Meat packaging
AssigneeCargill, Incorporated
InventorsAlec L. Gordon, David R. Mckenna, Derek J. Vote
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Meat products are provided to an automated bagging system in a controlled and managed manner. Packaging systems in accordance with the present invention preferably include one or more buffering systems capable controlling the flow of meat products to a bagging system. Buffering systems are positioned along a meat product packaging line to provide such flow control. Plural buffering systems may be used as arranged in one or both of in series and in parallel.
Claims20
A food processing system for packaging meat products, the processing system comprising a source of meat products, a buffering station, and a packaging station arranged along a process flow path in that order, wherein the processing system is configured so the source of meat products provides a flow of randomly spaced meat products to a first conveyor system that transports the randomly spaced meat products to the buffering station and the buffering station converts the flow of randomly spaced meat products to a regular flow of meat products having a predetermined minimum spacing and provides the regular flow of meat products having a predetermined minimum spacing to a second conveyor system that transports the regular flow of meat products having a predetermined minimum spacing to the packaging station.
A method for packaging meat products, the method comprising:
- providing a flow of randomly spaced meat products as conveyed along a process flow path;
- at a first processing station positioned along the process flow path, identifying meat products having a common characteristic and directing the meat products having a common characteristic to a second processing station positioned downstream from the first processing station along the process flow path as a flow of randomly spaced meat products having a common characteristic;
- at the second processing station, converting the flow of randomly spaced meat products having a common characteristic to a regular flow of meat products having a predetermined minimum spacing and having a common characteristic;
- and
- at a third processing station positioned downstream from the second processing station along the process flow path, packaging the meat products.
A method for packaging meat products, the method comprising:
- providing a flow of randomly spaced meat products as conveyed along a process flow path;
- at a first processing station comprising a first uniform spacing device positioned along the process flow path, passing the flow of randomly spaced meat products through the uniform spacing device;
- at a second processing station comprising a second uniform spacing device positioned downstream from the first processing station along the process flow path, accumulating at least a portion of the flow of randomly spaced meat products at the second uniform spacing device;
- providing the accumulated meat products as a flow of meat products having a predetermined minimum spacing along the process flow path;
- and
- at a third processing station positioned downstream from the second processing station along the process flow path, packaging the meat products.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.