Abstract:
Methods and apparatus for accurately and repeatably depositing edible particulates on edible products. A dual-drum rotary feed system accurately meters an amount of edible particle for each edible product with a first rotary drum while a second rotary drum deposits the edible particulates onto or within the edible product. The dual-drum rotary feeder can comprise replaceable drums wherein drums can be quickly removed and replaced for cleaning, sanitization and to adjust processing conditions such as, for example, changes in production rates and/or product size.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e)(1) of a provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/794,758, filed Apr. 25, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates generally to handling and feeding edible particulates during food processing/manufacturing. More specifically, the invention is directed to a rotary drum feeder having retrofittable drums, providing for quick change-out of the drums for quickly changing and adjusting particulate feed rates. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Edible particulates are frequently included, either within or on an upper surface, of edible food products. In one representative example, dough or batter based food products such as cookies, muffins and bars, can include any of a variety of suitable edible particulates. These edible particulates can comprise a wide variety of particulates such as, for example, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, whole and bit portions of candy, raisins, nuts and whole and bit portions of fruit. 
   When food products are prepared in high volume production processes, edible particulates are generally supplied to a processing line from a bulk supply source. Representative particulate feeders for supplying high volume production equipment can include conveying systems and/or vibratory feed systems. Depending upon the production process and the type of edible food product being prepared, these conveying and/or vibratory feed systems can be successfully employed to transport the edible particulate from the bulk supply so that the particulates can ultimately become an integral component of the final edible food product. 
   While conveying and/or vibration based feed systems can be successfully used in certain high volume processing/manufacturing settings, there are situations in which such feed methods are impractical and/or burdensome on the production process. For instance, production situations in which accuracy and repeatability of the feeding process is necessary can prove difficult for conveyor and/or vibration feed systems. In addition, process changes requiring differing particulate feed rates can be difficult to quickly address with conveyor and/or vibration based particulate feeding systems. As such, it would be advantageous to have an accurate, repeatable feed system for edible particulates that is quickly adaptable to changing process conditions such as, for example, size, volume and quantity of edible products being prepared. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention addresses the aforementioned needs by providing a rotary feed system for more accurately and repeatably preparing edible products having particulates. Through the use of a dual-drum rotary feed system, accurate metering of edible particulates is continually accomplished for preparing substantially equivalent edible products. The dual-drum rotary feed system can include quick-change drums to provide quick and easy adjustment for varying the portions of edible particulates dispensed. In addition, quick-change drums can allow for fast and easy cleaning and sanitation of the dual-drum rotary feed system such that the feed system experiences less downtime. 
   In one aspect, the invention is directed to an edible particulate feed system having a plurality of rotating drums. A first receiving drum has a plurality of spaced apart receiving apertures for receivably accepting edible particulates from a feed source such as, for example, a gravity feeding bin, a feed conveyor, a vibratory feeder and the like. Each of the plurality of spaced apart receiving apertures has a selected particulate volume such that equivalent amounts of edible particulates are accommodated in each receiving aperture. The first receiving drum is rotatable wherein the loaded receiving apertures are aligned and positioned for loading of a plurality of spaced apart dispensing apertures on a second dispending drum. Each dispensing aperture has a similar particulate volume as the receiving apertures such that all of the edible particulates from one receiving aperture are accommodated within one dispensing aperture. The second dispensing drum can rotate wherein the loaded dispensing apertures can subsequently deposit the portioned, substantially equivalent amounts of edible particulates onto or into an edible product. The edible particulate feed system can make use of suitable components such as, for example, variable-frequency-drives, positioning sensors and controls for rotating the first receiving drum and the second dispensing drum at appropriate speeds for proper interfacing of the receiving apertures and dispensing apertures as well as accommodating the overall production speed of the edible particulates. 
