U.S. patent number 3,890,419 [Application Number 05/368,761] was granted by the patent office on 1975-06-17 for method and apparatus for producing striped soap bar.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Armour-Dial, Inc.. Invention is credited to Thaddeus John Kaniecki.
United States Patent |
3,890,419 |
Kaniecki |
June 17, 1975 |
Method and apparatus for producing striped soap bar
Abstract
Striped, multi-colored soap bars can be produced by introducing
coloring matter into the soap mass while the soap mass is passing
through the ducts of an extruder plate in a soap plodder. The
apparatus for producing such a bar comprises a conventional soap
plodder with a modified extruder plate having a plurality of
injector tubes which permit the flow of the coloring matter into
the ducts of the extruder plate.
Inventors: |
Kaniecki; Thaddeus John
(Pompton Plains, NJ) |
Assignee: |
Armour-Dial, Inc. (Phoenix,
AZ)
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Family
ID: |
26808908 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/368,761 |
Filed: |
July 11, 1973 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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111443 |
Feb 1, 1971 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
264/173.12;
264/75; 264/148; 264/245; 425/131.1; 425/224; 510/440; 510/146 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C
48/19 (20190201); C11D 13/18 (20130101); B29C
48/175 (20190201); C11D 13/08 (20130101); B29C
48/20 (20190201); B29C 48/06 (20190201) |
Current International
Class: |
B29C
47/04 (20060101); C11D 13/00 (20060101); C11D
13/18 (20060101); C11D 13/08 (20060101); B29f
003/12 () |
Field of
Search: |
;264/171,173,75,245,148,349,211 ;425/130,131,224
;252/367,368,371,134,90 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Thurlow; Jeffery R.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Barber; Frank T. Harrer; Richard G.
Batz; Carl C.
Parent Case Text
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of my application Ser. No.
111,443, filed Feb. 1, 1971, now abandoned.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In a method for producing a multi-colored detergent bar which
includes pressing and passing a detergent material in a circular
motion through a final plodding stage in which said material is
passed forwardly through a cylindrical channel in said plodding
stage by screw action to knead said material, then passing said
material through a plurality of separate ducts contained in a plate
between said plodding area and a conical area and into said conical
area, and compacting said material in said conical area, the
improvement which comprises introducing coloring matter in a
confined stream into said material from an injection tube and
directing said stream from a stationary orifice in said tube with
said tube being located within one of said ducts in the direction
in which the detergent material is being passed through said duct,
the area of said confined stream being small as compared to the
area of said duct, whereby to produce an extruded bar having a
stripe therein.
2. A method as set forth in claim 1 in which said coloring matter
is introduced separately into a plurality of said ducts whereby
there is produced an etruded bar of said material having a
plurality of stripes therein.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said detergent is soap.
4. In apparatus for producing a multi-colored detergent bar
comprising a final stage plodder cylindrical in form containing a
screw for kneading detergent material and passing the same
longitudinally through said plodder, a nose cone located forwardly
of said screw for compacting said material radially of the axis of
said cone, a plate located between said screw and said cone having
ducts therein providing channels through which said material may
pass in separate channels, a tube extending into one of said ducts,
said tube being in fixed position with respect to said duct and
containing an orifice within said duct which is aligned with said
duct whereby coloring matter passed through said tube and out of
said tube through said orifice is directed into said channel in the
direction in which said material is being passed through said
duct.
5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 in which said plate includes a
ring disposed between said cone and said plodder and wherein said
tube is carried radially within said ring.
6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 including a bracing member
extending within said duct and connected to said tube for
positioning said tube with respect to said duct.
Description
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing
multi-colored detergent bars or cakes. More particularly, it
relates to the manufacture of a striped bar of soap. Generally the
bar of soap will have an appearance somewhat similar to the so
called "marbleized" soap bar, except that the striping extends
throughout a greater depth of the bar, is straighter, and is more
solid than the random swirling features of marbleized soap.
Marbleized soap is generally made by either adding soap chips
containing coloring matter different from that of the regular
colored soap stock to the hopper of the soap plodder or by
injecting dye or other coloring matter into the screw-feed area of
the soap plodder. As the soap chips are compressed while passing
through the screw-feed area, the colored soap chips become
intermingled with the base soap stock in a jumbled or completely
random fashion, thereby producing the random swirling appearance of
marbleized soap. It is also known to produce differently colored
bars of soap by inserting plugs of colored soap into finished soap
bars or by other physical intermixing of two separately plodded
soap logs.
Further, Swiss Pat. No. 457,680 seems to show injection of coloring
matter into a soap mass while the soap is passing through the nose
cone of a soap plodder. Such a procedure would suffer certain
disadvantages. As the soap mass moves through the nose cone area it
undergoes extreme compression, and any piercing of the nose cone
itself to permit injection of dye could result in a structural
weakness leading to cracking and breakage of the nose cone. The
resultant shutdown of equipment for replacement or repair would be
expensive not only due to materials and labor but also due to the
stoppage of production. In addition, the closer such injection is
to the terminal end of the nose cone, that is towards the face
plate, the greater would be the likelihood of introducing
structural weaknesses into the resultant soap log and soap bar.
