Machine supplying food products in slices and/or doses of semiliquid products on bread, edible crusts of pressed products or trays

<b>OBJECT OF THE INVENTION</b>

As expressed in the title of this specification, the present invention refers to a machine supplying food products in slices and/or doses of semiliquid products on bread, edible bases of pressed products, or trays, with which varied sandwiches, "San Jacobos", "San Marinos", cordon bleu, breaded and fried cuts of meat, etc. can be automatically prepared. It is also specially designed to be included in the manufacturing line of these frozen food products and in the special case of preparing "San Jacobos", to cite one of its multiple uses, they come out of the machine perfectly prepared towards a conveyor belt to continue with the process of dipping in batter, breading, freezing and final packaging in independent units or blocks.

With this machine sandwiches can be prepared starting with products in loaves, which are cut into slices including the bread which forms the top and bottom.

Another object is the possibility of also supplying edible products in slices, other bulk, injected or poured products, in a specific dose, on the preparation that is being formed in the machine.

With the proposed machine, one manages to position perfectly in a overlying or stacked manner, the desired number of slices. They may also be placed in a stepped or overlapped manner on an edible bread crust or frozen pressed product, such as is required for the preparation of "San Marinos."

<b>BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION</b>

Presently the preparation of these above cited edible products, is done by hand by several operators that place the slices on a conveyor belt, these slices being previously cut and stacked or placed in blocks by means of the operators. This distribution by hand makes the product considerably more expensive, aside from the fact that the slices do not remain duly placed as is desired.

There are present cutting machines, where it is not possible to include a continuous feed system of the product to be cut, supplied in portions, since the interruption of the process in order to carry out the reloading must inevitably take place. The preparation of the product to be supplied is finished by a manual process.

Automatic machines for the preparation or supply of some of these cited products are also known, but they have outstanding problems that reduce the quality of the finished product, as well as because they use functional devices that are not very precise, aside from the fact that an automatic process without interruptions is not achieved.

These conventional machines which we are referring to, include two or three loading heads with the product to be supplied, that are tiltable for the approach and advance thereof towards a handsaw that occupies a fixed position. It is necessary to interrupt the process in order to reload the product to be cut.

Another problem inherent to these machines, is the one represented by the inexactness in the overlapping of the products in slices, stacking being very difficult and therefore there must be two or three operators who replace the different layers of products. This problem is accentuated when the product to be cut is of a very fatty material, for examples lunch meats that are used to replace boiled ham, with a fat content higher than 60%. The adherence of the saw itself and the movement of the head make it impossible to achieve correct stacking.

Another problem that this type of conventional machines has is that the operating system of the different movable parts of the machine is hydraulic and in the event that the hose breaks, or due to any other problem of leaks, the product is damaged and the entire installation has to be cleaned.

Uniformity in the thickness of the slices is not achieved either, nor is overlapping foreseen for the same, at the beginning of the working day and after several hours of operation when the temperature of the hydraulic oil has substantially increased. The higher the temperature the more fluid the oil is and it is necessary to readjust the cutting heads.

<b>DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION</b>

In broad outline, the machine supplying food products in slices and/or doses of semiliquid products on bread, edible crusts of pressed products, or trays, that comprises the object of the invention, is comprised of a bedplate on which a frame that moves longitudinally is supported in a sliding manner with alternating movement. Several cutting heads, defined by disks or circular blades placed horizontally and that turn operated by the respective independent electric motors are mounted on this movable frame. These cutting stations, located at a certain distance from each other longitudinally simultaneously attack the product in loaves that is located in respective loaders that occupy fixed positions on the bedplate of the machine, anchored in an adjustable manner, as we will see later on, at respective bridges of the fixed structure of the machine.

The product in loaves rests by gravity on some base plates placed transversally on the movable frame, remaining slightly lower than the plane of the cutting blade. The loaders are tube-shaped portions with a advantageously quadrangular or rectangular contour, although they may have any other polygonal, circular or oval shape, inside of which the loaf of product is centered and in such a way that it can drop easily by gravity. In a preferred embodiment, these tube-shaped portions are formed by several elements so that they can extend or shorten in order to vary the section thereof, adapting it to the shape of the product in loaves.

