Material spreader system with column bypass

A system for dispensing a topping material onto the surface of a plastic substance lying within an area having a length, width and opposing sides, said area including a vertically extending obstruction positioned adjacent one of the sides of said area, extending a predetermined distance into said area and defining a reduced width section of said area, said system comprising:

• a. a spreader for storing a supply of topping material and for dispensing a layer of the topping material as said spreader is translated along a path;
• b. adjustable bridge means having first and second ends for providing an elevated path to permit widthwise translation of said spreader across said area, the span of said bridge means having a length equal to or greater than the width of said area when said bridge means is in an extended position, said bridge means including means for reducing the span length such that the first end of said bridge means clears said obstruction, said bridge means including a foldable end section for reducing the span of said bridge means;
• c. translatable bridge support means coupled to said bridge means for supporting said bridge means above said area and permitting translation of said bridge means along the entire length of said area;
• and
• d. drive means coupled to said spreader for translating said spreader across the path formed by said bridge means to thereby dispense a uniform layer of topping material over said area, whereby sequential translations of said spreader across said bridge means followed by sequential translations of said bridge means along the length of said area in displacement related to the width of the layer of topping material dispensed by said spreader covers the entire surface of said area with a uniform layer of topping material.

A system for dispensing a topping material onto the surface of a plastic substance lying within an area having a length, width and first and second sides, said first side including an adjacent supporting surface and said second side including a plurality of spaced apart vertically extending obstructions, said system comprising:

• a. a spreader for storing a supply of topping material and for dispensing a layer of the topping material as said spreader is translated along a path;
• b. bridge means having first and second ends for providing an elevated path to permit widthwise translation of said spreader across said area, the span of said bridge means having a length equal to or greater than the width of said area;
• c. first translatable bridge support means coupled to the first end of said bridge means for supporting the first end of said bridge means above said supporting surface and permitting translation of said means along said supporting surface;
• d. second translatable bridge support means coupled to the second end of said bridge means and to a structure elevated above said area for supporting the second end of said bridge means above said area as said bridge means is translated past each of said vertically extending obstructions;
• and
• e. drive means coupled to said spreader for translating said spreader across the path formed by said bridge means to thereby dispense a uniform layer of topping material over said area, whereby sequential translations of said spreader across said bridge means followed by sequential translations of said bridge means along the length of said area in displacements related to the width of the layer of topping material dispensed by said spreader covers the entire surface of said area with a uniform layer of topping material.

A method for dispensing a topping material onto the surface of a plastic substance lying within an area having a length, width and opposing sides, said area including a vertically extending obstruction positioned adjacent one of the sides of said area, extending a predetermined distance into said area and defining a reduced width section of said area said method comprising the steps of:

• a. translating a spreader across a bridge supported above said area by a surface adjacent to the sides of said area, said bridge having first and second ends and a normal span length equal to or greater than the width of said area, to dispense a layer of topping material onto a first section of said area;
• b. incrementally translating said bridge along the length of said area;
• c. translating said spreader across said bridge to dispense a layer of topping material onto a second section of said area;
• d. decreasing the span length of said bridge to enable the first end of said bridge to clear the obstruction and supporting the first end of said bridge by a structure having an element elevated above said area;
• and
• e. incrementally translating said bridge past the obstruction and translating said spreader across said bridge to dispense a layer of topping material onto the reduced width section of said area.