Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC

Nestec S.a.

Kraft Foods Global Brands LLC

David Hess

Mark Ervin Malenke

Tod Wesley Heleniak

Brian Wayne Tomac

Scott A Adler

Brian Adamski

Charles Robert Sample

Mark E Malenke

Tod W Heleniak

Mark Malenke

Tod Heleniak

A method and apparatus are provided for the volumetric metering and depositing of a food product comprising a plurality of particles or flowable particles. The plurality of food particles are transported upon a discharge conveyor having a first rate of speed, the plurality of particles arranged uniformly from passing beneath a product leveling device. When the plurality of particles reach the end of the discharge conveyor, the particles fall from the end of the conveyor under the operation of gravity and are deposited in a shuttle while the shuttle travels at a second rate of speed from a position at least partially below the conveyor to collect the falling particles in cells or receiving receptacles. The relationship between the first rate of speed of the conveyor and the second rate of speed of the shuttle define a metered amount of particles collected in each of the receiving receptacles.

Method and apparatus for volumetric metering and depositing

A conveyor system for assembling and stacking sliced food products is provided. The conveyor system includes an assembly area, wherein groups of a predetermined quantity of sliced food products travel from a slicer on a conveyor and are deposited on discrete carrier sheets on a downstream conveyor. The assembly area is configured to delay advancement of the carrier sheets on the downstream conveyor until a group of the predetermined quantity is formed. The slicer is configured to calculate the number of slices in each group and determine whether a group is complete. A stacking area of the conveyor system includes a nose conveyor that extends and retracts to deposit each carrier sheet onto a pair of initial supports. The initial supports reciprocate away from each other in opposing directions to drop the carrier sheet onto a subsequent level, with the initial supports reciprocating each time a carrier sheet is deposited thereon.

Food product conveyor and handling systems

A system and method are provided for handling food products whereby stacked food products can be mechanically singulated or singulated product not on pitch can be dispensed individually at a regular pitch onto transport system carrying the food products to a subsequent process unit or units in an automated and essentially labor-free manner. The automated handling system may be used advantageously on stacks of pizza crusts, among other food product types.

Automated system for handling food products

Growing community of inventors

Green Bay, WI, United States of America

David Hess