Patents Assigned to Dallas A.C. Horn & Co.
  • Patent number: 6837361
    Abstract: A collator includes a first conveyor having a discharge end and a second receiving conveyor positioned below the discharge end of the first conveyor. As each product bag falls toward the second conveyor, an air blast assists in uprighting the bag. The second conveyor may be temporarily operated at a high speed to separate the product bags into groups. A deflector may be mounted at the discharge end of the second conveyor for directing product bags into containers. A diverter may be used to direct incoming product bags between parallel conveyors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: Dallas A.C. Horn & Co.
    Inventors: John Mark Singleton, Mark A. Ritter
  • Patent number: 6688455
    Abstract: A collator includes a first conveyor having a discharge end and a second receiving conveyor positioned below the discharge end of the first conveyor. As each product bag falls toward the second conveyor, an air blast assists in uprighting the bag. The second conveyor may be temporarily operated at a high speed to separate the product bags into groups. A deflector may be mounted at the discharge end of the second conveyor for directing product bags into containers. A diverter may be used to direct incoming product bags between parallel conveyors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Dallas A. C. Horn & Co.
    Inventors: John Mark Singleton, Mark A. Ritter
  • Patent number: 6382391
    Abstract: A collator includes a first conveyor having a discharge end and a second receiving conveyor positioned below the discharge end of the first conveyor. As each product bag falls toward the second conveyor, an air blast assists in uprighting the bag. The second conveyor may be temporarily operated at a high speed to separate the product bags into groups. A deflector may be mounted at the discharge end of the second conveyor for directing product bags into containers. Chutes may be used to direct incoming product bags between parallel conveyors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: Dallas A.C. Horn & Co.
    Inventors: John Mark Singleton, Mark A. Ritter
  • Patent number: 6290051
    Abstract: The decelerator pin is supported on a pin stop of the type used to locate a jigskid at a manufacturing location. The decelerator pin is supported with pivotal movement between a first position wherein it is positioned ahead of the pin stop with respect to the path of travel of the jigskid and a second position wherein the jigskid engages the pin stop. The decelerator pin is operatively connected to a shock absorber which slows the movement of the jigskid as it approaches the pin stop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: Dallas A.C. Horn & Co.
    Inventor: Harold Herrick, IV
  • Patent number: 6244018
    Abstract: A collator includes a first conveyor having a discharge end and a second receiving conveyor positioned below the discharge end of the first conveyor. As each product bag falls toward the second conveyor, an air blast assists in uprighting the bag. The second conveyor may be temporarily operated at a high speed to separate the product bags into groups. A deflector may be mounted at the discharge end of the second conveyor for directing product bags into containers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Dallas A. C. Horn & Co.
    Inventor: Mark A. Ritter
  • Patent number: 6112877
    Abstract: The decelerator pin is supported on a pin stop of the type used to locate a jigskid at a manufacturing location. The decelerator pin is supported with pivotal movement between a first position wherein it is positioned ahead of the pin stop with respect to the path of travel of the jigskid and a second position wherein the jigskid engages the pin stop. The decelerator pin is operatively connected to a shock absorber which slows the movement of the jigskid as it approaches the pin stop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2000
    Assignee: Dallas A. C. Horn & Co.
    Inventor: Harold Herrick, IV
  • Patent number: 5941365
    Abstract: A collator includes a first conveyor having a rotatable drum positioned at its discharge end. The rotatable drum is comprised of a plurality of disks. Two pairs of air nozzles are positioned between the rotating disks of the rotatable drum. A second receiving conveyor is positioned below the discharge end of the first conveyor. Bagged products move along the first conveyor and are discharged over the rotating drum of the first conveyor. As each product bag falls toward the second conveyor, an air blast assists in uprighting the bag. A sensor indicates that the product bag is properly positioned for uprighting by the air blast. A programmable logic controller ("PLC") which controls the operation of the collator in accordance with the size of the product bags.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: Dallas A.C. Horn & Co.
