Abstract:
A particulate, such as grated cheese, distributor for breaking up and distibuting clumps of cheese over a defined surface of a tiltable conveyor ( 30, 31 ). The distributor includes a housing ( 10, 11 ) with a throat axle ( 22, 23 ), with a plurality of radial paddles ( 21 ), is positioned at the lower end of the throat to strike and break up the clumps of cheese in the charge and distribute the cheese over a wide area. The cheese particles follow trajectories that include a plurality of downwardly extending stationary rods ( 44, 45 ) spaced radially outwardly of the axle, and a shroud ( 42, 43 ) spaced radially outwardly of the stationary rods.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/181,891, filed Feb. 11, 2000. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates generally to particulate distribution, and more specifically to an apparatus that distributes food particulate, such as grated or shredded cheese, IQF (Instantaneously Quick Frozen) vegetables, or meats, over a discrete region of a moving substrate, such as the central portion of an upper surface of a pizza crust. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Pizza crusts and other food substrates, such as breads, meats and food trays, often must be coated with cheese or other particulate. In conventional food processing facilities, such substrates are conveyed rapidly beneath one or more machines that form and apply toppings to the crusts. 
     In order to coat a substrate, such as a pizza crust, with particulate, such as cheese, the cheese is conventionally cascaded onto the moving crusts as the crusts pass beneath the coating machine. However, a significant amount of cheese falls between circular crusts and is lost or must be recirculated, which is undesirable. Furthermore, the cheese covers at least some of the crust edges, which is sometimes undesirable. Furthermore, most cascade-type coating devices apply different amounts of cheese to different crusts, creating inconsistencies, which are undesirable. 
     Still further, grated and shredded cheeses can agglomerate to form clumps that cannot easily flow onto crusts. Clumps form when cheese is frozen, or when the particles simply cohere to one another due to the normal physical characteristics of cheese. 
     Therefore, the need exists for a mechanism that distributes cheese, and other particulate, to crusts, or other moving, discrete substrates. The desired mechanism must distribute a measured amount evenly over a predetermined portion of the surface of every substrate without any appreciable clumping. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is an apparatus for breaking up agglomerated particulate and distributing it. The particulate that is contemplated for use with the present invention includes grated and shredded cheese, but could include other food particulate. The particulate is distributed onto a discrete portion of a moving substrate, such as a pizza crust that is being conveyed along a conveyor belt. 
     The apparatus includes an axle rotatably mounted to a machine frame. The axle has four paddles mounted to it, and each paddle is mounted at one paddle end to a spaced point around the circumference of the axle. Each paddle extends transversely from the axle for distributing particulate about the axle when the axle is rotating and particulate falls onto the paddles. 
     A housing is mounted to the machine frame at least partially above the axle. The housing has a throat into which particulate can be poured, such as from a weighing unit, for directing particulate toward the axle. 
     A plurality of stationary rods is connected to the machine frame. The stationary rods are disposed radially outwardly of the axle and are substantially parallel to one another and preferably to the axle&#39;s axis of rotation. Particulate distributed by the axle&#39;s paddles impinges upon the stationary rods and falls downwardly. 
     A shroud is connected to the machine frame radially outwardly of the stationary rods. The shroud extends from an upper edge to a lower edge and has an inner surface for limiting the trajectory of particulate. 
     A vertically adjustable conveyor has a longitudinally displaceable upper surface positioned beneath the lower edge of the shroud. The conveyor is for receiving particulate and conveying it onto a substrate, such as the pizza crust, moving beneath the vertically adjustable conveyor. 
     A measured amount of cheese is fed into the throat and against the rotating axle. The paddles on the rotating axle strike and throw the particulate radially, including against the stationary rods, the shroud, and the conveyor. The particulate is distributed evenly over the surface of the conveyor as limited, ultimately, by the shroud. The conveyor tilts down away from the shroud&#39;s lower edge and conveys the particulate onto the moving substrate beneath the conveyor. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG.  1 ( a ) is a side view illustrating the preferred position of the present invention in relation to the cooperating parts of the preferred embodiment. 
     FIG.  1 ( b ) is an end view illustrating the preferred position of the present invention in relation to the cooperating parts of the preferred embodiment. 
     FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a top view illustrating the embodiment of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating an alternative directing unit. 
     FIG. 5 is an end view illustrating the alternative directing unit. 
     FIG. 6 is a magnified front view illustrating the alternative directing unit. 
