US 5,788,997 AGranted

Stress-free multiroller dough sheeting system

AssigneeInterko, Inc.

InventorBernardus Wilhelmus Muller

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Abstract

A dough sheeting system comprising a cutter assembly for pulling and cutting elongated chunks of dough from a hopper containing dough is disclosed. A receiving surface is disposed beneath the cutter assembly. A motor advances the receiving surface in a direction of dough feed. A calendar assembly for receives dough output by the receiving surface and outputs a sheet of dough. A level sensor for monitoring the height of accumulated dough at the input of the calendar assembly and for producing a signal when the input exceeds a predetermined level. The motor is responsive to the signal from the level sensor to stop advancing the receiving surface when the level exceeds the predetermined level and is responsive to the signal when the height is reduced. A movement sensor monitoring the advancement of the receiving surface to actuate the cutter assembly to pull and cut a chunk of dough when the surface has advanced a predetermined distance from the position at which the surface was positioned when a prior chunk of dough was delivered to the surface. A pulling assembly is disposed under the cutter assembly and is responsive to the operation of the cutter assembly to pull chunks of dough from the cutter assembly.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A dough sheeting system, comprising:

(a) a hopper containing dough;
(b) cutter assembly supported below said hopper for pulling and cutting chunks of dough from said hopper containing dough;
(c) a first receiving surface disposed and supported beneath said cutter assembly, said first receiving surface having an output end;
(d) a motor for advancing said first receiving surface in a direction of dough feed;
(e) an independently rotatable calendar assembly positioned at the output of said first receiving surface for receiving dough output by said first receiving surface and outputting a sheet of dough, said calendar assembly, comprising:
(i) a second receiving surface positioned to receive said dough chuncks from said first receiving surface;
(ii) a satellite head comprising a plurality of rotatable mounted rollers disposed over said second receiving surface;
and
(iii) a drive member to rotate said satellite head to reduce the thickness of said dough chunk and provide a dough sheet therefrom;
(f) a level sensor for monitoring the height of accumulated dough at the input of said calendar assembly and for producing a signal when said input exceeds a selectable level, said motor being responsive to said signal from said level sensor to stop advancing said first receiving surface when said level exceeds said selectable level and being responsive to said signal when said height is reduced to advance said first receiving surface;
and
(g) a movement sensor monitoring the advancement of said first receiving surface to actuate said cutter assembly to pull and cut a chunk of dough when said surface has advanced a selectable distance from the position at which said first receiving surface was positioned when a prior chunk of dough was last delivered to said first receiving surface.

9 more elements

A dough sheeting system, comprising:

(a) a cutter assembly for pulling and cutting elongated chunks of dough from a hopper containing dough;
(b) a receiving surface disposed beneath said cutter assembly;
(c) a motor for advancing said receiving surface in a direction of dough feed;
(d) an independently rotatable calendar assembly for receiving dough output by said receiving surface and outputting a sheet of dough, said calendar assembly comprising:
(i) a satellite head comprising a plurality of rotatable mounted rollers disposed over said receiving surfaces;
and
(ii) a drive member to rotate said satellite head to reduce the thickness of said dough chunk and provide a dough sheet therefrom;
(e) a pulling assembly disposed under said cutter assembly responsive to the operation of said cutter assembly to pull chunks of dough from said cutter assembly;
and
(g) a second receiving surface positioned to receive dough from said first receiving surface.

7 more elements

A dough sheeting system, comprising:

(a) a hopper containing dough;
(b) a cutter assembly supported below said hopper for pulling and cutting chunks of dough from said hopper containing dough;
(c) a first receiving surface disposed and supported beneath said cutter assembly, said first receiving surface having an output end;
(d) a control system;
(e) a motor responsive to said control system for advancing said first receiving surface in a direction of dough feed at a rate which results in overlap between successive dough chunks output by said cutter assembly to produce an overlapping dough chunk output;
(f) an independently rotatable satellite head calendar assembly comprising a bottom calendering structure and a top calendering structure, said top and bottom structures being positioned to receive overlapping dough chunks output by a said chunker from said first receiving surface and outputting a sheet of dough.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/645,956Filed 10 May 1996 · continuation in part
Priority: 16 Jun 1995
Granted: 4 Aug 1998
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

A21C 3/04
Machines or apparatus for shaping batches of dough before subdivision: dough-extruding machines ; Hoppers with moving elements, e.g. rollers or…
A21C 3/10
Machines or apparatus for shaping batches of dough before subdivision: combined with dough-dividing apparatus
A21C
Machines or equipment for making or processing doughs

Family

Serial491,117Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 16 Jun 1995
US 5,788,997 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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