Device for crimping and cutting dough ropes

• US 5,342,188 A
• Filed: 02/08/1993
• Issued: 08/30/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Mills Incorporated
• Original Assignee: General Mills Incorporated
• Inventors: Zimmermann, Craig E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo, Jay H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, DUANE
• Application Number:
  US08/014,919
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 425/294, 425/298, 425/236, 425/235, 425/237, 425/436 R, 425/436 RM, 425/394, 425/408, 425/362, 425/385, 425/336, 264/151, 264/168, 426/503, 426/518
• US Class Current: 425/235
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 11/06 handling regularly pre-shaped sheets of dough

Abstract

A device (10) for crimping and cutting dough ropes into pillow-shaped longitudinal lengths is disclosed including a cutting roller (12) and an anvil roller (14). The peripheries (22, 24) of the rollers (12, 14) include a plurality of axially extending, spaced, parallel, linearly straight lands (26, 30) separating, forming, and defining a plurality of grooves (28, 32) therebetween. Compressible tubes (46) are stretched between end plates (36) located on the opposite axial ends of the cutter roller (12) and positioned in each of the grooves (32) thereof. The tubes (46) are compressed in the grooves (32) by the dough ropes as they are being crimped and cut by the abutment of the lands (26, 30) of the rollers (12, 14) together and expand and force the pillow-shaped longitudinal lengths of dough from the grooves (32) when the lands (26, 30) of the rollers (12, 14) separate. In the preferred form, the lands (26, 30) and the grooves (28, 32) of the rollers (12, 14) are offset from the axes (16, 18) of the rollers (12, 14) at a small angle in the order of 3° such that at least a portion of one of the lands (30) of the cutter roller (12) engages with a portion of one of the lands (26) of the anvil roller (14) during all times of rotation of the rollers (12, 14).

Claims

1. Device for crimping and cutting dough advancing in a longitudinal direction into longitudinal lengths comprising, in combination:

a cutter having a periphery including a plurality of blades, with the blades being circumferentially spaced around the periphery of the cutter and defining a plurality of grooves circumferentially spaced around the periphery;

an anvil, with at least one of the blades of the cutter abutting with the anvil to crimp and cut the dough therebetween while the remaining blades of the cutter are spaced from the anvil; and

means for removing the dough from the grooves of the cutter after the dough has been crimped and cut by the blades comprising a compressible element located in each of the grooves of the cutter, with each compressible element being compressible inside the groove from a natural condition to a compressed condition with the dough compressing the compressible element in the groove to the compressed condition when the dough is being crimped and cut by the blades abutting with the anvil and with the compressible element expanding to the natural condition and forcing the longitudinally cut lengths of dough from the groove when the blades separate from the anvil.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the anvil comprises a roller having a periphery and rotatable about an axis such that the periphery of the anvil roller travels in the longitudinal direction of the dough, with the blades abutting with the periphery of the anvil roller to crimp and cut the dough therebetween.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the anvil roller includes a plurality of lands, with the lands being circumferentially spaced around the periphery of the anvil roller corresponding to the circumferential spacing of the blades around the periphery of the cutter, with the lands of the anvil roller defining a plurality of grooves circumferentially spaced around the periphery of the anvil roller.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the blades of the cutter are equally circumferentially spaced around the periphery of the cutter.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the grooves of the cutter are axially continuous across the periphery of the cutter;

and wherein the compressible elements are axially continuous across the periphery of the cutter.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein each of the compressible elements comprise a tube.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the cutter further includes first and second end plates located on opposite axial ends of the grooves;

wherein the tubes are stretched between and held by the end plates in each of the grooves.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein each of the end plates includes a plurality of first and second bores, with the first bore axially extending outwardly from each of the grooves of the cutter and terminating in the second bore axially extending outwardly from the first bore, with the first bore being of a size for slideable receipt of the tube and with the second bore being of a size larger than the first bore;

and wherein the device further comprises, in combination;

first and second inserts for each of the tubes, with each of the tubes having an inner diameter, with the inserts being slideable in the inner diameter of the tube to increase the size of the tube to be larger than the first bore and for slideable receipt in the second bore.

9. The device of claim 7 wherein the cutter comprises a roller rotatable about an axis parallel to and spaced from the axis of the anvil roller and rotatable in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the anvil roller such that the periphery of the cutter roller travels in the longitudinal direction of the dough.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the blades and grooves of the cutter roller and the lands and grooves of the anvil roller are continuous and linearly straight and are offset from the axes of the rollers at a small angle on the order of 3°

such that a portion of one of the blades engages with a portion of one of the lands during all times of rotation of the cutter and anvil rollers.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the cutter comprises a roller rotatable about an axis and rotatable in a direction such that the periphery of the cutter roller travels in the longitudinal direction of the dough.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the blades and grooves of the cutter roller are continuous and linearly straight and are offset from the axis of the cutter roller at a small angle on the order of 3°

such that a portion of one of the blades engages with a portion of the anvil during all times of rotation of the cutter roller.

13. The device of claim 11 wherein the grooves of the cutter are axially continuous across the periphery of the cutter;

and wherein the compressible elements are axially continuous across the periphery of the cutter.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein the grooves of the cutter are axially continuous across the periphery of the cutter;

and wherein the compressible elements are axially continuous across the periphery of the cutter.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein each of the compressible elements comprise a tube.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the cutter further includes first and second end plates located on opposite axial ends of the grooves;

wherein the tubes are stretched between and held by the end plates in each of the grooves.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein each of the end plates includes a plurality of first and second bores, with the first bore axially extending outwardly from each of the grooves of the cutter and terminating in the second bore axially extending outwardly from the first bore, with the first bore being of a size for slideable receipt of the tube and with the second bore being of a size larger than the first bore;

and wherein the device further comprises, in combination;

first and second inserts for each of the tubes, with each of the tubes having an inner diameter, with the inserts being slideable in the inner diameter of the tube to increase the size of the tube to be larger than the first bore and for slideable receipt in the second bore.

18. Device for crimping and cutting dough advancing in a longitudinal direction into longitudinal lengths comprising, in combination:

a cutter roller having a periphery including a plurality of spaced, parallel, continuous, linearly straight lands separating, forming, and defining a plurality of spaced, parallel, continuous, linearly straight grooves, with the cutter roller being rotatable about an axis such that the periphery of the cutter roller travels in the longitudinal direction of the dough; and

an anvil, with the lands and the grooves of the cutter roller being offset from the axis of the cutter roller at a small angle on the order of 3°

such that a portion of one of the lands of the cutter roller engages with a portion of the anvil during all times of rotation of the cutter roller.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein the anvil comprises a roller rotatable about an axis parallel to and spaced from the axis of the cutter roller and rotatable in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the cutter roller such that the periphery of the anvil roller travels in the longitudinal direction of the dough.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the anvil roller includes a plurality of lands, with the lands being circumferentially spaced around the periphery of the anvil roller corresponding to the circumferential spacing of the lands around the periphery of the cutter roller, with the lands of the anvil roller defining a plurality of grooves circumferentially spaced around the periphery of the anvil roller, with the lands and the grooves of the anvil roller being offset from the axis of the anvil roller at a small angle corresponding to the offset angle of the lands and the grooves of the cutter roller such that a portion of one of the lands of the cutter roller engages with a portion of one of the lands of the anvil roller during all times of rotation of the cutter and anvil rollers.