US 6,713,111 B1 · Method of producing food patties using multiple row molding apparatus

Abstract

A method of operating a multiple row molding apparatus provides greatly increased production of food patty machines. The method comprises the steps of providing a mold plate having front and back cavities in longitudinal and transverse alignment. When the mold plate is at a retracted position, multiple fill slots enable flow of the food product from a manifold simultaneously to all the cavities. At an extended position, all the patties are ejected simultaneously by a knockout mechanism. The fill slots may be either one long fill slot, or multiple short fill slots in communication with respective cavities. In a modified method, food product flows through a single fill slot and communicates only with the front cavities when the mold plate is in its retracted position. As the mold plate advances toward its extended position, the row of back cavities passes over the fill slot and enables the food product to flow into the back cavities.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method of making food patties comprising the steps of:

a. reciprocating a mold plate in a return stroke to a retracted position;
b. flowing a first quantity of a food product from a manifold into only a row of front cavities in the mold plate when the mold plate is at the retracted position thereof;
c. advancing the mold plate in a forward stroke to an extended position;
d. flowing a second quantity of the food product from the manifold into a row of back cavities in the mold plate during the forward stroke;
and
e. simultaneously ejecting the food product from all the cavities simultaneously when the mold plate is at the extended position thereof.

3 more elements

A method of producing food patties comprising the steps of:

a. providing a mold plate that defines a plurality of rows of transversely spaced and longitudinally aligned cavities each having a trailing edge and a leading edge;
b. providing a fill plate having a number of rows of transversely aligned fill slots equal to the number of the rows of mold plate cavities;
c. reciprocating the mold plate in a return stroke to a fill position;
d. aligning the rows of mold plate cavities with the respective rows of fill plate fill slots;
e. flowing a food product out of a manifold in a first direction;
f. flowing the food product in the first direction simultaneously through the fill slots;
g. flowing the food product in the first direction simultaneously into the respective rows of mold plate cavities;
h. advancing the mold plate in a forward stroke to an extended position;
and
i. simultaneously ejecting food product patties from all the mold plate cavities.

7 more elements

A method of producing food patties comprising the steps of:

a. providing a mold plate that defines multiple rows of transversely and longitudinally aligned cavities including a row of front cavities and a row of back cavities, each cavity have a leading edge and a trailing edge;
b. reciprocating the mold plate to a retracted position;
c. flowing food product into the row of mold plate front cavities at locations closer to the respective trailing edges than to the respective leading edges thereof, and simultaneously flowing food product into the row of mold plate back cavities at locations closer to the respective leading edges than to the tespective trailing edges thereof;
d. reciprocating the mold plate to an extended position;
and
e. simultaneously ejecting food product patties from all the mold plate cavities.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of producing food patties using multiple row molding apparatus

Life of this patent

Method of producing food patties using multiple row molding apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15