A Chocolate Coating Machine.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 29th May, 1897
A Chocolate Coating Machine.
I, PETER JESSIE VANDER LINDA, of the City of Grand Rapids, in the
County of Kent, and State of Michigan, U.S.A., Confectioner, 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 :-
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is an end elevation of my machine with the dipping trough in
longitudinal section, as is also the brush hood.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the machine shewing the ice box in longitudinal
section..
Figure 3 is a detached elevation of the pipe leading from the blower to the
brush hood.
Figure 4 is a plan of the shifter lever.
Figure 5 is a detached elevation of the arms that elevate the guards.
Figure 6 is an end view of an auxiliary heating and mixing trough.
Similar numerals and letters refer to like parts throughout the drawings.
1, is the main supporting frame which is provided at one end with an upwardly
projecting frame 11 that supports the brush frame 7, which is fitted to work freely
up and down on the ways 43, and supports the brushes 25 and carries them to and
from the dipping trough 2. These brushes are provided with handles 8 that pass
through the girts of the frame 7 and terminate above the frame in cranks 29 by
means of which they are made to revolve through the medium of the pitman 9,
which is driven by the shafts 12 and 11; the shaft 12 being driven by the belt 55
from the pulley 30, or by any other suitable multiplying driving mechanism, while
the shaft 11 acts as an idler to support the opposite bearing of the driving chain 26.
The wheel 17 is supported upon a hollow sleeve 15, which is fitted to revolve freely
in the box 16 and is provided at its upper end with a clutch, as 59, with which the
pin 58, on the shaft 12 engages when the shaft is carried down with the brush frame
when carrying the brushes 25 into the dipping trough 2; so that it revolves only
while the brushes are in the chocolate, and in the immediate act of coating the
centers 6, as hereinafter more fully explained. The upper end of this shaft is
supported in the box 13, on the brush frame, and transmits motion to the idler
shaft 11 through the medium of the sprocket chain 26 so that the pitman 9 is made
to travel at all times in the same parallel plane to give uniform action to the brush
cranks 29.
The brush frame is made to reciprocate vertically to and from the dipping trough
by means of the revolving idlers 21 attached to the connecting bars 14 and fitted
to travel in the cam groove 78 in the drive wheels 18. The upper end of the
connecting bars being secured to the brush frame by means of the bearings 28, and
the lower end held in direct vertical position by means of the divided arms 56
guided by the centre pin 61. The cam groove being of such form that the frame
is motionless for a time upon both its upper and lower extremity of motion.
The centres, 6, to be coated are first placed on the table 81 under the guards 47
when they are transferred by the arms 38 and slide 44, on the detached section 5
which is supported by the arms 24 to be made to reciprocate vertically by pitman 23
by means of eccentrics 91 on the main shaft 19, into and out of the melted
chocolate in the dipping trough 2. When the centres have been moved to this
Price 8d ]

page_text: section, which is directly under the brushes, the brush frame passes down over them,
and with them into the dipping trough, and when the desired amount of chocolate
is deposited on the centres the brush frame and centres are again brought to the
upper position with the centres in position to be moved from under the brushes by
the moving of another guard full of centres to the adjustable section as before.
The armis 38 are actuated by the arms 60 through the medium of the connecting
rods 65, said arm 60 being actuated by a cam in the wheel 22 through the medium
of the connecting rod 95.
The hood 63 shewn in longitudinal section in Figure 1 is designed to entirely
cover the centres and brushes so that when the centres are forced down into the
chocolate it will form a chamber over them for the circulation of air from the
blower 51 through the pipe 27, 36 and 71, constructed to act as follows: The pipe 36
is connected directly with the blower and the chamber 71. The chamber 71 is
fitted to receive the end of the pipe 27 and allow it to reciprocate ireely up and
down with the brush frame to form a continuous, air tight, pipe or joint. The
pipe 27 is bent at right angles to lie parallel with and be secured to the lower girt
of the brush frame, and communicates with the inner hood through the apertures 28
so that air may be made to circulate freely through the chocolate as it is being
agitated by the brushes 25.
