Abstract:
A mold plate for a food patty-forming apparatus for forming food patties from pressurized food product, the apparatus having a food product delivery configured to deliver pressurized food product into a fill opening of the mold plate, a drive mechanism operatively connected to the mold plate to reciprocate the mold plate between a fill position and a discharge position in a longitudinal direction, includes at least one oblong opening for receiving a key for connecting the mold plate to the drive mechanism. Particularly, the mold plate includes two spaced apart transverse openings for receiving two keys for connecting the mold plate to the drive mechanism.

Description:
[0001]     This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/644,653, filed Aug. 20, 2003. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The invention relates to a food patty-forming machine. Particularly, the invention relates to a reciprocating mold plate food patty-forming machine.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Increasing use of pre-processed foods in homes and restaurants and other group eating establishments has created a demand for high-capacity automated food processing equipment. That demand is particularly evident with respect to hamburgers, molded steaks, fish cakes, and other molded food patties.  
         [0004]     To increase consumer appeal it is known to provide a patty-molding or patty-forming machine with a mold plate having contoured cavities to form a two-dimensional horizontal profile patty that is curved or otherwise irregular to simulate the shape of a food item, such as a chicken drumstick. It is also known to provide a patty-molding or patty-forming machine with a mold plate with contoured cavities to form a two-dimensional horizontal profile patty, and an overlying breather plate with contoured areas, to provide a two-dimensional horizontal profile patty that also has a contoured top surface. However, in this arrangement, the bottom of the mold plate is flat to be flush against the flat fill plate or support plate provided on the mold patty forming machine. The corresponding molded patty has a flat bottom.  
         [0005]     The present inventors have recognized the desirability of providing a patty-forming apparatus that is capable of molding three-dimensional food patties, each patty having an irregular or curved profile taken through a vertical cross-section and through a horizontal cross-section.  
         [0006]     The present inventors have recognized the desirability of providing a patty-forming apparatus that is capable of molding food patties, each patty having both a top and a bottom non-flat surface contour.  
         [0007]     The present inventors have recognized the desirability of providing tooling for retrofitting a food patty-forming machine, wherein the tooling can provide for the molding of three-dimensional food patties, each patty having an irregular or curved profile taken through a vertical cross-section and through a horizontal cross-section.  
         [0008]     The present inventors have recognized the desirability of providing a tooling for retrofitting a patty-forming machine, wherein the tooling can provide for the molding of three-dimensional food patties, each patty having both a top irregular or curved contour and a bottom irregular or curved contour.  
         [0009]     The present inventors have recognized the desirability of providing a patty-forming apparatus or tooling that is capable of molding food patties that more closely simulate the natural shape of a food item.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     A mold plate for a food patty-forming apparatus for forming food patties from pressurized food product, the apparatus having a food product delivery configured to deliver pressurized food product into a fill opening of the mold plate, a drive mechanism operatively connected to the mold plate to reciprocate the mold plate between a fill position and a discharge position in a longitudinal direction, includes at least one oblong opening for receiving a key for connecting the mold plate to the drive mechanism. Particularly, the mold plate includes two spaced apart transverse openings for receiving two keys for connecting the mold plate to the drive mechanism.  
         [0011]     The invention also provides a food patty-forming apparatus for forming shaped food patties, having non-flat top and bottom surfaces, from pressurized food product. The food patty formed by the apparatus or tooling of the invention more accurately simulates the natural three-dimensional shape of food items such as a chicken drumstick, by replacing the flat bottom of heretofore known formed products with a contoured bottom. The invention can produce a formed patty having contoured, non-flat surfaces on all sides of the patty.  
         [0012]     One embodiment of the invention includes a first plate, a second plate, and a mold plate. The first plate and second plate can be carried by a frame of a molding apparatus. The second plate is spaced from and facing the first plate. The mold plate is arranged to reciprocate longitudinally between the first and second plates between a fill position and a discharge position.  
         [0013]     The mold plate of the embodiment of the invention has at least one laterally contoured region extending longitudinally. The contoured region has a raised first surface and a raised second surface on an opposite side of the mold plate. The mold plate has at least one cavity through the contoured region. The first plate has a recessed first surface extending longitudinally and corresponding in shape to the raised second surface of the mold plate and a fill opening in communication with the cavity when the mold plate is in the fill position during reciprocation of the mold plate. When the mold plate is in the discharge position, the cavity is exposed outside the first plate for removal of the patty. The second plate has a recessed second surface extending longitudinally and corresponding in shape to the raised first surface of the mold plate. The first and second recessed surfaces of the first and second plates respectively together form a longitudinal channel that closely conforms to the contoured region of the mold plate.  
         [0014]     In operation, a mechanism, operatively connected to the mold plate, reciprocates the mold plate between the fill position and the discharge position. A food product delivery system is configured to deliver pressurized food product. into the fill opening. The delivery system typically includes a supply of food product, a food pump for pressurizing the food product, and a delivery channel into the fill opening.  
