MXPA01007803A - Blunt edge dough cutter - Google Patents

Abstract

A dough cutting apparatus (16) is suitable for cutting a sheet of dough (15). The dough cutting apparatus (16) includes a structure defining a blunt dough engaging portion (18). The present invention can be embodied in a number of different ways, including a wheel cutter (48), a rotary drum cutter (138), a reciprocating head cutter (108), or another cutter.

Description

MASS CUTTER WITH ROMO EDGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a dough cutter. More specifically, the present invention relates to a dough cutter that is used to make bread products that have aesthetically pleasing appearances. A number of methods have been used to make various types of bread products, such as loaves, buns, buns, biscuits and bread sticks, from a dough sheet. In such systems, normally a bread dough sheet can be extruded, reduced and placed on a conveyor carrying the dough sheet along a dough path. Then the dough sheet is found with one or more cutting devices, such as cutting wheels in strips, guillotine-type cutters, alternating head cutters, or rotating drum type cutters. Traditionally said cutters have used very thin or sharp cutting edges to cut the dough. For example, many of these cutting edges are only about 0.079 cm. Wide. In fact, conventional wisdom says that, when cutting dough, without folding or performing other types of dough-forming functions, the thinner the cutting edge is the better. This requires less pressure for cutting and results in less displacement of the mass from the cut.

However, these cuts can produce aesthetically unpleasant dough pieces. For example, instead of producing a bread stick or a bun with rounded corners that look like handmade buns, the cut bun has sharp, square edges that may be aesthetically undesirable. To obtain a more rounded appearance, the previous systems divided or cut the dough sheet with splitters or sharp cutters, as described above, and then subjected the cut dough pieces to a subsequent rounding procedure by which dough pieces they were rolled up to look like pieces of dough formed by hand. Even other earlier techniques do not even try to process the dough sheet into rounded pieces of dough. Instead, the typical techniques for making buns divide the dough into dough portions, which are placed in molds or rolls that round the dough into balls. These balls are then baked into final rolls. Also some bread making techniques divide the dough into pieces to which they are left to rest, then they are rolled and rolled, they are pressurized by means of a pressure board and placed in a tray. These techniques are very slow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An apparatus for cutting dough that is suitable for cutting a sheet of dough. The apparatus for cutting dough includes a structure that defines a blunt portion that engages the dough. The present invention has a number of different embodiments, which include a wheel cutter, a rotating drum cutter, an alternating head cutter, or another type of cutter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 illustrates a raised side view of a cut of a bun in which a prior art dough cutter is used. Figure 2 illustrates a raised side view of the cut of a bun or bun according to the present invention. Figure 3 illustrates a bagel cutter according to an aspect of the present invention. Figure 4 is a bottom plane view of the bagel cutter shown in Figure 3. Figure 5 illustrates a cutting operation using a bagel cutter like that of Figures 3 and 4. Figures 6A and 6B They illustrate another embodiment of a dough cutter in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.

