Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present illvent;on rclates to a mixing apparatus
for domestic use coupled with an extrusion unit for the
production of fresh food-dough.
In my previous Canadian Patent Application No. 277,543
..
of 3 May, 1977, there is described a dcvice for the production
and extrusion of fresh food products, such as dough, providing
in a single unit, means for preparing a doug}l mixture, and
means for the extrusion of the dough, in thc~ desi.red shapes
and sizes, without passing through an intermedi.ate manual stage.
The mcans for the mechanical preparation of dough is arranged
in such a manner to provide a pressure to propel the finished
dough towards the means for extrusion of the dough in the
desired shapes and sizes.
.
According to the present invention there is provided
a mixing machine for domestic use, particularly for mixing
dough-like products, cornprising: a mixing bowl for receiving
said products; a mixing member rotatably mounted in said mixing
bowl comprising a shaped pinion rcmovably fitted on a drive
shaft and having inclined radially extcncling blades thereon,
- and a presser mcmber which, in the direction of rotation of
the pinion, has a lowcr surface curving upwardly and forwardly
from the bottom of the mixing bowl to def;ne a space to rcceive
some of the product thercin, said presser member bcing pivotally
mounted on said pini.on and beiny resiljcn11.y b;~scd such that
its rear portion is urgcd towards the bottom of t~hc~ mixing
bowl; an openillg in thc bottom of the IlliXiny bcwl o~:cr wh;ch
said presser mcmber passes whcrcby nrocluct in said sp(lce is
urged throug]l said OpCIling; and extrusion ~llcans ssociated with
said opel~ g for CCXtl^lld; ng the product ti~c~c,r()m.
g ~ccording to a furt.hcr asi)e(t of thc ,~-c~,c~nt in~C'nt:iOn,
~- the opcning in the rnixing bowl com.llullicat:in(3 with t]lC' cx1rus;on
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~ylinder is provided with a removable slide r.lem~er, for
example, a spool, for se~arating the two spaces during the
mixing stages. A delivery mcans is provided integral with
the edge of the opening for delivering the dough through
the said opening.
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According to another emh~1=6~ of the invention, the
transfer of the mixture formed within the mixing bowl to the extruder
unit is further facilitated, thus providing a further reduction of
the absorbed power and a higher rate of production by separating
the function of blending of the ingredients from the function of
the thrust of the mixture formed towards the extruder unit and
through the proper opening.
The improvements of this invention are provided to obtain
a compact machine which may be easily assembled and disassembled,
to permit the simple and rapid cleaning of said operating elements,
and when operating is free from leakage of contents. According to
a first characteristic of this invention, the mixing and thrust
member of the improved apparatus is provided to reduce the required
power and to speed up the work. This member comprises a shaped
pinion which can be mounted on the take-off vertical shaft of the
motor reducer. The mixing member is provided on its upper portion,
with two opposed and staggered inclined radial blades forming the
mixing means and, at its lower end, a blade-like member with curved
lower surface, rotatably mounted on a pin radially extending
from the pinion and biased by a spring to keep its rear profile
compressed against the bottom of the mixing bowl. The blade-like
member forms the separate thrust means.
On the pinion is also provided an inclined radial member
which serves to remove the mixture adhering to the bottom of the
bowl.
Other features, which will be described in detail later,
are provided to prevent the blade-'ike member jamming, due to the
dough penetrating into its shaft of rctation and its spring.
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1~134~1
According to a further characteristic of the present
invention, the extrusion screw is provided with a further thread
on its terminal area adjacent the output screw, shaped to divide
and distribute homogeneouslythe dough mixture against the said
screw thus reducing the axial thrust on the output screw.
According to the present invention means are provided
to permit the simple assembly and disassembly of the operative
groups for cleaning, but avoiding any penetration of flour or
dough mixture into the space enclosing the motor reducer unit.
In particular the bowl is inserted in a remavable manner
into a suitable space of the frame outer body of the machine, and
it is supplied, in relation with the passage hole of the reducer
shaft, with a protection sleeve vertically extending, and around
which is inserted the pinion of the mixing element, said pinion
being shaped as a cap to realize a double protection of the shaft
and of the motor reducer.
