Package making – Methods – With contents treating
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-20
2001-08-21
Gerrity, Stephen F. (Department: 3721)
Package making
Methods
With contents treating
C053S240000, C053S244000, C053S250000, C053S517000, C083S039000, C083S404000, C452S149000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276115
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cutting and packaging formed traditional cuts of pork and more particularly to an efficient process of selectively cutting a whole pork loin into traditional cuts at successive saw stations, moving the cuts to collecting locations, and packaging the traditional cuts in a package tray in a preselected combination.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Historically and to date there has been no established procedure for cutting pork loins into the various traditional cuts and thereafter forming packages of preselected content. The operation has been mostly manual with individuals cutting loins into sections and then depositing the cut sections in an accumulation bin with similar and random cut sections. Thus packaging is thereafter developed by drawing the needed cuts from the various collection bins in no particular order, the individual packers moving from one bin to another to withdraw the needed cuts for the package being created.
Thus the traditional method of packaging such products is a random one driven by the pace of the individuals involved in forming the package. There is no programmed and reliable manner in which to provide production efficiency with this system.
There is a clear and urgent need for a controlled system of forming and packaging traditional cuts of loin that can be measured for efficiency and adjusted for greater output and reliability. It is to this need that the present invention is directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes the creation and operation of a highly efficient production line designed to systematically receive a continuous supply of pork loins at saw stations, the stations having bandsaw means to slice the loins into desirable cuts. Preferably, each saw station is set up to cut a precise traditional cut from the whole loin. After cutting, the traditional cuts are moved to a collecting location positioned to receive only this traditional cut, for example a loin center, and no other cuts. The remainder of the whole loin is sent to another saw station where another different traditional cut is formed. This specific traditional cut goes to its corresponding traditional collecting location. The process continues with each subsequent saw stations forming a different traditional cut and these differing cuts gathered at collecting locations, each dedicated to receiving only one kind of traditional cut. A conveyer extends along and adjacent the collecting locations and moves package trays sequentially by each location. An operator works each collecting location and deposits one more of that collecting locations' traditional cut into the tray. Each collecting location operator contributes to the tray until it is filled, and it is then sealed and further handled in a variety of ways.
After a traditional cut such as a chop is taken from the whole loin at a saw station, the remainder of the loin is positioned on a separate conveyor and moved to the next saw station where the next traditional cut is formed. The process continues through each station until the whole loin is depleted.
A bone dust remover is positioned at each saw station to remove particles of bone when the loins are cut. Most loins to be sectioned into traditional cuts are bone-in, so dust removal is essential
The process has greater flexibility than any known system in that it permits the creation of any desired package. It can produce a package of from 2 to 6 rib end chops, 2 to 6 loin end chops and any number of rib centers and any number of loin centers. Any configuration that suits the marketing needs of any demographic group or geographic area can be produced. The present process keeps the flow of forming package trays going continuously. In this manner, all of the product goes through the system and no product remains at the end of a shift.
In the present concept, the process paces the workers. If there is delay or backup at any station, the problem at that station is readily noted and steps can be taken to correct it. The process is machine paced rather than individually paced.
The present process more specifically includes sequentially moving whole pork loins along a directed path of travel near a plurality of saw stations, sawing each sequentially moving pork loin at the first of the plurality of saw stations to form a first traditional cut, conveying the first traditional cut to a first traditional cut collecting location while moving the remainder of the whole pork loin to the second saw station, sawing the remainder of the loin to form a second different traditional cut, moving the second traditional cut to a second collecting station while moving the remainder of the whole pork loin to the third of the plurality of saw stations where a third different traditional cut is formed. The third different traditional cut is moved to a third corresponding collecting station, and the remainder of the whole pork loin continues to move through each of the remaining saw stations which saw and form differing traditional cuts at each station until the pork loin is depleted. These differing traditional cuts are conveyed to separate collecting locations for each differing traditional cut. Sequentially moving package trays move on a conveyer along a preselected path of travel near the collecting locations where at least one traditional cut from each collecting location is placed in each moving tray until each tray is filled and a package is formed. The package is then sealed at a sealing station and can be either gas flushed at a subsequent station or moved directly to a carton forming station. The packages are collected for removal to a remote location and may be either refrigerated or frozen thereafter.
Thus there has been outlined the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.
It is also to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting in any respect. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as the basis for designing other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of this development.
It is important that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent methods and products resulting therefrom that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The application is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by its claims, nor to limit its scope in any way.
Thus the objects of the invention set forth above, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are noted with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific results obtained by its use, reference should be made to the following detailed specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3466835 (1969-09-01), Temple
patent: 3631908 (1972-01-01), Meltzer
patent: 3711895 (1973-01-01), Arendale
patent: 3926080 (1975-12-01), Bettcher
patent: 4104847 (1978-08-01), Glandon
patent: 4338704 (1982-07-01), Welton
patent: 4468839 (1984-
Kramer Lee
Williams Roger S.
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