Patents by Inventor Udo Bernhardt

Udo Bernhardt 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: 11744253
    Abstract: A device for orienting wound dough products includes a first conveyor belt circulating with a first conveying speed and transporting a wound dough product having an end protruding from a circumference of the dough product. A second conveyor belt receives the wound dough product from the first conveyor belt and circulates with a second conveying speed which is different from the first conveying speed. The difference between the first conveying speed and the second conveying speed sets the wound dough product received from the first conveyor belt in a desired rolling motion on the second conveyor belt, wherein after the wound dough product has reached a defined end position in which the end of the wound dough product abuts on the second conveyor belt, the rolling motion of the wound dough product stops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: FRITSCH BAKERY TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Udo Bernhardt
  • Patent number: 11497219
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a device for forming a substantially straight, in particular wound, dough piece into an annular shape, comprising a bending unit for annularly bending the dough piece. The bending unit may comprise at least one retaining jaw, two movably supported shaping jaws, a lifting device and a stamp. While being in engagement with the dough piece, one of the shaping jaws provided with a projection is displaceable along a displacement path section between an initial position, in which the projection is in contact with a lower surface of the dough piece, and a final position, in which the projection has been brought out of engagement with the dough piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: FRITSCH BAKERY TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Udo Bernhardt, Rainer Wagner
  • Publication number: 20220330557
    Abstract: A device for orienting wound dough products includes a first conveyor belt circulating with a first conveying speed and transporting a wound dough product having an end protruding from a circumference of the dough product. A second conveyor belt receives the wound dough product from the first conveyor belt and circulates with a second conveying speed which is different from the first conveying speed. The difference between the first conveying speed and the second conveying speed sets the wound dough product received from the first conveyor belt in a desired rolling motion on the second conveyor belt, wherein after the wound dough product has reached a defined end position in which the end of the wound dough product abuts on the second conveyor belt, the rolling motion of the wound dough product stops.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2022
    Publication date: October 20, 2022
    Applicant: FRITSCH BAKERY TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Udo Bernhardt
  • Publication number: 20220312778
    Abstract: A dough portioning device comprises a metering device with a container configured to receive a supply of dough, and a separator configured to separate a defined quantity of dough from the supply of dough and to discharge the quantity of dough at a discharge end of the metering device in a discharge direction. The dough portioning device furthermore comprises a conveyor device configured to transport dough in a conveying direction, wherein the conveyor device comprises a conveyor belt, and is arranged below the discharge end of the metering device. The conveyor device furthermore comprises a belt guide configured to bend/fold lateral sections of the conveyor belt relative to a middle section in a direction towards the metering device. The middle section of the conveyor belt has a declivity relative to the discharge end of the metering device, at least in a section in the region of the metering device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Applicant: FRITSCH BAKERY TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Udo BERNHARDT
  • Patent number: 11425914
    Abstract: A device for orienting wound dough products includes a first conveyor belt circulating with a first conveying speed and transporting a wound dough product having an end protruding from a circumference of the dough product. A second conveyor belt receives the wound dough product from the first conveyor belt and circulates with a second conveying speed which is different from the first conveying speed. The difference between the first conveying speed and the second conveying speed sets the wound dough product received from the first conveyor belt in a desired rolling motion on the second conveyor belt, wherein after the wound dough product has reached a defined end position in which the end of the wound dough product abuts on the second conveyor belt, the rolling motion of the wound dough product stops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: FRISCH BAKERY TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Udo Bernhardt
  • Patent number: 11332319
    Abstract: A system is provided for conveying dough along a conveying section, and the system comprises an elongate dough-conveying element that defines the conveying section. The dough-conveying element comprises a dough-supporting region that forms a supporting surface for dough conveyable or to be conveyed by means of the system, and at least one lateral region extending laterally along the dough-supporting region in the longitudinal direction of the dough-conveying element. The at least one lateral region is movably disposed or formed, in particular pivotally disposed or formed, relative to the dough-supporting region. Furthermore, the dough-conveying element exhibits flexurally-rigid material behavior in the vicinity of the dough-supporting region and resiliently-extensible material behavior in the vicinity of the at least one lateral region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: FRITSCH BAKERY TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Udo Bernhardt
  • Publication number: 20220061337
