Aligned food processing system
AssigneeAlkar-RapidPak, Inc.
InventorsNoel R. Johnson, David Norby, Wendell J. Holl, Andi Mikelsons, David Lukens, Nicholas Cable, Anthony Renger, Robert E. Hanson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A food processing system for an elongated strand of food product, such as hot dogs or sausage links, provides aligned orientation of conveyor hooks and identical arrival time spacing between adjacent hooks at a reference loading point at a strand producing machine discharge station.
Claims12
A system for processing an elongated strand of food product in a casing having tubular segments serially joined by pinched connection segments, comprising a conveyor comprising a chain traversing in a horizontal plane around a sprocket at a strand loading station adjacent a discharge station of a strand producing machine, said sprocket rotating about a vertical axis, said chain comprising a plurality of groups of chain pins, each group having a lead pin, a middle pin, and a trailing pin, a plurality of links connecting adjacent pins, a plurality of studs each connected to a respective said middle pin, each stud having a bore therethrough defining a pivot axis parallel to the direction of chain travel, a plurality of hooks each having a normally vertical shank with an upper end extending laterally horizontally into a respective said bore of a respective said stud in pivotal relation, and having a lower distal hook end, a cam at said loading station camming said hooks upwardly to an upwardly cammed position receiving said strand at a reference loading point at said loading station, said first, second and third chain pins of each group lying in a straight rectilinear line at said loading station.
A system for processing an elongated strand of food product in a casing having tubular segments serially joined by pinched connection segments, comprising a conveyor comprising a chain traversing in a horizontal plane around a sprocket at a strand loading station adjacent a discharge station of a strand producing machine, said sprocket rotating about a vertical axis, said chain comprising a plurality of chain pins connected by respective links, some of said chain pins having respective studs connected thereto, each stud having a bore therethrough defining a pivot axis parallel to the direction of chain travel, a plurality of hooks each having a normally vertical shank with an upper end extending laterally horizontally into a respective said bore of a respective said stud in pivotal relation, and having a lower distal hook end, a cam at said loading station camming said hooks upwardly to an upwardly cammed position receiving said strand at a reference loading point at said loading station, said sprocket having a plurality of teeth separated by roots and engaging said chain pins, the roots at the chain pins having a stud being of deeper radial depth than the remaining roots.
A system for processing an elongated strand of food product in a casing having tubular segments serially joined by pinched connection segments, comprising a conveyor comprising a chain traversing in a horizontal plane around a sprocket at a strand loading station adjacent a discharge station of a strand producing machine, said sprocket rotating about a vertical axis, said chain comprising a plurality of chain pins connected by respective links, a plurality of studs connected to selected chain pins, each stud having a bore therethrough defining a pivot axis parallel to the direction of chain travel, a plurality of hooks each having a normally vertical shank with an upper end extending laterally horizontally into a respective said bore of a respective said stud in pivotal relation, and having a lower distal hook end, a cam at said loading station camming said hooks upwardly to an upwardly cammed position receiving said strand at a reference loading point at said loading station, a plurality of hook orientation mechanisms orienting said hooks in identical orientation at said reference loading point and presenting said hooks at said reference loading point at identical arrival time spacings between adjacent hooks for a given constant rotation speed of said sprocket, such that a respective said pinched connection segment aligns with a respective said hook without varying the speed of said conveyor nor the discharge rate of said strand producing machine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.