Patent ID: 8535039
Filing Date: 2013-09-17
Classification: A21C,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A dough forming and cutting apparatus for shaping and cutting a dough sheet having a first surface with a first skin and a second surface with a second skin, the apparatus comprising: a conveyor having a conveying surface defined by a belt onto which a dough sheet is to be supplied and for moving the dough sheet in a dough travel direction; a first cutter assembly operatively supported relative to the conveying surface and comprising at least one dough cutting wheel that is rotationally supported on a support axle, the at least one dough cutting wheel being positionable by the support axle so as to engage against and be able to roll along the conveying surface to cut the dough sheet into strips of dough that each are defined with a, width across the dough travel direction created by an axial spacing of the at least one dough cutting wheel along the support axle, wherein the at least one dough cutting wheel comprises a blunt dough cutting portion that radially extends around the at least one dough cutting wheel so as to provide a cutting action as dough is moved in the dough travel direction, the blunt dough cutting portion defined by a cutting edge and dough engaging curved surfaces on both sides of an outer circumference of the at least one dough cutting wheel, each dough engaging curved surface having a radius so that the first skin of the dough sheet will be drawn to and pinched together with the second skin of the dough sheet as the dough sheet is moved past the first cutter assembly to create the dough strips, wherein the at least one dough cutting wheel further includes a dough engaging surface portion at a central outer circumference thereof that is radially offset from the dough engaging curved surfaces that are provided to both sides thereof so as to cut the first and second skins of the dough sheet as pinched together by the dough engaging curved surfaces and wherein the dough engaging surface portion at the central outer circumference is radially offset by an amount that is no more than one half of the radius for each of the dough engaging curved surfaces; and a transverse cutter assembly for transversely separating the dough strips into dough pieces, the transverse cutter assembly operatively supported with respect to the conveying surface downstream from the first cutter assembly, wherein the transverse cutter assembly comprises at least one transverse cutting element that includes a blunt edge cutter that is defined by a transverse dough engaging curved surface, the transverse dough engaging curved surface having a radius so that the first skin of a respective dough strip will be drawn to and pinched together with the second skin of the respective dough strip as the respective dough strip is moved past the transverse cutter assembly to create the dough pieces.