Figures 7A and 7B illustrate another embodiment of a dough cutter in accordance with the present invention. Figures 8A-8H illustrate additional embodiments of dough cutters in accordance with the present invention. The Figures 9A and 9B illustrate another embodiment of a dough cutter in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. Figures 10A-10E illustrate the use of the present invention to cut a series of buns and loaves according to one aspect of the present invention. Figure 11A illustrates a hexagonal cutter in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. Figure 11B illustrates the cutter shown in Figure 11A with a pattern printing portion. Figure 11 C illustrates a compression roller and a cutter bar arrangement in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. Figure 12 illustrates an alternating head cutter according to an aspect of the present invention. Figure 13 illustrates a moving head cutter according to an aspect of the present invention. Figures 14A and 14B illustrate a rotating drum cutter according to an aspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES Figure 1 illustrates a roll number 10 cut using a method and a cutter in accordance with the prior art. It can be seen that the number 10 roll has sharp square corners, where it was cut from the sheet, or another piece of dough. In contrast, FIG. 2 illustrates a bun or a bun that is cut using a cutter or a system in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. It can be seen that the roll 12 has rounded edges 14, instead of the square or sharp cut edges of the roll 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. In the past this type of shape was obtained by placing small balls of dough on a rolling roll the dough balls in a substantially spherical shape. The dough spheres (or dough balls) are then placed on individual baking trays for baking, in a manner very similar to how conventional rolls are baked by a consumer. However, these techniques are very slow performance techniques. Therefore, they are less than desirable for commercial applications where many kilos of mass per minute are desired. Figure 3 illustrates a bread dough sheet 15 and the cross section of a cutter 16 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. By using the term bread dough, the present explanation refers to a mass that can be rather sticky, to a mass that is rather dry and that is within a scale of about 600 Bus to about 1200 Bus. illustrated in Figure 3, the cutter 16 has a substantially round shape. However, it will be appreciated that the cutter 16 can take on substantially any shape, and still maintain the inventive aspects of the present invention. The dough cutter 16 has a cutting portion 18, which engages, and cuts, the dough sheet 15. The cutting portion 18, in the manner illustrated in Figure 3, is rounded or blunt. The blunt cut portion 18, in a preferred embodiment, has a radius of curvature of at least about 0.3175 - 0.635 cm. The blunt portion 18 is formed around the bottom of an annular ring 20, which defines the depth of cut of the cutter 16. The thickness of the annular ring 20, in another preferred embodiment, is at least about 0.635 cm. More preferably, the thickness of the annular ring 20 is in the range of approximately 0.635 -1.27 cm. Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the cutter 16 illustrated in Figure 3. Figure 3 illustrates in a simple manner that, in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the cutter 16 has an inner edge 22 and an outer edge. 24 formed in a substantially similar manner. Figure 5 illustrates the use of the dough cutter 16 for cutting the dough sheet 15. As will be described in more detail later in the application, the cutter 16 can be mounted to one of a number of different types of cutting mechanisms that press the cutter 16 on the dough sheet 15, or cause the dough sheet 15 to be pressed on the cutter 16. In both cases the cutting portion 18 of the cutter 16 engages a surface 26 of the dough sheet 15. In the embodiment illustrated in figure 5, the cutter 16 is pressed against the upper surface 26 of the dough sheet 15, towards the lower surface 28 of the dough sheet 15. As the cutter 16 is pressed against the dough sheet , the cutting portion 18 begins to be an impression on the upper surface 26 of the dough sheet 15. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the cutting portion 18 is sufficiently wide so that the frictional engagement between the surface higher 26 of the dough sheet 15 and the cutting portion 18 act to pull, or push down the upper surface 26 of the dough sheet 15, as indicated by the arrows 30, towards the lower surface 28. The pressure exerted by the cutting portion 18 also acts to seal the upper surface 26 of the dough sheet 15 to the lower surface 28. This results in a dough product 12 cut in a more rounded fashion, as indicated in Figure 2. In this way, instead of having its straight and substantially square edges (such as the roll of the prior art illustrated in Figure 1), the roll (or dough product) 12 illustrated in FIG. Figure 2 has substantially rounded edges, which are formed when the upper surface 26 of the dough sheet 15 is pushed towards the lower surface 28 of the dough sheet 15 and sealed thereto when the dough sheet 15 is cut by the cutting portion 18 of the cutter 16. In this way when the roll 12 is baked, it has an aesthetically more desirable appearance, which resembles more a handmade roll than the prior art rolls which were cut from a sheet of dough. Figures 6A and 6B are a side sectional view and a bottom plane view, respectively, of another embodiment of a cutter 31 in accordance with the present invention that is polished without the dough. The cutter 31 is similar to the cutter 16 illustrated in the previous figures. The cutter 31 has a cutting portion 34, which engages the dough, which is relatively thick or blunt, as compared to the cutters of the prior art. According to one aspect of the present invention, the cutting portion 34 has a rounded inner portion that engages the mass, which is rounded to a radius of curvature of at least about 0.3175 cm. More preferably, the radius of curvature is on the scale of about 0.3175 - 0.635 cm. In addition, the annular ring forming the depth of the cutter 31 can be on a scale of approximately 0.635 - 1.27 cm. of thickness. However, the cutter 31 also has an additional cutting edge 32. The edge 32, in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 6A and 6B, forms an annular ring disposed generally around the outer periphery of the cutter 31, and is much narrower. that the remainder of the annular ring forming the depth of the cutter 31. In an illustrative embodiment, the cutting edge 32 is only about 0.15875 cm, or less, thick. The cutting edge 32 protrudes from the portion that engages the mass 34 by a distance 36 which, in an illustrative embodiment, is approximately 0.15875 cm. or less. If it is used solely as a single cutter, or if it is used in a cutting head (as can be seen in Figures 11A-11C which are explained below) the thickness of the blunt portion that engages the dough 34 can be rounded to approximately a radius of 0.3175 cm. of curvature such that the overall thickness of the portion 34 and the edge 32 is approximately 0.47625 cm. The cutting edge 32 can be a flat edge, or it can be tapered or tapered. Therefore, the cutting edge 32 actually cuts the dough sheet 15, while the portion that engages the dough 34, which is free of the cutting edge 32, provides a blunt surface that engages the dough, which is thick enough to frictionally engage, and push, the upper surface 26 of the dough sheet 15 towards the lower surface 28 thereof, and to seal them both (or compress them together with possibly only a small space between two caused by the edge 32), to provide the final product of rounded dough. It has been observed that, as the cutting edge 32 is provided, the cutting pressure that is required to cut, or divide, the dough sheet 15, is less than the pressure that is required for a cutter (such as the cutter 16 which it is illustrated in the previous figures) that does not have said cutting edge. Figures 7A and 7B illustrate a system 38 in which the present invention is represented in a different type of cutter. Figure 7A shows a preprocessing station 40, a dough sheet 15 which is transported on a conveyor which is driven with at least one of the rollers 42 and 44, a postprocessing station 46, and a plurality of rotating wheel cutters (or cutting wheel in strips) 48, 50 and 52. The processing station 40 simply illustrates that the sheet of dough 15 can be extruded in a normal, reduced or processed manner of some or the other. The cutters 48, 50 and 52 are mounted rotatably relative to the conveyor, preferably about an axis 56. The cutters 48, 50 and 52 are mounted on the conveyor, which is carried by the rollers 42 and 44 in the direction indicated by the arrow 54. Cutters 48, 50 and 52 each have an outer diameter which is preferably at least six times as large as the thickness of the dough, and still more preferably at least 10 to 12 times as large or more. The cutters 48, 50 and 52 are mounted relative to the conveyor in such a way that when the dough sheet 15 travels in the direction indicated by the arrow 54, the cutters 48, 50 and 52 engage the dough sheet and cut it , to provide a plurality of cuts in the dough sheet 15. The cutters 48, 50 and 52 can be positively driven or can simply be driven by the frictional engagement between the cutters and the dough sheet 15 or the conveyor. After the cuts are made in the dough sheet 15, the dough sheet 15 continues to travel in the direction indicated by the arrow 54 to the post-processing station 46.

The post-processing station 46 may include, for example, cutting, testing, baking, freezing and / or packaging. Figure 7B is a side view of a portion of the system 38 shown in Figure 7A, and similar items are numbered in a similar manner. Figure 7B better illustrates the conveyor 56 which is driven by the rollers 42 and / or 44. Further, Figure 7B shows that the cutters 48, 50 and 52 extend the entire length of the dough sheet 15 to be slightly coupled to the conveyor 56 and thus completely cut the dough sheet 15. Figures 8A-8H illustrate different types of cutters 48, 50 and 52. For simplicity, each of the wheels is designed as cutter 48. However, it will be appreciated that the wheels can be placed substantially anywhere along the sheet of dough 15. Figure 8A shows that the Cutter 48 simply has a rounded or blunt outer periphery having a thickness 58, which is preferably on a scale of about 0.635 - 1.27 cm. Similarly, the blunt outer periphery of the cutter 48 is rounded to a radius of curvature preferably on the scale of 0.3175 - 0.635. With this arrangement the outer periphery of the cutter 48, as it cuts the dough sheet 15, performs an action similar to that of the cutter 16 that is illustrated in Figure 5. In other words the cutter 48 frictionally engages the surface of the dough sheet 15 and pushes it or pulls it down towards the lower surface of the dough sheet 15, thereby sealing the two surfaces together and cutting or dividing the dough sheet. Figure 8B illustrates a mode of the cutter 48 that is similar to that shown in Figure 8A, and similar items are numbered in a similar manner. However, Figure 8B shows that the outer periphery of the cutter 48 is provided with a narrow cutting edge 62 which is similar to the cutting edge 32 of Figures 6A and 6B. Figure 8B also shows that the cutter 48 has a portion that engages the mass 64, which is blunt, and that has a thickness of about 0.635 - 1.27 cm. and which is preferably rounded with a radius of curvature of 0.3175 - 0.635 cm. The portion that engages the mass 64 is preferably free from the outer periphery of the cutting edge 62 by a distance 66 that is not more than about 0.15875 cm. Similarly, the cutting edge 62 preferably has a thickness 68 that is in the order of approximately 0.15875 cm. or less, and that may be a flat or tapered edge, or a sharp edge. The cutter 48, as can be seen in Figure 8B, thus cuts the dough sheet 15 in a manner similar to that of the cutter 31 shown in Figure 6A. The cutting edge 62 provides a sharper edge so that the cutting force that needs to be applied to the dough sheet 15 is significantly less than that required with respect to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 8A. However, since the portion that collects to the mass 64 is provided, and is only free from the cutting edge 62 for a short distance, the cutter 48, as can be seen in Figure 8B, maintains the benefit of a cut of a more rounded type than would be the case if the entire cutter were formed with the same thickness as the cutting edge 62. Figures 8C and 8D illustrate another cutter embodiment 48 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. The cutter 48 shown in Figure 8C is similar in many respects to that shown in Figure 8B, and similar articles are numbered in a similar manner. However, the cutter 48 of Figure 8C also has a thicker portion 70 which is disposed radially toward the center of the cutter 48. In one embodiment, the portion 70 protrudes from an outer radial portion 72 by a transition region 74 the which comprises either a step (as shown in Figure 8C) or a taper, or another transition configuration. The most central portion 70 of the cutter 48 has a thickness 70 that is more than about 1.27 cm. Similarly, the portion 70 is free of the cutting edge 62 by a distance 78 that is at least equal to the thickness of the pulp sheet 15. Therefore, the central portion 70 provides greater structural support to the cutter 48 than the modality illustrated in Figure 8B. However, the cutter 48 shown in Figure 8C obtains the advantages associated with the cutter 48, as can be seen in Figure 8B. Figure 8D is simply a side view of the cutter 48 shown in Figure 8C, and better illustrates a location example for the transition section 74. Figures 8E-8G illustrate additional embodiments of the cutter 48, whose characteristics can be applied to other types of cutters like those that appear in the other figures. Figure 8E shows that the cutter 48 has a portion that engages the mass 69 having rounded corners 71 and 73, but having a generally flattened region 75 therebetween. The corners 71 and 73 are sufficiently rounded to prevent the skin from breaking off the upper surface of the dough sheet 16, until the upper skin has been stretched and pulled towards the lower skin, and compressed thereto. The faster the sheet of dough 15 moves, the cutter 48 is more likely to break the