   In another aspect, the invention is directed to an edible particulate feed system having a plurality of quick-change portioning drums. A first quick-change drum has a plurality of spaced apart receiving apertures for receivably accepting edible particulates from a feed source such as, for example, a gravity feeding bin, a feed conveyor, a vibratory feeder and the like. A second-quick change drum has a plurality of receiving apertures adapted to receive edible particulates from corresponding receiving apertures on the first quick-change drum. Both the first quick-change drum and the second quick-change drum are removable from the edible particulate system providing quick and easy access for sanitization and cleaning as well as allowing for change-out of the first and second quick-change drums to accommodate different edible product sizes and/or production rates. 
   In another aspect, the invention is directed to a method for adding edible particulates to edible products. A metering step can comprise filling receiving apertures on a first rotary drum with edible particulates from a bulk filling apparatus. An interface step can comprise rotating the first rotary drum such that edible particulates in the receiving apertures can be directed into corresponding dispensing apertures on a second rotary drum. A dispensing step can comprise rotating the second rotary drum such that the edible particulates are dispensed from the dispensing apertures either onto or into an edible product or into additional processing equipment for forming the edible product. 
   As used through the specification, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand the term “repeatable” and its various permutations, when used with reference to the metering of edible particulates, to mean substantially repeatable in that variations in the size and shape of edible particulates may result in generally insignificant variations in the amount of edible particulates metered and dispensed onto individual food products. 
   The above summary of the various embodiments of the invention is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the invention. The figures in the detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment an edible particulate feeder of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the edible particulate feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded, perspective view of the edible particulate feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 4  is an exploded, perspective view of a frame assembly portion of the edible particulate feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 5  is an exploded, perspective view of the frame assembly portion of  FIG. 4 . 
       FIG. 6  is an exploded, perspective view of a shaft housing assembly of the edible particulate feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 7  is an exploded, perspective view of the shaft housing assembly of  FIG. 6 . 
       FIG. 8  is an exploded, perspective view of a mounting portion of the edible particulate feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
   

   While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a representative embodiment of an edible particulate feeder  100  generally comprises a particulate handling portion  102 , a drive portion  104 , a mounting portion  106  and a quick-change portion  107 . Edible particulate feeder  100  can comprise appropriate materials of construction for use in high volume production and processing of edible food products including routine sanitization and cleaning. Representative materials for use in edible particulate feeder  100  can comprise stainless steel, aluminum and suitable plastics. 
   With reference to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4  and  5 , particulate handling portion  102  can comprise a drum housing  108 , a receiving drum  110  and a dispensing drum  112 . Drum housing  108  is generally defined by a front mounting plate  114 , a side mounting plate  116 , a rear mounting plate  118 , a feed bin  120 , a portioning wall  122  and a transfer block  124 . Front mounting plate  114 , portioning wall  122  and transfer block  124  generally define a receiving drum mount area  126 . Feed bin  120  is generally defined by a bin loading end  128  and a bin dispensing end  130 . Feed bin  120  can comprise a bin agitation assembly  132 . Portioning wall  122  comprises an inner portioning surface  134  defining a generally arcuate profile adapted to closely conform to and interface with the receiving drum  110 . Transfer block  124  can comprise a receiving surface  136  and a dispensing surface  138  having a plurality of transfer bores  140  defined therebetween. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , receiving drum  110  can comprise a receiving drum body  142  defined by a receiving drum diameter  144 , a receiving drum width  146  and a receiving drum perimeter surface  148 . Receiving drum perimeter surface  148  comprises a plurality of spaced apart receiving apertures  150  arranged so as to define a plurality of receiving aperture rows  152 . Each receiving aperture  150  can define a generally cylindrical receiving area for receiving desired quantities of edible particulates based on the volume of the receiving area. Each receiving aperture row  152  can comprise any number of receiving apertures  150 , for example three receiving apertures  150  per receiving aperture row  152  as shown in  FIG. 3 . The number of receiving apertures  150  per receiving aperture row  152 , as well as the number of receiving aperture rows  152 , can vary based upon manufacturing characteristics of the edible products being produced such as, for example, production volume and product size. In addition, the size and shape of receiving apertures  150  can be varied. 
