Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – With other treating or handling of material
Reexamination Certificate
2003-06-23
2004-11-23
Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
With other treating or handling of material
C099S355000, C099S386000, C099S44300R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06820539
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a charging mechanism for baking ovens in which the baking molds passing through its baking line are formed by the revolving top and bottom baking plates of the oven, whose baking surfaces, which are positioned facing one another along the baking line, define the top and bottom sides of the molded bodies baked in the baking molds. The bottom baking plates, in a horizontal section of their path of revolution, pass through an input station which is positioned ahead of the baking line, where the charging mechanism, which is disposed at the input station, deposits the batter, i.e. the baking mass, on or in the upwardly facing baking surfaces of the bottom baking plates, before the top baking plates are placed onto the batter (baking masses), and the baking molds are closed.
Baking ovens in which the baking molds passing through their baking line are formed by the revolving top and bottom baking plates of the oven, whose baking surfaces, which are positioned facing one another along the baking line, define the top and bottom sides of the molded bodies baked in the baking molds, are utilized in wafer baking technology for producing crispy, brittle, and easily breakable wafers or soft wafers such as Belgian waffles, depending on the construction of the baking molds and baking plates of the respective oven.
In those ovens, the bottom baking plates pass through a charging station in front of the baking line in a horizontal portion of their path of revolution, where there is a stationary batter pouring device disposed beside the path of the bottom baking plates, which pours the liquid wafer batter onto the passing bottom baking plates in portions adapted to the volume of the respective baking molds. The batter pouring device transports the liquid wafer batter by means of its batter pump from a stock container to its horizontal pouring pipe above the path of the bottom baking plates, whose underside is provided with output openings for the liquid batter. The apportioning of the liquid batter occurs primarily by means of the batter pump of the batter pouring device. There are also known batter pouring devices wherein the apportioning of the liquid batter occurs at the output openings of the pouring pipe by means of valves that are attached there, which are actuated externally.
In those ovens, the liquid batter portion that is poured onto the hot, upwardly facing baking surface of a bottom baking plate flows and spreads out on all sides. In the closing of the baking mold, the hot, downwardly facing baking surface of a top baking plate is placed on the expanded liquid batter portion. The liquid batter portion is frothed by contact with the two hot baking surfaces and distributed to the boundaries of the cavity of the baking mold by the steam emerging within the batter. This gives rise to a batter mass which is not yet stable, and which froths up under the effect of steam and fills the baking mold, which mass will be stabilized in the course of the ongoing baking process, ultimately forming a stable wafer or a waffle that fills the baking mold.
These baking ovens utilize solely liquid batters in which the steam arising from contact with the two hot baking plates is a propellant which loosens up the batter while distributing it to the boundaries of the baking mold cavity. The batter pouring devices of these ovens are unsuitable for charging molds with non-liquid doughs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a feed device for placing dough or batter into baking molds in a baking oven which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which provides for a charging device for non-liquid batters that have already been pre-portioned into individual dough pieces, for utilization in ovens in which the baking molds for producing the baked molded bodies are formed by the top and bottom baking plates of the oven, which pass through the baking line of the oven with their baking surfaces facing each other.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a combined baking oven and charging device for placing dough into baking molds, comprising:
a plurality of top and bottom baking plates revolve in a longitudinal direction in an elongated oven and together forming the baking molds, the baking molds passing through an elongated baking line in the oven, and the bottom baking plates traversing an input station, prior to entering the baking line, with a horizontal section for the bottom baking plates;
the top and bottom baking plates forming the baking molds having opposing baking surfaces defining top and bottom surfaces of baked molded bodies produced in the baking mold; and
a setting device disposed at the input station above the path of the bottom baking plates, the setting device being configured to set dough pieces at predetermined locations onto respective the baking surfaces of the bottom baking plates and to temporarily move jointly with the bottom baking plates.
In other words, the objects of the invention are achieved by a charging device for a baking oven wherein the baking molds passing through its baking line are formed by the revolving top and bottom baking plates of the oven, whose baking surfaces, which are positioned facing one another along the baking line, define the top and bottom sides of the molded bodies baked in the baking molds; whereby the bottom baking plates, in a horizontal section of their path of revolution, pass through an input station which is positioned ahead of the baking line. This charging device is inventively characterized in that it comprises a batter portion setter situated in the input station above the path of the bottom baking plates, which is temporarily movable jointly with the bottom baking plates and which sets the batter portions on the surfaces of the bottom baking plates at predetermined locations.
The charging device according to the invention is particularly suitable in combination and common assembly with the elongated baking oven described and claimed in our commonly assigned, copending patent application No. [attorney docket WEB-39881], published as WO 02/051249 A1, which is herewith incorporated by reference.
The inventive charging device is disposed beneath the discharge station of a transport device that is disposed ahead of the baking oven, which feeds the batter portions thereto. The charging device accepts the batter pieces discharged by the transport device and deposits them on the bottom baking plates at predetermined locations with a time delay.
At the beginning of a movement cycle of the charging device, the setting device is in its rear terminal position beneath the discharge station of the transport device. The setting device remains in its rear terminal position until the batter pieces have exited the transport device and arrived at the setting device. Next, the setting device is moved in synch with the bottom baking plates in the transport direction thereof. After being received by the setting device, the batter pieces wander along the setting device to the predetermined setting locations. There, the batter pieces drop from the setting device and onto the underlying baking surface of a bottom baking plate. The setting device is moved in synch with the bottom baking plates until all batter pieces are released therefrom and every batter piece has arrived at its predetermined setting location on the baking surface of the bottom baking plate. Upon reaching its forward terminal position, the now empty setting device is moved counter to the transport direction of the bottom baking plates back into its rear terminal position, and the next movement cycle of the charging device starts.
With the inventive charging device, the batter pieces are deposited on the bottom baking plates next to one another in the positions predetermined by the setting device.
The setting device can be constructed for a single-ro
Haas Franz
Haas Johann
Obermaier Fritz
Franz Haas Waffelmaschinen-Industrie Aktiengesellschaft
Haas Johann
Simone Timothy F.
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