Patent · US Expired

Food patty molding machine

US4182003A · kind A · utility

112Cited by
2References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 28, 1978
Grant dateJan 8, 1980
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 28, 1998

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA22C7/00
  • WIPO fieldOther special machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A machine for molding hamburger patties and other similar food patties, of the kind incorporating a vacuum-intake plunger-type food pump that pumps food product from a supply hopper into mold cavities in a reciprocating mold plate, is equipped with a hydraulic drive system that drives both the food pump and a pair of feed screws that impel the food product toward the pump intake. The feed screws axes are approximately parallel to the direction of travel of the plunger and the outlet end of the feed screws is enclosed to preclude reverse movement of food product from the food pump into the supply hopper at the beginning of the pumping stroke; rotation of the feed screws is timed to coincide with the intake stroke of the pump in an arrangement that can be made to compensate for variations in pumped volume of the food product. A single hydraulic pump provides both a low-pressure hydraulic supply for plunger advance and a high-pressure hydraulic supply for plunger retraction and feed screw rotation. One electric motor powers both the hydraulic pump and a mechanical drive for the mold plate.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.