Eskimo Pie Corporation

Paul R Hocking

Henry P Moore

Jay G Straight

An apparatus for the manufacture of frozen confections includes an endless conveyor, a freezing chamber, means for moving the conveyor along a fixed path externally of the freezing chamber and then through the freezing chamber, a downwardly facing extruder nozzle of established cross sectional shape located above the fixed path, an apparatus for dispensing a lowermost cookie from the bottom of a stack of cookies onto a location along the fixed path including a frame, a substantially horizontal block supported by the frame having a vertical aperture therein, means connected to the block for holding the stack of cookies in vertical alignment with the aperture, a horizontal plate means under the block supported by a first moving means mounted on the frame operable to move the plate means between an obstructing position in which the plate obstructs the aperture to a cleared position in which the plate does not obstruct the aperture, a horizontal finger means above the horizontal plate means supported by a second moving means mounted on the frame operable to move the finger means from a closed position in which the finger means obstructs the aperture to an open position in which the finger means does not obstruct the aperture, and a control means operable in timed relation to the conveyor moving means operatively associated with the first and second moving means to move the plate means to its obstructing position while the finger means is in its open position to allow the stack of cookies to be supported by the plate means, then to move the finger means to its closed position to separate the lowermost cookie in the stack from cookies thereabove and to support the cookies thereabove, then to move the plate means to its cleared position to allow the lowermost cookie to drop downwardly, then to return the plate means to its obstructing position, then to move the finger means to its open position to allow the stack of cookies to drop onto the plate means and to continue in a cyclical manner.

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Richmond, VA, United States of America

Paul R Hocking