Abstract: A transfer conveyor for food process lines has an endless conveyor belt characterized by an upper, food-product carrying run and a lower, return run. The upper, food-product carrying run defines a transit plane. The upper, food-product carrying run also extends between an intake end and a discharge end. The upper, food-product carrying run furthermore has a first pleat below the transit plane proximate the intake end and a second spaced-away pleat below the transit plane proximate the discharge end. These spaced-away pleats partitioning the upper, food-product carrying run into an intake-end span and a discharge-end span cooperatively flanking a mid-span. Wherein the transfer conveyor additionally includes one scale servicing the intake-end span of the upper, food-product carrying run and another scale servicing the discharge-end span.

Abstract: A transfer conveyor for food process lines is equipped with hardware to enable pivoting in place and other hardware to enable and reversible expansion and contraction of the transfer conveyor, or at least the upper, food-product carrying run of the endless conveyor belt therefor.

Abstract: A transfer conveyor for food process lines is equipped with hardware to enable pivoting in place and other hardware to enable and reversible expansion and contraction of the transfer conveyor, or at least the upper, food-product carrying run of the endless conveyor belt therefor.

Abstract: A transfer conveyor for food process lines is equipped with hardware to enable pivoting in place and other hardware to enable and reversible expansion and contraction of the transfer conveyor, or at least the upper, food-product carrying run of the endless conveyor belt therefor.

Abstract: A food product coating apparatus has a main conveyor, a coating-material spreading system for spreading coating material across the main conveyor, and a coating-material recirculation system for recirculating excess-coating material spilling out the discharge end of the main conveyor. The recirculation system has at least one transverse collection conveyor and at least one counter-flow return conveyor, both of which like the main conveyor made of solid web material. The coating-material spreading system comprises a first overhead sifting loader near the intake end and a spaced away second overhead sifting loader. A food-product inflow conveyor transfers an inflow of food product to the main conveyor between the first and second loaders.

Abstract: A transfer conveyor for food process lines is equipped with hardware to enable pivoting in place and other hardware to enable and reversible expansion and contraction of the transfer conveyor, or at least the upper, food-product carrying run of the endless conveyor belt therefor.

Abstract: Work-saving improvements for food-process lines include (1) mounting alternate machines of a food process line on pivot hardware to speed up washing and maintenance operations, (2) mounting the machines on rolling riding gear in order to speed up the activities of building and re-building food process lines of a different series of machines, or (3) isolate the food process line in its own tunnel and hence its own climate-controlled atmosphere to reduce conflicts with running two food process lines side by side where one food process line is a source of air borne allergens.

Abstract: A food product coating apparatus has a main conveyor, a coating-material spreading system for spreading coating material across the main conveyor, and a coating-material recirculation system for recirculating excess-coating material spilling out the discharge end of the main conveyor. The recirculation system has at least one transverse collection conveyor and at least one counter-flow return conveyor, both of which like the main conveyor made of solid web material. The coating-material spreading system comprises a first overhead sifting loader near the intake end and a spaced away second overhead sifting loader. A food-product inflow conveyor transfers an inflow of food product to the main conveyor between the first and second loaders.

Abstract: A drum-type coating apparatus for applying breading material to food product is configured to eliminate, in most circumstances, a hard cylindrical drum, to be replaced by a U-hanging belt, the belly of which provides all the operative utility of a cylindrical hard drum, but better than that, provides more clearance for cleaning operations, since the upper hemi-cylinder of a hard cylindrical drum provides no utility for tumbling purposes and only, to make matters worse, obstructs cleaning operations. Also, the overall coating apparatus for supporting the U-hanging belt, flexible drum is provided with provisions for the exchangeable substitution or elimination of accessories of the tumbling and/or flipping nature, including the U-hanging belt, flexible drum itself. In the elimination configuration, food product is not routed through any tumbling and/or flipping accessory but is instead run through a flat bed configuration. That way, delicate food product is protected from disintegration.

Abstract: A hot oil fryer for continuous frying duty in continuous food process lines has a frame, a cooking channel carried by the frame, a conveyor through the cooking channel having an upper food product carrying-run and a lower return runs, a bed of elongated heat exchanger tubes inside the cooking channel for circulating a thermal fluid, and a combustion-fired thermal oil heater supported by the frame off the floor for heating the thermal fluid which is circulated through the bed of elongated heat exchanger tubes. Preferably the cooking channel is elongated, as also preferably is the combustion-fired thermal oil heater carried, which is laid down to extend along a horizontal axis underneath the cooking channel. The combustion-fired thermal oil heater is fed either fuel-oil or a fuel-gas for combusting therein.

Abstract: A food product coating apparatus has a main conveyor, a coating-material spreading system for spreading coating material across the main conveyor, and a coating-material recirculation system for recirculating excess-coating material spilling out the discharge end of the main conveyor. The recirculation system has at least one transverse collection conveyor and at least one counter-flow return conveyor, both of which like the main conveyor made of solid web material. The coating-material spreading system comprises a first overhead sifting loader near the intake end and a spaced away second overhead sifting loader. A food-product inflow conveyor transfers an inflow of food product to the main conveyor between the first and second loaders.

