Patent GB-1123608-A (GB)
Title: Dough dividing apparatus
Inventor: ATWOOD HAROLD THOMAS
IPC: A21C5/00
Filed: 1966-11-14
Abstract: 1,123,608. Dough dividing. H. T. ATWOOD. 14 Nov., 1966, No. 50904/66. Heading B5A. In apparatus for dividing dough into uniform units which are rolled into balls, e.g. for freezing and storage for subsequent use, an inverted scaling cup (46) (Fig. 1, not shown) is mounted on a carriage (34) for reciprocation across the open top of a cylinder 39 in sealing engagement therewith, via a base-plate 44 guided by elements 40, 41, and when in register with the cylinder opening the cup is filled with dough discharged by a reciprocating polyurethane, rubber or soft plastics piston 53 which, on the return stroke, draws in dough through an opening 391 in the wall of the cylinder which is connected, via a shoot 67, to a gravity feed hopper. The top surface 54 of the piston 53 is cut at an angle of 45 degrees to the axis of the piston so that the leading edge thereof acts to out off dough at the opening 39<SP>1</SP> whilst returning the minimum amount therethrough into shoot 67, and the open end of cylinder 39 and the plate 44 are in a plane parallel to the piston surface 54. The rod 58 of piston 53 is reciprocated by a crankpin 60, mounted on a drive gear 26, to which it is connected by a spring 63 via lost motion provided within a tubular post 62, whereby differences in the intake and delivery of dough from the cylinder are accommodated by compression of the spring 63. The drive gear 26, which is rotated from a motor 18, is also provided with a cam track (28), Fig. 2 (not shown), in the surface thereof whereby the carriage (34) is reciprocated by a bell-crank connection (31). The scaling cup is provided with a close fitting spring-loaded flat disc 49 which is displaced against an adjustable stop when the cup is filled and subsequently acts to eject the dough when reciprocated into position over the upper surface (73) of one end of a driven endless belt (71) across which extends, at an adjustable angle, a stationary metal or plastics strip (74) against and along a contoured surface whereof the dough piece is carried into engagement by the belt (71) to effect rounding into a ball. In a further embodiment, Figs. 7 and 8 (not shown), the piston (78) is secured to a metal base portion (91) connecting to the piston-rod (96), by a threaded bolt (86) engageable with piston skirt (80) to an adjustable extent, via an adjustable stop nut (89), whereby the circumferential expansion of the skirt (80) of the rubber or plastics piston (78), which effect sealing within the cylinder (39), may be varied to take account of wear. The spring-loaded ejection plate (119) of the scaling cup may be mounted on a rod (117), the adjustable displacement whereof is set by a cylindrical cover (105) telescopically engageable between inner (102) and outer (107) cylindrical walls of the cup housing and the position whereof may be adjusted by. a screw (109) and set by a locking screw (114). In an alternative form of rounding apparatus, dough from the divider 11 is discharged on to an endless driven horizontal belt 122 by an inclined driven belt 133 comprising a plurality of closely spaced cords of rubber or plastics, e.g. polyurethane. The belt 122 is provided with an adjustable tensioning mechanism 131 and is bounded at the edges by stationary rails 125, 126. Dough on the belt 122 is forced against a concave rounding surface (166) (Fig. 13, not shown) of polyurethane strips (165) retained by successive members 160, 155 which are adjustably angularly positioned to extend in different directions across and close to the surface of the belt 122, whereby the dough transverses a path between rails 126, 125 against the rounding surface of member 160 and then between rails 125, 126 against the rounding surface of member 155. The members 155, 160 are each secured to a boss 141, 143, the height whereof above the belt is adjustable to accommodate different size dough pieces.