    Inventor: Mark A. Ritter
  • Patent number: 5927186
    Abstract: A food breading apparatus for breading food components with a breading mixture includes a breading drum rotatable about its longitudinal axis wherein the longitudinal axis is inclined from horizontal. The drum includes an inlet opening located in an upper end, an outlet opening located in a lower end, and a plurality of openings located proximal to the lower end of a sidewall. The openings are sized to allow surplus breading mixture and lumps of breading mixture to pass therethrough but retain the breaded food product in the rotating breading drum. An inlet conveyor provides food components to be breaded to the inlet opening of the breading drum. A recirculating breading mixture conveyor provides the breading mixture to the inlet opening. A takeout conveyor moves the breaded food components from the outlet opening of the breading drum. A lump removal conveyor is positioned below the plurality of openings in the sidewall of the breading drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1999
    Assignee: Dallas A.C. Horn & Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Harold Herrick, IV
  • Patent number: 5927628
    Abstract: An apparatus for grinding foodstuffs includes a grinding chamber comprising a housing having fixed and driven grinding members positioned therein. The driven grinding member is mounted at one end of a drive shaft, and apparatus is provided at the opposite end of the drive shaft for positioning the drive shaft longitudinally and thereby positioning the driven grinding member relative to the fixed grinding member. The housing supports the driven grinding member and is mounted for pivotal movement about horizontal and vertical axes to vary the parallelism of the fixed grinding member relative to the driven grinding member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1999
    Assignee: Dallas A. C. Horn & Co.
    Inventors: Paul G. Lima, John Mark Singleton
  • Patent number: 5855165
    Abstract: A food breading apparatus for breading food components with a breading mixture includes a breading drum rotatable about its longitudinal axis wherein the longitudinal axis is inclined from horizontal. The drum includes an inlet opening located in an upper end, an outlet opening located in a lower end, and a plurality of perforations located proximal to the lower end and through a sidewall of the drum. The perforations are sized to allow surplus breading mixture and lumps of breading mixture to pass therethrough but to retain the breaded food product in the rotating breading drum. An inlet conveyor provides food products to be breaded to the inlet opening of the breading drum. A recirculating breading mixture conveyor provides the breading mixture to the inlet opening. A takeout conveyor moves the breaded food products from the outlet opening of the breading drum. A lump removal conveyor is positioned below the plurality of perforations in the sidewall of the breading drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1999
    Assignee: Dallas A.C. Horn & Co.
    Inventor: Harold Herrick, IV
  • Patent number: 5664489
    Abstract: A food breading apparatus for breading food components with a breading mixture includes a breading drum rotatable about its longitudinal axis wherein the longitudinal axis is inclined from horizontal. The drum includes an inlet opening located in an upper end, an outlet opening located in a lower end, and a plurality of openings located proximal to the lower end of a sidewall. The openings are sized to allow surplus breading mixture and lumps of breading mixture to pass therethrough but retain the breaded food product in the rotating breading drum. An inlet conveyor provides food components to be breaded to the inlet opening of the breading drum. A recirculating breading mixture conveyor provides the breading mixture to the inlet opening. A takeout conveyor moves the breaded food components from the outlet opening of the breading drum. A lump removal conveyor is positioned below the plurality of openings in the sidewall of the breading drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Dallas A.C. Horn & Co.
    Inventor: Harold Herrick, IV
  • Patent number: 5615762
    Abstract: In a conveyor apparatus, bagged food products fall from a first inclined belt onto a second horizontal belt. As they fall, the bagged food products engage a bar and flip forwardly onto the second belt. The bar has a friction enhancing covering which aids in pivoting the bagged food product onto the second belt, resulting in a properly collated array of bagged food products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1997
    Assignee: Dallas A.C. Horn & Co., Inc.
    Inventor: William B. Dyess