Patents Assigned to Thurne Engineering Co. Ltd.
  • Patent number: 5209339
    Abstract: A conveyor system for multiplying one or more input streams of product into two or more output streams of product is constituted by an input conveyor (4) for conveying the one or more input streams of product, a transfer conveyor (5) which is movable bodily in a direction transverse to its conveying direction and which is arranged to receive products from the input conveyor (4), and a multi-lane output conveyor (6) which carries multiple side-by-side streams of product and is arranged to receive products from the transfer conveyor (5). The conveyor system also includes apparatus to control the forward movement of the products in the one or more input streams of product, and the forward movement of the products in each stream on the output conveyor (6) to enable the products to be aligned with one another across the output conveyor. Preferably the control apparatus collects successive products into groups so that the products are transferred from the input conveyor (4) to the transfer conveyor (5) in groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1993
    Assignee: Thurne Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Peter H. Antonissen
  • Patent number: 5136906
    Abstract: A slicing machine for cutting slices from a product includes a camera (6) which views a cut face (5) of the product. A boundary recognition processor (14) processes image signals from the camera (6) to determine a boundary of the cut face (5). A parameter characteristic of the cut face (5) is calculated from image data corresponding to regions of the cut face within the determined boundary. A control signal generating circuit generates a control signal to control the operation of the slicer in accordance with the determined parameter.In a preferred example, the boundary is analysed to determine the location of any secondary regions (10) of the cut face (5) and the characteristic parameter is calculated from image data corresponding to regions of the cut face other than the secondary regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1992
    Assignee: Thurne Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Peter Antonissen, Hugh M. Arthur
  • Patent number: 5125303
    Abstract: A combined jump conveyor and slicing machine includes a jump conveyor formed by a first short conveyor (1) adjacent the slicing blade (3) of the slicing machine having a length substantially equal to the length of one or two shingled slices in the shingled direction and a second conveyor (2) downstream of the first conveyor (1). Both conveyors (1 and 2) of the jump conveyor have an independent drive (7,8) and a controller (9) to drive the two conveyors at the same speed or at different speeds. The independent drive (7) and controller (9) of the first conveyor (1) also enable it to be driven at high speed in the reverse direction away from the second conveyor (2) to reject slices cut by the slicing blade (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1992
    Assignee: Thurne Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Trevor B. Hoyland
  • Patent number: 5079982
    Abstract: A slicing machine includes a rotatable blade (1) and a feeding device (4, 5) for feeding blocks of product (46) towards the blade (1). The feeding device comprises opposed driven endless track assemblies (4, 5) having their adjacent faces arranged to be driven in the same direction. One of the opposed track assemblies (4) is formed by a number of separate side-by-side endless tracks (6, 7, 8, 9) which are pivotally connected to a common support (20). The number of separate tracks (6, 7, 8, 9) have a ganged drive and pneumatic rams (22) which, in use, urge the downstream ends of the tracks independently towards the block of product (46) so that the separate tracks pivot independently and hold a block of product (46) the thickness of which is not uniform in the transverse direction. The support (20) supports the upstream ends of the endless tracks (6, 7, 8, 9) and is slideably mounted for movement in a direction parallel to the plane of the blade (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1992
    Assignee: Thurne Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Peter Antonissen
  • Patent number: 4927000
    Abstract: A conveyor system for positioning slices of meat or other foodstuffs by converting M input streams of products into N output streams of products where M is an integer greater than one and N is an integer not equal to M comprises an input conveyor (15, 55) for conveying M input streams and an output conveyor (16, 58) for conveying N output streams. It also includes a multi-element strip conveyor (17, 18, 56, 57) having its upstream input end arranged to receive products (P) from an input stream and having its downstream end arranged to move laterally to deposit products from the input stream into an output stream shifted laterally with respect to the input stream. The conveying elements (37, 41, 67) of the multi-element strip conveyor (17, 18, 56, 57) are arranged to conform as its downstream end moves laterally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1990
    Assignee: Thurne Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Trevor B. Hoyland, Richard Payne
  • Patent number: 4846336
    Abstract: A conveyor system for positioning slices of meat or other foodstuffs by converting M input streams of products into N output streams of products where M is an integer greater than one and N is an integer not equal to M comprises an input conveyor (15, 55) for conveying M input streams and an output conveyor (16,58) for conveying N output streams. It also includes a multi-element strip conveyor (17, 18, 56, 57) having its upstream input end arranged to receive products (P) from an input stream and having its downstream end arranged to move laterally to deposit products from the input stream into an output stream shifted laterally with respect to the input stream. The conveying elements (37, 41, 67) of the multi-element strip conveyor (17, 18, 56, 57) are arranged to conform as its downstream and moves laterally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1987
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1989
    Assignee: Thurne Engineering Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Trevor B. Hoyland, Richard Payne
  • Patent number: 4537005
    Abstract: A machine for applying adhesive tape ties to filled bags comprises an adhesive tape path leading from an adhesive tape supply reel 1, manually movable accommodation means 6 which are located on one side of the adhesive tape path, which face the adhesive side of the adhesive tape 10, which accommodate the gathered together neck 40 of a bag, and which control its movement through the machine, an adhesive tape support 28 which is located on the other side of the adhesive tape path and which converges with and joins the adhesive tape path at a contact region 31 with substantially only line contact between them, a paper tape path leading from a paper tape supply reel 4 into contact with the adhesive tape path immediately downstream of the contact region 31 from the opposite side of the adhesive tape path, and a cutter 7 arranged to sever the adhesive 10 and paper 32 tapes to complete the tie.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1985
    Assignee: Thurne Engineering Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Trevor B. Hoyland
  • Patent number: 4534149
    Abstract: A bag tying machine comprises a guide (17, 18) which receives the open end part of a filled bag as it is moved through the machine, a follow-up member (29) which is movable adjacent the guide (17, 18) following a bag to gather together the open end of the bag, and means (39, 40, 43) for supplying a length of pressure sensitive adhesive tape and holding it across the path of the gathered together end of the bag. The machine also includes a pair of pivoted arms (20, 21) having a first pair of jaws (30, 31), upstream from the length of pressure sensitive adhesive tape and against which the gathered together end of the bag is initially compressed, and a second pair of jaws (34, 35) immediately downstream of the adhesive tape which support the adhesive tape as the gathered together neck of the bag is urged into contact with it and which then clamp the adhesive tape around the gathered together neck of the bag to tie it together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1984
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1985
    Assignee: Thurne Engineering Co. Ltd.
    Inventor: Trevor B. Hoyland