Patent · US Expired

Food processing system

US5782169A · kind A · utility

2Cited by
13References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJun 3, 1997
Grant dateJul 21, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 3, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA21B7/00
  • WIPO fieldOther special machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A food processing system which includes a product baking stage (10), a product processing stage (11) and an endless conveyor (19) which is driven to carry product support trays (22) serially through the processing and baking stages. The endless conveyor (19) has a forward path (20) which extends through both the processing and the baking stages and a return path (21). The baking stage (10) comprises a baking chamber (26) through which the conveyor is guided to follow a path which includes a plurality of horizontal passes (27). The processing stage (11) comprises three interconnected compartments (29, 30 and 31) and in two of the compartments (29 and 30) the conveyor is guided to follow paths which include a plurality of horizontal passes (32). In the third processing compartment (31) both the forward path (20) and the return path (21) of the conveyor are guided to make a plurality of vertically extending passes. A conveyor transport mechanism (36) is located within the third processing compartment (31) and is drivable (upwardly and downwardly) in the vertical direction to effect simultaneously complementary changes in the lengths of the forward and return path portions of the conve…

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