Improvements in or relating to Machines for working and shaping or Moulding Dough and similar Plastic substances.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Sept., 1897-Accepted, 8th Jan.,
1898
Improvements in or relating to Machines for working and shaping
or Moulding Dough and similar Plastic substances.
We, WILLIAM STEPHEN CORBY, CHARLES ISRAEL CORBY, of 2305 Brightwood
Avenue, in the City of Washington, District of Columbia, United States of
America, Bakers, and THEODORE JACOB MAYER, of 214, B Street, southeast, in the
City of Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :--
The invention has for its object to produce a machine for working and shaping
or moulding dough and similar plastic substances.
A machine embodying the invention is illustrated in the accompanying draw-
ings, in which
Figure 1 is a side view of a preferred form of the invention.
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same.
Figure 3 is a central longitudinal section.
Figure 4 is a transverse section, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 is a transverse section showing a somewhat different form of the inven-
tion.
Figs. 6 and 7 are detail cross sectional views illustrating other forms of the
invention.
Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 are detail longitudinal sectional views illustrating different
steps in the process of making a loaf of bread by means of our invention.
Fig. 12 is a top plan view of one end of a machine having some features in addi-
tion to those shown in the other views.
In the drawings, A represents the frame-work of the machine, in which are
mounted two rollers, B and B', the shaft of one of which is provided with a driv-
ing pulley b. A belt C, is mounted upon and driven by the rollers; such belt
being preferably formed of leather or canvas, the latter coming in contact with the
dough or other material being worked and shaped, as we find canvas easy to keep
clean, the dough does not stick thereto, and it possesses a desirable degree of
roughness. Between the rollers the belt passes over a table or support D, which
sustains it, and keeps it in a uniform plane while operating upon the dough. The
tension of the belt is regulated by adjusting one of the rollers, as by means of the
screws bl
Above the belt there is arranged an opposing pressure member E, between
which and the belt the dough is carried, worked and shaped. This member we
term the pressure board, though it may be formed of wood, metal, glass or any
other suitable material. It is preferably removable, and provided with side
flanges e, which operate to retain and shape the dough mass at its ends.
The pressure board is preferable adjustable with reference to the belt, and the
position which it normally occupies may be controlled by the adjusting screws G.
It should be held toward the belt with a yielding force, and to secure this we

page_text: ..
employ coiled springs f, arranged upon pins f¹, and between adjusting nuts f
and brackets f³, carried by the pressure board. By regulating the pressure of
the board E the action of the machine on the material being operated upon may
be varied; but we have found that in nearly, if not all, cases the best results are
accomplished when the pressure is less at the delivery end than at the feed end.
We prefer that the belt, while passing over the table D, should have its edges C¹,
turned up at substantially a right angle to the main central portion thereof;
and to accomplish this, turning rollers H are arranged at the feed end of the
machine on either side of the belt. The depending flanges e, of the pressure
board act to sustain the turned-up portions of the belt, as represented in Fig. 4.
At the front end of the pressure board we arrange a yielding device I, under
which the dough must pass before entering the space between the belt and the
pressure-board, and which operates to curl or fold over the advancing end of the
mass of dough; and which device, from its function, we term the curler. It pre-
ferably consists of a narrow plate arranged centrally over the belt and pivoted in
supports I, which hold it sufficiently high above the belt to allow the masses of
dough to pass freely under it.
A spring J forces the free end of the curler toward the belt, the tension of the
spring being controlled by a nut j. As it is desirable that the end of the curler
should never come quite into contact with the belt, as that would tend to clog
the machine, the curler is provided with a stop i, to limit its downward move-
ment; and it is also provided with another stop i¹, to limit its upward movements.
These two stops are aranged to engage with the end of the pressure board, as shown
in Figs. 3, 8 and 9. The curler plate is provided on its under side with a shoulder
which is so shaped as to retard the upper portion of a mass of dough which may
be passing under the curler while the lower portion is being carried forward by
the belt, thus insuring that the proper curling or rolling motion shall be imparted
to the dough mass, which motion having once been imparted to the mass is con-
tinued as the dough passes through the machine, by the conjoint action of the
belt and the pressure board.
The irregular-shaped dough masses may be fed directly to the curler, but we
prefer to arrange a pair of feeding rollers K driven by band or chain M just in
advance of the curler and a feed chute N leading to the rollers.
The size and shape of the pressure board determines the shape of the loaf pro-
duced. The pressure boards represented in Figs. 4 and 5 are for making loaves
of bread of different shapes; and the pressure boards shown in Figs. 6 and 7 are
for making rolls of different shapes.
In the machine represented in Fig. 12, side pieces or strips 0 are arranged at
the feed end of the pressure board. They operate to prevent the dough mass as it
escapes from the curler from spreading out too rapidly to the full width of the belt
and pressure board. These side pieces are not an essential feature of our inven-
tion, and may be used or not as desired.
We will now describe the operation of the machine. The dough having arrived
at the proper age and degree of lightness is weighed into masses of uniform size,
and these are fed, one at a time, into the machine. The rolls K give to the irregu-
lar masses of dough a uniform width and thickness, the sheet as it issues from
between them being long, narrow and thin. As this sheet of dough passes under
the curler, the latter operates to momentarily retard the forward movement of
that part of the mass with which it engages, and starts the curling action. This
is accomplished without breaking or tearing the skin of the dough, which is very
important. The shapes which the mass of dough assumes as it passes through the
machine are approximately indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2.
sents in longitudinal section the mass in about the condition indicated by the
Figure 10 repre-
second or middle mass represented in Figure 2; and Figure 11, is a sectional view
of the dough mass after it has been shaped and compacted, and just before it is
ready to issue from the machine.
While the curler is a most important part of our invention some of the advan-

page_text: tages incident to the other features of the invention would be retained were it
not employed.
Other changes might be made without departing from the spirit of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a travelling
belt, an opposing pressure board provided with depending side flanges which are
arranged adjacent to the belt, and supports for said board, substantially as set
forth.
2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a travelling
belt, a pressure board or device provided with depending flanges at its sides,
and a sustaining table over which the belt moves, substantially as set forth.
3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a travelling
belt, an opposing pressure board, and springs which hold the pressure board toward
the belt with a yielding force, substantially as set forth.
4. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a travelling
belt, an opposing pressure board, adjusting devices by which the pressure board
may be positively adjusted toward or away from the belt, and spring pressing
devices which hold the board toward the belt with a yielding force, substantially
as set forth.
5. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a travelling
belt, an opposing pressure board, and a curler at the forward. end of the latter,
substantially as set forth.
6. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a travelling
belt, an opposing pressure board, a curler at the forward end of the pressure board,
and shaping rollers in front of the curler, substantially as set forth.
7. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a travelling
belt, au opposing pressure board, a curler at the forward end of the pressure board,
and the side strips O at the sides of the pressure board near the curler, substantially
as set forth.
8. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a travelling belt,
devices for turning up the edges of the belt and maintaining such edges at sub-
stantially right angles to the main central portion of the belt, and an opposing
pressure board which is arranged opposite to the said central portion of the belt,
substantially as set forth.
.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.