Apparatus for depositing a first food substance upon a second food product

Claim 1

Apparatus for transferring measured increments of a first food substance with respect to and in timed relation with the stop and go operating cycle of a second food substance handling machine dispensing increments of a second food substance comprising: a. a container for containing a quota of the first food substance; b. a dispensing head for dispensing increments of the first food substance with respect to dispensed increments of the second food substance; c. a transfer housing intermediate and communicating with the container and dispensing head; d. a piston reciprocally receivable within the container for transferring the first food substance from the container through the transfer housing to the dispensing head; e. an air cylinder for loading the piston and imparting thereto a feeding stroke in one direction and a non-feeding stroke in counter direction; f. control means for alternately controlling the actuation of the air cylinder in feeding and non-feeding strokes responsively to the stop and go movements of the second food substance handling machine; g. a first pressure-operable by-pass valve disposed between the dispensing head and transfer housing and operative by a spring of relatively great tension and being in a normally-closed position with respect to communication between the transfer housing and dispensing head; h. a second pressure-operable by-pass valve disposed between the container and transfer housing and operative by a spring of relatively small tension and being in a normally-closed position with respect to communication between the transfer housing and container; i. the second by-pass valve on the retrograde stroke of the piston being opened by the pressure of the first food substance for permitting the passage thereof into the transfer housing with the first by-pass valve being closed by the spring of relatively great tension; j. the second by-pass valve on the pressure stroke of the piston being opened and the first by-pass valve being opened by the pressure of the first food substance for permitting the passage thereof from the transfer housing to and through the dispensing head and onto the second food substance; and k. means for exerting continual pressure upon the first food substance within the container for moving the first food substance into the path of the piston comprising a cluster of vanes rotatably mounted and vertically reciprocable within the container.