Abstract:
A method for determining the number of loops of linked sausages for deposit on a smokestick includes; preparing an elongated strand of stuffed sausages; dividing the strand of sausages into a plurality of sausage links; determining the desired number of looped sausages to be prepared; depositing the linked sausages into the determined loops and depositing the loops on a plurality of adjacent hooks on a moving conveyor; intercepting the deposit of linked sausages on adjacent hooks when the predetermined number of linked loops of sausages have been deposited in the predetermined number of loops on the hooks to provide a visible variation in the configuration of linked sausages on the conveyor; and repeating the foregoing steps to create another group of sausages similar to the group of sausages created by the foregoing steps.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. applications Ser. No. 29/123,112 and Ser. No. 09/573,917, (pending) filed May 11, 2000, and May 18, 2000, respectively. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Sausage making machines of the type long known in the industry (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,191,222 and 3,115,668) are often accompanied by a conveyor which holds the strand of linked sausages in loops, each supported by a hook on the conveyor. The loops of linked sausages are then manually removed from the conveyor by use of an elongated smokestick wherein the smokestick is inserted through a plurality of loops, and then lifted from the hooks. The loaded smokestick is then delivered to a smokehouse for conventional processing. It is important that each smokestick be fully loaded to fully utilize the capacity of the smokehouse. Completely filling the smokestick optimizes the cooking process and serves to control the thermo process better in the smokehouse. Utilization of the full length of the smokestick is also a savings in labor in that fewer sticks must be inserted and hung in the smokehouse if they are full as compared to being half empty. 
     Another benefit of optimally filled smokesticks is to minimize the amount of touching of sausages of adjacent loops. The touching of adjacent sausages leave white spots where they engage each other. This product is fully cooked but does not look that way, and the white spots can possibly be a basis for downgrading the product. Thus, the smokestick should be fully loaded, but not overloaded so that the touching phenomenon takes place. 
     As is well known, shirred artificial casings of known length are commonly used to encase a strand of sausage material. The strand is extruded into the casing which is then twisted and pinched into a plurality of sausage links of equal length. The linked strand is then sequentially looped on the hooks of a conveyor with each hook carrying a loop of linked sausages containing a predetermined number. With these shirred casings the casing length can be chosen to optimally fill the smokestick, the machine is programmed to set the number of sausages per loop and the hook spacing on the conveyor will determine the gap between loops. For example, with an artificial casing having a total length of 120 feet, (102 useable feet) and with sausages being linked to a length of 5 inches, 243 sausages per casing will be produced. If the hook spacing in the conveyor is 1⅞ths inches, 9 sausages per loop would give the operator 27 loops of sausage spaced at intervals of 1⅞ths inches. In that case, 51″ of a 61″ smokestick would be used, leaving sufficient length for hanging the smokestick in the smokehouse. As shirred artificial casings are supplied in consistent lengths, there is no need to count the number of loops for each stick. 
     However, in the case of natural casings, which vary in diameter and length, the process of fully loading a smokestick is much more difficult. Fully loading a smokestick with natural casings can involve the use of a partial casing, multiple casings, or multiple casings and partial casings. Currently, sausage machine operators have to count off loops of the product and then make separations in the middle of a natural casing if necessary. 
     It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for determining the number of linked sausages for deposit on a smokestick for both artificial and natural casing materials. 
     A further object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for determining the number of linked sausages for deposit on a smokestick which is accurate and efficient. 
     A still further object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for determining the number of linked sausages for deposit on a smokestick which will permit the operator of the sausage encasing machine to easily and quickly recognize when a predetermined number of linked sausages and loops have been delivered to the conveyor for optimally loading a smokestick of predetermined length. 
     These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The method for determining the number of linked sausages for deposit on a smokestick involves extruding meat emulsion into an elongated casing, and then moving the filled casing through a conventional linker to create an elongated strand of linked sausages. The number of linked sausages in a loop is predetermined to provide the size of the loop of linked sausages to be placed on a given hook of the conveyor. This is done by preprogramming the gear ratio between the linker and the conveyor to hang the preprogrammed number of sausages per loop. 
     When a controller determines the total number of sausages to be deposited on a given smokestick, by taking into account the number of loops and the number of sausages per loop, the conveyor will advance at a greater or smaller velocity with respect to its normal velocity. This displacement will create a marker through a modified shorter or longer loop. A removed or missed hook will also result in a loop of modified configuration which will serve as a visible marker to the operator. The modified loop will be an immediate visual identifier to the operator that sufficient loops comprising the desired number of sausages have been delivered to the conveyor. The controller can also momentarily stop the meat pump, either by momentarily cutting power to the motor or declutching it, so that there is insufficient meat to completely fill the sausage, which will also act as a visual indicator. Accelerating the pump output will create an overfilled sausage. The operator will then cut the strand in the area of the visual indicator and tie off the ends of the strand on opposite sides of where the cut has taken place. This will allow the person handling the smokestick to know how many loops are to be on the stick without counting or estimating. The spacing of the loops on the stick will be sufficient to avoid the touching phenomenon by the predetermined calculation of the number of loops desired to be on the stick. 
     The cycle continues and the controller begins to count again the number of linked sausages being produced. If the amount of casing is exhausted before the total count for the second smokestick is reached, the controller will stop the sausage making machine to load a casing, and will resume or restart counting on the next cycle when the next supply of casing material is positioned on the casing machine. The controller will then continue the count until the total amount of linked sausages is reached for the second smokestick, whereupon the controller will create a marker through one of the modes described above and wherein the operator will sever and tie off the strand when the total desired number of linked sausages has been produced. The steps are repeated throughout the run of the particular program designated or until the sausage making machine is powered down. 
     The apparatus for performing the above method comprises a conventional sausage linking machine with a meat emulsion pump to supply meat emulsion through a stuffing horn into the casing material. A conventional sausage linking apparatus with a plurality of pinching elements causes the filled casing strand of sausage to be linked and to be deposited upon the hooks of a conveyor according to a predetermined program as described heretofore. A controller associated with the machine is programmed to control the meat pump to reduce pumping of meat emulsion if it is desired to use that mode to create a visible marker. Similarly, the controller can control the conveyor to cause the conveyor to advance at a greater or smaller velocity with respect to its normal velocity if that mode of marking is desired. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a forward elevational view of the conveyor hook of this invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a rearward elevational view thereof; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view thereof; 
     FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view thereof; 
     FIG. 5 is an outer side elevational view thereof as viewed from one side of the elongated conveyor chain or the other; 
     FIG. 6 is an inner side elevational view opposite to that of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged scale elevational view of a loop of linked sausages supported on a conveyor hook as seen on line  7 — 7  of FIG. 9; 
     FIGS. 8 and 8A are partial side elevational views of hooks loaded with sausage loops wherein alternate forms of marking are shown; 
     FIG. 9 is a partial plan view of the elements shown in FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 10 is a plan view of the conveyor hooks of this invention mounted on an actual conveyor, with one hook missing to create an alternate form of marking; 
     FIG. 11 is a partial schematic exploded perspective view of a sausage making machine embodying this invention; 
     FIG. 12 is an enlarged scale plan view taken on line  12 — 12  of FIG. 11; and 
     FIG. 13 is a schematic view of the control system for the sausage making machine and the conveyor of this invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to FIGS. 1 through 6, the conveyor hook  10  has a support arm  12  which has a first end  14  and a second end  16 . The support arm has a first arm portion  18  adjacent end  14  and a second arm portion  20  adjacent second end  16 . The support arm is bent at  21  to dispose the first and second arm portions in an angular relation of approximately 45 degrees. As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the support arm  12  has a substantially straight forward edge  22  and a substantially straight rearward edge  24 . The support arm is preferably cut from a sheet of metallic material approximately ⅛th of an inch thick and has a flat configuration and is not round in cross section as are most conventional hooks. The second end portion  20  and the second end  16  terminate in a head  26  which has a blade  28  which extends upwardly and forwardly from the lower end  16  and the second arm portion  20 . Normally, as will be discussed hereafter, the first arm portion  18  is disposed in a horizontal plane with the second arm portion  20  extending downwardly and outwardly therefrom. The blade  28  has an upper support edge  30  that extends upwardly and forwardly from the lower end of the second arm portion. An arcuate tang element  32  having a link engaging portion  33  extends from the second end  16  of the support arm  12  downwardly, and thence upwardly to be joined to the outer end  28 A (FIG. 2) of the blade  28 . 
     With reference to FIG. 7, a linked sausage strand  34  comprised of a plurality of links  36  joined at link points  38  forms a continuous loop  39 . Loop  39  is comprised of a pivotal link point  40  at the top with adjacent rearward link  42  and forward adjacent link  44  on opposite sides thereof. The sausage strand  34  is draped over the upper support edge  30 , and the adjacent links  42  and  44  extend downwardly from link point  40  and support edge  30  in rearward and forward directions respectively. (The numeral  42 A in FIG. 7 is the rearwardly adjacent link of the next succeeding loop  39 .) The rearward adjacent link  42  engages the link engaging portion  33  of tang element  32  so that it extends downwardly, outwardly and rearwardly from the supporting edge  30 . Similarly, forward adjacent link  44  bends downwardly from its own weight from pivotal link point  40  and extends downwardly, inwardly and forwardly from the support edge  30 . The link  44  is held in this position by its engagement with outwardly extending flange  45  (FIG.  3 ). The bending of flange  45  to its angular position with respect to blade  28  is facilitated by the formation of an elongated slot  45 A which is located on the bend line  45 B between the blade  28  and the flange  45  (FIG.  1 ). 
     It is seen that the conveyor hook of this invention is cut out of a piece of flat plate material and is simultaneously or subsequently bent into the configurations of the various components as described above. The configuration of these components spreads the upper portions of the sausage loops  39  in the manner shown in FIG. 7 to facilitate the entry into the space  46 A of the elongated stick  47 . In addition, the configuration of the various components on the head  26  of the hook places the loops  39  in an open diagonal position with respect to the direction of travel of the conveyor chain and the hooks to again facilitate the entry of the stick  47  into the loops. As the stick  47  is elevated after being inserted into the loops  39 , the pivotal link point  40  slides upwardly over and off of the supporting edge  30  to free the forward adjacent link  44  from the hook, while the passive support supplied by tang element  32  and link engaging portion  33  thereof provides no resistance to the lifting and removal of the loops from the hooks. 
     The angle  46  between adjacent links  42  and  44  form an angle of approximately  45  degrees which creates the enlarged area of space  46 A at the top of loop  39  (FIG.  7 ). This enlarged space  46 A permits the easy insertion of the elongated stick  47  (FIG. 7) into that space. Further, with reference to FIG. 9, it should be noted that the loop  39  basically is contained in diagonal plane  48  which facilitates the insertion of the stick  47  in a longitudinal direction when pointed in a rearward direction along aligned loops  39 . (See arrow  47 A, FIG. 9.) 
     The stick  47  can be moved longitudinally in a rearward direction through spaces  46 A, or can be held in a stationary longitudinal position whereby a conveyor, as will be described hereafter, while moving the loops  39  in a forwardly direction, can move on to the length of the stick  47 . 
     Again with reference to FIG. 9, adjacent links  42  and  44  dwell in the diagonal plane  48  and therefore are in planar alignment with each other. The rearward adjacent link  42  is in that portion  48 A of plane  48  which extends outwardly and rearwardly from upper support edge  30 . Similarly, forward adjacent link  44  dwells in that portion  48 B of plane  48  which extends inwardly and forwardly from the supporting edge  30 . Again, this diagonal disposition of the loops  39  facilitates the entry of the stick  47  into the space  46 A of each loop. 
     It should also be noted that the link engaging portion  33  of tang element  32  presents a passive support for the rearward adjacent link  42  which is easily disengaged from the link  42  as the loops  39  are lifted upwardly and slightly rearwardly from engagement with the support edge  30  for removal from a supporting conveyor. 
     Each hook  10  has a connector portion  50  at the first end  14  of support arm  12 . (FIGS. 3 and 4.) The connector portion  50  has an aperture  52  and a notch  54  to facilitate connection to a conventional conveyor chain  56  (FIG. 10) of conveyor  58 . Conveyor chain  56  is mounted on conveyor frame  60  and the chain is operated by any convenient source of power (not shown). The linked sausage strand  34  passes longitudinally through discharge horn  62  and is picked up by the endmost hook  10 A as the conveyor chain  56  and the hooks  10  move in a counterclockwise direction (FIG. 10) as indicated by the arrow  64 . 
     With reference to FIG. 11, the numeral  66  designates a sausage making machine having a meat emulsion pump  68 , a meat stuffing horn and follower  70 , a meat casing twister  72  and a linker assembly  74  downstream from the twister. Linker assembly  74  has rotating members  76  with spaced pinchers  78  thereon. A length of shirred casing  80  (artificial or natural) is slidably mounted on horn  70 . All of these components are conventional. The conveyor  58  and discharge horn  62  previously described are located downstream from the discharge end  82  of machine  66 . 
     With reference to FIGS. 12 and 13, a PLC controller  84  is mounted on machine  66  and is operatively connected to motors  88  and  90  which conventionally power the twister  72  and linker assembly  74  (motor  88 ) and conveyor  58  (motor  90 ). 
     With reference to FIG. 8A, the numeral  92  designates a position where a hook  10  has been removed so that it did not catch the loop which has instead been hung onto the next hook. This results in a loop  39 A of different configuration than conventional loops  39  because of the V-shaped configuration thereof at the top of the loop at position  92 . This missed hook is one means of providing a visual indicator to advise the machine operator that the predetermined number of linked sausages have been run for the group of sausage loops and sausages designated by the numeral  94 . This interruption in the creation of group  94  of loops  39  can also be alternatively accomplished by the controller  84  when the controller  84  advances the conveyor  58  at a greater or smaller velocity after a predetermined number of links  36  have been made to satisfy the required number of loops  39  comprised of the required number of links. Advancing the conveyor at an increased velocity will develop a marker in looper  39 B (FIG. 8) of fewer links  36  and of a shorter vertical length. Conversely, advancing the conveyor at a reduced velocity would create a “marker” loop  39 C of greater length shown by the dotted lines in FIG.  8 . 
     In operation, the operator starts the machine  66  and commences moving an encased strand of meat emulsion  34  into the twister  72 . The strand  34  is then conventionally converted into a series of links  36  by the linker assembly. Specifically, the spaced pinchers  78  on the two rotating members  76  cooperate to create the conventional link points  38 . The linked strand then proceeds through discharge horn  62  to be picked up by the endmost hook  10 A (FIG. 10) on the conveyor  58 . 
     Prior to the cycling of the machine as described above, the controller  84  is programmed with the specifications for a group  94  of loops  39  consisting of a predetermined number of sausage links  36 . The operator then determines the number of loops which should be placed on the smokestick  47  (e.g, 27) with 9 sausages (e.g. per loop). The controller  84  then determines that the group  94  will comprise 243 sausages. When the controller determines that sufficient predetermined links and loops have been produced to permit removal by a smoke stick, one of the four above-described modes of creating a “marker” loop will be invoked. Each of these modes will create a loop of different configurations which will be a quick and easy visual indicator to the operator that the group  94  has been completed. The operator will then cut a link in the marker loop and tie the ends off thereof. See the numeral  96  in FIGS. 8 and 8A. This will allow the person handling the stick  47  to know how many loops are to be on the stick, and the number of links on the stick without counting or estimating. 
     The computer then begins to count to 243 again as the operation of machine  66  is continued. If the casing  80  is consumed in the middle of the cycle, the controller will end the cycle at that point, memorize the count of linked sausages at that point, and will resume the count when the casing  80  has been replenished on the machine. Then, the second cycle will continue until 243 linked sausages have been counted, whereupon the horizontal link  36 A will appear again, and the operator will know that the second cycle is completed. This process is repeated throughout the run of this particular program or until the machine is powered down. 
     It is apparent that this invention will facilitate the production of the linked sausages to be placed on a conveyor, and then on a smokestick by predetermined specifications. The linking, looping, and deposit of loops on the smokestick will be greatly enhanced and expedited. It is thus seen that this invention will accomplish at least all of its stated objectives.