Centering device for feeding articles to a food slicer
AssigneesGenevieve I. Hanscom, Genevieve I. Hanscom, Robert M. Magnuson, Lois J. Thomson, Trustees of the Estate of Roy M. Magnus
InventorLynn D. Crawford
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A feed apparatus for conveying articles to a rotary cutter for cutting the articles lengthwise into segments. To obtain nearly equal sized segments while cutting randomly sized articles, the feed apparatus receives the articles one at a time between feed belts spaced radially about the cutter center line. These belts are supported to move radially outward in unison to accommodate each article thereby aligning the articles with the cutter center line prior to cutting.
Claims6
A feed apparatus for use with a slicer having a plurality of power rotated blade assemblies mounted to converge on a common center line and segment articles fed along the center line at the infeed side of said blade assemblies, comprising in combination:
- a plurality of feed belts held on spaced pulleys;
- support means for each of said pulleys mounting each belt with an inward portion extending adjacent said center line at the infeed side of the blade assemblies and the remainder of each said belt extending radially outward therefrom;
- a linkage assembly connecting said support means for moving each support means in unison substantially in a radially extending plane passing through said center line;
- bias means for biasing said support means towards the center line;
- and
- drive means including a flexible drive shaft connecting a power rotated blade assembly with a feed belt for rotating each belt about the supporting spaced pulleys in a direction to carry articles contacting the inward belt portion towards the blade assemblies whereby the articles will be held between the belts and the belt support means will be moved radially outward by contact with the article to center the article on the center line of the blade assemblies
A feed apparatus for use with a slicer having a plurality of power rotated blade assemblies mounted to converge on a common center line and segment articles fed along the center line at the infeed side of said blade assemblies, comprising in combination:
- a plurality of feed belts held on spaced pulleys;
- support means for each of said pulleys mounting each belt with some belts having an inward portion having a part thereof extending adjacent and parallel to said center line at the infeed side of the blade assemblies and a part thereof extending along a line forming an acute angle with said center line and the remainder of each said belt extending radially outward therefrom;
- a linkage assembly connecting said support means for moving each support means in unison substantially in a radially extending plane passing through said center line;
- bias means for biasing said support means towards the center line;
- and
- drive means for rotating each belt about the supporting spaced pulleys in a direction to carry articles contacting the inward belt portion towards the blade assemblies whereby the articles will be held between the belts and the belt support means will be moved radially outward by contact with the article to center the article on the center line of the blade assemblies.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.