Abstract: A food material supply apparatus including at least one diametrically slotted roller located on the bottom of a hopper, a plate slidably inserted in each slot, a groove semicircular in cross section in the bottom of the hopper and extending parallel to roller, a hollow cylinder rotatably and complementarily fitted in the groove and formed with an axial opening having a length substantially equal to that of the rollers, a piston reciprocating in the cylinder, a food material extruding device connected to the delivery end of the cylinder, and a turntable located under the food material extruding device and having pockets for receiving the food material extruded from the extruding device. This apparatus enables a predetermined amount of vegatables and meat to be filled into a covering without any excessive agitation.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for producing a dough roll by rolling up a dough piece. The apparatus has a moving means that includes a holding roller and an endless belt supply device, and a rolling up mechanism having upper and lower endless belt devices. The belt of the upper endless belt device moves rearwardly, and the belt of the lower endless belt device moves forwardly at a speed higher than that of the upper endless belt device. When a dough piece is fed to the apparatus the leading end begins to be rolled at the upstream ends of the upper and lower endless belt devices while its trailing end stays between the belt of the endless belt supply device and the holding roller. Therefore, the leading end moves at a speed which equals the difference between the speeds of the upper and lower endless belt devices while the trailing end moves at the same moving speed as that of the belt of the endless belt supply device.

Abstract: A method for producing a dough sheet having a predetermined width and height from a dough mass of a non-uniform volume, comprising the steps of compressing the mass on a supplying conveyor, detecting any change of width of the compressed dough sheet, driving a delivery conveyor provided downstream of the supplying conveyor at a constant speed, while changing the speed of the supplying conveyor, and, further, stretching the dough sheet on the delivery conveyor, the supplying conveyor being driven based on the data of any detected change in the dough width. Apparatuses are provided to carry out the above method.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for stretching dough is provided, by which bread dough or confectionery dough is continuously and smoothly stretched by linearly reciprocating a roller over the surface of dough which is continuously conveyed by a series of conveyors, while the roller is rotated by a drive means, and by which method and apparatus the dough can be smoothly stretched without the accumulation of the dough in front of the entrance of the apparatus, thereby obtaining the desired thickness of dough in one operation from the continuously supplied dough material.

Abstract: An apparatus for stretching dough is provided, by which bread dough or confectionery dough is continuously and smoothly stretched by linearly reciprocating a roller over the surface of dough which is continuously coveyed by a series of conveyors, while the roller is rotated by a drive means, and by which method and apparatus the dough can be smoothly stretched without the accumulation of the dough in front of the entrance of the apparatus, thereby obtaining the desired thickness of dough in one operation from the continuously supplied dough material.

Abstract: A method for stretching dough comprising two pairs of rollers and means for imparting vibrations to the dough positioned between the pairs of rollers is provided. In this method, vibrations are imparted to dough, which causes the thixotropic effect in the dough. Such dough can be readily stretched by being subjected to a tensile stress caused by the difference in the peripheral speed of the pairs of rollers. Therefore, dough can be stretched without subjecting it to high pressure during the stretching process.

Abstract: A method is provided for producing bread of a good quality from frozen dough. In this method dough is stretched while being subjected to vibrations so that the dough can be stretched without imparting pressure exceeding the yield point of its elasticity. Thus during the stretching step the gluten network of the dough is unharmed. Further, the dough is rested at least five minutes within a temperature range of 0.degree. C. to 16.degree. C., before it is stretched. Such a dough rested at such a cool condition can be readily stretched, and the stability of the stretched dough is improved over the prior art.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a dough roll is provided, in which a dough piece is held between the conveying path of a conveyor and the parallel and spaced-apart projections extending along the conveying direction, or held between the similar projections of a conveyor and the lower surface of a belt or roller system, while being moved downstream, passes between a pair of vertically juxtaposed rollers to be uniformly stretched without any lateral deformation of the rear portion of the dough piece due to irregularly gathered gases therein, and a symmetrically formed dough roll is produced.

Abstract: An apparatus for quantatively extruding food material is provided. In this apparatus the material is introduced into a space formed between the periphery of a drum and the side wall of a housing. The space is divided into sections defined by flanges, and thus the material is divided into portions and introduced into each section. The drum has an inner chamber between its inner wall and the periphery of a cam. Blades are inserted into slits in the drum periphery, and adjacent pairs of blades form compartments in the sections in the outside of the drum as well as in the inner chamber.The apparatus has a plurality of exit ports communicating with the respective sections. Since the dimensions of the compartments in each section decrease toward the exit ports, while the dimensions of the compartment in the inner chamber increased, the pressure in the outer compartments becomes higher than that of the inner chamber.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for rolling croissant dough pieces are provided. Dough pieces are fed between a pair of rollers with the surface of at least one roller being adhesive to the dough piece and transferred to an endless belt device via a transfer roller of a small diameter and high speed rotation for peeling off the dough piece from the roller. Then the dough pieces are carried under a rolling up device to be rolled into croissant rolls. The dough pieces are transferred to the endless belt maintaining at least one surface of it adhesive, and so the dough rolls produced are wound tightly due to the dough surfaces adhering to each other.

