Manufacture of toffee and similar products

Claim 2

A method according to claim 1 wherein the cooked toffee which is obtained from the open feeder unit is continuously fed to a further open feeder unit together with a flavoring additive, and the resulting mixture is effectively agitated at all stages of its passage through the further open feeder unit.

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1 in which cooked toffee is obtained from the open feeder unit after a residence period therein which is predetermined by fixing a weir at a particular level which is maintained the same while the rate of feed of the mixture of toffee ingredients tO the closed feeder unit is maintained constant.

Claim 4

Apparatus for manufacturing toffee by a continuous process, the apparatus including an open feeder unit which comprises a trough having a lower internal surface which is semi-cylindrical, jackets surrounding at least the outer surface corresponding to the internal semi-cylindrical surface of the trough for passing a heating fluid into contact with the said outer surface, and a stirrer-scraper mounted within the trough for rotation therein about the axis of the internal semi-cylindrical surface for scraping material from the internal semi-cylindrical surface, the stirrer-scraper consisting essentially of a plurality of spindles offset similar distances from the axis of the internal semi-cylindrical surface of the trough, a first helical blade mounted to extend outwardly from the said spindles, the first helical blade having a plurality of discontinuities therein so that there are separate sections of the first helical blade lengthwise of the trough, adjacent sections of the first helical blade having the helix wound in opposed directions, a second helical blade mounted on the spindles to extend inwardly from the spindles, the second helical blade having discontinuities similar to the discontinuities in the first helical blade and each section of the second helical blade having the helix wound in the opposite direction to the corresponding section of the first helical blade, and radial means for transmitting rotary movement about the axis of the internal semi-cylindrical surface of the trough to the spindles and the first and second helical blades mounted thereon.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the discontinuities in the first and second helical blades and the lengths of the sections of the first and second helical blades are so arranged that no substantial overall movement in a direction parallel to the said axis is imparted to material within the trough upon rotation of the stirrer-scraper.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 6 in which the discontinuities and the lengths of the sections of each helical blade correspond, for the first helical blade, to approximately 4 1/2 turns of the helix in a first direction and 2 1/2 turns in the second direction and, for the second helical blade, to approximately 2 1/2 turns of the helix in the first direction and 4 1/2 turns of the helix in the second direction.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 7, in which the total turns in each helix are divided into 10 sections.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein there are three spindles each of which is set at each end in an end plate having a central aperture, at least one of the end plates comprising the radial means for transmitting rotary movement to the spindles.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 5 in which the trough includes an adjustable weir whereby, in order to compensate for desired changes in the rate of feed of material to the trough, the level of a material passing through the open trough may be varied while maintaining constant the residence period of material passing through the trough.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 5 further including a pair of closed vertically disposed tubes through which a sugar mixture may be passed sequentially while raising its temperature to dissolve the mixture, and conduit means leading from the outlet of the second vertically disposed tube to an inlet at one end of the open feeder unit.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 5, comprising a further open feeder unit, means for continuously feeding the cooked toffee which is obtained from the open feeder unit to the further open feeder unit together with a flabouring additive, the further open feeder unit including a stirrer-scraper essentially similar to that which is employed in the open feeder unit in which cooking of the ingredients takes place, whereby the resulting mixture is effectively agitated at all stages of its passage through the further open feeder unit.

Claim 12

Apparatus for the continuous manufacture of toffee comprising a closed feeder unit from which evaporation of water is prevented, an open feeder unit from which water may be evaporated, means for continuously feeding a mixture of toffee ingredients to the closed feeder unit and for continuously feeding the mixture from the closed feeder unit to the open feeder unit, means for raising the temperature of the mixture during its passage through the closed feeder unit to a temperature at which all the ingredients of the mixture are dissolved and means for further increasing the temperature of the mixture during its passage through the open feeder unit to effect evaporation of water and cooking of the ingredients, the open feeder unit comprising a stirrer-scraper which is rotatably mounted in said open feeder and comprises a plurality of spindles arranged parallel to but spaced from the axis of rotation, the stirrer-scraper capable of ensuring that the mixture which is in contact with the sides of the open feeder unit is continuously moved.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 13, in which the stirrer-scraper has outer and inner helical blades carried by the spindles, the outer helical blade having an outer periphery at a distance from the axis of rotation of said stirrer-scraper marginally smaller than the distance of the inner surface of the open feeder unit from the central axis, said inner surface of the open feeder being a semi-cylindrical surface, both the inner and outer helical blades being divided into sections longitudinally of the open feeder unit, the adjacent sections of each helix capable of imparting opposed movements to the mixture in forward and reverse directions respectively, and the inner and outer helical blades within any longitudinal section of each helical blade being effective to impart movement in opposite directions to the mixture with which they come respectively in contact.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein there are three spindles each of which is set at each end in an end plate having a central aperture, at least one of the end plates comprising the radial means for transmitting rotary movement to the spindles.

Claim 15

Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the closed feeder unit comprises a pair of closed vertically disposed tubes through which a sugar mixture may be passed sequentially while raising its temperature to dissolve the mixture, and conduit means leading from the outlet of the second vertically disposed tube to an inlet at one end of the open feeder unit.

Claim 16

Apparatus according to claim 13, comprising a further open feeder unit, means for continuously feeding the cooked toffee which is obtained from the open feeder unit to the further open feeder unit together with a flavoring additive, the further open feeder unit including a stirrer-scraper essentially similar to that which is employed in the open feeder unit in which cooking of the ingredients takes place, whereby the resulting mixture is effectively agitated at all stages of its passage through the further open feeder unit.