Foods and beverages: apparatus – Edible laminated product making apparatus – Shell forming means and filling means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-20
2002-03-05
Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Edible laminated product making apparatus
Shell forming means and filling means
C099S450200, C099S450700, C425S112000, C425S383000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06352020
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing a vinegared rice rolled in dried laver or other rolled up foodstuff or food product, and particularly to the apparatus which provides products with steadily roll, and improvement for easy removal of parts to be cleaned therefrom.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Generally, the vinegared rice rolled in dried later is sold in supermarkets or chain stores. The production of the vinegared rice rolled in dried laver, insufficient handmade was carried out by process in which a bamboo mat, dried laver put on the mat, vinegared rice spread over the dried laver, and ingredients put on the vinegared rice are rolled up with hands. Now, it is shifting to the process in which the automatic apparatus with high effect production are used.
As an example, Japanese Patent Publication 7-75512A discloses such the automatic apparatus. The apparatus has a base housing (not shown), a hopper
12
disposed above the base housing to allow vinegared rice R to be contained therein and fed from its lower opening, a roll maker
1
disposed below the hopper
12
for producing a rolled up food product, and a feeder
13
disposed between the hopper opening therebelow and the roll maker
1
so as to feed the vingared rice R from the hopper
12
to the roll maker, as shown in FIG.
1
.
The hopper
12
stirs vinegared rice R with its stirrers
121
therein. The stirred vinegared rice enters into the feeder
13
through the hopper opening. The feeder
12
presses against and spreads the fed, stirred vinegared rice R in a board shape with its upper and lower rollers
132
and
133
.
The roll maker
1
is assembled in the upper base housing at a position below the outlet of the feeder
12
, and comprises a base board
2
having an opening at its predetermined position, and a rolling plate
3
extending longitudinally of the apparatus and put on the opening of the base board. The rolling plate comprises a plurality of connective plates, preferably four serial plates, as shown in FIG.
7
.
The rolling plate
3
has a stationary plate
31
removably fixed to or formed integral with the base board
2
, first and second rotating plates
32
and
33
rotatably connected to respective trailing and leading portions of the stationary plate
31
, and a third rotating plate
34
connected to the leading portions (free end) of the first rotating plate
32
. The leading side surfaces of the third rotating plate
34
have connections with link arms
35
which are connected to the predetermined portions of the base board
2
at positions midway between the leading and trailing portions of the first rotating plate
32
, respectively.
The roll maker
1
includes fan shaped flanges
321
and
331
mounted on one of side surfaces of respective first and second rotating plates, a lift board
5
disposed below the base board
2
in the lower base housing to move up and down by a drive such as motor (not shown), and a pantographic lifting mechanism comprised of a pair of lifter arms
4
a
and
4
b
connected between the fist and second rotating plates, respectively, and lift plate
5
.
The flanges
321
and
331
are downwardly arranged, protruding from the reverse sides of the first and second rotating plates
32
and
33
, respectively, such that one of respective radial edges with respect to the arc is connected to each of first and second rotating plates
32
and
33
, while the respective other edges are opposed to each other. At the lower radial edges of each flange
321
and
331
, lifter arms
4
a
and
4
b
are pivotably mounted, respectively.
The other ends of each lifter arms
4
a
and
4
b
are pivotably mounted at the upper portions of an arm-mounting member removably fixed in a recess at the upper portions of the lift board
5
, respectively. The fixation of the arm-mounting member in the recess is a snap-on lock L.
When the lift board
5
begins to go up, the lifter arms
4
a
and
4
b
operate to open sideward, each moving upward, as shown in FIG.
8
. The upward movement of the lifter arms
4
a
and
4
b
causes upward rotation of both the first and second rotating plates
32
and
33
from their position at the base board
2
, and the link arms
35
also upwardly rotate about the base board
2
so that the leading portion (free end) of the third plate
34
comes up to the position at the leading portion of the second rotating plate
33
with pull of the link arms
35
connected thereto.
Turning to
FIG. 7
, when the rolling plate
3
extends between the leading and trailing portions of the opening of the base plate
2
, dried laver is placed on the first to third rotating plates Deft to right as shown in the figure). The vingared rice R in the hopper
12
passes through the feeder
13
to fall down into the dried laver in the fixed plate
31
, as shown in FIG.
1
. When the board shaped vinegared rice R falls down, it is cut in lengths by a cutter device (not shown) in the feeder. Then, the required ingredients are placed on the sheet shaped vinegared rice R.
Turning to
FIG. 8
, the first, second and third rotating plates
32
to
34
are located to press against the side surfaces Deft and right surfaces) and top surface of the rolled up food product, respectively. Thus, the vingared rice, the ingredients, and the dried laver are rolled up by and formed into a stick shape in the rolling plate
3
.
Thereafter, when the lift board
5
begins to go down, the lifter arms
4
a
and
4
b
operate to close to come back to the original position. Thereby, the first to third rotating plates
32
-
34
downwardly rotate to come back to their original positions, respectively so that the rolling plate
3
opens with extension of the connective rotating plates. Thus, the vinegared rice rolled in dried laver appears. As a result, the operator does only woks of operating the apparatus, and putting the dried laver and ingredients. It is obvious that the apparatus eliminates requirement of the operator having sufficient skills, and allow the operator to do easy preparation of the vinegared rice rolled in the laver.
The forgoing apparatus has a first problem of that the transmitted push from the lift board
5
to the first and second rotating plates
32
and
33
through the lift arms
4
a
and
4
b
forming its pantograph-shape can not apply the sufficient force to press against each of the rotating plates
32
to
34
, depending on the vinegared rice rolled in dried laver having its diameter that will be larger. Since the food product has reaction with the pressure of the rolling plate
3
when rolled up, the rolling plate
3
cannot produce its sufficient action.
Therefore, although the apparatus serves sufficient function as production of the vinegared rice rolled in dried laver that is formed by a thin roll, it is not suitable for a thick roll comprised of large amounts of vinegared rice and ingredients.
Furthermore, the apparatus has a second problem of having difficulty in the cleaning works. Generally, parts of apparatuses for producing rolled up food need cleaning after they end the works. Turning to the cited roll maker, after removal of the base board
2
from the base of the apparatus, its cleaning will be carried out.
When the operator would like to clean the base board
2
, he has to open the snap-on lock L to separate the lifter arms
4
a
and
4
b
from the lift board
5
. For opening of the snap-on lever, he is required to put his hand. Therefore, in the foregoing apparatus, the cleaner has to do troublesome works for cleaning of the roll maker
1
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide the apparatus having a roll maker in which its rolling plate has rotating plates with strong force applied to nori (a sheet of dried laver or seaweed) or a other sheet-shaped food such as a omlette, vinegared rice or other filler such as pilaf and minced meat, and ingredients so as to produce strong thick or thin roll food product.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for producing a rolled
Hosogane Takashi
Uchida Junya
Kabushiki Kaisha Audio-Technica
Simone Timothy F.
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