Title of Invention

"A DEVICE USEFUL FOR CONTINUOUS MOULDING"

Abstract

A device useful for continuous moulding of foods which comprises a geared motor (1) coupled to at least one of side plate (6), characterised in that plurality of moulding die assemblies (16) held in between the said side plates(6 & 7) being provided with suitable fasteners, the said moulding die assembly consists of a moulding barrel (12) fastened to the side plates (6 & 7), a stationery moulding die (2) fastened to the said first side plate (6) and a moving moulding die (3) sliding inside the said moulding barrel (12), a spiral cam (4) fastened to the main frame (5), a compression spring (23) held in place by a set of washer (24), a bolt (25), a hopper (10) containing food material which is mounted on the main frame (5) and a conveyor screw (9) driven by a conveyor motor (8) housed inside the conveyor screw housing (13) wherein the said moulded food material is discharged through a chute (11) and the food material is ejected through an ejection assembly (17) in case the moulded food material sticks to the a stationery moulding die (2), wherein the said ejection assembly (17) comprises of a sliding rod (18), a compression spring (19) a flat washer (20), springs (19) and a washer (20) held in position by a split pin (21), an ejection cam (22) mounted on the main frame (5) imparting the axial motion to the sliding rod (18) wherein the said assembly is fixed into a stationery moulding die (2).