    Abstract: A device for making filled dough products comprises a conveyor device configured to convey dough pieces in a production direction, a holding belt disposed above the conveyor device and configured to engage a filling, which is disposed on one of the dough pieces, and a winding device configured to fold and/or wind one of the dough pieces. The winding device comprises a folding device adapted to fold a folding portion of the dough piece upwards, wherein the folding device comprises a hook, which is pivotably disposed above the conveyor device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Applicant: FRITSCH BAKERY TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Udo BERNHARDT, Alfred STROEBEL
  • Publication number: 20210352918
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a device for embossing, imprinting, cutting or stamping dough pieces, and the device includes a positioning unit and a tool. The tool includes at least one stamp adapted to be brought into engagement with a dough piece. When the dough pieces are arranged in an undefined position on a flat support, the positioning unit is capable of detecting at least a position of one dough piece, and the tool is adapted to be centered at a target position above the one dough piece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2019
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Applicant: FRITSCH BAKERY TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Udo BERNHARDT
  • Publication number: 20210307337
    Abstract: A system for conveying dough along a conveying section comprises at least one dough-conveying element that defines a conveying section of a defined total length. The conveying section has a first conveying section portion, in which dough conveyable along the conveying section can be placed on the dough conveying element, a second conveying section portion connected downstream of the first conveying section portion, in which the cross-sectional geometry of the dough conveyable or conveyed along the conveying section can be altered, and a third conveying section portion connected downstream of the second conveying section portion, in which conveyable or conveyed dough with an altered cross-sectional geometry can be conveyed towards a transfer region, in which the conveyable or conveyed dough can be transferred to a dough-processing system that can be or is connected downstream of the system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Applicant: FRITSCH BAKERY TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Udo BERNHARDT
  • Publication number: 20210276809
    Abstract: A system is provided for conveying dough along a conveying section, and the system comprises an elongate dough-conveying element that defines the conveying section. The dough-conveying element comprises a dough-supporting region that forms a supporting surface for dough conveyable or to be conveyed by means of the system, and at least one lateral region extending laterally along the dough-supporting region in the longitudinal direction of the dough-conveying element. The at least one lateral region is movably disposed or formed, in particular pivotally disposed or formed, relative to the dough-supporting region. Furthermore, the dough-conveying element exhibits flexurally-rigid material behavior in the vicinity of the dough-supporting region and resiliently-extensible material behavior in the vicinity of the at least one lateral region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Applicant: FRITSCH BAKERY TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Udo BERNHARDT
  • Patent number: 11006635
    Abstract: A method for processing a U-shaped dough strand (100) having a first dough strand end, which can be used as a securing dough strand end (111), and a second dough strand end, which can be used as a looping dough strand end (121), in which the dough strand (100) is looped by means of a processing head (200) having at least two gripping means (201, 202) to form at least one dough strand loop (161, 162, 163) and is positioned by means of a processing table (300) having positioning means (304, 305, 306, 307), and at least one positioning means embodied as a lifting means (307) raises sections of the dough strand (100) to a raised position relative to the processing table (300), and/or at least one positioning means embodied as a table gripper (306) stretches and/or pulls sections of one of the dough strand ends (121).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: FRITSCH BAKERY TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Udo Bernhardt
  • Patent number: 10820598
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for machine production of pretzels, comprising: providing a pretzel shaping and looping device, which receives strands of dough by means of a feed mechanism; gripping the central area of the strands of dough with a shaping unit of the device, wherein the central area of the strand of dough is wrapped around a plurality of bolt-type shaping elements of the shaping unit that are adjustable in height; gripping the ends of the dough using grippers and stretching the strand of dough (8) by pulling on the ends of the strand of dough, while securing the central area of the strand of dough by the shaping unit, and shaping a pretzel knot using a mutual rotation of the grippers, wherein the shaping of the pretzel knot is initiated by rotation of the grippers during the stretching of the strand of dough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: FRITSCH BAKERY TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Udo Bernhardt
  • Publication number: 20200196615
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device (01, 18) for forming substantially straight, in particular wound, dough pieces (02) into an annular shape, comprising a bending unit for annularly bending the dough piece (02), the bending unit comprising: at least one retaining jaw (04) and two movably supported shaping jaws (07, 08, 19, 20) and a lifting device and a stamp (17), wherein, while being in engagement with the dough piece (02), a shaping jaw (08, 19) provided with a projection (12, 27) is displaced along a displacement path section between an initial position and a final position, and wherein the projection (12, 27) is in contact with the lower surface of the dough piece (02) at the initial position, and wherein the projection (12, 27) has been brought out of engagement with the dough piece (02) at the final position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2019
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventors: Udo Bernhardt, Rainer Wagner
  • Publication number: 20190364910
