William E Norton

US Patent:

53539133, Oct 11, 1994

Filed:

Sep 30, 1993

Appl. No.:

8/129584

Inventors:

Leslie J. Steiger - Grandview MO
Laclede L. Hill - Kansas City MO
William E. Norton - Edwardsville KS
Randyl C. Hanson - Lake Lotawana MO
Eric C. Scheier - Lenexa KS
Paul M. Bastasch - Overland Park KS

Assignee:

United Bakery Equipment Company - Lenexa KS

International Classification:

B65G 4730

US Classification:

1984186

Abstract:

A packaging machine for round bakery products such as bagels and English muffins. The products are conveyed flatly side by side in successive transverse rows which are delivered by an infeed belt conveyor. The infeed conveyor discharges the products into open top chutes equipped with deflector rods located off center in the chutes. The products are rotationally deflected by the deflector rods to an edge down position. The chutes discharge the bakery products onto a packaging conveyor which receives the products in each group on edge and oriented face to face in a stack which can be conveniently packaged. Each deflector rod can be situated in two different alternative positions offset on opposite sides of the transverse center of the bakery product. This allows the faces of the products in each package to be oriented as desired.

US Patent:

54857724, Jan 23, 1996

Filed:

Feb 23, 1994

Appl. No.:

8/200435

Inventors:

Paul M. Bastasch - Overland Park KS
Randyl C. Hanson - Lake Lotawana MO
Laclede L. Hill - Kansas City MO
William E. Norton - Edwardsville KS
Hans W. Schoenbuchner - Conygham PA

Assignee:

United Bakery Equipment Company - Lenexa KS

International Classification:

B26D 308

US Classification:

83873

Abstract:

A machine for slicing bakery products such as rolls and buns. Buns that are arranged in clusters having at least four buns each have their two outside buns sliced from the outer edges and the interior buns sliced from a location between them. A vertical disk with a dull edge is arranged to engage the weak line between the two interior buns to create a break from the bottom that provides access for the shaft of the slicing blade to pass through the bun cluster without disfiguring the buns. The disks and the slicing blades for the interior buns are carried on a lower slicing mechanism which underlies the conveyor system for the buns. The lower slicing mechanism can be slid out to one side of the machine for servicing. The disks can be lowered to an inoperative position by an actuating linkage, and the lower slicing blades are automatically released when the disks are lowered. An alignment device used for the slicing of individually baked buns properly locates each bun as it approaches the slicing unit so that the cuts are consistent on the different buns even if they are irregular in size and shape.