         [0015]     According to the embodiment, the second plate includes breather holes that are in communication with the cavity during filling of the cavity with food product, the breather holes also being in communication with non-pressurized atmosphere.  
         [0016]     According to the embodiment, the mold plate includes flat first surface areas extending longitudinally on opposite lateral sides of the raised first surface and flat second surface areas extending longitudinally on opposite lateral sides of the raised second surface. The first plate includes flat first plate surfaces extending longitudinally and flush with the flat first surface areas of the mold plate. The second plate includes flat second plate surfaces extending longitudinally and flush with the flat second surface areas of the mold plate.  
         [0017]     According to the embodiment, the cavity has a horizontal perimeter that includes curved lines.  
         [0018]     According to the embodiment, the cavity comprises a vertical profile having curved top and bottom surfaces.  
         [0019]     According to the embodiment, the cavity comprises a horizontal profile having curved sides.  
         [0020]     According to the embodiment, the cavity simulates the shape of a chicken drumstick.  
         [0021]     According to the embodiment, the first plate is arranged below the mold plate and the second plate is arranged above the mold plate.  
         [0022]     According to another embodiment, the first plate is arranged above the mold plate and the second plate is arranged below the mold plate.  
         [0023]     Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will be become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, and from the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]      FIG. 1  is a fragmentary, diagrammatic elevational view of a patty-forming apparatus incorporating the present invention;  
         [0025]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view taken generally along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is a fragmentary, enlarged top perspective view of the patty-forming apparatus of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0027]      FIG. 4  is a fragmentary, enlarged bottom perspective view of the patty-forming apparatus of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0028]      FIG. 5  is a plan view of a mold plate incorporated into the patty-forming apparatus of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0029]      FIG. 6  is a fragmentary, enlarged sectional view taken generally along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0030]      FIG. 7  is a plan view of a breather plate incorporated into the patty-forming apparatus of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0031]      FIG. 8  is a front view taken generally along line  8 - 8  of  FIG. 7 ;  
         [0032]      FIG. 9  is a plan view of an adapter plate incorporated into the patty-forming apparatus of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0033]      FIG. 10  is a sectional view taken generally along line  10 - 10  of  FIG. 9 ;  
         [0034]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a patty formed by the patty-forming machine of  FIG. 1 ; and  
         [0035]      FIG. 12  is an elevational view of the patty of  FIG. 11 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0036]     While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings, and will be described herein in detail, specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.  
         [0037]     This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/644,653, filed Aug. 20, 2003, and herein incorporated by reference.  
         [0038]      FIG. 1  illustrates a food patty-forming apparatus  20  incorporating the structure of the present invention. The food patty-forming apparatus  20  is generally configured substantially as shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. RE 30,096; 6,428,303; 4,418,446; and 4,054,967, all herein incorporated by reference. The food patty-forming apparatus can be generally configured as a FORMAX F-6, F-12, F-19, F-26 or an F-400 reciprocating mold plate forming machine, available from Formax, Inc. of Mokena, Ill., U.S.A.  
         [0039]     According to a typical patty-forming apparatus, a supply of food product  26  is contained within a hopper  30  and conveyed into a food pump  36  comprising a piston or plunger  38  that compresses the food product into a cylinder  40 . The food product  26  is directed through a tube valve  42  which directs the pressurized food product through a fill channel  46 . A reciprocating mold plate is located above the fill channel  46  when in a filling position and reciprocates to a discharge or knockout position such that the filled mold cavities are exposed wherein a knockout mechanism  50  removes the patties from the mold plate cavities. The knockout mechanism  50  includes a knockout drive  52  which vertically reciprocates knockout cups  56  which are sized slightly smaller than the cavities, and correspond in number and in shape to the cavities such that the downward traveling knockout cops remove the patties from the respective cavities. A breather plate is located above the mold plate. The breather plate provides breather holes to remove air from the cavities during filling.  
         [0040]      FIGS. 1-4  illustrate the apparatus with a mold plate  70  in a knock out position. As it is understood from the aforementioned patents, the mold plate  70  is reciprocated horizontally from the knock out position rearward to a fill position above the fill channel  46 . The pressurized meat product is filled from below into the cavities  96  of the mold plate. It is also encompassed by the invention, and known, that the fill channel  46  could be located above the mold plate. The mold plate  70  can be horizontally reciprocated by being engaged at its rear end portion such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,303 or engaged at its front end portion by drive rods as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. RE 30,096.  
         [0041]     The meat product  26  within a hopper  30  can be conveyed along a bottom of the hopper such as described in U.S. Pat. No. RE 30,096, and/or conveyed by the use of motor driven screws  36  as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. RE 30,096, 4,054,967, or 4,418,446.  
