Apparatus for distributing particulate material

An apparatus for coating a foodstuff with particulate material comprising:

• a drum having open ends and having an interior wall which circumscribes a drum hollow portion and which is capable of rotating about a substantially horizontal longitudinal axis;
• a first conveyor positioned to convey material through the drum hollow portion;
• a second conveyor positioned below the first conveyor to travel to convey material through the drum in a direction substantially opposite the first conveyor, the second conveyor comprising at least first, second and third successive endless belts each having a horizontal upper run and a gap between each successive pair of belts, the second belt having an inclined portion extending from its horizontal upper run towards the first belt terminating at a position below the horizontal run of the first belt, the gap between the second and third belts being situated within the drum hollow portion;
• at least one plate which is positioned beneath the gap between the second and third belts within the drum hollow portion and having a longitudinal axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the gap between the second and third belts for guiding and distributing particulate material falling in the gap from the second belt substantially evenly over the interior wall of the drum;
• means for feeding particulate material onto the first conveyor;
• and
• means for feeding a foodstuff onto the first belt;
• such that in operation:
• particulate material is fed from the first conveyor onto the foodstuff on the first belt for coating the foodstuff on an upper side,
• the coated foodstuff is transported to the second belt with excess particulate material falling off the upstream end of the first belt,
• the excess particulate material on the second belt is conveyed to the horizontal upper run of the second belt to form a layer on which the coated foodstuff lies after being transported from the first belt to the horizontal upper run of the second belt for coating the foodstuff on a bottom side,
• the coated foodstuff is fed to the third belt with further particulate material falling from the second belt being guided and distributed by the at least one plate substantially evenly onto the interior wall of the drum which rotates for conveying the further material to a position above the first conveyor upon which the further material falls by gravity, and
• the first conveyor transports the further material back to the second conveyor.