US3922140A

US3922140A - Kiln for tile

Info

Publication number: US3922140A
Application number: US486833A
Authority: US
Inventors: Muneo Noritake; Masaharu Takeuchi
Original assignee: Inax Corp
Current assignee: Inax Corp
Priority date: 1974-07-09
Filing date: 1974-07-09
Publication date: 1975-11-25
Anticipated expiration: 1992-11-25

Abstract

In a kiln which bakes tiles or the like rapidly and continuously by putting them in L-shaped supprting parts attached to rotating endless chains and moving them into a standing position through the kiln, an improvement which comprises providing an automatic feeding apparatus consisting of a chute and a conveyor operated by the detection of a passage of the supporting parts, and an automatic receiving and carrying-out apparatus consisting of patting sticks, chutes and a conveyor.

Description

United States Patent Noritake et al.

(I Nov. 25, 1975 i 1 KILN FOR TILE [75] inventors: Muneo Noritake, Chita; Masaharu Takeuchi, Tokoname, both of Japan [73] Assignee: Ina Seito Co., Ltd., Tokoname,

Japan 122 Filed: July 9. 1974 2| App! No: 486.833

[52] U.S. Cl i. 432/122; 432/l37 [Sll lnt. Cl. F278 9/14 [58] Field of Search i i i i i. 432/122, 137. I40, I53

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1385365 711921 Dreyfoos 432/122 1601760 [0/1926 Furkert i, 432/137 L774 I6l 8/1930 Wetmore i v i i i i v i i 432/122 Wunderlich H 2? Edwards H v Primary E.rumirierJohn J. Camh Attorney. Agent, or l-innwenderoth. Lind 8; Ponack {57] ABSTRACT In a kiln which bakes tiles or the like rapidly and continuously by putting them in L-shaped supprting parts attached to rotating endless chains and moving them into a standing position through the kiln. an improve ment which comprises providing an automatic feeding apparatus consisting of a chute and a conveyor oper ated by the detection of a passage of the supporting parts, and an automatic receiving and carrying-out zip paratus consisting of patting sticks, chutes and a con vcyor.

6 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet 1 of9 3,922,140

FIG.

U.S. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet20f9 3,922,140

FIG.2

US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet 3 of9 3,922,140

FIG. 3

n h l. 0 .0 M. 0 o m F W 0 I V 0 US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet4of9 3,922,140

US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet5of9 3,922,140

US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet60f9 3,922,140

U.S. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet70f9 3,922,140

FIG. 8

U.S. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet 8 of9 3,922,140

U.S. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet 9 of9 3,922,140

FIG. B

KILN FOR TILE This invention relates to an improvement ofa baking apparatus for tiles or the like. The substance of the invention is, in the process of baking tiles or the like in a kiln, connecting movably supporting parts, which are made of fire-proof material, with a loop-belt such as an endless chain which is rotated by a driving apparatus, putting tiles or the like to be baked onto said supporting parts manually or automatically, and baking rapidly at a high temperature by passing the same through the kiln successively while holding tiles or the like in a standing position.

Heretofore, the baking process of tiles has been as follows; putting moulded tiles in a saggar manually, piling these saggars into a kiln-car (wagon for baking) manually, baking while the kiln-car moves through a tunnel-kiln provided with rails, and after baking, taking down these saggars from the kiln-car manually, and removing the tiles from the saggars one by one. This method not only take much time and hard manual labor, but also takes a very long time for baking, because all the tiles in the saggars are baked indirectly from the thermal barrier of the fire-proof wall. These defects cause the mass production of tile to be difficult, and, as described above, it is necessary to heat the saggars themselves for baking tiles, so the thermal loss just to heat the saggars is quite wasteful. Moreover, though the saggars are made of fire-proof material, they break down after repeated use, and the replacement cost is very high.

These defects have been the reasons which arrest the development of industries of this kind. This invention eliminates many defects concerning the production of tiles.

