Rounder bar with floating foot

A rounder bar assembly (10) with floating foot (56) for use with an endless belt conveyor (12) incorporates an elongated body (20) configured for shaping dough pieces (14) transported along the endless belt of a conveyor. A backing plate (22) and a spacer (24) are disposed between the body (20) and the backing plate, with the body (20), backing plate (22) and spacer (24) defining cavity (26) therebetween. An elongated flexible foot (56) is movably mounted within the cavity (26) so that a portion of the foot (56) extends from the cavity when the foot is in a compressed position. A visco-elastic material (63) is disposed within the cavity (26) between the spacer (24) and the foot (56) such that the visco-elastic material is responsive to movement of the foot, thereby allowing the foot to conform to the belt of the conveyor. The visco-elastic material has a property of expanding volumetrically in response to a force applied thereto that displaces some of the volume of the material.

We claim:

1. A rounder bar assembly with floating foot for use with a conveyor having an endless belt for transporting dough pieces thereon, said rounder bar assembly comprising:

an elongated rounder bar body having a shaping surface and a rear face, said shaping surface configured for shaping dough pieces transported along an endless belt of a conveyor;

a backing plate having an inner face and opposed end walls;

a spacer having a lower face disposed between said rounder bar body and said backing plate such that the rear face of said rounder bar body, the lower face of said spacer, and the inner face and the end walls of said backing plate form therebetween an elongated slot closed at its top, opposed sides and opposed ends and open at its bottom;

an elongated flexible foot sized and shaped to be telescopically received in said slot and having an upper face and a lower face, said foot movably mounted within said slot between a compressed and an extended position such that at least a portion of said foot extends downwardly from said slot and beyond said rounder bar body when said foot is in said compressed position;

a visco-elastic material disposed within and filling said slot between the lower face of said spacer and the upper face of said foot such that said visco-elastic material is responsive to movement of said foot; and

said visco-elastic material comprising an energy absorbing elastomeric material of constant volume that in response to a force that reduces the volume of one portion of the material expands the volume of another portion of the material;

so that when a raised segment of an endless conveyor belt passes beneath a first segment of the elongated flexible foot, the first segment of the elongated flexible foot moves upwardly and compresses the volume of the visco-elastic material adjacent the first segment of the elongated flexible foot and the visco-elastic material urges the other portions of the flexible foot downwardly toward engagement with the endless conveyor belt.

2. The rounder bar of claim 1, wherein said flexible foot has a plurality of slots formed therethrough and said backing plate has a plurality of mounts which each slidably engage one of said plurality of slots such that said foot is movable between said compressed and said extended positions as said mounts slide within said plurality of slots.

3. The rounder bar of claim 2, wherein said backing plate has a plurality of holes formed therethrough, each of said holes aligning with one of said plurality of slots of said flexible foot, and wherein said plurality of mounts are screws, each of said screws extending through one of said holes of said backing plate and through one of said plurality of slots of said flexible foot.

4. The rounder bar of claim 1, wherein said visco-elastic material is configured as a single piece of material.

5. The rounder bar of claim 1, wherein said visco-elastic material is configured as a plurality of segments, each of said segments arranged in abutting-relationship with adjacent ones of said segments.

6. A rounder bar assembly for use in combination with a surface conveyor moving along a conveying path of bakery dough make up equipment, comprising:

an elongated rounder bar body having a concave dough shaping surface for cooperating with a surface conveyor to define with the surface conveyor an elongated pocket for shaping dough pieces transported along the surface conveyor,

said elongated rounder bar assembly defining a downwardly facing slot extending parallel to the length of said rounder bar body having opposed side walls, opposed end walls and closed top wall and open only along the bottom of said rounder bar body for facing the surface conveyor;

an elongated flexible foot sized and shaped to telescopically extend upwardly into said slot and to extend downwardly from said body toward sealing engagement with the surface conveyor and forming a closed cavity above said flexible foot;

a visco-elastic material filling said cavity above said foot with no air gaps adjacent said visco-elastic material;

whereby when a segment of the elongated flexible foot engages a raised portion of the surface conveyor the segment of the elongated flexible foot riding up over the raised portion of the surface conveyor will move upwardly in the slot and compress the visco-elastic material, and in response to the compression of the visco-elastic material by one segment of the elongated flexible foot the visco-elastic material will urge the other segments of the elongated flexible foot downwardly toward the surface conveyor and into any cavities of the surface conveyor to retard bleeding of dough from dough pieces between the rounder bar and the surface conveyor at the cavities of the surface conveyor.

7. A rounder bar assembly with floating foot for use with a conveyor having an endless belt for transporting dough pieces thereon, said rounder bar assembly comprising:

a body having a concave shaping surface configured for shaping dough pieces transported along an endless belt of a conveyor;

an elongated horizontally extending slot defined by said body having opposed side surfaces, opposed end surfaces and a top surface and a downwardly facing opening with said sides, ends and top forming an unbroken closure about said opening;

an elongated flexible foot sized and shaped to be telescopically received in said slot and having an upper face and a lower face, said foot movably mounted within said slot between a retracted position and an extended position such that at least a portion of said foot extends downwardly from said slot when said foot is in said compressed position, and;

a visco-elastic material completely enclosed within and filling said slot adjacent said foot such that no air gaps are adjacent said visco-elastic material and said visco-elastic material is responsive to movement of said foot and arranged to resist movement of said foot into said slot and having a property of expanding volumetrically in response to a force applied thereto that displaces some of the volume of said visco-elastic material.

8. A scraper assembly for applying continuous contact against an irregular shaped surface as the surface and said scraper assembly move relative to each other, comprising:

a support defining an elongated slot therein, said slot having opposed side walls and opposed end walls, and an interior wall joined together that define an opening and together form an unbroken closure about said opening;

an elongated scraper blade of a size and shape that corresponds to the size and shape of said slot and that is telescopically mounted in said slot and that protrudes from said opening of said slot, said scraper blade being flexible for conforming to the shape of the irregular surface;

a visco-elastic material positioned in said slot adjacent said scraper blade and filling the portion of said slot not occupied by said scraper blade and arranged to resist movement of said scraper blade into said slot, said visco-elastic material having a property of expanding volumetrically in response to a force applied thereto that displaces some of the volume of the visco-elastic material,

whereby when a segment of the flexible scraper blade moves inwardly of the slot the visco-elastic material adjacent said segment is compressed and is reduced in volume by the segment of the scraper blade and the visco-elastic material exerts force against and increases in volume adjacent other segments of the flexible scraper blade and moves other segments of the scraper blade outwardly of the slot.

9. The scraper assembly of claim 8, wherein:

said irregular surface comprises a continuous conveyor belt.

10. The scraper assembly of claim 9, wherein:

said support comprises a concave surface for contacting and rolling a work product on said conveyor belt.