The blade is located in a plane slightly lower than that of the mouth through which the product comes out of the loader, it being possible to adjust this height to optimize the cutting, as we will see hereinafter.

Each one of the blades is perfectly mounted on bearings and obtains its rotation movement by means of the respective electric motor integral with the movable frame.

When the movable frame advances towards the product to be cut, the circular blade starts cutting the slice with a previously established thickness, corresponding to the distance existing between the plane of the blade and the plane of the base plate of the frame, upon which the product loaves rests. The thickness of the slice is variable upon adjusting the height of the base plate, preferably with micrometric screws, located on each side of the machine to achieve great stability.

The slices cut simultaneously in the different cutting stations, since the different discoidal blades are mounted on the same frame (there being as many blades as cutting stations), are received on a conveyor belt that is supported and duly guided in the structure of the bedplate, its pulling movement being synchronized with the alternating movement of the cutting frame. The slices of product cut in the first cutting station, remain placed linearly and at the same distance on the conveyor belt. As these movements are synchronized, the slices formed in the second cutting station, remain located on the preceding ones, and so on and so forth with the different cutting stations.

In order to achieve total precision in the overlapping of slices, or stacking of the same, the conveyor belt can receive movement from the same motor that operates the cutting frame and that gives it alternating movement, carrying out this transmission preferably by toothed pinions.

Aside from the loading stations of product in loaves and of the respective cutting stations that define the circular blades of the movable frame, the existence of other stations to supply doses of bulk, injected or poured products on the preparation that advances along the conveyor belt, has been provided for. These dosing stations are located in the convenient position with regard to the loaders of product in loaves, depending on the characteristics of the product that they supply. The injection or pouring of the bulk product is controlled by a cell or position detector located in the movable frame, or else, by an integral element of the frame and that directly causes the discharge of a dose of product, in a specific point of the advance stroke of the frame.

It has been provided for that a same circular cutting blade, is capable of cutting more than one loaf of product located in the corresponding loader, upon three or more loaders in transversal arrangement being advantageously provided for. So that it is not necessary to use a large blade diameter, the center loader occupies a delayed position with regard to the side ones (in the event that there are three loaders existing in the same loading and cutting station), thus adjusting more to the curvature of the cutting edge, aside from allowing the approach of the support bearing of the discoidal blade, as well as its operating pulley from the respective electric motor, without it interfering with said center loader. Thus, the formation of sandwiches, "San Jacobos", "San Marinos" and other food products supplied by the machine, placed in triple line on the conveyor belt, in this case, is achieved.

The cutting units, instead of being comprised of rotating disks, can be alternating movement saws, of the blade type and with a straight or toothed edge depending on the product to be cut. These blades are normally operated by the respective motor-variator and the alternating movement thereof is carried out by means of a connecting rod-lever mechanism, guided transversally on the movable frame. This arrangement is especially applicable in large productions, in lines of pizzas, hamburgers, etc., where the machine can include ten or more loaders, in transversal direction to the conveyor belt. It would not make any sense to use disks since they would have an excessive diameter.

Since the feeding of the tube-shaped portions that define the loaders is done by the top part or inlet mouth of said loader, it is possible to include a continuous and automatic feed system, without the interruption of the process to carry out the reloading taking place, as is normally the case with present-day cutting machines. Although the loaders were feed with the loaves of product by hand, the process would not be interrupted either, which is a relevant characteristic of the machine of the invention.

The feed speed of the blades to produce the cutting of the product is rather higher than the feed speed of the conveyor belt, advantageously carried out in opposite directions, though they could take place in the same direction. Due to the proximity foreseen for the conveyor belt, the slices before being totally cut, rest progressively on the belt or on another slice or other slices cut in preceding stations. So that the alignment of the slices is perfect, it has been provided for that some guiding strips, fastened to the base plate on which the product in a loaf rests, fasten the slice that is being formed sideways, preventing it from moving and remaining out of position on the conveyor belt that receives it. These same guide strips extend obliquely in front of the cutting edge of the circular blade, seating the cutting edge, also serving as a scraping element to remove adherences from the product on the blade.