It is, therefor, an object of the present invention to provide an improved kiln for baking tiles or the like rapidly and efficiently without hard labor.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

all the figures illustrate one example of the invention executed;

FIG. I is a cross section ofa kiln related to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plane figure illustrating the relation between the endless chains and holders of the supporting parts for tiles;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the driving apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating the relation among the endless chain, the holders and the supporting parts;

FIG. 5 is a plane figure,

FIG. 6 is a front view and FIG. 7 is a side view, illustrating the rear end of the kiln and the automatic carrying-out apparatus for tiles or the like;

FIG. 8 is a side view partially cut away, and FIG. 9 is a front view, illustrating the operation of the patting mechanism for baked tiles in the automatic carryingout apparatus;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the automatic loading apparatus for tiles or the like to be baked;

FIG. 11 is a perspective drawing of the supporting part loaded a tile;

FIG. 12 is a plane figure and FIG. 13 is a side view illustrating another executed example of the carryingout apparatus.

In the figures, the wall of a kiln is indicated by I, I and 1", the supporting part by 2, its bottom by 2, its back side by 2", the chain by S, tiles by 16, the fulcrum by 17, the patting stick by 18, the chute for conveying tiles by 19, the conveyor for removing the tiles by 20, the chute for loading tiles by 32 and the conveyor for feeding tiles by 34.

The invention is useful not only for baking tiles but also other objects whose form is board or dish-liked. However, an example of the execution in the case of baking tiles is explained in the following.

The figures, from FIG. I to FIG. 4, illustrate a kiln of the invention. In those figures, walls of the kiln I, l and l" are made offire-proof and heat insulating material, and as shown in the figures, they are constructed like a so-called tunnel-kiln on the whole. The upper parts of the walls of the kiln I and I are respectively lifted by fixing

frame boards

9, 9' and 10, which are made of steel, fixed externally with the aid of a lifting frame 15, which is positioned over the kiln, and form a reasonably wide space between the upper part of the wall 1' and its lower part I". In the kiln of the invention, at said space between the walls I and I", in order to fit and hold the ends of the many supporting parts 2 made of fire-proof materials such as silicon nitride, fireproof holders 3 are set movably parallel, whose number is correlative with that of the supporting parts. The outer end of said holder 3 is fixed to the inner end of a connecting plate 8 with metal fittings such as bolts. A roller 8, which is rotatably attached to the connecting plate 8 is supported by suitable supporting equipment without preventing the movement of the roller, and beside the kiln, the connecting plate 8 is connected with a loop belt such as an endless chain 5 that is set between

guide rails

6 and 6 and rotated continuously or intermittently by an arbitrary driving apparatus. As illustrated in FIG. I, at the wall of the kiln I" a necessary number of burners 11 are provided facing right and left or alternately, and in front of the burner 11, a barrier for second burning, a so-called checker, is provided. If desired, at the front end of the kiln, a suitable loading apparatus is provided which pushes, intermittertly, tiles or the like 16 to be baked into said supporting part 2 through another conveyor or the like, synchronized with the driving apparatus or not synchronized. At the rear end of the kiln, there is provided a suitable apparatus which receives tiles dropped from the supporting parts 2 and carries out them automatically from the kiln. All these processes can be done automatically.

In order to drive the loop belt such as the endless chain 5 which rotates the supporting parts 2, as shown in FIG. 3, a motor 13 provided behind the kiln is started and the power transmitted to a motive sprocket 14, in contact with the chain 5, through a reduction gear 13'. However, it is also possible to adopt another intermittent driving method such as a crank mechanism or the like.