skin, therefore the corners must be blunt or rounded. Fig. 8F shows a cutter 48 that is similar to the cutter 48 of Fig. 8E, and similar articles are numbered in a similar manner. The cutter 48 shown in Figure 8F includes corners 71 and 73, and a flattened portion 75. However, the flattened portion 75 also has a raised edge 62, which is similar to that shown in Figures 8B-8D. therefore, the cutter 48 of FIG. 8F can obtain the same advantages as the cutter 48 of FIG. 8E. but requiring less pressure to cut the dough sheet 15. Figure 8G illustrates a cutter 48 with a lower portion 77. The lower portion 77 includes corners 79 and 81, which may be rounded or sharpened, and which may carry portions tapered portions 83 and 85. The tapered portions 83 and 85 are inclined to an outermost outer peripheral edge 87 of the cutter 48. The angle defined by the tapered portions 83 and 85 is a relatively large angle, and is sufficient for the outer outer periphery 87 do not break the skin of the dough sheet 51, until this skin has been pulled towards the opposite skin, and compressed or sealed to it. Similarly, the corners 79 and 81 are preferably rounded, but are formed at least at angles that are large enough to avoid breaking the skin of the mass to which it engages until this skin is compressed or Seal the opposite skin of the dough. Another cutter 48 is illustrated in Figure 8H. The cutter 48 illustrated in Figure 8H is similar to the one illustrated in Figure 8F. However, ridge 62 is replaced by a plurality section of ridges 62A. The ridge sections 62A are calibrated and sized in the same manner as the ridge 62, except that they are discontinuous along the outer periphery of the cutter 48. The ridge sections 62A, therefore, provide a bore, rather than a bore. division or clean cut. Said cutter can be used for any desirable application, and can specifically be used as any of the cutters 92-98 for the application illustrated in Figures 10A-10D, as will be described later in the specification. Occasionally it happens that when a very thick mass is to be cut with rollers (as with the system 38 shown in FIG. 7A) (as a mass more than 2.54 cm thick) the sheet 15 of dough may tend to come together , or stacking, in an upward direction towards the wheels, particularly when the wheels are not driven mechanically. Thus, in Figures 9A and 9B there is illustrated a system 80 for cutting a thicker sheet of dough 15. System 80 is similar to system 38 illustrated in Figure 7A, and similar factors are numbered in a similar manner. However, system 80 also includes two additional sets 82 and 84 of rotating wheel cutters, which are generally aligned, and are located in an upward direction, with wheel cutters 48, 50 and 52. The sets 82 and 84 of the wheel cutters are similar to the wheel cutters 48, 50 and 52, except that they are each set to press the sheet 15 of dough at different depths. Figure 9B is a side view illustrating the different depths of cut or depression. In Figure 9B it is illustrated that the set of rotary wheel cutters 84 only makes a small depression in the surface of the dough sheet 15. This depression does not break the skin on the surface of the dough sheet 15, but only works to locally stretch the skin towards the conveyor, in the area of the depression. The second set of rotary wheel cutters 82, which is located downwardly to the play 84, presses more the sheet 15 of dough, but still does not divide the sheet 15 of dough. The set of cutters illustrated in Figure 9A, which includes the wheel 52, on the other hand, extends the entire length, and divides, the sheet 15 of dough, thereby completing the cut. In this way, relatively thick dough sheets can be cut using rotating wheel cutters, without positively driving the wheels, and without encountering a significant accumulation or stacking of the dough in upward direction to the roll wheel cutters. Of course, the sets of wheel cutters 82 and 84 can have any of the configurations illustrated in Figures 8A-8G. Depending on their purpose, the cutters can also be equipped as illustrated in Figure 8H. Similarly, more or less sets of wheel cutters based on a line thickness and speed of a particular mass can be used. Additionally, different cutting wheel thicknesses can be used in different locations with respect to the dough sheet. In some applications it has been seen that it is desirable to be able to form a plurality of buns or loaves that are different from each other, but that are still joined together, in groups. Said buns can be coupled together in any desired number. For example, in order to package hot dog buns, it may be desirable to keep 4 buns, physically attached, even in discrete form, so that they can be inserted in two layers in a bag or other package, to offer the consumer eight buns for hot dogs Such buns or loaves coupled can also be used in other applications. In Figures 10A-10B there is