The present invention relates to a device for the production of square cakes.

To this day, square cakes, even in industrial bakeries, are still (partly) produced manually. The typical cake is built from several layers of sponge cake alternated with a number of layers of spreadable cream such as butter cream or whipped cream or the like. The four upstanding sides of the cake are then also brushed with butter cream or whipped cream or the like, after which the sides are pressed in nuts, chocolate shavings, almonds or the like. Finally, the upperside of the cake is decorated with a multitude of possibilities.

The production process of the cake comprises the following four steps: (step 1) building the layers of the cake, (step 2) brushing the four upstanding sides with an adhesive product, (step 3) applying decoration to the sides and (step 4) applying decoration on the upperside of the cake. Steps 1 and 4 were already automated a long time ago. To this day, steps 2 and 3 are done manually and are very labour-intensive. Operators pick up every cake by hand and cover the four sides with a cream using a palette knife. The operator then presses the four sides into a decorative material such that the decoration sticks to the brushed cream Systems also exist whereby the underside of the cake passes a flat brushing nozzle of a brushing machine on a conveyor belt whereby a layer of product is applied on one or maximum two sides simultaneously. These systems have several disadvantages .

Because the cakes are light, they do not always pass along the brushing nozzle at a uniform speed such that the layer thickness of the brushed product varies. Furthermore, the brushed layer easily comes loose because the product is sprayed against the cakes at a relatively low pressure and is not really mechanically spread. Yet another disadvantage is that maximum two sides of the cake can be brushed at a time. This thus requires a next step in which the cake is turned 90° and the other sides can be brushed. Consequently, several machines are needed, a relatively long production line and a longer production time per cake.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a solution to at least one of the aforementioned and other disadvantages .

The present invention relates, in particular, to the automation of step 2, namely brushing the four upstanding sides with an adhesive spreadable product.

To this end, the invention relates to a device for simultaneously brushing the four sides of a square cake, whereby the device is provided with a square shaft for fitting in square cakes with the underside of the one cake against the upperside of the other cake, whereby the shaft is provided with four sidewalls and an entrance and an exit, whereby on every side of the shaft four brushing pumps are provided at 90° from each other, preferably in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the shaft, for brushing the sides of the relevant passing cake with a spreadable product. Shaft is understood to mean a guide, with in this case four sidewalls which delimit a passage with square cross-section, the sidewalls of which provide a suitable support for the cakes and simultaneously offer sufficient accessibility such that the brushing pumps are able to brush the sides of the tarts.

The purpose of the invention is to automate the brushing of the sides of a cake as completely and efficiently as possible. The advantages are a completely automatic process with a uniform processing speed in the shortest possible production time and production line, at the lowest possible cost. The device is compact. Also, a good adhesion of the product to the sides of the cake is obtained.

In a preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention the brushing pumps are arranged in the proximity of the exit of the shaft. The dimensions of the cross-section of the shaft are such that they are a perfect fit according to the contour of a cake.

In a preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention, the shaft is vertically arranged such that the sides of the cake can be vertically brushed. The entrance of the shaft is located at the top and the exit below. The sides of the cakes are brushed from bottom to top.

In a preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention the shaft can house several cakes.

In a preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention the cakes are continuously fed into the shaft.

In another preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention each of the brushing pumps is provided with an impeller arranged in a cylindrical housing in the pump house with the spindle perpendicular to the axis of the shaft and parallel to the side of the cake to be brushed, whereby the contour of the cylinder and the pump house is provided with an opening on the level of the shaft through which the blades of the impeller, which are fed with a sufficient and measured quantity of product, are able to apply product to the sides of the cake present there.

Preferably, the cylindrical housing has a smaller diameter on the level of the blades than the contour diameter of the impeller in order to push the blades together such that the impeller acts as pump. In another embodiment of the device according to the invention the product is fed by an external force and the housing is completely cylindrical.

Preferably, the impeller is provided with flexible blades.

In a preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention, the cakes are fed into the shaft from the entrance to the exit, and the blades rotate around their spindle in the counter direction such that the product is brushed adheringly against the sides of the cake.

In a preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention the product to be brushed is a spreadable matter such as butter cream and whipped cream.

In another preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention, the device is further provided with an application system at every side of the shaft, at 90° from each other, and downstream from the brushing pumps, for pressing, spraying or blowing a decoration against the brushed sides of the passing cake. It is understood that the device can also be provided for another shape than a square cake, such as for example a rectangular or triangular cake, whereby the shaft also has a relevant shape and the relevant brushing pumps are provided for simultaneously brushing all sides of the cake.

The invention also relates to a method for simultaneously brushing the four sides of a square cake, the method comprising the following steps: a) providing one or more cakes one by one in a square shaft with the underside of the one cake against the upperside of the other cake, whereby the shaft is provided with four sides and an entrance and an exit, b) feeding the cakes into the shaft from the entrance to the exit, c) in the proximity of or at the exit, simultaneously brushing the four sides of a passing cake by four brushing pumps which are located at every side of the shaft, whereby the brushing direction is in the counter direction of the movement of the cakes, d) in the proximity of or at the exit, optionally applying decoration to the sides of a passing cake via four application systems, and e) feeding the cake out of the shaft.

Preferably, said process is completely automatic whereby the cakes are continuously fed into and out of the shaft.

