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US 11,985,981 B2Granted
Comestible flattener translation
AssigneeLawrence Equipment, Inc.
InventorEric Clay Lawrence
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for a comestible loader with flatteners that pivot and translate. One of the methods includes receiving, by a comestible loader, a comestible through an opening defined in a loader frame of the comestible loader and onto a surface; and pivoting and translating a first flattener and a second flattener to a pre-press position to permit the first flattener and the second flattener to position the comestible approximately at a target position on the surface.
Claims30
A system comprising:
- a comestible loader adapted to receive a comestible and place the comestible on a surface, the comestible loader comprising:
- a loader plate comprising an opening passing through the loader plate, the opening adapted for a comestible to move through the loader plate and onto the surface;
- a first flattener and a second flattener pivotably and translationally attached to the loader plate at the opening;
- and
- one or more actuators i) coupled to the first flattener and the second flattener, and ii) adapted to pivot and horizontally translate the first flattener and the second flattener to cause the first flattener and the second flattener to support the comestible within the opening and position the comestible approximately at a target position on the surface, wherein:
- the one or more actuators coupled to the first flattener and the second flattener are adapted to:
- pivot and translate the first flattener and the second flattener to respective first positions to cause the first flattener and the second flattener to support the comestible within the opening, the first flattener and the second flattener having a first distance between respective actuator coupling locations of the first flattener and the second flattener when at the respective first positions;
- and
- pivot and translate the first flattener and the second flattener to respective second positions to cause the first flattener and the second flattener to position the comestible approximately at the target position on the surface, the first flattener and the second flattener having a second distance between respective actuator coupling locations of the first flattener and the second flattener when at the respective second positions, the second distance being a different distance than the first distance.
6 more elements
A system comprising:
- a comestible loader adapted to receive a comestible and place the comestible on a surface, the comestible loader comprising:
- a loader plate comprising an opening passing through the loader plate, the opening adapted for a comestible to move through the loader plate and onto the surface;
- a first flattener and a second flattener a pivotably and translationally attached to the loader plate at the opening, ii) adapted to partially press the comestible in a partially closed position after the comestible has passed through the opening when the first flattener and the second flattener are in an open position, and iii) adapted to second partially press the comestible while in a closed position after the first flattener and the second flattener partially press the comestible in the partially closed position;
- one or more first actuators i) coupled to the first flattener and the second flattener, and ii) adapted to pivot and translate the first flattener and the second flattener to cause the first flattener and the second flattener to support the comestible within the opening and position the comestible approximately at a target position on the surface;
- and
- one or more second actuators coupled to the comestible loader to vertically actuate the loader plate up and down relative to the surface substantially concurrently with actuation of the first flattener and the second flattener by the one or more first actuators.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.