The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 12, 1994
Filed:
Nov. 12, 1991
James A Essex, Columbus, OH (US);
J. E. Grote Company, Inc., Blacklick, OH (US);
Abstract
A dispensing apparatus is provided for application of a viscous sauce to a pizza shell. The apparatus includes a distribution roller system in combination with a waterfall dispensing device to form a thin sheet of the sauce that is discharged onto the roller which then throws the received sauce in droplet form onto the pizza shell in a uniform thickness layer. The distribution roller system in one embodiment of the apparatus includes a single roller formed with a plurality of conical projections arranged in angularly spaced axially extending rows for receiving the sauce from the waterfall dispensing device and revolved at a speed to throw the sauce in a generally downward direction in a shower of droplets. Another embodiment of the apparatus includes a pair of these rollers revolved in opposite directions and disposed in a generally horizontal plane with the second roller intercepting sauce thrown horizontally and upwardly from the first roller and then throwing the collected sauce in a downward direction resulting in confinement of the band of dispersion. A shield is provided in combination with the second roller to aid in the confinement process. In a further embodiment of the apparatus, a mask mechanism is provided in association with the dual roller dispenser to confine the application of sauce to a predetermined surface area of a pizza shell.