Patent ID: 7154055

Claim:
A method of dividing semi-solid matter into portions comprising the steps of: providing a divider which opens and closes in response to control signals to separate the semi-solid matter into portions; providing a receptacle for receiving individual portions from the divider; mounting said receptacle to a load cell for producing electrical indications according to an applied load; providing a motor which operates in response to a control signal; connecting the motor to the receptacle with a disengageable connection which drives the receptacle when engaged, and provides a complete physical separation between the load cell and the motor when disengaged; sending a control signal to the motor to disengage the connection; sending an opening control signal to the divider to release semi-solid matter to the receptacle; determining the weight of the matter on the receptacle from load cell indications; sending a closing control signal to the divider to separate the semi-solid matter on the receptacle into a portion when the load cell indication reaches a predetermined shutoff weight; and sending a control signal to the motor to release the portion from the receptacle.