Patents by Inventor Katsumichi HIGUCHI

Katsumichi HIGUCHI has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11819030
    Abstract: A rolled food dough having a good shape is stably produced. The rolled food dough is arranged on a conveyor in an orderly manner. A roll-forming device and method having high production capacity are provided. The downstream end portion PL of the food dough piece P is deflected by a middle-speed conveyor 1 and a high-speed conveyor 3 facing each other in an up-down direction, folded and adhesively pressed between a following low-speed conveyor 2 and the high-speed conveyor 3 to form a rolling core PA, and rolled due to a speed difference between the facing conveyors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Rheon Automatic Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsumichi Higuchi, Taro Fukugami, Akihiro Orui
  • Publication number: 20210212324
    Abstract: A rolled food dough having a good shape is stably produced. The rolled food dough is arranged on a conveyor in an orderly manner. A roll-forming device and method having high production capacity are provided. The downstream end portion PL of the food dough piece P is deflected by a middle-speed conveyor 1 and a high-speed conveyor 3 facing each other in an up-down direction, folded and adhesively pressed between a following low-speed conveyor 2 and the high-speed conveyor 3 to form a rolling core PA, and rolled due to a speed difference between the facing conveyors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2019
    Publication date: July 15, 2021
    Inventors: Katsumichi HIGUCHI, Taro FUKUGAMI, Akihiro ORUI
  • Publication number: 20210045391
    Abstract: A device for roiling up flat dough around or without a filling to produce a rolled food product is comprised of: a first belt having an end and moving in a first direction toward the end to convey the dough with or without the filling laid on the first belt; a second belt so disposed adjacent to the end as to make the dough conveyed in the first direction be brought into contact with the second belt to curve the dough and movable in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and holding members arranged along the first belt to guide the dough curved along the second belt around along the holding members, whereby rolling up the dough.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Publication date: February 18, 2021
    Applicant: RHEON AUTOMATIC MACHINERY CO., LTD.,
    Inventors: Nobuaki HARADA, Taro FUKUGAMI, Katsumichi HIGUCHI, Takuto TAKANOHASHI
  • Patent number: 10849327
    Abstract: The inventions relate to an apparatus for aligning and positioning pieces of food dough with predetermined orientations and at predetermined intervals, and provide an aligning and positioning apparatus that can easily adjust positions of the pieces of food dough in a perpendicular direction to a moving direction of the pieces and that can process at high speed. An aligning and positioning apparatus of the inventions includes a holding unit having a plurality of holding mechanisms to hold a plurality of pieces of food dough carried by a first conveyor, a driving mechanism of the holding mechanisms, guide members to control the positions of the holding mechanisms in the perpendicular direction when the holding mechanisms are moved by the driving mechanism, and a positioning mechanism to adjust positions of the guide members in the perpendicular direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: RHEON AUTOMATIC MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Taro Fukugami, Katsumichi Higuchi, Nobuo Oshima
  • Patent number: 10117437
    Abstract: Provided is a rounding device that rounds a food dough using a pair of shaping plates (11, 13), the device being provided with the following: a conveying device (9) that conveys a food dough (7); and the pair of shaping plates (11, 13) disposed on the upper surface of the conveying device (9) so as to extend along the conveying direction (R) of the conveying device. The rounding device is characterized in that at least one of the pair of shaping plates (11, 13) has recessed holding-dough parts (17, 21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: RHEON AUTOMATIC MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsumichi Higuchi, Shoji Machida
  • Publication number: 20180199579
    Abstract: Provided is a rounding device that rounds a food dough using a pair of shaping plates (11, 13), the device being provided with the following: a conveying device (9) that conveys a food dough (7); and the pair of shaping plates (11, 13) disposed on the upper surface of the conveying device (9) so as to extend along the conveying direction (R) of the conveying device. The rounding device is characterized in that at least one of the pair of shaping plates (11, 13) has recessed holding-dough parts (17, 21).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Applicant: Rheon Automatic Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsumichi Higuchi, Shoji Machida
  • Publication number: 20180116229
