Back to results
US 11,744,252 B2Granted
Self-clearing dough ball loader
AssigneeLawrence Equipment, Inc.
InventorEric Clay Lawrence
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A comestible processing machine including a loader plate comprising a plurality of spaced apart openings passing through the loader plate, a first flattener and a second flattener pivotably attached to the loader plate at each of the openings, a sensor configured to detect a comestible disposed within one or more of the plurality of openings, and an actuator coupled to the loader plate and configured to assist in removal of the comestible from the one or more of the plurality of openings.
Claims26
A comestible processing machine comprising:
- a loader plate comprising a plurality of spaced apart openings passing through the loader plate;
- a first flattener and a second flattener i) pivotably attached to the loader plate at each of the plurality of spaced apart openings and ii) adapted to partially press a first comestible in an at least partially closed position after the first comestible has passed through the corresponding opening when the first flattener and the second flattener are in an open position;
- a sensor configured to detect, through an aperture in a loading tube a) aligned over the opening for the pair of the first flattener and the second flattener and b) adapted to transfer a comestible to the pair of the first flattener and the second flattener, an obstruction;
- and
- an actuator coupled to the loader plate and configured to i) assist in moving a pair of the first flattener and the second flattener from the open position to the at least partially closed position and ii) move the pair of the first flattener and the second flattener to remove the obstruction.
2 more elements
A comestible processing machine, comprising:
- a frame;
- a conveyor belt supported on the frame;
- a loader plate a) movably coupled to the frame and movable relative to the conveyor belt and b) comprising a plurality of spaced apart openings passing through the loader plate in a row;
- two or more loading tubes each of which i) is aligned over a corresponding in the loader plate and ii) has an aperture within a threshold distance of a flattener, the two or more loading tubes aligned in the row in the comestible processing machine;
- the flattener pivotably attached to the loader plate adjacent to a first opening of the plurality of spaced apart openings in the row that has a loading tube aligned over the opening;
- a sensor for detecting, through the apertures in the two or more loading tubes aligned in the row in the comestible processing machine, a comestible disposed within one of the openings in the row;
- and
- an actuator coupled to the loader plate and configured to assist in removal of the comestible from within the opening when the sensor detects, through the apertures in the two or more loading tubes aligned in the row in the comestible processing machine, the comestible disclosed within the one of the openings in the row.
5 more elements
A method comprising:
- maintaining a pair of opposing flatteners in a closed position;
- transporting a comestible through a tube, onto upper surfaces of the pair of opposing flatteners, with the pair of opposing flatteners in the closed position;
- pivoting the pair of opposing flatteners from the closed position in which the comestible is supported on the upper surfaces in mutually opposite directions into an open position to create an opening between the pair of opposing flatteners through which the comestible may pass onto a lower component;
- pivoting, while the comestible is on the lower component below the pair of opposing flatteners, the pair of opposing flatteners to an at least partially closed position to partially press the comestible;
- sensing, using a sensor that receives a signal that passes through an aperture in the tube, whether an obstruction is in the tube or the corresponding opening;
- and
- in response to detecting that an obstruction is in the tube or the corresponding opening, removing the obstruction from the tube or the corresponding opening.
4 more elements
A comestible processing machine comprising:
- a loader plate comprising a plurality of spaced apart openings passing through the loader plate;
- a first flattener and a second flattener i) pivotably attached to the loader plate at each of the plurality of spaced apart openings, ii) adapted to partially press a first comestible in a partially closed position after the first comestible has passed through the corresponding opening when the first flattener and the second flattener are in an open position, and iii) adapted to second partially press the first comestible while in a closed position after the first flattener and the second flattener partially press the first comestible in the partially closed position, and
- an actuator coupled to the loader plate and configured to assist in moving a pair of the first flattener and the second flattener from the open position to the partially closed position.
A method comprising:
- maintaining a pair of opposing flatteners in a closed position;
- transporting a comestible through a tube, onto upper surfaces of the pair of opposing flatteners, with the pair of opposing flatteners in the closed position;
- pivoting the pair of opposing flatteners from the closed position in which the comestible is supported on the upper surfaces in mutually opposite directions into an open position to create an opening between the pair of opposing flatteners through which the comestible may pass onto a lower component;
- pivoting, while the comestible is on the lower component below the pair of opposing flatteners, the pair of opposing flatteners to a partially closed position to partially press the comestible;
- and
- after pivoting the pair of opposing flatteners to the partially closed position to partially press the comestible:
- raising the pair of opposing flatteners away from the comestible;
- and
- pivoting the pair of opposing flatteners to the closed position to second partially press the comestible.
6 more elements
A comestible processing machine comprising:
- a frame;
- a loader plate moveably attached to the frame and comprising a plurality of spaced apart openings passing through the loader plate;
- a first actuator coupled to the frame and configured to move the loader plate from a first position to a second position;
- a first flattener and a second flattener i) pivotably attached to the loader plate at each of the plurality of spaced apart openings and ii) adapted to create a passage to the corresponding opening through which a comestible can pass when the first flattener and the second flattener are in an open position;
- and
- a second, different actuator coupled to the loader plate and configured to assist in moving a pair of the first flattener and the second flattener from the open position to a non-open position.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- maintaining, for a pair of opposing flatteners coupled to a loader plate in a first position, the pair of opposing flatteners in a closed position;
- receiving, by the pair of opposing flatteners in the closed position and through a tube, a comestible;
- pivoting, from the closed position in which the comestible is supported by the pair of opposing flatteners and into an open position, the pair of opposing flatteners in opposite directions to create an opening between the pair of opposing flatteners through which the comestible may pass onto a lower component;
- and
- moving the loader plate from the first position to a second, different position while the comestible passes through the opening.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.