Lollipop cooling apparatus

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lollipop cooling apparatus. The present invention further relates to a method to cool a lollipop.

Description

Lollipop cooling apparatusTECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

[0001] The present invention relates to a lollipop cooling apparatus. The present invention further relates to a method to cool a lollipop.

[0002] After forming of the lollipop heads for example from a sugar strand, the still warm lollipop heads must be cooled in cooling apparatus to increase their structural stability. Nowadays all equipment for the lollipop production must be very flexible, so that all sorts of lollipops can be produced with the same equipment.

[0003] There is therefore a constant need to improve the lollipop production equipment, particularly the cooling apparatus.

[0004] The problem is solved with a lollipop cooling apparatus, which comprises at least one conveyor belt, which support(s) the lollipops during cooling and transports them through the cooling apparatus, wherein each conveyor belt is driven by a motor with a control system, that selectively operates the motor in a constant forward and / or an alternating backward- / forward-movement.

[0005] The disclosure made regarding this subject matter also applies to the other subject matter and vice versa. The disclosure made regarding this subject matter can be combined with other subject matters and vice versa.

[0006] The present invention deals with lollipops, particularly the cooling of lollipops. Lollipops comprise a head and stick, which is inserted into an edible mass, for example a sugar mass, which is heated and then formed, for example into a sphere- or a flat shape. Depending on the shape, the lollipops must be cooled differently. While flat lollipops may just lie on a transportation belt and being transported along the cooling apparatus, sphereshaped lollipops must roll constantly during cooling to maintain the sphere shape of the head. The person skilled in the art understand, that the movement of a sphere-shaped lollipop is influenced by the stick.

[0007] According to the present invention, the inventive cooling apparatus comprises a conveyor belt, which support(s) the lollipops during cooling and transports them through the cooling apparatus. The shape of the lollipop and its size determine the residence time of each lollipop in the cooling apparatus. Inventively, each conveyor belt is driven by a motor, preferably a servo-motor, which is connected a control system. The control system controls the movement of the servomotor, for example its rotation-direction, its rotational speed and / or its acceleration and / or deceleration. The control system operates the motor such that it selectively operates in a constant forward movement, an intermittent forward movement and / or an alternating backward- / forward-movement.

[0008] For the cooling of flat lollipops, a constant forward movement of the conveyor belt is preferred. The speed of the movement of the conveyor belt depends on the desired residence time of the lollipop in the cooling apparatus.

[0009] For a lollipop with a round, especially spherical shape, a sequence of forward and backward movements of the conveyor belt is preferred, preferably such that the heads of the lollipops are constantly moving. Preferably, the forward movement is larger than the backward movement. Preferably, a backward movement follows a forward movement, and this forward movement is followed by a backward movement and then followed by forward movement again and so on.

[0010] Alternatively, or additionally, the conveyor belt moves intermittently; i.e. the conveyor belt accelerates and decelerates sequentially, wherein a deceleration until a stop is an option.

[0011] Preferably, there is no need to move the conveyor belt sideways and / or to vibrate the conveyor belt.

[0012] Preferably, the conveyor belt performs a pilgrim step, wherein the forward step is preferably between 80 - 100 cm and the backward step is preferably 40 -80 cm. The forward step is preferably always larger than the backward step.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus comprises multiple conveyor belts, preferably staggered above each other. Two adjacent conveyor belts are preferably connected by a slide.

[0014] Preferably, the lollipops enter the apparatus in the top region and leave the lollipops in the bottom region.

[0015] Preferably, each conveyor belt is controlled individually, particularly its speed, its direction of motion and / or its acceleration.

[0016] Lollipop cooling apparatus according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in, that selectively flat- or round-headed are cooled.

[0017] The problem is also solved with a method to cool a lollipop with the inventive cooling apparatus, wherein the movement of the conveyor belt is controlled according to a lollipop specific recipe.

[0018] The disclosure made regarding this subject matter also applies to the other subject matter and vice versa. The disclosure made regarding this subject matter can be combined with other subject matters and vice versa.