In order to proceed with the periodic cleaning of the continuous band of the conveyor belt, the band is removed from the machine as it is mounted on longitudinal guides and fastened with the tightening of the pertinent blocking means.

It has also been provided for that the vertical loaders that are mounted on respective transversal bridges of the bedplate, under which the movable cutting frame passes, can incline approximately 30º with regard to the frame, in order to supply elongated slices, for certain uses of the machine in supplying some customary market products.

The cutting blades have the edge beveled on the inside surface and a recess on the top reverse truncated cone-shaped surface, to optimize the cut upon reducing adherence. For the same purpose it has been provided for that the material of the blades is Teflon or a similar one and the blades are lubricated with edible oils to prevent the adherences of some products. For the same purpose, the discoidal surface of the blade can be occupied by grooves or holes, facilitating the movement of the product that is being cut.

The continuous band of the conveyor belt, instead of being smooth as in the case of preparing sandwiches, "San Jacobos", etc., in those that may or may not include bread bases, it is necessary that said band have the previous location of stations of trays, pressed fish products or the like, that may or may not be frozen, marked, on which the slices of ham, cheese, or the like are to be mounted, as well as other bulk products which will be injected in the corresponding stations of the machine, such as in the case of the preparation of "San Marinos", cordon bleu, breaded and fried cuts of meat, etc. In this case the endless band can have low longitudinal partition walls, as well as equidistant protrusions in longitudinal direction, marking alveoles, buckets or stations with a predetermined location, so that the perfect mounting of the slices and/or bulk products, such as tomato, ketchup, mustard, etc., can be achieved. Trays or other products coming from similar process lines may be located in these buckets, these buckets being adapted to the shape that the final product is to have.

In order to provide an easy understanding of the features of the invention and forming an integral part of this specification, some sheets of drawings in whose figures, the following has been represented in an illustrative and non-restrictive manner, are attached hereto.

<b>BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS</b>

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the machine supplying food products in slices and/or doses of semiliquid products on bread, edible crusts of pressed products, or trays, according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view at a larger scale of the rear part of the machine in order to see the operating system of the endless band and the movable frame.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the front part of the same machine, with an enlarged detailed view in order to see the operation of one of the cutting blades of the movable frame.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal raised schematic view of the machine, where the different loading and cutting stations are shown schematically, according to two positions a and b that respectively represent the position of the movable frame before carrying out the cutting and when this cutting takes place so that the slices fall on the conveyor belt.

Figure 5 is a plan schematic view where the movable frame and one of the circular cutting blades are partially shown, including the slice guide system, during the cutting of the slices. It also corresponds with the C-D cutting line section of figure 6.

Figure 6 is a section along the A-B cutting line of figure 5.

Figure 7 is a schematic plan view of one of the loaders of product in loaves.

Figure 8 is a raised view, with a sectioned quadrant, of one of the circular cutting blades.

Figure 9 is a plan view of one of these circular cutting blades, including different openings and holes to minimize friction during the cutting operation.

Figure 10 is a longitudinal raised schematic view of the automatic feed system of each one of the loading stations of the machine.

Figure 11 is a partial view of the conveyor belt that can be used optionally when it is necessary to mount slices or other bulk products, on crusts that have to have access to the duly positioned to adequately receive the food products.

Figure 12 shows a plan raised view of the preparation supplied by the machine, according to overlapped slices placed on a base product. They correspond to positions a and b respectively of this figure 12.

Figure 13 is a raised schematic view of a preparation supplied by the machine, in overlapped slices on a crust.

Figure 14 is a plan schematic view of a preparation similar to the one shown in figure 12a, but with elongated slices.

