Angled fill ports and seal-off arrangement for patty-forming apparatus

• US 20070098862A1
• Filed: 04/20/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Provisur Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Formax Incorporated
• Inventors: Hansen, David, Lindee, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,862,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/512
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 7/0084 comprising a reciprocating plate

Abstract

A food patty molding machine has a reciprocating mold plate. A moldable food product is pumped through a fill passage into cavities of the mold plate when the mold plate is in its fill position. A fill plate, interposed in the fill passage immediately adjacent the mold plate, has a multiplicity of fill orifices distributed in a predetermined pattern throughout an area aligned with the mold cavity when the mold plate is in its fill position. The fill orifices define paths through the fill plate, wherein the paths each have an inlet portion that is perpendicular to a fill side face of the mold plate that is connected to an outlet portion that is obliquely angled to a fill side face of the mold plate. A seal-off stripper plate is interposed in the fill passage immediately adjacent the face of the fill plate opposite the mold plate. The stripper plate is movable along a path transverse to the mold plate path between a fill location and a discharge location. The stripper plate has a multiplicity of fill openings aligned one-for-one with the fill orifices as extensions thereof when the stripper plate is in its fill location.

Claims

1. A food patty molding machine, comprising:

a mold plate having at least one mold cavity therein;

mold plate drive for driving the mold plate along a given path, in a repetitive cycle, between a fill position and a discharge position;

food pump means for pumping a moldable food product;

a fill passage connecting the food pump to the mold cavity when the mold plate is in its fill position;

a fill plate, interposed in the fill passage immediately adjacent the mold plate, having a multiplicity of fill orifices distributed in a predetermined pattern throughout an area aligned with the mold cavity when the mold plate is in its fill position, said fill orifices defining paths through said fill plate, wherein a plurality of said paths each have a path portion that is obliquely angled to a face of said mold plate;

a stripper plate interposed in the fill passage immediately adjacent the side of the fill plate opposite the mold plate, and movable along a path transverse to the mold plate path between a fill location and a discharge location, the stripper plate having a multiplicity of fill openings aligned one-for-one with the fill orifices as extensions thereof when the stripper plate is in its fill location; and

stripper plate drive means, synchronized with the mold plate drive means, for moving the stripper plate between its fill location and its discharge location; and

wherein the spacings between fill openings in the stripper plate, in the direction of the stripper plate path, are such that movement of the stripper plate to its discharge location seals off the fill openings.

2. A food patty molding machine according to claim 1, in which the fill orifices are distributed in rows regularly spaced in the direction of mold plate movement by a spacing S and in which the distance the stripper plate moves, from its fill location to its discharge location, is S/2.

3. A food patty molding machine according to claim 2, in which the stripper plate has two fill locations spaced by a distance T such that T=S, and in which, in each mold plate cycle, the stripper plate moves from one fill location by a distance S/2, in a given direction along its path, to its discharge location, and subsequently moves a further distance S/2 in the same direction to its other fill location.

4. A food patty molding machine according to claim 3, in which, in each mold plate cycle, movement of the stripper plate from its one fill location to its discharge location occurs in a first interval that starts approximately when movement of the mold plate to its discharge position begins, and movement of the stripper plate from its discharge position to its other fill position starts when the mold plate approaches its fill position.

5. A food patty molding machine according to claim 1, wherein some of said paths include an inlet portion perpendicular to said fill plate and an outlet portion oblique to said fill plate, said inlet portion in fluid communication with said outlet portion.

6. A food patty molding machine according to claim 5, wherein greater than 50% of said paths include said inlet portions and said outlet portions.

7. A food patty molding machine according to claim 6, wherein said outlet portions are parallel.

8. A food patty molding machine according to claim 1, wherein some of said paths include an inlet portion and an outlet portion, said inlet portion of said outlet portion in fluid communication, wherein said inlet and outlet portions are oriented at an obtuse angle.

9. A food patty molding machine according to claim 1, wherein said path portions are angled from the fill passage toward a front of said apparatus.

10. A food patty molding machine according to claim 9, wherein said path portions form ellipses on an outlet face of said fill plate.

11. A food patty molding machine according to claim 1, wherein said path portions form ellipses on an outlet face of said fill plate.

12. A food patty molding machine according to claim 1, comprising:

the stripper plate drive moves the stripper plate to its discharge location, in each mold cycle, before the mold cavity moves appreciably away from its fill position toward its discharge position; and

the stripper plate drive maintains the stripper plate in its discharge location while the mold plate moves toward its discharge position at least until the mold cavity is displaced beyond the fill orifices.