Output conveyor for a food article slicing machine

• US 8,549,966 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Provisur Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Formax Incorporated
• Inventors: Hansen, David, Pasek, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alie, Ghassem
• Application Number:
  US12/255,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20090188358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,813 Days
• Field of Search: 83/77, 834/351.6, 834/22, 83/13, 83/23, 83/79, 831/551, 834/51, 83/84, 83/86, 834/12, 83/763, 838/59, 83/27, 834/351.5, 831/68, 835/221.2, 995/37, 994/85, 993/86, 198/860.1, 198/809, 198/463.3, 901/50, 534/71, 533/91, 532/661, 534/43, 534/93
• US Class Current: 83/77
• CPC Class Codes: A22C 17/0093 Handling, transporting or packaging pieces of meat
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/02 having a stationary cutting member B26D1/547 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/143 rotating about a stationary axis B26D1/20 - B26D1/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/157 rotating about a movable axis B26D1/20 - B26D1/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/165 for thin material, e.g. for sheets, strips or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/36 and rotating continuously in one direction during cutting, e.g. mounted on a rotary cylinder for flying cutting B26D1/62
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2007/011 by clamping claws, e.g. in high speed slicers for food products
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2210/02 for cutting food products, e.g. food slicers
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2210/08 Idle cutting
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/00 Arrangements for operating and controlling machines or devices for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/08 Means for actuating the cutting member to effect the cut
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/32 with the record carrier formed by the work itself
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/34 scanning being effected by a photosensitive device
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 5/42 with interrelated action between work feed and clamp work clamping arrangements B26D7/02
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/00 Details of apparatus for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting cutters B26D1/00; arrangements for guiding hand cutting tools B26B29/06; punching tools or dies, cutting-out knives or dies B26F
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/06 Arrangements for feeding or delivering work of other than sheet, web, or filamentary form feeding or discharging sheets, webs, or filaments B65H
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/0608 by pushers B26D7/0616, B26D7/0625 and B26D7/0641 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/0625 by endless conveyors, e.g. belts
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/0683 specially adapted for elongated articles
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/088 by cleaning or lubricating sterilizing B26D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/18 : Means for removing cut-out material or waste
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/22 : Safety devices specially adapted for cutting machines safety devices in general F16P
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/225 : for food slicers
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/24 : arranged to disable the operating means for the cutting member
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/30 : for weighing cut product
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 7/32 : for conveying or stacking cut product means for removing cut-out material or waste B26D7/18
• CPC Class Codes: F16P 3/144 : using light grids
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 83/932 : Edible
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 409/30392 : with means to protect operative or machine [e.g., guard, safety device, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/04 : Processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/0467 : By separating products from each other
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/061 : With manually actuated means to disturb cyclic operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/081 : With randomly actuated stopping means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/166 : Removable element carries program
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/182 : With means to weigh product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/2048 : By movement of stack holder
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/2137 : And alternatively movable to or from operating position
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/2192 : Endless conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/242 : With means to clean work or tool
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/531 : With plural work-sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/647 : With means to convey work relative to tool station
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6536 : By carriage
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6563 : With means to orient or position work carrier relative to tool station
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6577 : With means to adjust additional means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6579 : With means to press work to work-carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6582 : Tool between tandem arranged work carrying means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6616 : Having means to actuate pusher
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/662 : Lever, cam, or link actuated pusher
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6668 : Interrelated work-feeding means and tool-moving means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/6945 : With passive means to guide tool directly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/741 : With movable or yieldable guide element
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/768 : Rotatable disc tool pair or tool and carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/7868 : Tool element selectively operative
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/85 : Signal; e.g., alarm
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/95 : Machine frame

Abstract

An output conveyor for a high speed slicing apparatus having four deceleration conveyors that receive slices from a jump conveyor. Each deceleration conveyor laterally position slices in an output lane. The deceleration conveyors have a pivotal axis for matching an elevation of an end of said deceleration conveyor with an elevation of an upstream conveyor. The output conveyor also comprises four weighing conveyors for weighing slices received from upstream components. The weighing conveyors each comprise a removable carrying unit for turning a conveyor belt and a drive unit for driving the carrying unit.

Claims

1. An output conveyor for a food article slicing machine having a slicing station that outputs slices onto a slice accumulation conveyor and weighs slices on a weighing conveyor which has a conveying direction for moving the slices along the weighing conveyor, the output conveyor comprising:

a first conveyor having a conveying surface for receiving said slices from the slice accumulation conveyor at an input end and moving said slices onto the weighing conveyor at an output end, and said conveying surface is angularly adjustable from input end to output end for horizontal lateral positioning of said slices with respect to the conveying direction of the weighing conveyor to fine tune the movement of slices from the accumulation conveyor onto the first conveyor and then onto the weighing conveyor for ensuring accurate weighing of the slices by positioning the slices on center on the weighing conveyor.

2. The output conveyor of claim 1, wherein said first conveyor comprises a laterally adjustable end for laterally positioning said slices.

3. The output conveyor of claim 1, wherein said first conveyor comprises:

a carriage, and an adjustment rod;

a first conveying surface connected around said carriage at an of said first conveyor;

said carriage engaging said adjustment rod;

said carriage movable laterally said adjustment rod.

4. The output conveyor of claim 1, wherein said first conveyor comprises a pivotal axis at a first end of said first conveyor and an actuator for pivoting the first conveyor about the pivot axis to adjust the vertical position of an end of said first conveyor opposite the first end.

5. The output conveyor of claim 1, wherein said conveyor comprises a second conveyor arranged adjacent to said first conveyor and said first and second conveyors defining a pair of output lanes between the slice accumulation conveyor and the weighing conveyor.

6. The output conveyor of claim 1, further comprising:

a weighing conveyor for determining a weight of said slices;

said weighing conveyor comprises a removable carrying unit for turning a conveyor belt.

7. The output conveyor of claim 6, comprising a drive unit for driving said carrying unit,

said carrying unit comprises an end roller for turning said conveyor belt;

said end roller comprises a driven gear for engaging a drive gear of the drive unit;

said drive gear driven by a power source to turn said driven gear.

8. The output conveyor of claim 7, wherein said driven gear is enmeshed with said drive gear when said carrying unit is connected to said drive unit;

said drive unit is connected to a load cell;

said load cell for determining a weight of said slices on said weighing conveyor.

9. The output conveyor of claim 7, wherein said output conveyor comprises at least two weighing conveyors;

each said weighing conveyor adjacent to the other;

each said weighting conveyor independently driven by one or more drive sources.

10. A food article slicing machine comprising:

a slicing station comprising a knife blade and a knife blade drive driving the blade along a cutting path;

a food article feed apparatus supporting one or more food articles for movement along corresponding food article paths intersecting the cutting path;

a slice accumulation conveyor for receiving slices from the slicing station;

a weighing conveyor for weighing the slices and having a conveying direction for moving the slices along the weighing conveyor; and

an output conveyor having a first conveyor having a conveying surface for receiving said slices from said slice accumulation conveyor at an input end and moving said slices onto the weighing conveyor at an output end and said conveying surface is angularly adjustable from input end to output end for horizontal lateral positioning of said slices with respect to the conveying direction of the weighing conveyor to fine tune the movement of slices from the accumulation conveyor onto the first conveyor and then onto the weighing conveyor for ensuring accurate weighing of the slices by positioning the slices on center on the weighing conveyor.

11. The food article slicing machine according to claim 10, wherein said first conveyor comprises a carriage and an adjustment rod;

a first conveying surface connected around said carriage at an of said first conveyor;

said carriage engaging said adjustment rod;

said carriage movable laterally by said adjustment rod.

12. The food article slicing machine according to claim 10, wherein said first conveyor comprises a pivotal axis at a first end of said first conveyor and an actuator for pivoting the first conveyor about the pivot axis to adjust the vertical position of an end of said first conveyor opposite the first end.

13. The food article slicing machine according to claim 10, wherein the output conveyor comprises;

a weighing conveyor for determining a weight of said slices;

said weighing conveyor comprises a removable carrying unit for turning a conveyor belt.

14. The food article slicing machine according to claim 13, comprising and a drive unit for driving said carrying unit;

said carrying unit comprises an end roller for turning said conveyor belt;

said end roller comprises a driven gear for engaging a drive gear of the drive unit;

said drive gear driven by a power source to turn said driven gear.

15. The food article slicing machine according to claim 10, wherein said output conveyor comprises a second conveyor arranged adjacent to said first conveyor and said first and second conveyors defining a pair of output lanes between the slice accumulation conveyor and the weighing conveyor.