Patent GB-780128-A (GB)
Title: Tray loading apparatus
Inventor: HUNTER HERBERT THOMAS
IPC: A21B3/07
Filed: 1955-03-21
Abstract: 780,128. Extruding raw doughnuts &c. DOUGHNUT CORPORATION OF AMERICA. March 21, 1955, No. 8135/55. Class 87(2). [Also in Group VI] Dough nuts or the like are deposited on trays carried on a platform supported for universal translation, while it is maintained in constant orientation, in a horizontal plane, conveying means being provided for moving the platform in a closed predetermined path, a relatively stationary device being provided for depositing doughnuts on the tray as it is moved. A base 10 consists of a housing containing an electric motor, a compressor, a gear reduction system and a motion translating system. Parallel guide rails 12 of rectangular cross-section extend across base 10 and carry freely rotatable wheels 13. A channel-section member 16 slidably engages each guide rail being supported on the wheels 13 and carrying further wheels 18 engaging the side of the corresponding rail 12. The members 16 are connected by arms 20 which support further rectangular section guide rails 21 carrying, on their outer faces, wheels 22. Upright flanges 24 are provided along the rear and side edges of a platform 23 from the underside of which slide members 26 depend and engage the wheels 22. Horizontal wheels 27 rotatably mounted on pins depending from the underface of platform 23 engage the inner faces of guide rails 21. Thus the platform may be moved forwards or sideways or both forwards and sideways while being maintained in a horizontal plane. Two pairs of arms 28 are pivoted on tray 23 adjacent its side edges and may be locked in any desired position by nuts 30. A member 32 is secured to the free ends of each pair of arms 28 by pins 33, Fig. 2, and has a vertical flange 34 to engage and position a tray 37 on platform 23, which tray also engages the rear upright flange 24 of platform 23. Bars on platform 23 support tray 37 which consists of a wire frame 38 supporting spaced wire grill strips 39 on which doughnuts are to be deposited. The tray 37 may be divided into forty-eight sections 40 on to each of which a doughnut is to be deposited. The mechanism for moving platform 23 along a predetermined path comprises three longitudinally extending sprocket supporting plates 42, 43, 44 mounted on two channel members 46, plate 42 being wider than plates 43 and 44 and plate 43 being adjustable by screw devices 47. Seven sprockets 48 are mounted on plate 42, the centre one being driven through reduction gear by a motor and the other six being freely rotatable. Three sprockets 56 and two small idler sprockets are mounted on plate 43 and four sprockets 58 are mounted on plate 44. An endless chain 60 is mounted on the sprockets as shown, Fig. 2, and carries an upright pin member 65 which engages a collar 64 depending from platform 23. When doughnut depositing is complete, a detent on chain 60 engages a roller 68 on a spring actuated arm 67 to actuate a switch 66 which stops the motor. An upper member 70 mounted cantilever fashion above platform 23 is carried by an upright 71 at the rear of member 10 and supports a pressure tight dough hopper 72. Conduits 74 connected to the bottom of hopper 72 contain axial rods 76 supported by spiders 77 at the tops of conduits 74 and having, at their lower ends disc shaped valve elements 78 on which cutting elements 79 are slidably engaged. On raising both elements 79 a pair of doughnuts is extruded which doughnuts are cut off, when both elements 79 are lowered. A crank member 84 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 82 supported in brackets depending from member 70. A pin 87 extending transversely from the lower end of member 84 is engaged by the upper end of an adjustable link 88 whose lower end is connected to an eccentric 89 driven through speed reduction unit 90 by the electric motor. Bracket members 91, 92 are keyed to shaft 82 and have aligned transverse bushings 94, 95 through which pass a control rod 96 movable into and out of the bore 86 and biassed into engagement therewith by a compression spring 97 engaging between bracket 95 and a collar 98 fixed to rod 96. Rod 96 has a lateral pin or detent 99 which moves in a slot 100 in bushing 95 and on retraction and twisting of rod 96 bears against the face of bushing 95 to retain the rod in its retracted position. When the rod 96 is in its forward position, it couples crank 84 and rod 82 so that shaft 82 is rocked by eccentric 89. Bell cranks 101 are slidably mounted on shaft 82 and have vertical arms 102 which abut arms 100<SP>1</SP> hinged to shaft 82 and each associated with one of the cutting members 79. Each arm 100<SP>1</SP> has a lock screw 104 engaging holes in arm 102 and lug with a bore aligned with the tapped bore of a pin 105 projecting from the arm 102 through which bores a screw 108 is passed and held by a collar.