U.S. patent application number 12/231382 was filed with the patent office on 2009-01-01 for method and apparatus for combining cookie dough and ice cream.
This patent application is currently assigned to Dippin' Dots, Inc.. Invention is credited to Jamie Ehling, Geoffrey Hannan, Dana Knudsen, John Lipert, Tiffany Reagor, Glen Thompson, Adam Whiteside.
Application Number | 20090004340 12/231382 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34316703 |
Filed Date | 2009-01-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090004340 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Whiteside; Adam ; et
al. |
January 1, 2009 |
Method and apparatus for combining cookie dough and ice cream
Abstract
A method and apparatus for combining beaded ice cream and cookie
dough is disclosed. The ice cream is dripped, beaded, frozen, and
then combined with precut shapes of cookie dough. The resulting
combination is packaged for subsequent storage at low
temperature.
Inventors: |
Whiteside; Adam; (Paducah,
KY) ; Hannan; Geoffrey; (Grand Chain, IL) ;
Thompson; Glen; (Metropolis, IL) ; Lipert; John;
(Metropolis, IL) ; Reagor; Tiffany; (Karnak,
IL) ; Ehling; Jamie; (Kevil, KY) ; Knudsen;
Dana; (Paducah, KY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STOCKWELL & SMEDLEY, PSC
861 CORPORATE DRIVE, SUITE 200
LEXINGTON
KY
40503
US
|
Assignee: |
Dippin' Dots, Inc.
|
Family ID: |
34316703 |
Appl. No.: |
12/231382 |
Filed: |
September 2, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10947030 |
Sep 22, 2004 |
|
|
|
12231382 |
|
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|
|
60504832 |
Sep 22, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
426/101 ; 426/95;
62/344 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A23G 9/22 20130101; A23G
9/48 20130101; A21C 9/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
426/101 ; 62/344;
426/95 |
International
Class: |
A23G 9/16 20060101
A23G009/16; A23G 9/22 20060101 A23G009/22; A23G 9/28 20060101
A23G009/28; A23G 9/44 20060101 A23G009/44 |
Claims
1. An apparatus for combining beaded ice cream and cookie dough,
comprising: a bead mechanism, for cryogenically manufacturing beads
of ice cream; a dough mechanism, for storing shapes of dough that
are to be combined with said beads; and a volumetric bagger, for
measuring and then storing a combination of said beads and said
dough.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a blending
apparatus, for ensuring that said beads and dough are stored in
amounts in accord with a pre-determined proportion.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said bead mechanism further
comprises: a freezing chamber, containing LN2 a drip mechanism; and
an auger for transporting said frozen beads upwards from the bottom
of the freezing chamber.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said drip mechanism is a tray
with apertures of a predetermined size, chosen according to the
composition of the ice cream mix being dripped therethrough.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a container, for
receiving the output of said volumetric bagger.
6. (canceled)
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said beads are dairy based and
comprise cream, milk, butter, or eggs.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said shapes are cubes,
triangles, or hearts.
9.-31. (canceled)
32. An apparatus for combining beaded ice cream and cookie dough,
comprising: a bead mechanism configured to cryogenically
manufacture beads of ice cream; a dough mechanism configured to
supply shapes of dough, wherein the dough mechanism is further
configured to supply the shapes of dough at a predetermined
temperature; a blending apparatus configured to receive the beads
of ice cream and the shapes of dough generate a combination of the
beads of ice cream and the shapes of dough at the predetermined
temperature; and a volumetric bagger, for measuring and then
storing the combination as blended.
33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the predetermined
temperature is about 0.degree. F.
34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the predetermined
temperature is room temperature.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation, and claims priority, of
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/947,030 filed Sep. 22, 2004
which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.
60/504,832, which was filed on Sep. 22, 2003, the disclosures of
which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates generally to manufacturing a product
which combines beaded ice cream and cookie dough.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Food products such as ice cream have been marketed in a
variety of contexts. Because ice cream is such a lucrative market,
manufacturers are always seeking a new market niche. Consequently,
an ice cream product which is unique and tastes good while
combining popular flavors is desired.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] This invention has as its primary objective a method and
apparatus for combining beaded ice cream with dough shapes. A
further objective of the present invention is to achieve this
combination in a variety of percentages of both ingredients, and to
do so in a way that can be reliably and accurately reproduced.
