Food Patty Combining and Loading System

Abstract

An automated system combines the output from multiple food product producing machines, and formatting the combined output into a format for packaging. A combining conveyor has a first lane and a second lane adjacent to the first lane. Plural food product producing machines output food products onto the combining conveyor. At least one, and preferably more than one, of the food product producing machines outputs food product into an onload position in the second lane. One or more shifting mechanisms shift the food product from the second lane into the first lane. The first and second lanes move together along a conveyor moving direction and each shifting mechanism is located downstream in a conveyor moving direction from the onload position.

1 . An automated system for combining the output from multiple food product producing machines, and formatting the combined output, comprising:
 a combining conveyor having a first lane and a second lane adjacent to said first lane;   plural food product producing machines outputting food products onto the combining conveyor, wherein at least one of said food product producing machines outputs food product into an onload position in said second lane; and   a shifting mechanism that shifts the food product from said second lane to said first lane.   
   
   
       2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said first and second lanes move together along a conveyor moving direction and wherein said shifting mechanism is located downstream in a conveyor moving direction from said onload position. 
   
   
       3 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein at least one of said plural food product producing machines outputs food product directly into said first lane. 
   
   
       4 . The system according to  claim 2 , wherein said plural food product producing machines are spaced apart along said combining conveyor and output said food products in a transverse direction perpendicular to said conveyor moving direction. 
   
   
       5 . The system according to  claim 4 , wherein said food product output from each said food product producing machines comprises a row of food products that is extended in the conveyor moving direction. 
   
   
       6 . The system according to  claim 5 , wherein said combining conveyor includes a downstream stop in the conveyor moving direction at a shifting position adjacent to the shifting mechanism, wherein said second lane continues to move in the conveyor moving direction beneath a row of food products held stationary by said downstream stop, and said shifting mechanism shifts said row of food products held by said downstream stop into said first lane. 
   
   
       7 . The system according to  claim 6 , comprising a releasable stop upstream of the downstream stop to delay the arrival of the row from the onload position to the shifting position. 
   
   
       8 . The system according to  claim 6 , further comprising a formatting station wherein a single column of food products moving in the conveyor moving direction in the first lane is formatted into two or more columns, comprising a second shifting mechanism that alternately shifts groups of food products transversely from the conveyor moving direction from the first lane into a third lane and an adjacent fourth lane. 
   
   
       9 . The system according to  claim 8 , comprising guides, wherein said third and fourth lanes are merged closely together by said guides and are transported into an accumulating and separating station that groups a grid of food products having two columns and plural rows and transports the grid onto a loading conveyor in a loading station. 
   
   
       10 . The system according to  claim 9 , comprising a loading station downstream of the formatting station, wherein the loading station is arranged above open top trays arranged to accept the grid of food products in two side-by-side trays, the loading station comprising:
 a retractable and extendable conveying surface, the conveying surface being arranged above the open top trays and having an end region positionable over the trays and retractable to deposit food products into the trays and a guide assembly arranged to capture and hold the food products on the conveying surface for depositing into the trays when the end region is retracted.   
   
   
       11 . The system according to  claim 10 , further comprising a pushing assembly arranged within the guide assembly and arranged to push food products from within the guide assembly into the trays after the conveying surface end region is retracted. 
   
   
       12 . The system according to  claim 11 , wherein the guide assembly comprises a plurality of spaced-apart guide plates movable from an elevated position to a first lowered position to capture the food products on the conveyor, and to a second lowered position below the conveyor and adjacent to the row of open top trays. 
   
   
       13 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the plural food product producing machines comprise food patty forming machines. 
   
   
       14 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the plural food product producing machines comprise food loaf or food slab slicing machines. 
   
   
       15 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein said plural food product producing machines comprise multiple output conveyors that output rows of food products extended in the longitudinal direction into the second lane and multiple shifting mechanisms arranged along the combining conveyor are controlled to merge the rows that are placed into the second lane into the first lane so as not to interfere with a row of products already occupying the first lane, to form a single column of food products in the first lane as the first and second lanes move continuously along the longitudinal direction. 
   
   
       16 . The system according to  claim 15 , comprising a control and sensors communicating with said control, said sensors sensing food products in the first lane to determine clearances in the first lane to command shifting mechanisms in said second lane to shift food products from said second lane into said first lane. 
   
   
       17 . A method of combining rows of food products output from multiple food product producing machines, comprising the steps of:
 arranging multiple food product producing machines along a combining conveyor having two lanes and transporting in a longitudinal direction;   outputting a series of rows of food products from each food product producing machine onto the second lane of the combining conveyor;   stopping the rows on the second lane as said first and second lanes continue to move and selectively shifting said rows onto said first lane in order to form a closely packed single column of food products on said first lane.   
   
   
       18 . The method according to  claim 17 , comprising the further step of formatting the single column into two columns by alternately shifting groups of products laterally of the moving direction of the conveyor. 
   
   
       19 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein said two columns are merged closely together and are transported into an accumulating and separating station that groups a grid of food products having two columns and plural rows and transports the grid onto a loading conveyor in a loading station. 
   
   
       20 . The method according to  claim 19 , arranging open top side-by-side trays in a loading station;
 arranging a retractable and extendable conveying surface above the open top trays;   arranging a guide assembly to capture and hold the food products on the conveyor for depositing into the trays;   retracting the conveying surface from below the food products and using the guide assembly loading the food products into the trays.