Title of Invention

EQUIPMENT TO PRODUCE SMALL TORTILLAS OF RAW DOUGH OF NIXTAMLIZED CORN IN THE SHAPE OF A TACO

Abstract

AN EQUIPMENT FOR THE PRECISE AND PERFECTLY DEFINED ROLLING UP OF SMALL FLAKES OF RAW DOUGH OF NIXTAMALIZED CORN IN A CONTINUOUS MANNER IS DISCLOSED. SAID EQUIPMENT COMPRISES A CONVENTIONAL SHEETER LAMINATOR WITH AN EXIT MESH CONVEYOR, AT THE END OF WHICH THERE IS PLACED AN ACCELERATION MESH CONVEYOR, PROPELLED BY A SYSTEM OF GENERATION AND TRANSMISSION OF MOVEMENT WITH A MOTOR (109), A REDUCER (110), ANDA TRANSMISSION GUARD (111) TO THE AXIS (104,105) OF THE ROLLER (102,103) OF SUCH ACCELRATION CONVEYOR (108), WHICH ON ITS SIDES HAS TWO HOUSINGS (102) PLACED WITH THREE RECTANGULAR SUPPORT STRUCTURES (113,114,115)WITH AN UPPER CENTRAL SLIT, FIXED PERPENDICULARLY. ON SUCH STRUCTURES THREE ARROWS ARE SUPPORTED IN A MANNER SUSCEPTIBLE OF BEING DISASSEMBLES, AND TRANSVERSALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCELERATION CONVEYOR; FROM TWO OF THEM, THERE IS PENDING FROM BOTH SIDES IN A MANNER SIMILAR TO A SWING, A SET OF INDIVIDUAL METALLIC PRE-ROLLING UP MESHES (119), WITH A SMALL SURFACE OF DRAGGING WITH THE ACCELERATION CONVEYOR MESH (108)WHEREAS FROM THE THIRD ARROW THERE IS PENDING ON ONE END IN A MANNER SIMILAR TO A CURTAIN, A SET OF METALLIC FINAL ROLLING UP MESHES (120) FOR SUCH SMALL TORTILLAS, WITH A GREATER SURFACE OF DRAGGING WITH THE ACCELERATION CONVEYOR MESH.

Full Text

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention refers to an equipment for rolling up raw tortillas into the shape of a "taco." More specifically, it is a totally automated equipment for the precise and perfectly defined rolling up of small tortillas or flakes of raw dough of nixtamalized corn, which is done in a continuous manner. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION At present, conventional sheeter laminators are employed for the elaboration of tortillas or raw dough flakes of nixtamalized corn, which by means of a cutter can make various shapes and sizes of tortillas or flakes through the design and predetermined molding of the same. Until before the present invention, the shaping of "tacos" beginning with raw flakes or tortillas of nixtamalized corn dough was unknown and their manufacture presents unsolved technical problems. The above required, at that time, rolling up such tortilla or flake on itself, which once completely rolled up acquires the shape of a "taco." Raw dough "tacos" may be of various sizes and thickness, depending on the size and thickness of the tortillas or flakes, which are the basis of the product. The obvious solution to accomplish the rolling up of the raw tortilla on itself was to carry it out manually, with the problems that such procedure represents. Effectively, the manual elaboration of "tacos" starting with small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn with industrial processing purposes, which implies the production of great volumes of such product, does not meet the production expectations to cover a more or less ample market, since a considerable amount of labor would be required, which results in high production costs and therefore low income- yield capability. Due to the above, a machine for rolling up small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn on themselves, adapted for elaborating them mechanically, in considerable amounts and at adequate speeds, which meets industrial production expectations with commercial ends, would solve the previously described problems. OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION This invention has as its main objective to make available an equipment that permits rolling up on themselves small tortillas or flakes of raw dough of nixtamalized corn in a continuous and automatic manner. Another objective of this invention is to make available an equipment with the aforementioned qualities, which has also the particularity of being able to vary the speed of the acceleration conveyor, which permits obtaining a more exact rolling up on themselves of small tortillas or flakes of raw dough of nixtamalized corn, continuously and automatically. Another objective of this invention is to make available such equipment so that, besides, it has the feature of producing such product at considerable speeds and volumes at an industrial level with commercial purposes. Another objective of this invention is to make available such equipment so that, besides, it is able to shape such product in a single line, up to as many as may turn out to be shaped in the total width of operation of the production line. Another objective of this invention is to make available such equipment, so that it has the peculiarity of being capable of being assembled and disassembled on any conventional laminator of sheeter line at the end of the exit mesh, without affecting the elaboration of products typical of the corn line. And all those qualities and objectives that will be present when performing a description of this invention supported on the illustrated modality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS Broadly speaking, this invention consists in an automated equipment for rolling up on themselves small tortillas or Accordingly, the present invention provides an equipment to produce small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn in the shape of a "taco", starting from a conventional sheeter laminator with an exit mesh conveyor, characterized in that it integrates an additional equipment at the end of such conveyor, which comprises an acceleration mesh conveyor with an equal transversal section as the laminator exit conveyor, propelled by a system of generation and transmission of movement that comprises a motor, a reducer, and a transmission guard on the axis of the roller of such acceleration conveyor, which has on its sides two , housings placed with three rectangular support structures with an upper control slit, fixed perpendicularly on the housings, on which there are supported in a manner susceptible of being disassembled and transversally with respect to the acceleration conveyor, three arrows: from two of them there is pending from both ends, in a manner similar to a swing, a set of individual meshes corresponding to the pre-rolling up meshes, while from the third arrow, there is pending one end, in a manner similar to a curtain, a set of final rolling up meshes for such small tortillas. flakes of raw dough of nixtamalized corn, which have the final shape of small and perfectly rolled up "tacos." In order to roll up on themselves small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn, we started from the utilization of a conventional sheeter laminator, which is made up of a hopper for receiving the dough, a couple of laminating rollers separated by a very short distance, which spin both in the same direction toward the inside; a lower roller with a cutter that gives shape and size to the tortillas or flakes unfastened by a device that causes the product not to stick; on the lower part of the laminator there is also the exit mesh conveyor. Starting from such sheeter laminator, we began experimenting to roll up the tortillas or flakes on themselves, first by placing persons at the sides of the conveyor, who