[0005] These and other objects and advantages of the invention will
become readily apparent as the following description is read in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0007] FIG. 1 shows an apparatus 100 that may be utilized to
produce free-flowing, frozen alimentary dairy products in
accordance with the method of the present invention. It should be
recognized that this apparatus 100 is merely being described as an
example of one type of apparatus designed for this purpose. Other
designs may, of course, be utilized in accordance with the present
method to produce the free-flowing, frozen alimentary dairy
product.
[0008] As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus 100 includes a beading
mechanism 10 and a dough mechanism 60, both of which output food
products to a bagging mechanism 70. Specifically, the beading
mechanism produces beads B, while the dough mechanism contains
shapes S that may have been produced elsewhere. The beads B and
shapes S are combined and bagged by the bagging mechanism 70.
[0009] The beading mechanism 10 includes a freezing chamber 12
having an inner wall 14 and outer wall 16. Preferably, both the
walls are constructed of stainless steel to provide both strength
and corrosion resistance. A thick layer of thermal insulating
material 18 is provided between the walls to improve the efficiency
of the freezing chamber by reducing the thermal transfer through
the walls 14, 16 between the interior of the chamber 12 and the
ambient environment.
[0010] The chamber 12 is chilled by the direct addition of
refrigerant from a refrigerant source 20 through the delivery line
22. A number of different refrigerants can be utilized although
liquid nitrogen is preferred. This material is readily available,
relatively inexpensive and relatively inert to food products. It is
also sufficiently cold to provide for relatively rapid freezing of
the product. As such, it is particularly adapted for utilization in
the processing of free-flowing, alimentary dairy products in
accordance with the present invention.
[0011] The temperature of the freezing chamber as well as the level
of liquid refrigerant is maintained within a specified range
through the utilization of a temperature control means 24 such as a
thermostat. More specifically, the temperature control means 24 may
be connected to a thermocouple 26. The thermocouple 26 is
positioned to extend into the freezing chamber 12 at a selected
height between, for example, 4 to 18 inches above the bottom of the
chamber to sense the temperature within the chamber. Where, for
example, liquid nitrogen (LN2) is utilized as the refrigerant, the
thermostat is set to maintain the temperature within the chamber 12
at the thermocouple 26 between approximately -300 to -320 degrees
F. The positioning of the thermocouple 26 some 4 to 18 inches above
the bottom of the chamber 12 provides the necessary reservoir of
refrigerant to quick freeze the droplets of the alimentary
composition. The ultra-low temperature of the refrigerant limits
the formation of ice crystals in the beads B as they are frozen. By
reducing the overall size of the ice crystals being formed, the
resulting frozen product has a richer, creamier texture and
exhibits a better, overall flavor.
[0012] When the temperature within the chamber 12 at the
thermocouple 26 rises above the set range of operation, a valve 27
is then opened to allow delivery of liquid nitrogen from the source
20 through the line 22 to the chamber 12. Once the liquid
refrigerant level within the chamber 12 reaches and contacts the
thermocouple 26, the desired level of liquid refrigerant for
freezing the composition is restored and the valve 27 is
closed.
[0013] Vents 29 are provided in the walls 14, 16 near the top of
the freezing chamber 12. These vents 29 serve to release rising
nitrogen vapor from the chamber 12 and prevent any build-up in
pressure in the chamber or any excess lowering of temperature near
the top such that the dropper system is frozen over time. This
exhaust can be controlled manually by venting through an exit pipe
which is controlled by a damper. Alternatively, the exhaust gas can
be collected under vacuum by the use of an exhaust fan. This cold
vapor can be routed to other parts of the process where cold vapors
can be utilized such as in storage spaces or with packaging
machines.
[0014] Typically, the composition of beads B will be dairy based
and includes such ingredients as cream, milk, butter and/or eggs.
