feed component;a treatment device; anda conveyor extending beneath the drum, the method comprising: a. rotating the drum via the drum drive along the path at a substantially constant rotational speed;b. supplying the mass of foodstuff under pressure to the mass-feed component with the pump device;c. continuously filling mold cavities via the mass-feed component with a portion of the mass of foodstuff in filling operations without a time gap between successive filling operations;d. temporarily closing with the closure component the cavity openings of the mold cavities over at least part of the path of the drum between the mass-feed component and a downstream discharge position;e. treating an exposed surface of the mass in at least some mold cavities using the treatment device located downstream of the closure component; andf. discharging as a molded product the mass of foodstuff from each mold cavity onto the conveyor. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the treatment device comprises a spraying device and wherein treating an exposed surface of the mass in at least some mold cavities comprises spraying the exposed surface. 9. A molding device for molding three-dimensional products from a mass of foodstuff which is suitable for human consumption, the molding device comprising: a. a drum rotatable about an axis of rotation, wherein: i the drum comprises a cylindrical outer surface, a circumference, and a longitudinal axis;ii. the drum comprises a plurality of mold cavities, each mold cavity having a cavity opening in the outer surface of the drum; andiii. the mold cavities are arranged on the drum in rings about the circumference of the drum, wherein adjacent rings are positioned along the longitudinal axis of the drum;b. a drum drive adapted to rotate the drum along a path about the axis of rotation at a substantially constant rotational speed;c. a mass-feed component for feeding the mass of foodstuff into the mold cavities via the mold cavity opening of each mold cavity, the mass-feed component being positioned at a filling position along the path of the drum for supplying in a filling operation a portion of the mass into each mold cavity that passes the mass-feed component, wherein the mass-feed component comprises fixed walls that define a chamber for holding foodstuff and that delimit an opening of the chamber proximate the outer surface of the drum, and wherein the walls of the chamber have an edge provided with sealing means that contacts the drum to prevent leakage of foodstuff out of the chamber;d. a pump device coupled to the mass-feed component, the pump device being adapted to continuously supply the mass under pressure to the chamber of the mass-feed component;e. a closure component positioned along the path of the drum downstream the mass-feed component, wherein the closure component is adapted to bear against the outer surface of the drum to temporarily close the cavity openings of the mold cavities over at least part of the path of the drum between the mass-feed component and a downstream discharge position where the portion of the mass in each mold cavity is discharged from each mold cavity as a molded product; andf. a conveyor extending beneath the drum to receive the molded products discharged from the mold cavities at the discharge position, wherein the mold cavities in adjacent rings are offset about the circumference of the drum such that, upon rotation of the drum at a substantially constant rotational speed, the mass-feed component is capable of continuously filling mold cavities via the opening of the chamber with the mass of foodstuff without a time gap between successive filling operations of the mold cavities. 10. The molding device of claim 9, wherein at least some of the plurality of mold cavities comprise inserts that are removable from the drum. 11. The molding device of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of mold cavities comprises a shape and wherein at least some of the shapes are different. 12. The molding device of claim 9, wherein the drum comprises a diameter between approximately 0.15 and 0.7 meters inclusive and a length between approximately 0.3 and 2 meters inclusive. 13. The molding device of claim 9, wherein the closure component comprises a belt. 14. The molding device of claim 13, wherein the belt is closed loop. 15. A molding device for molding three-dimensional products from a mass of foodstuff which is suitable for human consumption, the molding device comprising: a. a drum rotatable about an axis of rotation, wherein: i. the drum comprises a cylindrical outer surface, a circumference, and a longitudinal axis;ii. the drum comprises a plurality of mold cavities, each mold cavity having a cavity opening in the outer surface of the drum; andthe mold cavities are arranged on the drum in rings about the circumference of the drum, wherein adjacent rings are positioned along the longitudinal axis of the drum;b. a drum drive adapted to rotate the drum along a path about the axis of rotation at a substantially constant rotational speed;c. a mass-feed component for feeding the mass of foodstuff into the mold cavities via the mold cavity opening of each mold cavity, the mass-feed component being positioned at a filling position along the path of the drum for supplying in a filling operation a portion of the mass into each mold cavity that passes the mass-feed component;d. a pump device coupled to the mass-feed component, the pump device being adapted to continuously supply the mass under pressure to the mass-feed component;e. a closure component positioned along the path of the drum downstream the mass-feed component, wherein the closure component is adapted to bear against the outer surface of the drum to temporarily close the cavity openings of the mold cavities over at least part of the path of the drum between the mass-feed component and a downstream discharge position where the portion of the mass in each mold cavity is discharged from each mold cavity as a molded product;f. a treatment device located downstream of the closure component and adapted to treat an exposed surface of the mass in at least some mold cavities; andg. a conveyor extending beneath the drum to receive the molded products discharged from the mold cavities at the discharge position, wherein the mold cavities in adjacent rings are offset about the circumference of the drum such that u on rotation of the drum at a substantially constant rotational speed, the mass-feed component is capable of continuously filling mold cavities with the mass of foodstuff without a time gap between successive filling operations of the mold cavities. 