Abstract: Dough intended for use in producing bakery products is homogenized and advanced to extrusion nozzles where it is cut into successive pieces that fall onto a moving conveyor. The pieces are of precisely uniform weight because a constant pressure is maintained on the dough as it is forwarded by a metering pump toward the nozzles. Apparatus for achieving such result includes an auger, a developer positioned downstream from the auger, and a transition chamber fed by the developer and located upstream from the metering pump. A pressure-measuring monitor serves to control the rotational speed of the auger, thereby maintaining the dough under constant pressure within the apparatus.

Abstract: Bakery dough continuously emergent from a dough-handling machine is cut into successive pieces of uniform weight by apparatus which involves a nozzle containing a downwardly directed extrusion orifice having a shape that is oblong about a line of elongation. A taut cutting wire aligned in a direction parallel to the line of elongation is caused to move in a reciprocating manner across the orifice in a path that is transverse to the line of elongation.

Abstract: Apparatus for controlling the flow of dough in a machine for advancing bakery dough through a single manifold that feeds parallel conduits includes a stem disposed upon the center axis of each conduit and adjustment means for axially positioning the stem. A moveable abutment plug of streamlined shape is positioned upon the stem adjacent its lowermost extremity. A stationary abutment shoulder is disposed within the conduit above the moveable abutment plug, and is adapted to make close-fitting contact with the upper portion of the moveable abutment plug.

Abstract: Dough intended for use in producing bakery products is homogenized and advanced to extrusion nozzles where it is cut into successive pieces that fall onto a moving conveyor. The pieces are of precisely uniform weight because a constant pressure is maintained on the dough as it is forwarded by a metering pump toward the nozzles. Apparatus for achieving such result includes an auger, a developer positioned downstream from the auger, and a transition chamber fed by the developer and located upstream from the metering pump. A pressure-measuring monitor serves to control the rotational speed of the auger, thereby maintaining the dough under constant pressure within the apparatus.

Abstract: A dough piece rounder and method where the belt used for conveying the dough pieces past the rounder bar is supported by a thin film of air between the underside of the conveyor belt and a perforated plate which forms the upper flat side of a plenum chamber. The principal part of the apparatus is supported on a horizontal cantilever cylinder so that the belt can be readily replaced from one side and the apparatus can be tilted so that the inlet and exit of the dough pieces can be at different levels.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for continuously dispensing dough for making bread, rolls, buns and the like by pressurizing and homogenizing the dough by a pair of open-flighted augers in a tunnel having minimal clearances so that the dough is provided with a uniform texture and density which permits a division into pieces having weights with tolerances within one-half of one percent.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for dividing a mass of dough into a plurality of individual streams by means of a manifold and fine tuning the flow rate of the individual streams by weir type diaphragm valves so the streams have identical flow rates. Each of the individual streams of dough are simultaneously cut into identical dough pieces by a rotating driver by a four-bar link mechanism.

Abstract: An electric starting system for controlling an electric starter that has a solenoid for shifting a pinion and for closing solenoid contacts to energize a cranking motor that drives the pinion. The solenoid has a single coil connected in series with a plurality of parallel connected field effect transistors. The circuit that energizes the solenoid coil through the field effect transistors is in parallel with the solenoid contacts and the cranking motor. The gates of the transistors are connected to an oscillator which causes the transistors to be repeatedly turned on and off at a predetermined frequency and duty cycle. Pulses of current are supplied to the solenoid coil which are sufficient to maintain the pinion meshed with the ring gear of an engine and to maintain said solenoid contacts closed without overheating the coil.

Abstract: An electronic starting motor control having low voltage protection. The starting motor has a solenoid coil which when energized causes solenoid contacts to be closed to energize the motor and to move a pinion into mesh with the ring gear of an engine to be cranked. A plurality of parallel connected field effect transistors connect and disconnect the solenoid coil to and from system direct voltage. When system voltage is below a predetermined value the field effect transistors are turned off and are maintained turned off until a start switch is opened. The system will not turn off the field effect transistors when short term voltages occur that go below the predetermined value. Various other circuits are disclosed for turning the field effect transistors on and off.

