Machine for the production of tubular casings of alimentary dough

• US 4,389,176 A
• Filed: 12/23/1981
• Issued: 06/21/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Claudio Nenci
• Original Assignee: Claudio Nenci
• Inventors: Nenci, Claudio
• Primary Examiner(s): HOAG, WILLARD
• Application Number:
  US06/334,048
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 425/90, 425/101, 425/102, 425/296, 425/297, 425/302.1, 425/305.1, 425/308, 425/319, 425/320-322, 425/325, 425/216, 425/217
• US Class Current: 425/101
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 11/00 Other machines for forming the dough into its final shape before cooking or baking
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 11/10 combined with cutting apparatus A21C11/004 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 3/06 Machines for coiling sheets of dough, e.g. for producing rolls

Abstract

A machine for the production of tubular casings of alimentary dough includes a support structure carrying a continuous belt conveyor with an associated feed conveyor unit for feeding a continuous sheet of dough to the said conveyor. A punching device is provided above the conveyor for successively cutting out a series of spaced-apart pieces of dough from the said sheet, the part of the dough sheet remaining after cutting being taken up from the conveyor by a recovery elevator. Downstream of the recovery elevator, a dispensing unit operates to deposit cylindrical support cores on the conveyor between successive pieces of dough, the dough piece and cores being thereafter transported by the conveyor to a rolling-up unit where the pieces of dough are rolled up around the cylindrical support cores. A collecting conveyor unit receives the support cores, with the pieces of dough rolled therearound, from the rolling-up unit.

Claims

1. A machine for the production of tubular casings of alimentary dough by rolling up pieces of sheet dough around a cylindrical support core, said machine comprising:

a support structure;

a continuous belt conveyor mounted on the support structure and having a receiving end and a discharge end,

feed means for feeding a continuous sheet of dough to the receiving end of said conveyor;

a punching device disposed above said conveyor downstream of the feed means and provided with shaped punches arranged to cut said continuous sheet of dough in synchronism with the advance of said conveyor so as to cut out successively from the said continuous sheet a series of spaced-apart pieces or groups of adjacent pieces of dough,

recovery means disposed along said conveyor downstream of said punching device and arranged to take up from the conveyor that part of the dough sheet remaining after the cutting of the said pieces;

a dispensing unit arranged above said conveyor downstream of the said recovery means and comprising a receptacle for containing cylindrical support cores, and a withdrawal member for taking out support cores from the receptacle and depositing them on said conveyor such that each said core is disposed transversely between two successive said pieces or groups of pieces of dough,

a rolling-up unit disposed transversely adjacent the discharge end of said conveyor and comprising an endless web extending upwardly with respect to the conveyor, the said endless web being supported adjacent its upper end from said support structure for back and forth movement and having a rolling-up pass which, in use, has a direction of advance from its lower end towards its upper end away from said conveyor, and actuator means for effecting in synchronism with the operation of said withdrawal member of the dispensing unit, back and forth movement of the said endless web between a substantially-vertical rolling-up position and an inclined discharge position, said endless web being operative when in its rolling-up position to entrain in rotation a said support core fed thereto by said conveyor and to cause the rolling-up thereon of a respective piece or group of pieces of dough, and

collecting means for receiving the said support cores with respective pieces or groups of pieces of dough rolled up thereon from the discharge end of said conveyor when the said endless web of the rolling-up unit is moved into its discharge position.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said endless web of the rolling-up unit is constituted by a metal mesh.

3. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the said actuator means of the rolling-up unit comprise cam means driven from the said withdrawal member of the dispensing unit, and transmission means cooperating with the said cam means for effecting back and forth movement of said endless web.

4. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the said feed means comprise a continuous-belt feed conveyor unit aligned with the said conveyor and having a speed of advancement corresponding to that of the said conveyor, a pair of fork-shaped supports facing each other and fixed to the said support structure of the machine laterally of the said feed conveyor unit, and a roller supported for free rotation and vertical sliding movement by the said support forks and upon which a sheet of alimentary dough is intended to be wound in the form of a roll.

5. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the punching device is constituted by a rotary drum having the said shaped punches on its lateral surface.

6. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the said recovery means include an endless belt elevator extending upwardly from said conveyor and having a speed of advancement corresponding to that of the conveyor, and a collecting receptacle fed by the said elevator.

7. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said collecting means comprise a continuous-belt conveyor unit arranged below the discharge end of said conveyor, and a receiving platform fed by the said collecting conveyor unit.

8. A machine according to claim 1, wherein:

said rolling-up unit further includes a driven roller disposed above and transversely of the discharge end of said conveyor close to said endless web,

said recovery means include an endless belt elevator extending upwardly from the conveyor and having a speed of advance corresponding to that of the conveyor,

said feed means include a continuous-belt feed conveyor unit aligned with said conveyor and having a speed of advance corresponding to that of said conveyor, and

said collecting means comprise a continuous-belt conveyor unit arranged below the discharge end of said conveyor;

said machine having a motor with associated transmission means, including gear wheels and an endless chain, for simultaneously driving said conveyor, the said endless web and the said roller of the rolling-up unit, the said recovery elevator, the said feed conveyor unit and the said collecting conveyor unit.

9. A machine according to claim 1, further comprising a dough moistening unit carried by said support structure immediately upstream of said punching device.

10. A machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said rolling-up unit further includes a driven roller disposed above and transversely of the discharge end of said conveyor close to said endless web.

11. A machine according to claim 10, wherein said rolling-up unit further includes a support frame which carries the said endless web and the said driven roller and is connected in an adjustable manner to the said support structure of the machine.

12. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle of the dispensing unit is in the form of a hopper fixed to the said support structure of the machine and defining at its lower end an elongate aperture of adjustable width disposed transversely to said conveyor, the said withdrawal member of the dispensing unit being constituted by a rotary drum which is interposed between the said aperture of the hopper and said conveyor and which is formed with at least one longitudinal groove in its external surface, said groove having a form and dimensions such as to house one of the said support cores.

13. A machine according to claim 12, wherein the said actuator means of the rolling-up unit comprises an eccentric carried by one end of the said rotary drum of the dispensing unit, and transmission means cooperating with the said eccentric for effecting back and forth movement of said endless web.

14. A machine according to claim 12, wherein the said hopper of the dispensing unit has a size which is adjustable in dependence on the dimensions of the said support cores intended to be disposed therein.

15. A machine according to claim 12, wherein said dispensing unit further includes an agitator device driven by the said rotary drum and acting on the bottom of said hopper.

16. A machine according to claim 15, wherein the bottom of said hopper includes two movable walls, said agitator device comprising a pair of cams carried by the ends of said rotary drum, two annular supports surrounding the said cams and cooperating therewith, and a pair of agitator members connected to the said annular supports and acting against the said movable walls of the hopper.

17. A machine according to claim 12, wherein said punching device is constituted by a rotary drum having the said shaped punches on its lateral surface, said machine including a motor and associated transmission means, including gear wheels and an endless chain, for simultaneously driving the said rotary drum of the dispensing unit and the said punching drum.

18. A machine according to claim 17, wherein the said transmission means associated with said motor include a manually-controlled gear box controlling the speed of rotation of said punching drum.