Patent · US Expired

Dough forming apparatus and methods

US6174556A · kind A · utility

10Cited by
3References
35Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 8, 1999
Grant dateJan 16, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 8, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T83/9372
  • WIPO fieldFood chemistry
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

An apparatus (10) for forming open ended, cone-shaped snack products includes a rotary cutter (28) having opposed, counterrotating rollers (30) each formed by multiple cutting discs (36) axially spaced on a mandrel (34) by spacers (38). A dough sheet formed by a sheet forming device (12) is conveyed to a slitting device (24) which slits the dough sheet into multiple pairs of dough strips. The dough strips are conveyed on a conveyer (26) towards the rotary cutter (28). The first dough strips of each pair pass over the end of the conveyor (26), and twisted 90.degree. as they pass over sheaves (44, 56, 60) and pass between stationary guides (42) to the first roller (30) while the second dough strips of each pair pass over the end of the conveyor (26), are twisted 90.degree. as they pass over sheaves (46, 58, 62) and pass between the stationary guides (42) to a second roller (30). The pair of dough strips are drawn under tension through the nip of the rollers (30) in a face to face stacked orientation. The snack products are cut and shaped by cavities (32) in the cutting discs (36).

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.