Food molding process

Claim 1

A method for transferring molded food products from a pickup station to a discharge device by employing a plurality of independently reciprocating pickup blade units and a unitary stripper unit for all blade units and wherein each blade unit is lowered at the pickup station for impaling the molded food product, and each blade unit and the impaled products are shIfted from the pickup station to a position above the discharge device, said method comprising synchronously raising and lowering the stripper unit between a fixed upper position and a fixed lower position with the stripper unit at its lower position clearing the impaled food product on the lowered blade unit at the pickup station while simultaneously applying a downward acceleration to the product impaled on the raised blade unit at the discharge device, said acceleration exceeding the acceleration of gravity for quickly freeing the product from impalement, and suddenly terminating lowering of the stripper unit for cleanly separating the product from the stripper unit. axes of said supporting means with respect to said housing means and said piston means around said axis of operation in said second direction opposite to said first direction in said manner such as to effect cyclic contraction and expansion of said chamber spaces.

Claim 2

A method for transferring molded food products from a pickup station to a discharge device by employing a plurality of independently reciprocating pickup blade units and a unitary stripper unit for all blade units and wherein each blade unit is lowered at the pickup station for impaling the molded food product, and each blade unit and the impaled products are shIfted from the pickup station to a position above the discharge device, said method comprising synchronously raising and lowering the stripper unit between a fixed upper position and a fixed lower position with the stripper unit at its lower position clearing the impaled food product on the lowered blade unit at the pickup station while simultaneously applying a downward acceleration to the product impaled on the raised blade unit at the discharge device, said acceleration exceeding the acceleration of gravity for quickly freeing the product from impalement, and suddenly terminating lowering of the stripper unit for cleanly separating the product from the stripper unit. axes of said supporting means with respect to said housing means and said piston means around said axis of operation in said second direction opposite to said first direction in said manner such as to effect cyclic contraction and expansion of said chamber spaces.