Abstract: A food patty molding machine has a reciprocating mold plate. A moldable food product is pumped through a fill passage into a cavity of the mold plate when the mold plate is in its fill position. A fill plate, interposed in the fill passage immediately adjacent the mold plate, has a multiplicity of fill apertures distributed in a predetermined pattern throughout an area aligned with the mold cavity when the mold plate is in its fill position. A fill block is fixed to the fill plate and includes a plurality of inverted L-shaped passages corresponding one-for-one with the fill apertures. The mold plate includes a longitudinal slot to accommodate relative longitudinal movement between the mold plate and the stationary fill block. The mold plate includes a transverse slot open into the longitudinal slot that defines the molding cavity. Loose ground meat can be filled in a horizontal direction into the cavity to provide a customary appearance to the packaged ground meat.

Abstract: A food patty molding machine has a reciprocating mold plate. A moldable food product is pumped through a fill passage into a cavity of the mold plate when the mold plate is in its fill position. A fill plate, interposed in the fill passage immediately adjacent the mold plate, has a multiplicity of fill apertures distributed in a predetermined pattern throughout an area aligned with the mold cavity when the mold plate is in its fill position. A fill block is fixed to the fill plate and includes a plurality of inverted L-shaped passages corresponding one-for-one with the fill apertures. The mold plate includes a longitudinal slot to accommodate relative longitudinal movement between the mold plate and the stationary fill block. The mold plate includes a transverse slot open into the longitudinal slot that defines the molding cavity. Loose ground meat can be filled in a horizontal direction into the cavity to provide a customary appearance to the packaged ground meat.

Abstract: A mold plate for a food patty-forming apparatus for forming food patties from pressurized food product, the apparatus having a food product delivery configured to deliver pressurized food product into a fill opening of the mold plate, a drive mechanism operatively connected to the mold plate to reciprocate the mold plate between a fill position and a discharge position in a longitudinal direction, includes at least one oblong opening for receiving a key for connecting the mold plate to the drive mechanism. Particularly, the mold plate includes two spaced apart transverse openings for receiving two keys for connecting the mold plate to the drive mechanism.

Abstract: A mold plate for a reciprocating mold plate food patty-forming apparatus has at least one laterally contoured region extending longitudinally. The contoured region has a raised top surface and a raised bottom surface. The mold plate has at least one cavity through the contoured region. A support plate has a recessed top surface extending longitudinally and corresponding in shape to the raised bottom surface of the mold plate and a fill opening in communication with the cavity when the mold plate is in the fill position during reciprocation of the mold plate. A breather plate has a recessed bottom surface extending longitudinally and corresponding in shape to the raised top surface of the mold plate. The top and bottom recessed surfaces of the support and breather plates respectively together form a longitudinal channel that closely conforms to the contoured region of the mold plate.

Abstract: A food patty-forming apparatus for forming food patties from pressurized food product includes a mold plate that is guided to reciprocate longitudinally between a fill position and a discharge position. The mold plate has a cavity that is open to the source of pressurized food product when in the fill position. The cavity is exposed when in the discharge position. A mold pattern having open areas and solid areas is arranged adjacent a first face of the cavity, and indented from a second face. A knockout plunger has open areas corresponding to the solid areas of the pattern and solid areas corresponding to the open areas of the mold pattern. The knockout plunger is shaped to allow the solid areas of the plunger to penetrate into the cavity past the first face of the cavity around the solid areas to displace a patty formed in the cavity.

Abstract: A mold plate for a reciprocating mold plate food patty-forming apparatus has at least one laterally contoured region extending longitudinally. The contoured region has a raised top surface and a raised bottom surface. The mold plate has at least one cavity through the contoured region. A support plate has a recessed top surface extending longitudinally and corresponding in shape to the raised bottom surface of the mold plate and a fill opening in communication with the cavity when the mold plate is in the fill position during reciprocation of the mold plate. A breather plate has a recessed bottom surface extending longitudinally and corresponding in shape to the raised top surface of the mold plate. The top and bottom recessed surfaces of the support and breather plates respectively together form a longitudinal channel that closely conforms to the contoured region of the mold plate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus (10) for forming molded food products having an outer first component (29) and an inner second component is provided. The apparatus (10) includes a pressurized supply of first component (29) and a pressurized supply of second component. A mold housing (31) extends along a first direction. A first end portion and a second end portion are arranged to be movable along the first direction within the mold housing (31) and to be separated by a pre-selected distance along the first direction. An injector tube (70) is in fluid communication with the supply of pressurized second component. The first and second end portions are arranged to be contained within the mold housing (31) in a fill position to form a mold cavity within the mold housing around the injector tube (70). The mold cavity has an inlet in fluid communication with the supply of pressurized first component (29) when in the fill position to receive first component (29) to form a shell having an inside void.

Abstract: A food patty-forming apparatus for forming food patties from pressurized food product includes a mold plate that is guided to reciprocate longitudinally between a fill position and a discharge position. The mold plate has a cavity that is open to the source of pressurized food product when in the fill position. The cavity is exposed when in the discharge position. A mold pattern having open areas and solid areas is arranged adjacent a first face of the cavity, and indented from a second face. A knockout plunger has open areas corresponding to the solid areas of the pattern and solid areas corresponding to the open areas of the mold pattern. The knockout plunger is shaped to allow the solid areas of the plunger to penetrate into the cavity past the first face of the cavity around the solid areas to displace a patty formed in the cavity.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming molded food products having an outer first component and an inner second component is provided. The apparatus includes a pressurized supply of first component and a pressurized supply of second component. A mold housing extends along a first direction. A first end portion and a second end portion are arranged to be movable along the first direction within the mold housing and to be separated by a pre-selected distance along the first direction. An injector tube is in fluid communication with the supply of pressurized second component. The first and second end portions are arranged to be contained within the mold housing in a fill position to form a mold cavity within the mold housing around the injector tube. The mold cavity has an inlet in fluid communication with the supply of pressurized first component when in the fill position to receive first component to form a shell having an inside void.

Abstract: A mold plate for a reciprocating mold plate food patty-forming apparatus has at least one laterally contoured region extending longitudinally. The contoured region has a raised top surface and a raised bottom surface. The mold plate has at least one cavity through the contoured region. A support plate has a recessed top surface extending longitudinally and corresponding in shape to the raised bottom surface of the mold plate and a fill opening in communication with the cavity when the mold plate is in the fill position during reciprocation of the mold plate. A breather plate has a recessed bottom surface extending longitudinally and corresponding in shape to the raised top surface of the mold plate. The top and bottom recessed surfaces of the support and breather plates respectively together form a longitudinal channel that closely conforms to the contoured region of the mold plate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming molded food products having an outer first component and an inner second component is provided. The apparatus includes a pressurized supply of first component and a pressurized supply of second component. A mold housing extends along a first direction. A first end portion and a second end portion are arranged to be movable along the first direction within the mold housing and to be separated by a pre-selected distance along the first direction. An injector tube is in fluid communication with the supply of pressurized second component. The first and second end portions are arranged to be contained within the mold housing in a fill position to form a mold cavity within the mold housing around the injector tube. The mold cavity has an inlet in fluid communication with the supply of pressurized first component when in the fill position to receive first component to form a shell having an inside void.