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US 12,539,635 B2Granted
Food product slicing apparatus having a product gate assembly and method of operating same
AssigneeProvisur Technologies, Inc.
InventorsGage Allen Fox, Ryan J. O'Connor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A food product slicing apparatus includes a frame, a tray mounted on the frame and configured to support food product blocks, a product gate assembly mounted on the frame and configured to support front ends of the food product blocks, and a gripper assembly mounted on the frame and configured to grip rear ends of the food product blocks. The product gate assembly is moved from an up position to a down position using a camming action.
Claims25
A food product slicing apparatus comprising:
- a frame;
- a tray mounted on the frame having a surface on which a food product block is supported;
- a product gate assembly mounted on the frame including a stop member, a pair of actuators, each actuator having a first end fixed to the frame, a pair of cam plates coupled to second ends of the actuators for movement, each cam plate being configured to slide relative to the frame, a bridge coupling the cam plates together, a blade cartridge on the bridge, and a pair rollers on each cam plate or on opposite ends of the bridge, and a pair of cam tracks on the other of each cam plate or the opposite ends of the bridge, wherein the rollers seat within the cam tracks and are configured to move along the cam tracks, wherein the bridge and blade cartridge are configured to rotate relative to the cam plates from an up position and a down position using a first camming action upon movement of the cam plates by the actuators in a first direction, wherein the bridge and blade cartridge are configured to rotate relative to the cam plates from the down position to the up position using a second camming action upon movement of the cam plates by the actuators in a second direction, wherein the stop member is angled relative to the tray and has a surface against which a front end of the food product engages in the up position, and wherein the surface of the stop member aligns with the surface of the tray such that the food product block passes thereover in the down position, and wherein the stop member is downstream of the tray in the up position and in the down position;
- and
- a gripper assembly mounted on the frame and configured to grip a rear ends end of the food product block.
2 more elements
A food product slicing apparatus comprising:
- a frame;
- a tray mounted on the frame and configured to support a food product block;
- a product gate assembly mounted on the frame and configured to support a front end of the food product block, the product gate assembly including a pair of actuators, each actuator having a first end fixed to the frame, a pair of cam plates coupled to second ends of the actuators for movement, each cam plate being configured to slide relative to the frame, a bridge coupling the cam plates together, a blade cartridge on the bridge, and a pair rollers on each cam plate or on opposite ends of the bridge, and a pair of cam tracks on the other of each cam plate or the opposite ends of the bridge, wherein the rollers seat within the cam tracks and are configured to move along the cam tracks, wherein the bridge and blade cartridge are configured to rotate relative to the cam plates from an up position to a down position using a first camming action upon movement of the cam plates by the actuators in a first direction and wherein the bridge and blade cartridge are configured to rotate relative to the cam plates from the down position to the up position using a second camming action upon movement of the cam plates by the actuators in a second direction;
- and
- a gripper assembly mounted on the frame and configured to grip a rear end of the food product block.
2 more elements
A product gate assembly for a food product slicing apparatus, comprising:
- a pair of actuators, each actuator having a first end fixed to a frame of the food product slicing apparatus;
- a pair of cam plates coupled to second ends of the actuators for movement, each cam plate being configured to slide relative to the frame of the food product slicing apparatus;
- a bridge coupling the cam plates together;
- a blade cartridge on the bridge;
- and
- a pair rollers on each cam plate or on opposite ends of the bridge, and a pair of cam tracks on the other of each cam plate or the opposite ends of the bridge, wherein the rollers seat within the cam tracks and are configured to move along the cam tracks, wherein the bridge and blade cartridge are configured to rotate relative to the cam plates upon movement of the cam plates by the actuators.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.