    
    
     In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the specific terms so selected and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. For example, the word connected or terms similar thereto are often used. They are not limited to direct connection but include connection through other elements where such connection is recognized as being equivalent by those skilled in the art. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The overall view of the machine in which the invention is included is shown in FIG.  1 . The weighing unit  2  of the machine is a conventional weighing unit purchased for the purpose of weighing out discrete charges of particulate and subsequently conveying the charges to the directing unit  4  of the invention. One kind of suitable weighing unit is purchased from the Triangle Package Machinery Company under the model name “Selectacom Computer Weigher”. 
     The directing unit  4  directs the charges of particulate weighed by the weighing unit  2  into one of two buckets  6  and  7 . The buckets  6  and  7  hold the charge of particulate until it is time to drop the charge into the particulate distributor  8  awaiting beneath the buckets. The weighing unit  2 , directing unit  4 , buckets  6  and  7  and other parts of the machine are all connected to a central computer  5 . The buckets  6  and  7  are both shown in their open position in FIG.  2 . 
     Referring to FIG. 2, the buckets  6  and  7  are shown positioned directly above a pair of housings  10  and  11 , respectively. The housings have inner, funnel-shaped mouths  12  and  13  that direct the particulate dropped from the buckets downwardly through the throats  14  and  15 . The housings  10  and  11  are mounted to the machine frame  9 . 
     The housings are mounted adjacent to pulleys  16  and  17  that encircle the throats  14  and  15  and are drivingly linked by belts  18  and  19  to a prime mover, preferably the electric motor  20 . Axles  22  and  23  are drivingly linked to the pulleys  16  and  17  by drive bars  24  and  25 , respectively. As the motor  20  rotates to drive the pulleys, the pulleys and drive bars drive the axles in rotating motion about the axles&#39; axes. 
     Preferably four paddles  21  are mounted about the outer circumferential surfaces of the axles  22  and  23 . Of course, there could be a different number of paddles. The paddles  21  are mounted at an inner paddle end to the axles, and extend radially outwardly therefrom transverse to the axle. The paddles  21  preferably appear perpendicular to the axles when viewed from the tops of the axles (see FIG.  3 ), and appear angled downward slightly when viewed from the side. The radially outward ends of the paddles  21  are preferably disposed radially inward of the inner wall surfaces of the throats of the housings. 
     Vertically adjustable, and preferably tiltable, conveyors  30  and  31  are positioned beneath the axles  22  and  23 . The conveyors  30  and  31  have belts  32  and  33 , respectively, that are driven in a conventional manner about pulleys disposed at opposite conveyor ends. The conveyors  30  and  31  are cantilevered and can be tilted about axes  34  and  35 , respectively, by pneumatic actuators (not shown) to lower the free ends (the left ends in FIG.  2 ), toward the substrate conveyor  40 . 
     A plurality of stationary rods  44  and  45  are mounted to the machine frame  9  and extend downwardly therefrom toward the conveyors as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The stationary rods are positioned equiangularly around the axles  22  and  23  at about every 45 degrees. 
     The shrouds  42  and  43  are preferably removably connected to the frame  9 . The shrouds are preferably circular cylindrical panels that encircle, and are spaced radially outwardly from, the axles and the stationary rods. The shrouds  42  and  43  have upper edges  60  and  61  mounted near and preferably against the lower surface of the machine frame  9 , and lower edges  62  and  63  mounted near, and preferably in very close proximity to, the upper surface of the conveyors  30  and  31 , respectively. The shrouds limit the particulate thrown by the paddles  21  from being distributed outside of the predetermined regions of the conveyors  30  and  31  as defined by the lower shroud edges  62  and  63 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, particulate, for example grated or shredded cheese, is moved by the weighing unit  2  downwardly in discrete, measured charges to the directing unit  4 . The directing unit directs the charge alternatingly between buckets  6  and  7 . Each bucket is actuated to drop its charge into the mouth of the corresponding housing  10  or  11  when signaled by the central computers. The paddles  21  mounted to the rotating axles strike the cheese at high speed after the cheese passes through the throats  14  and  15 , thereby breaking up the cheese and projecting the cheese particles at high speed in a radial direction toward the shrouds  42  and  43 . Of course, many cheese particles fall beneath the paddles and never reach the shrouds. 
     As other cheese particles follow trajectories toward the shrouds  42  and  43 , many of them impinge upon the stationary rods  44  and  45 . This impingement changes the trajectories of the particles, causing many of the particles to fall down toward various areas of the conveyors&#39; upper surfaces. Any particles that continue past the stationary rods strike the inner surfaces of the shrouds and fall down to the conveyors&#39; surfaces. The cheese particles are thereby distributed evenly over the surfaces of the conveyors  30  and  31 . 
