Patent ID: 8109065

Claim:
An automated processing method for a meat product, the method comprising: cutting a section of the meat product from a larger section thereof, the cut section corresponding to a predetermined amount of the meat product to be placed in a package; moving the cut section toward a staging position using force applied to the cut section from a plurality cut sections positioned upstream of the cut section; stopping the advancement of the cut section in the staging position misaligned with a slicing station; moving the cut section from the staging position to an indexed position misaligned with the slicing station using force applied to the cut section from a plurality cut sections positioned upstream of the cut section; moving the cut section from the indexed position into a slicing position aligned with the slicing station; slicing the cut section into a predetermined number of slices that are formed simultaneously in a single slicing operation by advancement of the cut section through a set of harping blades; aligning the plurality of packages with the stacks of slices for receipt in the package; and shifting the stacks of slices automatically into the aligned packages to avoid manual handling of the stack.