Patent ID: 7386966

Claim:
A system for automatically enclosing a semi-solid or solid product in a covering material, comprising: a support frame; an elongate product chute mounted to the support frame having an outer surface and opposing receiving and discharge end portions with an interior cavity extending therethrough, wherein the product chute has a floor; a product pusher mechanism mounted to the support frame upstream of the product chute, the product pusher mechanism having a pusher head that is configured to controllably automatically advance into and retract from the product chute to thereby advance a product from a position upstream of the product chute, through the product chute and out of the discharge end portion of the product chute, wherein the product pusher mechanism causes the pusher head and an associated actuation rod to reciprocally travel in the product chute in an unsealed manner, wherein the product pusher mechanism is configured so that the pusher head and the associated actuation rod travel substantially horizontally above the floor of the chute, wherein the product pusher mechanism actuation rod is in communication with an actuator piston that extends longitudinally upstream of the support frame with centers of the actuation piston and the actuation rod being concentric, wherein the product pusher mechanism actuation piston and rod reside above and intermediate of two laterally spaced apart stabilizer rods, and wherein the at least two stabilizer rods move forward and rearward substantially in concert with the actuation rod during a reciprocating stroke cycle of the actuation piston; and a clipper mechanism disposed downstream of the product chute, the clipper mechanism configured to automatically apply at least one clip to a covering material that encloses the product from the product chute.