# US 11,659,841 B2 · Device for providing dough products with a topping material > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,659,841 B2 - Document ID: US11659841B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/107,178 - Filed: 2020-11-30 - Published: 2021-06-03 - Granted: 2023-05-30 - Earliest claimed: 2019-12-03 - Assignees: Radie B.V. - Applicants: Radie B.V. - Inventors: Johannes Josephus Antonius Van Blokland - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11659841B2 ## CPC - A21C 9/04: Apparatus for spreading granular material on, or sweeping or coating the surfaces of, pieces or sheets of dough {(coating baked articles A21C15/002)} - A21C 15/002: {Apparatus for spreading granular material on, or sweeping or coating the surface of baked articles (of pieces of dough A21C9/04; for confectionary A23G3/28)} - A23G 3/2076: {Apparatus for coating with powders or granules, e.g. sprinkling} - B05C 19/04: the particulate material being projected, poured or allowed to flow onto the surface of the work (B05C19/02 takes precedence; involving spraying or electrostatic projection B05B ){(B05C19/005 takes precedence)} - B05C 19/06: Storage, supply or control of the application of particulate material; Recovery of excess particulate material - A23G 3/28: Apparatus for decorating sweetmeats or confectionery - A21C: MACHINES OR EQUIPMENT FOR MAKING OR PROCESSING DOUGHS; HANDLING BAKED ARTICLES MADE FROM DOUGH - A23G: COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF - B05C: APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (spraying apparatus, atomising apparatus, nozzles B05B; plant for applying liquids or other fluent materials to objects by electrostatic spraying B05B5/08) ## Abstract Device for providing dough products with a topping material, comprising a dough product conveyor, for transporting the dough products, a topping conveyor, for conveying the topping towards a dispensing location above the dough product conveyor, a collector for superfluous topping material from the dough product conveyor and a topping material sensor for measuring the distribution of the topping material in width direction of the topping conveyor, a controller, for controlling, based at least on the signal from the topping sensor(s), the movements of a rake. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device for providing dough products with a topping material, comprising: a dough product conveyor for transporting the dough products in a first direction of conveyance; a topping conveyor for conveying the topping material in a second direction of conveyance towards a dispensing location above the dough product conveyor; a first rake for moving the topping material with a directional component against the second direction of conveyance; a first topping sensor for measuring a deviation in a distribution of topping material in a width direction of the topping conveyor; a second rake positioned upstream, the second rake includes a plurality of pins positioned in a V-shape, in the second direction of conveyance, of the first rake. wherein the second rake is movable with at least a directional component perpendicular to the second direction of conveyance for moving the topping material with a directional component perpendicular to the second direction of conveyance; and a controller for controlling, based at least on a signal from the topping sensor, the movements and/or intervals of movement of the second rake. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the second rake is a sliding rake, wherein said second rake is slidable in a direction perpendicular to the second direction of conveyance, and wherein said second rake is configured to spread the topping material at least in the width direction of the topping conveyor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to initiate a sliding movement of the second rake when the deviation of the topping material distribution measured by the first topping sensor deviates a predetermined value from a predetermined topping material distribution. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the first rake is rotatable around an axis perpendicular to the second direction of conveyance. ### Claim 5 The device according to claim wherein the second rake is configured to engage in a rest position, wherein in said rest position the second rake is positioned outside of an arriving topping material stream, and wherein the second rake, upon initiation of a sliding movement, moves back and/or forth at least once over the width of the topping conveyor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one second topping sensor which together with the first topping sensor measures the deviation in the distribution of topping material in the width direction of the topping conveyor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured for controlling a rest time in a rest position and/or a relative speed of the second rake, and wherein the relative speed is related to the speed of a second conveyor, for at least partially correcting the deviation in the arriving topping material distribution. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The device according to claim 3, wherein the first topping sensor is configured to measure the predetermined topping material distribution in the width direction and has a symmetrical shape. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The device according to claim 8, wherein the first topping sensor is configured to measure topping material distribution in the width direction with the topping material is a triangular shape. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the pins together with a body form the second rake, and said V-shape is pointing in an upstream direction of the second direction of conveyance. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The device according to claim 10, wherein the topping conveyor and the pins extending from the second rake are vertically spaced apart. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second direction of conveyance are substantially parallel. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, comprising: a collector for superfluous topping material from the dough product conveyor; a supply system for supplying the topping conveyor with topping material from the collector or from a reservoir with fresh topping material; wherein: the controller is further configured to control the amount of fresh topping material from the reservoir to be added to collected superfluous topping material. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, further comprising a topping dispenser for dispensing topping material onto the dough product conveyor. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The device according to claim 14, wherein the topping dispenser comprises at least one dispensing roller, for equally dispensing the topping material over the dough product conveyor.