Rotary apparatus for transfer of food material slices

A machine for cooling and transferring successive slices of a precooked food material from a material supply member to a predesignated deposit location onto a product support member, comprising, in combination:

• a material supply member having means for supplying individual precooked food slices in succession to means for transferring the individual slices in succession from the material supply member and placing said individual food slices onto the product support member, said product support member having means for receiving said succession of said individual food slices,
• the transferring and placement means including a plurality of elongated, cylindrical rollers operatively associated with each other and further operatively associated with said slice supply means, each of said rollers having an outer surface adapted to receive an individual food slice thereon, the outer surface having a plurality of apertures therein, each of said rollers further including a stationary member disposed interior of said roller, said stationary member including pneumatic means associated therewith for supplying negative air pressure to said roller outer surface apertures to apply a substantially normal adhesion force to said individual food slices to selectively adhere said individual food slices to designated portions of said rollers, two of said rollers being operatively connected by band means encircling said two rollers, said negative air pressure cooling said roller outer surfaces to thereby cool said individual food material slices when said individual food material slices contact said rollers.

An apparatus for transferring successive slices of a food material from a first material support member to a second material support member, comprising:

• a plurality of rotating means, said plurality including a pair of primary rotating means, a first of said primary rotating means being disposed proximate to the first material support member, a second of said primary rotating means being disposed proximate to the second material support member, said plurality further including a pair of secondary rotating means, said secondary rotating means being spaced apart a preselected distance and being operatively interconnected by band means, each of said primary and secondary rotating means including a rotating, hollow drum having an outer, food material transfer surface with at least one discrete food material slice receiving portion disposed thereon which is adapted to receive successive food material slices, the rotating drum being rotatably mounted on a stationary inner drum, the inner drum having means for pneumatically applying negative air pressure to said rotating drum outer surface and said food material slice receiving portions, said pneumatic means including plenum means disposed interiorly of said inner stationary drum, said inner stationary drum further including a recess extending circumferentially over a portion thereof, the recess having at least one opening therein defining a passage between said plenum means and said food material slice receiving portions, to thereby adhere successive food material slices to the outer surfaces of said rotating drums and to thereby transfer material slices off of said first support member and onto said second support member.