Patents by Inventor Peter Knodel

Peter Knodel has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240049732
    Abstract: A coextrusion head for a food processing machine includes a feed line section having an inner pipe for conducting in the production direction a food mass to be formed into a strand. An inlet end of the inner pipe is connectable to an outlet of a stuffing machine. A housing extends in the production direction from the feed line section and surrounding the inner pipe. A receiving chamber, formed between the inner pipe and the housing, for a casing material to be applied to the strand. The receiving chamber has a housing inlet for the casing material. The feed line section and the housing are integrally embodied and the coextrusion head further includes a die attachment that has a die opening shaped correspondingly to the inner pipe and that is connected to the housing. A food processing machine having a coextrusion head and a corresponding assembly method are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2023
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Inventors: Halis Baris, Peter Knodel, Olaf Grote, Malte Regenhardt
  • Publication number: 20230018994
    Abstract: A cutting machine includes a cutting device and a co-operating conveyor device for conveying food products in a conveying direction. The conveyor device includes at least one conveyor unit having a conveyor belt which is guided by at least one deflection roll and which comes into contact with the food products in the contact area and having at least one guide means for guiding the conveyor belt. The at least one guide means has a first support portion for supporting the conveyor belt at a first height and a second support portion for supporting it at a second height, these heights being spaced apart in a direction extending perpendicularly to the conveying direction, and at least one recess arranged between the first height and the second height, in which the conveyor belt can give way at least partly due to contact with a food product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2022
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Inventors: Peter Knodel, Peter Hoffmann
  • Publication number: 20220361512
    Abstract: A portioning device is provided for forming portions from elongate casings stuffed with food mass, in particular for forming sausages from alginate casings stuffed with sausage meat. The portioning device includes two circulating conveyor members spaced apart from one another and drivable by at least one drive element, and at least one crimping member arranged on each conveyor member and projecting laterally from the conveyor member. It is proposed that at least one of the crimping members has such a shape, on its functional area that in the conveying area at least partially faces an opposite crimping member, that corrugations, creases and/or folds extending substantially parallel to the conveying direction, in particular, are formed in the constricted portion of the casing, thereby producing a desirable shape for the portions separated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2022
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Inventors: Peter Knodel, Sven Kohler
  • Publication number: 20220361513
    Abstract: A separator is provided for separating portions from elongate casings stuffed with food mass, in particular for separating sausages from alginate casings stuffed with sausage meat. The separator includes two circulating conveyor members spaced apart from one another and drivable by at least one drive element, and at least one crimping member arranged on each conveyor member. It is proposed that the legs of a crimping portion of the crimping members are curved on their side facing an adjacently arranged second crimping member in operation, such that the stuffed casing is first constricted in a constriction region with displacement of the food mass and then severed, producing a desirable shape for the portions separated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2022
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Inventor: Peter Knodel
  • Patent number: 11337430
    Abstract: An apparatus for processing a foodstuff material is provided, specifically for producing sausage products from sausage meat. The apparatus includes a stationary housing which has a wall and which can be connected in fluid-conducting relationship to a conveyor pump, and has a discharge opening for delivery of the foodstuff material. Arranged within the housing is an element for partially swirling the foodstuff material within the housing, which is rotatable relative to the wall and along which in operation at least a partial amount of the foodstuff material to be conveyed flows. The rotatable element ends within the housing before the discharge opening for delivery of the foodstuff material. The apparatus can produce a string with a substantially cylindrical outer contour from a foodstuff material like sausage meat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: VEMAG Maschinenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Knodel, Mitja Wagner, Fritjof Wesemann, Johann Walger, Oliver Brecht
  • Publication number: 20210212328
    Abstract: An apparatus for processing a foodstuff material is provided, specifically for producing sausage products from sausage meat. The apparatus includes a stationary housing which has a wall and which can be connected in fluid-conducting relationship to a conveyor pump, and has a discharge opening for delivery of the foodstuff material. Arranged within the housing is an element for partially swirling the foodstuff material within the housing, which is rotatable relative to the wall and along which in operation at least a partial amount of the foodstuff material to be conveyed flows. The rotatable element ends within the housing before the discharge opening for delivery of the foodstuff material. The apparatus can produce a string with a substantially cylindrical outer contour from a foodstuff material like sausage meat.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Publication date: July 15, 2021
    Inventors: Peter Knodel, Mitja Wagner, Fritjof Wesemann, Johann Walger, Oliver Brecht
  • Patent number: 10638766
    Abstract: Apparatus for orient sausages and methods of orienting sausages. The apparatus has at least one conveyor device with a moveable, in particular circulating, conveyor element on which individual sausages can be placed and transported in a conveyor direction along a path of movement. Two orientation devices are spaced from each other transversely relative to the conveyor direction and which are arranged above the moveable conveyor element, and each having at least one respective guide for laterally guiding the sausages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: VEMAG MASCHINENBAU GMBH
    Inventors: Peter Knodel, Christoph Thelen, Thorsten Meininger
  • Publication number: 20180042248
    Abstract: Apparatus for orient sausages and methods of orienting sausages. The apparatus has at least one conveyor device with a moveable, in particular circulating, conveyor element on which individual sausages can be placed and transported in a conveyor direction along a path of movement. Two orientation devices are spaced from each other transversely relative to the conveyor direction and which are arranged above the moveable conveyor element, and each having at least one respective guide for laterally guiding the sausages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2017
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Inventors: Peter Knodel, Christoph Thelen, Thorsten Meininger
  • Patent number: 8678030
    Abstract: A filling flow divider for portioning a filling substance includes at least two divider elements operatively connected together, each including a stator having a main chamber, a rotor in the main chamber and rotatable about an axis of rotation, and at least two blade elements fitted into the rotor. The blade elements are independently displaceable relative to the rotor in the radial direction as the rotor rotates in the main chamber. The filling flow divider includes at least two connecting devices coupling the rotors of the at least two divider elements such that the rotor and blade elements of one divider element are disposed at a different rotary angle position as the rotor and blade elements of an adjacent divider element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: VEMAG Maschinenbau GmbH
    Inventor: Peter Knodel
  • Patent number: 8342318
    Abstract: Suspension devices for suspending strings of sausages in loops. The suspension device may include hooks configured for carrying a loop of the string of sausages and a guide and drive device coupled with the hooks. The guide and drive device is configured for guiding and driving the hooks along a path of movement. The guide and drive device has a drivable circulating drive element for spaced receiving of the hooks and for driving the hooks. The suspension device may include a height-altering device that alters the height of the hooks during the movement of the hooks along the path of movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: VEMAG Maschinenbau GmbH
    Inventor: Peter Knodel
  • Publication number: 20120231714
    Abstract: The invention concerns an apparatus (1) for suspending sausage strings in loops (2), comprising a guide and drive device for guiding and driving hooks (8) along a path of movement, which has a drivable circulating drive element for spacedly receiving and for driving a plurality of hooks (8), and a plurality of hooks (8) which can be coupled to the drive element for carrying a loop (2) of the sausage string. The apparatus has a catch device (10) for catching a loop (2), which is arranged beneath and substantially radially outside the path of movement of the hooks. The invention further concerns a method of feeding sausage strings to an apparatus and a catch device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2012
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: VEMAG MASCHINENBAU GMBH
    Inventors: Harry Krompholz, Peter Knodel, Jörg Bilowski
  • Publication number: 20110130082
    Abstract: The invention concerns an apparatus for suspending strings of sausages in loops, the apparatus including a guide and drive device for guiding and driving hooks along a path of movement. The guide and drive device includes a drivable circulating drive element for spaced receiving and driving a plurality of hooks. The apparatus also includes a plurality of hooks which can be coupled to the drive element for carrying a loop of the string of sausages. The apparatus further includes a fixing device for steplessly fixing the hooks at various spacing relative to each other on the drive element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2010
    Publication date: June 2, 2011
    Applicant: VEMAG MASCHINENBAU GMBH
    Inventor: Peter Knodel
  • Publication number: 20110108391
    Abstract: Suspension devices for suspending strings of sausages in loops. The suspension device may include hooks configured for carrying a loop of the string of sausages and a guide and drive device coupled with the hooks. The guide and drive device is configured for guiding and driving the hooks along a path of movement. The guide and drive device has a drivable circulating drive element for spaced receiving of the hooks and for driving the hooks. The suspension device may include a height-altering device that alters the height of the hooks during the movement of the hooks along the path of movement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Publication date: May 12, 2011
    Applicant: VEMAG MASCHINENBAU GMBH
    Inventor: Peter Knodel
  • Publication number: 20110079304
    Abstract: A filling flow divider for portioning a filling substance includes at least two divider elements operatively connected together, each including a stator having a main chamber, a rotor in the main chamber and rotatable about an axis of rotation, and at least two blade elements fitted into the rotor. The blade elements are independently displaceable relative to the rotor in the radial direction as the rotor rotates in the main chamber. The filling flow divider includes at least two connecting devices coupling the rotors of the at least two divider elements such that the rotor and blade elements of one divider element are disposed at a different rotary angle position as the rotor and blade elements of an adjacent divider element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2010
    Publication date: April 7, 2011
    Applicant: VEMAG MASCHINENBAU GMBH
    Inventor: Peter Knodel
  • Publication number: 20090090228
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for allocating packaging material, in particular paper, to apportioned foods, having these steps: delivery of portions of a food onto a first conveyor belt, delivery and allocation of packaging material to the portions, characterized in that the packaging material is fed to the first conveyor belt and allocated to the portions without first being cut, and that the packaging material is then cut between two portions. The invention also relates to a corresponding device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2008
    Publication date: April 9, 2009
    Applicant: VEMAG Maschinenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Frank Weller, Peter Knodel, Heiko Walter