Apparatus and method for stacking food portions
US6814534B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 28, 2002 |
| Grant date | Nov 9, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 30, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB65B25/065
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus for stacking substantially rigid food portions in preparation for packaging, and without human intervention, including a conveyor for receiving and moving food portions, at least one counter for counting each of the food portions as the food portion is moved by the conveyor, and a rotary transporter having multiple generally right-angled notches for receiving food portions from the conveyor and moving the food portions into a stack. The conveyor, counter, and rotary transporter are cooperatively interconnected by a programmable computer so that a predetermined number of food portions is moved from the conveyor onto the transporter, where the transporter moves the food portions into a substantially horizontal stack of vertically oriented food portions.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.