US 5,628,237 AGranted

Slicing machine for two or more food loaves

AssigneeFormax, Inc.

InventorsScott A. Lindee, Glenn A. Sandberg, Wilbur A. Janssen

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Abstract

A high speed slicing machine supports first and second food loaves for movement along parallel loaf paths into a slicing station where both loaves are sliced by one cyclically driven knife blade; the slices are stacked or shingled in groups on a receiving conveyor located below the slicing station. Independent loaf feed drives are provided; slices cut from one loaf may be thicker than slices from the other. The machine combines manual and automated mechanisms to load food loaves onto the food paths. These mechanisms share a central barrier that is used only during loading; at other times the barrier is clear of the loaf paths. The automated loaf loading mechanism has a sweep to push one or more loaves onto a support defining the loaf paths. There are two grippers, one on each loaf path; each grips the end of a loaf remote from the slicing station. For each gripper, a loaf feed drive impels the gripper (and loaf) toward the slicing station and then moves the gripper back to a home position, releasing an unsliced loaf butt on the way through a door opening in the loaf support. Each loaf feed drive includes two "short" conveyors driven at the same speed as the gripper. The loaf support is pivotally movable to a cleanup position; in its normal support position the loaf support masks the grippers, the loaf feed drive, the barrier, and the sweeps, but in cleanup position it exposes them all.

Claims22

Dependent claims

An improved high speed food loaf slicing machine comprising a slicing station including a knife blade and a knife blade drive driving the knife blade along a predetermined cutting path, and loaf support means for supporting a first food loaf and a second food loaf for movement along parallel first and second loaf paths, respectively, into the slicing station for repetitive slicing of both loaves by the knife blade,

the improvement comprising:
a first loaf feed drive for advancing the first food loaf along the first loaf path at a first preselected loaf feed rate, the first loaf feed drive including two driven short feed conveyors firmly engaging opposite sides of a first food loaf on the first loaf path immediately ahead of the slicing station;
a second loaf feed drive for advancing the second food loaf along the second loaf path at a second preselected loaf feed rate, the second loaf feed drive including two driven short feed conveyors firmly engaging opposite sides of a second food loaf on the second loaf path immediately ahead of the slicing station;
an elongated barrier aligned between and parallel to the first and second loaf paths;
barrier displacement means for displacing the barrier between a first position between food loaves on the food paths and a second position clear of food loaves on the food paths;
a first gripper releasably gripping the first food loaf, on the first loaf path, at the end of the first food loaf remote from the slicing station;
first gripper drive means for driving the first gripper along the first loaf path at the first loaf feed rate;
a second gripper releasably gripping the second food loaf, on the second food path, at the end of the second food loaf remote from the slicing station;
second gripper drive means for driving the second gripper along the second loaf path at the second loaf feed rate;
means for driving each gripper to a home position at the end of its loaf path remote from the slicing station prior to the aforesaid movement of the gripper along its loaf path toward the slicing station;
and
means for varying one loaf feed rate independently of the other so that slices cut from one loaf can differ in thickness from slices cut from the other.

9 more elements

An improved high speed food loaf slicing machine comprising a slicing station including at least one knife blade and a knife blade drive driving the knife blade along a predetermined cutting path, and loaf support means for supporting a first food loaf and a second food loaf for movement along parallel first and second loaf paths, respectively, into the slicing station for repetitive slicing of both loaves,

the improvement comprising:
a first loaf feed drive for advancing the first food loaf along the first loaf path at a first preselected loaf feed rate;
a second loaf feed drive for advancing the second food loaf along the second loaf path at a second preselected loaf feed rate;
each loaf feed drive including a pair of short conveyors engaging opposite sides of a food loaf immediately ahead of the slicing station and means for biasing the pair of short conveyors toward each other;
means for varying one load feed rate independently of the other so that slices cut from one loaf can differ in thickness from slices cut from the other;
two grippers, one on each food path, each gripper releasably gripping a food loaf at the end of that food loaf remote from the slicing station;
means for driving each gripper along its loaf path at the same speed as the two short feed conveyers associated with that food path;
means for driving each gripper to a home position at the end of its loaf path remote from the slicing station prior to the aforesaid movement of the gripper along its loaf path toward the slicing station;
an elongated barrier aligned between and parallel to the first and second loaf paths;
and
barrier displacement means for displacing the barrier between a first position between food loaves on the food paths and a second position clear of food loaves on the food paths.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.