Patents by Inventor Thomas Willem Dekker

Thomas Willem Dekker 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: 11771097
    Abstract: An installation for moulding of three dimensional products from a mass of pumpable foodstuff material includes a pump having at least one pump chamber, a pump drive, and a moulding device including a mould drum, a mould member drive for moving the mould drum along a path, and a mass feed member. The mass feed member has a chamber with an inlet, a discharge mouth facing the mould member at the fill position along the path of the mould drum, an orificed grinder body and multiple mobile grinder members each arranged at one of the distinct positions of the mold cavities and cooperating with the grinding face of the orificed grinder body. The installation is advantageously employed for the manufacture of meat products from a pumpable meat mass for the manufacture of meat patties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: MAREL FURTHER PROCESSING B.V.
    Inventors: Geert Johannes Lok, Mathias Marcellus Kuijpers, Thomas Willem Dekker, Johannes Martinus Meulendijks
  • Publication number: 20230115775
    Abstract: The production of three-dimensional products from a mass of pumpable fibrous foodstuff material includes feeding the mass into a chamber via an inlet. A perforated plate is stationary arranged at an outlet side and has a multitude of perforations therein between an inlet face and an opposed outlet face. A flow channels assembly include multiple flow channels. Each flow channel receives therein strands of fibrous foodstuff material emerging at an outlet face from a subset of the multitude of perforations. The strands merge into a coherent bundle, in which the strands are arranged against one another in a generally parallel orientation. A production device is arranged at the discharge mouths of the flow channels assembly, which production device is configured and operated to produce three-dimensional products, each product out of a portion of a bundle that is discharged from one of the discharge mouths.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2021
    Publication date: April 13, 2023
    Inventors: Jacques LE PAIH, Thomas Willem DEKKER, Yohann PIERRE, Johannes Martinus MEULENDIJKS, Fabrice LE PABIC
  • Publication number: 20220354136
    Abstract: An installation for moulding of three dimensional products from a mass of pumpable foodstuff material, for example from ground meat. The installation comprises a feed pump and a moulding device with a mobile mould member having multiple mould cavities. A mass feed member is arranged at a fill position relative to the path of the mobile mould member, which mass feed member is connected to an outlet of the feed pump. The member has a housing defining an elongated chamber with a longitudinal axis and having a pair of spaced apart long lateral walls, short end walls, and a bottom wall facing the mould member at the fill position along the path of the mould member. The bottom wall is provided with a discharge mouth formed by one or more discharge openings spanning the path of said mould cavities, so that foodstuff mass flows into each row of mould cavities via said discharge mouth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2022
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Applicant: MAREL FURTHER PROCESSING B.V.
    Inventors: Albertus DUNNEWIND, Johannes Martinus MEULENDIJKS, Thomas Willem DEKKER, Tihomir TUBIC
  • Patent number: 11412745
    Abstract: An installation for moulding of three dimensional products from a mass of pumpable foodstuff material, for example from ground meat. The installation comprises a feed pump and a moulding device with a mobile mould member having multiple mould cavities. A mass feed member is arranged at a fill position relative to the path of the mobile mould member, which mass feed member is connected to an outlet of the feed pump. The member has a housing defining an elongated chamber with a longitudinal axis and having a pair of spaced apart long lateral walls, short end walls, and a bottom wall facing the mould member at the fill position along the path of the mould member. The bottom wall is provided with a discharge mouth formed by one or more discharge openings spanning the path of said mould cavities, so that foodstuff mass flows into each row of mould cavities via said discharge mouth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: MAREL FURTHER PROCESSING B.V.
    Inventors: Albertus Dunnewind, Johannes Martinus Meulendijks, Thomas Willem Dekker, Tihomir Tubic
  • Patent number: 11406125
    Abstract: A moulding installation and method for moulding food products from a pumpable foodstuff mass are described. A revolving mould drum is provided with multiple mould cavities and a mass feed member is arranged at a fill position to transfer foodstuff mass into passing mould cavities. The foodstuff mass forms a food product in the mould cavity. A pressurized air food product ejection system includes air ducts in the mould drum that extend to the cavities and at least a portion of the surface delimiting a mould cavity is air permeable. The ejection system further includes a pressurized air source to feed pressurized air at a regulated ejection air pressure thereof to the air ducts. A controller is adapted to input at least one target parameter related to filling of the mould cavities with the foodstuff mass via the mouth of the mass feed member. The controller is adapted to automatically set an ejection air pressure by the pressurized air source on the basis of the inputted target parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: MAREL FURTHER PROCESSING B.V.
    Inventors: Albertus Dunnewind, Johannes Martinus Meulendijks, Thomas Willem Dekker, Tihomir Tubic
  • Publication number: 20220079173
    Abstract: A moveable mould member is configured for use in an installation for moulding food products from a pumpable foodstuff mass. The mould member has a permeable mould body with an outer surface forming at least part of the outer mould member surface, which outer surface of the permeable mould body is fluid tight; mould cavities and a permeable volume defining fine openings opening out at the mould cavities, such that each mould cavity of the permeable mould body is delimited at least in part by a permeable volume. In addition, the mould drum has, for each group of mould cavities from which food products are to be ejected simultaneously, an ejection fluid inlet allowing the entry of pressurized fluid, and one or more channels extending from the associated ejection fluid inlet to the one or more permeable volumes of the group of mould cavities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2020
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Inventors: Johannes Martinus MEULENDIJKS, Thomas Willem DEKKER, Erik Hendrikus Werner PETERS, Martinus Johannes Willebrordus VAN ZOELEN, Jacques LE PAIH
  • Patent number: 11096411
    Abstract: An apparatus for coating a food product with a batter, includes a frame having a conveyor belt mounted on a rotatably driveable belt support member. The coating apparatus has a batter pump for pumping batter from a batter container towards an upper applicator positioned over the conveyor belt to form a stream of batter flow from the applicator to the conveyor belt to provide batter to an upper surface of the food product. The front roller is positioned at the food product entry section to provide a layer of batter on the conveyor belt at the entry section by a thrust on the batter towards the entry section by the front roller and/or the conveyor belt. The coating apparatus comprises a batter overflow device positioned at the entry section and is mounted between the transport run and the return run of the conveyor belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: MAREL FURTHER PROCESSING B.V.
    Inventors: Eric Henricus Johannus Carolus Aben, Thomas Willem Dekker, Martinus Johannes Willebrordus Van Zoelen, Johannes Martinus Meulendijks
  • Patent number: 10966450
    Abstract: The invention relates to an in-line multi-mode coating machine adapted to coat food products with a particulate coating material, the machine comprising in-line with each other and in succession: an infeed conveyor assembly, a rotary tumbling drum, an elevator device and a discharge conveyor assembly. In a drum-mode, the rotary tumbling drum is adapted to be supplied with particulate coating material and to tumble the food products and particulate coating material together. In a conveyor-mode of the coating machine the infeed conveyor assembly and the discharge conveyor assembly are arranged to adjoin each other whilst extending through the rotary tumbling drum, so that food products bypass the rotary tumbling drum and the elevator device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: MAREL FURTHER PROCESSING B.V.
    Inventors: Tihomir Tubic, Johannes Martinus Meulendijks, Stephanus Andreas Bouwman, Thomas Willem Dekker
  • Publication number: 20200390141
    Abstract: An apparatus for coating a food product with a batter, comprises a frame having a conveyor belt mounted on a rotatably driveable belt support member. The coating apparatus comprises a batter pump for pumping batter from a batter container towards an upper applicator positioned over the conveyor belt to form a stream of batter flow from the applicator means to the conveyor belt to provide batter to an upper surface of the food product. The front roller is positioned at the food product entry section to provide a layer of batter on the conveyor belt at the entry section by a thrust on the batter towards the entry section by the front roller and/or the conveyor belt. The coating apparatus comprises a batter overflow device positioned at the entry section and is mounted between the transport run and the return run of the conveyor belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Publication date: December 17, 2020
    Inventors: Eric Henricus Johannus Carolus ABEN, Thomas Willem DEKKER, Martinus Johannes Willebrordus VAN ZOELEN, Johannes Martinus MEULENDIJKS
  • Publication number: 20200305494
    Abstract: The invention relates to an in-line multi-mode coating machine adapted to coat food products with a particulate coating material, the machine comprising in-line with each other and in succession: an infeed conveyor assembly, a rotary tumbling drum, an elevator device and a discharge conveyor assembly. In a drum-mode, the rotary tumbling drum is adapted to be supplied with particulate coating material and to tumble the food products and particulate coating material together. In a conveyor-mode of the coating machine the infeed conveyor assembly and the discharge conveyor assembly are arranged to adjoin each other whilst extending through the rotary tumbling drum, so that food products bypass the rotary tumbling drum and the elevator device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Tihomir TUBIC, Johannes Martinus MEULENDIJKS, Stephanus Andreas BOUWMAN, Thomas Willem DEKKER
  • Publication number: 20200245632
    Abstract: An installation for moulding of three dimensional products from a mass of pumpable foodstuff material includes a pump having at least one pump chamber, a pump drive, and a moulding device including a mould drum, a mould member drive for moving the mould drum along a path, and a mass feed member. The mass feed member has a chamber with an inlet, a discharge mouth facing the mould member at the fill position along the path of the mould drum, an orificed grinder body and multiple mobile grinder members each arranged at one of the distinct positions of the mold cavities and cooperating with the grinding face of the orificed grinder body. The installation is advantageously employed for the manufacture of meat products from a pumpable meat mass for the manufacture of meat patties.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Inventors: Geert Johannes LOK, Mathias Marcellus KUIJPERS, Thomas Willem DEKKER, Johannes Martinus MEULENDIJKS
  • Patent number: 10638764
    Abstract: An installation for moulding of three dimensional products from a mass of pumpable foodstuff material includes a pump having at least one pump chamber, a pump drive, and a moulding device including a mould drum, a mould member drive for moving the mould drum along a path, and a mass feed member. The mass feed member has a chamber with an inlet, a discharge mouth facing the mould member at the fill position along the path of the mould drum, an orificed grinder body and multiple mobile grinder members each arranged at one of the distinct positions of the mold cavities and cooperating with the grinding face of the orificed grinder body. The installation is advantageously employed for the manufacture of meat products from a pumpable meat mass for the manufacture of meat patties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: MAREL TOWNSEND FURTHER PROCESSING B.V.
    Inventors: Geert Johannes Lok, Mathias Marcellus Kuijpers, Thomas Willem Dekker, Johannes Martinus Meulendijks
  • Publication number: 20200100511
    Abstract: An installation for moulding of three dimensional products from a mass of pumpable foodstuff material, for example from ground meat. The installation comprises a feed pump and a moulding device with a mobile mould member having multiple mould cavities. A mass feed member is arranged at a fill position relative to the path of the mobile mould member, which mass feed member is connected to an outlet of the feed pump. The member has a housing defining an elongated chamber with a longitudinal axis and having a pair of spaced apart long lateral walls, short end walls, and a bottom wall facing the mould member at the fill position along the path of the mould member. The bottom wall is provided with a discharge mouth formed by one or more discharge openings spanning the path of said mould cavities, so that foodstuff mass flows into each row of mould cavities via said discharge mouth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Applicant: MAREL FURTHER PROCESSING B.V.
    Inventors: Albertus DUNNEWIND, Johannes Martinus MEULENDIJKS, Thomas Willem DEKKER, Tihomir TUBIC
  • Publication number: 20190343165
    Abstract: A moulding installation and method for moulding food products from a pumpable foodstuff mass are described. A revolving mould drum is provided with multiple mould cavities and a mass feed member is arranged at a fill position to transfer foodstuff mass into passing mould cavities. The foodstuff mass forms a food product in the mould cavity. A pressurized air food product ejection system includes air ducts in the mould drum that extend to the cavities and at least a portion of the surface delimiting a mould cavity is air permeable. The ejection system further includes a pressurized air source to feed pressurized air at a regulated ejection air pressure thereof to the air ducts. A controller is adapted to input at least one target parameter related to filling of the mould cavities with the foodstuff mass via the mouth of the mass feed member. The controller is adapted to automatically set an ejection air pressure by the pressurized air source on the basis of the inputted target parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Applicant: MAREL FURTHER PROCESSING B.V.
    Inventors: Albertus DUNNEWIND, Johannes Martinus MEULENDIJKS, Thomas Willem DEKKER, Tihomir TUBIC
  • Patent number: 10028515
    Abstract: A rotary cylindrical mold member and a method for its production, is adapted to be used in a system for molding three-dimensional products from a mass of one or more food starting materials which are suitable for consumption. The method includes preparing at least one mold body forming part of the cylindrical outer surface of the mold member, wherein one or more recessed mold cavities are formed. Subsequently preparing a support member defining one or more fluid channels, recessed in the support surface Heat emitting parts or particles are provided close to the inner surface of the mold body and/or the supporting surface of the support member. Energy is provided to the heat emitting parts or particles, thereby causing the parts or particles to emit heat and thereby locally melt the adjacent porous first plastic and the second plastic to obtain a weld and thereby secure the support member and the mold body to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: MAREL TOWNSEND FURTHER PROCESSING B.V.
    Inventors: Wilhelmus Gerardus Maria Boom, Johannes Martinus Meulendijks, Franciscus Quirinus Fredrik Verouden, Thomas Willem Dekker
  • Patent number: 9788554
    Abstract: In a method for moulding food patties from a food product comprising a food mass (5) having a substantially coherent structure formed by particles of the food product that are loosely connected to each other, for example ground meat, the food product is first supplied to a supply hopper (3). Food product is moved in the supply hopper to at least one discharge opening (8) of the supply hopper, from which it is discharged. The food product that has been discharged from the discharge opening of the supply hopper is fed into at least one pump chamber (12) of a positive displacement pump system. Subsequently, the food product in the pump chamber is positively displaced to an outlet opening of the pump chamber by the positive displacement pump system (20). The food product is discharged from the outlet opening of the pump chamber, and then fed into a moulding device having a plurality of mould cavities for molding the food patties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Marel Townsend Further Processing B.V.