illustrated a system 86 for forming buns or loaves in that coupled manner. The system 86 shows a sheet 15 of dough moving in a direction 54, as indicated in the previous figures. Similarly, the system 86 includes a set 88 of rotating wheel cutters and a guillotine-type cutter 90 located in a downward direction to the set 88 of rotating wheel cutters. The set 88 of rotating wheel cutters includes the cutters 92, 94, 96 and 98, which press at least the sheet of dough 15 and locally stretch the skin of one surface of the sheet of dough towards the opposite skin. However, in order to achieve buns or loaves coupled, the wheels 94 and 96 do not cut completely through the dough sheet 15, but instead stop just before dividing the dough sheet 15. This is indicated in more detail in Figure 10B. It can be seen that the rotary cutters 92 and 98 are positioned in relation to the conveyor carrying the dough sheet 15 to divide the dough sheet 15, while the cutters 94 and 96 are not. Sowhen the sheet 15 of dough passes through the set 88 of cutters, four depressions are made, only two of which divide the sheet 15 of dough. The mass then travels to the guillotine-type cutter 90 which makes a cross-section, periodically, in the dough sheet 15, so that the pieces of the dough cut are of the desired length as the length of the dog buns hot It should be noted that the guillotine-type cutter 90 can also be a blunt cutter according to the present invention. Further, as illustrated in Figure 10E, which is a bottom view of the cutter 90, the cutter 90 may include a generally rounded shape for cutting the dough sheet 16 into loaves or buns having round ends. The resulting product is illustrated in Figure 10C. In Fig. 10C the depressions 100 and 102 which are formed by means of cutters 94 and 96 are illustrated. The outer edges 104 and 106 of the buns, however, have been divided from the rest of the sheet 15 of dough. This results in a product whose top view is illustrated in Figure 10D, which has three buns, physically connected to each other, but different from each other. In addition, cutters 94 and 96 can be equipped using the perforating cutter 48 illustrated in Figure 8H, so that discrete buns can be more easily separated. While the system 86 shows rotating wheel cutters 88 to form a bent set of buns, as illustrated in FIG. 10D, the buns coupled can also be formed using an alternating cutting head, cutters arranged in a rotating drum, or a sliding head cutter, as explained in more detail later in the application. Figure 1A illustrates another cutter 108 according to one aspect of the present invention. The cutter 108 is formed of a plurality of structures, or cells 1 10, each of which is similar to the cutters 16 or 31, which appear in previous figures. However, instead of having an internal periphery that has the same shape as the outer periphery, each of the cells 1 10 has an outer periphery that has the shape of a geometric figure, which can be nested with other cells of similar shapes to avoid waste (for example, squares, triangles, pentagons, hexagons, etc.), with an internal periphery that has a different shape (although it could also have the same shape), such as a circle or oval, etc. In a preferred embodiment, the outer periphery of each of the cells or structures 110 is provided with a cutting edge similar to the cutting edge 32 illustrated in Figure 6A. The inner periphery is provided with a portion of coupling to the blunt-edge mass as the portion 34 that is illustrated in Figure 6A. In this way, a sheet of dough traveling under the cutter 108 will be used substantially in its entirety, without edging (different from the edging on the side edges of the dough sheet), since the geometric figures (e.g., hexagons) that define the outer peripheries of each of the cells 1 10 are nested with the geometric figures that define the outer periphery of the adjacent cells 110. However, because the inner periphery is a blunt portion of dough-engaging, each of the rolls or bread products cut by the cutter 108 has round edges instead of square or sharply cut edges. In an illustrative embodiment, a dough sheet is passed along the cutter 108 in the direction indicated by the arrow 1 12. The cutter 108 is mounted on an alternating cutter (as described in greater detail with respect to the figures). 12 or 13). In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the cutter 108 is provided with front projections 1 14, and rear projections 1 16. Because the inner periphery of the cutter cells 10 is blunt, it has been observed that the sheet 15 of dough, when traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow 1 12 under the alternating cutter 108, it can leave narrow ends of rear dough. However, by providing the front and rear shoulders 114 and 116, the ends are substantially removed thereby making the cut dough product more suitable for packing, with less waste.

