Apparatus and method for simultaneous cutting, imprinting and piercing of dough

An apparatus configured for concurrently cutting, imprinting and piercing of a sheet of dough consisting of flour, water and yeast to produce imprinted loaves is disclosed. Arrays of molded frames each containing edged borders and an emboss pattern are placed onto the surface of a cylinder member configured for rotating onto a sheet of dough to simultaneously cut out loaves, imprint the loaves with the emboss pattern and pierce the loaf with pins. The emboss pattern contains areas raised above the surface of the cylinder member and recessed areas below that surface. The emboss patterns include a plurality of Coptic religious symbols that are imprinted onto the loaves to form a Korban used for ceremonial purposes. The emboss pattern is heated and initiates a par-baking process when the cylinder member engages the dough. The formation of the Korban loaves is completed by baking the loaves in the oven.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from provisional application No. 61/668,528 filed on Jul. 6, 2012.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and a method for embossing and imprinting dough. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method of simultaneously cutting out sections from a flat sheet of dough, embossing the sections with Coptic insignia and forming loaves for ceremonial purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A Coptic Orthodox Christian congregation has a meal together after the holy mass as a sign of love and communion. In in the early days a complete meal was offered after the mass. At the present time, the Korban, a small round loaf of bread has been substituted for the meal. The Korban is stamped with the “Trisagin” (the triple invocation of God as holy) and with crosses and has the same wheat flour, water and yeast only. The bread is leavened and is baked unsalted. The central part of the Korban is called “Despatikon” meaning “Lordly” and around the Despatikon twelve crosses referring to the twelve disciples. The Despatikon also is pierced with five holes referring to the spear and nails which Christ suffered. The word “Agios” is written in three times on the periphery of the Despatikon which represents the “Holy Trinity”.

Prior art references that relate to imprinting dough with relatively complex patterns engraved on a surface disposed on a rotary device include: U.S. Pat. Nos. 177,319, 4,276,800, 5,162,119, 5,388,489, 7,845,928, US 20100159095 and US20120251690. These devices are referred to in the art as rotary cutters which are configured to cut and imprint the dough.

Imprinting this pattern on dough and creating the finished Korban presents a number of challenges not addressed by the prior art. The pattern on the Korban loaf contains raised areas, such as the images of some of the crosses and the Coptic symbols and letters, alongside sunken areas; for example in some of the border outline areas and some of the cross images. The overall pattern must be configured in a way that the dough flows smoothly between the raised and sunken areas on the emboss pattern so that not to disrupt the imprinted images on the Korban. Furthermore, the dough must be pierced through to produce the five holes representing the spear and nails that pierced Christ. Simultaneously, the loaf needs to be cut out of a sheet of dough and areas provided for the air to escape so to prevent air from disrupting the dough from rising to the full loaf. Also, the type of dough that contains only flour water and yeast tends to be particularly unstable if left unbaked for long periods of time.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus configured for concurrently cutting, imprinting and piercing of a sheet of dough to produce imprinted loaves, the dough consisting of flour, water and yeast, the apparatus comprises: a cylindrical member mounted on an axle, the cylindrical member having a length; at least one emboss pattern engraved onto a surface disposed on the cylindrical member, the emboss pattern being placed inside a frame encircled by an outwardly extending border, the border constituting cutting edge lips protruding above the surface, the emboss pattern containing a plurality of shaped projections that protrude outwardly and are elevated above the surface on which the emboss pattern is placed, the emboss pattern also containing recessed areas below the surface on which the emboss pattern is placed; and a plurality of outwardly projecting pins contained within the emboss pattern, the pins being affixed on the surface, wherein downward pressure applied onto the cylindrical member is configured to cause the cylindrical member to engage a sheet of dough in a manner such that simultaneously the border lip slices out a loaf from the dough, the emboss pattern encircled by the border lips imprints the loaf and the pins contained within the emboss pattern pierce the loaf.

