Assignee: Formax, Inc.

Location: Mokena, IL
No. of patents: 83

Number	Title	Issue Date
8011914	Food supply system for a food patty molding machine A patty-forming machine includes a food supply system where the drive mechanism for feed screws use integrated and compact motor and gearbox assemblies. The feed screws have heavy wall thickness flights and the feed screw shafts are journaled through modular bearing...	09/06/2011
7874246	Food stack aligning device for conveyor A food product alignment device for a conveyor includes a plurality of upright pins that act in pin pairs to align respective food products that approach the pin pairs on a moving conveyor. Particularly for round food products or food product stacks, a misaligned ro...	01/25/2011
7862330	Angled fill ports and seal-off arrangement for patty-forming apparatus A food patty molding machine has a reciprocating mold plate. A moldable food product is pumped through a fill passage into cavities of the mold plate when the mold plate is in its fill position. A fill plate, interposed in the fill passage immediately adjacent the m...	01/04/2011
7788885	Method of loading food stacks A method is provided for loading stacked food product into packages. Open top containers are arranged in rows and movable into a loading station. A shuttle conveyor has a retractable and extendable conveying surface, the conveying surface having an end region extend...	09/07/2010
7775790	Food molding mechanism for a food patty molding machine A food molding mechanism for a patty-forming machine that uses a servomotor to drive a crank arrangement. The crank arrangement drives a mold plate. The mechanism uses a reducer with a replaceable output shaft. The reducer engages a servomotor utilizing a double env...	08/17/2010
7677880	Apparatus for forming hand-formed style patty using a patty-forming machine A system includes a high speed reciprocating mold plate patty-forming machine and a downstream patty presser. The high speed patty forming machine provides patties at a high production speed onto an output conveyor portion. The patty presser includes an upper convey...	03/16/2010
7623249	Automated product profiling apparatus and product slicing system using same A system, suitable for high-speed operation, by which raw product (45), such as a slab of meat, can be accurately processed, such as by slicing into segments of desired weight, comprises a product profiling apparatus (15). The product profiling apparat...	11/24/2009
7603936	Loaf seam synchronization device for continuous loaf feed slicing machine A mechanism and method is provided for controllably loading multiple food loaves into the slicing station of a continuous slicing machine. The parallel loaves that are engaged by a common loaf feed drive or side-by-side, independent loaf feed drives are engaged by t...	10/20/2009
7591644	Counter-balanced mold plate for food patty molding machine A mold plate for use in a reciprocating mold plate patty-forming apparatus includes a flat body having a plurality of cavities for forming patties. The flat body has a fill side face and an opposite face. A grid pattern of grooves is formed on the second face extend...	09/22/2009
7533513	Fill and packaging method An apparatus is provided for filling food product drafts into packages. A supply of open top containers are arranged in rows and carried by an elongated web of film and are movable by the web into a fill station. A shuttle conveyor has a retractable and extendable c...	05/19/2009
7455517	Apparatus for proportioning meat product for packaging A food patty molding machine has a reciprocating mold plate. A moldable food product is pumped through a fill passage into a cavity of the mold plate when the mold plate is in its fill position. A fill plate, interposed in the fill passage immediately adjacent the m...	11/25/2008
7422425	Drive system for a knockout apparatus for a patty-forming machine A knockout drive system for a food patty molding machine includes an electric motor; a rotary-to-linear motion converting apparatus operatively connected to the electric motor; and at least one knockout member operatively connected between the rotary-to-linear motio...	09/09/2008
7416753	Breather system for a reciprocating mold plate patty-forming machine A breather air and food product fines pumping system for a reciprocating mold plate food product forming machine pumps air and fines to a collection area. A pumping surface is provided by a rearward facing surface of the mold plate. A pumping chamber is arranged bet...	08/26/2008
7411137	Automatic sealing arrangement for weigh scale for food processing apparatus A sealing arrangement is provided for a product weigh scale for a food processing apparatus the weigh scale including a support for supporting a product, a member that carries the support, and a weight sensor that senses vertical load on the member. The sealing arra...	08/12/2008
7404481	Retaining pins for stacking conveyor for slicing machine A stacking conveyor for receiving slices cut from a food loaf or slab includes a frame, an endless belt conveying surface, a carrier, a plurality of pins, and a motive mechanism. The endless belt conveying surface is supported by the frame. The carrier is arranged b...	07/29/2008
7335013	Drive systems for a reciprocating mold plate patty-forming machine A drive system reciprocates a mold plate between a cavity fill position and a patty discharge position, and can also reciprocate knock out plungers to discharge molded food patties from cavities in the mold plate at the patty discharge position. This drive system in...	02/26/2008
7328542	Loading apparatus for food stacks An apparatus is provided for loading stacked food product into packages. Open top containers are arranged in rows and movable into a loading station. A shuttle conveyor has a retractable and extendable conveying surface, the conveying surface having an end region ex...	02/12/2008
7318723	Frame for a patty-forming apparatus A frame structure is provided for a reciprocating mold plate type food product forming apparatus. The frame structure includes an angular strut configuration for resisting horizontal reciprocating forces caused by the reciprocating mold plate and associated drive, a...	01/15/2008
7309228	Hydraulic pump system for a patty-forming apparatus An improved hydraulic system is provided for a reciprocating mold plate, patty-forming apparatus wherein food product is delivered under pressure from a pump cylinder to mold plate cavities. The plunger is driven during a first phase by force from a hydraulic cylind...	12/18/2007
7299728	Loaf end trimming station for slicing machine A loaf end trimming station for a high speed food loaf slicing machine, includes a frame, a first knife and a second knife spaced apart along the frame and oriented in positions corresponding to a lead end trimming location and a trailing end trimming location of a ...	11/27/2007
