Blunt Edge Dough Cutter

Abstract

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

1 . A dough cutting apparatus for shaping and cutting a dough sheet having a lower surface, an upper surface and a thickness defined as a distance between the lower and upper surfaces with the thickness being greater than one inch, the apparatus comprising:
 a conveyor for moving the dough sheet in a dough travel direction, said dough sheet being positioned on the conveyor with the lower surface of the dough sheet resting upon the conveyor;   a support axle extending laterally across the conveyor at a position spaced above the upper surface of the dough sheet; and   a plurality of cutter wheels fixedly mounted on the support axle at laterally spaced locations such that the plurality of cutter wheels are simultaneously driven upon rotation of the support axle, each of said plurality of cutter wheels being disc-shaped with two flat opposing side portions leading to angled outer circumferential, dough engaging portions which meet at a central, radially outwardly extending nip portion,   wherein movement of the conveyor causes the dough sheet to travel to the plurality of cutter wheels whereat rotation of the support axle causes the plurality of cutter wheels to be simultaneously driven and the dough sheet to be formed into a plurality of longitudinally extending and laterally spaced dough strips with, for each of the plurality of cutter wheels, the dough engaging portions engaging and shaping upper side portions of a respective adjacent pair of the dough strips, an upper portion of the dough strips extending between at least part of the two flat opposing side portions to the dough engaging portions, and the nip portion severing the respective adjacent pair of the dough strips.   
     
     
         2 . The dough cutting apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least one cutter unit longitudinally spaced from the plurality of cutter wheels for simultaneously severing at least two of the plurality of dough strips transversely so as to establish shortened longitudinal strips. 
     
     
         3 . The dough cutting apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the at least one cutter unit constitutes by a vertically reciprocating cutter unit. 
     
     
         4 . The dough cutting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of cutter wheels has a diameter which is at least 6 times the thickness of the dough sheet. 
     
     
         5 . The dough cutting apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of cutter wheels has a diameter which is at least 10-12 times as large as the thickness of the dough sheet. 
     
     
         6 . The dough cutting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the nip portion of each of the plurality of cutter wheels includes a blunt, flat edge. 
     
     
         7 . The dough cutting apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the nip portion of each of the plurality of cutter wheels defines a narrow cutting edge having a thickness of no greater than 1/16 of an inch. 
     
     
         8 . The dough cutting apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of cutter wheels are mounted and configured, relative to the conveyor, such that the nip portion of each of the plurality of cutter wheels only lightly engages the conveyor. 
     
     
         9 . The dough cutting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of cutter wheels includes at least four cutter wheels. 
     
     
         10 . The dough cutting apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least two additional cutter wheels mounted on the support axle, wherein the at least two additional cutter wheels project radially from the support axle and into the dough sheet a distance less than each of the plurality of cutter wheels. 
     
     
         11 . The dough cutting apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the additional cutter wheels are positioned between an adjacent pair of the plurality of cutter wheels along the support axle. 
     
     
         12 . The dough cutting apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising additional set of cutter wheels mounted on an additional support axle extending laterally across the conveyor at a position spaced above the upper surface of the dough sheet and upstream of the plurality of cutter wheels in the dough travel direction, wherein the additional set of cutting wheels projects into the dough sheet a distance less than each of the plurality of cutter wheels. 
     
     
         13 . The dough cutting apparatus according to  claim 12 , further comprising a further set of cutter wheels mounted on a further axle extending laterally across the conveyor at a position spaced above the upper surface of the dough sheet and upstream of both the plurality of cutter wheels and the additional set of cutting wheels in the dough travel direction, wherein the further set of cutter wheels projects into the dough sheet a distance less than each of the plurality of cutter wheels and the additional set of cutter wheels. 
     
     
         14 . The dough cutting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of cutter wheels is fixed to the support axle so as to be positively rotationally driven with rotation of the support axle. 
     
     
         15 . The dough cutting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the angled outer circumferential, dough engaging portions is arcuately angled, thereby defining a radius of curvature. 
     
     
         16 . The dough cutting apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein the radius of curvature for each of the dough engaging portions is at least 0.125 of an inch. 
     
     
         17 . A method of shaping and cutting a dough sheet having a lower surface, an upper surface and a thickness defined as a distance between the lower and upper surfaces with the thickness being greater than one inch, said method comprising:
 conveying the dough sheet in a dough travel direction upon a conveyor with the lower surface of the dough sheet resting upon the conveyor;   rotating a support axle extending laterally across the conveyor at a position spaced above the upper surface of the dough sheet;   simultaneously driving a plurality of cutter wheels, each being disc-shaped with two flat opposing side portions leading to angled outer circumferential, dough engaging portions which meet at a central, radially outwardly extending nip portion, fixedly mounted on the support axle at laterally spaced locations such that the plurality of cutter wheels are simultaneously driven upon rotation of the support axle; and   causing the dough sheet to be contacted by the plurality of cutter wheels and be formed into a plurality of longitudinally extending and laterally spaced dough strips by, for each of the plurality of cutter wheels, the dough engaging portions engaging and shaping upper side portions of a respective adjacent pair of the dough strips, an upper portion of the dough strips extending between at least part of the two flat opposing side portions to the dough engaging portions, and the nip portion severing the respective adjacent pair of the dough strips.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising: vertically reciprocating a cutter unit to simultaneously sever at least two of the plurality of dough strips transversely so as to establish shortened longitudinal strips. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising: severing the plurality of dough strips with the nip portion of each of the plurality of cutter wheels being defined by a blunt, flat edge. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising: severing the plurality of dough strips with the nip portion of each of the plurality of cutter wheels defining a narrow cutting edge having a thickness of no greater than 1/16 of an inch.