Patent Publication Number: US-2009220657-A1

Title: Automatic Pizza Shaping Conveyor Device and Method

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention pertains to an improvement to an automated pizza shaping conveyor device, and particularly pertains to an automated shaping conveyor device that automatically processes and bakes a pizza. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Conventional pizzas are handmade from mixing flour, salt, yeast and the like in proper proportions. The dough is made from mixing and blending flour, and then is continuously kneaded and shaped into a traditional round shaped pizza having the desired size and rotundity. Pizza sauce is poured onto the shaped dough and selected toppings of cheese and seasonings are added. The pizza is then placed into a cooking oven where the pizza dough is cooked until it turns a golden color. The cooked pizza is then removed and sliced into segments of even size with a cutter. 
     The making of the aforesaid handmade pizza is not only time-consuming, which invariably adds many human hands, but is also requires training of a beginner before he or she is able to work alone. Also, such personnel training increases the cost of making the pizza and is not compatible for with mass production. There is also the realization that if the pizza is made by humans, the quality of the product is subjected to the result of humans being prone to be affected by emotions. Consequently, not only is quality control made difficult, but the reduction of production costs is also difficult because human factors account for a majority of the production process. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention seeks to overcome, or at least to reduce, the aforesaid difficulties of the almost entirely manual processing in the making of a cooked pizza. 
     According to one embodiment of the present invention, an improvement of the manual process of making a pizza by utilizing an automatic pizza shaping conveyor device is disclosed. The device is primarily comprised of a dough machine, a form shaping component or shaper, a conveyor and a heater or oven. 
     The dough machine receives prepared dough and it processes the dough into pizza dough. The conveyor receives the processed dough from the dough machine and transfers it to the shaper, which cuts the dough into segments, pours pizza sauce onto the segments, and sprinkles selected seasonings onto the sauce covered segments. The conveyor then sends the segments to the heater for baking. 
     More particularly, the present invention provides an automatic pizza shaping conveyor device that includes a plurality of stations, and comprises: 
     a dough machine which receives raw dough and processes the raw dough into an elongate sheet; 
     a conveyor associated with said dough machine which receives the sheet of pizza dough and conveys it to other stations along the path of said conveyor; 
     a shaper which cuts the sheet into a plurality of segments; and 
     a sauce application station at which pizza sauce is applied to an upper surface of said segments, and at which cheese and other seasonings are applied all resulting in coated segments. 
     In light of which, the inventor has devised an automated pizza shaping conveyor device, whereby kneaded dough is placed into the dough machine for producing the pizza dough, which is then forwarded via the conveyor to the shaper, and then sauce is added and the pizza is heated by the heater to a golden hue. The shaper cuts the shaped dough into 45-degree pizza segments or slices. In other words, the shaped dough is divided into various segments without any further cutting. 
     The invention improved automated pizza shaping conveyor device offers a serial operation that not only serves to reduce manpower, thereby saving time, but it also affords the possibility of making pizza production into a mass production operation. The present invention also saves cost of making pizzas in various sizes, and effortlessly results in the making of a pizza having a consistently good quality. 
     The present invention also concerns an automatic process of making a cooked pizza comprising the steps of: 
     processing dough into an elongate sheet of dough at a dough processing station; 
     conveying said sheet of dough from said from said dough processing station; 
     cutting said conveyed sheet of dough into a plurality of substantially identical 45 degree segments; 
     conveying said cut segments to a healer; and 
     cooking said segments in said heater. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       An example of the present invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a somewhat schematic, side elevational view that shows an assembled configuration of a embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view that shows a round pizza that is comprised of eight pieces of any desirable size in which each piece encompasses a 45 degree sector. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     An automated pizza shaping conveyor device is depicted in  FIG. 1 . The device is primarily comprised of a dough machine  1 , a shaper  8 , a heater  4  and a conveyor  7 . 
     Dough machine  1  processes the dough into pizza dough  6  of proper thickness and diameter in a conventional manner and deposits it onto conveyor  7 , which is operationally connected to it. Conveyor  7  receives the processed dough as a continuous or endless sheet  6  that is somewhat rectangular in a transverse cross-section having a predetermined, but adjustable thickness. Conveyor  7  can be a conventional belt-type continuous conveyor. Conveyor  7  transmits sheet  6  to the next workstation, which is in the present embodiment is shaper  8 . 
     Conveyor  7  either includes a shaping component or is connected with a shaper, both of which are referred to herein as shaper  8 . Thus, shaper  8  is located on conveyor  7  or at a station along conveyor  7 . Shaper  8  is comprised of several identical pie-shaped molds that are arranged as interleaved components, with alternating molds pointing in the same direction, but in the opposite direction of the mold adjacent to it, that is on either side of it. The molds can be connected together to form an elongated shaper  8 . Supporting mechanisms and actuating mechanisms, not shown, carry the molds and cause them to move in a generally orthogonal direction to the upper surface of sheet  6  of pizza dough, contact dough sheet  8  on its upper surface and in a continued movement, cause the shaper molds to cut into the pizza dough  6  and divide the dough  6  into several identical pie-shaped segments  2 . 
     In addition, next to shaper  8 , along the direction of the movement of conveyor  7 , is heater  4 . Heater  4  is somewhat conventional and includes a conventional bake tray. Associated with heater  4  are conventional temperature controls and time controls that include dial or button. 
     By placing handmade dough into the dough machine  1 , the dough machine  1  processes the dough into an elongate sheet of pizza dough  6 , and the conveyor sends the dough to the shaper  8 , where the shaper=s several identical molds cut the uncooked pizza dough  6  into a plurality of identical, back-to-back 45-degree segments  2 . The cut segments  2  are conveyed by conveyor  7  to a station where a sauce is poured onto the upper surface of segments  2 , or otherwise applied thereto, and other ingredients, such as conventional toppings (e.g. meat, ham, pepperoni, onions, green peppers, anchovies and the like) are applied, to produce covered, uncooked segments  3 . While in one embodiment the cut segments are substantially identical such that any eight segments can be combined together to form a round pizza, in another embodiment, the molds can have different shapes to for producing different shapes of pizza, such as a square pizza. Also, in other embodiment, the molds are either replaceable, or movable out of the cutting way, and other different sized molds can be used to cut a 45 degree segment having a selected size. Thus, the overall size of the pizza can be varied from, for example, a 9 inch diameter pizza to a 16 inch diameter pizza. 
     After the segments are covered with sauce and other ingredients, the segments are conveyed by conveyer  7  to the bake tray at heater  4 . Adjustments to the heater is done on a conventional control panel where adjustment is made through the heater panel=s setting for baking temperature and time until the pizza  5  is baked to a golden hue. 
     The present invention allows any eight 45-degree pizza segments to be assembled to form a round pizza as shown in  FIG. 2 . Thus, although produced in a continuous stream of identical pie-shaped pieces  2 , a conventional round pizza can be assembled and sent to the client. Thus, the conventional round shape of a pizza is not compromised. 
     The invention=s automated pizza shaping conveyor device offers a serial operation that reduces human hand not only serves to save time making it suitable for mass production, but it also saves cost for how it is able to produce pizzas of varied sizes and in stable quality. 
     While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a particular embodiment, it will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Also, the various presently unforeseen and unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims. Although the invention has been described with reference to specific preferred embodiments, it is not intended to be limited thereto, rather those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that variations and modifications may be made therein which are within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims.