Teepak, Inc.

Devro-teepak, Inc.

Other

Thomas R Stanley

Mark D Kelley

Mark L Fox

John H Beckman

Ronald S Kearby

Mark R Zeleznik

David L Wright

Jerry Edward Armstrong

James Allen Snider

Clinton G Towne

Ralph R Shelley

Richard S Glass

A method for stuffing food product into a tubular food casing at a predetermined linear rate of movement of stuffed food product, closing the stuffed food product to segregate the stuffed food product into links while the stuffed food product continues to move at said predetermined rate. The invention also includes an improved food product stuffing machine which stuffs food product into a tubular food casing at a predetermined linear rate of movement of stuffed food product, a closing device which applies closures to the stuffed food product to segregate the stuffed food product into stuffed food product links while the stuffed food product continues to move at said predetermined rate. After clipping, means is provided for returning the closing device to an original position to repeat the operation after another desired length of casing is stuffed.

Zero time clipper

A snap-on adjustable one piece sizing ring comprising an inner horn ring and an outer horn ring. The inner horn ring comprises an inner horn ring elliptical plate to which is attached a tubular section about an off-center hole therethrough. The outer horn ring comprises an outer horn ring elliptical plate having an off-center hole which fits over and is free to rotate about the tubular section so that overall circumference of the combined plates can be varied. The tubular section of the inner horn ring is provided with means for releasable attachment to an inner tube of a two-part stuffing horn comprising concentric inner and outer tubes. The outer horn ring is provided with means for releasable attachment to the outer tube of the two-part stuffing horn so that rotation of the concentric tubes relative to each other causes rotation of the elliptical plates relative to each other so that the overall circumference of the sizing ring is varied. The elliptical plates may be circular.

Easily removable adjustable sizing device for tubular food casing

Product discharge section of a stuffing apparatus for partially filling food casings is equipped with a device for uniformly distributing and reshaping meat emulsions and other foodstuffs from a rounded configuration to other desired shapes, such as loaf style products for use in preparing turkey loaf, ham loaf, etc. Lower receiving conveyor means transport partially filled casings downstream to a wedge shaped slot defined by the lower conveyor and height and angle adjustable overhead belt which during passage extrudes the flowable meat product upstream toward the filling horn for uniformly apportioning and shaping the product before cooking, smoking or other processing. Methods and apparatus are especially useful in eliminating the need for shaping by hand, or use of loaf shaped molds.

Apparatus and methods for preparing loaf shaped sausage products in

End-closures are formed on tubular food casings by means of a self-contained gathering and closing device comprising dual shutter assemblies with angular levers having thumb and finger extensions which are pivotally mounted from their respective thumb extensions for circumferentially gathering casing from a casing opening therebetween. The angular levers are positioned relative to one another such that when pivoted in the same direction travel in overlapping arcs to produce a narrowing of the casing opening as the levers converge. A punch is then actuated to apply an end-closure clip to the gathered casing.

Devices for gathering and clipping tubular food casings and food

A method for stuffing a tubular food casing to reduce trapped air in the finished product. The method comprises placing a shirred stick of food casing on a stuffing horn having an exit end through which food product flows into the casing, withdrawing a leading end portion of the casing over the exit end of the horn, closing the leading end portion, sealing the casing against the horn, drawing a vacuum within the tubular food casing, conducting food product through the exit end of the stuffing horn into said tubular food casing while maintaining the vacuum to stuff a portion of the food casing while withdrawing more casing over the exit end of the stuffing horn, and closing the food casing behind the stuffed portion of the food casing. The invention further includes an apparatus comprising a stuffing horn having an exit end through which food product flows into the casing, means for sealing the casing against the horn, means for drawing a vacuum within the tubular food casing and means for conducting food product through the exit end of the stuffing horn into said tubular food casing while maintaining the vacuum to stuff a portion of the food casing while withdrawing more casing over the exit end of the stuffing horn.