   As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , dispensing drum  112  can comprise a dispensing drum body  154  defined by a dispensing drum diameter  156 , a dispensing drum width  158  and a dispensing drum perimeter surface  160 . Dispensing drum perimeter surface  160  comprises a plurality of spaced apart dispensing apertures  162  arranged so as to define a plurality of dispensing aperture rows  164 . Each dispensing aperture  162  can define a generally cylindrical dispensing for dispensing desired quantities of edible particulates based on the volume of the dispensing area. Each dispensing aperture  162  has a dispensing area volume that is equal to or greater than the volume of the receiving area of each receiving aperture  150 . Each dispensing aperture row  164  can comprise any number of dispensing apertures  130 . Generally, the size and spacing of the dispensing apertures  162  within each dispensing aperture row  164  will correspond to the size and spacing of the receiving apertures  150  within each receiving aperture row  152 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 4 , the transfer block  124  is mounted between the receiving drum  110  and the dispensing drum  112  with the receiving surface  136  proximate the receiving drum  110  and the dispensing surface  138  proximate the dispensing drum  112 . Transfer bores  140  preferably resemble in size and appearance the receiving apertures  150  and dispensing apertures  162 . In a preferred embodiment, the number of transfer bores  140 , receiving apertures  150  and dispensing apertures  162  are equal. As such, transfer bores  140  generally serve to operably interconnect one receiving aperture  150  with a corresponding dispensing aperture  162  when the receiving drum  110  is rotatably positioned with one receiving aperture row  152  proximate the receiving surface  136  and one dispensing aperture row  164  proximate the dispensing surface  138 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  6  and  7 , drive portion  104  can comprise a shaft housing  166  having a first housing portion  168 , a second housing portion  170  and a drive mounting wall  172 . When combined with rear mounting plate  118 , the first housing portion  168 , second housing portion  170  and drive mounting wall  172  define an enclosed drive shaft area  174  for preventing personnel exposure to rotating drive shafts including a receiver drum drive shaft  176 , a dispensing drum drive shaft  178  and an agitation drive shaft  180 . Attached to a rear exposed surface of the drive mounting wall  172  is a receiving drum drive motor assembly  182  and a dispensing drum drive motor assembly  184 . Attached to side mounting plate  116  is an agitation drive motor assembly  186 . 
   As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  8 , mounting portion  106  can comprise a mounting platform  188  operably attaching to and supporting the particulate handling portion  102 . Mounting platform  188  can attach to a rotating support bracket  190  having an upper horizontal support member  192 , a lower horizontal support member  194  and a brace member  196 . Rotating support bracket  190  can further comprise upper and lower mounting pins  198  for rotatably mounting the edible particulate feeder  100  with respect to other process machinery such as, for example, extruders, conveyors and the like. 
   Quick-change portion  107  can comprise a receiving drum mounting assembly  200  and a dispensing drum assembly  202 . Receiving drum mounting assembly  200  and dispensing drum assembly  202  can be similar with respect to components, materials of construction and operation but can differ based upon size and strength requirements necessary for proper operation and function with the corresponding receiving drum  110  and dispensing drum  112 . Generally, the receiving drum mounting assembly  200  and dispensing drum assembly  202  each comprise a shaft collar  204 , a bearing assembly  206 , an alignment plate  208  and a mounting shaft  210 . 
   As will be understood by a person of skill in the art, the edible particulate feeder  100  and its related components and sub-components can be assembled using suitable fabrication techniques. In order to prevent unnecessary confusion and obfuscation with respect to the current invention, individual fasteners used in the construction of the edible particulate feeder  100  have not been individually identified within the specification. In addition to the use of fasteners, other appropriate joining and/or fastening techniques, such as for example, welding, can be used to construct the edible particulate feeder  100 . 
   In use, the edible particulate feeder  100  can supply edible particulates to a variety of food processing machinery for manufacturing ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook edible products. Edible particulate feeder  100  provides repeatable, portioned amounts of edible particulates for placement on an exterior surface or within an edible product. 
