Extruded slat/link conveyance chain
First Claim
1. A conveyor belt system for compressing a food product, comprising:
- a conveyor belt and an opposing reactive surface, the conveyor belt having a top side and a bottom side, the top side being substantially parallel to and facing the reactive surface;
the conveyor belt further comprising a plurality of spaced rods and a plurality of substantially flat slats, the slats comprising a base portion having a leading edge and a trailing edge relative to a direction of conveyance travel of the conveyor belt, the leading edge being coupled to one of the plurality of rods and the trailing edge being free of attachment, so as to provide a hinged joint arranged to provide at least partial rotation at the leading edge of each slat,wherein the trailing edge of each slat comprises a bent portion, the bent portion comprising an arm extending at an acute angle relative to an axis defined by the base portion.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A conveyor belt system that provides a continuous flat support surface for a food item that grips the food item when compressed against a reactive surface. The conveyor belt system comprises a conveyor belt and a reactive surface, the conveyor belt having a top side and a bottom side, the top side being parallel to the reactive surface and facing the reactive surface. The conveyor belt further comprises a plurality of spaced rods and a plurality of flat metal slats, each slat having a leading edge and a trailing edge relative to a direction of conveyance travel of the conveyor belt, the leading edge of the slat coupled to one of the plurality of rods to provide a hinged joint at the leading edge of the slat.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A conveyor belt system for compressing a food product, comprising:
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a conveyor belt and an opposing reactive surface, the conveyor belt having a top side and a bottom side, the top side being substantially parallel to and facing the reactive surface; the conveyor belt further comprising a plurality of spaced rods and a plurality of substantially flat slats, the slats comprising a base portion having a leading edge and a trailing edge relative to a direction of conveyance travel of the conveyor belt, the leading edge being coupled to one of the plurality of rods and the trailing edge being free of attachment, so as to provide a hinged joint arranged to provide at least partial rotation at the leading edge of each slat, wherein the trailing edge of each slat comprises a bent portion, the bent portion comprising an arm extending at an acute angle relative to an axis defined by the base portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A food heating device comprising:
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a conveyor belt and at least one platen for heating food products, the conveyor belt comprising a top side and a bottom side, the top side being substantially parallel to and facing the platen; the conveyor belt further comprising a plurality of spaced rods and a plurality of substantially flat metal slats, the slats comprising a base portion having a leading edge and a trailing edge relative to a direction of conveyance travel of the conveyor belt, the leading edge being coupled to one of the plurality of rods and the trailing edge being free of attachment, so as to provide a hinged joint arranged to provide partial rotation at the leading edge of each slat; wherein the conveyor belt is configured to compress the food product against the at least one platen while moving relative to the at least one platen, wherein the slats comprise multiple channel portions protruding from the leading edge, each channel portion comprising a u-shaped hook member, and wherein the slats comprise multiple notches along the trailing edge, the notches being disposed in positions along the trailing edge that correspond to the positions of the channel portions protruding from the leading edge. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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Specification