Roll cone manufacturing device

• US 20050260315A1
• Filed: 07/25/2002
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissei Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Nissei Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Haruta, Toshitaka, Shinomiya, Yasuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,344,371 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/501
• CPC Class Codes: A21B 5/026 for baking waffle cups or cones
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 15/025 Apparatus for shaping or moulding baked wafers, e.g. to obtain cones for ice cream

Abstract

A concave half (10) having a conical inside and a convex half (20) having a conical outside and being fitted therein are fitted in each other. An openable and closable, loop-shaped supporting means as a toggle-jointed link (30) rotatably supports and pushes a cylindrical part (23) of the convex half (20) onto the axis on at least three points on the outer periphery of the cylindrical part (23), with an axis of the concave half (10) and an axis of the convex half (20) being aligned with each other when the supporting means is closed. The toggle-jointed link (30) is openable and closable, wherein a plurality of rolling objects such as rollers (31) are provided inside the loop, thereby improving function as a bearing of the supporting means and efficiently manufacturing quality rolled cones (40).

Claims

1. A rolled cone manufacturing apparatus, comprising a concave half and a convex half which form a cavity inside when combined with each other, a cross section of the cavity having a circular shape in a direction orthogonal to axes of the concave half and the convex half;

and supporting means which rotatably supports the convex half, on condition that the axis of the concave half is aligned with the axis of the convex half,

said supporting means being openable and closable, and pushing, on at least three points, an outer periphery of a part of the convex half protruding from the concave half onto the axis, when said supporting means is closed.

2. The rolled cone manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, the supporting means includes (i) opening and closing means for, when closed, releasing support of the axis of the convex half, while, when opened, supporting the axis, and (ii) locking means for keeping the opening and closing means closed.

3. The rolled cone manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, positions of supporting points of the supporting means are determined in such a manner as to form either (I) a polygon encompassing the axis of the convex half, by connecting points where the supporting means contacts an outer periphery of a part of the convex half protruding from the concave half, or, (II) when the supporting means functions as a sliding bearing, either a circle around the axis or a closed curved figure by connecting arcs centering on the axis.

4. The rolled cone manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein rolling objects are provided on respective supporting points of the supporting means.

5. The rolled cone manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the convex half is rotatable when the supporting means is closed, while the convex half is movable toward the axis when the supporting means is open.

6. The rolled cone manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the concave half has an opening part through which the convex half is fitted in, said supporting means partly protruding inwardly of the opening part when said supporting means is closed.

7. The rolled cone manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the concave half has an opening part through which the convex half is fitted in, a slit-type inlet connected to the cavity is formed at a side of the concave half, and a guiding member to cover a surrounding of the opening part is provided around the inlet and the opening part.

8. The rolled cone manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when cross sections of the concave half and the convex half are circular in a direction orthogonal to the axes of the concave half and the convex half, the concave half and the convex half are conical-shaped, truncated-cone shaped, or cylinder-shaped.

9. The rolled cone manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supporting means is a loop-shaped member which is openable and closable.

10. The rolled cone manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, each of the supporting means is a link mechanism including a toggle mechanism, said link mechanism serving as opening and closing means, locking means, and a guiding member for guiding a material sheet into the concave half.

11. The rolled cone manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the supporting means includes, provided that a part where the loop of the supporting means is cut off is referred to as a split part, a positioning and fixing member for positioning and fixing the split part in place, when the supporting means is closed, said positioning and fixing member serving as a guiding member when the material sheet is brought into the concave half.