    Abstract: The inventions relate to an apparatus for aligning and positioning pieces of food dough with predetermined orientations and at predetermined intervals, and provide an aligning and positioning apparatus that can easily adjust positions of the pieces of food dough in a perpendicular direction to a moving direction of the pieces and that can process at high speed. An aligning and positioning apparatus of the inventions includes a holding unit having a plurality of holding mechanisms to hold a plurality of pieces of food dough carried by a first conveyor, a driving mechanism of the holding mechanisms, guide members to control the positions of the holding mechanisms in the perpendicular direction when the holding mechanisms are moved by the driving mechanism, and a positioning mechanism to adjust positions of the guide members in the perpendicular direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Applicant: RHEON AUTOMATIC MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Taro FUKUGAMI, Katsumichi HIGUCHI, Nobuo OSHIMA
  • Patent number: 9854814
    Abstract: A rounding device for rounding food dough is provided with a conveyance device (9) which conveys the food dough (7) and a pair of forming plates (11, 13), which, on the upper face of the conveyance device (9), are arranged so as to extend along the conveyance direction (R) of the conveyance device (9). The forming plates (11, 13) at least opposed sloped surfaces (18B, 22B). The sloped surfaces are tilted outward from the lower side to the upper side so that the gap between the sloped surfaces is narrow on the lower side and wide on the upper side. The rounding device rounds the food dough using the sloped surfaces (18B, 22B) of the pair of the forming plates (11, 13).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: RHEON AUTOMATIC MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Michio Morikawa, Katsumichi Higuchi, Akinori Takama, Shuya Sato, Akira Todate
  • Publication number: 20170027181
    Abstract: A rounding device for rounding food dough is provided with a conveyance device (9) which conveys the food dough (7) and a pair of forming plates (11, 13), which, on the upper face of the conveyance device (9), are arranged so as to extend along the conveyance direction (R) of the conveyance device (9). The forming plates (11, 13) at least opposed sloped surfaces (18B, 22B). The sloped surfaces are tilted outward from the lower side to the upper side so that the gap between the sloped surfaces is narrow on the lower side and wide on the upper side. The rounding device rounds the food dough using the sloped surfaces (18B, 22B) of the pair of the forming plates (11, 13).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2016
    Publication date: February 2, 2017
    Applicant: Rheon Automatic Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Michio Morikawa, Katsumichi Higuchi, Akinori Takama, Shuya Sato, Akira Todate
  • Patent number: 9392798
    Abstract: A rounding device for rounding food dough is provided with a conveyance device (9) which conveys the food dough (7) and a pair of forming plates (11, 13), which, on the upper face of the conveyance device (9), are arranged so as to extend along the conveyance direction (R) of the conveyance device (9). The forming plates (11, 13) at least opposed sloped surfaces (18B, 22B). The sloped surfaces are tilted outward from the lower side to the upper side so that the gap between the sloped surfaces is narrow on the lower side and wide on the upper side. The rounding device rounds the food dough using the sloped surfaces (18B, 22B) of the pair of the forming plates (11, 13).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: RHEON AUTOMATIC MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Michio Morikawa, Katsumichi Higuchi, Akinori Takama, Shuya Sato, Akira Todate
  • Publication number: 20150157029
    Abstract: A rounding device for rounding food dough is provided with a conveyance device (9) which conveys the food dough (7) and a pair of forming plates (11, 13), which, on the upper face of the conveyance device (9), are arranged so as to extend along the conveyance direction (R) of the conveyance device (9). The forming plates (11, 13) at least opposed sloped surfaces (18B, 22B). The sloped surfaces are tilted outward from the lower side to the upper side so that the gap between the sloped surfaces is narrow on the lower side and wide on the upper side. The rounding device rounds the food dough using the sloped surfaces (18B, 22B) of the pair of the forming plates (11, 13).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2013
    Publication date: June 11, 2015
    Inventors: Michio Morikawa, Katsumichi Higuchi, Akinori Takama, Shuya Sato, Akira Todate
  • Publication number: 20100166902
    Abstract: A dough measuring conveyor (5) for measuring a food dough (1) includes: a measuring unit (13) for measuring a weight of the food dough (1); a conveying unit (17) for conveying the food dough (1); and a dough pressing unit (25A, 25B) for pressing the food dough against the conveying unit (17) from above the conveying unit (17) to prevent the food dough from being lifted up. The dough pressing unit (25A, 25B) is integrally provided to a frame of the measuring conveyor (5). A dough measuring and cutting apparatus includes: a transferring conveyor (3) for conveying the food dough onto the dough measuring conveyor (5); a cutting device (9) for cutting the food dough; and a measurement-checking conveyor (19) for performing measurement check of a cut piece (1A) cut off from the food dough.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2008
    Publication date: July 1, 2010
    Applicant: RHEON AUTOMATIC MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Eiji KURIBAYASHI, Katsumichi HIGUCHI