Abstract: A hot oil fryer for continuous frying duty in continuous food process lines has a frame, a cooking channel carried by the frame, a conveyor through the cooking channel having an upper food product carrying-run and a lower return runs, a bed of elongated heat exchanger tubes inside the cooking channel for circulating a thermal fluid, and a combustion-fired thermal oil heater supported by the frame off the floor for heating the thermal fluid which is circulated through the bed of elongated heat exchanger tubes. Preferably the cooking channel is elongated, as also preferably is the combustion-fired thermal oil heater carried, which is laid down to extend along a horizontal axis underneath the cooking channel. The combustion-fired thermal oil heater is fed either fuel-oil or a fuel-gas for combusting therein.

Abstract: A drum-type coating apparatus for applying breading material to food products is configured to eliminate, in most circumstances, a hard cylindrical drum, to be replaced by a U-hanging belt, the belly of which provides all the operative utility of a cylindrical hard drum, but better than that, provides more clearance for cleaning operations, since the upper hemi-cylinder of a hard cylindrical drum provides no utility for tumbling purposes and only, to make matters worse, obstructs cleaning operations.

Abstract: A food product coating apparatus has a main conveyor, a coating-material spreading system for spreading coating material across the main conveyor, and a coating-material recirculation system for recirculating excess-coating material spilling out the discharge end of the main conveyor. The recirculation system has at least one transverse collection conveyor and at least one counter-flow return conveyor, both of which like the main conveyor made of solid web material. The coating-material spreading system comprises a first overhead sifting loader near the intake end and a spaced away second overhead sifting loader. A food-product inflow conveyor transfers an inflow of food product to the main conveyor between the first and second loaders.

Abstract: A food-product loader (16) has a conveyor (18) passing through its cabinet (26), and the cabinet (26) is formed with a bulk hopper (28). The loader (16) is loaded with elongate pieces of food-product by way of dumping a heaping mass of the food-product pieces into the bulk hopper (28) all at one time. The loader (16) ultimately handles the heap of food-product pieces such that, the loader (16) loads the pieces onto the conveyor 18 in neat lanes, with individual pieces slightly spaced apart from one another. To do this, the loader (16) is constructed with a series or array of soft-sided dispensing sleeves or funnels (20) which are mechanically massaged to tease out one piece at a time, and only one piece at a time.

Abstract: Apparatus for coating food products with breading material has an excess breading-material circulation/re-circulation system, which itself has a main, central product-intake conveyor scraping across an up-sloping bottom panel flanked by left and right elevators that course through up-sloping gutters astride the central conveyor's bottom panel. The central conveyor is relatively broad but shallow for only carrying a relatively light load that becomes a bottom bed of breading material for conveyance of food product thereon. In contrast, the elevators are relatively deep but thin in order to carry relatively-substantial streams of breading material, and disproportionate to their thin width, which are ultimately elevated to a topcoat-applicator and becomes a top-coating of breading material. One or more plows are arranged in the overhead space above the central conveyor to divert a main stream of excess breading material into one or more diverted streams aimed at the flanking elevators.

Abstract: A cellularly-integrated food process line (30) is a combination of several diverse cells (32, 24, 36, 38), which are diverse because each performs non-identical operations. Such cells (32, 24, 36, 38) are configured to perform at least one sub-process as marinade, form, cook, dust coat, batter coat, crumb coat, fry, sear, grill mark or freeze, as well as any two or several of those sub-processes in combination. The cells (32, 24, 36, 38) are also configured to stack vertically in interchangeable combinations, as desired, to form a tower. Changing the combination or sequence of such cells (32, 24, 36, 38) correspondingly changes the end result on food product (41) processed by such combination. Each cell has its own conveying apparatus (56, 60, 68) for motivating food product (41) along a pathway, which may collectively be driven by a common drive system (40, 50).

Abstract: A multiple pass linear oven for heating food products. The linear oven has multiple passes that run through the oven vertically in order to shorten the length of the linear oven, while still maintaining the amount of time the food product is spent inside the oven. The use of multiple levels of conveyor in one linear oven saves space and money. A second multiple pass linear oven has different stations performing different functions. Each station is set up along one conveyor. This allows the food product to remain on one conveyor while being treated three different ways.

Abstract: A drum-type coating apparatus for applying breading material to food products is configured to eliminate, in most circumstances, a hard cylindrical drum, to be replaced by a U-hanging belt, the belly of which provides all the operative utility of a cylindrical hard drum, but better than that, provides more clearance for cleaning operations, since the upper hemi-cylinder of a hard cylindrical drum provides no utility for tumbling purposes and only, to make matters worse, obstructs cleaning operations.

Abstract: A spiral oven for continuous duty in continuous food process lines has an oven compartment enclosing a double-helix arrangement, of which there is a helical run of a food-carrying conveyor in combination with a helical assembly of heat-delivery elements. Accordingly, the double-helix arrangement provides close proximity between the food product on the conveyor and the heat-delivery elements.