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EP-4736663-A1 - POSITIONING APPARATUS FOR A COMPONENT OF A FOODSTUFF AND METHOD OF USE

EP4736663A1EP 4736663 A1EP4736663 A1EP 4736663A1EP-4736663-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to the provision of apparatus for use in forming a foodstuff and particularly a frozen confectionery and means for locating accurately a member such as a chocolate bar into position into an ice cream portion in a reliable and efficient manner whilst maintaining the quality of the chocolate member. The apparatus includes a source of the said members and movement means to move the members to a manipulator which then serves to move the chocolate member into a required position for insertion into said foodstuff item when the presence of the foodstuff item is detected.

Inventors

  • APASA, Ryad

Assignees

  • Froneri Ice Cream UK Limited

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251029

Claims (16)

  1. Apparatus for inserting a foodstuff member at least partially into a portion of a foodstuff product and wherein a manipulator is provided to be movable about an axis of rotation between a first position to receive the said member and a second position to locate the said member into a position for subsequent movement and insertion into said portion of the foodstuff product.
  2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the manipulator includes an opening and recess for the receipt and location of the member therein when in the first position and during movement of the said member to the second position.
  3. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein the respective first and second positions are angularly offset about the axis of rotation and the manipulator is configured such that in the second position, the opening and recess are orientated such that the member can move through the opening under the effect of gravity.
  4. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein the apparatus includes sensing means to detect when the member is in position in the recess of the manipulator and, when detected, allow movement of the manipulator to move the member to the second position.
  5. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein when in the second position the member leaves the manipulator through said opening and passes into a chamber of a length so as to accommodate the member therein such that the manipulator is free to be rotated away from the said second position.
  6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the member is retained in the chamber by a gate located at the base of the same, said gate closed until the presence of said portion at the location of a chamber opening is detected and into which portion the member is to be inserted.
  7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein when the gate is opened, the end of the member moves into a guide means and the end of the member contacts with the surface of said portion and the apparatus includes a moving component which is movable so as to exert a movement force on said member so as to at least partially insert said member into the said ice cream portion.
  8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the movement of the moving component is synchronised with the opening of the gate such that when the member is moved out of the chamber into the guide means, the chamber is closed by returning the gate to the closed position so as to be available to receive another member from the manipulator.
  9. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein a movement means is provided to move the said members successively towards said manipulator and the movement of the movement means is synchronised with the movement of the manipulator and/or the moving component and/or the chamber gate.
  10. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the movement means includes a conveyor system.
  11. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein the member is provided to the manipulator from a member supply means.
  12. Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said supply means is provided in the form of a frustoconical hopper with an exit at or adjacent to the base though which said members pass in a substantially in-line orientation.
  13. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein the apparatus includes means to determine the length of said member and includes at least one sensing means orientated to detect the presence of a member as it is moved past the sensing means by the movement means, and a controller in communication with the said at least one sensing means to determine the length of the detected member with respect to the speed of movement and duration of time for which the at least one sensing means detects the presence of the said member.
  14. A method of positioning a member into a portion of a foodstuff product, the method comprising the steps of moving the member into an opening and recess in a manipulator in a first position, rotating said manipulator to a second position in which said opening is aligned with a predetermined and subsequently moving and inserting said member into said portion of the foodstuff product.
  15. A method according to claim 14 wherein the method includes the step of determining the length of said member at a location upstream of the position of the said manipulator which regard to a direction of movement of the member towards said manipulator and checking whether the length of the member falls within a predetermined acceptable range in which case the member is advanced towards the manipulator or, if not, expelling the member before the same can reach the said manipulator.
  16. A foodstuff product including an ice cream portion, said ice cream portion having a member at least partially inserted therein using the apparatus as defined in any of claims 1-13 and/or method as defined in any of claims 14-15.

Description

The invention to which this application relates is to the provision of an apparatus which can be provided to position a component with a product and in particular, although not necessarily exclusively, to align and at least partially insert a component into a foodstuff which is subsequently frozen for consumption. The component to be inserted is typically in elongate form and is most typically a chocolate member to create an ice cream foodstuff commonly referred to as a "99" formed by a wafer cone, ice cream portion and the chocolate member. Frozen foodstuffs, such as ice creams or ice lollies, are a staple dessert or snack choice for many people and their occurrence is well known. Ice creams in particular are often provided in a wafer cone or tub so that consumers may carry the ice cream and eat it on the move, making these products a popular choice at locations such as parks or on the beach. Ice creams are typically provided in a variety of flavours, and are typically offered with a variety of toppings, such as chocolate, sprinkles or sauces. A popular version includes an elongate chocolate member that is orientated substantially parallel with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ice cream cone or tub and partially inserted into the ice cream portion. Consumers may then remove the chocolate member and eat this separately to or in combination with the ice cream or use the member as a sort of utensil to scoop the ice cream from its container. Large numbers of ice cream products of this type are known to be produced by automated machinery, wherein the ice cream is dispensed within a wafer cone at a dispensing station; the cone with the ice cream therein, is transported, typically along a conveyor line, to a further dispenser location to receive the chocolate member therein; and is then transported to a packaging station. Presently, the elongate chocolate member is manually positioned in the ice cream as part of the otherwise automated production line. This creates a problem of high labour costs, increased human contact with the foodstuff and therefore can increase the risk of contamination of the foodstuffs. Furthermore, there is an increased risk of human error when it comes to the placement of the chocolate member into the ice cream. The member may be located at too great or shallow a depth within the ice cream, resulting in the same being buried within the ice cream and inaccessible to the end consumer or protrudes to too great an extent from the ice cream and is damaged by the packaging process. In other circumstances the angle of the insertion may be incorrect and thereby prevent the foodstuff being packaged, and/or the chocolate member may be broken when being inserted. Human error can also adversely affect the repeatability of the placement of the member with the ice cream, and as such the quality of the product may vary between items. The members to be inserted into the ice cream are often provided loosely in bulk containers, and as such it is often the case that the members have a non-uniform length or profile, due to variances in the output from the manufacturer of the members and/or damage that the members may experience as they are transported to the ice cream facility. The operators that insert the members with the ice cream must identify unsuitable members that are shortened and/or misshaped and discard them without inserting them with the ice cream. This again introduces a factor of human error as the quality of the member is determined by the human operator, rather than by an automated process. An aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a member positioning apparatus that overcomes the aforementioned problems. In particular, an aim of the present invention is to provide an automated apparatus to position a member with a product in a predetermined position in a repeatable manner. A further aim of the invention is to provide a means to sense the quantity and/or quality of the members supplied to a positioning apparatus to ensure that a member of a predetermined quality is positioned with each product. A yet further aim of the invention is to provide a means to align at least one member that is to be supplied to a positioning apparatus in an automated manner, reducing the risk of human contamination of the member and increasing the efficiency of the production line. In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided apparatus for inserting a foodstuff member at least partially into a portion of a foodstuff product and wherein a manipulator is provided to be movable about an axis of rotation between a first position to receive the said member and a second position to locate the said member into a position for subsequent movement and insertion into said portion of the foodstuff product. Typically the foodstuff product includes said portion which is formed of ice cream and in one embodiment the member is formed of chocolate. In one embodiment, the rotatable manipulator includes a