Abstract: An apparatus for stretching dough comprising two pairs of rollers and means for imparting vibrations to the dough positioned between the pairs of rollers is provided. In this apparatus, vibrations are imparted to dough, which causes the thixotropic effect in the dough. Such dough can be readily stretched by being subjected to a tensile stress caused by the difference in the peripheral speed of the pairs of rollers. Therefore, dough can be stretched without subjecting it to high pressure during the stretching process.

Abstract: A method is provided for producing bread of a good quality from dough preserved in a frozen state. In this method the dough is stretched while subjecting it to vibrations so that the dough can be stretched without imparting pressure exceeding the yield point of its elasticity. Thus the gluten network structure is unharmed. Then the dough is frozen for preserving. After a desired period of preservation the dough is baked. Since the dough does not become deflated, but expands further during the baking step, puffy and tasty bread results.

Abstract: An apparatus for shaping and arraying spheroidal bodies is provided. The apparatus comprises a means for continuously supplying a cylindrical body comprising an outer material and a filler material, a cutter assembly having cutter members circumferentially disposed to form a central opening, and an arraying device having an endless belt for transferring a tray. The cutter members slide inwardly to close the opening, and thus the part of the cylindrical body inserted in the opening is shaped into a spheroidal body. An endless belt device is disposed beneath the cutter assembly and the belt is driven intermittently and forwardly and the frame of the endless belt device is moved back and forth in a transverse direction. By moving the belt and frame of the endless belt device so that predetermined positions of its belt are in turn moved to a position directly beneath the opening of the cutter assembly, the spheroidal bodies drop on each predetermined position on a tray placed on the belt.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating a stack of cups made of soft material one from each other and transferring them is provided. This apparatus includes a continuously rotating cup holder and a suction nozzle that is mounted on a vertically and horizontally movable arm. The suction nozzle sucks the top cup in a stack of cups that are in the cup holder while the other cups are rotated as the cup holder rotates. The top cup is separated from the other cups and transferred to a preselected position by the suction nozzle.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for rolling croissant dough pieces are provided. Dough pieces are fed between a pair of rollers with the surface of at least one roller being adhesive to the dough piece and transferred to an endless belt device via a transfer roller of a small diameter and high speed rotation for peeling off the dough piece from the roller. Then the dough pieces are carried under a rolling up device to be rolled into croissant rolls. The dough pieces are transferred to the endless belt maintaining at least one surface of it adhesive, and so the dough rolls produced are wound tightly due to the dough surfaces adhering to each other.

Abstract: A method of continuously measuring a successively conveyed lengthy body. Light sensors are located above and laterally of the conveying path of a conveyor and measure the distances from the sensors to various points on the surface of the lengthy body while being conveyed. The sectional area of the body is then calculated by a computer, and further the weight of the body is calculated. Various kinds of light sensors are applicable to the method of this invention.

Abstract: A method is provided for producing dough for bread or pastry in which no excessive pressure is imparted to the dough. In this method kneaded dough is divided into dough portions, each portion is weighed, and the dough portions are placed to occupy a space proportional to the weight of each portion. By regulating the width and thickness of each portion, a dough strip having uniform dimensions is provided. Then shaped dough pieces are processed through cutting and shaping steps. The possibility of the gluten network being damaged by an excessive pressure is eliminated. Thus puffy and tasty bread or pastry made of such dough, and having an excellent quality, can be provided when the dough is baked.

Abstract: A method for continuously producing a dough strip of substantially uniform dimensions is disclosed. The method is carried out in an apparatus (2) comprising a hopper (4) having a divider (8) at its bottom, a conveyor (10) with a weighing device (12), a transfer conveyor (13), a thickness defining device (24) mounted on the transfer conveyor (13) and width defining members (26) between the transfer conveyor (13) and the thickness defining device (24). Dough portions supplied from the hopper (4) are weighed and supplied onto the transfer conveyor (13) one after another. By regulating the width and thickness of each dough portion, the length of the dough portion is made proportional to its weight. A new dough portion is supplied onto the transfer conveyor when the conveyor has conveyed the preceding dough portion a distance proportional to the weight thereof.

Abstract: An apparatus for continuously producing a dough strip of substantially uniform dimensions is provided. The apparatus (2) comprises a hopper (4) having a divider (8) at its bottom, a conveyor (10) with a weighing device (12), a transfer conveyor (13), a thickness defining device (24) mounted on the transfer conveyor (13) and the width defining members (26) between the transfer conveyor (13) and the thickness defining device (24). In this apparatus, the dough portions supplied from the hopper (4) are weighed and supplied onto the transfer conveyor (13) one after another. By regulating the width and thickness of the dough, the length of the dough is made to be proportional to its weight. Thus the dough portion is supplied onto the transfer conveyor when it has conveyed the preceding dough portion a distance proportional to the weight thereof. The dough portions are connected to each other to make a dough strip when they pass through the thickness defining device (24) and the width defining members (26).

Abstract: A method for shaping a spherical body consiting of dough crust and a filling is provided. A continuously fed cylindrical body, consisting of dough crust and a filling, is constricted by at least three slidable members which form an opening or closes it. The members slide one each other so as to constrict the cylindrical body.The contact area of the members with the surface of the cylindrical body gradually decreases as the opening is closed, thereby constricting the cylindrical body and shaping the spherical body.