         [0042]     The movements of the knockout cups  56  are synchronized for movement with the reciprocation of the mold plate  70 .  
         [0043]     The present invention provides an improved mold plate  70 , an improved breather plate  74  and an improved fill adapter plate  76 .  
         [0044]     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 6 , the mold plate  70  has an irregular cross-section. The mold plate  70  includes alternating flat plate regions  82  and shaped regions  86 . The shaped regions  86  extend longitudinally and are shaped to resemble a cross-section of an identifiable food product, such as a chicken drumstick. However, the invention is not limited to the shape, or even to the shape of an identifiable food item, and instead can be any shape which may have consumer appeal, such as a ball, an egg or a ribbed meat portion, and including decorative shapes or shapes of inedible items.  
         [0045]     The shape could also be a shape for an animal, such as a dog bone shape.  
         [0046]     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 8 , the breather plate  74  includes a contoured bottom surface  87  that extends longitudinally and has a shape conforming closely to a top surface of the mold plate  70 .  
         [0047]     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 10  the adapter plate  76  includes a contoured top surface  89  that extends longitudinally and has a shape that closely conform to the bottom surface of the mold plate  70 .  
         [0048]     The knockout cups  56  include a bottom surface  92  which conforms in shape to a top surface of the shaped region  86  of the mold plate  70 .  
         [0049]     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , each shaped region  86  of the mold plate  70  includes three cavities  96  arranged spaced apart along a longitudinal direction of each shaped region  86 . Although three rows of cavities  96  are shown, any number or rows are encompassed by the invention. The cavities can be in staggered rows or straight rows. The mold plate  70  further includes a double row of recesses  103  open to through-slots  105 . The recesses  103  and slots  105  are used for lubricating the top surface of the plate  70  with product. At a front edge of the plate  70  are located drive keys  107  used for connecting the plate  70  to a drive mechanism.  
         [0050]     The cavities  96  have an irregular or curved profile as viewed from above as shown more clearly in  FIG. 5 . The cavities are shaped in this horizontal profile to simulate the natural shape of a food item, such as a chicken drumstick, or other shape as described above. The knock out cups  56  have an identical, albeit slightly smaller, outside perimeter such that the knock out cups  56  can pass downwardly into the respective cavities  96  to remove the patty therein. The knock out cups  56  are mounted to a knockout assembly  106  that is raised and lowered by two knockout arms within housings  108 ,  110 .  
         [0051]      FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate the breather plate  74  which overlies the mold plate partially in the knock out position of the mold plate and more substantially in the fill position of the mold plate. The breather plate includes the contoured bottom surface  87  having flat areas  182  that correspond in position to the flat plate regions  82  of the mold plate, and recessed areas  186  that correspond in shape to the shaped regions  86  of the mold plate. The breather plate  74  includes a dished region  190  that is provided with pre-partially-drilled potential breather hole locations  191 . Preferably, the locations  191  that fall within the upwardly projected area of the fill ports, shown dashed as  242   a , are drilled completely through to form breather holes  192 . The breather holes  192  allow air and small meat fines to pass therethrough to allow the pressurized meat to enter the otherwise confined cavities  96  during filling of the cavities. Breather recesses or channels  196  are provided for returning the air and fines to the hopper  30  for pump  36 . The contoured bottom surface  87  of the plate  74  extends from the breather region to a front edge of the plate  74 .  
         [0052]      FIGS. 9 and 10  illustrate the fill adapter plate  76 . The fill adapter plate includes the continuous contoured top surface  89  from a back edge  76   a  to a front edge  76   b . The contoured top surface  89  includes flat regions  232  and shaped regions  236  that correspond to the bottom contour of the flat plate regions  82  and shaped regions  86  of the mold plate  70 , respectively. Within each shaped region  236  are located three fill ports  242  that correspond in number and shape to the cavities  96 .  
         [0053]     When the mold plate  70  is in the fill position, the fill ports  242  align with the cavities  96 . Pressurized food component enters the fill ports  242  from the fill passage  46  and thereupon enter the cavities  96  during the fill stage of the movement of the reciprocating mold plate  70 .  
         [0054]      FIG. 11  illustrates a completed patty  400  from the patty forming machine  20 . The patty includes a contoured top surface  402 , being curved in the horizontal as well as the vertical planes, a contoured bottom surface  404 , also being contoured in the vertical and horizontal planes, and contoured side surfaces  406 ,  408 , which are contoured in the horizontal plane.  
         [0055]      FIG. 12  illustrates a vertical profile of the patty  FIG. 11  showing the contoured surfaces  402   404 , contoured in the vertical plane.  
         [0056]     As demonstrated in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the patty  400  simulates the natural or recognized shape of a chicken drumstick. The patty  400  does not have a flat bottom and is contoured in both vertical and horizontal profile.  
         [0057]     From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred.