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AssigneeAlkar-RapidPak, Inc.
InventorsDavid C. Nordby, Dennis F. Conohan, Noel R. Johnson, Andi J. Mikelsons, Steve O. Schultz, Jerome P. Lehman, Seth T. Pulsfus
Estimating the term…
A food processing system includes a food processing chamber for processing a food product, such as meat products such as hot dogs, sausages, poultry, fish, and other food items. A high speed serial to parallel loading station delivery system is provided. The food product is loaded onto a conveyor in the processing chamber having a plurality of two-piece food product cradles having openings receiving the food product at the loading station and discharging the food product at the unloading station and having gaps between food product carriers distally oppositely spaced from the openings and defining food product cavities therebetween, the width of the openings varying during traversal of the conveyor through the chamber from the loading to the unloading stations.
1-9. (canceled)
Food processing apparatus comprising a food processing chamber for processing a food product, a serpentine conveyor for transporting said food product through said chamber from a loading station to an unloading station, a plurality of food product cradles on said conveyor for carrying said food product through said chamber from said loading station to said unloading station, each said cradle having an opening receiving said food product at said loading station and discharging said food product at said unloading station, said opening having a width which varies during traversal of said conveyor from said loading station to said unloading station.
Food processing apparatus comprising a food processing chamber for processing a food product, a serpentine conveyor for transporting said food product through said chamber, a plurality of food product carriers on said conveyor, each said carrier having a first segment and a second segment, a plurality of two-piece food product cradles each formed by the second segment of a leading food product carrier and the first segment of a trailing food product carrier immediately therebehind, said second segment of said leading food product carrier being separated from said first segment of said trailing food product carrier by a gap, and wherein said food product is carried by both said second segment of said leading food product carrier and said first segment of said trailing food product carrier and spans said gap during designated portions of the travel path of said conveyor.
Food processing apparatus comprising a food processing chamber for processing a food product, a serpentine conveyor for transporting said food product through said chamber, said conveyor comprising a pair of transversely spaced chains traversing around respective upper and lower sprockets in serpentine manner, a plurality of food product carriers extending transversely between said chains, each said carrier having a first segment and a second segment, a plurality of two-piece food product cradles each formed by the second segment of a leading food product carrier and the first segment of a trailing food product carrier immediately therebehind, said second segment of said leading food product carrier being separated from said first segment of said trailing food product carrier by a gap, and wherein said food product is carried by both said second segment of said leading food product carrier and said first segment of said food product carrier and spans said gap during designated portions of the travel path of said conveyor.
41-65. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.