Abstract: Particulate material falling from an end of a belt positioned within a rotatable hollowed drum is distributed over an axial width of the interior wall of the drum by a guiding device.

Abstract: A garniture applying apparatus includes a container having a wall, which circumscribes a container interior, and a base, which has a plurality of cavities for feeding garniture from the container interior through the base. A housing is affixed to the container adjacent the base, and positioned within the housing is at least one slidably reciprocable plate having a plurality of apertures positioned so that, upon reciprocation of the plate, the apertures reciprocate into and out of alignment with the base cavities to open and close the base cavities for feeding garniture from the cavities through the plate. A plurality of flexible tubes are attached to the housing for receiving garniture from the plate, each tube being in alignment with a respective one of the base cavities and extending away from the housing to a fixed end positioned for depositing garniture.

Abstract: A gripping device reciprocates vertically towards and away from a table surface having at least one groove to grip and remove articles from the surface. The gripping device has two jaw members connected to a cylinder so that a first jaw member is in a fixed position relative to the cylinder and so that a second jaw member is movable towards and away from the first jaw member.

Abstract: Food pieces are folded by depositing a food piece onto a conveyor and onto a rotatable bar which is positioned above the conveyor surface. The bar has a perimeter shape which conforms to a half perimeter shape of the food piece and is initially positioned to extend parallel to the conveyor surface. After a food piece has been deposited on the bar and conveyor surface, the bar is rotated in an arc about a bar axis of rotation so that the bar lifts up and folds a half portion of the deposited food piece over onto another half portion of the food piece on the conveyor surface. The bar is rotated to return it to its initial position, and the conveyor surface is advanced to transport the folded food piece. A filling may be deposited on the deposited food piece prior to folding the food piece.

Abstract: Spherical and quasi-spherical objects are fed from a vibratory feeder through at least one outfeed chute to an oscillable plate positioned beneath the chutes. The oscillable plate has pocket passages positioned therethrough so that upon oscillation of the plate in a first direction, a pocket passage aligns with each chute opening to receive an object.

Abstract: A rotary filling apparatus includes a rotatable drum body having an apex and a base, an outer circumferential wall which defines a drum periphery, and lateral walls which extend from the drum periphery into the drum body to define a plurality of spaced drum chambers. The lateral walls have aligned keyhole slots, positioned away from the drum periphery, and a vessel is slidably positioned in each drum chamber. A key, having a longitudinal axis and a cross-sectional area which increases from a base portion to a head portion, is positioned in the keyhole slots, so that upon longitudinal displacement of the key the vessel is caused to ascend or descend in the chamber, thereby decreasing or increasing the volume of the chamber. A cover plate is positioned adjacent the drum periphery, between the drum apex and base, for retaining material in drum chambers during rotation of the drum.

Abstract: An apparatus assembly for cutting a foodstuff has a conveyor and a carrier affixed to the conveyor for transporting a foodstuff, a cutting device having a circular blade and a pusher for positioning a foodstuff in the carrier for cutting. The carrier is separated into two,portions by a gap and has a hinged cover which extends from a position adjacent the gap for covering one portion of the carrier between the sidewalls. The cover is configured for holding the foodstuff in position in the carrier during cutting of the foodstuff, as the carrier passes a blade of the cutting device which passes through the gap from one sidewall to the other for cutting the foodstuff into pieces, and the cover also is configured for allowing, prior to cutting, the foodstuff to be pushed for positioning an amount of the foodstuff under the cover for cutting.

Abstract: A gripping device and process comprising:first and second matable jaw members;a cylinder adapted to reciprocate vertically;connecting the first jaw member to the cylinder such that, in operation, the cylinder and connection urge the first jaw member to open and close the jaws;maintaining the second jaw member in a fixed position relative to the cylinder;a fixed table positioned beneath the jaw members, provided with at least one transverse groove;transporting a product downstream on the fixed table to locate it with its upstream or downstream edge overlying the transverse groove;advancing the cylinder downwardly with the jaws in the open position to enable the lower end of the second jaw member to contact the product at its upstream or downstream end above the groove causing the product to tilt in the groove;activating the cylinder to close the jaws to grip the tilted product at its upper end;retracting the cylinder upwardly with the closed jaws gripping the product; anddeactivating the cylinder to open the j

Abstract: Articles are transferred by an apparatus having a hollowed frame lacking a continuous peripheral wall in which a guide is positioned for slidably containing an open-topped bowl. A hopper connected with a holding plate is positioned within the frame to reciprocate to be fixed to a bowl contained in the guide so that upon rotation of the frame which, in turn, rotates the hopper and holding plate and the guide containing a bowl having a product therein, the bowl in the guide is moved from an upright position to an inverted position. During the rotation, the hopper is covered to contain product and then, upon bowl inversion, the product is released.

Abstract: Portions of a product are obtained from a supply of the product and are weighed and distributed by an apparatus having a plurality of picking units, a computer and a distribution device. Each picking unit provides for gripping and removing a portion of a product from a supply of the product, for weighing and recording the weight of the removed, gripped portion, and for feeding the recorded weight of the removed, gripped portion to the computer. The computer, which is preprogrammed for a predetermined total weight and to combine a plurality of recorded weights to give a total weight substantially equal to the preprogrammed weight and to actuate release of a combination of portions from the picking units, computes the recorded weights to combine the recorded weights to give a total weight of a combination of a plurality of the portions substantially equal to the preprogrammed weight and then actuates release of the combination of portions which give the total weight for distribution.

Abstract: An apparatus for aligning and uniformly orienting fish includes a shuffle feed device for aligning and discharging fish in a single line and a conveyor having a longitudinal upper run positioned for receiving and conveying aligned and discharged fish in a single line, in which fish are orientated in the longitudinal plane of the conveyor. A sensor including an upper photocell and a lower photocell is positioned at a downstream end of the conveyor such that, in operation, the sensor distinguishes between head-end-first and tail-end-first orientations of fish passing the sensor based upon the sequence of activation of the photocells. Fish passing the sensor are uniformly oriented in the same orientation by control of the sensor.

Abstract: Foodstuffs re coated with particulate material by transporting the foodstuff on a conveyor belt and supplying particulate material which is sieved, such as with a mesh belt or a pronged fork positioned above the conveyor belt, thereby passing particulate material to the foodstuff but retaining lumps of particulate material above a predetermined size and transporting the retained lumps away from and in a direction transverse to the conveyor belt.

Abstract: An apparatus for coating a foodstuff with a particulate material has an endless meshed conveyor belt which is trained about a hollowed roller which has a longitudinally extending wall having apertures therethrough and about which the belt travels from a lower return run to an upper forward run. A baffle is positioned beneath at least a portion of the lower return run of the belt and is arced from the lower return belt run towards the upper forward belt run. A rotatable shaft from which radial wings protrude is positioned within the hollowed roller interior.

Abstract: Particulate material for coating foodstuffs falling from a belt of a conveyor within a rotatable drum is distributed substantially evenly over the interior wall of the drum by a guiding device which includes at least one movable plate which is positioned below the belt and which has a longitudinal axis parallel to the end of the belt. The particulate material distributed from the belt to the drum is conveyed by the drum to a conveyor which delivers particulate coating material to a foodstuff to be coated.

Abstract: Foodstuffs are transported on a conveyor to a cutting device which is actuated to move into a position for cutting and then cut the transported foodstuffs into portions. An ultrasonic measuring device takes foodstuff length and thickness information from the foodstuff transported by the conveyor to the cutting device. The information taken by the ultrasonic measuring device is fed to a control unit which processes the information and actuates the cutting device to move into a position to cut the foodstuff and then to cut the foodstuff into portions.

Abstract: A conveyor has a plurality of overlapping modules having horizontal and vertical flexibility while forming a tight surface which are provided by chain links which include an articulated pivot which is connected by a spring to a module lug.

Abstract: Sausage meat is fed through a tube of a cutting head and is cut by a cutter which is connected to a part of the cutting head which is rotatable.

Abstract: A machine for forming a pizza shell from a dough mass has a vertically reciprocable pressing head positioned above a base plate. Positioned around the circumference of the pressing head are a plurality of spaced fingers capable of reciprocating vertically and laterally. The lower ends of the fingers are adapted to press against the border of a pizza shell on the base plate to imitate manual fingertip pressure.

Abstract: An electromagnetically driven conveyor apparatus has an endless enclosure which is made of a non-magnetic material and which has an interior surface which defines an enclosed channel. Within the channel are a plurality of channel partitioning elements which have a magnetic core and which extend to edges which are slidably fitted against the interior surface of the channel enclosure. A prolongation is positioned between each partitioning element for spacing apart each successive partitioning element. At least two electromagnetic drive units, which movably reciprocate between two positions, are positioned adjacent an outside surface of the enclosure to effect transport of the partitioning elements. Infeed and outfeed units are associated with the channel enclosure for, respectively, introducing product to be conveyed into the channel and removing conveyed product from the channel.

Abstract: A corn husking machine has a hollow cylindrical drum defined by a circumferential wall rotatable about a substantially horizontal longitudinal axis. The drum wall has at least one aperture therethrough which is suitable for unhusked ears of corn to pass through from outside the drum to the hollow interior of the drum. A station is affixed to an interior portion of the drum wall adjacent each aperture and extends into the hollow of the drum. Each station has two elongated rollers positioned side by side, which are rotated in opposite directions, so that at a nip formed by adjacent surfaces of the rollers, husks of unhusked ears of corn passed through the adjacent aperture are seized by the rotating rollers and stripped off the ears and pulled between and through the nip. The husks are collected in a central portion of the hollow of the drum. For husking ears of minicorn, the rollers have a diameter of from 1 cm to 3 cm and are rotated at a speed of from 20 rpm to 250 rpm.