The guards 47 are designed, first, to facilitate the placing of the centres under
the brushes by covering and moving a continuous line of them, and second, to hold
them to place so as to prevent them from floating in the chocolate when being
coated. These guards are detached from the machine so. that they may be readily
removed and replaced, in the process of coating the centres, and I provide for
removing them from over the centres when they have reached the transfer belt, by
means of the elevator 45, which is provided with swinging arms 48 having cleats a
upon which the guards are made to slide just as the centres pass upon the end of
the transfer belt, when the elevator is raised by the arın 67, which is pivoted at
one end to the arm 84 and is actuated by the cams 68 on the shaft 19 to actuate
the arms at the proper time by the revolutions of the shaft. The arms 48 are
provided with a laterally projecting arm 57 to which is pivotel a rod 40, having
at its lower end, a stop 94 so regulated that when the elevator has raised to
the proper height it will hold the arm 57 and throw the arm 48 to position so
that the lugs on the elevator chain 75 will engage the guards and carry them
over to the shelf 80." This action of the elevator 45 and arms 48 is indicated by
their dotted lines in Figure 2.
The shaft 19 is driven by the sprocket chain 52 from the wheel 74 on the shaft 20,
to the wheel 22, the shaft 20 being the main shaft of the machine, and driven by
the belt 93 over the pulley 32.
To convey the coated centres from the dipping trough under the ice box 49 and
away from the machine, I make use of a broad conveyor belt 39 which extends
the entire length of the machine from the driving roll 66 to the idler 66' at the
foot of the machine, and is actuated concurrently with the slide 44 by means of
the ratchet wheel 63 and pawl 54; the pawl being actuated by the arm 34, which
is pivoted to the shaft 64, and the pawl pivoted to the arm in such a position that
oscillations of the arm will cause the pawl to act upon the ratchet wheel in the
usual manner. This arm is actuated by the arm 35 which is secured at one end to
the shaft 69 with the upper end free to oscillate with the arm 60. The upper end
of this arm being connected with the arm 34 by a sliding connecting rod 33 and a
collar or sleeve 97. To regulate the distance the belt 39 is moved to correspond
with the motion given by the arm 38 I provide a stop 96 upon the rod 33 and place
it in position to give more or less motion to the arm 35 before, said motion is
transmitted to the arm 34 and the pawl.
The space between the ice box 49 and the transfer belt 39 is of sufficient height
to allow the coated centres to be conveyed through without danger of marring
them the object being to pass the centres under the ice 50 and cool it rapidly, so
that it may be ready for packing as soon as it leaves the machine. I provide for
;

page_text: preventing the air from circulating freely through this space by placing a sliding
door 42 at the front end of. it; said door being actuated to raise and lower at the
proper time-by the angle lever 31 which is connected with and actuated by the
arm 35. In the back of the space I place several light elastic divisions, as 77,
sufficiently pliable to be moved by pressure from the centres as they are carried
along by the belt 39.
The idler 66' is supported on a frame 72 which is pivoted at the lower end, as
at 89, to the lower end of the frame that supports the machine. I provide a
spring 74 to give it a certain elasticity of motion, and provide for holding it firmly
to place when desired by means of an adjusting screw 76.
The shaft 70 that supports the pulley 30 from which the pulley 17 is driven, is
driven from the pulley 96 on the main shaft 20, and the blower 51 is driven from
the pulley 73.
The elevator belt 75 is supported upon idlers 82 having an intermediate idler 83
and is driven from the shaft 19 by the belt 92.
I prefer that the space between the ice box and the conveyor belt be somewhat
longer than the icebox as shewn at 62 in Figure 1, as by this means there is less
danger of a warm current of air coming in contact with the lower surface of the
icebox.
The space 3 is intended for the storage of hot water with which to control the
temperature of the chocolate contained in the chocolate trough. 2.