Abstract: An electronic control for an electric engine starter that includes a cranking motor and a solenoid for moving a pinion into mesh with an engine ring gear and for operating solenoid contacts. If end tooth abutment occurs between the pinion and ring gear to block meshing of the pinion with the ring gear the solenoid contacts do not close and this is sensed by an electronic circuit connected to the solenoid contacts and to a start switch. When pinion block occurs the electronic circuit develops a signal which causes the solenoid to be deenergized and to be maintained deenergized until the start switch is opened. The electronic circuit includes means for preventing solenoid contact chatter by locking out energization of the solenoid coil if the solenoid contacts open after being closed due to, for example, low voltage.

Abstract: An electronic starting motor control system for electric starting apparatus of a type that has a solenoid including a solenoid coil. Energization of the solenoid coil causes solenoid contacts to close and causes a pinion to be shifted into mesh with the ring gear of an engine to be cranked. The current supply to the solenoid coil is controlled by a plurality of parallel connected field effect transistors that are turned on and off. The system has a fail safe circuit which operates to cause the wire bonds of the field effect transistors to open in the event that a field effect transistor fails by shorting. The system has an overvoltage protection circuit which during an overvoltage condition shuts off the supply of voltage to the gates of the transistors and shuts off the voltage supply to a plurality of control circuits that are coupled to the gates of the transistors.

Abstract: An electronic control for an electric cranking motor. A start switch controls energization of the cranking motor. The control has an up-down counter. When the start switch is closed the counter counts up and when the start switch is open the counter counts down. When the counter attains a certain count magnitude the cranking motor is deenergized and is prevented from being subsequently energized for a predetermined period of time to allow the cranking motor to cool-down. The rate that the counter is counted down is lower than up-counting rate.

Abstract: An electric starting system for controlling the energization of an electric starting motor that is operative to crank an engine. An engine speed sensor is coupled to the engine and develops engine speed pulses, the frequency of which is a function of engine speed. The engine speed pulses are counted by a counter for constant durations of time. If the number of speed pulses counted for a constant duration of time exceeds a predetermined number of pulses the starting motor is deenergized. The system has a start switch and a time delay circuit for causing the cranking motor to be energized at a predetermined time delay period following closure of the start switch.

Abstract: A linear peristaltic type pump capable of moving high viscosity material without creating an appreciable amount of heat includes a flexible conduit that is progressively compressed by a series of gear-driven compressing shoes that move linearly into and out of contact with the conduit by reciprocating motion, with a dwell time provided for each conduit compression event. A specific gear and linkage drive system is provided, including interengaged gears driving the compressing shoes via links on either side of the shoes.

Abstract: A rotating drum divider and an improved assembly for use in a cylinder of the rotating drum type dough divider comprising a sleeve positioned in the cylinder forming seals on both sides of a pair of diametrically opposed guide slots connected to atmosphere and a pair of ducts communicating with the cylinder at opposite ends of the sleeve which are alternately connected to pressure and vacuum, a double acting piston having a head in each end of the cylinder and a piston rod portion extending from each head into the sleeve, and a scaling rod joining the adjacent ends of the piston rod portions together, and reciprocating to cause the rod portions and their heads to reciprocate together in the cylinder as a double ended piston.

Abstract: A pan indexer for use with a moulder/panner with a gate and a conveyor, having a carrier for a cantilevered template with a spaced series of tangs for successively engaging and releasing pans on the conveyor when the template is moved up and down in synchronism with dough pieces being deposited through a gate from the moulder/panner to pans on the conveyor.

Abstract: A rounder bar with a biased flexible foot portion responsive to surface irregularities of a conveyor for maintaining a continuous contact with the conveyor along the full length of the rounder bar.

Abstract: The alternating current output potential of an alternator is rectified by a main rectifier circuit to provide a first charging potential and by an auxiliary rectifier circuit arrangement of the type that is enabled only in response to the presence of electrical enabling signals to provide a second charging potential. The first charging potential is applied across two series connected storage batteries and the second charging potential is applied across only a selected one of batteries. The enabling signals for the auxiliary rectifier circuit arrangement are initiated by a free-running oscillator circuit and circuitry responsive to the potential across the two batteries in series and to the potential across the selected battery is arranged to disable the oscillator circuit when the potential across the selected battery is of magnitude greater than one-half that of the potential across the two series connected batteries.