A further feature is illustrated in Figure 11B. It may be desirable to print the top of the dough pieces with a pattern (for example a Kaiser pattern, a cross, a clover, etc.). Said printing is illustrated generally at 109 in Figure 11 B. The print 109 is shown attached to the cutter 108 (described with respect to Figure 1 1 A) in an alternating or walking head type cutter. The cutter 108 is attached to the pattern print 109 by means of a back plate 11 1, or other suitable joining mechanism. As the dough moves through the cutter 108 in the direction indicated by the arrow 112, the dough is cut into pieces by means of each of the cells 110 of the cutter 108. The cut dough pieces advance further there in the direction indicated by the arrow 12, until they are below the printer section 109. The alternating head containing the cutter 108 and the printer 109 then descends further into the mass. The patterns 1 13 are placed on the backing plate 1 1 1, so that, when the dough is moved in a predefined amount, the pieces cut by the cell 1 10 of the cutter 108 are accurately placed under the patterns 113, which they protrude from the plate 111. When the cutting head again alternates downwards towards the dough sheet, the patterns 113 strike on the upper part of the dough pieces and in this way print the desired pattern on them. Of course, the amount with which the patterns 113 protrude from the backing plate 1 1 1 will determine the depth with which the patterns are printed on the surface of the cut dough pieces. Any desired depth can be chosen. In FIG. 11C, the cutter 108 formed as a cutter bar, used together, is a compression roller 118. Said arrangement, with sharp edge hexagonal cutters, is known and described in greater detail in U.S. Patent No. 5,535,575. In short, the sheet 15 of dough travels in the direction illustrated by the arrow 54, above the cutter bar 108, which is formed as a continuous cutting unit carried by a conveyor. When the dough sheet 15 is coupled to the compression roller 118, the roller 118 compresses the dough sheet 15 under said cutter 108. In the downward direction to the compression roll 118, the dough pieces inside each of the cells 110 of the dough Cutter 108 are removed and packaged. In Figure 12 there is illustrated a system 120 for illustrating the cutter 108 in an alternating head cutter. System 120, as with the previous system described herein, includes a sheet 15 of dough moving in the direction indicated by arrow 54, transported by a conveyor. The conveyor is driven by a motor 122 which is coupled with an index controller (which may be an electronic controller or a mechanical articulated system) to a motor 126 which is coupled through the articulated system 128, to the head 108. The motor 126 can be an electric motor or any other suitable motor type such as a linear motor with hydraulic or pneumatic actuators. As the dough sheet 15 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow 54, the head 108 moves in an alternating manner indicated by the arrow 130, to cut the dough sheet 15 in the desired products. The alternating head cutters are well known. In figure 13 another system is illustrated in which the cutter 108, or a similar cutter, can be used. In Figure 13, the system 132 employs a walking head cutter arrangement in which the cutter 108 alternates in relation to the dough sheet 15 not only in a vertical direction, but also in a horizontal direction. In other words, the cutter 108 is pressed down towards the dough sheet 15, as the dough sheet 15 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow 54. The cutter 108, therefore, cut the sheet 15 of dough with the desired pattern. The cutter 108 is configured to move along with the dough sheet 15 in the direction indicated by the arrow 54 for a predetermined distance to the position indicated on the phantom at 134 in Figure 13. Then, the cutter 108 is removed of the sheet 15 of mass upwards and backwards relative to the travel path 54 of the sheet 15 of dough. Then the cutter 108 is depressed towards the sheet 15 of dough, again and again "walks" along with the sheet 15 of dough. In Figures 14A and 14B there is still illustrated another system 136 according to one aspect of the present invention. In system 136, a rotating drum cutter 138 with cutter 108 provided on its outer surface is provided. As with alternating head cutters and walking head cutters, rotating drum cutters are also well known. In summary, as the dough sheet 15 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow 54, the rotating drum cutter 138 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow 140. With the cutter 108 disposed on its outer surface, the drum 138 rotates performs the desired cutting operations to cut the sheet 15 of mass in the desired number of pieces. Therefore, it can be seen that the present invention provides a number of significant advantages over the dough cutters of the prior art. The present invention provides a dough cut or a dough-engaging surface that is configured to pull a first dough surface toward a second dough surface when the cutter hits the dough sheet. This tends to seal the two dough surfaces together, and also, if desired, divides the dough sheet. This results in a dough product that looks a lot like a dough product formed by hand, with round edges, instead of edges of right or acute angles. As the present invention can be applied substantially in any suitable cutting apparatus or in any suitable cutting system, the present invention can carry out a high yield while still maintaining its advantages. Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (19)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. An apparatus for forming and cutting dough to shape and cut a dough sheet having a first surface with a first skin and a second surface with a second skin, the apparatus comprising: a cutter having a blunt portion of coupling to the dough that is at least about 6 mm thick and that extends sufficiently to divide the dough sheet, the blunt portion of dough coupling having a surface that shapes the dough to shape and divide the dough sheet dough; wherein the surface that gives shape to the dough comprises at least a portion of surface that is not perpendicular to its extension direction for coupling with the first dough surface and pulling the first skin towards the second skin until they are substantially compressed together before cutting the first skin.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that the surface that gives shape to the mass of the blunt portion of coupling to the mass comprises a round corner having a radius of curvature of at least about 3 mm as a portion of surface that is not perpendicular to the direction of extension of the blunt portion of coupling to the mass.

