Patent ID: 8840390

Claim:
An apparatus for producing patties from a food product, said apparatus comprising: a conveyor configured to move along a first direction from a feed location to an output location; a cut-off device configured to provide portioned deposits onto the conveyor, wherein the deposits each includes a food product; a container configured to hold a plurality of sheets of paper; a press wheel, mounted over the conveyor and spaced at a predetermined distance from the conveyor, wherein the press wheel is rotatable and configured to press one of the plurality of deposits to form a plurality of patties of the food product on the conveyor, the patties having a thickness based on the predetermined distance, wherein the press wheel is further configured to receive a sheet of paper from the container and to provide the sheet of paper onto one of the plurality patties; and a sensor system configured to synchronize an operation of the cut-off device and the press wheel such that as the press wheel rotates to form a plurality of patties on the conveyor one sheet of paper is provided to each of the plurality of patties while the sensor system continues to trigger the cut-off device, wherein the press wheel is configured to press one of the plurality of deposits and provide the sheet of paper onto one of the plurality of patties simultaneously.