   Generally, a bulk amount of edible particulates is fed into the bin loading end  128  of feed bin  120 . Depending upon processing variables such as, for example, production volume and processing sophistication, the edible particulates can be manually loaded or continually, automatically loaded using suitable bulk feeding equipment such as, for example, a vibratory feeder. A wide variety of edible particulates, in either a whole or bit amount, can be portioned and supplied with the edible particulate feeder including items such as, for example, candy particulates, nut particulates, fruit particulates and vegetable particulates. Due to the unique quick-change aspects of the edible particulate feeder  100 , which is discussed in detail below, the use of edible particulate feeder  100  can be especially beneficial in portioning and dispensing edible particulates which by their nature are susceptible to melting, smearing and/or deformation including items such as, for example, chocolate, peanut butter, butterscotch and/or similarly flavored chips and/or chunks. 
   Within feed bin  120 , the bin agitation assembly  132  driven by agitation drive motor assembly  186 , prevents the edible particulates from agglomerating such that the edible particulates are readily gravity fed to the bin dispensing end  130 . At the same time, receiving drum drive motor assembly  182  causes receiving drum  110  and more specifically, receiving drum perimeter surface  144  to rotate past the bin dispensing end  130 . As the receiving drum perimeter surface  144  rotates, the receiving aperture rows  152  are sequentially directed past the bin dispensing end  130  such that each receiving aperture  150  is exposed to and consequentially filled with the edible particulates. As the receiving drum  110  continues its rotation, filled receiving apertures  150  encounter the portioning wall  122  wherein excess edible particulates are essentially swept from the receiving apertures  150  and retained within the feed bin  120  due to the close conformity of the inner portioning surface  134  with the receiving drum perimeter surface  144 . These excess edible particulates remain within the bulk feeder  120  for loading into receiving apertures  150  within a subsequent receiving aperture row  152 . 
   As receiving drum  110  continues its rotation, a filled receiving aperture row  150 , comprising a plurality of equivalently filled receiving apertures  150 , traverses the portioning wall  122 , and more specifically the inert portion surface  134  such that the edible particulates are physically retained within the receiving apertures  150 . As the receiving drum  100  continues its rotation, the filled receiving aperture row  150  encounters the receiving surface  136  of transfer block  124 . At the receiving surface  136 , each filled receiving aperture  150  is placed into aligned relation with a corresponding transfer bore  140 , wherein the edible particulates are subsequently gravity released from the filled receiving apertures  150  and enter the transfer bore  140 . 
   As the edible particulates fall from each receiving aperture  150  into the corresponding transfer bore  140 , the edible particulates are directed from the receiving surface  136  to the dispensing surface  138 . At the dispensing surface  138 , the transfer bores  140  interface with the dispensing drum  112 . The dispensing drum  112  is generally rotated by the dispensing drum drive motor assembly  184  such that the dispensing drum  112  rotates in an opposed direction to the receiving drum  110 . The dispensing drum perimeter surface  160  is rotated along the transfer block  124  such that each dispensing aperture row  164  is directed proximate the dispensing surface  138  wherein each dispensing aperture  162  is placed into aligned relation with the corresponding transfer bore  140 . Once a dispensing aperture  162  is aligned with its corresponding transfer bore  140 , the edible particulates fall from the transfer bore  140  into the dispensing aperture  162 . Dispensing apertures  162  generally have a volume that is greater than or equal to the receiving apertures  150  such that the dispensing aperture  162  accepts the entire volume of edible particulates within each transfer bore  140 . As the dispensing drum  112  continues to turn, the now filled dispensing apertures  162  are directed to a downwardly facing disposition where the portioned amounts of edible particulates can be transferred to another processing system or placed onto a food product. 
   During operation of the edible particulate feeder  100 , it can become necessary at various times to terminate the dispensing of the edible particulates and adjust process variables or to clean/sanitize the edible particulate feeder  100 . For instance, it can become necessary to vary the amount of edible particulates being dispensed with edible particulate feeder  100  based on product size or type. Alternatively, it may be necessary to clean and/or sanitize the edible particulate feeder  100  if the type of edible particulate changes or following production runs or designated time periods. 
