Rheon Auotomatic Machinery of Japan has been granted two patents for its inventions relating to methods and machinery features for improved dough processing. The patents are # 6171628: Method for rolling up a sheet of dough, and # 6171629: Methods and apparatus for joining dough blocks.
These are improvements over the same company’s last patent # 6079970.
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The other companies active in this technology are Lipton Division of Conopco, Oshikiri, and Recot.
Abstract (6171628):
- To make a piece of bread, such as a croissant, an apparatus is provided to prevent a sheet of dough from being loosely rolled up, to prevent the sheet from being unevenly rolled up, and to firmly roll the sheet up. The apparatus includes a conveyor that feeds the sheet and a roll-up roller that is moveable up and down above the conveyor, so that the rotation of the roll-up roller and the feeding of the conveyor allow the sheet for bread, such as a croissant, to be firmly rolled up.
Abstract (6171629):
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- An apparatus for joining dough blocks to form a continuous dough sheet. The dough blocks are cut from a dough mass and drop into a space between first and second groups of rollers. The first and second groups of rollers include horizontally-paired rollers arranged in tiers and forming a substantially V-shaped space for receiving the dough blocks, with the uppermost pair of rollers being separated by a first horizontal gap which is wider than a second horizontal gap separating the lowermost pair of rollers. The first group of rollers are rotated in a direction (e.g., clockwise) which is opposite to that of the second group of rollers. In addition, the first group of rollers is alternately moved toward and away from the second group of rollers, thereby applying vibrations to the dough blocks. The combined rotation and vibrations of the rollers impels the dough blocks downward toward the second gap between the lowermost pair of rollers and increases gluten growth and a joining of the gel structures to produce a continuous dough sheet.
Claim (6171628):
- A method for rolling up a sheet of dough comprising steps of:
(a) rotating a roll-up roller in a first direction using a driving means that includes an internal gear formed on the inner surface of the roll-up roller, a pinion gear that meshes with the internal gear, and a roller configured to shift the roll-up roller such that the axis of the pinion gear is positioned above that of the roll-up roller, said driving means allowing the roll-up roller to be moved upward and downward when the roll-up roller is rotated and supported;
(b) while performing, step (a), feeding the sheet in a second direction opposite to the first direction by means of a conveyor, with a first end of the sheet facing downstream in the second direction, so that the roll-up roller kicks upward the first end of the sheet to start rolling up said sheet, and the sheet is then rolled up by the rotation of the roll-up roller and the feeding by the conveyor.
First (of 11) Claim (6171629):
- An apparatus for joining a plurality of dough blocks to form a continuous dough sheet, the apparatus comprising a plurality of rollers including a first group of rollers and a second group of rollers, the first group of rollers including a first uppermost roller and a first lowermost roller, the second group including a second uppermost roller and a second lowermost roller, the first and second uppermost rollers being located in a first horizontal tier and being separated by a first horizontal gap, the first and second lowermost rollers being located in a second horizontal tier and being separated by a second horizontal gap, the first horizontal gap being greater than the second horizontal gap, wherein the first group of rollers are rotated in a direction opposite to the second group of rollers such that the dough blocks are impelled downward toward the second horizontal gap, and means for moving at least one of the first group of rollers and the second group of rollers alternately toward and away from each other while the first and second groups of rollers are rotated such that the first horizontal gap and the second horizontal gap are repeatedly increased and decreased, thereby alternately increasing and decreasing a pressure applied to the dough blocks passing therebetween such that the gel structures of the plurality of dough blocks passing between the first and second lowermost rollers are integrated to form the continuous dough sheet.
By Navroz Havewala, just-food.com correspondent
