US 5,937,744 A · Convertible drum-type coating apparatus

Abstract

A convertible drum-type coating apparatus for applying breading material to food products includes an in-line breader section, a rotary drum section, and an outflow section. The rotary drum is mounted on an elevator for lowering and lifting between a low use position and a high non-use position. The low use position is involved with tumbling the breading material and food product together to enhance the coating by the breading material, and in a sense the tumbling gives the appearance of dusting off excess breading material. The coating apparatus is convertible in that the rotary drum can be lifted out of the way to the high non-use position to allow substitution in favor of a bypass conveyor. Bypass of the drum is desired when running "formed" food products and the like, such as patties (eg., beef) or cakes (eg., fish), which are ordinarily too delicate to tumble in the drum. The convertible drum-type coating apparatus further includes an auger-less re-circulation system for recovering excess breading material from the outflow section and returning it for re-use to the in-line breader section. Eliminating augers or "screw-conveyors" avoids clogging problems associated therewith. The convertible drum-type coating apparatus moreover includes a spreader mechanism at the drum's discharge end for spreading the discharging product in a series of courses traversing the lateral width of the outflow conveyor. This improvement eliminates four and five worker crews who to date do the same thing manually.

Claims20

Dependent claims

In combination, a convertible drum-type coating apparatus and a removable bypass conveyor for applying a coating material to a food product, comprising:

a bypass conveyor;
and,
the convertible drum-type coating apparatus, which comprises an infeed section, a rotary drum, drum-transporting means for supporting the drum and transporting the drum between a use position and a non-use position, and, stand means for supporting the infeed section and drum-transporting means;
wherein the infeed section includes a carrying conveyor extending between an intake end for receiving an inflow of product and a discharge end for discharging the product, the infeed section also including an overhead sifting means for sifting coating material down on the flow of product on the carrying conveyor;
wherein the rotary drum extends between an intake end and a discharge end and is mounted on the drum-transporting means such that in the use position, the product discharged by the infeed section's discharge end is deposited in the drum's intake end;
wherein the stand means includes installation means for installation of the bypass conveyor in the place of the drum after the drum has been transported out of the way to the non-use position, such that the installation of the bypass conveyor allows product discharged by the infeed section's discharge end to be deposited on the bypass conveyor;
and,
said combination including drive means for driving the drum and conveyors.

5 more elements

In combination, an in-line breading section and a drum-type tumbling section for applying a breading material coating to a food product, said combination comprising:

an in-line breading section;
a drum-type tumbling section;
stand means for supporting the combination in-line breading section and drum-type tumbling section;
wherein the in-line breading section includes a carrying conveyor extending between an intake end for receiving an inflow of product and a discharge end for discharging the product, the in-line breading section also including an overhead sifting means for sifting coating material down on the flow of product on the carrying conveyor;
wherein the drum-type tumbling section includes a rotary drum that extends between an intake end and a discharge end and is mounted on the stand means such that the product discharged by the in-line breading section's discharge end is deposited in the drum's intake end;
and,
said combination including drive means for driving the drum and conveyor.

4 more elements

A combination drum-type coating apparatus for applying a breading material coating to a food product, comprising:

an infeed section;
a rotary drum;
an outflow section;
and
stand means for supporting the infeed section, the drum and the outflow section;
wherein the infeed section includes an infeed conveyor extending between an intake end for receiving an inflow of product and a discharge end for discharging the product;
wherein the drum extends between an intake end and a discharge end and is mounted on the stand means such that the product discharged by the infeed conveyor's discharge end is deposited in the drum's intake end;
wherein the outflow section includes an outflow conveyor extending between an intake end and a discharge end, the outflow section being mounted on the stand means such that the product discharged by the drum's discharge end is deposited on the outflow conveyor's intake end;
said combination including drive means for driving the drum and conveyors;
and,
said combination including spreader means coupled with the drum's discharge end for spreading the discharging product in a series of courses traversing the lateral width of the outflow conveyor.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Convertible drum-type coating apparatus

Life of this patent

Convertible drum-type coating apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20