PATTY MACHINE

• US 3,800,362 A
• Filed: 10/12/1971
• Issued: 04/02/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Premark FEG Corporation (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Jackie Neal Wilson
• Inventors: Wilson, Jackie Neal
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancene, Louis G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weinhold, D. L.
• Application Number:
  US05/188,145
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 17/32 107/56 425/251,252
• US Class Current: 425/556
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 7/00 Apparatus for pounding, forming, or pressing meat, sausage-meat, or meat products meat patty moulding devices for domestic use A47J43/20; ham boilers A47J27/20

Abstract

A machine for forming patties of a moldable material, such as a meat product, on a high volume basis. The machine includes a hopper having a paddle rotatably mounted in it and a feed screw leading from the bottom of the hopper to a mold charging piston and cylinder. A mold plate having a mold cavity formed in it slides back and forth over the mold charging device and receives a charge of the product each time the mold cavity communicates with the discharge opening of the charging device. A common drive is utilized for the paddle, the feed screw, the mold plate, the mold charging piston and cylinder, a knock-out device for ejecting patties from the molding plate and a conveyor for removing the molded patties away from the machine in stacks of preselected numbers.

Claims

1. In a patty machine comprising a mold plate having portions defining a mold cavity therein, means for reciprocating said mold plate between charging and discharging positions means at said charging position for charging said cavity with a product, means for holding a supply of said product, and means for conveying said product from said holding means to said charging means, the improvement comprising:

a. a pivotally mounted rocker arm, b. a rotatably mounted drive shaft, c. means for rocking said pivotally mounted rocker arm with a reciprocating movement back and forth about the axis of pivotal mounting thereof, d. one-way clutch means interconnecting said rocker arm and said drive shaft, e. said one-way clutch means causing intermittent rotation of said drive shaft about the axis of rotation thereof in one direction in response to rocking motion of said rocker arm in one direction while being ineffective to transmit rotational movement to said drive shaft in an opposite direction whereby said drive shaft is driven with a unidirectional intermittent rotation, and f. means for transmitting said intermittent, unidirectional rotation of said drive shaft to said conveying means.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein:

a. said conveying means comprises feed screw means extending from said hopper means to said charging means, and b. said transmitting means rotates said feed screw intermittently in response to said rocking motion of said rocker arm.

3. The machine of claim 2 wherein said transmitting means comprises:

a. a first bevel gear mounted on one end of said drive shaft, b. a second shaft exteNding at right angles to said drive shaft and carrying a second bevel gear on one end thereof in engagement with said first bevel gear, c. first sprocket means mounted on an end of said second shaft opposite said one end thereof, d. second sprocket means mounted for rotation about an axis extending in spaced parallel realtionship to the axis of rotation of said first sprocket means, e. drive chain means trained about said first and second sprocket means, and f. shaft means interconnecting said second sprocket means and one end of said feed screw means for transmitting intermittent rotational movement to said feed screw means.

4. The machine of claim 3 further comprising:

a. third sprocket means mounted on said second shaft, b. fourth sprocket means mounted for rotation about an axis extending in spaced parallel relationship to said axes of rotation of said first, second and third sprocket means, c. drive chain means wrapping said third and fourth sprocket means, d. paddle means rotatably mounted in said hopper means, and e. means for transmitting intermittent rotation of said fourth sprocket means to said paddle means in synchronism with said intermittent rotation of said feed screw means.

5. The machine of claim 4 further comprising:

a. means for ejecting a molded patty from said mold cavity, b. means for carrying ejected patties away after a preselected number thereof have been ejected from said mold plate, and c. means for controlling the number of patties ejected before movement of said carrying means.

6. The machine of claim 5 wherein:

a. said means for causing said rocking motion of said rocker arm comprises push rod means engaging said rocker arm.