Patents by Inventor Thomas Volkl

Thomas Volkl 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).

  • Patent number: 11534920
    Abstract: A transfer system in the form of a robot line used in one embodiment to transfer products, such as slices of meat or other fresh food, while complying with the hygienic requirements. The robot line may transfer the products, simply and with little constructive and financial effort. The robots used for this purpose may be very simply constructed with only one swivel arm and the robot base may be guided below the working plane, and only the swivel arm and the gripper may be disposed above the working plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: TVI ENTWICKLUNG & PRODUKTION GMBH
    Inventors: Maximilian Appel, Thomas Völkl
  • Patent number: 11426892
    Abstract: The invention concerns a device and a method for guiding a blade at a cutting end face of a guide tube by means of magnetic force in order to bring a cutting spacing between the blade and the cutting end face as close as possible. The magnetic force may be applied to the blade only towards the end of a cutting process of a slice, i.e. near a blade outlet side of a guide tube cross-section of the guide tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: TVI ENTWICKLUNG & PRODUKTION GMBH
    Inventor: Thomas Völkl
  • Patent number: 11213037
    Abstract: A method for slicing meat loafs that have a cross section that varies across their longitudinal extension into accurately weighted slices, that includes the steps of bringing the loaf into a defined shape with a uniform cross section across its length inside a forming tube by pressing the loaf before it is sliced. The pressing is performed in a longitudinal direction and a transversal direction relative to the loaf in a predefined order and in particular in multiple pressing steps. The pressing may also comprise pressure relieving strokes for the purpose of reducing the force exertion for pressing, and for keeping the tissue structure of the loaf intact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: TVI ENTWICKLUNG & PRODUKTION GMBH
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Martin Mayr
  • Patent number: 11034044
    Abstract: The rotating shaped blade for cutting slides from a product strand is only configured over a portion of its outer edge as a circular segment that extends about the rotation axis and which represents the cutting edge so that on the one hand side the cutting edge has a constant width radial distance from a circular segment shaped functional edge of the stop plate over an entire extension of the circular segment, and on the other hand side immediately after releasing the strand cross section by the blade a forward movement of the product strand can be performed up to the stop plate until the radial front edge of the blade has reached the strand cross section again.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: TVI ENTWICKLUNG & PRODUKTION GMBH
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Martin Mayr
  • Patent number: 10875207
    Abstract: A cutting machine comprising one or more form tubes that are divided in two in the longitudinal direction into a front form tube section and a rear form tube section—at least across a portion of its circumference, so that the two form sections can be moved from a pressing position in which they are aligned with each other into a loading position in which they are not aligned with each other, and in the loading position the rear form tube section can be loaded with a new meat strand while the rest of the previous meat strand is still being cut into slices and moved in the front form tube section. The blade may be disposed to simultaneously cut slices from a plurality of form tubes and may be disposed for motion in the longitudinal direction as well as a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: TVI ENTWICKLUNG & PRODUKTION GMBH
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Martin Mayr
  • Patent number: 10843364
    Abstract: A cutting machine for cutting up pre-compressed meat strands into slices and a method for slicing pre-compressed meat strands, wherein the blade is moved forward in the feed direction to a limited extent after the blade has completely cut off a slice, and is either subsequently or simultaneously moved backward in the transversal direction. In this way, the forward movement of the meat strand to cut off the next slice can be started earlier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: TVI Entwicklung & Produktion GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Martin Mayr
  • Publication number: 20200262076
    Abstract: A transfer system in the form of a robot line used in one embodiment to transfer products, such as slices of meat or other fresh food, while complying with the hygienic requirements. The robot line may transfer the products simply and with little constructive and financial effort. The robots used for this purpose may be very simply constructed with only one swivel arm and the robot base may be guided below the working plane, and only the swivel arm and the gripper may be disposed above the working plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Inventors: Maximilian Appel, Thomas Völkl
  • Patent number: 10710259
    Abstract: A cutting unit to facilitate ejecting a slice that is cut off from a product strand a radial distance between a blade edge of the rotating blade. The functional edge of the stop plate may be adjusted during the cutting movement. In one embodiment, the functional edge of the stop plate may be adjusted at an end of the cutting movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: TVI ENTWICKLUNG & PRODUKTION GMBH
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Martin Mayr
  • Publication number: 20200198168
    Abstract: The invention concerns a device and a method for guiding the blade (3) at the cutting end face (1a) of the guide tube (1) by means of magnetic force in order to bring the cutting spacing as close as possible, if possible to zero. According to the invention, the magnetic force is applied to the blade only towards the end of the cutting process of the slice (101), i.e. near the outlet side (2a) of the cutting edge (3a) from the guide tube cross-section (1.1?, 1.2?).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventor: Thomas Völkl
  • Patent number: 10492504
    Abstract: A cutting machine for cutting up meat strands whose cross section varies over a longitudinal extension into weight precise slices as fast as possible, and a method for slicing such meat strands. Two or more strands may be received adjacent to each other in a respective form tube and pushed against a separately adjustable stop plate, which is assigned to each form tube, independently from each other by a controlled longitudinal press plunger. The strands may be compressed in the longitudinal direction and a cross section of the form tubes may be reduced in a first transversal direction jointly and in a second transversal direction independently from each other. Thus, the respective meat strand may be transversally compressed to a constant cross section for slicing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: TVI Entwicklung & Produktion GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Martin Mayr
  • Publication number: 20190281843