7278344	Shear mechanism for a slicing machine A slicing machine includes a machine frame having a food loaf delivery path arranged in a longitudinal direction, and a cutting assembly arranged in the delivery path. The cutting assembly has two longitudinally directed reciprocating blades facing upstream in the d...	10/09/2007
7270039	Reload system for slicing machine A loaf reload mechanism for a slicing machine that includes a loaf-loading position wherein during a loading operation a loaf is placed in the loaf-loading position to be engaged by a gripper and driven into a cutting plane. The loaf reload mechanism includes a loaf...	09/18/2007
7255554	Cooling air system for a patty-forming apparatus A cooling air system is provided for a patty-forming apparatus having a machine base that includes an enclosing wall and contains equipment within the machine base that generates heat, such as electric motors, electrical and control equipment. The machine base inclu...	08/14/2007
7229277	Mold cover lift system for a patty-forming apparatus A reciprocating mold plate food patty-forming machine is provided that includes a mold plate that reciprocates between a cavity fill position and a patty discharge position. The mold plate is movable beneath a mold cover. A mold cover lifting apparatus is provided a...	06/12/2007
7210923	Hopper system for a patty-forming apparatus A food product hopper assembly is provided for a food patty molding machine. The food product hopper of the assembly is configured for containing a supply of food product and is in flow-communication with a food delivery apparatus for discharging food product from t...	05/01/2007
7175417	Apparatus for forming food patties having surface indentations A food patty-forming apparatus for forming food patties from pressurized food product includes a mold plate that is guided to reciprocate longitudinally between a fill position and a discharge position. The mold plate has a cavity that is open to the source of press...	02/13/2007
7163391	Molding apparatus for forming food patties having top and bottom surface contours A mold plate for a reciprocating mold plate food patty-forming apparatus has at least one laterally contoured region extending longitudinally. The contoured region has a raised top surface and a raised bottom surface. The mold plate has at least one cavity through t...	01/16/2007
7159372	Sheet interleave system for patty-forming apparatus A sheet interleave system for a reciprocating mold plate patty-forming apparatus includes a hopper for holding sheets, a shuttle, a sheet transfer device, at least one precise position controlled motor, and a drive train. The shuttle has a sheet-holding frame that i...	01/09/2007
7125245	Tube valve arrangement for a patty-forming machine A tube valve and manifold arrangement for switching food product pumps is incorporated into a molding machine. The tube valve includes either a central outlet or two selectable sets of progressively sized outlet openings, with the smallest outlet opening closest to ...	10/24/2006
7065936	Fill and packaging apparatus An apparatus is provided for filling food product drafts into packages. A supply of open top containers are arranged in rows and carried by an elongated web of film and are movable by the web into a fill station. A shuttle conveyor has a retractable and extendable c...	06/27/2006
7055419	System and method for optimizing slices from slicing apparatus A method for optimizing yield from a slicing apparatus, includes scanning and weighing a carcass, slab or loaf upstream of a slicing head of the slicing apparatus. The carcass, slab or loaf weight is divided by a desired pre-selected portion weight to determine the ...	06/06/2006
6997089	Optical grading system for slicer apparatus A method of classifying slices or a portion cut from a food product according to an optical image of the slice. After a slice is removed from a food product loaf the slice is passed into an image field of a digital image receiving device. A control generates a pixel...	02/14/2006
6935215	Slicing machine and conveyor system with automatic product width compensation The invention provides a slicing and conveying system that includes a slicing blade that cuts slices from a loaf, and an output conveyor located below the slicing blade for receiving the slices in a draft. A control system automatically adjusts a lateral movement of...	08/30/2005
6932998	Apparatus and method for forming two component food product A method and apparatus for forming molded food products having an outer first component and an inner second component is provided. The apparatus includes a pressurized supply of first component and a pressurized supply of second component. A mold housing extends alo...	08/23/2005
6882434	Automated product profiling apparatus and product slicing system using same A system, suitable for high-speed operation, by which raw product (45), such as a slab of meat, can be accurately processed, such as by slicing into segments of desired weight, comprises a product profiling apparatus (15). The product profiling apparat...	04/19/2005
6854582	Stack stop for conveyor system An improved stopping mechanism is provided for a conveyor that accepts one or more streams of product input and converts the one or more streams to a format that is suitable for automatic loading to a subsequent machine, wherein a stack of slices must be temporarily...	02/15/2005
6769337	Self-centering slicer orifice for food loaf slicing machine An improved orifice plate assembly for a loaf slicing machine, the orifice plate assembly located adjacent to a moving slicing blade includes a frame defining an opening and a first orifice-defining member and a second orifice-defining member slidably mounted togeth...	08/03/2004
6763748	Automatic draft length compensation for slicing machine system A slicing and conveying system forms a three or more flavor-combined draft. A first slicing machine slices a succession of first and third slices in first and third shingled drafts. A second slicing machine slices a succession of second slices in second shingled dra...	07/20/2004
6763750	Conveyor system for slicer apparatus A conveying surface for a slicing apparatus that can be moved in two orthogonal directions in a coordinated manner to allow a depositing of slices in a pattern on the conveying surface. The conveying surface can be an endless belt conveyor circulated in the longitud...	07/20/2004
6749421	Patty-forming apparatus A patty-forming apparatus includes a mold plate having patty-forming cavities and a breather plate arranged over the mold plate. A fill slot is arranged below or above the mold cavities to fill food product into the mold cavity when the mold plate is in a fill posit...	06/15/2004

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Assignee: Formax, Inc.