As the automatic removing apparatus for the baked objects, as shown in the figures, from FIG. 5 to FIG. 9, an apparatus is used which is provided with patting sticks 18 swinging with a fulcrum 17 as the central axis to knock out the tiles or the like 16, moving in a standing position, from said supporting parts. Chutes 19 convey the tiles or the like 16 beneath the patting sticks I8, and a conveyor 20 carries the tiles or the like [6 con veyed from the chutes 19 to a desirable place outside of the kiln. This apparatus operates as follows, refering to 3 FIG. 8 and FIG. 9: a cam 22 on an axis 21 rotates, projections 22' on the circumference of the cam 22 push periodically a small lever 18' coaxially attached to the patting stick l8 and push up the end of the patting stick [8, and when the hooking relation between said projection 22' and the small lever I8 is removed, the end of the patting stick 18 returns to its former position by the biasing power of a spring 23; that is, the patting stick 18 swings periodically. and. when the end of the patting stick 18 returns to its former position, this end strikes the upper end of the tile 16 passing just under the patting stick, and the tile 16 drops out from the bottom 2' of the supporting part 2 onto the removal conveyor driven by a motor 24, slides onto the chute 19 provided under the patting stick l8, and tiles so removed are carried out of the kiln by the removal conveyor and belt conveyors 2S and 26. If a receiving plate 27 is provided under the space over which the supporting parts 2 move. a tile 16 dropped from the supporting part 2 is pushed by the moving supporting part 2, slides along receiving plate 27 and, at the end of the receving plate 27, drops surely onto the chute 19 provided near the end of receiving plate 27. Therefore, it is desirable for said automatic carrying-out apparatus to be provided with the receiving plate 27. In this case, if the chute 19 is vibrated reasonably by a vibrator or the like, a conveyor for removing tiles is set at a slight inclination and a stopper 28 is provided against the chute 19, so that the tile 16 sliding on the chute 19 moves onto the conveyor 20 smoothly. In the example ofthe execution above-mentioned, the patting stick 18 is constructed to swing with the fulcrum 17 as the central axis, but the patting stick 18 also can be constructed to rotate at a constant speed with the fulcrum 17 as the central axis. in order to remove the baked objects from the kiln, as shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, it is also possible to provide, at the rear end of the kiln, a thermo-permeable rotating loop belt 37 made of net or the like to receive and remove the baked objects which drop naturally from the supporting parts 2. Above and beside said loop-belt 37, a covering wall 38 for keeping baked objects hot is integrated with the wall of the kiln or constructed separately from it.

As for the automatic loading apparatus for tiles or the like to be baked, this device is provided at the front end of the kiln. The construction and operation is as follows refering to FIG. 10. The passage of a moving supporting parts 2 is detected by a photo-sensitive switch 29 and 29' provided at a suitable place; a braked motor 30 operates to rotate a feeding roller 31; a tile 16, having been arrested by the feeding roller 31 on an inclined chute 32, set near the back side 2" of the supporting part 2 that has an inclined position at the front end of the kiln, is loaded onto said supporting part as if in serted therein; and at this instant, the feeding roller 31 stops. At the same time a feeding conveyor 34 rotates by the operation of a pulse motor 33 and numbers of tiles 16 placed in a line which are just on the rearest part of the feeding conveyor 34, are guided to the chute 32 and are arrested by said stopped feeding roller 31 while waiting for the next loading operation on the chute 32. On the surface of the feeding conveyor belt 34, a reasonable number of pedestals 34' are attached with a rather longer interval therein between than the length of a tile 16. The top part of the pedestal 34 has a lower step 34" whose length is about 70% of the length of a tile 16. The pulse motor 33 is controlled so as only to rotate from one step to another in one operation, and the feeding conveyor 34 pushes and guides each line of tiles, which are set in lines on the steps 34", onto the chute 32 by the pedestal 34' in one operation. At the front end of the feeding conveyor 34, the tiles 16 which are carried by a rotating belt conveyor 36 driven by a motor 35, are put onto the steps 34" of the feeding conveyor 34 one by one. When the feeding conveyor 34 stops, the pedestal 34' which is located at the rear part of the feeding conveyor 34, stops the tiles 16 being carried by the continuously rotating belt con veyors 36, and so the tiles l6 stop, because only the front edge of the tiles 16 is loaded onto the front end of the conveyor 34, as shown in FIG. 10. When the feed ing conveyor 34 begins to rotate. the back of said stopped tiles 16 is received by the advancing front edge of the step 34" and the tiles ]6 are put onto the step 34". Since the belt conveyor 36 rotates continuously. its rotating speed must be slower than that of the feeding conveyor 34 in order to move the tiles 16 arrested by the pedestal 34', while leaving the following tiles bc hind, to the feeding conveyor 34 when it rotates. Even though the tiles 16 can be loaded automatically on to the supporting part 2 set on the endless chain rotating in the kiln with the aid of said apparatus, it is also possible to load the tiles 16 manually without it. It is, of course, especially desirable that this loading work of objects to be baked to the supporting part be done automatically when the numbers of objects to be baked are loaded together, but is not always necessary in the case of loading single or only a few objects.

