METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY PACKAGING AND DISPENSING FOOD PRODUCTS

Abstract

A food product gathering and dispensing system is disclosed. The food product is generally a flat disc shaped article dispensed onto a consumable strip of food product conveyer material. The food product is fed to single, or series related, spools that wind up the consumable conveyer material and food product into a removable roll or stack. The roll or stack is placed into a dispenser pack, optionally subject to further environmental treatment, and refrigeration. The pack is then installed within a refrigerated dispenser system where the food product and consumable material are collectively unwound and/or separated, as the food product is fed into a processing system, i.e., a cooking device. The consumable conveyer material is collected and separately discarded.

Claims

1. A spool of food product and consumable conveyer material, comprising: a spool having wound thereon a consumable conveyer belt material that encapsulates individualized food product units therein via folded portions of said conveyer materials that fold, with respective outer edges of said consumable conveyer folded one toward the other, and form a tube completely containing said food product such that successive wound layers of conveyer material on said spool are placed adjacent successive layers of conveyer material.

2. A spool as in claim 1, wherein: said food products are individualized fresh patties of food product.

3. A food gathering system package used in a food gathering system, comprising: a first food package comprising disposable food conveyer material wrapped around successive food products, wherein at least one layer of conveyer separates successive food products; and, a second package having an open interior for accepting and storing and transporting said first package.

4. The food gathering system package as in claim 3, wherein: said first package comprises a spool of conveyer product with successive food products completely wrapped and contained between adjacent layers of disposable conveyer.

5. The food gathering system package as in claim 3, wherein the second package is container having a first part separable from the second part for accessing the open interior.

6. The food gathering system package of claim 3, wherein the second package is a corrugated container.

7. The food gathering system package as in claim 3, wherein said conveyor material is a polyethylene film.

8. The food gathering system package as in claim 3, wherein the open interior has a reduced oxygen content.

9. The food gathering system package of claim 8, wherein the food products are fresh meat products.

10. The food gathering system package of claim 3, wherein the food products are disc-shaped.

11. The food gathering system package of claim 10, wherein the food products are flat.

12. The food gathering system package of claim 3, wherein the first package includes a spool onto which said conveyor material is wound.

13. The food gathering system package of claim 12, wherein said spool has a connector at a first end for operable attachment to a mandrel.

14. The food gathering system package of claim 3, wherein the food products are any of hamburger patties, sausage patties, and vegetable patties.

15. The food gathering system package of claim 3, wherein said conveyor material is a heat-fusible belt.

16. The food gathering system package of claim 3, wherein said first container is cylindrical and has an outer wrap of conveyor material.

17. The food gathering system package of claim 13, wherein said connector is a female connector.

18. The food gathering system package of claim 17, wherein said female connector has radially outwardly extending notches for interconnecting with said mandrel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 is an oblique view of the overall food product unit gathering system.

[0015] FIG. 2A is partially transparent perspective view of a dispenser pack in accord with the present system.

[0016] FIG. 2B is a partially transparent perspective view of a spindle or spool of food product gathered in accord with the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 3 is an oblique view of a dispensing system in accord with the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 4 is a detailed schematic of the food product wrapped in disposable conveyor belting.

[0019] FIG. 5 is a cross-section taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0020] The operation of the Gathering System 10 is as follows:

[0021] Food products 16 are fed to the Gathering System spool end 22 on a consumable conveyor belt 20, which preferably is a thin polymer material, such as a food grade polyethylene film that is approximately 0.005 inches thick and twelve (12) inches wide, that is suitable for the flat, disc-like food products 16 being gathered. The consumable conveyor belt in this case is a conveyor belt 20 that can be detached or cut from the processing system 14, at which food products are initially collected, and become part of the Dispenser Pack 12. The conveyer material 20 is fed and cut from a supply roll 18, in this case placed beneath the Gathering System conveyer bed 21, and within frame 19.

[0022] The Gathering System 10 collects the food products 16 and by rolling the belt 20 onto spool(s) 24, or folding or any other process, which captures the food products 16 in a compact manner at end 22. The rolled belt 20 with its contained food products 16 are then placed within a Dispenser Pack 12 that is removed from the Gathering System 10 for transport. The Gathering System spool end 22 includes a series of pivoting frames elements 25 that are configured to mount spools 24 at either end of the pivot on mandrel(s) 27. As a spool 24 is filled, an empty spool 24 is mounted onto the mandrel opposite the filled spool 24. The pivoting frame element 25 is swung so as to simultaneously remove the filled spool 24 and replace it in the filling position with an empty spool 24. The filled spool 24 is then removed, such as by by robot 26, and placed into an awaiting empty Dispenser Pack 12 while the newly positioned replacement spool 24 is ultimately filled.

[0023] The Gathering System may include a belt folding device 23. Belt folding device 23 may use excess belt width from conveyer 20, having parallel cut longitudinal edges, of adjacent feed tracks (if more than one is present), initially folded upwardly and then folded again, one edge toward the other, and laid over the top surfaces of successive food products 16, thereby completely encapsulating the food products 16 in an extended tube structure. The food products 16 are thereby covered top and bottom as they are wound onto the spool 24. This configuration is shown in FIG. 4.