<b>DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT</b>

Referring to the numbering used in the figures, we can see how the machine that the invention proposes, is comprised of a bedplate (19) on which the different product loading stations are supported, each one of them generally referred to as number (2) and that are spaced longitudinally.

Frame (3) that moves with alternating movement, also longitudinally by means of the connecting rod (4) connected to an eccentric point of the plate (5) acting as a lever is also movably supported on the frame (1).

The movable frame (3) moves perfectly guided on longitudinal bars (6), located on both sides of the machine. The guide bars (6) rest on the bedplate (1) by means of fixed supports (7). Reference (8) designates the bearing supports that are immobilized to the frame (3).

The system operating the connecting rod (4) that moves the frame (3), by means of belt transmission (9) from a motor under the bedplate (1) is seen in figure 2.

The discoidal blades (see figure 3) operated by the respective independent motor (11) and belt transmission (12) are mounted on the movable frame (3).

In figure 4 we can schematically see how the horizontal discoidal blades (10), in the advance movement of the frame (3), incide on the product in loaves (13) placed in the vertical loaders (2), to cut slices (14) of the product contained in them, this cutting being simultaneous.

Slices (14) fall on the conveyor belt (15) that is located under the frame (3) and very close to it.

In this embodiment shown in the figures, there are three tube-shaped portions containing the product in loaves (13), in each loading station (2). This is seen schematically in figure 5. The slices of three loaves of product (13) are cut by the same circular blade (10) and the diameter of the blade (10) is in correspondence with the amplitude of the loading station. In this figure 5 we can schematically see the phase difference provided for between the different loaders of a same loading station (2), for the reasons already explained above.

In transversal position to the frame (3), there are base plates (17) on which the loaves of product (13) rest. In figure 4 one can clearly see how as the frame (3) moves toward the cutting position (towards the left in this figure 4), the blades (10) and base plates (17) move simultaneously, gently placing the slices (14) on the conveyor belt (15), when the cutting operation ends.

Figures 5 and 6 schematically show the guide strips (18) of the slices, during the cutting operation of said slices. They are adjustable longitudinally and also transversally. Reference (19) designates the cantilevered off part of the guide strips (18), placed obliquely to seat the cutting edge of the blade (10) and to serve as a scraper that removes adherences from the cut product.

The tube-shaped portions (16) that form that different loaders of the same or of the different loading station (2), are fastened to the transversal bridges (20), anchored in turn to the bedplate (1) to keep a fixed position.

Each one of these loaders includes at least one vertical groove (21) to control the existence of product, as well as to allow the removal of some remains of the same, as we had indicated at the beginning. In figure 7 we see with number (22) a loader formed by angular elements (23) that can be separated by the guides (24) to increase or decrease the section and to thus adjust the dimensions of the product in loaves (13).

Figures 8 and 9 show the geometric shape of the cutting blades (10), in this embodiment shown in the figures. One starts with a disk whose top surface has a truncated cone-shaped concentric recess (25) to thus reduce the friction against the product to be cut. The cutting edge is obtained by making a bevel cut, the slant of the cantilevered off part (19) of the guide plates (18) of the slices that are being cut coinciding with this angle, so that the continuous seating of the cutting edge is produced. Reference (26) designates the openings or holes to minimize the friction of the blade (10) and to thus favor the sliding of the product.

Figure 10 schematically shows the automatic feed system of the loaders with loaves of product to be cut into loaves, and usable for bread, boiled ham, cheese, etc. Reference (27) designates the product presence detector that controls the operation of the endless belt (28) of the feed system, thus keeping the loader (16) constantly full.

Now going back to figure 4, the machine that the invention proposes also includes the loading stations of product in loaves, referred to as (2), the supply stations of doses of bulk product, either injected or poured on a tray or any other preparation that advances on the bottom belt (15). This product dose supply station is generally referred to as number (29) and there may be more than one of these stations, longitudinally, since there will be three crosswise in this embodiment shown in the figures and naturally out of phase, just like the remaining loading stations (2).