The objects to be baked are inserted or loaded quickly when the supporting part 2 moved by the chain or the like 5 is in a horizontal position or an inclined position whose angle is smaller than about 45 degree in front of the kiln. Said supporting part, as shown in FIG. 11, consists of a bottom 2', which supports the base of the baking objects such as tiles or the like 16, and a rea sonably long back side 2"; in other words, the cross section is L-shaped, As shown in the enlarged figure in FIG. 4, both ends of one or more supporting parts 2" are fixed in the setting spaces 3' of the fire-proof holder 3 respectively. If a holder has only one supporting part, the object to be baked is moved, as if tipped up, and held in a standing position by the bottom 2 and the back side 2". lf plural supporting parts are provided, the tiles or the like 16 are inserted into the space between the back sides 2" when they have a nearly horizontal position, and they are supported between the front surface of one back side and the back surface of the next one, As the chain or the like 5 rotates, the sup porting part goes up, and the position of tiles or the like becomes nearly vertical, After that, while retaining the standing position, they go forward in the kiln. As many tiles or the like 16 are loaded in a line or in lines in the supporting parts 2 having a rather narrow width and holders 3 have several sections of the supporting part respectively, the invention has an advantage that it is possible to bake a great number of tiles or the like 16 in a unit area. The back side of 2" of the supporting part 2 does not always necessarily touch all the back surface of a tile as in the example of the execution above mentioned; it may be cut off partly like a grating if its mechanical strength is sufficient. It is indispensable that its cross section is L-shaped on the whole (like a chair) so as to hold a tile 16 passing through the kiln in a standing position.

The kiln of the invention is generally lO-lS m long; the moving velocity of the endless chain or the like Sin the kiln is about 300-500 mm/min. The proper range of the maximum baking temperature is about I lC.

The kiln of the invention is provided with a loading apparatus for objects to be baked in front of the kiln and a receiving apparatus of baked objects behind the kiln; therefore, the total length of the kiln, including these apparatuses, is 2530 m. The temperature at said apparatus is 200300C, and keeping said high temperature only at the central part, objects set in a standing position are baked rapidly with said velocity. In this method, liquefied petroleum gas can be used as the heat source, and so the baking cost is quite economical. As the direct flame baking method is adoptable, the invention has a merit that it is possible to use a glaze whose melting point is near SKI and to expect excellent glazing. Therefore, by making use of the kiln of the invention, a great number of baked objects excellently glazed can be produced in a short time, and the invention results in excellent baking done with a high productivity of 2-5 times greater at least, than that of the most improved productive kiln ever used.