rolled up the tortillas manually; but this, although it was acceptable from the point of view of the final shape of the product, was not attractive from the point of view of production volumes. Also, it was not attractive due to the high production costs implied by using a great amount of labor, which resulted in an operation with low income-yield capability. Then it was thought to substitute labor and design an equipment to effect such operation without the participation of workers" hands, which would produce the same results regarding the quality of the formation of the product and increase production volumes, at greater speeds in lesser times. Therefore, it was decided to design an automated equipment. Then we began to think of the type of equipment that could be used to effect such operation, which would allow for rolling up on themselves small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn with the appropriate quality, which would yield the wished for final shape of the rolling up in the shape of a "taco." It was then thought of using an element that would substitute the movement and manipulation effected by the human hand; we had the idea that through a roller with the appropriate surface, the same operation could be effected that would provide the effect and manipulation necessary to be able to roll up such tortillas on themselves. However, this implied designing a roller that would have the capability of spinning, and that would have a certain looseness and a pivoting effect of a vertical movement, which would allow for the tortillas being rolled up and going through once rolled up; but due to the great complexity than this represented and the infinity of pieces it would possibly require, it turned out to be an "element rather difficult to design, therefore, such possibility was discarded. We opted for placing a mesh transversally to the exit conveyor of the sheeter laminator, hanging as a curtain, which would permit to carry out such effect of rolling up, where it was necessary to choose the most appropriate material, which would prevent the adherence of the raw dough tortillas or flakes to the mesh; until, finally, such purpose was accomplished, but one more problem persisted, since the separation distance at which the raw dough tortillas or flakes come out, determined by the speed of the exit conveyor of the sheeter laminator, during the rolling up process, had as a result that the tortillas or flakes were too close together, which yielded two, three, or more tortillas at the same time. This had as a result an undesired amorphous rolling up. It was thought then of modifying the sheeter laminator, which would permit to elaborate tortillas or flakes of raw dough of nixtamalized corn at grater speeds, with the adjustment of the speed of the exit conveyor and modifications to the rollers and the structure of the laminator; but this implied greater modifications, adaptations, and additional equipment on such laminator, which would result in the elimination of the versatility of such conveyor, which would render it incapable of being used afterward to elaborate other types of products that do require the speeds of elaboration with which the laminator is designed. It was thought, therefore, to adapt a mesh conveyor at the end of the exit: conveyor of the laminator with greater speed, by placing a frequency variator on the motor of such conveyor, which allowed for adjusting the speed to make it more precise, which provided a greater separation space between the tortillas, the adequate separation space to permit the precise rolling up of each tortilla or flake individually, thus eliminating the problem of agglutination. However, although the above problem had been solved, a high percentage of badly shaped product was still obtained, which was undesirable due to the great loss generated; and after an analysis, it was found that such inefficiencies and malformations were due to the lack of flexibility of the mesh in the shape of a curtain, given that the length of the mesh was quite great when disposed transversally on the acceleration conveyor. Therefore, we opted for dividing into sections, in such a manner as to have meshes in the shape of individual and more flexible curtains, which improved the rolling up; but even so, the percentage of malformations, although it was less than before, represented a considerable loss of raw dough. The operation was analyzed in a detailed and conscientious manner, and we reached the conclusion and determination of testing with two meshes for the rolling up on themselves of the small tortillas, and after a considerable time and multiple rehearsals and experimentations, we reached the final placement and conformation that the two curtains of meshes should have to be able to obtain one hundred percent of product adequately formed and at the required operation speeds for the shaping of "tacos" starting with the precise rolling up on themselves of small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn, without modifying the sheeter laminator at all, maintaining its versatility and the possibility of using the same line to elaborate other characteristic products in this corn line, with no problem whatsoever. The system of rolling up on themselves of small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn comprises therefore, a mesh acceleration conveyor, with an equal transversal section as the exit conveyor of the sheeter laminator, propelled by a system of generation and transmission of movement, which comprises a motor which, through a reducer and a transmission guard, transmits movement to the axis of the roller of such conveyor. The acceleration conveyor presents a variable acceleration mesh and a housing on each side end. Such housings present a series of rectangular supports with slits on the upper