Abstract: A material sheet is conveyed to a hollowed pipe member which is rotatable about its longitudinal axis and which has one or more circumferential openings and which is positioned for, by vacuum suction via the pipe hollow and circumferential openings and by rotation, sucking up and rolling up the sheet. The pipe member is mounted so that it reciprocates transversely to the direction of sheet travel for positioning for sucking up and rolling up the sheet and for retracting from a rolled sheet on the conveyor.

Abstract: A frying apparatus for conveying food on a surface coated with oil heated for frying the food pieces has a tray which extends longitudinally for containing food pieces for frying, and an assembly is positioned for conveying food pieces in a direction from one end of the tray to the other so that during the conveying, the food pieces are mixed and so that the tray surface upon which the food pieces are fried is scraped for cleaning the surface. In two apparatus embodiments, members of the conveying assembly form a helical arrangement in an area about and are displaced a distance from a circumference of a rotatable shaft and are configured for scraping the tray surface for cleaning the surface, and in another embodiment, plate members which have a shape of a section of an ellipsoid plane are affixed with an axle at an angle with respect to a lateral cross-section of the axle so that upon rotation of the axle in one direction, the plate members convey food pieces.

Abstract: A dosing apparatus has a tap member and a housing member. The tap member has opposing planar surfaces which extend between opposing sides, and an aperture extends through the tap member from one opposing surface to the other. The housing member has a base plate which has opposing planar surfaces and an opening which extends through the base plate from one opposing base plate surface to the other. Two opposing housing member sidewalls each extend from the base plate and have a groove which slidably engages two opposing sides of the tap member so that the tap member is positioned between the sidewall so that one tap member planar surface faces one base plate planar surface and so that the housing member is slidably reciprocative in two opposing directions along the tap member opposing sides. The tap member aperture and base plate opening are positioned so that upon sliding of the housing member in one direction of reciprocation, the base plate opening is positioned in communication with the tap member aperture.

Abstract: Two conveyors and a cutting device are employed to prepare and cut folded articles from plastic sheet material. The first conveyor has a conveying run for advancing a sheet of foldable plastic material, and the second conveyor has a conveying run which is positioned above the first conveyor conveying run and which extends for a length of the first conveyor conveying run. A first end of the second conveyor run is positioned intermediate of upstream and downstream ends of the first conveyor conveying run and is spaced a distance from the first conveyor conveying run. The cutting device is positioned above the first conveyor conveying run at a position intermediate of the first conveyor conveying run downstream end and the second conveyor first end for cutting a sheet of plastic material advanced lengthwise on the first conveyor conveying run so that a portion of a width of the sheet between side edges is separated from the sheet.

Abstract: An apparatus for dispensing food materials includes a conveyor and a valve housing positioned above the conveyor. The valve housing has an inlet opening, a dosing opening and an outlet opening, there being no conduit extending between the outlet opening and the conveyor below. A valve tap rotatably positioned in the chamber has an arcuate recessed portion extending between tap edges, one edge being shaped to define a triangular cutting portion having an apex which, upon rotation of the valve tap in the chamber, passes through a midpoint of the outlet opening and closes a central portion of the outlet opening before closing outer portions. When the valve tap is rotated in the chamber to a first position, a channel is formed communicating between the inlet opening and the dosing opening and the outlet opening is closed. Upon opposite rotation of the tap to a second position, a channel is formed communicating between the dosing opening and the outlet opening and the inlet opening is closed.