3. - The apparatus according to claim 2, further characterized in that the surface that shapes the mass of the blunt portion of coupling to the dough further comprises a flat tip portion adjacent to the round corner.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that the surface that gives shape to the mass of the blunt portion of coupling to the dough comprises at least one angled surface as a portion of surface that is not perpendicular to the dough. the direction of extension of the blunt portion of coupling to the mass.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that it is arranged in relation to a mass support structure on a rotating drum.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that it is arranged in relation to a mass support structure on an alternating head.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that it is arranged in relation to a mass support structure on a walking head to intermittently couple the dough sheet and travel with the dough sheet.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further characterized in that the blunt portion of coupling to the dough further includes a cutter edge provided adjacent to and spaced from the surface that forms the dough to divide a dough portion of the dough. 8 sheet of dough after the mass portion is formed by the surface that gives shape to the dough.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, further characterized in that the cutting edge is provided as a peripheral edge of the cutter with the surface that shapes the mass within the periphery of the cutter, and the peripheral shape defined by the cutter. Cutting edge is different from the shape of the surface that gives shape to the dough, when viewed in a similar way.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, further characterized in that the outer periphery of the cutting edge is a geometric figure that can be nested within other geometric shapes of similar shapes.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further characterized in that the outer periphery of the cutting edge is substantially hexagonal, and the internal periphery of the surface that gives shape to the mass is substantially circular.

