Synchronized conveyor units and adjusting means therefor

Claim 1

IN A MACHINE OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED COMPRISING A FRYING KETTLE, A DOUGH FORMER MOUNTED ABOVE AND ADJACENT ONE END OF SAID KETTLE, AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR FOR RECEIVING DOUGH FORMS DEPOSITED IN SAID KETTLE BY SAID FORMER, SAID ENDLESS CONVEYOR HAVING A PAIR OF SHAFTS SPACED LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID KETTLE, MEANS FOR DRIVING ONE OF SAID SHAFTS, A PAIR OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED SPROCKET WHEELS MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID SHAFTS, THE SPROCKET WHEELS ON SAID DRIVEN SHAFT BEING KEYED THERETO, A PAIR OF ENDLESS CHAINS ENTRAINED ONE EACH OVER EACH ALIGNED PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED SPROCKETS WHEELS, SAID CHAINS HAVING A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED FLIGHT BARS MOUNTED THEREBETWEEN FOR MOVING THE DEPOSITED DOUGH FORMS AWAY FROM SAID DOUGH FORMER TOWARD THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID KETTLE, AND, IN COMBINATION, WITH SAID DRIVEN SHAFT OF SAID ENDLESS CONVEYOR, (A) A WHEEL DISC ATTACHED FIXEDLY TO SAID DRIVEN SHAFT, (B) SAID WHEEL DISC BEING CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID SPROCKET WHEELS KEYED TO SAID SHAFT THROUGH A RATCHET UNIT ASSEMBLY, (C) SAID RATCHET UNIT ASSEMBLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT AND HAVING A RATCHET WHEEL CONNECTED FIXEDLY WITH SAID KEYED SPROCKET WHEEL, (D) SAID RATCHET WHEEL HAVING A RELATIVELY LARGE NUMBER OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED TEETH AS COMPARED TO THE NUMBER OF TEETH OF SAID SPROCKET WHEEL, AND (E) SAID RATCHET UNIT HAVING AT LEAST ONE PAWL MOUNTED ON SAID WHEEL DISC FOR ENGAGING SAID TEETH OF SAID RATCHET WHEEL, WHEREBY WHEN SAID WHEEL DISC IS MOVED INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID DRIVING MEANS IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF ITS DRIVEN SHAFT SAID SPROCKET WHEEL WILL BE MOVED FORWARDLY TO ADVANCE SAID SHAFT IN INCREMENTS OF LESS THAN THE SPACING OF THE TEETH ON SAID SPROCKET WHEEL, THEREBY ADVANCING THE ENTRAINED CHAINS TO SYNCHRONIZE THEIR SPACED FLIGHT BARS WITH SAID DEPOSITS OF DOUGH FROM SAID FORMER.