In an alternative embodiment of a device according to the invention, the device is further provided with four application systems at every side of the shaft, at 90° from each other, and arranged under the brushing pumps, for pressing, spraying or blowing a decoration, such as chocolate shavings, against the brushed sides of the passing cake.

The invention is not limited to square cakes with four sides. The device according to the invention can be adapted for every shape of cake, for example rectangular or polygonal. To this end, the shaft has an adapted shape and a brushing pump is provided per side. Round cakes can also be made in an alternative embodiment of the device according to the invention.

In an alternative embodiment of a device according to the invention the impeller can be replaced by another design of a brushing means.

In yet another embodiment of a device according to the invention one brushing pump can brush two or several sides of the cake, whereby either the brushing pump rotates to the other side, or whereby the shaft rotates, for example over 90° in the case of a square cake.

With the intention of better showing the characteristics of the invention, a preferred embodiment is described of a device according to the invention hereinafter, by way of an example without any limiting nature, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: figure 1 shows a cross-section A-A of a 3D schematically preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention; figure 2 schematically shows a cross-section A-A of a preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention; figure 3 schematically shows a perspective top view of a preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention; figure 4 schematically shows a longitudinal section B- B of a preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention. Figure 1 and 2 show a cross-section of a device 1 for simultaneously brushing the four sides 2 of a square cake 3. To this end, the device is provided with a square shaft 4 which is vertically arranged whereby the shaft 4 is provided with four sides 7 and an entrance 8 and an exit 9.

The four sides or sidewalls 7 of the shaft 4 are made here from spring-like metal wire, more specifically spring-like inox wire here.

The cakes 3 are put on a conveyor belt behind each other and pushed into the vertical shaft 4 one by one. The dimensions of the cross-section of the shaft 4 are a perfect fit for the contour of the cake 3. Several square cakes 3 stacked on top of each other fit in the shaft 4, with the underside 5 of one cake A against the upperside 6 of the other cake B. The cakes 3 are fed into the shaft 4 via the entrance 8 and fed out via the exit 9. Preferably, the infeed and outfeed of cakes 3 is continuous. The outfeed of the lower cake 3 at the exit 9 drops the overlying cakes down through the shaft 4 due to gravity.

Optionally, the cakes 3 can also each individually be supported by a support platelet or other supporting element. This can be recommended for heavier cakes. The dimension of the cross-section of the shaft 4 can be aligned to small (individual portions) cakes 3 or on pies (with several portions).

The length of the shaft 4 depends on the number of cakes 3 to be transported into the shaft 4.

Four brushing pumps 10 are provided at each side 7 of the shaft 4 at 90° from each other on the level of the sides 2 of the cake 3 (only two brushing pumps of which are visible on the figure). The brushing pumps 10 are arranged in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the shaft 4, for brushing the sides 2 of the relevant passing cake 3 with a spreadable product.

Each brushing pump 10 comprises an impeller 11 provided with flexible blades 12, ten blades in this example, which due to the shape of the pump house 13 brush product against the relevant side 14 of a cake 3. The impeller 11 is arranged in a cylindrical housing 15 in the pump house 13 with the spindle perpendicular to the axis of the shaft 4 and parallel to the side 2 of the cake 3 to be brushed.

On the level of the blades 12, the cylindrical housing 15 has a smaller diameter than the contour diameter of the impeller 11 in order to push the blades 12 together such that the impeller 11 acts as a pump.

Preferably, the blades 12 are made of synthetic material.

The pump house 13 and the cylindrical housing 15 provided therein is provided with an opening 16 on the level of the side 2 of the cake 3. The opening 16 covers approximately

60° of the impeller 11. Through the opening 16, the contour of the impeller 11 and therefore the end of the blades 12 reach to just against or in close proximity of the sides 2 of the cake 3 to be brushed. The blades 12 brush product against the side 2 of the cake 3 through the opening 16.

The spreadable product to be brushed is fed to the impeller 11 via feed pipes 17.

The sides 2 of the cakes 3 are brushed from bottom to top. The cakes 3 are fed into the shaft from the entrance 8 to the exit 9 (see arrow on the figure), whereby the flexible blades 12 rotate in the counter direction (see arrows on the figure) such that the product is adheringly brushed against the sides 2 of the cake 3.

The brushing pumps 10 are arranged in the proximity of the exit 9 of the shaft 4.

Figure 3 shows a top view of a preferred embodiment of a device according to figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 schematically shows a longitudinal section B-B of a preferred embodiment of a device according to figures 1 and 2.

The method for simultaneously brushing the four sides of a cake is as follows.

The cakes 3 are put on a conveyor belt behind each other and pushed in the vertical shaft 4 one by one with the underside of one cake against the upperside of the other cake. On the level of the four brushing pumps 10 the four sides 2 of the relevant cake 3 provided there are simultaneously brushed with a spreadable product. This is done by means of the blades 12 which move in a counter direction to the feed direction of the cakes into the shaft 4. To this end, a sufficient and measured quantity of product is pushed through the impeller 11 at provided times. At the bottom of the shaft 4, the brushed cakes 3 are collected and fed out one by one via a conveyor belt for example.

Preferably, said process occurs completely automatically whereby the cakes are continuously fed in and out of the shaft. A manual processing whereby the cakes are put in the shaft manually and/or are manually fed out, is also possible within the scope of the invention.

The present invention is by no means limited to the embodiments described as an example and shown in the drawings, but a device according to the invention as defined by the claims can be realised according to all kinds of variants without departing from the scope of the invention.