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US 12,661,684 B2Granted
Work-saving improvements for food-process lines
AssigneeNothum Manufacturing Company
InventorRobert G. Nothum, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Work-saving improvements for food-process lines include mounting alternate machines of a food-process line on pivot hardware to speed up washing and maintenance operations. The improvements may include mounting the machines on rolling riding gear in order to speed up the activities of building and re-building food-process lines of a different series of machines. The improvements may include isolating the food-process line in its own tunnel and hence its own climate-controlled atmosphere to reduce conflicts with running two food-process lines side by side where one food process line is a source of air borne allergens.
Claims9
A method in a mechanized food-process line for monitoring weight flowrate of food product pieces in or out of a selected food-process line coating machine;
- said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a mechanized food-process line comprising a plurality of food-process line machines arranged in a series from an upline end to a downline end that move the flowrate of the food product pieces by conveyance therealong, wherein:
- either the selected food-process line coating machine provides coating application operations for application of dry coating material to the flowrate of food product pieces,
- or the selected food-process line coating machine provides coating application operations for application of wet coating material to the flowrate of food product pieces, and wherein:
- the mechanized food-process line comprises at least one other food-process line machine providing or not coating operations, and when not then other service to the flowrate of food process pieces;
- the selected food-process line coating machine providing or being provided with:
- a primary coating operation within the selected food-process line coating machine that provides coating application of the respective coating material to the flowrate of food product pieces;
- and
- an intake conveyor for the selected food-process line coating machine comprising a weighing intake conveyor, having an upper food-product carrying run and a lower return run, and extending between an intake end for the intake of the flowrate of food product pieces from upline processes in said mechanized food-process line and a discharge end for transfer of the flowrate of the food product pieces to the primary coating operation;
- receiving an inflow of the food product pieces in one state of processing on the upper, food-product carrying run of the weighing intake conveyor;
- transferring the inflow of the food product pieces into the selected process-line coating machine whereby the food product pieces undergo the primary coating operation;
- providing a monitoring machine;
- the weighing intake conveyor providing the monitoring machine with a weight-flow flowrate value of the inflow of food product pieces in the one state of processing;
- whereby the plurality of food-process line machines including the selected food-process line coating machine are separate machines which can be moved apart and reassembled with other machines at a later date for forming a mechanized food-process line of a different assemblage of machines.
11 more elements
A method in a mechanized food-process line for monitoring weight flowrate of food product pieces in or out of a selected food-process line coating machine;
- said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a mechanized food-process line comprising a plurality of food-process line machines arranged in a series from an upline end to a downline end that move the flowrate of the food product pieces by conveyance therealong, wherein:
- either the selected food-process line coating machine provides coating application operations for application of dry coating material to the flowrate of food product pieces,
- or the selected food-process line coating machine provides coating application operations for application of wet coating material to the flowrate of food product pieces, and wherein:
- the mechanized food-process line comprises at least one other food-process line machine providing or not coating operations, and when not then other service to the flowrate of food process pieces;
- the selected food-process line coating machine providing or being provided with:
- a primary coating operation within the selected food-process line coating machine that provides coating application of the respective coating material to the flowrate of food product pieces;
- and
- an outflow conveyor for the selected food-process line coating machine comprising weighing outflow conveyor having an upper food-product carrying run and a lower return run, and extending between a receiving end for receipt of the flowrate of the food product pieces from the primary coating operation within said selected food-process line coating machine and a discharge end for discharge of the flowrate of the food product pieces to a downline process in said mechanized food-process line;
- receiving an inflow of the food product pieces in one state of processing into the selected food-process line coating machine whereby the food product pieces undergo the primary coating operation;
- providing a monitoring machine;
- the weighing outflow conveyor providing the monitoring machine with a weightflow flowrate value of the outflow of food product pieces from the selected food-process line coating machine;
- whereby the plurality of food-process line machines including the selected food-process line coating machine are separate machines which can be moved apart and reassembled with other machines at a later date for forming a mechanized food-process line of a different assemblage of machines.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.