According to another feature, the extrusion unit is formed
as a box - in which the extrusion screw rotates - insertable in a
removable manner into a suitable seat on the machine body. Other
features, which will he further described, are provided to avoid
the flour or dough penetration into the space cortaining the motor
reducer, where the bowl and the extrusion unit are joined.
In the accompanying drawings:
- Fig. I is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the
machine of the invention;
- - Fig. 2 is a view taken along the line VII-II of Fig. l;
- Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the improved mixing member;
- Fig. 4 illustrates the assembly of the thrust blade-like member
onto the pinion of the improved mixing member of Fig. 3;
- Fig. 5 is a section of the extruder unit body, removed from its
- housing;
; - Fig. 6 is a plain view of the extruder body of Fig. 5;
- Fig. 7 is a side view of the improved screw of the extruder unit;
- Fig. 8 is a section taken along the line ~III-XIII of Fig. 7;
- Fig. 9 is a top view of a form of mixing unit cover;
- Fig. 10 is a section view taken along the line X-X of Fig. 9.
Referring to figs. 1 to 8, a machine according to my
' invention is shown. This machine is used for the preparation and
for the extrusion of dough in a variety of shapes, for example,
pasta. In general the machine comprises a mixing unit 1, an
extrusion unit 2 and a motor-reducer 3 with two output shafts,
wherein the units 1, 2 and 3 are enclosed within a frame outer unit
4 which is advantageously made in moulded plastic.
The outer body 4 is provided with an open upper space 41
for housing removable the mixing unit 1, a side open space 42
connected through an opening 43 with the said space 41 for housing
the removable extrusion unit 2, and finally an inside space 44,
which is substantially isolated with respect to the spaces 41 and
42, housing the motor-reducer 3, The vertical take-off shaft 301
of the unit pro~ects vertically and is centered within the space 41,
whilst the second take-off shaft 302 is internally hollow and shaped
to drive portion 211 of screw 210 i,n shaft 302 is po~itioned facing
the space 42.
The mixing unit 1 comprises a bowl 100 with a vertical
~? 'axis and a substantially cylindrical shape, which i5 also advanta-
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geously made in m~ulded plastic, and connected at the upper portion
- to a rim 101 which engages the edge of the space 41.
A cover 103 may be screwed onto the upper flange 102 of
the bowl 100. The bottom opening 104 is provided for connection
with the extrusion unit 2, and has a portion 105 forming the conveyor
member of the installation. Likewise, the bowl walls are provided
with relief ribs 106 suitable for promoting the blending of the
ingredients by the mixing member. The bottom of the cylindrical
bowl, bored for the passage of the shaft 301, is provided with a
sleeve 107 acting as a protection, co-operating - as described
hereunder - with the cap-like pinion of the mixing member for
the purpose of preventing the outflow of flour or dough from the
bowl 100 towards the spaces 41 and 44. The mixing unit 1 comprises
finally the mixing and thrust member - generally referenced 110 -
which can be inserted removably onto the take-off shaft 301 of the
motor-reducer. The mixing and thrust member is equipped with
separated means for obtaining the blending of the ingredients and
for the thrust of the dough formed towards the extrusion unit.
The mixing and thrust member 110 comprises a shaped pinion
111 having two overlapped areas of different diameter: the lower
area 111' having a cantre hole 112 of a diameter such as to allow
for its insertion around the protection sleeve 107 of the bowl 100,
whilst the upper area 111" has a centre hole 113 which is shaped
for the insertion and removal of a bayonet type joint - onto the
shaft 301. Therefore, the first advantage of the said embodiment
is evident, consisting in that it allows complete protection of the
motor unit against the probable penetration of flour or of the
dough, due to the double protection of the shaft formed by sleeve
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107 and at the cap-like pinion 111.
The thrust means, consisting of a blade-like member 114
with lower surface 114' curved as shown in Fig. 4 and is radially
and resiliently mounted on the lower area 111' of the pinion. The
thrust means has a se~tion such as to form a side vertical plane.
