Apparatus for proofing and frying bakery goods

Claim 1

An apparatus for proofing and frying bakery goods, said apparatus comprising a frying vessel, said vessel including side and bottom walls defining inlet and outlet ends, a proofing cabinet, said proofing cabinet including side, top, bottom and end walls having an inlet and outlet opening, said outlet opening being positioned adjacent the inlet end of the frying vessel, a framework connected to the frying vessel for supporting the vessel, an endless pastry transporting conveyor including a first section extending through both the vessel and the proofing cabinet for transporting the pastry through the proofing cabinet and frying vessel whereby the time period during which the articles are transferred from the proofing cabinet to the frying vessel can be controlled, said conveyor including a plurality of supporting members thereon adapted to receive the bakery goods to provide continuous support for them as they travel from the proofing cabinet to the frying vessel and to prevent the bakery goods from being subjected to jarring forces when transferred from the proofing cabinet to the frying vessel, said conveyor including a second section extending between the outlet of the frying vessel and the inlet of the proofing cabinet whereby each of the supporting members on the conveyor travels from the proofing cabinet through the frying vessel and is then returned to the inlet of the proofing cabinet, a holddown conveyor positioned adjacent to and above the portion of the conveyor located in the frying vessel and being adapted to contact portions of the bakery goods as they travel through the frying vessel, a drive means for advancing adjacent parts of both conveyors at the same speed and in the same direction, a portion of the conveyor extending between the proofing cabinet and the frying vessel being inclined whereby the conveyor travels upwardly as it proceeds toward the frying vessel and the holddown conveyor includes a plurality of longitudinally spaced covers whereby the supporting members are elevated as they proceed toward the holddown conveyor to raise the bakery goods resting thereon upwardly into registration with the lower surfaces of the cover members without horizontal sliding movement between the cover and the bakery goods on the support member.

Claim 2

An apparatus for proofing and frying bakery goods, said apparatus comprising a frying vessel, said vessel including side and bottom walls defining inlet and outlet ends, a proofing cabinet, said proofing cabinet including side, top, bottom and end walls having an inlet and outlet opening, said outlet opening being positioned adjacent the inlet end of the frying vessel, a framework connected to the frying vessel for supporting the vessel, an endless pastry transporting conveyor including a first section extending through both the vessel and the proofing cabinet for transporting the pastry through the proofing cabinet and frying vessel whereby the time period during which the articles are transferred from the proofing cabinet to the frying vessel can be controlled, said conveyor including a plurality of supporting members thereon adapted to receive the bakery goods to provide continuous support for them as they travel from the proofing cabinet to the frying vessel and to prevent the bakery goods from being subjected to jarring forces when transferred from the proofing cabinet to the frying vessel, said conveyor including a second section extending between the outlet of the frying vessel and the inlet of the proofing cabinet whereby each of the supporting members on the conveyor travels from the proofing cabinet through the frying vessel and is then returned to the inlet of the proofing cabinet, a holddown conveyor positioned adjacent to and above the portion of the conveyor located in the frying vessel and being adapted to contact portions of the bakery goods as they travel through the frying vessel, a drive means for advancing adjacent parts of both conveyors at the same speed and in the same direction, a portion of the conveyor extending between the proofing cabinet and the frying vessel being inclined whereby the conveyor travels upwardly as it proceeds toward the frying vessel and the holddown conveyor includes a plurality of longitudinally spaced covers whereby the supporting members are elevated as they proceed toward the holddown conveyor to raise the bakery goods resting thereon upwardly into registration with the lower surfaces of the cover members without horizontal sliding movement between the cover and the bakery goods on the support member.

Claim 3

An apparatus for proofing and frying bakery goods, said apparatus comprising a frying vessel, said vessel including side and bottom walls defining inlet and outlet ends, a proofing cabinet, said proofing cabinet including side, top, bottom and end walls having an inlet and outlet opening, a framework connected to the frying vessel for supporting the vessel, an endless pastry transporting conveyor including a first section extending through both the vessel and the proofing cabinet for transporting the pastry through the proofing cabinet and frying vessel whereby the time period during which the articles are transferred from the proofing cabinet to the frying vessel can be controlled, said conveyor including a plurality of supporting members thereon adapted to receive the bakery goods to provide continuous support for them as they travel from the proofing cabinet to the frying vessel and to prevent the bakery goods from being subjected to jarring forces when transferred from the proofing cabinet to the frying vessel, said conveyor including a second section extending between the outlet of the frying vessel and the inlet of the proofing cabinet whereby each of the supporting members on the conveyor travels from the proofing cabinet through the frying vessel and is then returned to the inlet of the proofing cabinEt, a holddown conveyor positioned adjacent to and above the portion of the conveyor located in the frying vessel, said holddown conveyor including longitudinally spaced confining means comprising covers and partitions which cooperate with the supporting members to enclose the bakery goods placed on the supporting members before said bakery goods enter the frying vessel and to retain said bakery goods in an enclosed condition while in the frying vessel, the covers, partitions and supporting members restricting the expansion of the bakery goods as the same are cooked in the vessel, and a drive means for advancing adjacent parts of both conveyors at the same speed and in the same direction.

