Apparatus for applying seasoning to potato chips

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING POWDERED SEASONING TO EDIBLE CHIPS AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING: A CONVEYOR INCLUDING DRIVE MEANS FOR ADVANCING THE CHIPS ALONG A CONTINUOUS, SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PATH TOWARD ONE END THEREOF; A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL HOPPER MOUNTED DIRECTLY ABOVE, CLOSELY SPACED FROM AND DISPOSED BETWEEN THE ENDS OF SAID CONVEYOR SO THAT THE CHIPS TRAVELING ALONG THE CONVEYOR PASS DIRECTLY BELOW SAID HOPPER AND RELATIVELY CLOSE THERETO, SAID HOPPER HAVING A PERFORATE BOTTOM WALL MOUNTED THEREON; AN AGITATOR HAVING A DRIVEN SHAFT CONCENTRICALLY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HOPPER AND LOBE MEANS EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM SAID SHAFT ADJACENT THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID BOTTOM WALL; DRIVE MEANS INCLUDING A DRIVE SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH THE SIDE WALL OF SAID HOPPER AND CONNECT TO SAID DRIVEN SHAFT FOR ROTATING SAME, SO THAT POWDERED SEASONING IN SAID HOPPER IS DISCHARGED BY SAID AGITATOR THROUGH SAID PERFORATE BOTTOM WALL IN A STEADY STREAM OF FINELY AND SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY DISPERSED PARTICLES, THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID BOTTOM WALL AND SAID CONVEYOR BEING UNOBSTRUCTED SO THAT SAID STREAM OF SEASONING CAN FALL DIRECTLY ONTO THE UPPER SURFACES OF THE CHIPS MOVING ALONG THE CONVEYOR AND ONTO THE CONVEYOR WITHOUT DISTURBANCE OF THE CHIPS; A RECEPTACLE DISPOSED ADJACENT TO AND DIRECTLY BELOW SAID ONE END OF SAID CONVEYOR, THE PATH BETWEEN SAID ONE END OF SAID CONVEYOR AND SAID RECEPTACLE BEING UNOBSTRUCTED SO THAT THE CHIPS FREELY FALL VERTICALLY FROM SAID CONVEYOR INTO SAID RECEPTACLE, THE BOTTOM OF SAID RECEPTCLE BEING SPACED DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID CHUTE A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY IN EXCESS OF, AND DEPENDENT UPON THE AVERAGE WIDTH OF, THE CHIPS, SUCH THAT MOST OF THE CHIPS TURN OVER ONCE AS THEY FALL THROUGH SAID VERTICAL PATH AND COME TO REST WITH THE LOWER SURFACES OF SAID CHIPS FACING UPWARDLY, SO THAT THE PARTICLES ON SAID CONVEYOR WILL FALL FROM SAID ONE END THEREOF WITH SAID CHIPS ONTO SAID LOWER SURFACES THEREOF.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING POWDERED SEASONING TO EDIBLE CHIPS AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING: A CONVEYOR INCLUDING DRIVE MEANS FOR ADVANCING THE CHIPS ALONG A CONTINUOUS, SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PATH TOWARD ONE END THEREOF; A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL HOPPER MOUNTED DIRECTLY ABOVE, CLOSELY SPACED FROM AND DISPOSED BETWEEN THE ENDS OF SAID CONVEYOR SO THAT THE CHIPS TRAVELING ALONG THE CONVEYOR PASS DIRECTLY BELOW SAID HOPPER AND RELATIVELY CLOSE THERETO, SAID HOPPER HAVING A PERFORATE BOTTOM WALL MOUNTED THEREON; AN AGITATOR HAVING A DRIVEN SHAFT CONCENTRICALLY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HOPPER AND LOBE MEANS EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM SAID SHAFT ADJACENT THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID BOTTOM WALL; DRIVE MEANS INCLUDING A DRIVE SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH THE SIDE WALL OF SAID HOPPER AND CONNECT TO SAID DRIVEN SHAFT FOR ROTATING SAME, SO THAT POWDERED SEASONING IN SAID HOPPER IS DISCHARGED BY SAID AGITATOR THROUGH SAID PERFORATE BOTTOM WALL IN A STEADY STREAM OF FINELY AND SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY DISPERSED PARTICLES, THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID BOTTOM WALL AND SAID CONVEYOR BEING UNOBSTRUCTED SO THAT SAID STREAM OF SEASONING CAN FALL DIRECTLY ONTO THE UPPER SURFACES OF THE CHIPS MOVING ALONG THE CONVEYOR AND ONTO THE CONVEYOR WITHOUT DISTURBANCE OF THE CHIPS; A RECEPTACLE DISPOSED ADJACENT TO AND DIRECTLY BELOW SAID ONE END OF SAID CONVEYOR, THE PATH BETWEEN SAID ONE END OF SAID CONVEYOR AND SAID RECEPTACLE BEING UNOBSTRUCTED SO THAT THE CHIPS FREELY FALL VERTICALLY FROM SAID CONVEYOR INTO SAID RECEPTACLE, THE BOTTOM OF SAID RECEPTCLE BEING SPACED DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID CHUTE A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY IN EXCESS OF, AND DEPENDENT UPON THE AVERAGE WIDTH OF, THE CHIPS, SUCH THAT MOST OF THE CHIPS TURN OVER ONCE AS THEY FALL THROUGH SAID VERTICAL PATH AND COME TO REST WITH THE LOWER SURFACES OF SAID CHIPS FACING UPWARDLY, SO THAT THE PARTICLES ON SAID CONVEYOR WILL FALL FROM SAID ONE END THEREOF WITH SAID CHIPS ONTO SAID LOWER SURFACES THEREOF.