Full Text

Field of the invention: The present invention relates to a device useful for continuous moulding of foods. More particularly, it relates to a device useful for moulding of any food material, particularly the once which has the property of binding the particles together. Background and Prior art of the invention: The moulding machine can mould the food material in any geometrical shape such as sphere, square, rectangle etc. The moulded food material obtained by using this device of the present invention is of uniform dimension and geometry and is obtained in a continuous manner. The food material employed may be such as besan laddu granules, blended soji with sugar and fat, roasted besan with sugar and fat are few combinations to mention. The device of the present invention is therefore useful as a moulding machine for laddu, besan laddu, soji laddu etc. Traditional moulded sweets are consumed in most of the festivals in India. They play a very important role in the celebrations of the festivals, wherein the sweets are exchanged between people and families as a token of exchange of best wishes. Spherically moulded sweets are very common in the sweet shops and they stand next only square shape/geometry. The consumption of different sweets in India during the festivals seasons vary from states to state and region to region. The production and consumption pattern is varied across the country and each region has its own specialty sweets. For example, in the state of west Bengal sweets are milk based and is well known as Bengali sweets throughout the country. Inspite of these diversities, there is a gradual acceptance of these regional sweets in different parts throughout the country. One of the main obstacles in mechanizing the preparation of these sweets is the intricate combinations of the raw materials, different unit operations and final geometry of the end product. Many a times sweets are used as prasadam in many of the pilgrimage centers around the country. In most of these centers, especially in south India the sweets are served to the pilgrims as sweet balls called the laddu / spherically moulded sweet. Recently in the snack food market, we find ready to eat sweets being manufactured in large-scale by few large industrial houses and sold across the country. All the preparatory operations in the manufacture of these traditional sweets are carried out manually, which is completely unhygienic. Attempts to produce and market pre-packaged sweets has gained popularity and these industries are looking for automation of the unit operations involved in their preparations, as the demand for these sweets is very large. It is essential that these manufacturers who produce different sweets in large-scale, maintain hygiene during manufacturing process. Automation of Indian sweets being made by some agencies has very little success. One of the problems in their attempts being the unavailability of suitable machinery and gadgets for preparing it on a large-scale. In case a device is made available for moulding these sweets in to different shapes hygienically would result in reduction in labour and drudgery on the part of chefs and would help in clean and hygienic operation and uniformity in quality and quantities. It would pave way for the production and marketing of moulded sweets as convenient food in large volumes hygienically. Hitherto the process of moulding / forming of traditional sweets such as laddu, besan laddu, soji laddu, burfi and the like is based on hand moulding or manual rolling of the appropriate sweet preparation. For this purpose, traditionally the moulding of laddu is done by hand. The hot pre-processed sweet preparation is compressed between palms of the hands and given the spherical shape, which is the simplest shape / geometry that could be given to a food item by manual shaping / moulding. The process of manual moulding of sweets in to spherical shape has the following drawbacks. a) The sweet preparations are normally accompanied by heating / warming process followed by manual moulding and the chef has the problem of moulding the sweet hot condition. b) As the manual moulding involves usage of hands, the product is handled many a times and the product will be unhygienic. c) As these traditional sweets are sugar based, they are very sticky and are difficult to mould manually. d) In manual moulding, some times the chef uses water to avoid stickiness of the sweet preparation, leading to microbial contamination. e) The shelf life of the product will reduce due to the microbial contamination. f) The size and geometry of the manual moulded sweet preparation will vary and is not uniform. g) Some of the sweet preparations are to be moulded with in a specified time under hot condition and manual moulding becomes impossible. h) In manual moulding the variation in the compression strength of the moulded sweet is not possible. i) In manual moulding the rate of production is very small. A shaping machine with US 5643075 patent for dividing a deformable mass, such as a meat product, into separately shaped portions comprises a stock container, at least two piston-cylinder units for alternately feeding in the mass from the stock container to a shaping plate provided with shaped recesses, and also means for removing the shaped portions from the shaping plate. Valve means for connecting the cylinder alternately to the stock container are also provided. The cylinders are accommodated next to each other in a housing, which has a chamber connecting at one side to the shaping plate and at the other side to the cylinders, while the valve means also operate the connection between chamber and cylinders. The following are the disadvantages of this shaping machine covered under patent US 5643075. From the description of above patent, the machine is useful only for forming meat products. The shaping machine as discussed in US 5643075 patent is not for continuous shaping applications. The valves used in the above invention cannot handle material with sugar content. US patent application US4076482 disclose a charge forming and depositing machine particularly for sticky semi-liquid material including a rocking valve having sharp edges disposed between a supply hopper and a charge-measuring expansible chamber, a charge receiving cylinder having a port communicating with the chamber and controlled by a delivery piston in the cylinder, and the delivery piston being arranged to clear from the cylinder, to carry it beyond the end of the cylinder and into contact with a receiving surface, and such delivery piston being provided with air blast means to release the measured charge from the lower end of the piston. The invention contemplates that the semi-liquid material may have nuts or the like solids mixed therein. The following are the disadvantages of this shaping machine covered under patent US 4076482. From the description of above patent, the machine is useful only for deposition of liquid and semi-liquids. The shaping machine as discussed in US 4076482 patent may not be for continuous shaping applications. The valves used in the above invention cannot handle material with sugar content, such as sweet preparation of India. laddu granules, blended soji with sugar and fat, roasted besan with sugar and fat are few combinations to mention. Objects of the invention: The main object of the present invention is to provide a device useful for continuous moulding of foods. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device useful for moulding of particularly Indian traditional sweets foods in to different sizes and shapes, which obviates the above noted drawbacks. Further, another object is to provide a device for moulding of traditional sweets in to uniform size and shape. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a device for large-scale preparation of sweets such as laddu etc. Still another object of the invention is to provide a device useful hot sweet preparation. Still another object of the invention is to provide a device wherein the compressive force applied during moulding will remain same and can be varied for different sizes and shapes. Still another object of the invention is to provide a device wherein a pair of nonstick moulding dies does the moulding. Still another object of the invention is to provide a device useful sweet preparation hygienically. Summary of the invention; The present invention deals with a device useful for the continuous moulding of foods wherein the moulding by a rotating die holder and an axial moulding thrust being applied by a spiral cam. Based on the bulk density of the material, the volume / weight and the compressibility can be varied. The die sets are mounted on the periphery of the rotating die holder wherein the die sets automatically pickup predetermined volume / weight of the material in to the rotating die holder and transfer the same in between the moulds. The ejection mechanism applies a predetermined force to push the moulded spheres out of the die sets. Brief description of the figures: Fig 1 represents a device useful for continuous moulding of foods. Detailed description of the invention: Accordingly, the present invention provides a device useful for continuous moulding of foods wherein the said device comprises a geared motor (1) coupled to at least one of the said side plate (6), plurality of moulding die assemblies (16) held in between the said side plates(6 & 7) being provided with suitable fasteners, wherein the said moulding die assembly consists of a moulding barrel (12) fastened to the side plates (6 & 7), a stationery moulding die (2) fastened to the said first side plate (6) and a moving moulding die (3) sliding inside the said moulding barrel (12), a spiral cam (4) fastened to the main frame (5), a compression spring (23) held in place by a set of washer (24), a bolt (25), a hopper (10) containing food material which is mounted on the main frame (5) and a conveyor screw (9) driven by a conveyor motor (8) housed inside the conveyor screw housing (13) wherein the said moulded food material is discharged through a chute (11) and the food material is ejected through an ejection assembly (17) in case the moulded food material sticks to the a stationery moulding die (2), wherein the said ejection assembly (17) comprises of a sliding rod (18), a compression spring (19) a flat washer (20), springs (19) and a washer (20) held in position by a split pin (21), an ejection cam (22) mounted on the main frame (5) imparting the axial motion to the sliding rod (18) wherein the said assembly is fixed into a stationery moulding die (2). In an embodiment of the present invention, the compression spring (23), a flat washer (24) and bolt (25) hold the moving moulding die in open position. In another embodiment of the present invention, the axial movement is provided by a spiral cam (4). Further in another embodiment of the present invention, the compression spring (23), a flat washer (24) and bolt (25) hold the moving moulding die in open position. Yet in another embodiment of the present invention, an ejection mechanism (17) is used inside the stationery-moulding die (2). Still in another embodiment of the present invention, the sliding rod (18) is used for ejection of the moulded food material. Still inanother embodiment of the present invention, the rotary motion to moulding die set (16) is given by the geared motor (1). Still in another embodiment of the present invention, the speed of the said motor is varied by an AC drive Still in another embodiment of the present invention, the said main frame (5) is used for housing the entire stationery and moving parts of the moulding machine for foods. Still in another embodiment of the present invention, the said device may be cylindrical in shape and made of stainless steel but does not restrict the invention as any alternate shape or material can be used. The only requirement being that the material should withstand the force exerted by compression. Still in another embodiment of the present invention, the said device is used for moulding of other similar food articles and the geometry of the moulding die set can be varied to the requirement. Marketing pre-packaged sweets has gained popularity and these industries are looking for automation of the unit operations involved in their preparations, as the demand for these sweets is very large. The process of moulding / forming of traditional sweets such as laddu, besan laddu, soji laddu, burfi and the like is based on hand moulding or manual rolling of the appropriate sweet preparation. Based on the bulk density of the material, the volume / weight and the compressibility can be varied. Traditional moulded sweets are consumed in most of the festivals in India. Spherically moulded sweets are very common in the sweet shops and they stand next only to other geometry. The consumption of different sweets in India during the festivals seasons vary from states to state and region to region. The circular continuous moulding machine for foods is useful particularly for the food material, which has the property of binding the particles together. The circular continuous moulding machine can mould the food material in any geometrical shape such as sphere, square, rectangle and the size and weight of final food product can be varied to market requirement. The food material employed may be such as besan. Moulding of food materials for production of Indian traditional sweets using a device for hot moulding of sweets in to different size and geometry is hitherto not known. Based on continuous circular progressive moulding concept, it is provided a device to mould traditional sweets to different sizes and geometry hygienically. A continuous circular progressive moulding concept moulding of sweets into uniform size and geometry can be achieved by uniform application of axial force. The device using this principle can be used for the production of different regio-specific sweets. The following examples are given by way of illustration of the present invention and should not be construed to limit the scope of present invention. Example -1 Soji (of 1 kg) is roasted with hydrogenated fat / ghee (of 200 gm) in a shallow pan of stainless steel for about 10-15 min. The soji and fat mix starts giving a typical flavour (roasted flavour) at around a temperature of 150 ~ 160°C and turns to light brown in color. At this stage add sugar and mix well for homogeneity. Add 250 gm of boiled milk and stir well. Add other ingredients such as cashew bits, dry grapes and powdered cardamom to the hot mix and stir well. Allow the mix to stabilize for 10 - 15 min in closed condition. The mix is then transferred to the hopper of the moulding machine and fed in to the moulding die set. As the moulding die set rotates (the moulding die set rotates at 8 RPM and the speed can be varied by an AC drive) against a spiral cam, the moving mould die slides inside the moulding barrel against the stationery moulding die and compresses the soji mix. With further movement of the moulding die set, the moulding die, opens and the ejection mechanism mounted on the stationery-moulding die pushes the sphere away from the dieset. The spheres / soji laddus are collected in a tray. The moulds are designed for a spherical diameter of 40 mm and each sphere weighs around 32 ~ 35 gms. The machine has a capacity of 2000 laddus / h. Example - 2 Besan (of 1 kg) is roasted with hydrogenated fat / ghee (of 200 gm) in a shallow pan of stainless steel for about 10-15 min. The besan and fat mix starts giving a typical flavour (roasted flavour) at around a temperature of 150 - 160°C and turns light brown in color. At this stage add sugar and mix for homogeneity. Add 250 gm of boiled milk and stir well. Add other ingredients such as cashew bits, dry grapes and powdered cardamom to the hot mix and stir well. Allow the mix to stabilize for 10 ~ 15 min in closed condition. The mix is then transferred to the hopper of the moulding machine and fed in to the moulding die set. As the moulding die set rotates (the moulding die set rotates at 8 RPM and the speed can be varied by an AC drive) against a spiral cam, the moving mould die slides inside the moulding barrel against the stationery moulding die and compresses the boondi mix. With further movement of the moulding die set, the moulding die, opens and the ejection mechanism mounted on the stationery-moulding die pushes the sphere away from the dieset. The spheres / besan laddus are collected in a tray. The moulds are designed for a spherical diameter of 40 mm and each sphere weighs around 32 ~ 35 gms. The machine has a capacity of 2000 laddus / h. Example - 3 Fried besan boondi (of 1 kg) partially cooked in the deep fat fryer is transferred in to the sugar syrup prepared earlier. The fried boondi is allowed to rest in the hot sugar syrup for about 2 ~ 3 min. The soaked boondi is then transferred to the tray of the moulding machine for foods. The mix is then transferred to the hopper of the moulding machine and fed in to the moulding die set. As the moulding die set rotates (the moulding die set rotates at 8 RPM and the speed can be varied by an AC drive) against the spiral cam the moving mould die slides inside the moulding barrel against the stationery moulding die and compresses the boondi mix. With further movement of the moulding die set, the moulding die opens and the ejection mechanism mounted on the stationery-moulding die pushes the sphere away from the dieset. The spheres / laddus are collected in a tray. The moulds are designed for a spherical diameter of 40 mm and each of the sphere weighs around 32-35 gms. The machine has a capacity of 2000 laddus / h. Advantages: The main advantages of the present invention are: a) The present device is efficient to provide spherical moulding of foods particles. b) Another advantage is that the diameter of the spheres is of uniform weight and diameter. c) The rate of moulding production can be varied by varying the speed of the geared motor. d) The force applied during moulding can be varied from product to product. e) The flow of the pre-mix can be varied through an AC drive. f) The complete operation of moulding is done hygienically and untouched by human hand. g) The geometry of the moulded food could be changed by changing the die set. h) The compressive strength and density of the moulded food product can be varied, i) The moulded food product does not slide to the surface of the die set. We claim: 1. A device useful for continuous moulding of foods which comprises a geared motor (1) coupled to at least one of side plate (6), characterised in that plurality of moulding die assemblies (16) held in between the said side plates(6 & 7) being provided with suitable fasteners, the said moulding die assembly consists of a moulding barrel (12) fastened to the side plates (6 & 7), a stationery moulding die (2) fastened to the said first side plate (6) and a moving moulding die (3) sliding inside the said moulding barrel (12), a spiral cam (4) fastened to the main frame (5), a compression spring (23) held in place by a set of washer (24), a bolt (25), a hopper (10) containing food material which is mounted on the main frame (5) and a conveyor screw (9) driven by a conveyor motor (8) housed inside the conveyor screw housing (13) wherein the said moulded food material is discharged through a chute (11) and the food material is ejected through an ejection assembly (17) in case the moulded food material sticks to the a stationery moulding die (2), wherein the said ejection assembly (17) comprises of a sliding rod (18), a compression spring (19) a flat washer (20), springs (19) and a washer (20) held in position by a split pin (21), an ejection cam (22) mounted on the main frame (5) imparting the axial motion to the sliding rod (18) wherein the said assembly is fixed into a stationery moulding die (2). 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compression spring (23), a flat washer (24) and bolt (25) hold the moving moulding die in open position. 3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the axial movement is provided by a spiral cam (4). 4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sliding rod (18) is used for ejection of the moulded food material. 5. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotary motion to moulding die set (16) is given by the geared motor (1). 6. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the speed of the said motor is varied by an AC drive. 7. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said main frame (5) is used for housing the entire stationery and moving parts of the moulding machine for foods.

Documents:

742-del-2005-Abstract-(22-12-2011).pdf

742-del-2005-abstract.pdf

742-del-2005-Claims-(22-12-2011).pdf

742-del-2005-claims.pdf

742-del-2005-Correspondence Others-(22-12-2011).pdf

742-del-2005-correspondence-others.pdf

742-del-2005-description (complete).pdf

742-del-2005-description (provisional).pdf

742-del-2005-Drawings-(22-12-2011).pdf

742-del-2005-drawings.pdf

742-del-2005-form-1.pdf

742-del-2005-form-18.pdf

742-del-2005-form-2.pdf

742-del-2005-Form-3-(22-12-2011).pdf

742-del-2005-form-3.pdf

742-del-2005-form-5.pdf

742-del-2005-form-8.pdf

742-del-2005-gpa.pdf