     The result of the breaking up and rapid distribution of the particulate charge is the even coating of the upper surface of the conveyors  30  and  31  with a cheese layer having outer edges defined by the lower edges  62  and  63  of the shrouds. The shapes of the inner surfaces of the shrouds limit the region onto which the cheese will be distributed, because the cheese particles cannot be projected beyond the shroud. The shrouds are preferably circular cylinders but can be rectangular cylinders or other shapes. 
     Once cheese is spread over the predetermined surfaces of the conveyors  30  and  31 , the conveyors can be tilted downward to form a gap beneath the lower shroud edge and then advanced forward to spread the cheese over a moving substrate, such as a pizza crust, on the primary conveyor  40 . The conveyors  30  and  31  convey the cheese at the same speed that the crusts on the primary conveyor  40  are moving, thereby coating the crusts with a layer of cheese of the predetermined shape and size at the precise time they pass beneath the conveyors  30  and  31 . That predetermined shape and size can be the shape and size of the crust or some other shape and size, such as just slightly smaller than the crust to leave a border around the crust edges without cheese. 
     It is preferred that a photoelectric cell, video camera, motion detector, or other detecting device (not shown) sense the leading edge of a crust at the time that it reaches a predetermined point. This detecting device then sends a signal to the central computer  5 , which also controls or detects the speed of the primary conveyor  40 . The central computer  5  also maintains data about which of the conveyors  30  and  31  last coated a crust, and it actuates the other conveyor to tilt downward and convey its cheese onto the detected crust. While this occurs, the first conveyor is being coated with cheese in preparation for the next detected crust. It is preferred that a pair of cheese coating mechanisms be used in tandem aligned along the path of crust movement, with each mechanism coating every other crust. 
     The speed the axles  22  and  23  are rotated can be varied according to the food particulate and the diameters of the shrouds. The diameters of the shrouds can also be changed simply by replacing the shroud with another shroud. This is easily accomplished because the shrouds and stationary rods are designed to be easily removed for cleaning. It is contemplated that the axles and housings could also be made to be easily removable. Additionally, the positions, number, and sizes of the stationary rods can also be changed. 
     An alternative to the directing unit  4  shown in FIG. 1 is the directing unit  104  shown in FIGS. 4,  5  and  6 . The alternative directing unit has a lower profile, thereby decreasing the overall height of the machine. The directing unit  104  includes a pair of bucket rows  106  and  108 , as shown in FIG.  5 . The buckets in the distal (outboard) bucket row  106  are shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, and the buckets in the proximal (inboard) bucket row  108  are hidden therebehind in those drawings. 
     The weighing unit  102  is substantially the same as the weighing unit  2  shown in FIG.  1 : it weighs out charges of particulate, such as grated or shredded cheese, and dispenses them into the buckets in the bucket rows. Each bucket in the bucket rows can hold and, upon signaling by the central computer  105 , release a charge of cheese. 
     A diverter panel  110 , shown in FIG. 5, is hinged between two extreme positions about a pivot at its lower edge, preferably by a pneumatic cylinder (not shown). When the diverter panel is at the distal position shown in FIG. 5, charges of cheese dropped from any bucket in the distal bucket row  106  fall onto the diverter panel and are guided downward along its sloped surface toward the proximal diverter conveyor  112 . Alternatively, when the diverter panel is at the proximal position shown in phantom in FIG. 5, charges of cheese dropped from any bucket in the proximal bucket row  108  are guided downward toward the distal diverter conveyor  114 . This crossover from a distal bucket toward the proximal conveyor allows the cheese charge to fall controllably from the buckets as it slides along the surface of the diverter panel. 
     Referring to FIG. 6, the diverter conveyors  112  and  114  are shown above first and second funnels  122  and  124 , respectively. The proximal conveyor  112 , which is parallel to and behind the distal conveyor  114  as shown in FIG. 5, conveys a charge of cheese dropped from any of the leftward four buckets in the distal bucket row  106  down the diverter panel and into the funnel  124 . Charges of cheese from either of the rightward two buckets in the distal bucket row  106  slide down the diverter panel directly into the funnel  124 . 
     The distal conveyor  114  conveys a charge of cheese dropped from any of the rightward four buckets in the proximal bucket row  108  down the diverter panel into the funnel  122 . Charges of cheese from either of the leftward two buckets in the proximal bucket row  108  slide down the diverter panel directly into the funnel  122 . 
     Once cheese is conveyed into one of the funnels, it drops into the buckets  206  and  207 , shown in FIG.  6 . The buckets  206  and  207  are similar to the buckets  6  and  7  shown in the preferred embodiment. The buckets  206  and  207  retain a charge of cheese until signaled by the central computer  5  to release the charge into the corresponding housing  210  and  211 . 
     While certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed in detail, it is to be understood that various modifications may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the following claims.