Equipment for producing confectionery products

Abstract

An apparatus (10) is described for producing edible products (1), including chewing gum, having an irregular pentagonal shape with rounded corners and elliptical or semi-elliptical sides. The apparatus includes a forming roller (11) and a contrasting member (12) having a pattern formed by the intersection of two mutually orthogonal sets of identical irregular hexagons (20) circumferentially bounded by blades, the intersection of the sets defining within each hexagon four opposing pairs of identical irregular pentagons (50, 50').

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The subject of the invention is an apparatus for producing a confectionery product consisting of chewing gum having an irregular pentagonal shape with rounded corners. [Background technology]

[0002] Chewing gum production lines are known for the production of chewing gum, which make it possible to form individual chewing gum pieces using pairs of overlapping counter-rotating rollers, the function of which is to cut a sheet of gum mass into a set of individual mono-pieces having a specific shape.

[0003] EP 1 588 620 A1 discloses the continuous production of edible products in mass, in particular confectionery mass, by forming a sheet of the desired thickness and depositing this sheet on a conveyor belt to a cutting station where individual pieces of product are formed.

[0004] This cutting station consists of superimposed rollers known as cutters which, depending on the inclination and position of the blades, make it possible to obtain single pieces of the desired shape in each case.

[0005] According to the solution disclosed by EP 1 588 620 A1, maximum efficiency can be obtained if the cutter is characterized by a blade position and inclination that allows obtaining regular shapes (circular, oval, hexagonal or wavy) from the sheet of gum material and producing a series of single pieces that are completely continuous with one another. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] European Patent Publication No. 1588620 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The prior art does not describe a system that allows for the creation of products having geometries that do not result in the generation of waste when forming individual pieces, such as in the case of shapes such as pentagons, and that are reproduced continuously and without interruption in a sheet of chewing gum or other edible material.

[0008] The Applicant further investigated the possibility of using a manufacturing system similar to that described in the prior art to produce a chewing gum characterized by a novel flat and irregular shape without incurring the generation of a large amount of waste.

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for producing edible confectionery products, particularly chewing gum, having specific geometric shapes with minimal product waste.

[0010] It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which allows for in-line cutting of sheets of material directly, trimming side edges with minimal material waste, and cutting the sheets transversely without waste.

[0011] It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and reliable in use.

[0012] Similarly, the present invention relates to methods for making these edible confectionery products. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The above mentioned and other objects of the device according to the invention are achieved by the features which are the subject matter of independent claim 1.

[0014] Preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

[0015] Substantially, the present invention relates to an apparatus for producing an edible product, in particular chewing gum, comprising pairs of opposed counter-rotating rollers suitable for reducing the thickness of a sheet of gum base to a desired height for passing between a forming roller and a contrasting member, the forming roller having a first set of horizontally, i.e. axially, oriented irregular hexagons and a second set of vertically, i.e. circumferentially, oriented irregular hexagons relative to the forming roller, the irregular hexagons being identical to one another and circumferentially bounded by blades, the intersecting sets of irregular hexagons at right angles to one another defining within each hexagon a plurality of opposed pairs of four identical irregular pentagons. Further features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of purely exemplary and therefore non-limiting embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a counter part of the device according to the invention, i.e. a suitably shaped forming roller cooperating with a similar roller rotating in the opposite direction; [Diagram 2] 2 is a plan view of the roller of FIG. 1 highlighting the blades for cutting the sheet of material longitudinally and transversely to produce the confectionery product. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of FIG. 2 highlighting the horizontal and vertical rows of hexagons and the pentagons formed inside each hexagon. [Figure 4] A further enlargement of the hexagon. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is an axonometric view showing a sheet of material emerging from two counter-rotating rollers. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a greatly enlarged view of the contact area between two rollers, showing the pentagonal shape. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 shows a plan view and a side profile view of one confectionery product obtained using the device according to the invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 shows a plan view and a side profile view of one confectionery product obtained using the device according to the invention. [Figure 9] A plan view of the dead zone at the intersection of the vertices of four pentagons where the gum is not cut. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] The research work carried out by the applicant has made it possible to produce an edible product, in particular a monopiece of chewing gum, having an irregular pentagonal shape with rounded corners, designated by reference numeral 1, as shown in plan and cross-sectional views in Figures 7 and 8.

[0018] The manufacturing process for obtaining the sugar-coated confectionery 1 includes passing the mixture containing the extruded gum base through multiple pairs of opposing counter-rotating rollers to reduce the thickness to the desired height, before finally passing it through a pair of forming rollers which give the individual pieces the desired shape.

[0019] FIG. 5 shows a pair of overlapping forming rollers 11, 12 of an apparatus 10 according to the invention, from which a sheet 13 of material emerges with the individual products 1, which are then separated from one another after the product masses have been cooled.

[0020] 1 to 3 show one of two identical rollers 11, 12, which have a particular pattern with indentations of a particular shape, which can be seen more clearly in FIG.

[0021] More specifically, this pattern results from the superposition of two sets of irregular hexagons 20, all identical to one another and oriented horizontally and vertically, i.e. axially and circumferentially, respectively, with respect to the rollers 11, 12.

