Patent ID: 7182224

Claim:
A device for portioning flowable food products comprising: a first group of cylinders ( 1 ) each provided with a respective piston ( 3 ) which can be moved toward a cylinder entrance by a fluid dynamic drive and communicated through said cylinder entrance with a first chamber ( 5 ) which has an inlet ( 5 a ) and an outlet ( 5 b ); a second group of cylinders ( 2 ), each provided with a respective piston ( 4 ) which can be moved toward a cylinder entrance by a fluid dynamic drive and communicated through said cylinder entrance with a second chamber ( 6 ), which has an inlet ( 6 a ) and an outlet ( 6 b ); at least a pump to impel said flowable food product through an inlet ( 9 ); distributing means ( 7 , 8 ) for alternately communicating said inlet ( 9 ) with said inlet ( 5 a ) of said first chamber ( 5 ) while closing said outlet ( 5 b ) to allow filling said cylinders ( 1 ) with said flowable food product impelled by said pump to move said pistons ( 3 ) a predetermined stroke corresponding to a portion and simultaneously close said inlet ( 6 a ) of said second chamber ( 6 ) and communicate said outlet ( 6 b ) with an outlet ( 10 ) to allow emptying said cylinders ( 2 ) by a stroke of said pistons ( 4 ) under said fluid dynamic drive, in a direction opposite to that of said predetermined stroke and vice versa; means ( 11 , 12 ) to delimit said predetermined stroke of said pistons ( 3 , 4 ) under pressure of said pump, in order to accurately determine a size of said portion, driving means arranged to drive said distributing means ( 7 , 8 ); and control and synchronisation means to control said distributing means ( 7 , 8 ) and said fluid dynamic drive of said pistons ( 3 , 4 ) so that when one of said groups of cylinders ( 1 , 2 ) associated to one of said chambers ( 5 , 6 ) is being filled with food product, another of said groups of cylinders ( 1 , 2 ) associated to a different of said chambers ( 5 , 6 ) is being emptied of portions of food product, wherein said fluid dynamic drive in each group of cylinders ( 1 , 2 ) is produced consecutively for each single piston ( 3 , 4 ) generating a submachine gun effect to supply at said outlet ( 10 ) consecutive portions having a size of a stroke of a piston, or consecutively for subgroups of said pistons ( 3 , 4 ) working simultaneously, providing at said outlet ( 10 ) consecutive portions having a size multiple of a stroke of a piston.