[0019] According to this embodiment of the present invention, the control system comprises a storage means with stored lollipop production recipes. Each recipe comprises instructions how to move the conveyor belt.

[0020] Preferably, the recipe with the transportation data during cooling is stored in the control system. The control system comprises a data storage unit. Preferably, the length of the back-ward- and the forward-movement, preferably according to the pilgrim step, are part of the recipe.

[0021] Preferably, the acceleration and the deceleration is part of the recipe. Preferably, the larger the mass of the lollipop head, the larger or smaller the acceleration / deceleration is choosen.

[0022] Preferably, the shape and / or the size of the lollipop is part of the recipe or are inputted into the control system. Depending on this shape and / or size, transportation data during cooling is loaded out of the storage unit into the control system, which then utilizes the data to control the movement of the conveyor belt.

[0023] In case the apparatus is emptied, this is done with a constant forward movement of the conveyor belt(s), regardless of the shape of the lollipop.

[0024] The inventions are now explained according to the only Figure. The explanations do not limit the scope of protection. The explanations apply to all inventions likewise.

[0025] The only Figure shows the inventive cooling apparatus 1 , in the present case with three conveyor belts, staggered above each other. The lollipops enter the apparatus in the present case at the upper left hand corner and then move to the right, until they hit the slide 6 and slide down to the next lower conveyor belt, which moves the lollipops to the left After the lollipops slid down to the lowest level conveyor belt, they are excited at the lower right hand corner of the cooling apparatus. The cooling of the lollipops is done in the present case with cold air, which is ejected by nozzles 5. Preferably, the air is collected and then recycled to a cooling unit and a blower which presses it back into the cooling apparatus.

[0026] Each conveyor, preferably an endless conveyor belt comprises at least one motor, which moves the conveyor belt. Preferably, each motor is connected to a control system that controls its movement, preferably its movement direction, its acceleration and / or deceleration. In a case a sphere-shaped lollipop head is cooled, the control system preferably controls each motor such that the conveyor belt executes a pilgrim step, i.e. a forward movement is followed by a backward movement and then a forward movement follows and so on, wherein the length of the backward movement is smaller than the forward movement. Due to the pilgrim step, the sphere-shaped lollipop head is moved constantly, so that the sphere will not get flat spots.

[0027] For cooling a flat lollipop, the conveyor belt will execute a constant forward movement.

[0028] Since the control system can control the movement of the conveyor belt, a whole variety of different shaped lollipop heads can be cooled with the same cooling apparatus. An emptying of the cooling apparatus can be executed easily, by a constant forward movement.List of reference signs:1 Lollipop cooler2 Conveyor belt3 Inlet4 Outlet5 Nozzles6 slide

Claims

Patent claims:

1. Lollipop cooling apparatus (1), characterized in, that it comprises at least one conveyor belt (2), which support(s) the lollipops during cooling and transports them through the cooling apparatus (1), wherein each conveyor belt is driven by a motor with a control system, that selectively operates the motor in a constant forward movement, an intermittent forward movement and / or an alternating backward- / forward-movement.

2. Lollipop cooling apparatus (1), according to claim 1 , characterized in, that the conveyor belt performs a pilgrim step.

3. Lollipop cooling apparatus according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in, that it comprises multiple conveyor belts, preferably staggered above each other.

4. Lollipop cooling apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in, that each conveyor belt is controlled individually.

5. Lollipop cooling apparatus according to one of claims 3 or 4, characterized in, that two conveyor belts are connected by a slide.

6. Lollipop cooling apparatus according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in, that selectively flat- or round-headed are cooled.

7. Method to cool a lollipop with an apparatus (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the movement of the conveyor belt is controlled according to a lollipop specific recipe.

8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in, that the recipe is stored in the control system.

9. Method according to claims 7 or 8, characterized in, that the length of the back-ward- and the forward-movement, preferably according to the pilgrim step, are part of the recipe.

10. Method according to one of the claims 7 - 9, characterized in the shape and / or the size of the lollipop is part of the recipe.

11. Method according to one of claims 7 - 10, characterized in, that the apparatus is emptied with a constant forward movement of the conveyor belt(s).

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