Butchering – Conveyer – Transfer from one conveyor to another
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-01
2001-05-22
Little, Willis (Department: 3643)
Butchering
Conveyer
Transfer from one conveyor to another
C452S179000, C452S051000, C198S418600
Reexamination Certificate
active
06234891
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Sausage links are conventionally made on a sausage encasing machine wherein a meat emulsion is ejected into shirred casing or is coextruded with an exterior layer such as collagen gel, which forms a casing around the emulsion. The encased emulsion then passes through a linker, which twists or crimps the casing to form a strand of sausage links. The linking station deposits the strand of links onto conveyor hooks which engage the twists or crimps areas between links. The hanging links are then removed from the air conveyor hooks by the insertion of a smoking stick into the loops formed by the hanging links. The hanging orientation of the sausage links on the smoking sticks does not efficiently utilize space, since the hanging links are not closely spaced.
Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of a conveying system for sausage links which collates the links in parallel rows.
Anther objective of the present invention is the provision of a sausage link conveyor which deposits the links in closely spaced parallel rows.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a method of conveying and collating sausage links cut from a strand of sausages.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A collating conveyor is provided for sausage links, and includes a frame with opposite ends. A pair of laterally spaced parallel conveyor chains extend around sprockets at each end of the frame and are driven in unison by an electric motor. A plurality of longitudinally spaced brackets are mounted on the chains for movement therewith. A U-shaped basket is pivotally mounted on each bracket. Each bracket also includes a cam arm connected to the basket, with the cam arm being tracked in a cam groove extending along the frame. The cam groove is non-linear such that as the cam arm follows the groove, the basket on the bracket is pivoted from a longitudinal position to a lateral position as the bracket and basket moves along the frame on the chains. The sausage links are deposited into the baskets at an approximate mid point between the ends of the frame while the baskets are longitudinally oriented. As each basket continues moving along the frame, the basket is pivoted by the cam arm to a lateral position. As the basket goes around one end of the frame, the links fall from the basket onto a tray in laterally extending, closely spaced parallel rows such that the links are collated in an organized manner.
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patent: 0 472 334 B1 (1991-11-01), None
Little Willis
Townsend Engineering Company
Zarley McKee Thomte Voorhees & Sease
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