However, other ingredients could also be used, thus the present
invention should not be considered as limited exclusively
thereto.
[0015] After preparing the composition comes the step of slowly
dripping the composition into the freezing chamber 12. This may be
accomplished in a number of ways. For example, as shown in FIG. 1,
the composition C may be pumped from a supply container 30 into a
dropper system including a tray 32 positioned across the upper end
of the freezing chamber 12. More specifically, the composition is
pumped by pump 31 through the tube 33 so as to be delivered through
an inlet 35 in the top of the tray that closes the tray to prevent
any residual dirt or dust in the air from falling into the
composition. The bottom of the tray 32 includes a series of
apertures 34 through which the composition drips into the freezing
chamber 12. Preferably, the apertures have a diameter of between
substantially 0.125 and 0.3125 inches so as to provide the desired
size droplets of composition for freezing into beads. Of course,
the size of the droplets and rate of flow will be determined not
only by the size of the holes, but the thickness of the composition
and in some cases the thickness of the tray.
[0016] As the droplets D of composition fall downwardly in the
freezing chamber, they contact cold nitrogen gas rapidly vaporizing
from the pool of liquid nitrogen P at the bottom of the chamber. As
a result of the temperature within the range of -260 to -320
degrees F. (typical for LN2), rapid freezing of the droplets of
composition occurs. The small beads B that are produced contain
only relatively small ice crystals, thereby preserving their flavor
properties. The beads B have a smooth, spherical appearance.
[0017] An auger 36 for collecting the beads extends into the bottom
of the chamber 12. As shown, the auger is positioned at an angle of
approximately 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal.
Preferably, the auger 36 includes flights having a diameter of
substantially 1.5'' to 3.5''.
[0018] As the auger 36 is rotated, the beads B are drawn upwardly
in the direction of action arrow E on the flights 38. Liquid
refrigerant is, however, not withdrawn from the freezing chamber as
sufficient space exists between the flights 38 and the walls of the
auger 36 so as to allow the liquid nitrogen to drain back to the
pool P. This space is, of course, not large enough to allow the
passage of the beads B.
[0019] Once the beads B reach the top of the auger 36, they can
deposited by means of a chute 40 onto a sieve 42. The sieve 42 is
connected to a shaking apparatus 44 which serves to vibrate the
beads B on the sieve 42. Thus, sifting of the beads B occurs with
the relatively large beads having a diameter of, for example,
approximately 2 mm or larger remaining on the surface of the sieve
while the smaller beads and fragmented portions of broken beads
fall through the sieve into the collecting pan 46. That material
collected in the pan 46 can be melted and reprocessed by mixing
back in with the composition C that is added to the tray 32 as
described above. The sieve 42 and shaking apparatus 44 are
suggested possibilities, but the present invention can be
implemented without them, and thus should not be considered as
limited exclusively thereto.
[0020] In any case, the larger beads flow over the sieve to a
discharge chute 48 where they are deposited into a volumetric
bagger 50, to be combined with shapes S in a process that will now
be explained.
[0021] The dough supply 52 contains cookie dough pre-cut into
predetermined shapes S, and maintains those shapes S at a
temperature not to exceed 0 degrees F. One example of a shape S can
be a cube, although the present invention should not be considered
as limited thereto. Other shapes including triangles or hearts
could be used, according to some type of promotion or as required
by a customer. Regardless of the specific shape, the cookie dough
shapes S can be lightly dusted to have a light tan coloring, yet
limited so as to conceal the appearance of the dough cubes. In this
way, appropriate color blending between the shapes S and the
sometimes colorful beads B can be achieved. Again, the light tan
color, or the concept of dusting the shapes S, are both for
exemplary purposes only and the present invention should not be
considered as limited thereto.
[0022] Alternatively, a shelf-stable set of shapes S which do not
require refrigeration is also contemplated within the spirit and
scope of the present invention. One way to achieve room-temperature
stability is to eliminate certain ingredients which make the shapes
require refrigeration, such as perishable oils. Another way is to
eliminate ingredients that include chocolate chips, because the
chocolate chips contain butter and cream, both of which could
contain perishable oils or other substances requiring
refrigeration.