In another aspect of the present invention, a method for producing loaves each imprinted with a pattern containing a plurality of raised areas and a plurality of recessed areas the method comprises: providing an apparatus configured for concurrently cutting, imprinting and piercing of a sheet of dough to produce imprinted loaves, the dough consisting of flour, water and yeast; loading the cylinder member onto the sheet of dough in a manner as to simultaneously sever individual loaves from the sheet of dough, imprint each loaf with the emboss pattern and pierce the dough by the pins contained within the each emboss pattern; heating each loaf to a temperature between about 90 degrees F. to about 180 degrees F. through contact with a heated emboss pattern to initiate a process of rising and for stabilizing the dough; and baking the loaves in the oven to complete the baking process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a rotary cylinder member configured for rotating and for concurrently cutting, imprinting and piercing a sheet of dough consisting of flour, water and yeast to produce imprinted loaves. To accomplish this, the rotary cylinder member contains at least one emboss pattern placed inside a frame disposed on the surface of the rotary cylinder member. In the preferred embodiment, the emboss pattern is engraved onto the surface of the cylinder member contained within the frame. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a circular shaped frame is molded onto the cylinder member, but other types of frames as well as various attachment means to the cylinder member also fall within the scope of the present invention. The frame comprises borders that encircle the emboss pattern. The borders have edges raised above the surface of the cylinder as well as above that of the emboss pattern and are configured to cut a sheet of dough when sufficient pressure is applied onto the cylinder. The pattern is configured to produce a plurality of images on the dough sheet that represent Coptic religious symbols including Coptic letters, crosses, circles and squares. These images are created by a combination of recessed areas and protrusions on the emboss pattern that are imprinted and transferred onto the Korban loaf surface. In another embodiment, the pattern may be engraved on plates placed inside their respective molded frames. The borders may form a round cup shape; however elliptical shapes with the major axis arranges longitudinally on the cylinder and the minor axis arranged axially also falls within the scope of the present invention.

In the preferred embodiment, the rotary cylinder is rotated while it is pressed onto a sheet of dough. The sheet may be moving on a conveyor or be stationary while the rotary cylinder member rotates and engages the dough. Vertical pressure is applied onto the rotary cylinder to a sufficient extent so that the borders of each frame cut through the dough to produce individual loaves and simultaneously the emboss pattern is imprinted on the dough surface. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cylinder member including the molded frames and emboss patterns are heated to a range of temperatures between 90-180 degrees depending on speed of cylinder rotation and thickness of the dough sheet. The contact between the heated molded frames and emboss patterns with the dough initiates a process known as par-baking, i.e., the process of rising and for stabilizing the dough. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that heating the emboss pattern is best accomplished by placing electrical resistors inside the cylinder member heated by passing an electrical current through the resistors and providing heat transfer means to the surface of the cylinder member; however other heating means fall within the scope of the present invention as well.

The frames are arranged spacially in such a manner as to minimize the space between adjacent molded frames thereby maximizing the number of loaves that are produced in the process. A number of frame arrangements fall within the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 10shows arrays of molded frames containing the emboss patterns arranged in rows arranged axially wherein the border of each molded frame contacts that of an adjacent molded frame in that row. The molded frames of rows adjacent to the first row are placed in staggered positions relative to those in the first row. A cylinder member may have three rows of molded frames; however, fewer than three and more than three rows also fall within the scope of the present invention. Each row contains five emboss patterns each contained within its cup-shaped borders; however, fewer than five and more than five embossed patterns also fall within the scope of the present invention. InFIGS. 2 and 3, the rows are arranged longitudinally with five emboss patterns in each row having four rows per cylinder inFIG. 2and five rows inFIG. 3.

The surface inside each molded frame may be elevated relative to surfaces on the cylinder member outside the molded frame by between about 0.15 inches to about 0.25 inches. The borders around each individual emboss pattern are raised relative to the engraved surface by a height ranging from about 0.4 inches to about 0.45 inches. The imprinting plates include five pins which extend through the surface of the respective plates and pierce five spaced holes in the dough. The pins also protrude from about 0.38 inches to about 0.43 inches above the engraved surface. The pins preferably are raised to a level below the borders as illustrated inFIG. 12.

As the cylinder member rotates across the dough, the border lips of the emboss patterns are pressed against the dough sheet with sufficient force to separate out individual loaves from the dough, while the emboss pattern in each frame imprints the corresponding loaf and the pins of each emboss pattern pierce the loaf in their designated spots.

FIGS. 1-13illustrate the various components and embodiments of the invention.FIGS. 1-9generally relate to imprint plates used for imprinting the Korban image on the dough, whileFIGS. 10-13generally relate to the embodiment of the emboss pattern engraved directly onto the surface encircled by the molded frame.