[0022] Hereinafter, the terms horizontal and vertical and their derivatives refer to the axial and circumferential orientations with respect to the rollers 11 or 12, respectively.

[0023] FIG. 3 shows a row of horizontal hexagonal pairs 30 and a row of vertical hexagonal pairs 40 .

[0024] Each hexagon 20 has two opposing sides 21 that are shorter in length relative to the other four sides 22, which are equal in length.

[0025] In the set of horizontal hexagons 30, the short sides 21 are oriented vertically, and in the set of vertical hexagons 40, the short sides are oriented horizontally.

[0026] The intersection of the two sets of hexagons results in a number of irregular pentagons 50, 50' which are identical and form pairs. In fact, within each irregular hexagon 21, four identical irregular pentagons are formed in opposing pairs.

[0027] At the midpoint of each long side 22 of each hexagon, where the vertices of the four pentagons 50, 50' meet, there is a small dead zone 25 where the gum is not cut. This dead zone 25, which is of minimal dimensions, is necessary for construction reasons to facilitate cutting out the individual pieces without generating waste. With reference to Figure 9, this zone is characterized by a shape resembling a square whose sides (b) are curved concavely towards the inside of the dead zone, and by a diagonal (a) between 15 mm and 1 mm, preferably between 3 mm and 10 mm.

[0028] At the vertex corresponding to the end of side 21, where the vertices of the three pentagons 50, 50' intersect, no dead zone is visible.

[0029] The pattern traced by the knives of each roller 11, 12 dictates that as the chewing gum sheet 13 passes between the rollers themselves, an irregular pentagonal shaped piece 1 is formed, as shown in Figures 7 and 8.

[0030] In FIG. 2, the thicker longitudinal lines 26, 27 indicate taller blades for trimming the side edges of the sheet 13 along the contours of the pentagons 50, 50' with minimal material waste.

[0031] Also in FIG. 2, a thick horizontal line 28 follows the outline of the pentagon, and a taller blade is provided along the horizontal line 28, which is used to cut through the sheet 13 without wasting material.

[0032] From what is disclosed, the advantage of the device according to the invention is clear, which makes it possible to obtain pieces of chewing gum in the shape of an irregular pentagon with rounded corners and substantially elliptical (FIG. 9) or semi-elliptical sides, while the contrast element (12) has a flat surface, minimizing the waste of material.

[0033] According to an alternative embodiment, a single forming roller 11 may be used having a pattern as previously described, cooperating with a contrasting member 12 which may be a roller having a smooth or rough surface but without a particular pattern.

[0034] Alternatively, the contrast member 12 may be a flat, preferably movable, conveyor belt type surface that advances with the sheet of material as it moves forward over the forming rollers 11 .

[0035] Naturally, the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, but numerous detailed modifications may be made within the reach of a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A device configured to manufacture chewing gum, which is located downstream of an extruder and includes a plurality of pairs of rollers that rotate in opposite directions facing each other. The gum base sheet (13) is configured to pass between a pair of forming rollers (11, 12) provided with scoring portions and rotating in opposite directions to each other, in order to reduce the thickness of the gum base sheet (13) for forming a plurality of individual pieces (1) of chewing gum separated from each other. The forming rollers (11, 12) have a first set (30) of irregular hexagons (20) oriented in the horizontal direction, i.e., the axial direction, and a second set (40) of irregular hexagons (20) oriented in the vertical direction, i.e., the circumferential direction with respect to the forming rollers (11, 12). The irregular hexagons (20) are exactly the same as each other, and the circumferential boundaries are defined by blade portions. The intersection of the sets (30, 40) of irregular hexagons perpendicular to each other defines four identical irregular pentagons (50, 50') facing each other in each of the hexagons. The pattern depicted by the blade portions defines the formation of the plurality of individual pieces (1) of chewing gum in the shape of irregular pentagons in the gum base sheet (13).

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein each of the irregular hexagons (20) has two opposite sides (21) that are shorter in length than the other four sides (22) and are identical to each other. The horizontal set (30) of hexagons has the short sides (21) located in the vertical direction, and the vertical set (40) of hexagons has the short sides located in the horizontal direction.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein at the midpoint of each long side (22) of each hexagon (21) where the vertices of the four pentagons (50, 50') meet, there is a small dead zone (25) in the shape of a square with sides curved concave inward (25) to facilitate the cutting of the individual pieces and prevent the gum from being cut.

4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein high blade portions are provided along a longitudinal or circumferential line (26, 27) close to the edge of the forming rollers (11, 12). The blade portions trim the side edges of the sheet (13) along the contour of the pentagons (50, 50') while minimizing waste of material.

5. On the shaping rollers (11, 12), a transverse line (28) following the contour of the pentagon (50, 50') is provided, and in order to cut the sheet (13) without wasting material, a higher cutting edge is provided along the line (28), and the device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that.

6. A method for manufacturing an edible product (1) composed of chewing gum, comprising passing a mixture containing a gum base through a plurality of pairs of rollers configured to reduce its thickness after extrusion and rotating in opposite directions facing each other, in order to form individual pieces (1) of chewing gum having an irregular pentagonal shape with rounded corners and substantially elliptical sides, passing the mixture containing the gum base through the shaping rollers (11, 12) of the device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, a method.

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