Gutters and plows for coating-material recirculation in food-coating apparatus

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/853,579, filed May 24, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,231,885 which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/488,777, filed Jul. 21, 2003, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/473,066, filed May 23, 2003, the disclosures of all which are incorporated herein by this reference.

[0002] The invention relates to a coating apparatus for applying a coating to a stream of product passing continuously through it, and more particularly to a coating apparatus that handles food products fit for human consumption including without limitation chicken, fish, seafood, pork, beef and so on. The coating material is commonly a breading material which might range in composition from a flour mixture to a coarse bread-crumb mixture. The various kinds of breading material allow inclusion of spices or flavorings within the mixture.

[0003] The coating apparatus has an intake system which is where the main coating activity. Additionally, the coating apparatus has belts in substitution of functions normally provided by a rotating drum—see, eg., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,937,744 and/or 6,158,332—a substitute belt system, it being more conveniently referred to herein as a “flexible drum.” The flexible drum tumbles the coated product to knock off excess breading material as well as to ensure more even application of the coating material. The food product can be routed at the option of the operator(s) of the coating apparatus to bypass the drum. Bypassing the drum is desirable when processing “formed” food products such as beef patties or fish cakes and the like, which would disintegrate in the drum.

[0004] Further inventive aspects of this coating apparatus include improvements in the way that the flexible drum discharges coated product onto an outflow conveyor in order that the outflowing product be automatically spread more evenly distributed across the width of the outflow conveyor.

[0005] A number of additional features and objects will be apparent in connection with the following discussion of the preferred embodiments and examples with reference to the drawings.

[0017] FIG. 1 shows a coating apparatus 10 in accordance with the invention incorporating a flexible drum accessory 20 in accordance with the invention (a dust cover 12 is shown in an elevated position). Food product 14 is introduced on the upper carrying run of an intake conveyor 22, which transits the product 14 underneath a “shower curtain” of breading material 16 rained down from above by a sprinkling (or sifting) conveyor 24. Preferred conveyor constructions include what are known as a drag-link construction and as shown by, for example, the FIG. 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,744—Nothum et al., or else an open wire mesh construction and as shown by, for example, the FIG. 6 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,274 (B1) Nothum et al. FIG. 2 hereof presents an illustrative depiction of such a “shower curtain” of coating material 16. Returning to where FIG. 1 hereof shows the product 18 progressing past the station of the sprinkling conveyor 24, the food product 18 is further advanced on the intake conveyor 22 to be squeezed beneath a low gap defined by an overhead conveyor-belt compressor 26. It is an aspect of the invention that the inventive overhead conveyor-belt compressor 26 replaces and solves the shortcomings associated with what the prior art has relied on to date, namely, an overhead compression roller. A shortcoming with overhead compression rollers is that they apply compression only in the form of a cylindrical surface, and not as according to the invention by a conveyor-belt compressor 26 which can be arranged to provide a defined gap height over an indefinite length of longitudinal (eg., the direction between upline and downline) extent.

[0018] The conveyor-belt compressor 26 is especially advantageous for pressing in the breading material and/or providing an additional squeeze for shape to flat product such as patties or nuggets (eg., chicken nuggets) and the like.

[0019] Not only does FIG. 1 provide a sectional side view of the flexible drum accessory 20, to be described more particularly below, but it also shows an outflow conveyor 28 for discharging the coated food product 18 to succeeding downline processes (eg., an “in-line triple flip” accessory indicated by reference numeral 50 in FIG. 3), and an excess-breading material recirculation system 30, as well as a flexible belt product-spreading system in accordance with the invention, to be described more particularly below (ie., indicated by reference numeral 60 in FIG. 4).

[0020] Briefly, product 18 discharged from the flexible drum 20 pours onto the product-(eg., upper) run of the inclined outflow conveyor 28, which optionally might have a drag-link construction. The outflow conveyor 28's return (eg., lower) run scrapes on top of a tray or pan 32. Excess breading material poured out of the flexible drum 20 sifts through the outflow conveyor 28's upper (eg., product-carrying) and lower (eg., return) runs, to alight upon the tray or pan 32. If the outflow conveyor 28 has a drag-link construction, the drag flights of the return run scrape across the tray or pan 32 and motivate the excess coating material to a drop zone, directly above a filtering conveyor 34. The filtering conveyor 34 preferably has a comparable drag-link construction and is preferably undergirded by a screen (not shown) scaled for passing fines but transiting coarse material, which is ejected overboard out one side or the other of the coating apparatus 10. The filtering conveyor 34 is arranged to run laterally, in a loop to the left and right direction, or in other words, transverse to the product-flow direction of upline to downline.

