Abstract: An apparatus and method for continuously producing filled dough pieces is provided. A pair of toothed rotary disc cutters are arranged on a conveyor belt feeding a filled cylindrical dough body. A plurality of dividers mounted on the periphery of a wheel are disposed between and above the teeth. The dividers and the teeth rotate about their own axes to flatten the cylindrical dough body and to split it by their cooperatively synchronized movement whereby completely incrusted spherical or variously shaped filled dough pieces are produced.

Abstract: An apparatus for quantitatively extruding food material is provided.The apparatus comprises a hopper, a frame supporting the hopper and having a chamber therein with first and second ports, to which a nozzle and a piston and cylinder assembly are connected, and a cylindrical food forming device.The food material which flows from the hopper into the chamber is confined by the cylindrical food forming device and forms a cylindrical body, which is then extruded by the piston from the nozzle, whereby even food material including large solids can be quantitatively extruded.

Abstract: A screw conveyor having a propelling device to push a plastic material onto a screw is provided. The propelling device comprises a roller, a rectangular vane, and a guide member, which are disposed above the screw and adjacent a wall of the housing of the screw conveyor. The roller is adapted to rotate about its out axis while its circumferential surface is in contact with the arcuate face of the guide member, so that one end of the vane received slidably in a rectangular slot protrudes from the roller pheriphery to push a plastic material onto the screw, thereby promoting an effective feeding of the plastic material.

Abstract: An apparatus for rolling plastic dough is provided. Two conveyors and one roller between them are serially arranged and driven at different speeds. A circular endless roller mechanism is disposed above the conveyors and adapted to be displaced along the conveyance path to adjust the thickness of a dough sheet to be obtained. The roller between the conveyors can move vertically to adjust the vertical distance from it to the endless roller path of the roller mechanism.The combination of these devices make possible an effective rolling and stretching of the dough while the thickness of the dough to be flattened is easily adjusted.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for quantifying the flow rate of dough by controlling the speed of a feed conveyor when the dough is transferred from the feed conveyor onto a constant-speed conveyor. Dough is weighed and the movement of the feed conveyor is controlled at a speed inversely proportional to the weighed measurements, whereby the dough is stretched or compressed cooperatively with two pressing means to make constant the weight of dough per unit length.

Abstract: Device for forming plastic balls from a bar of plastic material. The bar is separated into balls one by one by a pair of circular cutters, each cutter being formed on its peripheral side surface with a cutting member consisting of plural number of spiral arcuate blades which are arranged within equi-angular ranges, respectively, extending along the peripheral side surface of the cutter.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for continuously producing at a constant flow rate a strip of dough of constant dimensions by controlling the speed of a feed conveyor assembly when the dough is transferred from it onto a constant-speed conveyor. Dough is weighed and fed at speeds inversely proportional to the weighed measurements and the transferred dough is defined by a cooperative action of two constant-speed conveyors, defining members and a roller mechanism to define the dimensions of the dough strip.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing food products, such as knoedels, picnic eggs, knish etc., in which core materials are wrapped with crust materials. The apparatus comprises an outside cylindrical assembly and an inside cylindrical assembly, each assembly having a substantially horizontal axis, further comprises an annular passageway for crust materials which is formed between the opposite surfaces of cylindrical body portions of the two assemblies. Each assembly comprises an outer tube and inner tube which are arranged so that the former abuts the latter and they can periodically rotate in the opposite directions about their common axis. The outer and inner tubes of said outside assembly are provided at the respective body portions thereof with inlet and outlet apertures for the crust material. The outer and inner tubes of said inside assembly are provided at the respective body portions thereof with outlet apertures for the crust material.

Abstract: An apparatus for continuously discharging dough through a gap or exit (9; 109) to produce a web of dough sheet (15; 115). Dough (16; 116) supplied in a hopper (1; 101) is advanced by a conveying mechanism (2; 103) serving as the moving bottom wall of the hopper toward said exit which is provided at a lower portion of a side wall of the hopper, said exit (9; 109) being defined between a part of said conveying mechanism and the upper end of the exit, a cutter (10; 110) being provided at the upper end of the exit, a cutter (10; 110) being provided at the upper end of the exit so as to be directed inwardly of the hopper. Thus, dough can be smoothly discharged through said exit without jamming it.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for continuously manufacturing multi-layered dough materials containing at least dough layers comprising the steps of continuously extruding material in a tubular form onto a conveyor belt, stretching the material to a thin strip while being transported, folding and piling up the strip of material and re-stretching the piled up material. The apparatus comprises a dough feeder comprising a vertical hollow screw and a double-layered annular bottom outlet, a first conveyor means, a first roller assembly consisting of rollers progressing along a closed orbit, a swinging means positioned between the first and the second roller assemblies for swinging dough material so as to allow it to be riled up on a second conveyor means in a multi-layered form, and a second roller assembly similar to the first roller assembly for stretching the piled up dough material in coaction with the second conveyor means.

