Method and apparatus for cutting dough products having holes from a dough sheet

Abstract

A stamping apparatus may be used to cut a dough product having a hole from a dough sheet. The stamping apparatus may have multiple cutting blades, depending from a platen, that are configured for cutting complementary open shapes, in phases, that together form a closed shape defining the dough product periphery. The stamping apparatus may also have a tubular cutting blade depending from the platen, configured to cut a closed shape defining the dough product hole, that is nested within one of the blades that is configured to cut an open shape. The tubular cutting blade may be retractable about a finger contained therewithin that remains in a fixed position in relation to the tubular cutting blade as the blade retracts. Air trapped within the tubular cutting blade, between the finger and a cutout dough piece that does not form part of the dough product, may become compressed during blade retraction. The compression may facilitate ejection of the cutout dough piece from the tubular cutting blade. The finger may be omitted in some embodiments.

1 . A stamping apparatus for cutting, from a dough sheet, a dough product having a hole, the stamping apparatus comprising:
 a platen;   first and second cutting blades depending from the platen, the first cutting blade configured to cut an open shape, the second cutting blade configured to cut an open shape that is complementary to the open shape cut by the first cutting blade, the first and second cutting blades for phased cutting of a closed shape defining a periphery of a dough product;   a tubular cutting blade depending from the platen, the tubular cutting blade being nested either within the first cutting blade or within the second cutting blade, the tubular cutting blade for cutting a hole of the dough product;   a stripping plate aligned with the platen, the platen being biased away from the stripping plate to a retracted position, the stripping plate having openings for passage of the first, second and tubular cutting blades therethrough when the bias is overcome; and   a finger in fixed relation to the stripping plate, the finger projecting away from the platen and being contained within the tubular cutting blade, the finger for urging ejection of a cutout dough piece from the tubular cutting blade by a compression of air trapped within the tubular cutting blade between the finger and the cutout dough piece as the platen returns to the retracted position.   
     
     
         2 . The stamping apparatus of  claim 1  wherein first cutting blade has a C shape for cutting the open shape and the second cutting blade has a reversed C shape for cutting the complementary open shape. 
     
     
         3 . The stamping apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the tubular cutting blade is cylindrical and wherein the finger comprises a closed cylinder. 
     
     
         4 . The stamping apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the tubular cutting blade has a cutting edge that is tapered only on an inwardly facing side of the tubular cutting blade. 
     
     
         5 . The stamping apparatus of  claim 4  wherein a tip of the tapered cutting edge is blunt. 
     
     
         6 . The stamping apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the stripping plate has feet on a side opposite the platen, the feet for engaging a surface upon which a dough sheet rests. 
     
     
         7 . The stamping apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the dough sheet comprises artisan dough and wherein the dough product is a bagel-shaped dough product. 
     
     
         8 . A method of cutting, from a dough sheet, a dough product having a hole, the method comprising:
 cutting, through a dough sheet, a first open shape;   subsequently cutting, through the dough sheet, a second open shape that is complementary to the first open shape, the first and second open shapes overlapping in the dough sheet so as to define a periphery of a dough product;   simultaneously with either the cutting or the subsequent cutting, cutting, through the dough sheet, a hole of the dough product, the cutting of the hole being performed using a tubular cutting blade and resulting in a cutout dough piece that does not form part of the dough product; and   after the cutting of the hole, retracting the tubular cutting blade about a finger that is contained within the tubular cutting blade, the retracting causing air trapped between the finger and the cutout dough piece within the tubular cutting blade to compress so as to urge ejection of the cutout dough piece from the tubular cutting blade.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the cutting of the first open shape is performed by a first cutting blade, the cutting of the second open shape is performed by a second cutting blade, and further comprising, after the cutting of the first open shape but before the cutting of the second open shape, conveying the dough sheet from the first cutting blade towards the second cutting blade. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the first cutting blade, the second cutting blade, the tubular cutting blade and the finger all form part of a unitary stamping apparatus, the stamping apparatus comprising a stripping plate having openings for passage of the first cutting blade, the second cutting blade, and the tubular cutting blade, and wherein the finger is in fixed relation to the stripping plate. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8  wherein first open shape is a C shape and the second open shape is a reversed C shape. 
     
     
         12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the dough sheet comprises artisan dough and wherein the dough product is a bagel-shaped dough product. 
     
     
         14 . A stamping apparatus for cutting, from a dough sheet, a dough product having a hole, the stamping apparatus comprising:
 a platen;   first and second cutting blades depending from the platen, the first cutting blade configured to cut an open shape, the second cutting blade configured to cut an open shape that is complementary to the open shape cut by the first cutting blade, the first and second cutting blades for phased cutting of a closed shape defining a periphery of a dough product;   a tubular cutting blade depending from the platen, the tubular cutting blade being nested either within the first cutting blade or within the second cutting blade, the tubular cutting blade for cutting a hole of the dough product; and   a stripping plate aligned with the platen, the platen being biased away from the stripping plate to a retracted position, the stripping plate having openings for passage of the first, second and tubular cutting blades therethrough when the bias is overcome.   
     
     
         15 . The stamping apparatus of  claim 14  wherein first cutting blade has a C shape for cutting the open shape and the second cutting blade has a reversed C shape for cutting the complementary open shape. 
     
     
         16 . The stamping apparatus of  claim 14  wherein the tubular cutting blade is cylindrical. 
     
     
         17 . The stamping apparatus of  claim 14  wherein the tubular cutting blade has a cutting edge that is tapered only on an inwardly facing side of the tubular cutting blade. 
     
     
         18 . The stamping apparatus of  claim 17  wherein a tip of the tapered cutting edge is blunt. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The stamping apparatus of  claim 14  wherein the dough sheet comprises artisan dough and wherein the dough product is a bagel-shaped dough product. 
     
     
         21 . A bagel food product baked from the bagel-shaped dough product made by the apparatus of  claim 7 . 
     
     
         22 . A bagel food product baked from the bagel-shaped dough product made by the apparatus of  claim 20 .