As compared with the former baking method used in the production of tiles, a baking time taking more than 24 hours by the former method is reduced to less than one and a half hours by the kiln of this invention, or it is apparent that baking time is reduced extremely. Concerning with labor efficiency, one worker bakes about 5400 tiles per 8 hours by the former method, but one worker can bake 14,000 tiles by the kiln of the invention, and so it may be said that the improvement of efficiency is remarkable. As explained above, it is apparent that the more output of the product there is, the more effective the utility of the invention. In the invention, when tiles or the like are loaded in the supporting part 2 by the aid of the automatic loading apparatus consisting of the chute 32 and the feeding conveyor 34, the tiles or the like 16 are guided into the chute 32 from the feeding conveyor 34 intermittently. At this moment, tiles or the like are correctly guided with a constant interval if the necessary number of pedestals 34' and their steps 34" are provided at a suitable position along the feeding conveyor 34.,At the front end of the kiln, the back side 2" of the supporting part 2 has a position with a slight inclination to make receiving easy and it comes up near the chute 32 that has a position with a nearly same inclination as the back side 2". Then the tiles or the like 16 are guided through the chute 32 and inserted into the supporting part 2 correctly and surely. Moreover, if the feeding roller 31 is provided, which rotates intermittently synchronized with the operation of the feeding roller 34, on the moving course of the tiles or the like near the end of the chute 32, the insertion of the tiles or the like into the supporting part 2 through the chute 32 becomes more correct and sure. In this way, as the tiles or the like are inserted automatically and correctly, the working time is reduced remarkably and the working efficiency of the kiln of the invention is improved even more. Concerning the removal of the tiles or the like from the kiln, when the automatic carrying-out apparatus, consisting of the patting stick 18, the chute 19 and the carrying-out c0nveyor 20, is used, as shown in the figures from FIG. to FIG. 9, the tiles or the like can be removed safely and quickly in a condition drawn up in order and without any damage done by the dropping from the supporting part. Thus, with the aide of these two apparatuses, the loading apparatus and the removal apparatus, the kiln of the invention accomplishes the object of the automatic baking and the mass production for tiles or the like. Furthermore, tiles or the like l6 sometimes bake to and stick to the supporting part 2 in the process of baking. This trouble causes the difficulty in detaching the tiles or the like from the supporting parts, but the operation of said patting stick l8 insures easy detaching.

If baked objects are received and taken out on the loop belt 37, such as mesh belt covered by said covering wall 38, which is provided behind the kiln ofthe invention for keeping baked objects hot, the surface of the baked objects gets cool gradually by making use of convection, and the remaining heat is used to pre-heat the kiln as the auxilliary heat source. So, the invention has also an advantage of improving the thermal efficiency of the total system, and a utility that fuel cost can be reduced very much. I claim as my invention:

1. ln a baking apparatus for baking tiles and the like which transports the items to be baked through a kiln on a continuously moving belt which has L-shaped supporting receptacles attached thereto for supporting the items to be baked in an upright position as they pass through the kiln, the improvement comprising:

automatic conveyor belt and chute loading means operatively positioned on both sides of the continuously moving belt at the entrance of the kiln said means including detecting means on each side of the continuously moving belt for detecting the presence of the L-shaped receptacles on the continuously moving belt and conveying means for intermittently sliding the items to be baked in the kiln into the L-shaped supporting receptacles on the continuously moving belt after their presence has been detected by the detecting means and before the belt enters into the kiln; and

automatic unloading means at the exit from the kiln for axially swinging and knocking the items baked in the kiln from the L-shaped receptacle, catching the baked items as they fall from the L-shaped receptacles, and conveying the items away from the kiln and the continuously moving belt.

2. A baking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said conveying means is comprised of:

inclined chute means adjacent the continuously moving belt containing the L-shaped support receptacles at the entrance to the kiln for sliding the items to be baked in the kiln into the L-shaped receptacles after their presence has been detected by the detecting means and before the receptacles enter into the kiln;

feed conveyor means adjacent said inclined chute means for intermittently supplying the items to be slid by said chute means into said L-shaped receptacles to said chute means; and

continuously rotating conveyor belt means adjacent said feed conveyor means for carrying the items to be baked to said feed conveyor means.