12. A method for cutting a dough sheet, characterized in that it comprises a) providing a dough sheet having a first surface with a first skin and a second surface with a second skin; b) providing a dough-cutting apparatus having a cutter with a blunt portion of coupling to the dough that extends sufficiently to divide the dough sheet, the blunt portion of dough-coupling having a surface that shapes the dough to shape and divide the 9 sheet of dough; c) causing the surface that gives shape to the mass of the blunt portion of the mass to make contact with the first surface of the dough sheet and in this way pull the first skin towards the second skin and substantially compress the first and second skins together, d) dividing the dough sheet with the blunt portion of dough coupling after the first skin and the second skin have been compressed substantially together.

13. The method according to claim 12, further characterized in that the dough sheet is provided on a conveyor and is moved in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extension of the blunt mass coupling portion.

14.- A method to cut a sheet of dough; characterized in that it comprises a) providing a dough sheet having a first surface with a first skin and a second surface with a second skin; b) providing a dough cutter apparatus comprising a plurality of structures having an outer periphery comprising a cutter edge and an inner periphery comprising a blunt edge portion of mass coupling with a surface that shapes the dough , where the outer periphery is a geometric figure capable of being nested within other geometric shapes of similar shapes and where the internal periphery is a different shape when viewed in a similar way; c) causing the plurality of structures to contact the dough sheet thereby causing the inner periphery to pull the first skin towards the second skin without breaking the dough sheet until the first skin and the second skin are substantially compressed together; and d) causing the outer periphery to divide the dough sheet thereby creating the plurality of dough pieces.

15. The method according to claim 14, further characterized in that the method for producing the dough product further comprises the step of processing the dough pieces in a manner that results in the volume expansion of the dough pieces, with which enlarged dough pieces are substantially maintained with the geometric figure of the internal periphery.

16. A plurality of dough products produced from a dough sheet and placed together in a nesting arrangement, each of the plurality of dough products comprising a dough portion having a first surface with a first skin and a second surface with a second skin, wherein each mass portion also has an outer periphery in its second skin that is of a shape capable of being nested within other geometric figures of similar shape and a small outer peripheral shape of different shape in his first skin

17. The dough products according to claim 16, further characterized in that the outer periphery of the second skin is hexagonal and the outer periphery of the first skin is substantially round.

18. - The dough products according to claim 17, further characterized in that the dough products are not baked.

19. A baked dough product comprising: a plurality of buns connected along a depression, the buns are cut along a periphery of the plurality of buns of a dough sheet having an upper skin and a lower skin, so that the upper skin is perforated towards the lower skin along the periphery to provide a generally rounded appearance.