Dec International, Inc.

Townsend Engineering Company

Daniel J Cody

Wendell J Holl

David S Hamblin

Steven P Hergott

Brent M Veldkamp

Michael S Simpson

David C Nordby

Claude L McFarlane

George R Millard, Jr

An apparatus for producing and processing a strand of sausage or foodstuff has a sausage producing machine which produces a linked strand of sausage for deposit of loops of the strand on the hooks of a continuous conveyor. The conveyor picks up the loops of the strand at a loading station immediately adjacent the discharge end of the machine, and conveys the loops to a processing station for smoking or the like. The conveyor then moves the loops to an unloading station for removal of the strand from the conveyor, whereupon the conveyor downstream of the unloading station returns to the loading station to pick up additional product. A conveyor take-up mechanism is located immediately downstream from the loading station to permit the conveyor to cease movement at the loading station (while the casing on the machine is being replenished) while the conveyor can continue movement in the processing area. Sensors and controls interconnect the machine and the conveyor to coordinate the operational functions of each. A method of producing and processing a strand of sausage or foodstuff involves producing a linked strand of material, depositing linked loops thereof on the hooks of a moving conveyor, controlling the coordinated activity of the production of the product with the movement of the conveyor; moving the product to and through a processing station, and thence to an unloading station, while periodically stopping the movement of the conveyor and the operation of the machine while continuing the movement of the conveyor through the processing area.

Method and means making and conveying an extruded sausage strand

A conveyor for moving the strand from a sausage making machine has J-hooks extending downwardly from a continuous chain conveyor. The conveyor picks up the loops of the strand at a loading station immediately adjacent the discharge end of the machine, and conveys the loops to a processing station for smoking or the like. The conveyor then moves the loops to an unloading station for removal of the strand from the conveyor, whereupon the conveyor downstream of the unloading station returns to the loading station to pick up additional product. A conveyor take-up mechanism is located immediately downstream from the loading station to permit the conveyor to cease movement at the loading station (while the casing on the machine is being replenished) while the conveyor can continue movement in the processing area. Sensors and controls interconnect the machine and the conveyor to coordinate the operational functions of each. A method of producing and processing a strand of sausage or foodstuff involves producing a linked strand of material, depositing linked loops thereof on the hooks of a moving conveyor, controlling the coordinated activity of the production of the product with the movement of the conveyor; moving the product to and through a processing station, and thence to an unloading station, while periodically stopping the movement of the conveyor and the operation of the machine while continuing the movement of the conveyor through the processing area.

Method and means for conveying and processing an extruded sausage strand

Method and means for making and conveying an extruded sausage strand

A food product mold includes a movable wall within the cavity of the mold for altering the shape or volume of the cavity. An operating mechanism interconnected with the movable wall moves the wall to various positions within the cavity. The operating mechanism includes at least one shaft rotatably mounted to and extending through the mold, a cam member mounted to the shaft and engageable with the wall, and a shaft rotating mechanism for selectively imparting rotation to the shaft to selectively engage the cam member with the wall for moving the wall within the cavity to vary the volume of the cavity. Various mold inserts may also be added to the mold cavity for varying the size and shape of the processed food products.

Adjustable mold for a molded food processing system

A meat product pasteurizer (20) includes a first conveyor (21) transporting an already-cooked and packaged meat product (22) to a loading station (24), a pasteurizing processing chamber (26) including a fluid media heating zone (28), a void zone (30), and a fluid media chilling zone (32), a second conveyor (60) transporting the meat product (22) from the loading station (24) through the heating zone (28), then through the void zone (30), then through the chilling zone (32) to an unloading station (62), a third conveyor (64) transporting the meat product (22) from the unloading station (62) to a blow-off station (66) for removing surface fluid from the packaged meat product (22). The second conveyor (60) has a plurality of flights (68) formed by paddles (70) defining variable width pockets (76) receiving the food product, the pockets (76) having a first width (78) during the conveyor run between the loading (24) and unloading (62) stations, the pockets (76) having second wider widths (80) at the loading and unloading stations. The paddles (70) have various orientations, allowing processing of differing size food products. The blow-off station (66) has a plurality of parallel longitudinally extending belts (200) transporting the food product (22) along a longitudinal run (201) and having a continuous longitudinal extension along such run without lateral cross-belts. Recirculation of blow-off air, and reclamation of fluid, is provided.

Pasteurizer

A food processing system (20) includes a plurality of openable and closeable food product molds (32, 34) carried by a continuous serpentine conveyor (24) through a processing chamber (22) from a loading station (28) to an unloading station (30) and then returned by the conveyor from the unloading station to the loading station. An automatic mold opener (62) opens the mold at the unloading station. An automatic mold closer (64) closes the mold at the loading station, eliminating mold handling and storage by operating personnel.

Molded food processing system

A food processing system (100) includes a food processing chamber (102) for processing a food product, a serpentine conveyor (104) having a plurality of parallel flights connected at their ends by U-shaped bends, and a recirculation system for supplying a processing medium to the chamber and recirculating the processing medium along a closed-loop unidirectional recirculation path having a supply path portion (106) along and parallel to a first set of flights (108), and a return path portion (110) along and parallel to a second set of flights (112). A blower (114) has a high pressure supply side (116) supplying the processing medium to the supply path portion, and a low pressure return side (118) drawing the processing medium from the return path portion. The processing medium acts on the food product in both the supply and return path portions, and the food product on the flights travels both with and against the direction of flow of the processing medium during each of the supply and return path portions without reversing the direction of flow of the processing medium along the closed-loop recirculation path.

Growing community of inventors

Prairie du Sac, WI, United States of America

Daniel J Cody