    Abstract: A method for producing a roll made of a dough piece and a separator sheet includes feeding the dough piece onto a separator sheet web moved in a conveying direction; cutting-to-length the separator sheet web to form a separator sheet which is assigned to the dough piece and has a front edge in front of the dough piece and a rear edge behind the dough piece, the separator sheet protruding from below the dough piece at the front edge and/or the rear edge with a front protrusion and/or a rear protrusion; rolling up the separator sheet with the dough piece to form the roll; wherein a separator sheet web is used which has a residual-stress state, the residual stress of the separator sheet web causing the cut-to-length separator sheet to roll up automatically at the front edge and/or the rear edge after termination of the cutting-to-length process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Inventor: UDO BERNHARDT
  • Publication number: 20190037857
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for machine production of pretzels, comprising the following features: providing a pretzel shaping and looping device (1), which receives strands of dough by means of a feed mechanism; gripping the central area of the strands of dough with a shaping unit of the device (1), wherein the central area of the strand of dough (8) is wrapped around a plurality of bolt-type shaping elements (2) of the shaping unit that are adjustable in height; gripping the ends (5) of the dough by means of at least one gripping unit (3) which is equipped with grippers (4) and stretching the strand of dough (8) by pulling on the ends (5) of the strand of dough, while at the same time securing the central area of the strand of dough (8) by the shaping unit, and shaping a pretzel knot by means of a mutual rotation of the grippers (4), wherein the shaping of the pretzel knot is initiated by rotation of the grippers (4) already during the stretching of the strand of dough (8).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2017
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Applicant: FRITSCH GMBH
    Inventor: Udo BERNHARDT
  • Publication number: 20180325123
    Abstract: A method for orienting wound dough products in a defined end position by winding a triangular or trapezoidal dough piece along a winding section includes winding from the base of the dough piece with the narrower end of the dough piece forming an end protruding outside at the circumference of the dough product. The end position of the dough product is defined by a position of the end protruding at the outside. The wound dough product is decelerated from a translational starting speed to a translational end speed along a decelerating section. The resulting deceleration torque is used as a driving torque for a rolling movement of the dough product. The rolling movement is stopped by resistance when the end of the dough product is in contact with the surface. The translational conveying speed and/or the speed of rotation of the wound dough product is changed in control section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2018
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Inventor: Udo Bernhardt
  • Patent number: 9936709
    Abstract: A dough processing system for processing a U-shaped strand of dough comprising a processing head, which has two gripping means for looping the dough strand, and a shaping table, which is provided with positioning means for positioning the dough strand, wherein the shaping table is embodied as a processing table, in which various positioning means of the processing table have multiple different processing functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Fritsch GmbH
    Inventor: Udo Bernhardt
  • Patent number: 9675083
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for creating blanks from pieces of dough, in particular triangular pieces of dough, from at least one web of dough, comprising a plurality of cutting tools which cut an edge of the pieces of dough as a result of a movement oriented against the at least one web of dough and comprising a conveyor belt device on which the at least one web of dough is conveyed. The cutting tools are arranged on a drum, which is driven in a rotating manner, via tool holders, said drum being superimposed with a vertical movement such that one or more cutting tools 1 which can be found circulating about the drum are moved parallel to the conveyor belt device as a result of the superimposed sequence of movements of the drum rotation and the vertical movement of the drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: FRITSCH GmbH
    Inventors: Udo Bernhardt, Rainer Wagner
  • Publication number: 20170071217
    Abstract: A method for processing a U-shaped dough strand (100) having a first dough strand end, which can be used as a securing dough strand end (111), and a second dough strand end, which can be used as a looping dough strand end (121), in which the dough strand (100) is looped by means of a processing head (200) having at least two gripping means (201, 202) to form at least one dough strand loop (161, 162, 163) and is positioned by means of a processing table (300) having positioning means (304, 305, 306, 307), and at least one positioning means embodied as a lifting means (307) raises sections of the dough strand (100) to a raised position relative to the processing table (300), and/or at least one positioning means embodied as a table gripper (306) stretches and/or pulls sections of one of the dough strand ends (121).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Inventor: Udo Bernhardt
  • Publication number: 20170035062
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for creating blanks from pieces of dough, in particular triangular pieces of dough, from at least one web of dough, comprising a plurality of cutting tools which cut an edge of the pieces of dough as a result of a movement oriented against the at least one web of dough and comprising a conveyor belt device on which the at least one web of dough is conveyed. The cutting tools are arranged on a drum, which is driven in a rotating manner, via tool holders, said drum being superimposed with a vertical movement such that one or more cutting tools 1 which can be found circulating about the drum are moved parallel to the conveyor belt device as a result of the superimposed sequence of movements of the drum rotation and the vertical movement of the drum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2015
    Publication date: February 9, 2017
    Applicant: FRITSCH GMBH
    Inventor: Udo BERNHARDT