part, placed perpendicularly to such housings, where three arrows are resting, placed transversally with respect to the acceleration conveyor. In the two first arrows, a series of individual meshes are attached and pending, suspended on both ends in a manner similar to a swing, each end supported by a different arrow, such meshes correspond to the pre-rolling up meshes, which present a small surface for dragging and contact with the acceleration conveyor mesh. This permits to fold upward only a small portion of the tortilla or flake. On the third and last arrow there are pending, attached from a single end in the shape of a curtain, a series of meshes aligned and in equal number as the aforementioned, which correspond to the final rolling up meshes, with a greater surface for contact and dragging with the acceleration conveyor mesh, which permits, with the help of the first folding previously effected, to roll up mors easily, perfectly, and efficiently such small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn. Such equipment has the particularity of implementing or incorporating as many pre-rolling up and final rolling up meshes for small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn, on the width of the acceleration conveyor, as lines of product are required. Besides, such equipment has the particularity of being able to withdraw the arrows that support the pre-rolling up and final rolling up meshes of such small tortillas and continue to produce on the line, corn products with similar or different characteristics of the line, without the need to make modifications to the structure or disassemble the additional equipment such as the acceleration belt, nor the housings with the supports. For a better understanding of the invention, we will go on to make the description of the same, shown on the drawings which with illustrative but not limiting purposes are enclosed to this description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure .1 shows an isometric view of Che equipment for rolling up on themselves small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn, illustrating the placement and conformation of the sheeter laminator. For a better understanding of the invention, we will go on to make the detailed description of one of the modalities of the same, shown on the drawings which, with illustrative but not limiting purposes, are enclosed to this description. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The characteristic details of this structure in any of the preferred modalities are illustrated and described in the following figure. Figure 1 shows an isometric view of the equipment for rolling up on themselves small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn, illustrating the placement and conformation of the sheeter laminator, the conveyor with metallic mesh of the laminator exit, the acceleration mesh conveyor, the housings, the system of generation and transmission of movement, and the details of the placement and conformation of the axes on the supports, as well as the pre-rolling up and final rolling up meshes of such small tortillas. In such figure, the sheeter laminator 100 comprises a receiving hopper 101 for the dough, under which rollers 102 and 103 for formation of the raw dough sheet of nixtamalized corn are placed; such rollers show two axes 104 and 105, through which the receive movement, both in the same direction of spin, toward the center, to favor the laminating process. Roller 103 shows a series of divisions in its transversal section, and on its lower part there is a roller with a cutter (not shown in the figure) , which provides the shape, size, and thickness to the tortillas or flakes of raw dough, and which are unfastened from the lower roller with a spear- type device that causes them not to stick (not shown in the figure). Likewise, on the lower part of the sheeter laminator 100, there is a metallic mesh conveyor of exit 106, propelled by roller 107. After the metallic mesh conveyor of exit 106, there is a second metallic mesh conveyor of acceleration 108 with an equal transversal section, which advances at a greater speed than the exit conveyor 106. Such metallic mesh conveyor of acceleration 108 is propelled by a system of generation and transmission of movement with an appropriate location, which comprises a motor 109 with a reducer 110, which through a transmission guard 111 transmits movement and propels such conveyor. The acceleration conveyor 108 has fixed on each side a metallic housing 112; such housings have fixed each two supports 113 and 114 in a rectangular shape, with a slit on the upper part and with greater separation, to them are fixed a third support: 115 of equal features, supports 113 and 114 of each housing 112, which supports in its slits arrows 116 and 117 respectively, placed transversally with respect to the acceleration conveyor 118 in a manner that is susceptible of disassembly, while supports 115 support in their slits arrows 118, also transversally. At the same time, arrows 116 and 117 support on both ends, in a manner similar to a swing, the pre-rolling up meshes 119. Such pre-rolling up meshes are placed with a small surface of contact and dragging with the mesh of acceleration conveyor 108, with permits to fold upward only a small portion of the tortilla or flake. On the other hand, arrow 118 supports on one end, in the shape of a certain, the final rolling up meshes 120, aligned and with equal number as the pre-rolling up meshes 119. The final rolling up meshes 120 show a greater surface of contact and dragging with the acceleration conveyor meshes 108, which permits, with the help of the first folding previously effected, with the pre-rolling up meshes 119, to roll up more easily, perfectly, and efficiently such small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn. Such