Apparatus for stacking and weighing sliced food products

Claim 1

FOR USE IN COMBINATION WITH A SLICING MACHINE HAVING A SLICING BLADE, A RECIPROCAL PUSHER FOR FEEDING A PRODUCT TO BE SLICED INTO SAID BLADE, AND CONTROL MEANS FOR DETERMINING THE RATE OF ADVANCE OF SAID PUSHER TOWARDS SAID BLADE AND CONSEQUENTLY THE SLICE THICKNESS, APPARATUS FOR STACKING A PRESELECTED NUMBER OF SLICES OF SAID PRODUCT AS THEY ARE DISCHARGED BY SAID SLICING MACHINE AND THEN TRANSFERRING THE STACKS OF SLICED PRODUCT THAT ARE OF A PRESCRIBED WEIGHT AND REJECTING THOSE STACKS THAT ARE OTHER THAN SUCH PRESCRIBED WEIGHT, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A STACKING MEANS TO BE LOCATED ADJACENT THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID SLICING MACHINE FOR RECEIVING THE SLICES DISCHARGED THEREFROM; SLICE COUNTING MEANS FOR DETERMINING THE PRESELECTED NUMBER OF SLICES DISCHARGED FROM THE SLICING MACHINE; STACKER ACTUATION MEANS COUPLED WITH BOTH SAID STACKING MEANS AND SAID SLICE COUNTING MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID STACKING MEANS TO TRANSFER THE STACK OF PRESELECTED NUMBER OF SLICE OF SAID PRODUCT AND READY SAID STACKING MEANS FOR RECEPTION OF ANOTHER STACK OF SLICES; CONVEYOR MEANS IN STACK RECEIVING POSITION ADJACENT SAID STACKING MEANS AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THEREON THE STACKS OF SLICED PRODUCT TRANSFERRED BY SAID STACKING MEANS; WEIGHING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID CONVEYING MEANS SUCH THAT IT IS ADAPTED TO REGISTER THE WEIGHT OF THE INDIVIDUAL STACKS CONVEYED THEREON; FEEDBACK MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID WEIGHING MEANS AND ADAPTED TO BE COUPLED WITH SAID CONTROL MEANS OF SAID SLICING MACHINE FOR FEEDING BACK SIGNALS TO SUCH CONTROL MEANS CORRESPONDING TO THE WEIGHT OF THE INDIVIDUAL STACKS OVER AND BELOW SAID PRESCRIBED WEIGHT FOR THE PRESELECTED NUMBER OF SLICES TO THEREBY CORRECT THE ADJUSTMENT OF SAID CONTROL MEANS OF SAID SLICING MACHINE TO RESPECTIVELY DECREASE AND INCREASE THE RATE OF ADVANCE OF SAID PUSHER AND CONSEQUENTLY DECREASE AND INCREASE RESPECTIVELY THE SLICE THICKNESS; TRANSFER MEANS ADJACENT SAID CONVEYOR MEANS FOR CARRYING AWAY THE STACKS OF SLICED PRODUCT WITHIN SAID PRESCRIBED WEIGHT, SAID TRANSFER MEANS INCLUDING A REJECT CONVEYOR ADJACENT SAID CONVEYOR MEANS FOR RECEIVING THEREON THE STACKS OF SLICED PRODUCT, AND A CONSTANTLY DRIVEN CONVEYOR ADJACENT THE TRAILING END OF SAID CONVEYOR FOR RECEIVING AND CARRYING AWAY BOTH CORRECT AND OVERWEIGHT STACKS OF SLICED PRODUCT; AND REJECT MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID WEIGHING MEANS FOR REJECTING OF SLICED PRODUCT THAT ARE UNDERWEIGHT.