Patent Application
20070065528
This application claims priority under 35 USC ยง119(e) to Mexican Patent Application Serial No. PA/a/2005/009227, filed on Aug. 30, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to the baking industry, more particularly a dough divider for bakery products.
In the baking industry and particularly when making salt cookies, a die-cut roller on a rolling mill train is often used. After dough has passed through a pair of pressing rollers to form a dough sheet, the dough may pass under a die-cut roller, which presses the dough sheet to form a specific engraving or stamp (e.g., die-cut). A die-cut roller may create a square engraving or stamp with attenuating lines defining each square and each square of dough may include a plurality of holes to prevent that the cookie from swelling or increasing in volume.
However, die-cutting a dough sheet does not generate cuts. Since the dough sheet passes directly from the die-cut roller to the baking oven, where a cooked cookie output is obtained in the form of a continuous block, the continuous block of cookie must be cut manually to the required and the desired size. In addition, positioning the cut cookies in desired directions on the conveyor that directs cookies to a wrapping machine, is difficult and tiresome for staff. Manually cutting the cookies, after the cookie block leaves the oven, also may cause partial damage to the cookie, poor presentation of the cookie, and variations in the weight contained in packages. The manual cutting operation thus includes a greater amount of labor, low production volume, and high operating costs.
Systems and processes include an automated dough divider for bakery products, such as cookies. The dough divider may cut the cookie prior to baking and may increase the efficiency of operation and the production volumes.
Systems and processes may significantly reduce labor and, therefore, operating costs. Systems and process may also include an automated dough divider that is practical, functional, resistant to damage, and requires little maintenance. Systems and methods may also be used without requiring modifications to production lines already established.
An automated dough divider for bakery products, such as cookies, may include a roller. The roller may include a rotatable shaft and a drum mounted on the shaft so that the drum may rotate on the shaft. An external radial surface of the drum may include a plurality of points or stylus stamps, where the points or stylus stamps produce holes on a dough sheet. Producing holes in the dough sheet may prevent swelling or increases in volume. The drum may include at least one longitudinal blade, disposed on the radial surface of the drum and extending along a length of the drum and capable of transversally cutting a dough sheet from a rolling mill train, and at least one peripheral blade capable of making a longitudinal cut in the dough sheet. Rectangular and quadrangular cookies may be cut from previously stamped dough.
In some implementations, the drum may include more than one longitudinal blade and peripheral blade. Longitudinal blades and peripheral blades may be evenly or unevenly disposed throughout the longitudinal section of a drum. The size of dough cut may depend on the number of longitudinal blades and peripheral blades, which also define the width and the length of the cookies obtained. A number and an arrangement of the longitudinal blades may depend on the required length of cookies and a number and an arrangement of the peripheral blades may depend on the required width of the cookies.
A length and a width of dough cut may be selected based on the weight required in the final cookies to be wrapped. A divider may produce sections of dough of equal or different sizes. For example, dimensions of sections of dough may be either equal or different, depending on the number and the separation of longitudinal blades and peripheral blades on the divider. A larger number of longitudinal blades than peripheral blades may be arranged around the drum of a divider. A length and a width of cookie may be relative.
An arrangement of longitudinal blades and peripheral blades may maintain the alignment, with respect to cross and longitudinal attenuating lines, previously made by a die to execute cuts in the precise and required site (e.g., prevent cuts in sites such as the middle part of a square).
The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and objects will become be apparent upon from the description, the drawings, and from the claims.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
An external radial surface of drum 3 may include a plurality of points or stylus stamps 4. Points 4 may be disposed peripherally on the radial external surface of drum 3. Points 4 may produce holes in a dough sheet, which may inhibit swelling or increases in volume during baking.
Drum 3 may include a plurality of longitudinal blades 5 and peripheral blades 6. Longitudinal blade 5 may be disposed on the radial external surface and extend longitudinally drum 3 and may transversally cut a dough sheet. Peripheral blades 6 may be disposed radially on the radial external surface of drum 3 to make longitudinal cuts to a dough sheet. When drum 3 is rotated and contacts the dough sheet, longitudinal blades 5 and peripheral blades 6 may produce substantially rectangular or quadrangular sections from dough. Longitudinal blades 5 and peripheral blades 6 may produce dough sections of equal or different sizes from a dough sheet.
A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of this application.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PA/A/2005/009227 | Aug 2005 | MX | national |