    Abstract: To slice meat loafs (100) with cross sections that vary across their longitudinal extension into accurately weighted slices (101), it is known to bring the loaf (100) into a defined shape with a uniform cross section across its length inside a forming tube (2) by means of pressing before it is sliced. According to the invention, the pressing is performed in the longitudinal direction (L, 10) and the transversal direction (Q, 11) in a predefined order and in particular in multiple pressing steps (+Q, +L), which also comprise relieving strokes (?Q, ?L) for the purpose of reducing the force exertion for pressing, on the one hand, and, on the other, for keeping the tissue structure of the loaf (100) intact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Martin Mayr
  • Publication number: 20190232516
    Abstract: A cutting machine comprising one or more form tubes that are divided in two in the longitudinal direction into a front form tube section and a rear form tube section—at least across a portion of its circumference, so that the two form sections can be moved from a pressing position in which they are aligned with each other into a loading position in which they are not aligned with each other, and in the loading position the rear form tube section can be loaded with a new meat strand while the rest of the previous meat strand is still being cut into slices and moved in the front form tube section. The blade may be disposed to simultaneously cut slices from a plurality of form tubes and may be disposed for motion in the longitudinal direction as well as a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Martin Mayr
  • Publication number: 20190223459
    Abstract: A cutting machine for cutting up pre-compressed meat strands into slices and a method for slicing pre-compressed meat strands, wherein the blade is moved forward in the feed direction to a limited extent after the blade has completely cut off a slice, and is either subsequently or simultaneously moved backward in the transversal direction. In this way, the forward movement of the meat strand to cut off the next slice can be started earlier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Applicant: TVI Entwicklung & Produktion GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Martin Mayr
  • Publication number: 20190191727
    Abstract: A cutting machine for cutting up meat strands whose cross section varies over a longitudinal extension into weight precise slices as fast as possible, and a method for slicing such meat strands. Two or more strands may be received adjacent to each other in a respective form tube and pushed against a separately adjustable stop plate, which is assigned to each form tube, independently from each other by a controlled longitudinal press plunger. The strands may be compressed in the longitudinal direction and a cross section of the form tubes may be reduced in a first transversal direction jointly and in a second transversal direction independently from each other. Thus, the respective meat strand may be transversally compressed to a constant cross section for slicing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Martin Mayr
  • Patent number: 10245745
    Abstract: A slicing machine for slicing meat strands that have a cross section that varies over a longitudinal extension in large numbers and as quickly as possible into weight precise slices. In one embodiment, two meat strands are received adjacent to each other in a respective form tube and pushed against a respective separately adjustable stop plate independently from each other by a controlled longitudinal press plunger and compressed in the longitudinal direction. In addition, a cross section of the form tubes may be reduced in a first transversal direction jointly and in a second transversal direction independently from each other and thus the respective meat strand is transversally compressed to a constant cross section prior to slicing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: TVI Entwicklung & Produktion GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Martin Mayr
  • Publication number: 20180370055
    Abstract: A cutting unit to facilitate ejecting a slice that is cut off from a product strand a radial distance between a blade edge of the rotating blade. The functional edge of the stop plate may be adjusted during the cutting movement. In one embodiment, the functional edge of the stop plate may be adjusted at an end of the cutting movement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Publication date: December 27, 2018
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Martin Mayr
  • Publication number: 20180345519
    Abstract: The rotating shaped blade for cutting slides from a product strand is only configured over a portion of its outer edge as a circular segment that extends about the rotation axis and which represents the cutting edge so that on the one hand side the cutting edge has a constant width radial distance from a circular segment shaped functional edge of the stop plate over an entire extension of the circular segment, and on the other hand side immediately after releasing the strand cross section by the blade a forward movement of the product strand can be performed up to the stop plate until the radial front edge of the blade has reached the strand cross section again.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2018
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Martin Mayr
  • Patent number: 9888695
    Abstract: A device for making sausage spirals including a sausage blank attached with an end portion above a face of a vertically standing hub and wound into a sausage spiral by rotating it about the hub axis. The hub moves along a circumference of the rotating table wherein the following components are arranged behind one another along the circumference: an insertion station for the blank, a skewering station for skewering the finished sausage spiral and an ejection station for ejecting the sausage spiral from the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: TVI ENTWICKLUNG & PRODUKTION GMBH
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Max Stacheder
  • Publication number: 20170311613
    Abstract: A device for making sausage spirals including a sausage blank is attached with an end portion above a face of a vertically standing hub and wound into a sausage spiral by rotating it about the hub axis. The hub moves along a circumference of the rotating table wherein the following components are arranged behind one another along the circumference: an insertion station for the blank, a skewering station for skewering the finished sausage spiral and an ejection station for ejecting the sausage spiral from the machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2017
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Max Stacheder
  • Publication number: 20170312931
    Abstract: A slicing machine for slicing meat strands that have a cross section that varies over a longitudinal extension in large numbers and as quickly as possible into weight precise slices. In one embodiment, two meat strands are received adjacent to each other in a respective form tube and pushed against a respective separately adjustable stop plate independently from each other by a controlled longitudinal press plunger and compressed in the longitudinal direction. In addition, a cross section of the form tubes may be reduced in a first transversal direction jointly and in a second transversal direction independently from each other and thus the respective meat strand is transversally compressed to a constant cross section prior to slicing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2017
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Inventors: Thomas Völkl, Martin Mayr