Vacuum stuffing horn and method for using same

Tubular food casings for preparing dimensionally uniform processed meat products with flat ends for maximizing yields for prepackaged product. Casings reinforced with one or more narrow polymeric bands securely bonded to the terminal ends of casing units are able to receive flat end plates which cooperate with the bands to form reliable end closures without clips and minimal casing requirements.

Reinforced casings for preparing dimensionally uniform processed food

Casing material is paid out from the stuffing horn of a food emulsion extrusion system to stuff a food emulsion product. The casing material is drawn over a sizing means which provides varying degrees of sizing and hold back force to the casing material as it is paid out. The degrees of sizing and hold back force are adjustable while the casing is being stuffed with extruded food emulsion. New casing material may be loaded onto the stuffing horn over the sizing means without removal of any element of the sizing means from the stuffing horn.

Adjustable sizing device for tubular food casing

Flattened tubular food casing in combination with a deformable semi-rigid sleeve member, separate from but attached to one end of the casing in the form of a casing extension. The generally cylindrical shaped sleeve comprises a leading edge opposite the end attached to the food casing which can be tapered to assist in loading the attached casing onto a stuffing apparatus employing a reciprocating carrier. The flattened tubular food casing-sleeve member combination may be folded or mounted on a reel and packaged for direct payout to the stuffing apparatus.

Food casings with improved tubular tab ends

Disclosed is a food emulsion casing packaging system which incorporates means for readily and rapidly removing non-shirred, flat casing from its shipping carton, means or facilely and rapidly threading that casing into automated food emulsion stuffing equipment, and means for rapidly and readily forming the casing into a tubular form at the point of introduction of the food emulsion to the casing.

Food emulsion casing packaging system

A method is provided for closing an end of a tubular food casing in such a way that the end so closed is made suitable for use as a hanger for the casing. In one embodiment, an end of a food casing is formed into a rigid loop suitable for hanging the casing. In a second embodiment, a die cut hole is made in a uniquely formed end of a casing, enabling the casing to be suspended by a hook inserted through the hole.

Method of closing a tubular food casing

The shirred casing disclosed is packaged in a plastic tube with the lead end of that tube formed into a combined brake/size means which applies oblique frictional force and variable size control to the food emulsion as it is being extruded into the case; also disclosed are means for permitting gas pressure build-up to be relieved and the gas to escape.

Prepackaged shirred food emulsion casing with integral casing sizing and

Improved method and apparatus for preparing partially/slack filled food casings enables food processors to make loaf style meat and sausage products with substantially 'D' shaped cross sectional configurations with lower risk for casing rupture. By means of a casing slacker apparatus having a shutter/gate assembly mounted on an axially translatable carriage a predetermined length of additional unfilled casing is withdrawn from the filling horn after the filling cycle is completed. After completing the clip, cut and dump cycles the foodstuff is distrituted evenly throughout the casing and molded or shaped as desired.

Apparatus and methods for filling slack filled food casings

A method of attaching a hanger member to a casing is provided, including the steps of inserting a portion of the hanger into an open end of the casing and then closing the open end of the casing to occlude and retain the hanger portion within the casing.

Process for attaching a hanger member to a casing

An apparatus and method of filling food casing for better size control includes an improved stuffing horn with a built-in presizing element in the form of a spirally wound spring for diametrically engaging the inside wall of unfilled casing on the filling horn stretching the casing to the recommended stuffed diameter prior to filling.

Dual tube stuffing horn with expanding spring for size control

A stuffing horn assembly is disclosed which comprises a hollow main member, said main member having an exterior end surface terminating in a convex configuration and containing at least one outlet void therein; a horn turret, having a concave exterior surface for generally engaging the convex exterior end surface of the main member and having at least one inlet void therein; means for mounting said horn turret concave surface to the convex surface of the main member; means for aligning said at least one outlet void with said at least one inlet void; and, said horn turret comprising horn means alignable with said at least one inlet void. The stuffing horn assembly has particular utility in the food processing industry, most particularly wherein comminuted meat products are stuffed into encasements under pressure.

Growing community of inventors

Kansas City, MO, United States of America

Thomas R Stanley