Solbern Inc.

Gilbert M Foulon, Jr

Thomas G Berger

Moysey Shtilerman

John C Walz

An improved platform for use with a conveyor system used in the automated formation of folded food products such as burritos, taquitos and the like. The platform includes a substantially planar base and an articulated flap having pivotally connected upper and lower members. The articulated flap rotates with respect to the base to fold the shell of the food product once. The upper member of the articulated flap rotates with respect to the lower member to create a pinch-like subsequent fold in the previously folded shell, which secures the filling within the initial enclosure. The platform may also include additional, rigid flaps for making additional folds after the upper member makes the pinch-like fold. Once the final fold is made, the partially-folded food product may be securely transferred to the mechanism for finalizing the folding and production thereof.

Platform for conveyor system

The apparatus of the present invention includes an indexing feeder for feeding the elongated food articles, a first slicing station and a second slicing station disposed along the indexing feeder for slicing the food articles into slabs, and a container conveyor system for delivering containers to receive the slabs. The articles are placed individually into winged troughs ('flights') carried by the indexing feeder and the feeder is advanced by two flight spacings in each slicing cycle. The second slicing station is displaced from the first slicing station by an odd number of flights. Each slicing station further includes an indexing turret with a number of self-centering chucks disposed around the periphery of the turret. The turret is rotated in such a way so as to allow a food article to be inserted into each chuck as the chuck rotates past the indexing feeder. Each slicing station also includes a slicing head, a slicing ram for thrusting the food article through the slicing head after the chuck is rotated into alignment with the slicing head at the slicing position. In addition, a splitter wedge extends from the slicing head of the first slicing station. Such splitter wedge is V-shaped at the end distal to the slicing head and tapering to a knife edge proximal to the slicing head at the center line of the slicing head, whereby slabs emerging from the first slicing station are separated into two portions as they are inserted into the container. The angle at which the container is held and the velocity of insertion are selected such that the slices come to rest lying against opposite sides of the container, exposing the cucumber 'meat' to consumer view. At the second slicing station, the slices remain together and are inserted between the two portions in order to fill the containers.

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Wanaque, NJ, United States of America

Gilbert M Foulon, Jr