Dough divider
AssigneeWillett Versatile Equipment Pty. Ltd.
InventorPaul Eaton Willett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dough divider is operable within a mixer bowl to divide the dough into preset weights (e.g., for bread, loaves, buns). A pendulum assembly has a retractable divider to cut a charge of dough, which is compressed by a piston. The charge of dough is expelled into a scaling die cylinder and causes a scaling die piston to be retracted until a preset weight of dough is in the scaling die cylinder. As the divider moves out of alignment with the scaling die cylinder, any excess dough is cut off and the preset weight of dough is then expelled by the scaling die piston.
Claims24
A dough divider comprising:
- a frame locatable adjacent a mixing bowl of a dough mixer;
- a first cylinder, hingedly mounted on the frame, for movement between a first position and a second position;
- a reciprocating sleeve or tube in the first cylinder;
- a first reciprocating piston in the sleeve or tube;
- a divider body on the frame, extendable into at least a portion of the mixer bowl, having a curved face engageable with dough in the mixer bowl;
- a second cylinder in the divider body, operably connected to the curved face;
- and
- a second reciprocating piston in the second cylinder, so arranged that:
- in the first position, the first piston and the sleeve or tube are retracted and the sleeve or tube receives a charge of dough from the curved face of the divider body as the mixing bowl rotates;
- the sleeve or tube is advanced to cut the charge of dough from the remainder of the dough in the mixing bowl;
- the first cylinder is moved to the second position and the charge of dough is transferred to the second cylinder by advancing the first piston;
- a pre-set quantity of dough remains in the second cylinder as the first cylinder returns to its first position;
- and
- the pre-set quantity of dough is ejected from the second cylinder by advancing the second piston.
A dough divider comprising:
- a frame locatable adjacent a mixing bowl of a dough mixer;
- a sub-frame or housing hingedly mounted on the frame, for movement between a first position and a second position;
- a reciprocating sleeve or tube mounted in or on guide means in or on the sub-frame or housing;
- a first reciprocating piston in the sleeve or tube;
- a divider body on the frame, extendable into at least a portion of the mixer bowl, having a curved face engageable with dough in the mixer bowl;
- a second cylinder in the divider body, connected to the curved face;
- and
- a second reciprocating piston in the second cylinder, so arranged that:
- in the first position of the sub-frame or housing, the first piston and the sleeve or tube are retracted and the sleeve or tube receives a charge of dough from the curved face of the divider body as the mixing bowl rotates;
- the sleeve or tube is advanced to cut the charge of dough from the remainder of the dough in the mixing bowl;
- the sub-frame or housing is moved to the second position and the charge of dough is transferred to the second cylinder by advancing the first piston;
- a pre-set quantity of dough remains in the second cylinder as the sub-frame or housing returns to its first position;
- and
- the pre-set quantity of dough is ejected from the second cylinder by advancing the second piston.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.