FIG. 1shows the circular imprinting plate12for use in forming a Korban loaf15to be used at the Coptic communion meal. Symbols and characters14are engraved to form the words Holy or “Agios” three times adjacent the periphery of the round Korban loaf15. It will be readily appreciated that the raised characters appearing on the Korban constitute the mirror image of the emboss pattern on the plate12. A large cross formed in the center of the plate represents Jesus Christ. Also, the central part of the imprinting plate12is embossed to imprint twelve crosses, generally labeled16, on the loaf. These are in reference to the twelve disciples. Also in the center of the plate, five pins generally labeled18(also seeFIGS. 4 and 8) extend from the surface of the plate12to pierce the loaf and are in reference to the five wounds suffered by Jesus Christ on the cross. The Korban loaf is circular in shape of the sun and refers to Jesus Christ. Thus, each part of the Korban loaf is formed to have religious connotation.

FIG. 2depicts a flat sheet of dough19on which the Korban loaves15are formed mounted on a table or conveyer belt, as will be further explained.

FIG. 3shows a preferred embodiment of the apparatus configured for concurrently cutting, imprinting and piercing of a sheet of dough20comprising a cylinder29mounted on an axle26. A plurality of emboss patterns frames22mounted in spaced, longitudinally extending rows, generally labeled23are mounted on the periphery of the cylindrically shaped member20for forming the Korban loaves. In the embodiment shown, five molded frames22are mounted on each of the rows, and five rows are mounted on the periphery of cylinder member20. Thus, a total of twenty five molded frames22are depicted inFIG. 3. The molded frames22in the rows are slightly offset or interleaved, as depicted inFIG. 3in order maximize the use of the dough, i.e., to minimize waste. The edges of the border36that encircle frames22are sufficiently sharp to sever the dough19. The dough19is severed, as depicted inFIG. 2to cut and form individual circular loaves on the sheet of dough. In the embodiment ofFIG. 3, the axle extends outwardly from the ends of the cylinder29and forms a handle thus enabling an operator to position and move/roll the cylinder member20over a sheet of dough to form the Korban loaves.

In the embodiment ofFIG. 3, five rows of molded frames22encircled by borders36are mounted to rotate on axle26. The molded frames22are thus rotated by cylinder29and axle26to provide a rotating sequence for the cylinder member. As the axle26is rotated and the molded frames22on cylinder29come in contact with the dough, the border36of the molded frames22will cut successive circles of dough15adjacent one another. The dough between the loaves15is then removed from the sheet19and the individual loaves15are baked to thus forming the Korban loaves. As stated above, the cylinder member20comprises multiple emboss patterns. It should be appreciated that more or fewer frames can be mounted on the axle dependent on the requirement of the number of loaves to be made, and the diameter and length of the cylinder member20. Note thatFIG. 3depicts one embodiment of the cylinder member20comprising twenty five molded frames22. InFIG. 3, the axle26may comprise a handle which may be operated manually. Briefly refer toFIG. 5that depicts a power driven cylinder member25. The cylinder member molded frames22are identical for both the manually driven cylinder member and the power driven cylinder member. In the preferred embodiment, the frames22are identical and each molded frame22functions separately to form an identical loaf15. A description of one molded frame22thus applies to all the other frames22. Referring now more particularly toFIGS. 1,4and8, the circular Korban imprinting plate12is shown mounted and positioned inside the molded frame22of the cylindrical member20. Basically, the imprinting plate12is mounted inside frame22in a relatively recessed position to enable the cut to be made on the sheet of dough19by the sharp edges of the frames and yet permit the forming of the symbols and characters on the top surface of the dough. The dough19is approximately one-half inch in thickness. As stated above, the dough is made of unsalted white wheat flour, leavening and water only and rolled into a flat sheet19.

FIG. 4is a cross section view of a molded frame22such as shown inFIG. 3; the molded frame inFIG. 4is oriented vertically to more clearly show the structure, and the extension of the piercing pins. The border of the molded frame22extends downwardly and has a sharp edge36for severing the sheet of dough19. The Korban forming plate12is mounted in the center of the frame22by suitable means such as screws at a position which accommodates the thickness of the sheet of dough. In one embodiment, the plate is mounted one-half inch from the cutting edge of the molded frame22, since the sheet of dough is rolled to be approximately one-half inch in thickness. As described above, the Korban imprinting plate12is embossed with symbols and characters on its surface17that impinges on the dough19to imprint the symbols and characters on the surface of the dough while not damaging the surface of the dough. Pins18on imprinting plate12extend outwardly to pierce the dough to provide the symbolism described above. The interior edges of the molded frame22are angled slightly outwardly to enable clean withdrawal of the molded frame22from the cut dough piece as the molded frame22is moved upwardly after cutting the dough.

