Food product handling machine
AssigneeCarruthers Equipment Co.
InventorRobert A. Zschoche
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pocket conveyor for use in food processing in which the pockets move independently from each other. Each pocket contains a portion of food which is conveyed from one processing machine to another in the course of food production. Independent movement of the pockets provides for, among other things, greater efficiencies in food production by allowing independent operation of the various processing machines along the conveyor as well as allowing the use of multiple processing machines for each of one or more processes. Further, independent movement of the pockets eliminates the maintenance issues associated with pockets which are chain-linked, such as chain and motor related failure.
Claims21
A food transfer machine for conveying food portions from a portioning machine that prepares the food portions to a container handling machine that prepares containers to receive the food portions, comprising:
- a plurality of transfer pockets and a conveyor, the conveyor adapted to convey each transfer pocket independently from another from the portioning machine to the container handling machine, the transfer machine arranged to present one or more transfer pockets to the food portioning machine to collect food portions, and the transfer machine arranged to present one or more transfer pockets containing food portions to the container handling machine for subsequent depositing of the food portions into food containers.
A food processing machine for producing food portions and depositing each food portion into a food container, comprising:
- a portioning machine for producing food portions;
- a container handling machine for positioning open-ended food containers to receive the food portion;
- and
- a transfer machine comprising a plurality of open-ended transfer pockets, the transfer machine adapted to transfer one food portion in one transfer pocket, each transfer pocket conveyed independently from another from the portioning machine to the container handling machine, the transfer machine arranged to present the filled transfer pockets to the container handling machine for subsequent depositing of the food portion into the food container, the operation of the container handling machine being independent from the operation of the portioning machine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.