The conveyor belt (15), instead of having its band totally smooth, given that the slices that have access to it upon being cut, are placed in perfect alignment, as we have already seen above; there are preparations that require that the slices or bulk injected product, remain mounted on an edible crust that before entering the machine, has to be placed on the conveyor belt. In this case, the endless band has to be provided with alveoles or buckets and the structure thereof can have the shape shown in figure 11, in one of the preferred embodiments and when there are three transversal loading stations. This band is generally referred to as number (30) and it longitudinally includes continuous ribs (31) and equidistant plugs (32) that collaborate in fixing the location for the edible crusts (33), just as in the case of the preparation of "San Marinos", mounting one or more slices of product on them, as one can see in the enlarged detailed view of this figure 11.

In figure 12 we see a schematic representation of the arrangement of overlapped slices (34) on an edible crust (35). The overlapping distance between slices can be adjusted by numeric control. The control of the speeds of the different movable elements of the machine is done from a control box not shown in the figures.

To achieve the mounting or stacking of slices as well as to achieve overlapped slices, there is an adjustment system determined by the way of anchoring the transversal bridges (20) to the bedplate (1), by slides (36) (see figure 1). Thus they can be advanced or delayed if the distance, or the pitch, between them were different. The overlapping of the slices could also be achieved by progressively increasing to the right the distance between the transversal bridges (20), in which case the overlapping of the slices shown in figure 12 would be achieved. If the pitch from left to right of figure 1 is reduced, in the feed direction of the conveyor belt (15), the overlapping of the slices would be to the contrary.

Mounting of the slices can also be achieved by adjusting the relative rotation speeds between the cutting frame (3) and the conveyor belt (15), by numeric control; by mechanical synchronism so that the mounting of the new slice inevitably takes place in the exact moment independently from the rotation speed of the motor variator that produces the alternating movement of the cutting frame (3). In effect, observing figure 2 one can see how the plate that moves the connecting rod (4) that operates the frame (3) with alternating movement, includes at the inside end of its shaft, a pinion (37) that gears with the operating pinion (38) of the driving roller of the conveyor belt (15), when the belt occupies an advanced position so that said gearing takes place.

The conveyor belt (15) has on the side opposite the pinion (38), another pinion (39) that is kept distant from the outlet pinion (40) of the reduction motor (41) that is controlled by the numeric control of the machine and that in these conditions is stopped. When the conveyor belt (15) is situated in the most delayed position, and its position is blocked when the pinion (39) gears with the pinion (40), the pinion (38) of the same remains distant from pinion (37) that turns with the plate (5). The movement of the belt (15) is thus obtained upon operating the reduction motor (41).

Observing figure 4 one understands that if the distance between the different stacks that are obtained on the conveyor belt (15), when coming out of the machine, was too big, it could happen that the time that goes by in the come and go movement of the cutting frame (3) were too small and therefore another slice would be cut and it would remain in an intermediate position contrary to what has been provided for. For this purpose, it is necessary to reduce the return speed of the cutting frame (3), after the last slice of the stack has been cut, upon sending a corresponding signal to the variator of the operating motor of the cutting frame.

Figure 13 shows an edible crust (42) with a series of overlying slices. In figure 14 another edible product crust (35) has been represented, with elongated overlapping slices. These elongates slices, referred to as number (43), have been obtained upon placing the loaders (2) in an inclined position, as we have indicated at the beginning.

Thus, with the described structure and functionality a universal cutting, positioning, stacking and dosing machine with a simple static head or multiple heads (of advantageously one to five product loading stations) with adjustable movement for slicing, stacking, stepping and dosing fresh, refrigerated and frozen food products (meat, poultry, fruit, vegetables, pasta, fish, bakery goods, pastries and milk products), is achieved.

The conveyor belt (15) has blocking means for locking it in the required correct position. Said conveyor belt can be removed, once these blocking means have been released, for periodic cleaning thereof, which is easily achieved as there are longitudinal guides in the bedplate (1).