FIG. 5depicts the cylinder member25including multiple molded frames22mounted on an axle26(not shown inFIG. 5, but similar to axle26ofFIG. 3of cylinder29) wherein the axle26and therefore cylinder member25is driven by an electric motor of any suitable known design, not shown. Note that cylinder members20and25and the frames22thereof are identical except for the means of driving the units.FIG. 5show the cutter25mounted on a belt conveyer system38. The cylinder member25mounted over a conveyer belt39that is carrying a sheet of dough19.

FIG. 6depicts convenient brackets for mounting the cutter25on the conveyer system38. A threaded adjustable rod42includes a socket43for receiving axle26of cylinder member25. Plate45and nuts46conveniently and removably affix the rod42to the conveyor system38. There are two sets of brackets, one for each side of the conveyor. Two mechanisms may be used for driving the cylinder member. The first mechanism adjusts the cylinder member to engage the conveyer belt and rotate as the belt moves; the second mechanism connects the cylinder member directly to the conveyer motor through a timing belt.

As the molded frame22is moved over the dough, multiple dough pieces (Korbans) will be cut at a time. While in the embodiment shown, five rows of frames and five columns of frames are shown, it is envisioned that from one to four columns of frames and one to five rows of molded frames may be mounted on the cylinder member, dependent on the number of loaves required. Importantly and as depicted inFIGS. 2,3and5, multiple loaves are cut, imprinted and pierced during on full pass (rotation) of the molded frames22of cylinder member20. Further, the multiple operation of imprinting, piercing and cutting of each Korban loaf is done concurrently. A multiple item rotary cutter as in claim1wherein said imprinting plates are formed of metal such as stainless steel or aluminum and said plates are heated when applied to cutting the dough whereby said heated metal gelatinize the starches in said dough thereby making the symbols and character more permanent and enhances their visibility.

The imprinting plate12may be made of stainless steel, aluminum, plastic or wood. When made of stainless steel and aluminum the imprinting plate12can be heated, so that as the surface of the plate impinges on the dough, it gelatinize the starch and makes the symbols and the characters more obvious and permanent. The symbols and characters will not fade during the baking process. In addition, the molded frames22can be coated by non-stick material to ease the release of the dough. Further, the position of the imprinting plate12may be moved within the sides of molded frame22to be adapted for use with other types and thicknesses of dough.

FIGS. 7 and 8show a hand held tool40for piercing, imprinting and cutting Korban loaves when the number of loaves required is not large. The molded frame22shape is similar to that used on the cylinder member but attached to a handle. Note again, that exactly five piercing pins38are mounted in each molded frame22as depicted inFIGS. 1,4and8respectively show only two and three pins because of the section angle being viewed. While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. This embodiment is presented for illustration purposes.

InFIG. 10, the molded frames55containing the emboss patterns are shown in a front view arranged in rows that are engraved axially onto the cylinder member (shown in broken lines).

FIG. 11shows a single molded frame55containing four holes44included in the emboss pattern. The holes44are used to vent out that may build up in the process of imprinting the dough. It is noted that the Coptic letters and symbols are arranged in a circle at the perimeter of the emboss pattern while the cross designs are in situated in the center. The letters and symbols are generally sunken below the surface of the emboss pattern and produce the desired imprints on the Korban loaf in the form of raised symbols and letters. The cross designs may be made of a more complex combination of protrusions and recessed areas that produce the opposite image forms on the Korban.

The sectioned side view ofFIG. 12shows the emboss pattern inside borders52having a combination of raised areas and sunken areas in relation to the emboss pattern surface41highlighting the pins and dimensions of the molded frame components.

FIG. 13shows raised emboss elements47and sunken areas49areas in relation to the emboss pattern surface41. The emboss pattern elements47are preferably shaped in a way that the dough flows smoothly around the elements to avoid the formation of ridges and rough areas on the Korban loaf. As can be seen, the sides of the elements are angled, also referred to in the art as “radiused” such that the top is narrower than the base and the ends are rounded. Likewise, the sunken areas do not contain any sharp angles.

The embodiments presented herewith relate to a rotating cylinder configured for cutting out loaves from a sheet of dough while simultaneously imprinting and piercing each loaf. It should be understood that processes wherein these actions are accomplished manually are not precluded by the present invention. For example, an individual loaf may be processed by a hand held device such as one shown inFIG. 7, or a vertical press containing multiple frames molded onto a plate configured for being pressed onto a sheet of dough so to produce multiple imprinted and pierced loaves.