Apparatus for Leveling a Liquid Deposited on a Flat Surface

Abstract

Apparatus for dispensing a product includes a surface with a rotary axis and a periphery for supporting a layer of material, a motor for rotating the surface, a vertical forming cylinder positioned adjacent to the periphery, the cylinder having a side window opposite the periphery and a bottom opening below the surface, and a first scraper positioned above the surface and extending cross-wise to the direction of rotation of the surface. The first scraper engages the rotary surface while the surface is rotating to scrape the material into a row of scrapings on the surface. A second scraper is positioned above the surface adjacent to the first scraper and extends perpendicular to the first scraper, the second scraper engaging the surface and being movable parallel to the first scraper. An actuator moves the second scraper between a first position adjacent to the axis and a second position adjacent to the periphery so that the second scraper pushes the row of scrapings from the surface into the forming cylinder through the window thereby collecting the scrapings within the cylinder. An ejector movable within said forming cylinder pushes the collected scrapings as a shaped product out of the cylinder through the bottom opening thereof. A dispensing method is also disclosed.

1 . Dispensing apparatus comprising 
 a flat surface;    a leveling member having opposite ends, and a boundary extending between said ends;    a mount for mounting the leveling member opposite said flat surface so that said boundary is parallel to the flat surface;    spacers extending from said boundary to said flat surface thereby defining a gap therewith, and    motive means for moving the leveling member and flat surface relatively so as to level a liquid deposited on the flat surface to the height of said gap.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus defined in  claim 1 , wherein the leveling member comprises a roller having a rotary axis and a conical surface which defines said boundary.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus defined in  claim 2 , wherein said spacers include a pair of circular elastomeric ridges at the opposite ends of said roller which contact said flat surface and maintain said conical surface of the roller at a selected distance from the flat surface so as to establish said gap.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus defined in  claim 3  and further including an actuator for moving the roller closer to said flat surface so that said ridges are compressed to an extent that said conical surface contacts the flat surface thereby eliminating said gap.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus defined in  claim 2 , wherein said flat surface is rotatable about a central axis, and said moving means move said surface about the central axis, said roller being mounted so that said rotary axis extends crosswise to the direction of movement of said flat surface.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus defined in  claim 1  and further including means for removing a liquid deposited on the flat surface after it has been leveled by the roller.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus defined in  claim 1  and further including a refrigeration device for chilling the flat surface so as to at least partially freeze a liquid deposited on the flat surface.