[0021] What excess breading material that manages to filter through the filtering conveyor system 34 winds up pouring down onto the pick-up zone of the recirculation system 30. The recirculation system 30 comprises a set of three astride conveyors or, that is, in consideration first of a central one of these three is an intake conveyor 22. Flanking this intake conveyor 22's left and right sides are breading elevators (not shown in FIG. 1 but indicated as 38 in FIGS. 5 and 6).

[0022] FIGS. 1 and 2 together better show the inventive flexible drum breader 20 in accordance with the invention. The flexible drum 20 more accurately comprises a belt 40, for example a wire mesh belt, slung to provide a U-shaped product-carrying run (more accurately that is, if unsupported, a catenary-shaped product carrying run). The belt 40 of said flexible drum 20 preferably includes flighting 42 to progressively advance material 18 poured into the upline end to its downline (or discharge end), from which the tumbled coated product 18 is discharged upon the outflow conveyor 28 as shown by FIG. 1.

[0023] Various inventive aspects of this configuration include affording the functionality of a hard drum except, instead of being a complete cylinder, the flexible drum 20 has an open top half. For considerations of wash down, this affords considerable advantages, including less prerequisite disassembly of parts for wash down (and then consequent reassembly for productive, cost justifying run time).

[0024] FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of FIG. 1. More particularly, FIG. 2 provides an end-on view of the discharge end, except the outflow conveyor 28 and other intervening portions obstructing the view of the flexible drum 20 are removed for clarity's sake. The flexible drum 20 provides a radially rotating product-carrying surface equipped with longitudinally-motivating flights 44 so that product 18 is comparably tumbled rotationally as well as longitudinally motivated as a hard drum, an example of a hard drum implementation of drum breading include at least the above-referenced eg., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,937,744 and/or 6,158,332 of Nothum et al.

[0025] FIGS. 1 and 2 further show a counter-rotating spreading system 44 which is both counterpart to the spreading paddles shown also by the above-referenced eg., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,937,744 and/or 6,158,332 of Nothum et al., except implemented by a soft design or, that is, implemented by more particularly a counter-rotating spreading belt. FIGS. 1 and 2 show that both the counter-rotating soft spreading system 44 is aligned coaxial with the flexible drum 20 as well as is spaced to operate in a coaxial gap above the main product-carrying run thereof. The counter-rotating spreading system 44's belt is arranged to act on merely a fractional portion of the downline end of the flexible drum 20. The counter-rotating spreading system 44's belt is provided with just a few (three in the drawings) flights 46 which are spaced angularly about 120° apart in the lower U-shaped portion.

[0026] Both the main flexible drum 20 as well as the counter-rotating spreading system 44's belt have respective return runs 47 and 49. FIG. 2 shows alternative ways of routing the return runs 47 and 49 of such flexible belt operatives. For the main flexible-drum belt, the return run 47 thereof loops underneath the product-carrying run in a generally-parallel U-shaped loop. That is one illustrative way of routing a return run for a soft operative in accordance with the invention. Alternatively, as shown for the counter-rotating spreading system 44, the return run 49 is routed horizontally over the end rollers therefor. FIG. 2 depicts product 18, such as and without limitation drumsticks, being poured onto the upline portions of the flexible drum 20 from the discharge end of the intake conveyor 22, and thereafter being tumbled in longitudinal transit thereacross, ultimately to be counter-rotationally acted upon by the overhead soft spreading system 44. The advantage of the desirability of a spreading system 44 is more particularly described in connection with FIGS. 10a and 10b as well as FIG. 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,744—Nothum et al. (including the accompanying written disclosure therefor). The present inventive implementation of the same strategy in a soft belt design is only disclosed and proceeded upon in accordance with the present inventive implementation.

[0027] FIG. 3 is comparable to FIG. 1 except it shows an “in-line triple flip” accessory 50 in accordance with the invention, for exchangeable substitution with the flexible drum accessory 20 of FIG. 1. Product is “flipped” over every successive drop from the intake conveyor 22's discharge onto an upper outflow conveyor 52, and then successively onto an middle outflow conveyor 54, and so on, onto ultimately (in this exemplary illustration) and a final outflow conveyor 56.