3. A baking apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said inclined chute means is comprised of:

an inclined chute surface positioned at the end of said feed conveyor means nearer the kiln, its raised end adjacent said feed conveyor means, and its lower end positioned to be adjacent the L-shaped receptacles passing thereby on said continuously moving belt,

a feed roller positioned at the lowered end of said inclined chute for intermittently stopping the movement of items coming down from said inclined chute from said fecd conveyor means before the items enter into the Lshaped receptacles. and

a brake motor attached to said feed roller; said detecting means is comprised of a photo sensitive switch positioned on either side of said continuously moving belt below the feed roller for dctect ing the presence of each L-shaped receptacle passing therebetween, whereby the brake motor is actuated. the feed roller rotated, and the item ar- 10 rested by said feed roller and supported on the inclined chute is moved by the rotation of the feed roller into the L-shaped receptacle; and

said feeder conveyor means is comprised of:

a continuous feed conveyor belt intermittently rol5 tatable. one end thereof adjacent the raised end of said inclined chute and one end adjacent said continuously rotating conveyor belt means,

a pulse motor attached to said conveyor belt for intermittently rotating said belt, and

pedestal means attached at suitable intervals to and above the surface of said feed conveyor belt and movable therewith, comprised ofa forward lower pedestal portion forming a table-like platform for carrying the items to be baked while moving on said feed conveyor to said inclined chute and a raised pedestal surface above the rearward portion of the lower pedestal surface for stopping the items to be baked coming from the continuously rotating conveyor belt from moving onto the feed conveyor means, whereby items moving from the continuous rotating conveyor belt are prevented from entering onto the feed conveyor conveyor means beneath and transverse to said continuously moving belt and at the downward end of said inclined chute means for receiving and carrying the baked items directed downward thereto by said inclined chute means away from the kiln.

5. A baking apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said automatic unloading means is further comprised of support and guide means beneath and parallel to said first continuously moving belt for supporting the baked items knocked from said L-shaped receptacles and guiding them to said inclined chute means, whereby the baked items knocked from said L-shaped receptacle by said patting means fall onto said support and guide means and are forced therealong to the end thereof by said L-shaped receptacle until said baked items fall downward along said inclined chute means at the end of said support and guide means onto said conveyor means are carried away from the kiln.

6. A baking apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

said axially mounted patting means is comprised of:

fulcrum-mounted patting sticks above said continuously moving belt means at the exit from said kiln for contacting and knocking the items carried in said L-shaped receptacles from the L- shaped receptacles after they are baked in the kiln,

a second patting stick coaxially mounted to the same fulcrum as said first fulcrum-mounted patting stick, whereby moving the second patting stick causes the first patting stick to move,

a spring attached to said second patting stick for biasing said second patting stick, and

a rotating axially mounted cam adjacent said second patting stick for contacting and moving said second patting stick when said baked item in said L-shaped receptacle passes adjacent the first patting stick, whereby moving said second patting stick moves said first patting stick, thereby strik- 4. A baking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said automatic unloading means is comprised of:

axially mounted patting means above said continuously moving belt at the exit to the kiln for tapping the baked items in the L-shaped receptacles on said ing and knocking said baked item from said L- shaped receptacle, and whereby said first patting moving belt and knocking them downward therestick is returned to its original position by the bifrom; asing effect of the spring on said second patting inclined chute means at the exit of said kiln beneath stick.

said continuously moving belt for directing the

Claims

1. In a baking apparatus for baking tiles and the like which transports the items to be baked through a kiln on a continuously moving belt which has L-shaped supporting receptacles attached thereto for supporting the items to be baked in an upright position as they pass through the kiln, the improvement comprising: automatic conveyor belt and chute loading means operatively positioned on both sides of the continuously moving belt at the entrance of the kiln said means including detecting means on each side of the continuously moving belt for detecting the presence of the L-shaped receptacles on the continuously moving belt and conveying means for intermittently sliding the items to be baked in the kiln into the L-shaped supporting receptacles on the continuously moving belt after their presence has been detected by the detecting means and before the belt enters into the kiln; and automatic unloading means at the exit from the kiln for axially swinging and knocking the items baked in the kiln from the Lshaped receptacle, catching the baked items as they fall from the L-shaped receptacles, and conveying the items away from the kiln and the continuously moving belt.

