Sealing member for a food forming drum

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9861108-B2
Application number	US-201414787987-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2014
Priority date	May 3, 2013
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A sealing member that includes an upstream first end and an opposite downstream second end. The upstream first end is located upstream of a feed member that supplies food product to the food forming member, and the downstream second end is located downstream of the feed member. The upstream first end includes a multitude of recesses and convexities. Food product that is transported by the food forming member towards the sealing member is guided toward or into product cavities defined in rows around the surface of the food forming member with the convexities and the recesses. Each of the recesses has a shape that generally corresponds to a shape of the product cavities, and each of the recesses are aligned with the product cavities extending in one of the rows. Each of the convexities are aligned with the surface of the food forming member located between the product cavities.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sealing member comprising:
a surface that interacts sealingly with a surface of a food forming member;
an upstream first end; and
an opposite downstream second end;
wherein the upstream first end of the sealing member is located upstream of a feed member that supplies food product to the food forming member, and the downstream second end of the sealing member is located downstream of the feed member;
wherein the upstream first end comprises a multitude of recesses and convexities,
wherein one of the convexities is located between a respective two of the recesses,
wherein the food product that is transported by the food forming member towards the sealing member is guided toward or into product cavities defined in rows around the surface of the food forming member with the convexities and the recesses at the upstream first end of the sealing member
wherein each of the recesses has a shape that generally corresponds to a shape of the product cavities, and each of the recesses are aligned with the product cavities extending in one of the rows; and
wherein each of the convexities are aligned with the surface of the food forming member located between the product cavities.

2. The sealing member according to claim 1 , wherein a tip of each of the convexities is sloped towards each of the recesses.

3. The sealing member according to claim 1 , wherein each of the convexities are shaped as a wedge.

4. The sealing member according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the sealing member and/or housing and/or stabilization block is reduced at least at one of the upstream first end and the downstream second end.

5. The sealing member according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing member comprises a guiding element which guides the food product towards a center of the sealing member.

6. The sealing member according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing member comprises a cutting edge.

7. The sealing member according to claim 6 , wherein the cutting edge and the sealing member are a single piece.

8. The sealing member according to claim 7 , wherein the cutting edge of the sealing member and/or a cutting member is profiled, or toothed.

9. A food forming apparatus comprising the sealing member according to claim 1 ;
wherein the food forming member comprises a feed channel through which the food product is pressed into the product cavities, and
wherein the sealing member extends around the surface of the food forming member.

10. The food forming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein a cutting edge extends parallel to the surface of the food forming member.

11. The food forming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the food forming apparatus comprises a manifold around the feed channel, and
wherein a pressure extended on a cutting member is independent from a pressure extended on the manifold.

12. The sealing member according to claim 1 , wherein the downstream second end of the sealing member comprises a multitude of downstream recesses and downstream convexities, and
wherein the downstream recesses at least partially correspond to the shape of the product cavities.

13. The sealing member according to claim 1 , wherein the upstream first end of the sealing member is free from contacting the surface of the food forming member, and
wherein a gap is defined between the sealing member and the surface of the food forming member, and the gap decreases from the upstream first end towards a filling recess.

14. The sealing member according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing member is fixed to a frame and stationary, and the food forming member rotates relative to the stationary sealing member.

15. The sealing member according to claim 14 , wherein during filling of the product cavities in the food forming member with the food product, the sealing member sealingly interacts with the surface of the food forming member to prevent the food product from spilling out of the product cavities.

16. A sealing member comprising:
a sealing surface in communication with a rotating food forming member, the food forming member having a plurality of product cavities extending in rows around a surface of the food forming member;
a first end and an opposing second end, the first end is located upstream of a feed member that supplies food product to the food forming member, the second end is located downstream of the feed member;
a plurality of first recesses at the first end, each of the first recesses has a shape that corresponds to a shape of the product cavities, and each of the first recesses are aligned with the product cavities extending in one of the rows;
a plurality of wedge-shaped first convexities at the first end, wherein one of the first convexities is located between a respective two of the first recesses, and each of the first convexities are aligned with a surface of the food forming member located between the product cavities;
a plurality of second recesses at the second end, each of the second recesses have a shape that partially corresponds to the shape of the product cavities so that smearing of the food product is reduced;
a plurality of wedge-shaped second convexities at the second end, wherein one of the second convexities is located between a respective two of the second recesses;
a cutting recess accommodating a cutting member, the cutting recess is located between the first end and the second end, the cutting member cuts the food product that extends out of the product cavities;
wherein the first recesses and the first convexities move the food product located on the surface of the food forming member into the product cavities;
wherein the sealing member is fixed to a frame and stationary, and the food forming member is a drum that rotates relative to the stationary sealing member; and
wherein during filling of the product cavities in the food forming member with the food product, the sealing member sealingly interacts with the surface of the food forming member to avoid the food product from spilling out of the product cavities.

Assignees

• Gea Food Solutions Bakel Bv

Inventors

• Van Gerwen Hendrikus Petrus Gerardus

Classifications

• A22C7/0076

  Devices for making meat patties · CPC title

• A23P30/10

  Moulding · CPC title

• A22C7/003

  Meat-moulds · CPC title

• A22C7/0069 Primary

  Pressing and moulding by means of a drum · CPC title

• A22C7/00 Primary

  Apparatus for pounding, forming, or pressing meat, sausage-meat, or meat products {(meat patty moulding devices for domestic use A47J43/20; ham boilers A47J27/20)} · CPC title