[0028] FIG. 4 shows a soft rendition of the foregoing, implemented by a “flexible drum triple flip” accessory 60 in accordance with the invention. It affords exchangeable substitution in the coating apparatus 10 with either the flexible drum accessory 20 of FIG. 1 or the in-line triple flip accessory 50 of FIG. 3. Notably, each successive U-belted outflow conveyer 64 or 66 in FIG. 4 is of a progressively larger diameter than the preceding implementation 62 or 64 thereof.

[0029] FIG. 5 shows several things. One, it shows conversion 67 of the coating apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 for linear running of the product therethrough. In this respect, FIG. 5 additionally shows a thumping eccentric roller 69 for inducing the shaking or knocking off of excess breading material, so that such ultimately drops off and down into the recirculation system 30 of the invention. The predominant purpose for the linear-running conversion 67 is for handling delicate product which ought not to be neither tumbled nor flipped.

[0030] Additionally, FIG. 5 shows aspects of the invention pertaining to the elevator system 38 which circulates/recirculates coating material 16 from the recirculation system 30 ultimately for feeding the sprinkling (or sifting) conveyor 24. As better shown by FIG. 6, the elevator system 38 comprises a pair of flanking elevator conveyors 38 which, although substantially thinner in lateral width than the central main intake conveyor 22, are appointed with the duty of elevating the predominant heft of the sprinkling downpour of the coating material 16 by the sprinkling (or sifting) conveyor 24.

[0031] As mentioned above, it is an aspect of the invention to non-exclusively prefer conveyor constructions that are known as a drag-link construction and as shown by, for example, the FIG. 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,744—Nothum et al., and as shown as well in FIGS. 6, 9 and 10 hereof. Alternatively suitable other conveyor constructions include without limitation open wire mesh construction such as shown by, for example, the FIG. 6 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,274 (B1) Nothum et al.

[0032] The vantage point of the views of FIG. 6 or 9-10 hereof as can be reckoned as the view taken in the direction of arrows VI-VI in FIG. 5. As shown by FIG. 6 or 9-10, the laterally-wider main intake conveyor 22 is flanked by the laterally-thinner elevator conveyors 38 and 38. Referencing FIG. 5 briefly, it shows the circuit coursed by the elevator conveyors 38 is the circuit indicated by the reference arrow 71 therein (ie., in FIG. 5.)

[0033] FIG. 6 more particularly shows that the overhead space of the up-return run of the main intake conveyor 22 is partitioned, in its lower stretches, by flaring plows 72 (eg., fences). These plows 72 push breading material (eg., indicated by reference numeral 16 in FIG. 2) laterally around in the overhead space towards the lateral elevators 38. The main intake conveyor 22 scrapes across an up-sloping bottom panel 73 for the up-return run thereof, which affords the possibility for the open-drag link construction of conveyor 22 to motivate (slide) excess breading material up the up-slope of the bottom panel 73.

[0034] To accommodate the responsibility for a carrying-capacity heavier than in proportion to their lateral width (and relative the light-load responsibility of the main intake conveyor 22), it is an aspect of the invention that the elevator conveyors 38 operate within gutters 74. The gutters 74 give each of the opposite elevator conveyors 38 an increased carrying capacity over the main central intake conveyor 22 by virtue of the depth of the gutters 74 (and relative the plane of conveyor 22's bottom scrape panel 73). All that is wanted from the main central intake conveyor 22 is a relatively light-load comprising a full bed 76 of coating material for introduced-product 14 on the intake end to ride upon. Experience suggests, however, it is more desirable for substantial streams 78 of the circulated/recirculated breading material to be shunted aside to the flanking elevators 38, because much more of it is required by the sprinkling (or sifting) conveyor 24 than is needed to make a bed of such with the main intake conveyor 22. Therefore, in order to obtain the desired distribution of relative breading-material mass-flow up the respective conveyor sections 22 as well as 38 and 38, it is an aspect of the invention to deepen the troughs of the laterally-flanking elevators 38 with by the gutters 74 and 74 astride the central conveyor 22's bottom panel 73, and as shown by FIG. 6.

[0035] In general, the carrying capacity of any one of the laterally-flanking elevators 38 or 38 or the main intake conveyor 22 is proportionate to the cross-sectional area of each (eg., the product of width times depth of the subject conveyor). The main central intake conveyor 22 is broader but shallower, in contrast to the laterally-flanking elevator conveyors 38 and 38 which are thinner but deeper.