   In order to reduce process downtime, edible particulate feeder  100  provides for rapid adjustment of particulate dispensing and cleaning/sanitization by providing for quick and easy removal and replacement of receiving drum  110  and dispensing drum  112 . Receiving drum  110  is externally accessible for change-out utilizing the receiving drum mounting assembly  200  while the dispensing drum  112  is similarly accessible with the dispensing drum mounting assembly  202 . For example, both the receiving drum  110  and dispensing drum  112  can be quickly and easily replaced by removing the appropriate shaft collar  204  from the corresponding drive shaft, either receiver drum drive shaft  176  or dispensing drum drive shaft  178 . Once the shaft collar  204  has been removed from the appropriate drive shaft, the alignment plate  208  including the bearing assembly  206  can be pulled from the drive shaft such that the alignment plate  208  can be rotated about the mounting shaft  210  such that either the receiving drum  110  or the dispensing drum  112  is exposed for removal. In some instances, a portable davit assembly or similar lifting apparatus can be used to slidably withdraw the exposed drum, either receiving drum  110  or dispensing drum  112 . 
   For purposes of adjusting process variables including changing production rates and the amount of particulates dispensed, receiving drum  110  can be replaced with a second receiving drum that is substantially the same as receiving drum  100  with respect to exterior dimensions and construction with the exception of possible changes to the configuration of the receiving aperture rows  152  and the individual receiving apertures  150 . For instance, more or less edible particulates can be dispensed by selectively increasing or decreasing the volume of the receiving apertures  150 . In some instances, the number of receiving aperture rows  152  on the receiving drum perimeter surface can be selectively increased or decreased to accommodate increased or decreased production of the food product. 
   Depending upon the types of changes made to receiving drum  110 , it may become necessary to similarly replace the transfer block  124  and dispensing drum  112 , especially in the instance when changes are made to the size and/or spacing of the receiving apertures  150 . When such changes are made, a second transfer block and second dispensing drum having transfer bores  140  and dispensing apertures  162  corresponding to the receiving apertures  150  on the second receiving drum, can be reinstalled to the edible particulate feeder  100 . 
   In the case of cleaning and/or sanitization of the edible particulate feeder  100 , removal of the receiving drum  110 , dispensing drum  112  and transfer block  124  can provide for easier access to surfaces in frequent contact with the edible particulates. In addition, receiving drum  110 , dispensing drum  112  and transfer block  124  can each be replaced with a similarly configured drum or block, such that the edible particulate feeder  100  can be quickly brought on line with “clean” components while the receiving drum  110 , dispensing drum  112  and transfer block  124  are cleaned and/or sanitized as individual components. This can provide for decreased downtime and increased production as compared to feeding units requiring cleaning and/or sanitization in an assembled or semi-assembled state. 
   To facilitate operation of the edible particulate feeder  100 , it will be understood that suitable control and monitoring instrumentation can be utilized to ensure proper coordination of the receiving drum  110  and dispensing drum  112 . For instance, operation and rotation of the receiving drum  110  and dispensing drum  112  can be conducted using a suitable control instrument such as, for example, a microprocessor based control system or a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) based system. In addition, positioning of the drum and more particularly, the aperture rows can be verified using optical, mechanical, proximity and/or other representative sensors and transmitters providing positioning information to the control system. In addition to varying process conditions by replacing the receiving drum  110 , dispensing drum  112  and transfer block  124 , the various drive systems including the receiving drum drive motor assembly  182  and the dispensing drum drive motor assembly  184  can include variable speed motors wherein rotation speeds for the receiving drum  110  and dispensing drum  112  can be selectively varied. In addition to controlling operation of the edible particulate feeder  100 , the control instrument can interface with other processing equipment including, for example, a particulate feeding system for filling the feed bin  120  with edible particulates and any processing equipment subsequent to the edible particulate feeder  100  for preparing the food product such as for example, conveying and/or packaging equipment. 
   Although various embodiments of the invention have been disclosed here for purposes of illustration, it should be understood that a variety of changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated without departing from either the spirit or scope of the invention.