General Foods Limited

Tetley, Inc.

Robert F Bardsley

Charles D Schoonmaker

Thomas P Finucane

Carl Hebel

Philip J Wruk

Jonas Bortkevicius

Eugene E Corrigan

Edward P Lee, Deceased

William M Marks

A technique is described by which a predetermined amount by weight of ground coffee can be packaged into a container while the coffee density may vary within a range. The amount of ground coffee is supplied into a container along a feed path to fill the container and form a column that extends above the upper rim of the container. The ground coffee is compressed to a predetermined head level by compressing a region around the feed path while leaving a small column of uncompressed coffee. In another embodiment, the volume of the container is expanded during compression by outwardly deforming a container end. This enables the stiffening of the ground coffee to support a smooth unbeaded outer wall after vacuum packing without paneling effects.

Vacuum packed ground coffee package

Method for packaging ground coffee

A container providing for the storage of a pressurized fluid, such as a carbonated beverage, and having a separate compartment therein for the segregated storage of a second material, such as a flavoring for the beverage. The arrangement is responsive to a rapid drop in pressure which occurs in the container upon opening thereof to automatically cause the release of the second material from the compartment and dispensing thereof into the fluid stored in the container.

Pressurized container providing for the separate storage of a plurality

Associated with a horizontal pouch making machine for packaging a free flowing granular product between webs of flexible packaging material is a product lay down mechanism operable for receiving measured amounts of the product and depositing it in precisely defined areas of one of the webs being processed and in a flattened configuration such as to minimize the amount of packaging material required to contain said product. A product shaping member contacting the web surface during a dwell in the web feed cycle is formed with apertures which in combination with the web define cavities or molds which shape each deposit of product delivered thereto into the desired configuration having uniform height over substantially the entire surface area of the web portion upon which it is laid.

Product shaping mechanism for horizontal pouch-making machines

An apparatus and method for the automatic, rapid and continuous preparation of generally friable or fragile ready-to-eat food product bacon analog strips of predetermined configuration, simulating natural, cooked bacon, wherein a slab or bulk material of the food product is sliced by a cutting device into individual strips basically having the dimensions of sliced natural bacon strips, and conducted by means of a first endless conveyor arrangement from the cutting device towards a cooking installation. Ahead of the cooking installation, a second endless conveyor mounts a series of strip-engaging members adapted to sequentially contact the sliced strips and to conduct the strips from the first endless conveyor arrangement onto and along guide rod members which extend into and through the cooking installation. The strips are fried or cooked at a controlled temperature to a finished degree, determined by the speed of movement through the tank, and are thereafter guided into position on forming die members which are arranged about the periphery of a rotatable forming die wheel. Complementary-shaped die members arranged on each of the strip-engaging members are brought into closely spaced cooperation with the forming dies on the rotatable forming die wheel through the action of a camming arrangement encompassing a portion of the periphery of the forming wheel so as to shape the interposed bacon analog strips into their predetermined configurations.

Apparatus for the preparation of a food product

Apparatus and method for the preparation of a food product

Growing community of inventors

Harrington Park, NJ, United States of America

Robert F Bardsley