Abstract: A method for continuously producing a sheet of dough from a dough mass stored in a hopper comprises supplying the dough mass vertically downward toward a pair of opposing rollers located at the bottom of a dough-feeding hopper, rotating the rollers in opposite directions, and repeatedly increasing and decreasing a gap between the rollers to repeatedly alter the pressure applied to the dough passing therebetween.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing an elongated enveloped food product is disclosed. A rotary duct for feeding a filling is located in a ring form assembly of elongated rotary rollers for feeding a viscous casing material in a coaxial relationship so as to form the elongated product in which the casing material envelops the filling material. During the feeding of the casing material and the filling material, the rotary duct rotates within the cavity formed by the elongated rollers, while its outer surface is exposed to the viscous casing material. The duct has a scraper that rotates relative to the outer surface of the duct to scrape the viscous casing material from its outer surface to prevent the viscous casing material from sticking to the surface of the duct.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for dividing a long dough mass into dough portions, each of which has a predetermined length, and forming a continuous dough strip from the respective dough portions. A first transporter transports the long dough mass that exceeds the predetermined length along a first conveying path. The first transporter includes a rotary cutter for dividing the long dough mass into a plurality of dough portions each having the predetermined length. A second transporter receives the dough portions from the first transporter and transports them along a second conveying path. The first and second conveying paths are arranged so that the predetermined length of each respective dough portion extends in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of the width of the continuous strip. A joining device receives the dough portions and joins them to form the continuous dough strip.

Abstract: A bread-dough stretching apparatus and method including a rotating member having a plurality of planetary rollers that revolve along a circular path, and a conveying device which is positioned below the rotating member and is spaced apart from the rotating member to allow passage of the bread dough between the rotating member and the conveying device. Each of the planetary rollers is rotatably supported by a shaft, and the conveying device includes a plurality of rollers positioned opposite the planetary rollers. The space separating the rollers of the conveying device and the rotating member gradually decreases from the inlet to the outlet of the conveying device. The rollers of the conveying device are rotated at speeds which gradually increase from a upstream roller to a downstream roller of the conveying device.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided that can always and continuously cut and discharge a constant amount of bread dough, regardless of its properties, from a mass of bread dough in a hopper. The apparatus is characterized by projections (5,6) mounted on pairs of opposing rotating cutting blades (4,4') disposed in a bottom opening of the hopper (1).

Abstract: A bread-dough stretching apparatus includes a rotating member having a plurality of planetary rollers that revolve along a circular path, and a conveying device which is positioned below the rotating member and is spaced apart from the rotating member to allow passage of the bread dough between the rotating member and the conveying device. Each of the planetary rollers is rotatably supported by a shaft, and the conveying device includes a plurality of rollers positioned opposite the planetary rollers. The space separating the rollers of the conveying device and the rotating member gradually decreases from the inlet to the outlet of the conveying device. The rollers of the conveying device are rotated at speeds which gradually increase from an upstream roller to a downstream roller of the conveying device.

Abstract: An apparatus for stretching bread dough into a sheet is provided, wherein a plurality of conveying rollers are supplied with powder so as to stretch the bread dough without its adhesion to the rollers. To have powder adhere to a plurality of conveying rollers, a powder-supply conveyor belt is made to abut the lower surfaces of the rollers.

Abstract: A sorting conveyor apparatus of the present invention is structured such that when objects to be conveyed are respectively positioned in outlet sides of upstream sorting conveyors under a condition that the objects are positioned on each of downstream sorting conveyors, driving of the upstream sorting conveyors is stopped, such that when the objects are carried out from outlet sides of the downstream sorting conveyors, the driving of the upstream sorting conveyors are respectively restarted, such that when the objects are respectively positioned in the outlet side of each of the downstream sorting conveyors, the driving of each of the downstream sorting conveyors is stopped, and such that the driving of all the downstream sorting conveyors is synchronously restarted under a predetermined carry out condition.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided to manufacture a circular and edible sheet-like dough topping to be deposited on bread dough. In this apparatus the pressure for discharging the dough decreases from the center of the dough topping toward either of its ends, and at the same time the dough topping is initially discharged from its center followed by a delayed flow toward both ends of the dough topping.

Abstract: An extruding apparatus for intermittently supplying a predetermined quantity of highly viscoelastic material, e.g. food material. The apparatus has a hopper having a supply pump, a supply pipe having one end connected to the pump and the other end to an extrusion valve, and an accumulator (constant pressure device) mounted to the extrusion valve for maintaining the pressure of the food material in the extrusion valve at a predetermined constant pressure.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus to stably and continuously roll up bread dough into stick-like bread, such as bread dough or bread dough on which ham or cheese is put. The apparatus includes a drive shaft located parallel to a conveying surface of a conveyor and a plurality of circular dough-holding disks mounted on the drive shaft. A plurality of dough-rolling plates is provided between the adjacent dough-holding disks along the conveying surface. The rolling plates roll the bread dough and the like. The apparatus securely rolls bread dough of a nonuniform thickness or bread dough on which ham and the like is put. Also, the present invention can securely roll a plurality of rows of bread dough that is conveyed.

