Apparatus and methods for inserting food products into packages
AssigneeKraft Foods Global Brands LLC
InventorChristian Laplace
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods for inserting food products into packages are disclosed, and in particular apparatus and methods for inserting generally thin or planar food products from a stack of such food products into a package. A stacker assembly includes a pusher mechanism for advancing a bottommost food product or products from the stack toward an opening or edge disposed above a package so that the food product or products can fall into the package.
Claims15
An apparatus for placing at least one thin food product in a container, the apparatus comprising:
- a sleeve sized to hold a plurality of food products in a stack, the sleeve having an inlet at an upper end and an outlet at a lower end;
- a generally planar plate having an opening, the opening being unaligned with the outlet of the lower end of the sleeve, the sleeve being partially positioned over the opening such that a lowermost food product of the stack is partially positioned over the opening and partially supported by the plate;
- and
- a pusher having at least one contact surface positioned to selectively contact the lowermost food product of the stack of a plurality of food products and slide the lowermost food product along the plate and over the opening to permit the lowermost food product to drop through the opening and into a container while supporting at least a portion of the stack of food products in the sleeve.
A method of depositing one or more thin food products into a tray, the method comprising:
- providing a stack of a plurality of the food products having a bottom one of the plurality of food products partially positioned above the tray while being supported from falling into the tray;
- advancing a pusher into contact with the bottom one of the plurality of food products of the stack of food products;
- and
- advancing the bottom one of the plurality of food products toward a position above the tray whereby the bottom one of the plurality of food products falls into the tray;
- and
- supporting the remainder of the stack on the pusher during the step of advancing the bottom one of the plurality of food products toward the position.
An apparatus for placing at least one thin food product in a container, the apparatus comprising:
- a sleeve sized to hold a plurality of food products in a stack, the sleeve having an inlet at an upper end and an outlet at a lower end;
- a generally planar plate having an opening, the opening being unaligned with the outlet of the lower end of the sleeve;
- and
- a pusher having at least one contact surface positioned to selectively contact a lowermost food product of the stack of a plurality of food products and slide the lowermost food product along the plate and over the opening to permit the lowermost food product to drop through the opening and into a container while supporting at least a portion of the stack of food products in the sleeve;
- wherein the opening of the plate is positioned above a conveyor for sequentially transporting a plurality of trays to positions beneath the opening, the trays having a compartment sized to receive a plurality of food products;
- wherein a cover is provided to block debris from the food products from falling into a secondary compartment of the tray adjacent to the compartment sized to receive a plurality of food products.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.