equipment has the particularity of implementing or incorporating as many metallic pre-rolling up meshes 119 and final rolling up meshes 120 for small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn, on the width of the acceleration conveyor, as lines of product are required. Such equipment has the particularity of being capable of disassembling the arrows 116, 117, and 118, which support the pre-rolling up meshes 119 and final rolling up meshes 120, for such small tortillas, and continue to produce on such line, products characteristic of the corn line, without the need to make modifications to the structure, nor disassemble the additional equipment, such as the acceleration belt 108, nor the housings 112 with such supports 112, 114, and 115, without affecting the production of other products characteristic of this line. The invention has been described sufficiently so that a person with intermediate knowledge in the subject may be able to reproduce and obtain the results that we mention in this invention. However, any person capable in the field of the technique that corresponds to this invention may be able to make modifications not described in this application; however, if for the application of such modifications in a determined structure or in the manufacturing process of the same, the subject matter claimed in the following claims is required, such structures will be comprised within the scope of the invention. WE CLAIM : 1. Equipment to produce small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn in the shape of a "taco", starting from a conventional sheeter laminator with an exit, mesh conveyor, characterized in that it integrates an additional equipment at the end of such conveyor, which comprises an acceleration mesh conveyor with an equal transversal section as the laminator exit conveyor, propelled by a system of generation and transmission of movement that comprises a motor, a reducer, and a transmission guard on the axis of the roller of such acceleration conveyor, which has on its sides two housings placed with three rectangular support structures with an upper central slit, fixed perpendicularly on the housings, on which there are supported in a manner susceptible of being disassembled and transversally with respect to the acceleration conveyor, three arrows: from two of them there is pending from both ends, in a manner similar to a swing, a set of individual meshes corresponding to the pre-rolling up meshes, while from the third arrow, there is pending one end, in a manner similar to a curtain, a set of final rolling up meshes for such small tortillas. 2. Equipment to producing appetizers in the shape of a roll of small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn as claimed in claim 1, wherein pre-rolling meshes, which are pending in the manner of a swing, show a small surface of contact and dragging with the acceleration conveyor mesh; while such final rolling up meshes, which are pending in the form of a curtain, show a greater surface of contact and dragging with the acceleration conveyor mesh. 3. Equipment to producing appetizers in the shape of a roll of small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn as claimed in claims 1 and 2, wherein such system of generation and transmission of movement to the acceleration belt comprises a frequency variator that permits to vary the speed of the acceleration conveyor mesh and therefore is capable of adjusting the speed of the formed product depending on the rhythm required on the production line. 4. Equipment to produce small tortillas of raw dough of nixtamalized corn, substantially as herein described, particularly with reference to the accompanying drawing. An equipment for the precise and perfectly defined rolling up of small flakes of raw dough of nixtamalized corn in a continuous manner is disclosed. Said equipment comprises a conventional sheeter laminator with an exit mesh conveyor, at the end of which there is placed an acceleration mesh conveyor, propelled by a system of generation and transmission of movement with a motor (109), a reducer (110), and a transmission guard (111) to the axis (104, 105) of the roller (102, 103) of such acceleration conveyor (108), which on its sides has two housings (102) placed with three rectangular support structures (113, 114, 115) with an upper central slit, fixed perpendicularly. On such structures three arrows are supported in a manner susceptible of being disassembled, and transversally with respect to the acceleration conveyor; from two of them, there is pending from both sides in a manner similar to a swing, a set of individual metallic pre-rolling up meshes (119), with a small surface of dragging with the acceleration conveyor mesh (108); whereas from the third arrow there is pending on one end in a manner similar to a curtain, a set of metallic final rolling up meshes (120) for such small tortillas, with a greater surface of dragging with the acceleration conveyor mesh.

Documents:

664-CAL-2001-(03-01-2012)-FORM-27.pdf

664-CAL-2001-(20-04-2012)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

664-CAL-2001-(20-04-2012)-OTHERS.pdf

664-CAL-2001-(20-04-2012)-PA.pdf

664-CAL-2001-CORRESPONDENCE-1.1.pdf

664-CAL-2001-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

664-CAL-2001-FORM 15.pdf

664-CAL-2001-FORM 27.pdf

664-cal-2001-granted-abstract.pdf

664-cal-2001-granted-claims.pdf

664-cal-2001-granted-correspondence.pdf

664-cal-2001-granted-description (complete).pdf

664-cal-2001-granted-drawings.pdf

664-cal-2001-granted-form 1.pdf

664-cal-2001-granted-form 2.pdf

664-cal-2001-granted-form 3.pdf

664-cal-2001-granted-letter patent.pdf

664-cal-2001-granted-pa.pdf

664-cal-2001-granted-reply to examination report.pdf

664-cal-2001-granted-specification.pdf

664-CAL-2001-PA.pdf