The pinion 111 is provided with a radial pin 115, the
free end of which is internally hollow and threaded. A flat spring
116 bears through a slot 118 of the blade-like member 114.
A through hole 117 and shaped slot 118, in member 114 provides
for insertion of the pin 115 and the spring 116, and member 114 is
locked by the cap screw 119. The blade-like member 114 is therefore
free tc move anguLarly about the said pin 115 but against the action
of the said spring 116, which tends to keep rear profile of member
~14 pressed against the bottom of the bowl 100. The particular
shaping of the said member 114 and of the means for mounting it on
the pinion 111 prevents the penetration of flour or portions of
mixture into the through hole 117 and the slot 118, which could
otherwise jam the blade-like member 114 itself.
On the lower area 111' of the pinion, diametrically opposite
the thrust member 114 - a radial slant memher 120, suitable for
removing dough from the bottom of the bowl 100 against it, thus
improving the mixing and the thrust operations.
In the upper area 111" of the pinion - with a smaller
diameter - two or more slanted mixing blades 130 are provided,
operating as known in the art and suitable for obtaining the blending
of the said ingredients.
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134;~1
The extrusion unit 2 comprises an outer body of cylindrical
- shape - generally referenced 200 - within which the screw 210
suitable for transferring and for co~pressing the mixture formed
against the outlet plate 220 is forced.
The outer body 200 is advantageously made in.moulded
plastics and it has a substantially parallelepiped shape - which can
be inserted and withdrawn from the space 42 of the frame body 4 of
the machine - and an internal cylindrical cavity 201 open in
correspondence with the outlet plate 220 and lockable through a
threaded ring nut 221. The opposite end has a hole 202 for the
passage of the shaft 211 of the said screw 210, and its joint on
the take-off shaft 302 of the motor-redu~er.
The outer upper surface of the said body 200 has a first
recess 203 shaped in such a manner as to receive only partially
the bottom of the mixing bowl 100, passing through the connection
opening 43 of the space 41, and in addition an opening- 204 in
correspondence with the opening 104 of the bowl 100, the s~id opening
being adjusted by means of the slide member 205 which latter slides
within a horizontal slit 206 in the upper wall of the body 200.
With the purpose of facilitating the location of the body
. 200 within the space 42, its lower surface has a guide relief member
(not shown) co-operating with a transverse recess 207 made. on the
lower surface of the spool type body 200, which moreover is locked ~
during the operati.on - by the joint of the shaft 211 of the screw on
the take-off shaft 302 of the motor reducer.
Therefore, the joint between the body 200 and the mixing
bowl 100 prevents the outflow of the mixture in its passage from the
- mixing unit 1 to the extrusion unit 2.
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The screw 210 - illustrated in detail in figs. 7 and 8 -
has on its terminal area, adjacent the output plate 220, a f~rther
thread 212 intermediate respect with the main thread 213; this
allows, in addition to a better distribution of the mixture against
the plate 220, for a reduction of the axial thrust thus improving
the functional characteristics of the screw itself, and in particular
reducing the power absorbed.
According to another embodiment of the machine of the
present invention, a cover having a feed openina is assembled on
the bowl of the mixing unit. The mouth of the opening is formed by
vertical walls sticking out of the external surface of the cover,
the feed opening communicating with a channel conveyor oriented in
the direction of the mixing means rotation, on the bottom of said
channel conveyor being present a tooth to break the yolk of the
eggs in the feeding.
This further feature of the apparatus according to the
present invention is shown in the figures 9 and 10, in which 5 is
the removable cover, advantageously in a transparent plastic
material to permit the control of the mechanical preparation of the
dough. Said cover 5 is provided with a feed opening 6, which mouth
is formed by vertical walls sticking out of the external surface of
the cover 5, said walls being provided for retaining the ingredients
in the feed opening.
~ aid opening 6 is furthermore communicating with a channel
conveyor 8 oriented in the direction of rotation of the mixing means
(arrow F of Fig. ~). Such arrangement of the channel 8 prevents
the ingredients splashing out of the cover.
To break the yolk of the eggs fed into the opening, the
: bottom of the cited channel conveyor 8 of the machine according to
the present invention is provided with a sharp tooth 9.
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