Back to results
US 5,051,268 AGranted
Method and apparatus for transferring food material strips onto a support web
AssigneeOscar Mayer Foods Corporation
InventorTimothy G. Mally
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for transferring individual strips of material which are sliced from a material supply to a support web includes two counterrotating rollers. The first roller is disposed proximate to a slicing station and material supply while the second roller is disposed proximate to the first roller. Both of the first and second rollers have hollow inner cores which are encircled by rotatable outer shells. A vacuum is drawn in the inner cores of the first and second rollers which causes individual material strips to adhere to the outer shell of the first roller and the support web to the outer shell of the second roller. Bands which encircle the first roller urge the material strips off onto the support web.
Claims50
An apparatus for transferring strips of material severed from a food material supply to a support web, comprising:
- first rotating means disposed proximate to the material supply, the first rotating means having an outer surface with at least one discrete material strip receiving portion thereon adapted to receive successive material strips severed from the material supply, said first rotating means having first pneumatic means for applying negative air pressure to said at least one discrete material strip receiving portion, second rotating means operatively associated with said first rotating means, the second rotating means being adapted to receive a continuous support web on an outer surface thereof, said second rotating means further being adapted to convey the continuous support web to a location proximate to said first rotating means, said second rotating means rotating in synchronization with said first rotating means, said second rotating means including second pneumatic means for applying negative air pressure to a portion of the second rotating means outer surface to draw said continuous support web over said second rotating means outer surface, said first rotating means further including means for urging successive material strips off of said first rotating means outer surface and onto said continuous support web.
A machine for slicing strips of food material and transferring the strips of material onto a support web into a format suitable for packaging comprising, in combination:
- means for supplying a supply unit of a food material to a slicing station, the slicing station including means for slicing individual strips from the food material supply unit,
- means for transferring the individual strips from the slicing station and placing said individual strips onto a support web,
- means for severing a predetermined length of the support web after said individual strips have been placed thereon,
- means for assembling successive lengths of said support web into a form suitable for packaging,
- the transferring and placement means including two elongated cylindrical rollers operatively associated with each other and operatively associated with said slicing station, the first roller having a discrete portion defined on an outer surface thereof and adapted to receive an individual material strip after the slicing thereof from said food material supply unit,
- said first roller having first pneumatic means for adhering said individual material strip to said first roller discrete portion, said first roller also having means for urging said individual material strip off of said first roller discrete portion and onto said support web,
- the second roller being disposed proximate to said first roller, said second roller including means for engaging said support web and second pneumatic means for drawing said support web over an outer surface of said second roller.
4 more elements
In an apparatus for transferring successive material strips cut from a food material supply to a substrate web, the improvement comprising:
- first rotating means, second rotating means, the first rotating means having a generally cylindrical outer surface, the first rotating means having first pneumatic means for engaging a material strip and holding the material strip on the first rotating means outer surface, the second rotating means having a generally cylindrical outer surface and having second pneumatic means for holding a continuous substrate web to the second rotating means outer surface, the first rotating means further including means for urging said material strip off of said first rotating means outer surface and onto said continuous substrate web.
An apparatus for receiving slices of a meat product and applying it onto an elongated substrate, comprising:
- a first roller having an elongated, generally cylindrical outer surface with a plurality of discrete meat slice receiving surfaces thereon, the first roller having first means for pneumatically adhering individual, successive meat product slices to the first roller outer surface, said first roller further having belt means for engaging individual, successive meat slices adhered to said first roller outer surface and urging said individual, successive meat slices off of said first roller outer surface and applying said individual, successive meat slices onto an elongated substrate conveyed to an application location proximate and adjacent said first roller by a second roller having an elongated, generally cylindrical outer surface with a plurality of air apertures therein, the second roller having second means for pneumatically adhering said elongated substrate to the outer surface thereof.
A machine for transferring material strips sliced from a food material supply to a support web to form a support web-material strip assembly and forming the support web-material strip assembly into a format suitable for packaging, comprising, in combination:
- means for supplying a supply unit of a food material to a slicing station,
- a slicing station including means for slicing successive individual strips from the food material supply unit,
- means for transferring the successive individual material strips from the slicing station and placing the individual material strips onto a length of support web, the transfer and placement means including two elongated rollers operatively associated with each other, the first roller having at least one discrete portion defined on an outer surface thereof and adapted to receive an individual material strip thereon after slicing from said material supply unit, said first roller having first pneumatic means for adhering the individual material strip to said first roller at least one discrete portion, the second roller being disposed proximate to said first roller, said second roller having second pneumatic means for adhering a support web over an outer surface of said second roller, said first roller also including means for urging said individual successive material strips off of said first roller at least one discrete portion and onto the support web in a predetermined spacing and in alignment with a potential line of folding associated therewith,
- means for supplying a length of said support web to said second roller, and
- means for folding said support web along each of the support web potential lines of folding such that said support web is folded between successive individual material strips.
2 more elements
A method of transferring material strips from a food material supply to a substrate web, comprising the steps of:
- feeding a supply of a food material to a material cutting location;
- providing a first roller adjacent to the material cutting location, the first roller having a food material strip engaging portion;
- providing a second roller adjacent to said first roller;
- feeding a substrate web over the second roller and drawing a vacuum at one area of said second roller to adhere the substrate web to a portion of said second roller;
- engaging a food material strip with the first roller after the food material strip is cut from the food material supply by drawing a vacuum at said first roller material strip engaging portion;
- rotating said first roller to transfer said food material strip from said food material supply to a material transfer location, and rotating the second roller to advance said substrate web to the material transfer location;
- and
- urging said food material strip off of said first roller and onto said substrate web of said second roller.
5 more elements
A method of transferring strips of food material, comprising:
- the steps of rotating a first roller so that the first roller engages, on an outer surface thereof, an individual food material strip by way of applying a vacuum through said first roller to the individual food material strip, passing a substrate web over a second roller to a location proximate to said first roller, adhering the substrate web to an outer surface of said second roller by applying a vacuum through said second roller to said substrate web, rotating the first roller so that said individual food material strip is closely adjacent said second roller substrate web and urging said individual food material strip off of said first roller and onto said substrate web by applying positive air pressure through said first roller to said individual food material strip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.