# US 6,152,004 A · Apparatus for forming stacks > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 6,152,004 A - Document ID: US6152004A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 09/052,712 - Filed: 1998-03-31 - Granted: 2000-11-28 - Earliest claimed: 1997-04-03 - Assignees: Bioforce Anstalt - Inventors: Thomas Nispel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6152004A ## CPC - B26D 7/32: for conveying or stacking cut product (means for removing cut-out material or waste B26D7/18) - Y10S 83/932: Edible - Y10T 83/205: By timed relocation of holder along path of stack gscheme-change-itemth - Y10T 83/2192: Endless conveyor - Y10T 83/2198: Tiltable or withdrawable support - B26D: CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING (for growing crops or plants A01D, A01G; for fodder or straw A01F; for bulk butter A01J; for dough A21C; slaughtering A22B; for tobacco, cigars or cigarettes A24; marking-out, perforating or making buttonholes A41H25/00; manufacturing footwear A43D; brushmaking A46D; surgery A61B; disintegrating, mincing or shredding in general B02C; cutting wire, making pins or nails B21F, B21G; of the kind used formetal B23; cutting by abrasive fluid jets B24C5/02; hand-held cutting tools B26B; perforating, cutting-out, stamping-out or punching, or severing by means other than cutting B26F; for wood B27; for stone B28D; working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29; making boxes, cartons, envelopes or bags, of paper or similarly worked materials, e.g. metal foil, B31B; article or web delivery apparatus incorporating cutting or line-perforating devices B65H35/00; for leather or upholstery B68, C14B; for glass C03B; making matches C06F; for peat C10F; for sugar C13B45/00; for textile materials D06H; civil engineering, building, mining, see Section E; for light guides G02B6/25; cutting processed photographic material G03D15/04) - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract An apparatus for the stack formation is described, by means of which a practically continuous individual stack formation is possible from a stream of slices produced by means of a cutting apparatus. For this purpose a partial stack is formed by means of a stack receiver, and is transferred for the further stack formation to a portioning band, so that, during the continuation of the stack formation on the portioning band, a return guidance of the stack receiver can take place into a position from which it can be shot anew into the stream of slices for the formation of a next partial stack. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for forming stacks of slices of products cut up by a cutting device in a rapid sequence, the apparatus comprising: a portioning band associated with the cutting device for conveying stacks of slices; a stack receiver disposed between the cutting device and the portioning band and positioned in a slice stream to receive initial slices from the cutting device, the stack receiver being configured to be lowered in position during the stacking of the initial slices until a preset partial stack is formed, to transfer the preset partial stack to the portioning band, and to be returned to a waiting position close to the cutting device, so that subsequent slices from the cutting device are stacked on the portioning band increasing from the preset partial stack to a preset finished stack on the portioning band, wherein the portioning band is configured to be lowered during stacking of the slices at least between a partial stack take-over position upon receiving the preset partial stack from the stack receiver and a finished stack transfer position when the preset finished stack is formed on the portioning band; and a transport band which receives finished stacks of the slices from the portioning band; wherein the stack receiver is configured to be moved out of the waiting position into the slice stream for receiving a next group of initial slices when the preset finished stack is formed on the portioning band. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the portioning band can be acceleratedly lowered for a short time to enlarge a shoot-in gap for shooting the stack receiver into the slice stream upon forming the preset finished stack on the portioning band. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the cutting device is a knife and the stack receiver is disposed at the beginning of receiving the initial slices with a knife side end in immediate vicinity of the lowest position of a cutting edge of the knife. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein a ratio of the size of the lowering stroke of the stack receiver and of the portioning band is adjustable. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the lowering stroke of the stack receiver is fixed and the lowering stroke of the portioning band is adjustable in dependence on the respectively required stack height. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein sequential stacks are formed and transferred to the transport band free of empty cuts for the cutting device.