Abstract: An extruding apparatus for intermittently supplying a predetermined quantity of highly viscoelastic fluid material, e.g. food material. The apparatus has a supply pump, one end of which is connected to a hopper containing the food material and the other end connected to an extrusion valve covered with a housing via a supply pipe and a pressure sensing means mounted in the housing or in the supply pipe, thereby always sensing the pressure of the food material in the valve to keep the pressure to a predetermined value by operating or stopping the supply pump.

Abstract: An apparatus for winding-up croissant dough pieces is provided. It comprises a conveyor, a pair of pressing boards, and a spacing means having a dough-piece detecting means. By the apparatus a triangular croissant dough piece is fed between the conveyor and the pair of pressing boards and wound up, while each of the pressing boards is moved outwardly of the conveyor by the spacing means, thereby lengthening both ends of a dough roll being wound to shape a long and slender croissant dough roll. After shaping it, the pressing boards are caused to approach each other. The dough-piece detecting means is effective in synchronizing the actuation of the pressing boards with the winding-up operation, so that a wound dough roll is precisely lengthened in its axial direction.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for shaping elongated bar-shaped bread dough pieces. In and by this method and apparatus a bread dough piece, namely, a bread dough sheet, a divided bread dough mass, or a preshaped bread dough roll, is subjected to a first rotation, thereby pressing and rolling it in a first gap defined by a conveyor and a pressing belt or a pressing board that faces it, while being conveyed downstream, so as to shape an elongated bar-shaped bread dough piece. This elongated bar-shaped bread dough piece is then fed into a second gap defined by an upper face that comprises a pressing belt or pressing board and a lower face that faces it and comprises a conveyor, a pressing belt or a pressing board, and is subjected to a second rotation that is in a direction reverse to that of the first rotation, thereby shaping a further elongated bar-shaped bread dough piece with a straight wound-dough end.

Abstract: An assembly for cutting and shaping a bar-shaped dough body including a plurality of polyhedral cutting members disposed around an opening through which the bar-shaped dough body is extruded. The polyhedral members are rotatably mounted around the opening and are formed to cooperatively close the opening, thereby cutting the bar-shaped dough body, multiple times during each revolution of the polyhedral members. Each polyhedral member includes curved sides meeting at one or more tip edges, the tip edges of each of the polyhedral members meeting at a center of the opening when the bar-shaped dough body is cut.

Abstract: The present invention is related to the method of positioning a rolled-up end of a fusiform croissant dough piece at a predetermined location of the dough piece when it is conveyed by a conveyor. The rolled-up end is sensed by a sensing means while the dough piece is rotated on the conveyor. Since the end is positioned at a predetermened location of the dough, at the underside of it, for instance, croissants of a uniform shape can be produced.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for delivering a constant amount of dough per unit time is disclosed. Successive dough blocks (5) are transferred on a first conveyor (8) at times proportional to their weights. The predetermined theoretical traveling distances of the dough blocks and the actual traveling distances of the dough blocks on the first conveyor are compared to find the change of the volume or specific gravity of the dough due to fermentation. Based on the comparison the traveling speed of the first conveyor is changed to obtain a uniform amount of the dough product, and the gap between a second conveyor (11) and a stretching roller (12) may be adjusted to increase the rate at which the dough is produced.

Abstract: The present invention provides a center-aligning apparatus for fusiform bread dough pieces such as rolled-up croissant dough pieces. In this invention an upstream conveyor and a downstream conveyor located below and adjacent the upstream conveyor are provided. Between the two conveyors and adjacent the upstream conveyor, a pair of concave rollers is arranged. The rolled-up dough piece from the upstream conveyor is deposited on the concave rollers to have its center aligned with the gap between the rollers. Also, a pair of shutters is mounted below the concave rollers to stably deposit the dough piece on the downstream conveyor. This invention enables the dough piece to advance in alignment with the control line of the downstream conveyor.

Abstract: The present invention provides a croissant dough-piece bending apparatus having a conveyor for conveying rolled-up croissant dough pieces, a dough-piece bending member to push the central portion of the dough piece downstream, and a pair of swingable dough-piece bending belts. The dough-piece is pushed by the dough-piece bending member toward and between the dough-piece bending-belts. The dough piece is correctly bent at its center by the cooperation of the bending-member and the bending-belts. By this invention the dough pieces can be bent without getting wrinkles on their surfaces, and symmetrically bent products of a uniform shape can be obtained.

Abstract: An apparatus for closing the seam of a wound bar-shaped dough body being conveyed on a conveyor, comprising a pair of standing conical rolls mounted over and across the conveyor, between which rolls the dough body is made to travel. This simple mechanism makes it much easier to automatically provide high-quality bar-shaped products.