946,705. Dough twisting machines. CLEVELAND AUTOMATIC MACHINE CO. April 26, 1961, No. 15099/61. Heading B5A. A dough twisting machine comprises a belt 62, Fig. 1, moving in an arcuate path between a feeding device 18 and a discharge device 22, pairs of dough pieces 24 being fed on to the belt from the feeding device 18 so that the pieces 24 are positioned radially of the centre of the arcuate movement, and a stationary flexible friction blanket 118 positioned above the belt 62 to engage the upper surface of both dough pieces in each pair whereby the outer ends of the pieces are retarded with respect to the inner ends so that they are twisted together. Feeding device.-Sheeted and curled dough pieces 24 are fed on to a conveyer 26 by means not shown and pass to the feeding device, Fig. 3, which deposits pairs of dough pieces side by side on the belt 62. From the conveyer 26 each dough piece falls over on apron 30, the first piece of each pair being stopped by a pivoted trough plate 52. In this position it moves a pivotally mounted trigger plate 42, which is integral with an arm 44 carrying a switch 48, to the position shown in Fig. 3 so that the next dough piece will cause a second trigger plate 36 to close the switch 48, and this actuates an hydraulic cylinder (not shown) to open the trough plate 52 so that the pair of dough pieces falls on to the belt 62. Both trigger plates 42, 36 are normally spring-biased by springs 46, 40 respectively to prevent actuation of the switch 48 by the first dough piece. When open the trough plate 52 actuates a switch 60 which closes the trough plate. Alternative feeding device, Fig. 17.-In this case dough pieces 24 pass under a curling chain 272 between adjustable side plates 264 along the conveyer 26 and move a switch arm 270 to close a switch 268 just before falling off the conveyer 26. The first dough piece of each pair is stopped by a trough plate 280, shown open in Fig. 17, and in this position it moves a lever 275, 276 pivoted at 282 against a spring (not shown) to contact a switch arm 277 and close a switch 278. When the next dough piece closes switch 268 an hydraulic cylinder (not shown) opens the trough plate 280. The trough plate will not open until both switches 268, 278 are closed. Twisting mechanism.-The belt 62 is annularly shaped and is passed round rollers composed of a plurality of small independent sections (Fig. 15, not shown) on a shaft 70, Figs. 1, 7, so that a diameter of the belt 62 lies directly above the axis of the shaft 70. The top half of the belt 62 is supported on a bed plate 74, and the belt is driven by an endless chain 86 which passes round a driven sprocket wheel 108 on a shaft 106, an idler sprocket wheel 102 on a shaft 100 and along upper and lower guides 82, 78 respectively, Fig. 7. The belt 62 is fastened to the chain 86 by links 64 and springs (not shown), which hook in eyes fixed to the chain. The flexible blanket 118 is of metal wire chain construction. Fig. 8, with links 128 which have downwardly projecting parts 130 which engage the dough pieces. In an alternative construction of the blanket 118, Fig. 19, not shown, only wire S-hooks are used. The blanket 118 is fixed at its leading edge to a rod 114, Fig. 1, fixed above the belt 62, at its outer edges to a fixed arcuate flange 110, Fig. 7, by hooks 122, and at its trailing edge to a bar 124, Fig. 12, in the discharge device 22. The dough pieces are twisted together as they pass under the blanket 118 which droops over them, Fig. 7. Guides 132, 134, fixed to plates 74, 84 by rods or brackets (not shown), may be provided to prevent the dough pieces from coming off the belt 62, but these are not normally needed. Discharge device, Fig. 12.-The twisted dough pieces R pass from the belt 62 and are pressed between two belts 152, 172 driven by a chain and sprocket wheels, not shown, over plates 154, 174 to set the twist in the dough. A carriage 203 is mounted in the discharge device 22, and is reciprocated in slots 204 by an hydraulic cylinder 218 fixed to an arm 214 of the carriage 203. A chain 238 is passed round sprocket wheels on shafts 234 mounted in the carriage 203, sliding doors 232, 230 which meet at A, being connected to the lower and upper runs of the chain 238 by arms 240, 242, respectively, one of the arms 242 also being connected to the piston rod of an hydraulic cylinder 246. As the dough pieces R fall from between the belts 152, 172 they move a spring biased switch lever 198 to close a switch 202 which actuates the cylinder 218 to move the carriage 203 to the left in Fig. 12 at the same speed as the belts 152, 172 against the action of a check cylinder 224, the dough pieces falling to the meeting point A of the doors 232, 230. The arm 214 closes a switch 222 to actuate cylinder 246 moving its rod 244 to the left in Fig. 12 to jerk open the doors 232, 230 by movement of the chain 238, which allows the dough pieces R to fall into a pan 138 held on a conveyer 136 by an hydraulically actuated stop 248. When the doors are open a plate 252 closes a switch 250, which releases the stop 248 to allow the filled pan 138 to pass to a proofing box (not shown). The belt 172 is adjustable in slots 156 in the side plates 140 of the discharge device 22 by the use of nuts (not shown) fixed to the belt carrier and screw threaded rods 176 rotatable by a chain 182 and sprockets 180 driven by a hand wheel 178, Fig. 1.