Food Slicing and Weighing System
First Claim
1. A food slicing and weighing system for producing groups of slices of food product, each group of slices having a total number of slices or a weight greater than or equal to a minimum predetermined group weight, the food slicing and weighing system comprising:
- a slicing unit having a blade for cutting slices off a log of food, each slice having a slice thickness,a weighing unit having a load sensor, the weighing unit positioned at the location the slices are cut off the log, the load sensor adapted to sense the weight of slices as each slice is received on the weigh unit, and the load sensor providing a signal, the signal relating to the weight of slices on the weigh unit, anda controller receiving the signal or data based on the signal, the controller programmed to;
i) after each slice is received on the weigh unit for a group of slices determine based on the signal or the data a calculated thickness for a next slice to be cut from the log and received on the weigh unit,ii) provide an output to the slicing unit to set the slice thickness to the calculated thickness,iii) repeat steps i) and until the group of slices has been completed,wherein the signal or the data provides an indication of the combined weight of slices received on the weigh unit for a group of slices or the controller calculates from the signal or the data an indication of the combined weight of slices received on the weigh unit for a group of slices, and in step i) the controller determines the calculated thickness based on the indication of the combined weight.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A food slicing and weighing system produces stacks of slices of food product. Each stack has a total number of slices or a weight greater than a predetermined minimum stack weight. The food slicing and weighing line comprises a slicing unit and a weighing unit. The slicing unit has a blade for cutting slices off a log of food and a control arrangement comprising a controller for setting the thickness of the slices. The weighing unit has a surface supported by a load sensor. The surface is positioned at the location the slices are cut off the log, each slice dropping onto the surface as each slice is cut from the log. The load sensor senses the weight of the slices as each slice is dropped onto the surface and provides a signal to the controller. The controller determines from the signal a measured combined weight of a number of slices less than the total number of slices and then a target thickness for a next slice to be added to the stack of slices based on the measured combined weight.
13 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A food slicing and weighing system for producing groups of slices of food product, each group of slices having a total number of slices or a weight greater than or equal to a minimum predetermined group weight, the food slicing and weighing system comprising:
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a slicing unit having a blade for cutting slices off a log of food, each slice having a slice thickness, a weighing unit having a load sensor, the weighing unit positioned at the location the slices are cut off the log, the load sensor adapted to sense the weight of slices as each slice is received on the weigh unit, and the load sensor providing a signal, the signal relating to the weight of slices on the weigh unit, and a controller receiving the signal or data based on the signal, the controller programmed to; i) after each slice is received on the weigh unit for a group of slices determine based on the signal or the data a calculated thickness for a next slice to be cut from the log and received on the weigh unit, ii) provide an output to the slicing unit to set the slice thickness to the calculated thickness, iii) repeat steps i) and until the group of slices has been completed, wherein the signal or the data provides an indication of the combined weight of slices received on the weigh unit for a group of slices or the controller calculates from the signal or the data an indication of the combined weight of slices received on the weigh unit for a group of slices, and in step i) the controller determines the calculated thickness based on the indication of the combined weight. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A food slicing and weighing system for producing groups of slices of food product, each group of slices having a total number of slices or a weight greater than or equal to a minimum predetermined group weight, the food slicing and weighing system comprising:
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a slicing unit having a blade for cutting slices off a log of food, each slice having a slice thickness, a weighing unit having a load sensor, the weighing unit positioned at the location the slices are cut off the log, the load sensor adapted to sense the weight of slices as each slice is received on the weigh unit, and the load sensor providing a signal, the signal relating to the weight of slices on the weigh unit, and a controller receiving the signal or data based on the signal and based on the signal or the data the controller determining a calculated thickness for slices to be cut from the log and received on the weigh unit to complete a group of slices, the controller providing output to the slicing unit to set the slice thickness to the calculated thickness. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for producing groups of slices of food product by cutting slices off a log of food, each group of slices having a total number of slices or a weight greater than or equal to a minimum predetermined group weight, the method comprising:
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i) cutting a first slice for a group of slices from the log, ii) weighing the first slice to determine a measured weight of the first slice indicative of the weight of the first slice, iii) determining a target thickness based on the measured weight of the first slice, iv) cutting a second slice for the group of slices according the target thickness, v) weighing the slices to determine a measured combined weight of the slices for the group of slices indicative of the combined weight of the slices, vi) re-determining the target thickness depending on the measured combined weight, vii) cutting a next slice for the group of slices according the re-determined target thickness, viii) repeating steps v) to vii) until a predetermined number of slices have been cut and added to the group of slices or the measured combined weight of the slices cut from the log and added to the group of slices is greater than a predetermined minimum group weight. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification