Dough forming pressing plate with spacers
AssigneeLawrence Equipment, Inc.
InventorEric C. Lawrence
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In some embodiments, a dough pressing system includes means for coupling a cover to a pressing platen, wherein the cover can reduce the wear caused to the pressing platen by the heat and pressure used to process one or more products. The cover optionally can be configured to be removably attached to the pressing platen with vacuum pressure. In some implementations, one or more spacers are placed between the cover and the pressing platen. The thickness of the spacers can adjust the thickness and diameter of products processed by the pressing platen. For example, to increase uniformity among products pressed together in a press cycle, the spacers can have different thicknesses that correspond with the location of the spacer in the pattern of dough balls.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a pressing plate configured to form a plurality of dough products held by a supporting surface by applying a pressure against a first surface of each of the plurality of dough products;
- a skin removably attachable to the pressing plate, wherein the skin is located between the pressing plate and the supporting surface when attached to the pressing plate and is held proximate to the pressing plate with vacuum pressure;
- a seal located around a peripheral edge of the pressing plate that is proximate to the pressing plate and the skin when the skin is held proximate to the pressing plate with vacuum pressure and facilitates creation of the vacuum pressure that holds the skin against the pressing plate, wherein the seal comprises an outer edge and an inner edge, the outer edge of the seal positioned further away from the pressing plate than the inner edge of the seal;
- and
- a positioning element connected to the pressing plate and configured to move the outer edge of the seal to contact the skin.
A method comprising:
- creating, by a product pressing system, a vacuum seal between a pressing plate and a skin,
- the product pressing system comprising:
- a pressing plate configured to form a plurality of dough products held by a supporting surface by applying a pressure against a first surface of each of the plurality of dough products;
- a skin removably attachable to the pressing plate between the pressing plate and the supporting surface when attached to the pressing plate;
- a seal i) located around a peripheral edge of the pressing plate that is proximate to the pressing plate and the skin when the skin attached to the pressing plate, ii) that includes an outer edge and an inner edge, the outer edge of the seal positioned further away from the pressing plate than the inner edge of the seal;
- and
- a positioning element connected to the pressing plate;
- and
- creating the vacuum seal comprising:
- activating the positioning element to move the outer edge of the seal to contact the skin and facilitate creation of vacuum pressure to hold the skin against the pressing plate;
- and
- enabling a vacuum system to create vacuum pressure between the pressing plate and the skin, the vacuum pressure holding the skin proximate to the pressing plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.