In Figure 26 I shew an auxiliary trough used for heating the chocolate before
it is placed in the trough 2 the trough 87 being provided with a mixing appliance,
as indicated at. 88, by means of which the chocolate may be kept constantly
agitated, thus preventing it from burning or sticking to the trough.
The guards 47 consist of a series of wire cones connected at the base so that the
centres will be moved to the dipping trough in uniform rows. To ensure carrying
each guard of centres beyond the movable shelf 5 I provide a short projecting
wire b, and to avert the danger of the guards falling from the lugs h I place a
guard or fender 99 over each elevator chain 75, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.
The shelf 41 between the dipping trough and the transfer belt is designed as a
dripping shelf cn which the coated centres may stand for a short time before
passing upon the belt, and drip, so as to avert the danger of badly smearing the
belt or of disfiguring the coated centres by the warm chocolate gathering in a heap
at the bottom of them, and breaking off in rough patches.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In a chocolate coating machine, a main frame supporting suitable driving
mechanisin, a vertical frame attached to said frame and provided with ways for the
support of a vertically reciprocating brush frame, cams, and connecting bars for
reciprocating said frame, revolving brushes supported in said frame, a chocolate
dipping trough beneath said brushes, a tray secured to vertically reciprocable slides
for supporting the centres and conveying them to and from the melted chocolate
in the trough, arms and slides to force the tray and the coated centres from the
tray to the dripping shelf, a dripping shelf, and a conveyor belt, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
2. In a chocolate coating machine, a supporting frame, a vertically reciprocating
brush frame supported thereon, brushes supported upon shafts that pass through
said frame, cranks on the upper end of said shafts, a pitman connected with said
cranks and driven by a crank at each end of the frame, a sprocket chain connecting
the shafts that support said cranks so that the pitman must always travel in the
same parallel plane, a sleeve supporting the lower end of the driving shaft, a clutch
at the upper end of the sleeve, a pin in the shaft to engage said clutch and
intermittently cause the shaft to revolve, cams and connecting bars for reciprocating
the brush frame a trough for holding melted chocolate, a tray secured to sliding

page_text: supports to carry the centres to and from the chocolate, guards- to hold the
chocolate to place on the tray, a hood over the brushes to cover the centres while
being coated, a blower, an air pipe connecting said blower and hood, arms and
slides to carry the centres from the table to the dipping trough and from the
dipping trough to the dripping table, a conveyor belt a ratchet wheel and pawl to
actuate said belt, an ice box, a flue between said ice box and the conveyor belt,
and automatically opening and closing doors to said flue, substantially as and for
the purpose.set forth.
3. In a chocolate coating machine, a supporting frame having a vertically
reciprocating brush frame mounted thereon, a series of brushes mounted in said
brush frame and provided with heads constructed to agitate the chocolate when
being coated on, the, centers, cranks on the handles of said brushes, a pitman
connected with said cranks to revolve the brushes simultaneously, a crank at cach
end of the frame connected by a sprocket chain to actuate the pitman in a uniform
plane, a driving shaft provided with a clutch to engage only when the brushes are
down, a hood to cover said brush heads, a blower and pipe connected to force air
through said hood, a dripping trough below the brushes, a tray over said trough
fitted to enter and leave the trough simultaneously with the brushes, a dipping
trough, arms to carry the centres to and beyond the trough, guards for covering
the centres, an elevator to return the guards to the operator, and fenders over said
elevator substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
4. In a chocolate coating machine, a supporting frame, a dipping trough on said
frame, arms for conducting the centres to and the coated stock from the trough, a
guard and hood for covering the centres, a revoluble brush for agitating the
chocolate over each centre while it is being coated, and means for forcing cold air
through the hood and commingling it with the agitated chocolate about the centres,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5. In a chocolate coating machine, a supporting frame, a vertically reciprocating
brush frame carrying a series of revoluble brushes, a dipping trough, slides for
conducting centres to said trough and coated stock from it, guards to cover the
centres while being coated, a dripping shelf, and an elevator to carry the guards
from this shelf to the operator, substantially as and for the purpose set forth
Dated this 12th de
1004
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.