Kraft Foods, Inc.

Kraft Foods Global Brands LLC

Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc.

Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC

Timothy T Watson

Paul Edward Doll

Timothy J Drebing

Peter V Doll

Gary Skaar

Randy Glynn

Larry C Gundlach

Gary R Skaar

Dennis G Flisram

Kenneth J Mepham

Rory J Redemann

Robert B Glennon

Greg C Wicke

Rory Redemann

Systems and methods are provided for cutting slices of food product from a larger portion of the food product, whereby the systems and methods can reduce down-time associated with some of the portions of the equipment during cleaning. Components of the system requiring more frequent cleaning can be readily disconnected from those components requiring less frequent cleaning. Further, substitute components can be connected to those components requiring less frequent cleaning to reduce their down-time while the other components are being cleaned.

Systems and methods for slicing food products

A system and method are provided that allow meat logs to be manually loaded into a slicing station and thereafter be continuously automatically processed at the slicing station, a harping station, and an insertion station for automated packaging thereof without the need for handling of the meat stacks by workers. To this end, the slicing station is effective to form smaller sections or chubs from the meat logs and to do so such that the chubs are provided with substantially parallel flat end-faces to ensure that high quality meat slices are generated therefrom. The chubs are then transported to the harping station where each of the chubs undergoes a single cutting operation, thus simultaneously forming the meat slices therefrom and substantially maintaining the slices in the configuration of the chubs for generating well-formed stacks of the slices. Thereafter, the stacks are received at the insertion station where they are transferred to their packages, on an automated basis without the need for manual handling thereof. This is enabled due to the well-formed stacks generated by the harping station which allows the stacks to be dropped into the packages aligned therebelow.

Automated method for placing sliced food stacks in packages

Apparatus device and method improved slicing of large food sticks, loaves and the like are provided. A slicing blade which may have a top flat surface or top flat land width along its cutting edge provides generally longitudinal forces on the food product being sliced, which forces are in a direction generally opposite to the direction through which the food products are fed through a slicing apparatus. The slicing blade includes a bottom primary bevel surface and typically steep primary angle for imparting angularly directed forces on the food products being sliced so as to throw the slices at a generally corresponding deposit angle. The invention is particularly important in improving handling of large luncheon meat sticks including non-frozen, high water content and reduced fat content luncheon meat sticks. Fast feed rates can be practiced without experiencing jamming, yields are increased, slice quality is made more consistent and repeatable, slicing line utilization is enhanced, and sanitary conditions are more easily maintained.

Close tolerance food slicing apparatus, blade and method

Apparatus, device and method for improved slicing of large food sticks, loaves and the like are provided. A slicing blade which has a top flat surface or top flat land width along its cutting edge provides generally longitudinal forces on the food product being sliced, which forces are in a direction generally opposite to the direction through which the food products are fed through a slicing apparatus. The slicing blade includes a bottom primary bevel land width surface and an advantageous primary angle for imparting improved stack and slice uniformity and for controlling package overfill. The slicing blade also exhibits a long slicing blade surface which follows an Archimedean spiral. The invention is particularly important in improving handling of large luncheon meat sticks, especially non-frozen, high water content and reduced fat content luncheon meat sticks. Fast feed rates can be practiced without experiencing jamming, yields are increased, slice and stack quality and sizing are made more consistent and repeatable, slicing line utilization is enhanced, and sanitary conditions are more easily maintained.

Food slicing apparatus, blade and method

Growing community of inventors

Waunakee, WI, United States of America

Timothy T Watson