Conveyor system for multiplying slices of product

A foodstuff packaging line comprising in order a slicing machine (1) for cutting slices off a block of foodstuff, a jump conveyor (2) to collect the slices together into a stack of shingle, a conveyor system, and a multilane vacuum packaging machine (9) to vacuum pack the stacks or shingles of foodstuff, said conveyor system comprising:

• an input conveyor (4) for conveying the one or more input steams of product, a transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52) which is movable bodily in a direction transverse to its conveying direction and which is arranged to receive products from the input conveyor (4), and a multi-lane output conveyor (6) which carries multiple side-by-side streams of product and is arranged to receive products from the transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52), characterized in that the conveyor system also includes means (10) to control the forward movement of the products in the one or more input streams of product, in which a single spaced stream of products is conveyed by the input conveyor (4) and in which the means (10) to control the forward movement of the products ensures that the products are entirely on the transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52) when the transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52) moves transversely, so that the products do not span a joint between the input conveyor (4) and the transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52) or between the transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52) and the output conveyor (6) during transverse movement of the transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52), and means (10) to control the forward movement of the products in each stream on the output conveyor (6) to enable the products to be aligned with one another across the output conveyor.

A conveyor system for multiplying one or more input streams of product into two or more output streams of product comprising:

• an input conveyor (4) for conveying the one or more input streams of product,
• a transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52) which is movable bodily in a direction transverse to its conveying direction and which is arranged to receive products from the input conveyor (4),
• a multi-lane output conveyor (6) which carries multiple side-by-side streams of product, the multi-lane output conveyor (6) being arranged to receive products from the transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52),
• means (10) to control the forward movement of the products in the one or more input streams of product, and
• means (10) to control the forward movement of the products in each stream on the output conveyor (6) to enable the products to be aligned with one another across the output conveyor,
• wherein, a single spaced stream of products is conveyed by the input conveyor (4),
• the means (10) to control the forward movement of the products ensures that the products are entirely on the transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52) when the transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52) moves transversely, so that the products do not span a joint between the input conveyor (4) and the transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52) or between the transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52) and the output conveyor (6) during transverse movement of the transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52), and
• the means (10) to control the forward movement of the products collects successive products into the groups so that the products are transferred from the input conveyor (4) to the transfer conveyor (5, 51, 52) in groups.