[0023] In the event cookie dough is chosen for the shapes S, the
cookie dough can comprise the following: unenriched wheat flour,
sugar, and some type of margarine. The margarine referred to herein
can comprise liquid soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean
oil, water, salt, whey, vegetable monoglycerides, vegetable
diglycerides, soy lecithin, sodium benzoate, beta carotene, and
vitamin A palmitate. In the event chocolate chips are chosen for
inclusion within the shapes S, the chocolate chips can comprise
sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and
vanilla.
[0024] It is important to note that the cookie dough ingredients
sometimes do not include egg-based materials, because egg products
must be baked prior to refrigeration in order to prevent
salmonella. To address this, the dough ingredients can be baked
prior to combining the beads B. Another advantage is that after
baking, it may not be necessary to refrigerate some egg-based dough
products. Accordingly, the dough shapes S could also be baked, or
baked and then refrigerated, prior to being integrated with the
beads B.
[0025] Regardless of whether baking or refrigeration is required,
the ingredients for the dough shapes S can consist of various
combinations of the following: praline pecans, creme brulee bark,
coffee cake pieces, chocolate flakes, phyllo dough pieces, cinnamon
streusel pieces, cinnamon pie crust, shortcake pieces, white cake
pieces, raspberry flakes, chocolate cake pieces, pound cake pieces,
doughnut pieces, neuces pieces, lemon bark, raspberry sprinkles,
key lime bark, graham crunch, spice cake pieces, bubble gum pop
rocks, watermelon seeds, cotton candy pieces, caramel apple flakes,
sour apple sprinkles, filled chocolates, oat crisp, wheat germ, and
mocha sprinkles. The dough shapes S can also comprise peanut butter
dough, shortbread batter, and brownie batter.
[0026] In the cubical embodiment, the shapes S are formed to
measure 5/16''.times. 5/16''.times. 5/16'', so as to achieve an
appropriate ratio between the shapes S and beads B. These shapes
also can have specific gravity at 20 C of 1.25+/-0.05, although
other ranges are possible. These size and specific gravity features
are not rigid, but were found efficacious in preventing the shapes
S, being heavier and larger than beads B, from settling to the
bottom of the container 54. However, any size, density, and
specific gravity which achieves this purpose is acceptable.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, a blending apparatus 80 can combine the
beads S and shapes S in any of a variety of ratios. One exemplary
ratio is 19 oz shapes per every gallon of combination 62, although
the present invention should not be considered as limited thereto.
The blending apparatus outputs the combination 62 to the volumetric
bagger 50 which deposits the combination 62 into the container 54.
The container 54 could be a bag, box, or some other food storage
device. The container 54 is maintained open for substantially 1-10
minutes in order to allow any residual nitrogen refrigerant
retained in or on the surface of the beads to vaporize. The
container 54 can also be composed of a gas-permeable membrane which
does not trap but instead allows for escaping of additional
nitrogen. After the above-referenced delay, the container 54 is
sealed and placed in a freezer for storage.
[0028] In order to prevent the combination 62 from sticking
together during storage and thereby maintain its free-flowing
character, they must be maintained at a relatively low temperature.
More specifically, if the combination 62 is to be stored for
greater than a period of approximately 30 hours, they should be
stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of at least as low as
-20 degrees F. More preferably, the beads are stored at a
temperature between -30 and -40 degrees F.
[0029] Alternatively, if the combination 62 is to be consumed
within a 30-hour period (or shorter period of 10-12 hours for
certain compositions), they are to be stored in the freezer at a
temperature of -20 degrees F. or above. More preferably, the beads
are brought to a temperature between substantially -10 and -20
degrees F., with -15 degrees F. providing the best results. Warmer
temperatures may result in the beads sticking together and the
product losing its unique free-flowing property which adds to its
consumer appeal.
[0030] It is anticipated that various changes may be made in the
arrangement and operation of the system of the present invention
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as
defined by the following claims.
* * * * *