Patent ID: 7641543

Claim:
A process for cutting a predetermined number of sausages from a string of sausages comprising the steps of: providing a first conveyor system for delivering a string of sausages to a cutting station and a second conveyor system separate from and downstream of the first conveyor system for conveying sausages cut from the string of sausages to a packaging machine, wherein a cutting station is positioned between the first and second conveyor systems for cutting sausages from the string of sausages; providing a sensor device which (1) recognizes a separating point between two sausages and (2) counts a predetermined number of sausages with reference to the recognized separating points; providing a servomotor for selectively driving the first conveyor system in a forward and reverse direction in response to the sensor device; wherein (a) the first conveyor system passes a string of sausages through the sensor device which recognizes the respective sensing point between two sausages and counts a predetermined number of sausages, wherein the predetermined number of sausages are separated from each other at the cutting station; and (b) thereafter, the sensor device signals the servomotor to reverse to draw back the string of sausages until the foremost sausage is no longer sensed by the sensing device; and (c) repeating steps (a) and (b).