These structural weaknesses in the bar could result in a high
incidence of defective soap bars, in that the bars would crack or
split along the structurally weak lines during useage of the
bar.
It has now been discovered that if the coloring matter is
introduced into the soap mass as the soap mass is passing through
the extruder plate and entering into the nose cone, the extruded
log of soap will contain different colored stripes without
substantial twisting or random streaking as is characterized by
marbleized soap and without the potential structural weaknesses of
the bar or apparatus characterized by injection of dye into the
nose cone area.
Thus it is an object and advantage of the present invention to
provide an apparatus and method of producing a striped soap,
detergent or soap and detergent bar or cake.
Another object and advantage is the provision of an apparatus for
and method of making soap bars having a differently colored
striping, which bars will not excessively crack or break apart
during use.
A further object and advantage is to provide an apparatus and
method for producing a striped multi-colored, such as a
tri-colored, bar of soap.
A still further object and advantage is to provide an apparatus and
method for producing a striped soap bar that avoids weakening the
structure of the soap producing apparatus.
Still another object and advantage is to provide an apparatus and
method for producing a striped soap wherein the number and width of
the stripes is highly variable.
The apparatus for producing striped soap bars; comprising a casing,
means for directing a flow of plastic soap through the casing,
means for finally compacting the soap mass into an extruded log,
and an extruder plate between said casing and said final compacting
means having injection tubes for directing a flow of coloring
matter into the soap; is more fully described in the following
specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a single stage soap
plodder showing the position of the modified extruder plate of this
invention.
FIG. 2 is a transverse section taken along line 2--2 of the
extruder plate shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a finished bar of soap showing an
example of a striped bar of soap produced by this invention.
For convenience, reference is particularly made to soap bars. This
invention is generally applicable to bars of soaps, non-soap
synthetic detergents, or mixtures thereof. Further, the term bar is
used in a general sense and the final product can take other shapes
as is well known in the art by further processing plastic soap
materials extruded from a plodder, and such inclusion is intended.
All or some portion of such bars may additionally contain agents
such as perfumes, additional dyes, skin softeners, germicides and
the like as are known in the art of manufacturing soaps. Also, for
ease of description, FIG. 1 depicts a single stage soap plodder,
but it is understood that the present invention is directed to
improvements in the final stage of the soap plodding procedure and
also encompasses the final stage of multiple stage plodding
apparatus, preferably of the vacuum type.
In the production of finished soap bars, the neat soap is dried and
worked into pellet form and then is either passed through roller
mills and the like before being compressed, or is directly
compressed into log form by means of a soap extrusion apparatus,
referred to in the trade as a "plodder", shown more particularly in
FIG. 1. The plastic soap mass is extruded from the plodder as a
continuous log through a face plate 9 mounted at one end of the
plodder by means of cap 11. THe extruded soap log is thereafter cut
into slugs, and the slugs are then pressed to form the familiar
shapes of commercial soap bars.
In the plodder shown in FIG. 1, the elongated outer cylindrical
casing 5 has a filling hopper 6 at one end of the casing 5 for
receiving the soap mass, such as soap chips. The soap entering the
casing 5 from the hopper 6 is directed along the casing 5 by a
rotatively mounted helical feed screw 7 connected to a suitable
source of power not shown. Casing 5 is provided with an extruder
plate 8 having a plurality of ducts 13 (shown in FIG. 2), and is
positioned between the end of casing 5 and the nose cone 10 which
is hingedly secured to casing 5. At the opposite and narrow end of
nose cone 10 is the face plate 9, secured to the nose cone 10 by
cap 11.
In operation, soap chips are introduced into the hopper 6 whereupon
the soap chips become intermeshed into an amorphous soap mass by
the action of feed screw 7. It will be appreciated that as the soap
passes along the casing 5 via feed screw 7, the individual soap
chips become intimately admixed with each other and compressed in a
circular tumbling or random fashion. Thus if a suitable dye were
introduced in the casing area, a random or non-uniform marbleizing
effect would be produced in the resultant soap bar. When the soap
mass passes through the ducts 13 of extruder plate 8 it ceases its
circular motion and moves in a substantially straight manner and
enters the nose cone 10 area as a series of ribbons. Thereafter the
ribbons pass through the final compression zone defined generally
by the nose cone 10 and are compacted into a solid mass which is
then extruded through the log forming face plate 9, emerging as a
continuous log of soap which is thereafter cut into lengths by a
suitable cutter. By injecting the coloring matter directly into the
extruder plate 8, soap bars are produced having colored stripes yet
without substantial weakening of either the soap bar or processing
apparatus.
Referring to FIG. 2, a modified extruder plate 8 of the invention
is shown in preferred form. A spacing ring 16 is attached to a
conventional extruder plate 8a by means of set screws or the like.
