Conagra Foods, Inc.

Other

John Michael Phillips

Sarid M Shefet

Lawrence Alan Chandler

Frank Michael Horvath, Jr

Richard Rodeheaver Hawkins

Larry Lawson Jones

Commercial production transport systems, mechanisms, and guides for food processing are configured so as to automate food transport. The system can direct food to travel serially over side-by-side predetermined travel lanes using one or more of a pick-up mechanism and/or router guide channels to pick-up and/or laterally translate the food product form the first travel lane to the second travel lane so that it travels greater than one, and typically a plurality, of revolutions about a tier or level in a vertically stacked food processing unit before moving to the next tier. Associated methods redirect and/or laterally translate food being transported in an automated food processing system.

Food transport routing systems, devices, and guides for food processing systems and related methods

Methods, systems, and associated devices for supplying support members to a product loading station, loading, and automatically removing loaded members therefrom include: (a) advancing in spaced-apart relationship, a plurality of carrier members having opposing first and second ends and an associated width and length, along a selected travel path to a loading station; (b) presenting, in serial order, the carrier members to the loading station in a substantially horizontal orientation; (c) discharging elongated product from a winder arm that moves in a selected pattern about the carrier member at the loading station; and (d) straddling elongated product over each respective carrier member at the loading station responsive to the discharging step so that portions of the elongated product are serially draped over the carrier member along a length thereof, the straddling being carried out so that certain lengths of the elongated product hang from opposing sides of the carrier member.

Automated supply, load and take-away systems and related devices and methods for lengths of elongated product

Automated loaders are configured with winding mechanisms that wind elongated products directly onto transfer members, such as sticks or rods, by causing the arm to follow a repetitive motion pattern above and below the stick or rod to discharge the elongated product in a winding motion onto the stick or rod. Methods for discharging elongated product, such as encased meats, so that they loop directly onto the stick, bar or other desired food support is also described.

Automated loaders or winders and related systems, devices and methods

Methods, systems, and associated devices for supplying support members to a product loading station and automatically removing loaded members therefrom include: (a) advancing in serial order and spaced apart relationship, a plurality of elongated support members having opposing first and second ends and an associated length, along a selected travel path; (b) loading each of the elongated support members individually with a respective continuous length of multiple loops or multiple discrete lengths of elongated product at the loading station; and (c) advancing the loaded elongated support members away from the loading station along the selected travel path. The loaders may be configured with winding mechanisms that wind elongated products directly onto elongated support members, such as bars, sticks, or rods, by causing the arm to follow a repetitive motion pattern above and below the stick or rod to discharge the elongated product in a winding motion onto the bar, stick, or rod so that they loop or drape directly onto the rod, stick, bar or other desired food support is also described.

Automated support member positioning and removing systems and related devices and methods

Methods, systems, and associated devices for supplying support members to a product loading station, loading, and automatically removing loaded members therefrom include: (a) advancing in spaced-apart relationship, a plurality of carrier members having opposing first and second ends and an associated width and length, along a selected travel path to a loading station; (b) straddling elongated product over each respective carrier member at the loading station so that portions of the elongated product are serially draped over the corner member along a length thereof, the straddling being carried out so that certain lengths of the elongated product hang from opposing sides of the carrier member; and (c) advancing the carrier members loaded with the straddled product downstream of the loading station.

Methods and devices for loading carrier members with suspended elongated product include straddling suspended elongated product over a carrier member having a width so that portions of the elongated product are serially draped over the carrier member along a desired length thereof and wiping, pushing, or pulling adjacent segments closer together to increase the amount or density of the product on the carrier member. The straddling is carried out so that the draped elongated product defines suspension regions that contact the carrier member intermediate lengths of the elongated product that hang from opposing sides of the carrier member. At least one of the suspended regions on the carrier member is moved in a predetermined direction at a first time then another one of the at least one of the suspended regions on the carrier member is moved in the predetermined direction at a second time. The straddled elongated product is thus arranged so that serially consecutive suspension regions are more closely positioned together on the carrier member based on the first and second moving steps.

Repetitive high-density packing mechanisms for arranging suspended lengths of elongated items in a desired orientation and associated methods

Automated loaders are configured with winding mechanisms that load elongated products directly onto transfer members, such as sticks or rods, by causing the arm to follow a repetitive motion pattern proximate to the stick or rod to discharge the elongated product in a desired motion onto the stick or rod. Methods for discharging elongated product, such as encased meats, so that they straddle or loop directly onto the stick, bar or other desired food support are also described.

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State Road, NC, United States of America

John Michael Phillips