Automated food processing equipment

A food processing machine for folding rolled sandwich-type food products comprising a plurality of laterally spaced conveyor bands to carry a relatively thin flat wrapper of a food product along a generally horizontal path through a plurality of fold operations, a first folding mechanism disposed over said conveyor bands and a second folding mechanism;

• said first folding mechanism comprising:
• leg members mounted on either side of said plurality of conveyor bands;
• a cross-member secured between said leg members to form a "U" shaped bracket;
• means rotatably supporting said leg members for arcuate rotation of said bracket above said conveyor bands about an axis lying generally perpendicular to the direction of movement of said conveyor bands from a first position to a second position;
• and a plurality of tine members extending from the cross-member of said braket between said conveyor bands and then beneath said bands in a direction generally opposite to that of the movement of said bands when said bracket is in said first position and extending above said bracket and bands and then in a direction generally the same as the movement of said bands when said bracket is in said second position, whereby the forward part of a flat food product carried by said conveyor bands past said fold mechanism is folded in a transverse fold back over the following part of said food product by said tine members with movement of said bracket from said first position to said second position;
• said second folding mechanism comprising means along said horizontal path to change the tangent line between at least the two outermost adjacent bands of said plurality of bands from an essentially horizontal orientation to a near vertical orientation as said bands progress in their movement along said path whereby at least one outer portion of said food product is lifted and urged into a longitudinal flap fold across a mid-section of said food product as it progresses down said horizontal path.