# US 2014/0153813 A1 · Dough Forming Pressing Plate with Spacers > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0153813 A1 - Document ID: US20140153813A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/176,276 - Filed: 2014-02-10 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2010-11-04 - Assignees: Lawrence Equipment, Inc. - Inventors: Eric LAWRENCE - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140153813A1 ## CPC - A21C 11/006: {by pressing or press-moulding (A21C11/008 takes precedence)} - B30B 15/062: {Press plates} - G06T 7/97: {Determining parameters from multiple pictures (depth or shape recovery from multiple images G06T7/55; stereo camera calibration G06T7/85)} - A21C: MACHINES OR EQUIPMENT FOR MAKING OR PROCESSING DOUGHS; HANDLING BAKED ARTICLES MADE FROM DOUGH - B30B: PRESSES IN GENERAL (producing ultra-high pressure or ultra-high pressure and high temperature to effect modifications of a substance, e.g. for making artificial diamonds B01J3/00 ){(compressing means for refuse receptacles B65F1/1405)} - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## 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. ## Claims ### Claim 1 (canceled) ### Claim 2 A method for identifying a spacer thickness, comprising; receiving one or more images of a plurality of pressed comestible products from a camera; determining one or more diameters of the pressed comestible products that correspond with a first position in a pressing pattern; determining an average diameter from the one or more diameters; identifying a spacer thickness recommendation for a second position in the pressing pattern, wherein the spacer thickness recommendation is based on a variance between the average diameter and a desired diameter; and providing the spacer thickness recommendation to a monitor for presentation or to a spacer adjustment module for changing a spacer or a skin in a dough forming apparatus. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein determining the average diameter from the one or more diameters comprises applying a weighting factor to each of the one or more diameters. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein applying the weighting factor to each of the one or more diameters comprises: determining, for each of the one or more diameters, a variance between the respective diameter and the desired diameter; applying a larger weight to a first diameter from the one or more diameters that has a larger variance from the desired diameter; and applying a smaller weight that is less than the larger weight, to a second diameter from the one or more diameters, the second diameter having a smaller variance that is less than the larger variance, from the desired diameter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the spacer thickness recommendation comprises retrieving production history data from a production history database. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, comprising: determining a current grid of variance values for the pressing pattern; and comparing the current grid of variance values for the pressing pattern with a plurality of historical variance grids for the pressing pattern, wherein the plurality of historical grids are included in the production history database and each correspond with a spacer recommendation, wherein identifying the spacer thickness recommendation comprises determining the spacer thickness recommendation using a historical variance grid, from the plurality of historical variance grids for the pressing pattern, that is most similar to the current grid of variance values for the pressing pattern. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, comprising: determining one or more second diameters for a second plurality of pressed comestible products; and updating the production history database with data representing the spacer thickness recommendation and the second diameters for the second plurality of pressed comestible products. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, comprising: determining one or more second diameters for a second plurality of pressed comestible products; and updating the production history database with a variance between the second diameters and the desired diameter using machine learning. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, comprising: retrieving recipe parameters from a product parameter database, wherein the recipe parameters indicate the desired diameter for the pressed comestible products and a variance threshold value; and presenting the determined average diameter and the recipe parameters on the monitor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, comprising: removing one or more of the pressed comestible products that have an actual diameter that varies from the desired diameter by more than a threshold variance from a dough forming system. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the one or more images of the plurality of pressed comestible products from the camera comprises: receiving multiple images from the camera, the multiple images comprising the one or more images and one or more second images; determining that the one or more images include the plurality of pressed comestible products using the hue, saturation, and value of the content of the one or more images; and determining that the one or more second images do not include the plurality of pressed comestible products using the hue, saturation, and value of the content of the one or more second images. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the first position in the pressing pattern and the second position in the pressing pattern are the same position in the pressing pattern. ### Claim 13 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, comprising: automatically adjusting a spacer corresponding with the second position in the pressing pattern of a dough forming apparatus that forms the plurality of pressed comestible products by changing an applied pressure at the second position in the pressing pattern. ### Claim 14 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, comprising: adding a spacer to or removing a spacer from the second position in the pressing pattern of the dough forming apparatus. ### Claim 15 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, comprising: removing the skin from the dough forming apparatus; and placing a second skin in the dough forming apparatus, the second skin including one or more second spacers corresponding with the spacer thickness recommendation for the second position in the pressing pattern. ### Claim 16 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, comprising: presenting the spacer thickness recommendation on a monitor. ### Claim 17 A system for monitoring comestible products, the system comprising: a monitoring station and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the monitoring station, to cause the monitoring station to perform operations comprising: receiving one or more images of a plurality of pressed comestible products from a camera; determining one or more diameters of the pressed comestible products that correspond with a first position in a pressing pattern; determining an average diameter from the one or more diameters; identifying a spacer thickness recommendation for a second position in the pressing pattern, wherein the spacer thickness recommendation is based on a variance between the average diameter and a desired diameter; and providing the spacer thickness recommendation to a monitor for presentation or to a spacer adjustment module for changing a distance between a pressing plate and a skin or for changing a skin in a dough forming apparatus. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, comprising: a monitor that presents the spacer thickness recommendation to an operator of the monitoring station. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, comprising: a dough forming apparatus comprising: a support surface that supports a surface of each of the plurality of pressed comestible products; a pressing plate that applies a first pressure to a plurality of non-pressed comestible products to create the plurality of pressed comestible products; and a first skin removably attached to the pressing plate; and a spacer adjustment module that changes a distance between the first skin and the pressing plate or removes the first skin from the pressing plate and facilitates attachment of a second skin to the pressing plate. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, comprising: one or more cameras that capture the one or more images; and a product analysis module that receives the one or more images from the one or more cameras and determines the diameters of the pressed comestible products using the one or more images. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, comprising: a product rejection station that removes one or more of the pressed comestible products that have an actual diameter that varies from the desired diameter by more than a threshold variance from the system. ### Claim 22 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, comprising: a production history database including a plurality of historical variance grids for the pressing pattern and spacer recommendations for each of the historical variance grids, the operations comprising: determining a current grid of variance values for the pressing pattern; and comparing the current grid of variance values for the pressing pattern with a plurality of historical variance grids for the pressing pattern, wherein identifying the spacer thickness recommendation comprises determining the spacer thickness recommendation using a historical variance grid, from the plurality of historical variance grids for the pressing pattern, that is most similar to the current grid of variance values for the pressing pattern. ### Claim 23 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, comprising: a production history database including a plurality of historical variance grids for the pressing pattern, the operations comprising: determining one or more second diameters for a second plurality of pressed comestible products; and updating the production history database with data representing the spacer thickness recommendation and the second diameters for the second plurality of pressed comestible products.