Patent ID: 8167167

Claim:
A semi-solid food product metering device comprising: at least two counter rotating feed rollers each with two ends, a distal end and a proximal end; at least two feed roller end plates, a first of the at least two roller end plates being a distal feed roller end plate at the distal end of the at least two counter rotating feed rollers and a second of the at least two roller end plates being a removable end plate at the proximal end of the counter rotating feed rollers with an at least one fastening device to fasten the at least two feed roller end plates in an operational position; a feed roller shaft for each of the at least two counter rotating feed rollers such that when transitioning from the operational position to a non-operational position the movement, removal or movement and removal of the at least two counter rotating feed rollers moves the at least two counter rotating feed rollers on each of the respective feed roller shafts such that the second of the at least two roller end plates is moved away from the ends of the at least two feed rollers to allow for movement of one of the at least two counter rotating feed rollers out of a counter bore in at least one of the at least two roller end plates; an at least one frame support, wherein the semi-solid food product metering device has the non-operational position and the operational position and is transitioned therebetween by a user, such that when in the operational position the semi-solid food product metering device is in operation and an at least one support bar supports the at least two feed roller end plates in the operating position with an at least one affixing device securing the end plates and, when in the non-operational position, the device is not in operation, the affixing device is not securing the end plates and allows for movement, removal, or movement and removal of the second of the at least two end plates away from the end of the two counter rotating feed rollers to provide access to a gap between the at least two counter rotating feed roller ends and the two end plates in the non-operational position.