초록 ▼

A load of solid food products such as fried potato chips and french fries are supplied to a receptacle opening into a dispensing chamber in which a releasable weighing platform is disposed. In order to facilitate flow of food products within the load and above a bottom wall of the receptacle, an agi

A load of solid food products such as fried potato chips and french fries are supplied to a receptacle opening into a dispensing chamber in which a releasable weighing platform is disposed. In order to facilitate flow of food products within the load and above a bottom wall of the receptacle, an agitator member having elongate parallel spaced-apart side elements joined by an end element adjacent a rear wall of the receptacle remote from the chamber opening is constrained to move upwards and downwards and towards and away from the chamber opening to exert a supporting and lifting action on the load of food products above said agitator member. When a predetermined weight of food products is reached, the weighing platform hinges downwardly to dispense a weighed portion of food products.

대표청구항 ▼

A unit for weighing and dispensing portions of fried potato products, from a supply of such products, said unit comprising a receptacle for receiving said supply, said receptacle having a bottom wall and a sloping rear wall which is inclined upwardly and outwardly away from the bottom wall of the re

A unit for weighing and dispensing portions of fried potato products, from a supply of such products, said unit comprising a receptacle for receiving said supply, said receptacle having a bottom wall and a sloping rear wall which is inclined upwardly and outwardly away from the bottom wall of the receptacle, a dispensing chamber opening into said receptacle, weighing means including a releasable weighing platform hinged to a movable weighing support, vibrator means coupled to a bottom wall of said receptacle for feeding potato products from the receptacle, into the dispensing chamber and onto the weighing platform, an agitator for use in agitating the potato products whilst in the receptacle, means supporting the agitator in the receptacle in a position which is spaced from the bottom wall thereof, drive means for moving the agitator, including a drive spindle, means mounting said spindle for angular movement about a substantially horizontal axis and means connecting said spindle to said agitator, said agitator being provided with a member which engages with and moves up and down the said rear wall during movement of said agitator, the slope of said rear wall being matched to the angular movement of the spindle, said connecting means and said rear wall slope translating the angular movement of the spindle into reciprocating movement of the agitator in directions upwards and downwards and towards and away from the chamber opening. A method of weighing and dispensing portions of solid food products, which method comprises, supplying a load of solid food products to a receptacle having a bottom wall, oppositely facing side walls and a rear wall, vibrating said receptacle bottom wall to feed food products onto a hinged weighing platform disposed in a dispensing chamber opening into said receptacle, mechanically moving an agitator member disposed above said bottom wall and spaced from said side walls and having elongate spaced apart parallel sides extending generally in the direction of said bottom wall and towards said rear wall and being joined by an end element adjacent said rear wall and remote from the chamber opening, within the load of food products in said receptacle in the directions of upwards and downwards, and towards and away from said chamber opening to exert a supporting and lifting action on the load of food products above said agitator member, whereby to feed food products on said bottom wall below said agitator member to said dispensing chamber and to facilitate flow of food products from the load of chips towards the bottom wall, levelling the food products being fed as they pass from the receptacle into said dispensing chamber, and weighing the food products on the weighing platform such that the weighing platform hinges downwardly when a predetermined weight is reached to dispense a weighed portion of food products from the dispensing chamber.