IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MOULDING OR SHAPING DOUGH OR PASTE AND FORMING PIES, TARTS, AND THE LIKE
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, JOHN THOMAS, General Manager of the Glasgow Coffee House Company
Limited, 360 New City Road, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR MOULDING OR SHAPING DOUGH OR PASTE AND FORMING PIES,
TARTS, AND THE LIKE" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
-
My said Invention has for its object the making of pies, tarts, and the like in an
improved manner, so that there may be less handling of the dough or paste,
greater uniformity in the results, together with great economy of labor and time.
In carrying out my Invention I employ a rotating plate or table carrying a
number of moulds which are successively brought into different positions in one of
which the dough or paste is put in, whilst in a second position a descending
plunger or shaper acts on it. In a third position the pie is filled with meat, fruit,
or other eatable, and a disk of dough or paste is applied to form a lid; and in a
fourth position the lid is shaped and made to adhere to the bottom part, whilst
superfluous dough or paste is cut off. The moulds are heated by means of gas
burners which are by preference arranged to burn a mixture of gas and air; and
the plunger is also heated internally in a similar way.
A machine as made with my improvements is delineated on the accompanying
Sheet of explanatory Drawings, Figure, 1, being a side elevation, and Figure, 2, a
plan, certain parts being supposed to be removed in the latter Figure.
The machine comprises a cross-shaped frame, 1, partly indicated by dotted lines
in Figure, 2, supported on a central pedestal (or in any other convenient way) and
carrying a central standard, 2, which is formed with or has fixed to it two
overhanging arms, 3, 4, in diametrically opposite positions. An annular plate, 5,
which can turn round the standard, 2, rests on the cross-shaped frame, 1, and
carries pie moulds, 6; and the plate, 5, is made with notches, 8, with which a
projection on a spring handle, 7, can engage for the purpose of accurately fixing.
the plate, 5, with the moulds, 6, in the proper positions for being acted on.
When
the dough or paste has been put in a mould, 6, the plate, 5, is turned so as to
bring that mould under a plunger, 9, which is of a hollow form and is attached to
a bar, 10, fitted to slide vertically at the end of one, 3, of the arms.
The bar, 10,
with the plunger, 9, is moved by means of a hand lever, 11, which turns a

page_text: pinion, 12, gearing with rack teeth on the bar, the pinion being contained in a
recess formed in the arm, 3. Screw pins, 13, and an internal slip are provided for
adjusting for wear of the sliding bar, 10. When one mould, 6, is below the
plunger, 9, the opposite one is below a lid presser, 14, which is moved by means of
a hand lever, 15, fixed to a pinion gearing with rack teeth on a vertically sliding
bar, 16, to which the lid presser, 14, is fixed. The outer part of this lid presser, 14,
by coming in contact with the top inner edge of the mould, 6, causes the
superfluous dough or paste to be cut off. The pie is filled and the lid applied
when each mould, 6, half way between the part under the plunger, 9, and the
pait under the lid presser, 14; and when the mould with the completed pie is
inoved a quarter round from the lidding position the pie is taken out; and a fresh
piece of dough or paste put into the mould for another pie. Gas burners, 17, are
fixed below the four positions of the moulds, 6, for the purpose of heating the
moulds so as to prevent the dough or paste from adhering; and flexible branch
pipes, 18, 19, lead gas and compressed air to a burner indicated by dotted lines
within the hollow plunger, 9, for the purpose of heating it in a similar way.
Each of the moulds, 6, is inade in halves hinged together and which are secured
when closed by a hooked latch, 20. The stationary half mould is in each case
made with lugs, 21, which are screwed to the plate or table, 5. Handles, 22, are
fixed to the plate or table, 5, for turning it by.
There is room between the moulds, 6, for fixing a different set of moulds, 23, on
the plate or table; and these moulds, 23, may be for pies of a different size or for
tarts or other pastry forms. The plunger, 9, and lid presser, 14, have of course to
-be-changed for different sizes of pie. For some forms such as those of pastry rolls,
lower half moulds are fixed to the-plate-or_table, 5, a plunger (9) being used of
a form to shape the interior of the lower half, and an upper half mould-is-used-in-
place of the lid presser (14).
The various actions are intended to be performed simultaneously on articles at
different stages, four or other requisite number of attendant workers being
employed.
Having thus particularly described the nature of my said Invention and in what.
manner the same is to be performed I proceed to ascertain the distinctive features
of novelty thereof by declaring that what I claim is ;—
1. The combination of arts forming the machine shown in the accompanying
Drawings and hereinbefore described.
2. The half moulds hinged together and fixed on a horizontal rotating table, in
combination with the vertically-moving plunger and lid presser, the parts being
arranged and operating substantially as herein before described.
3. The application of heat to the moulds substantially in the improved manner
herein before described.
- Wichtoauth day of April 1884.