Abstract: An apparatus for adjusting the intervals between soft objects being conveyed comprises the combination of a member provided with a plurality of slits parallel to the direction of movement of the objects and a rotating shaft positioned underneath said member at right angles to the direction of movement of the objects. The shaft is provided with a plurality of flanges thereabout. This combination is positioned between a feed conveyor and a receiving conveyor and the flanges are arranged to reciprocate through the slits of the member between a position where the upper ends of the flanges are elevated above the upper surface of the member and a position where the upper ends of said flanges are lowered below the upper surface of said member, thereby adjusting the intervals between objects transferred to the receiving conveyor as desired. The feed conveyor may be arranged to be operated intermittently so as to ensure transfer of only one object per cycle of the rotating shaft.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a plurality of trapezoidal dough pieces of the same orientation from a web of moving dough sheet includes a first rotatable cylindrical cutter producing two kinds of series of trapezoidal dough pieces arranged in opposite orientations, one kind of series of continuous, the other separated into pieces. The series which is continuous is sidetracked upwardly, cut into pieces by a second rotatable cylindrical cutter and then reversed by passing around a curved surface and following onto the moving surface on which the dough pieces of the other series are being conveyed. The fall causes all dough pieces to have the same orientation.

Abstract: A method for the shaping and cutting of bread dough which forms the dough into a strip, stretches the dough by applying pulling forces to said strip, cuts the dough and overlaps the dough.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for continuously manufacturing multi-layered dough materials containing at least dough layers comprising the steps of continuously extruding material in a tubular form onto a conveyor belt, stretching the material to a thin strip while being transported, folding and piling up the strip of material and re-stretching the piled up material. The apparatus comprises a dough feeder comprising a vertical hollow screw and a double-layered annular bottom outlet, a first conveyor means, a first roller assembly consisting of rollers progressing along a closed orbit, a swinging means positioned between the first and the second roller assemblies for swinging dough material so as to allow it to be piled up on a second conveyor means in a multi-layered form, and a second roller assembly similar to the first roller assembly for stretching the piled up dough material in coaction with the second conveyor means.

Abstract: An apparatus for continuously stretching dough for cakes, bread and the like, comprising a plurality of rollers progressing along a closed orbit comprising a lower straight portion, a plurality of conveyor belts positioned thereunder, with the upper flights of said conveyor belts being spaced apart from each other.

Abstract: An apparatus for continuously stretching dough for cakes, bread and the like, comprising a plurality of freely rotatable stretching rollers progressing along a closed orbit comprising a lower straight portion, and a dough transport device positioned thereunder and facing the lower straight portion of the orbit leaving a space between the stretching rollers progressing on the lower straight portion of the orbit and the upper surface of the dough transport device sufficient to permit the pass of dough to be stretched, the dough transport device comprising at least a portion of an intake belt conveyor and one or more positively driven transport rollers disposed in series downstream of the intake conveyor, with or without at least a portion of a further downstream belt conveyor.

Abstract: A pressure feeder for feeding solid or semi-solid material plastic in nature from a container into or through a relatively narrow outlet, comprising a container for the material with an outlet at the bottom thereof, a hollow cylindrical pusher member oval-shaped in cross-section and having a gear along the inner periphery thereof, a driven pinion gear mounted on the container and inserted in the pusher member, and a holder fixedly mounted on the container so as to hold the pusher member between it and the pinion gear. The pusher member carries out repeatedly a linear movement followed by a turn about the pinion gear.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for forming dough and dough pieces to a thickness of as little as 1 mm. The apparatus generally comprises a plurality of powered externally rotated rollers spaced above a plurality of moving conveyor belts. The dough is pressed and stretched without breaking by the action of said rollers and said conveyor belts.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for continuously manufacturing multi-layered dough materials containing at least dough layers comprising the steps of continuously extruding material in a tubular form onto a conveyor belt, stretching the material to a thin strip while being transported, folding and piling up the strip of material and re-stretching the piled up material. The apparatus comprises a dough feeder comprising a vertical hollow screw and a double-layered annular bottom outlet, a first conveyor means, a first roller assembly consisting of rollers progressing along a closed orbit, a swinging means positioned between the first and the second roller assemblies for swinging dough material so as to allow it to be riled up on a second conveyor means in a multi-layered form, and a second roller assembly similar to the first roller assembly for stretching the piled up dough material in coaction with the second conveyor means.

Abstract: A carrying plate, for use in a bakery, transports formed and fermented dough products and is adapted to be transported by a conveyor means and automatically unloaded. The core plate has an acute-angled front end and the endless flexible belt is provided with laterally extending ridges. The plate is advanced on the conveyor means to an unloading station where automatically a roller swings into contact with the lower surface of the belt on the plate to rotate it and unload the dough products.