US 5,342,188 A · Device for crimping and cutting dough ropes

Abstract

A device (10) for crimping and cutting dough ropes into pillow-shaped longitudinal lengths is disclosed including a cutting roller (12) and an anvil roller (14). The peripheries (22, 24) of the rollers (12, 14) include a plurality of axially extending, spaced, parallel, linearly straight lands (26, 30) separating, forming, and defining a plurality of grooves (28, 32) therebetween. Compressible tubes (46) are stretched between end plates (36) located on the opposite axial ends of the cutter roller (12) and positioned in each of the grooves (32) thereof. The tubes (46) are compressed in the grooves (32) by the dough ropes as they are being crimped and cut by the abutment of the lands (26, 30) of the rollers (12, 14) together and expand and force the pillow-shaped longitudinal lengths of dough from the grooves (32) when the lands (26, 30) of the rollers (12, 14) separate. In the preferred form, the lands (26, 30) and the grooves (28, 32) of the rollers (12, 14) are offset from the axes (16, 18) of the rollers (12, 14) at a small angle in the order of 3.degree. such that at least a portion of one of the lands (30) of the cutter roller (12) engages with a portion of one of the lands (26) of the anvil roller (14) during all times of rotation of the rollers (12, 14).

Claims20

Dependent claims

Device for crimping and cutting dough advancing in a longitudinal direction into longitudinal lengths comprising, in combination:

a cutter having a periphery including a plurality of blades, with the blades being circumferentially spaced around the periphery of the cutter and defining a plurality of grooves circumferentially spaced around the periphery;
an anvil, with at least one of the blades of the cutter abutting with the anvil to crimp and cut the dough therebetween while the remaining blades of the cutter are spaced from the anvil;
and means for removing the dough from the grooves of the cutter after the dough has been crimped and cut by the blades comprising a compressible element located in each of the grooves of the cutter, with each compressible element being compressible inside the groove from a natural condition to a compressed condition with the dough compressing the compressible element in the groove to the compressed condition when the dough is being crimped and cut by the blades abutting with the anvil and with the compressible element expanding to the natural condition and forcing the longitudinally cut lengths of dough from the groove when the blades separate from the anvil.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Device for crimping and cutting dough ropes

Life of this patent

Device for crimping and cutting dough ropes

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20