Method and apparatus for pressing and slicing

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR PRESSING AND SLICING FOOD PRODUCT, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF CONFINING A UNIT OF PRODUCT HAVING A MAJOR LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION WITHIN A PRESSING ZONE HAVING GIVEN CROSS-SECTIONAL DIMENSIONS DEFINED BY FOUR CONTIGUOUS SIDE WALLS AND AN END WALL, BY INSERTING THE UNIT THEREIN IN A LATERAL DIRECTION; APPLYING A FORCE AGAINST THE UNIT OF PRODUCT LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID PRODUCT AND SAID ZONE WALLS TOWARD SAID END TO CONFORM THE PRODUCT TO THE SHAPE OF SAID ZONE; REMOVING SAID END WALL OF SAID ZONE AND THEREAFTER EJECTING THE PRODUCT FROM SAID ZONE IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION BEYOND SAID END; IMMEDIATELY ADVANCING SAID EJECTED PRODUCT IN SAID LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION TOWARD A SLICING MEANS; CONTINUING TO ADVANCE SAID EJECTED PRODUCT IN SAID DIRECTION UNTIL IT IS IN ABUTMENT WITH THE IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING EJECTED ITEM OF PRODUCT; THEREAFTER CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING SAID ABUTTED ITEMS OF PRODUCT BY SEPARATE MEANS IN SAID DIRECTION INTO SAID SLICING MEANS, AND REPEATING THE PROCEDING STEPS UPON SUCCESSIVE ITEMS OF PRODUCT.