2. A baking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said conveying means is comprised of: inclined chute means adjacent the continuously moving belt containing the L-shaped support receptacles at the entrance to the kiln for sliding the items to be baked in the kiln into the L-shaped receptacles after their presence has been detected by the detecting means and before the receptacles enter into the kiln; feed conveyor means adjacent said inclined chute means for intermittently supplying the items to be slid by said chute means into said L-shaped receptacles to said chute means; and continuously rotating conveyor belt means adjacent said feed conveyor means for carrying the items to be baked to said feed conveyor means.

3. A baking apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein: said inclined chute means is comprised of: an inclined chute surface positioned at the end of said feed conveyor means nearer the kiln, its raised end adjacent said feed conveyor means, and its lower end positioned to be adjacent the L-shaped receptacles passing thereby on said continuously moving belt, a feed roller positioned at the lowered end of said inclined chute for intermittently stopping the movement of items coming down from said inclined chute from said feed conveyor means before the items enter into the L-shaped receptacles, and a brake motor attached to said feed roller; said detecting means is comprised of a photo sensitive switch positioned on either side of said continuously moving belt below the feed roller for detecting the presence of each L-shaped receptacle passing therebetween, whereby the brake motor is actuated, the feed roller rotated, and the item arrested by said feed roller and supported on the inclined chute is moved by the rotation of the feed roller into the L-shaped receptacle; and said feeder conveyor means is comprised of: a continuous feed conveyor belt intermittently rotatable, one end thereof adjacent the raised end of said inclined chute and one end adjacent said continuously rotating conveyor belt means, a pulse motor attached to said conveyor belt for intermittently rotating said belt, and pedestal means attached at suitable intervals to and above the surface of said feed conveyor belt and movable therewith, comprised of a forward lower pedestal portion forming a table-like platform for carrying the items to be baked while moving on said feed conveyor to said inclined chute and a raised pedestal surface above the rearward portion of the lower pedestal surface for stopping the items to be baked coming from the continuously rotating conveyor belt from moving onto the feed conveyor means, whereby items moviNg from the continuous rotating conveyor belt are prevented from entering onto the feed conveyor means by abutting the raised pedestal portion until the pulse motor rotates the feed conveyor belt forward, thus allowing the items on the continuously rotating conveyor belt means to move onto the lower pedestal of the next succeeding pedestal means.

4. A baking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said automatic unloading means is comprised of: axially mounted patting means above said continuously moving belt at the exit to the kiln for tapping the baked items in the L-shaped receptacles on said moving belt and knocking them downward therefrom; inclined chute means at the exit of said kiln beneath said continuously moving belt for directing the downward course of the items knocked from the L-shaped receptacles by the axially mounted patting means; and conveyor means beneath and transverse to said continuously moving belt and at the downward end of said inclined chute means for receiving and carrying the baked items directed downward thereto by said inclined chute means away from the kiln.

6. A baking apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein: said axially mounted patting means is comprised of: fulcrum-mounted patting sticks above said continuously moving belt means at the exit from said kiln for contacting and knocking the items carried in said L-shaped receptacles from the L-shaped receptacles after they are baked in the kiln, a second patting stick coaxially mounted to the same fulcrum as said first fulcrum-mounted patting stick, whereby moving the second patting stick causes the first patting stick to move, a spring attached to said second patting stick for biasing said second patting stick, and a rotating axially mounted cam adjacent said second patting stick for contacting and moving said second patting stick when said baked item in said L-shaped receptacle passes adjacent the first patting stick, whereby moving said second patting stick moves said first patting stick, thereby striking and knocking said baked item from said L-shaped receptacle, and whereby said first patting stick is returned to its original position by the biasing effect of the spring on said second patting stick.