[0036] Ordinarily skilled designers would routinely appreciate given the foregoing inventive insights into the invention that the relative carrying capacity among the conveyor 22 and elevators 38 and 38 can be varied by changing constructional factors such as, in order of preference, the depth of the elevators 38 and 38, the shallowness of the main central intake conveyor 22, the width of the elevators 38 and 38, and then the width of the main central intake conveyor 22. It should be appreciated that there is no requirement for symmetry between elevators 38 and 38. In consequence, elevators 38 and 38 have been shown symmetric to each other in the drawings for convenience's sake only in this disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 9 is comparable to FIG. 6 and showing an intake conveyor 22 carrying a central stream of coating material 76. The conveyor 22 is flanked by left and right coating elevators 38 coursing through gutters 74 and receiving diverted streams 78 of coating material by way of plows 172. Unlike FIG. 6, plows 172 represent an alternate embodiment of the invention and comprise telescopic legs 175 and telescopic arms coupled together by a stiff hinge 179 and hinged together for multiple adjustability. Whereas the breadth and depth of the conveyor 22 or elevators 38 and 38 are built-in to the design of the apparatus 10 at the time of construction, during the use-life of said apparatus 10 and between successive uses thereof the diversion of the central re-circulation stream 76 into diverted streams 78 can be adjusted at will by the adjustability of adjustable plows 172.

[0038] FIG. 10 is comparable to FIGS. 6 and 9 except showing a further embodiment of a plow 272 in accordance with the invention, comprising the single slanted plow 272 which is coupled to a pivot 279 at its base end and is otherwise telescopic. Preferably the structure to which the pivot 279 is mounted is either laterally-movable left and right in the overhead space above the central conveyor 22 and flanking elevators 38 and 38 or else is mountable at discretely different positions in the left-to-right direction. Whereas the foregoing is not shown in FIG. 10, it is indicated by adjustable direction arrows in connection with the bases of plows 172 in FIG. 9.

[0039] By way of background, some coating recirculation systems (eg., 30) dump all the coating on one side of the conveyor 22. Hence the adjustability of plows 172 or plow 272 in accordance with the invention affords users opportunity to tune the performance of the plow 272 in performing its work of diverting a central re-circulation stream (eg., 76) into one or more diversion streams (eg., 78).

[0040] FIG. 7 is an end elevational view of the discharge end of the coating apparatus 10 in accordance with the invention, and comparable to FIG. 2, except showing a hard-drum accessory 80 in accordance with the invention, which is provided for exchangeable substitution in the coating apparatus 10 with either the flexible drum accessory 20 of FIG. 1, or the in-line triple flip accessory 50 of FIG. 3, or else the flexible drum triple flip accessory 60 of FIG. 4. This hard-drum accessory 80 is show driven by rubber tires 82 engaging its outside wall as shown.

[0041] FIG. 8 is an end elevational view of the discharge end of the coating apparatus 10 in accordance with the invention, and comparable to FIG. 2 or 7, except showing a “made by hand” accessory 85 in accordance with the invention, for exchangeable substitution in the coating apparatus 10 with either the flexible drum accessory 20 of FIG. 1, or the in-line triple flip 50 accessory of FIG. 3, or else the flexible drum triple flip 60 accessory of FIG. 4, or otherwise the hard-drum accessory 80 of FIG. 7, and so on, there being an indefinite number of other accessories to substitute therein. In FIG. 8, the pan or tray of the accessory is shaped in ω-shaped contour (eg., not just determinable as an “omega” shape or double u-shape but perhaps alternatively as having dual, rounded troughs 87). Other inventive aspects of the FIG. 8 embodiment include the paddles 89 depicted therein which, in combination the double u-shaped troughs 87, promote product flipping/tumbling according to a different stroke for a fine differentiation in end-product results in order to obtain a classic result formerly most easily obtained by manual processes (eg., “made by hand”) in an inventive way by said coating apparatus 10 in accordance with the invention.

[0042] The above-referenced U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,937,744 and/or 6,158,332—Nothum et al. are incorporated by reference.

[0043] The invention having been disclosed in connection with the foregoing variations and examples, additional variations will now be apparent to persons skilled in the art. The invention is not intended to be limited to the variations specifically mentioned, and accordingly reference should be made to the appended claims rather than the foregoing discussion of preferred examples, to assess the scope of the invention in which exclusive rights are claimed.