[0024] The Gathering System 10 counts the incoming food products 16 and when a programmable pre-determined number is reached it will stop, and also signal upstream equipment to stop if necessary. Once the Gather System 10 line is stopped, the Gathering System cuts the consumable conveyor 20, such as with a knife, laser or the like, and collects the counted food products 16, and closes the folded end of the consumable belt 20 to keep food products 16 from falling off the spool 24.

[0025] The Gathering System 10 robotic machine 26 then replaces the filled spool 24 with an empty spool 24 that has been pre-loaded onto the Gathering System onto the pivoting frame elements 25. This can be done manually, or automatically, but is preferably done free from human contact. Once the empty spools 24 are in place, the Gathering System splices, via a heat cutter/sealer, for example, associated with folder 23, the end of the consumable conveyor belt 20 or belts to the new empty spool 24. Consumable belts can be made of a material, i.e., food grade plastic film, that can be heat fused, or by some other method, joined to the leading edge of an empty spool 24. A preferred material for the conveyor belt 20 is a polyethylene film that is approximately 0.005 inches thick and twelve (12) inches wide. The film should not be too elastic because the rolled conveyor belt 20 and food products 16 would, in that event, be excessively tight and distort the food products 16 when rolled on the spool 24. Coated paper may also be used. The material of the conveyor belt 20 should also have good release properties, so that the food products 16 do not stick to the belt 20, particularly during removal. The full spools 24 are unloaded and new blanks spools loaded, as noted previously, while the newly attached spools 24 are being loaded.

Dispenser Packs

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 5, Dispenser Packs are units of food products 16 that have been collected on a consumable belt 20 and arranged in a compact manner around a contained spool 24. The contained spool 24 preferably has a cylindrical configuration, as best shown in FIG. 2B, with the outermost wrap being the consumable belt 20 in order to enclose the wound food products 16 and minimize contamination of the food products 16. The spool 24 preferable has a notched or female connector 45 at one end for mating with the mandrel 27 to allow rotation of the spool 24 during gathering and dispensing of food products. The connector 45 has two radially outwardly extending notches 29 that interconnect with mandrel 27. The Dispenser Pack 12 can be automatically loaded and unloaded, and the food products within each Dispenser Pack 12. The dispenser Pack 12 includes a container, preferably a two-piece box having a removable top 35 and a bottom 37 that can be transported and/or sealed in a suitable larger package as needed. The top 35 and bottom 37 together form a closed container, preferably of corrugated cardboard or the like, within which a wound or filled spool 24 is received along with its food products 16.

[0027] The Dispenser Packs 12 are configured so that they either can be individually provided, or grouped into an even larger container, and that the container can also go through a modified atmosphere packaging process or MAP, i.e., oxygen removal using nitrogen or another purge gas. In other words, a single Dispenser Pack 12 or a plurality of Dispenser Packs 12 contained within a larger surrounding container may be exposed to a MAP process to reduce oxygen content and thus minimize microbe growth potential.

[0028] A suitable Dispenser Pack 12 is shown as a rolled version using a spool 24, but other Dispenser Pack configurations can be used. Separate, top and bottom, disposable conveyers may be used, fused along respective sides and between each food product. A snaked stack of food product may also be used where successive food products are stacked one atop the other with disposable conveyer located between and separating stacked food product elements. The compact stack may then be placed into a package and subject to environmental treatment, i.e., oxygen purge, etc. and refrigeration.

Dispensing System

[0029] The structure and function of the Dispensing System is as follows:

[0030] Dispenser Packs 12 are loaded into the Dispensing System 40, as best shown in FIG. 3. The consumable belt 20 of the Dispenser Pack 12 is threaded out through the Dispensing System 40 at exit slot 48. The conveyer 20 is unwound from around the food products 16, and then proceeds downwardly onto a take-up reel system 44. The threaded consumable belt 20 becomes a conveyor belt that presents the food products 16 to any sort of adjacent processing unit 50 that is required. The Dispensing System 40 meters out the food products 16 at a programmable rate. As the food products 16 get metered out they transfer off the consumable belt 20 and onto/into the separate processing unit 50, for example, onto an intake feed conveyer 52 for the processing system.

[0031] The Dispensing System 40 may include a refrigeration unit 42 that cools the upper compartment 41 where the Dispenser Packs 12 are placed for unwinding. The refrigeration unit 42 makes the Dispensing System 40 a stand-alone device that can maintain the fresh food products 16 in ready to use condition.

[0032] The Dispensing System 40 has an optical, mechanical, magnetic, Hall Effect or like non-contact sensor to sense when a Dispenser Pack 12 is empty. When this happens, the Dispensing System 40 signals an operator, or separate piece of automated equipment, to remove the empty Dispenser Pack 12 and the consumable belt 20 from the take up reel and empty, as necessary, the refuse collection box 46 positioned below the transfer point from the Dispenser System 40 to the processing system 50. The refuse collection box 46 collects drips of food product 16 which may collect on and drop from the conveyer 20 as it is wound onto the take-up reel/pinch roller 44. A full Dispenser Pack 12 is then loaded into the refrigerated upper compartment 41, the conveyer 20 threaded through the Dispensing System 40 and the dispensing process can begin again.

[0033] The Dispensing System 40 can have a plurality Dispenser Packs 12 that are controlled individually. The purpose of this feature is to have the ability to dispense different food products (i.e. beef, turkey, chicken, vegetable) from different Dispenser Packs 12 at different speeds. Food products 16 can be dispensed to single or multiple lanes for further processing, such as cooking.