Claim 4

An apparatus for proofing and frying bakery goods, said apparatus comprising a frying vessel, said vessel including side and bottom walls defining inlet and outlet ends, a proofing cabinet, said proofing cabinet including side, top, bottom and end walls having an inlet and outlet opening, a framework connected to the frying vessel for supporting the vessel, an endless pastry transporting conveyor including a first section extending through both the vessel and the proofing cabinet for transporting the pastry through the proofing cabinet and frying vessel whereby the time period during which the articles are transferred from the proofing cabinet to the frying vessel can be controlled, said conveyor including a plurality of supporting members thereon adapted to receive the bakery goods to provide continuous support for them as they travel from the proofing cabinet to the frying vessel and to prevent the bakery goods from being subjected to jarring forces when transferred from the proofing cabinet to the frying vessel, said conveyor including a second section extending between the outlet of the frying vessel and the inlet of the proofing cabinet whereby each of the supporting members on the conveyor travels from the proofing cabinet through the frying vessel and is then returned to the inlet of the proofing cabinEt, a holddown conveyor positioned adjacent to and above the portion of the conveyor located in the frying vessel, said holddown conveyor including longitudinally spaced confining means comprising covers and partitions which cooperate with the supporting members to enclose the bakery goods placed on the supporting members before said bakery goods enter the frying vessel and to retain said bakery goods in an enclosed condition while in the frying vessel, the covers, partitions and supporting members restricting the expansion of the bakery goods as the same are cooked in the vessel, and a drive means for advancing adjacent parts of both conveyors at the same speed and in the same direction.

Claim 5

An apparatus for frying bakery goods of the type which are immersed in a heated frying liquid, said apparatus comprising in combination a frying vessel having sidewalls and a bottom wall, said frying vessel being open at the top thereof, the supporting framework connected to the vessel or for supporting it, a first conveyor means operatively associated with the vessel, said first conveyor means including a lower support element adapted to hold the bakery goods as they travel through the frying liquid in the vessel and a second conveyor positioned above the part of the first conveyor in the vessel, said second conveyor including a cover portion adapted to engage the upper portion of the pastry products positioned on the support for at least partially enclosing the bakery goods and limiting their expansion whereby at least some of the dimensions of the bakery goods will be held to predetermined limits, and a drive means operatively associated between the first conveyor and the second conveyor for running said conveyors at the same speed and in the same direction.

Claim 6

An apparatus for frying bakery goods of the type which are immersed in a heated frying liquid, said apparatus comprising in combination a frying vessel having sidewalls and a bottom wall, said frying vessel being open at the top thereof, the supporting framework connected to the vessel or for supporting it, a first conveyor means operatively associated with the vessel, said first conveyor means including a lower support element adapted to hold the bakery goods as they travel through the frying liquid in the vessel and a second conveyor positioned above the part of the first conveyor in the vessel, said second conveyor including a cover portion adapted to engage the upper portion of the pastry products positioned on the support for at least partially enclosing the bakery goods and limiting their expansion whereby at least some of the dimensions of the bakery goods will be held to predetermined limits, and a drive means operatively associated between the first conveyor and the second conveyor for running said conveyors at the same speed and in the same direction.

Claim 10

An apparatus for frying pastry products comprising in combination a frying vessel including sidewalls and a bottom wall, a framework connected to the vessel for supporting the vessel, an endless conveyor operatively associated with the vessel including a portion positioned to travel through the vessel to convey the pastry products from one end of the vessel to the other, a second endless conveyor mounted above the first conveyor including pastry-engaging members for contacting the upper surfaces of the pastry articles as they travel through the cooking liquid in the frying vessel, a drive means operativeLy connected to the first conveyor for driving the first conveyor at a predetermined speed and direction, a power transmission means operatively connected between the drive means and the second conveyor, said power transmission comprising a drive element extending upwardly from the first conveyor, a means connected between the drive element and the second conveyor, guides for supporting the upper conveyor for movement along a vertical axis whereby the second conveyor can be raised and lowered along said vertical axis while being continuously driven at the same speed and in the same direction as the first conveyor.

Claim 11

An apparatus for frying pastry products comprising in combination a frying vessel including sidewalls and a bottom wall, a framework connected to the vessel for supporting the vessel, an endless conveyor operatively associated with the vessel including a portion positioned to travel through the vessel to convey the pastry products from one end of the vessel to the other, a second endless conveyor mounted above the first conveyor including pastry-engaging members for contacting the upper surfaces of the pastry articles as they travel through the cooking liquid in the frying vessel, a drive means operativeLy connected to the first conveyor for driving the first conveyor at a predetermined speed and direction, a power transmission means operatively connected between the drive means and the second conveyor, said power transmission comprising a drive element extending upwardly from the first conveyor, a means connected between the drive element and the second conveyor, guides for supporting the upper conveyor for movement along a vertical axis whereby the second conveyor can be raised and lowered along said vertical axis while being continuously driven at the same speed and in the same direction as the first conveyor.