Apparatus for depositing chocolate chips and the like onto edible food products
US4655161A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 13, 1985 |
| Grant date | Apr 7, 1987 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 13, 2005 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB05C19/00
- WIPO fieldFood chemistry
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
An apparatus and method are provided for depositing chips of chocolate, fudge, and the like on food products. The apparatus comprises a hopper shaped to retain the chips therein, and a depositor roll having a peripheral surface with a plurality of recessed pockets into which the chips are received. A feed plate extends from an outlet portion of the hopper to the depositor roll at an elevation substantially commensurate with the longitudinal axis of the depositor roll. The feed plate preferably has a length which is greater than twice the dimension of one of the chips to form a dynamic, free-surface reservoir in which the chips temporarily pool prior to lodging in the depositor roll pockets. When the depositor roll is rotated, the chips continuously feed from the hopper, along the feed plate, and into the depositor roll pockets. The chips are gently swept upwardly in the pockets out of the chip reservoir, and deposited onto food products conveyed under the depositor roll, without breaking or smashing the chips.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.