US 5,271,304 AGranted

Automatic food slicing machine

AssigneeCarruthers Equipment Co.

InventorsGary L. Wygal, Peter D. Johnson

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Abstract

A conveying system for an automatic food slicing machine is disclosed. The conveying system has a floating upper conveyor positioned above a lower conveyor. The conveyors cooperatively feed the food item to be sliced an incremental length into the slicing knives during the feed cycle and retain the remainder of the food item during the cut-off cycle. An indexing mechanism, adjustable to provide different feed length increments and timed to the rotational cycle of the cut-off knife, drives the conveyors. The indexing mechanism only drives the conveyors during the feed cycle and the conveyors remain static during the cut-off cycle. The food item to be sliced is captively held between the upper and lower conveyors during both the feed cycle and the cut-off cycle. Small diameter rollers at the exit end of the conveyors are utilized and are positioned in close proximity to the travel path of the cut-off knife providing retentive capability throughout the feed length range.

Claims4

Dependent claims

An automatic slicing machine for slicing fillets of food material into cubes comprising;

a plurality of rotatable circular knives having peripheral cutting edges and arranged in parallel spaced relation, a conveyor system for feeding fillets of food material along a feed path substantially radially directed into said circular knives for slicing the fillets into lengthwise strips of pre-determined width, a cut off knife that repetitively cycles through said feed path adjacent to said peripheral cutting edges of said circular knives, said cut off knife thereby defining a cutting plane, said cut off knife cutting the lengthwise strips into cubes of food material of pre-determined length;
said conveyor system comprising:
a bottom endless belt for receiving and conveying food material fillets along said feed path, and an upper endless belt positioned in spaced relation over said bottom belt, said upper belt being adjustable in its relative spacing over said bottom belt and directed along said feed path, and said upper and lower belts of appropriate material and configuration to cooperatively grip fillets of food material being conveyed by said bottom endless belt, each of said endless belts directed along said feed path to a forward-most position adjacent said cutting plane, a first reversing guide member at said forward-most position to reverse the travel of the belt away from said feed path in a rearward direction to a rearward-most position, and a second reversing guide member at said rearward-most position to redirect the belt in a forward direction along the feed path;
said first reversing guide member of each of said upper and lower belts including a first guide element that guides the belt substantially in a straight path to a point of adjacency with said cutting plane and there defines a curvature for redirecting the belt, which curvature is the smallest radius that the belt can accommodate over about a 90 degree angle of curvature, said radius being no greater than about one-half inch, said first guide element directing the belt along a substantially vertically directed path to a second guide element, said second guide element of the upper belt positioned above and behind said first guide element and said second guide element of said lower belt positioned below and rearwardly of said first guide element, said second guide element of each of said upper and lower belts completing the reversal of said belt direction to be thereafter rearwardly directed toward said second reversing guide member;
and
said first guide element of each of said upper and lower belts defining a path of curvature of the belt having a radius that is no greater than said pre-determined length of said cubes.

3 more elements

In a food processing apparatus adapted for moving food product along a conveyance path into a slicing station executing parallel longitudinal cuts along a first dimension parallel to the conveyance path and consecutive transverse cuts along a second dimension transverse to the conveyance path to form substantially cube shaped processed food product of determined lengths, the slicing station including an entry defined by a plane transverse to the conveyance path, the slicing station being positioned on a first side of said plane with a transverse cutting blade executing said transverse cuts and positioned immediately adjacent said plane, the path of conveyance beginning on the opposite side of said plane and passing through the plane, a conveyor being positioned on the opposite side of said plane for moving said food product into said plane, and longitudinal cutting blades having substantially vertical cutting edges proximate to the transverse cutting blade on a side opposite said plane, the conveyor comprising:

a lower belt assembly having a leading lower curved guide surface adjacent said plane and additional lower guide rollers and drive means for directing an endless lower belt about said leading curved guide surface and said additional lower guide rollers;
an upper belt assembly having a leading upper curved guide surface adjacent said plane and additional upper guide rollers and drive means for directing an endless upper belt about said leading curved guide surface and said additional upper guide rollers;
and
incremental drive means for moving food product captured between said upper and lower belts in coordination with execution of transverse cuts by the slicing station to provide said consecutive transverse cuts, said incremental drive means adapted to provide a given separation between consecutive transverse cuts,
said upper and lower belts of appropriate material and configuration and including planar food product engaging portions in face-to-face relation and positionable in spaced relation therebetween for capturing said food product and moving the food product incrementally along the conveyance path toward the plane in response to said incremental drive means, said longitudinal cutting blades being circular slicing blades rotated on an axis of rotation, said cutting edge provided on the curved peripheral edge of the blade, said conveyance path directing said food product substantially horizontally and radially into the circular blades, said leading lower curved guide surface and said leading upper curved guide surface defining a curvature for redirecting the respective lower and upper belts, said curvature being the smallest curvature that the belt can accommodate over about a 90 degree angle of curvature, said smallest radius being no greater than about one-half inch whereby food product can be gripped by said upper and lower belts within about one-half inch of the transverse cutting blade.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/876,123Filed 29 Apr 1992 · continuation
Priority: 3 Jul 1990
Granted: 21 Dec 1993
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification18 codes

B26D 3/22
To obtain cubes or the like: using rotating knives
B26D 5/22
With interrelated action between the cutting member and work feed: having the cutting member and work feed mechanically connected
B26D 7/01
Details of apparatus for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting: means for holding or…
B26D 7/02
Means for holding or positioning work: with clamping means