Apparatus for kneading portioned dough pieces

An apparatus for kneading portioned dough pieces comprising:

• a frame;
• a drum rotatably mounted to said frame, said drum having an axis of rotation and a substantially circular peripheral surface, said substantially circular peripheral surface having a first plurality of spaced apart cavities for receiving said portioned dough pieces, each of said cavities being spaced apart a first predetermined distance and having a central axis coaxial with a radius of said substantially circular peripheral surface;
• first drive means for rotating said drum about said axis of rotation in a first predetermined direction;
• a carrier member mounted adjacent to said frame in spaced relationship to a portion of said substantially circular peripheral surface of said drum;
• first and second guide members mounted to said carrier member, said first guide member being spaced apart from said second guide member a second predetermined distance along said portion of said substantially circular peripheral surface of said drum;
• a kneading band rotatably mounted to said first and second guide members;
• said kneading band having an outer surface with a second plurality of spaced apart cavities therein, at least one cavity of said second plurality of spaced apart cavities on said kneading band corresponding to and being complementary with any one of said first plurality of spaced apart cavities on said substantially circular peripheral surface of said drum;
• and
• means for circularly orbiting said at least one cavity of said second plurality of spaced apart cavities of said kneading band about said central axis of each respective cavity of said first plurality of spaced apart cavities of said drum, said means for circularly orbiting said at least one cavity of said second plurality of spaced apart cavities comprising second drive means for rotating said kneading band on said first and second guide members in a direction substantially parallel to said first predetermined direction of rotation of said drum about said axis of rotation such that when a portioned dough piece is placed in any one cavity of said first plurality of spaced apart cavities of said drum and said first drive means moves said drum in said first predetermined direction towards said kneading band, said second drive means will move said kneading band substantially parallel to said first predetermined direction along said second predetermined distance of said portion of said substantially circular peripheral surface and said at least one cavity of said second plurality of spaced apart cavities will be complemented by said any one cavity of said first plurality of spaced apart cavities and said means for circularly orbiting said at least one cavity of said second plurality of spaced apart cavities will knead said portioned dough pieces as any one cavity of said first plurality of spaced apart cavities travels along a portion of said substantially circular peripheral surface of said drum.