The purpose of the spacing ring 16 is to allow room between the end
of casing 5 and the nose cone 10 for the injector tubes 14. The
extruder plate 8 as shown in FIG. 2 has a plurality of ducts 13
disposed around a central cone 12, shown by dotted lines in FIG. 1.
Injector tubes 14 pass through the spacing ring 16 and into the
ducts 13. The tubes are secured to the spacing ring by means of
fastening means 15 such as No. 316 stainless steel standard
swagelock fasteners having a drilled out chamber to receive, for
example, a 1/8 inch o.d. tube 14. The number of tubes 14 in
extruder plate 8 depends upon the number of stripes that are
desired in the finished soap bar. For example, the use of less than
about 4-6 tubes will produce a bar having just a few widely spaced
colored stripes; whereas the use of more tubes will produce a
larger number of more closely spaced stripes in the bar. Since most
extruder plates contain about 24 ducts, the plate may thereby
contain up to about 24 tubes 14. Each tube is provided with at
least one orifice 17, the orifice being positioned within duct 13.
It is preferred to have a single orifice 17 per tube 14 and the
location of orifice 17 on tube 14 may be varied from tube to tube
to produce striping at different levels in the resultant soap bar.
Bracing means 18 are preferrably employed in conjunction with tube
14 as an optional structural reinforcing member and are preferrably
of 3/8 inches thick stainless steel located about 1 inch in from
the outer rim of duct 13.
The type of coloring matter to be injected via tubes 14 is not
critical, although it is preferred that the coloring matter be a
non-bleeding dye or pigment, such as D & C Green dye No. 5. The
pressure required to inject the coloring matter into the flowing
stream of soap also is not critical. It has been found that 75
pounds per square inch gauge (psig) or more is satisfactory.
In operation chips of soap are milled and the milled chips are fed
through a hopper into the top worm of a three stage plodder, the
third stage being a vacuum stage substantially as described above
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. As the soap is fed
into the top worm in the first stage of the plodder, the top worm
carries the soap forward, at the same time, packing or compressing
it and forcing it through a grinding plate whereupon it drops by
gravity into a second stage and onto the second stage worm which
again carries the soap forward for a repetition of this process.
The soap after passing through a second grinding, drops by gravity
into a third stage where it is again fed by a worm such as screw 7
towards the nose cone 10. As the soap passes through extruder plate
8, the dye such as a solution of D & C Red No. 19, is
introduced into the soap by means of tube 14 and orifice 17. The
extruder plate 8 was fitted with four injector tubes 14, each tube
having a single orifice 17. Each of the orifices 17 was positioned
in tube 14 at various depths within duct 13 varying from 1/8 inch
to 1 1/2 inch from the top or outermost rim of the duct 13. The
resulting soap bar had approximately four widely spaced
reddish-colored bands 19 running part way through the white bar
background 20 shown in FIG. 3.
The following specific examples illustrate production of bars of
soap having a striped appearance in accordance with the
invention.
EXAMPLE 1
Milled soap chips comprising 15% by weight coconut fatty acid
sodium soap and 85% by weight hydrogenated tallow sodium soap were
fed into a triple-stage plodder as described above.
The extruder plate 8 of the third stage was equipped with twelve
injector tubes 14, each tube having one orifice 17 of 1/32 inch
diameter.
As the soap passed through ducts 13, the soap was contacted with a
0.5% aqueous solution of D & C Green dye No. 5 under pressure
of about 200 psig.
The extruded soap log contained a large number of relatively
uniform stripes spaced approximately 1/8 inch apart and blending
through the depth of the log. The resulting finished soap bar had
an appearance similar to that shown in FIG. 3, but with the stripes
19 being closer together. Using 4-6 injector tubes 14 soap bars as
shown in FIG. 3 were obtained. The dye was injected into the soap
mass at a pressure of about 125 psig.
EXAMPLE 2
Milled soap chips as set forth in Example 1 were run through the
same apparatus having six injector nozzles 14 in the extruder plate
8. A 0.5% D & C Green dye No. 5 solution was injected at 500
lbs. psig. The resultant finished soap bar had an appearance very
similar to the bar shown in FIG. 3.
EXAMPLE 3
Milled soap chips as set forth in Example 1 can be fed into a soap
plodder as shown in FIG. 1 of the attached drawings, that is a
single stage vacuum plodder. The extruder plate 8 is then equipped
with twelve injector tubes.
A 0.1% aqueous solution of Red No. 19 under a pressure of 125 lbs.
psig can be introduced into alternate tubes. A 0.5% aqueous
solution of D & C Green No. 5 under a pressure of 125 lbs. psig
is introduced into the soap through the remaining tubes.
The extruded log will present the appearance of substantially
uniform striping of alternate red and green stripes on a white
background. The stripes will be approximately 1/8 inch apart and
extend approximately 182 inch into the log.
In the foregoing, the present invention has been illustrated by
specific preferred embodiments. Various modifications may be made
in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope
thereof.
* * * * *