16. The molding device of claim 15, wherein the treatment device comprises a spraying device adapted to spray the exposed surface. 17. A method for forming molded products from a mass of foodstuff suitable for human consumption using a molding device comprising: a drum rotatable about an axis of rotation, wherein: is the drum comprises a cylindrical outer surface, a circumference, and a longitudinal axis;ii. the drum comprises a plurality of mold cavities, each mold cavity having a cavity opening in the outer surface of the drum; andiii. the mold cavities are arranged on the drum in rings about the circumference of the drum, wherein adjacent rings are positioned along the longitudinal axis of the drum and wherein the mold cavities in adjacent rings are offset about the circumference of the drum;a drum drive adapted to rotate the drum along a path about the axis of rotation;a mass-feed component for feeding the mass of foodstuff into the mold cavities, wherein the mass-feed component is positioned at a filling position along the path of the drum, wherein the mass-feed component comprises fixed walls that define a chamber for holding foodstuff and that delimit an opening of the chamber proximate the outer surface of the drum, and wherein the walls of the chamber have an edge provided with sealing means that contacts the drum to prevent leakage of foodstuff out of the chamber; a pump device coupled to the chamber of the mass-feed component;a closure component positioned along the path of the drum downstream the mass-feed component; anda conveyor extending beneath the drum, the method comprising: a. rotating the drum via the drum drive along the path at a substantially constant rotational speed;b. supplying the mass of foodstuff under pressure to the chamber of the mass-feed component with the pump device;c. continuously filling mold cavities via the opening of the chamber of the mass-feed component with a portion of the mass of foodstuff in filling operations without a time gap between successive filling operations;d. temporarily closing with the closure component the cavity openings of the mold cavities over at least part of the path of the drum between the mass-feed component and a downstream discharge position;e. pressing the closure component against the mass of foodstuff in the mold cavities by regulated air pressure or regulated liquid pressure; andf. discharging as a molded product the mass of foodstuff from each mold cavity onto the conveyor. 18. A molding device for molding three-dimensional products from a mass of foodstuff which is suitable for human consumption, the molding device comprising: a. a drum rotatable about an axis of rotation, wherein: i. the drum comprises a cylindrical outer surface, a circumference, and a longitudinal axis;ii. the drum comprises a plurality of mold cavities, each mold cavity having a cavity opening in the outer surface of the drum; andiii. the mold cavities are arranged on the drum in rings about the circumference of the drum, wherein adjacent rings are positioned along the longitudinal axis of the drum;b. a drum drive adapted to rotate the drum along a path about the axis of rotation at a substantially constant rotational speed;c. a mass-feed component for feeding the mass of foodstuff into the mold cavities via the mold cavity opening of each mold cavity, the mass-feed component being positioned at a filling position along the path of the drum for supplying in a filling operation a portion of the mass into each mold cavity that passes the mass-feed component, wherein the mass-feed component comprises fixed walls that define a chamber for holding foodstuff and that delimit an opening of the chamber proximate the outer surface of the drum, and wherein the walls of the chamber have an edge provided with sealing means that contacts the drum to prevent leakage of foodstuff out of the chamber;d. a pump device coupled to the mass-feed component, the pump device being adapted to continuously supply the mass under pressure to the chamber of the mass-feed component;e. a closure component positioned along the path of the drum downstream the mass-feed component, wherein the closure component is adapted to bear against the outer surface of the drum to temporarily close the cavity openings of the mold cavities over at least part of the path of the drum between the mass-feed component and a downstream discharge position where the portion of the mass in each mold cavity is discharged from each mold cavity as a molded product;f. an air pressure or liquid pressure device connected to a source of pressurized air or liquid and adapted to exert a controllable pressure on the closure component to regulate a pressing of the closure component against the mass of foodstuff in the mold cavities; andg. a conveyor extending beneath the drum to receive the molded products discharged from the mold cavities at the discharge position, wherein the mold cavities in adjacent rings are offset about the circumference of the drum such that, upon rotation of the drum at a substantially constant rotational speed, the mass-feed component is capable of continuously filling mold cavities via the opening of the chamber with the mass of foodstuff without a time gap between successive filling operations of the mold cavities.
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