    Inventors: Martinus Johannes Willebrordus Van Zoelen, Thomas Willem Dekker, Franciscus Quirinus Fredrik Verouden, Sigebertus Johannes Jacobus Jozef Meggelaars
  • Publication number: 20170156352
    Abstract: A rotary cylindrical mould member and a method for its production, is adapted to be used in a system for moulding three-dimensional products from a mass of one or more food starting materials which are suitable for consumption. The method includes preparing at least one mould body forming part of the cylindrical outer surface of the mould member, wherein one or more recessed mould cavities are formed. Subsequently preparing a support member defining one or more fluid channels, recessed in the support surface Heat emitting parts or particles are provided close to the inner surface of the mould body and/or the supporting surface of the support member. Energy is provided to the heat emitting parts or particles, thereby causing the parts or particles to emit heat and thereby locally melt the adjacent porous first plastic and the second plastic to obtain a weld and thereby secure the support member and the mould body to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Applicant: MAREL TOWNSEND FURTHER PROCESSING B.V.
    Inventors: Wilhelmus Gerardus Maria BOOM, Johannes Martinus MEULENDIJKS, Franciscus Quirinus Fredrik VEROUDEN, Thomas Willem DEKKER
  • Patent number: 9635866
    Abstract: In a method for molding food products from a pumpable foodstuff mass, use is made of a molding device with a mold drum provided with mold cavities having a fill opening for the introduction of foodstuff mass. A mass feed member transfers mass into passing mold cavities. A pump is connected to the inlet of the mass feed member. Product removal takes place downstream of the fill position. The operation of the pump and the rotation of the mold drum are controlled in combination with the design of the mold cavities pattern on the drum and of the mouth of the mass feed member such that in the method all mold cavity filling events during a revolution of the mold drum are performed in sequential order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: MAREL TOWNSEND FURTHER PROCESSING B.V.
    Inventors: Johannes Martinus Meulendijks, Thomas Willem Dekker, Martinus Johannes Willebrordus Van Zoelen, Jeroen Robert Willemsen
  • Publication number: 20160374357
    Abstract: An installation for moulding of three dimensional products from a mass of pumpable foodstuff material, for example from ground meat includes a pump having at least one pump chamber, an inlet, and an outlet for the foodstuff mass, a pump drive, a moulding device including a mould member having multiple mould cavities, and a mould member drive for moving the mould member along a path, the path including a fill position of a mould cavity where mass is filled into a mould cavity and a product release position of a mould cavity where a moulded product is released from the mould cavity, a mass feed member having a chamber with an inlet and a discharge mouth facing the mould member at the fill position along the path of the mould member, the mass feed member being adapted to transfer the foodstuff mass into a mould cavity of the mould member in a corresponding mould cavity filling event that is defined by the moment of first flow of foodstuff mass into the mould cavity and the moment wherein the mould cavity has bee
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Applicant: MAREL TOWNSEND FURTHER PROCESSING B.V.
    Inventors: Geert Johannes LOK, Mathias Marcellus KUIJPERS, Thomas Willem Dekker, Johannes Martinus Meulendijks
  • Patent number: 9526269
    Abstract: A molding device (10) for molding three-dimensional products (76) from a mass of foodstuff comprises a molding roller (16) and a filling device (18). The molding roller (16) has a molding surface with at least one mold cavity (44) which is delimited by a mold cavity (44) opening. The filling device (18) has a dispensing mouth (36) and a pump. The dispensing mouth (36) and the mold cavity (44) opening each have, viewed in the direction of the movement path, a front edge and a rear edge which is situated at a fixed distance thereof. A position-determining device determines the position of the front edge of the mold cavity (44) opening with respect to the front edge of the dispensing mouth during the movement of the mold cavity (44) opening and the dispensing mouth (36) with respect to each other. A control unit controls the pump on the basis of the position-determining device during the movement of the mold cavity (44) opening and the dispensing mouth (36) with respect to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: Marel Townsend Further Procesing B.V.
    Inventors: Hendrikus Cornelis Koos van Doorn, Jeroen Robert Willemsen, Thomas Willem Dekker, Leon Spierts, Albertus Dunnewind, Martinus Johannes Willebrordus van Zoelen