Automatic combing
AssigneeOscar Mayer Foods Corporation
InventorGary A. Handel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method are provided for combing bacon bellies or similar generally compressible items in order to transform a conveyed flow of those items into a stream of those items, each of which is suspended from a comb which impales the item. The thus combed items are then suitable for transport along track means to subject the item to treatment conditions such as transporting them into smoking and flavoring environments. The apparatus and method are particularly well suited for combing pork bellies and as a component of a commercial line in which pork bellies are processed into sliced and packaged bacon products.
Claims20
An automatic combing apparatus for impaling a food item and the like with a comb member having at least one impaling tooth, the apparatus comprising:
- means for feeding at least one food item and the like from a flow of food items and the like to an impaling location at which said item is supported on at least one side thereof;
- means for providing a plurality of comb members and for indexing one of said comb members for each of said at least one item to said impaling locations said providing means orienting said comb member whereby an impaling tooth thereof is positioned for entering into the side of said item which is generally opposite to said supported one side thereof;
- means for applying a force onto said comb member whereby said positioned impaling tooth enters into and impales the item;
- and
- means for moving said thus impaled item away from said impaling location, whereby said impaled item and the comb impaling same are removed from said impaling location and said impaled item is suspended by said comb.
An automatic combing apparatus for impaling a stream of pork bellies with a comb member having a plurality of impaling teeth, the apparatus comprising:
- means for feeding at least one pork belly from a flow of pork bellies to an impaling location at which said belly is supported on its bottom side;
- means for providing a plurality of comb members and for indexing one of said comb members for each of said at least one pork belly to said impaling location, said providing means orienting said comb member whereby a plurality of generally parallel impaling teeth thereof are positioned for entering into a location on the top side of said pork belly;
- means for applying a force onto said comb member whereby said positioned impaling teeth enter into and impale the belly;
- and
- means for moving said thus impaled belly away from said impaling location, whereby said impaled belly and the comb impaling same are removed from said impaling location and said impaled belly is suspended by said comb.
An automatic combing process for impaling a food item and the like with a comb having at least one impaling tooth, the method comprising:
- feeding at least one food item and the like of a flow of said items to an impaling location at which said item is supported on at least one side thereof;
- providing a plurality of combs, and indexing one of said combs for each said at least one item, said indexing step presenting said comb to said impaling location and orienting the comb whereby at least one impaling tooth thereof is positioned for entry into the side of the item which is generally opposite to the side thereof which is supported at the impaling location;
- applying a force whereby the comb moves toward the item and its impaling tooth impales the item;
- and
- moving the thus impaled item away from the impaling location in order to remove the impaled item from the impaling location such that the impaled item is suspended from the comb.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.