Method For Manufacturing A Food Product, A Food Product Produced By A Food Product Manufacturing System, And Food Product Manufacturing System

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a food product includes depositing a first foodstuff; transporting the first foodstuff in a first driven direction; depositing a second foodstuff upon a portion of an upper surface of the first foodstuff; transporting the first foodstuff with the second foodstuff deposited thereupon in the first driven direction; separating the first foodstuff with the second foodstuff metered thereupon into a plurality of sheet segments; serially transporting each sheet segment of the plurality of sheet segments from the first driven direction to a second driven direction that is transverse to the first driven direction; compressing the serially transported sheet segments for forming a plurality of thickness segments including the first foodstuff and the second foodstuff that define an elongated, food product body; separating the elongated, food product body into a plurality of food product body units; and finishing the plurality of food product body units.

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         41 . A food product manufacturing system comprising:
 a first conveyor having a proximal end and a distal end;   a first foodstuff hopper located near the proximal end of the first conveyor and arranged over a portion of a foodstuff receiving surface of a belt of the first conveyor;   a second foodstuff hopper located downstream of the first foodstuff hopper and upstream of the distal end of the first conveyor, wherein the second foodstuff hopper may be selectively spatially arranged over a portion but not all of a width of the belt of the first conveyor defining the foodstuff receiving surface of a belt of the first conveyor; and   a first slicing blade located downstream of the second foodstuff hopper and upstream of the distal end of the first conveyor, wherein the first slicing blade may be arranged over a portion of the foodstuff receiving surface of a belt of the first conveyor.   
     
     
         42 . The food product manufacturing system according to  claim 41  further including:
 a foodstuff channel-forming member located downstream of the first foodstuff hopper and upstream of the second foodstuff hopper, wherein the foodstuff channel-forming member may be aligned with the second foodstuff hopper such that the foodstuff channel-forming member may be selectively spatially arranged over a portion but not all of a width of the belt of the first conveyor, wherein the foodstuff channel-forming member is arranged at a distance away from the foodstuff receiving surface of the belt of the first conveyor. 
 
     
     
         43 . The food product manufacturing system according to  claim 41 , wherein the first foodstuff hopper may include a sidewall defining a foodstuff-containing cavity, wherein access to the foodstuff-containing cavity is permitted by an upper opening and a lower opening, wherein the first foodstuff hopper includes a pair of metering rollers that are arranged about the lower opening. 
     
     
         44 . The food product manufacturing system according to  claim 41 , wherein the second foodstuff hopper includes a foodstuff metering valve. 
     
     
         45 . The food product manufacturing system according to  claim 41 , wherein the first slicing blade is connected to an actuator. 
     
     
         46 . The food product manufacturing system according to  claim 41 , wherein the belt of the first conveyor is rotatably supported by a proximal roller located at the proximal end of the first conveyor and a distal roller located at the distal end of the first conveyor. 
     
     
         47 . The food product manufacturing system of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 a second conveyor having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the second conveyor is transversely arranged with respect to the first conveyor and wherein the proximal end of the second conveyor is arranged proximate the distal end of the first conveyor, wherein a first plane aligned with and extending across the foodstuff receiving surface of the belt of the first conveyor is located spatially above a second plane aligned with and extending across a foodstuff receiving surface of a belt of the second conveyor, wherein the second plane is located spatially below the first plane, wherein a driven direction of the belt of the first conveyor is transverse to a driven direction of the belt of the second conveyor.   
     
     
         48 . The food product manufacturing system according to  claim 47  further including:
 one or more pairs of compression rollers arranged about the belt of the second conveyor, wherein the one or more pairs of compression rollers may be located near the proximal end of the second conveyor and downstream of a portion of the foodstuff receiving surface of the belt of the second conveyor that is aligned with the width of the belt of the first conveyor. 
 
     
     
         49 . The food product manufacturing system according to  claim 48 , wherein each pair compression rollers of the one or more pairs of compression rollers includes:
 an upper compression roller, and   a lower compression roller,   wherein the lower compression roller is arranged adjacent the belt of the second conveyor,   wherein a surface of the belt of the second conveyor to which the lower compression roller is arranged adjacent is opposite the foodstuff receiving surface of the belt of the second conveyor,   wherein the upper compression roller is arranged in a spaced-apart relationship with respect to the foodstuff receiving surface of the belt of the second conveyor, wherein a gap or spacing between the upper compression roller and the foodstuff receiving surface of the belt of the second conveyor is defined by a distance.   
     
     
         50 . The food product manufacturing system according to  claim 49 , wherein the one or more pairs of compression rollers includes more than one pair of compression rollers, wherein the distance between the upper compression roller and the foodstuff receiving surface of the belt of the second conveyor of adj acent pairs of compression rollers of the more than one pair of compression rollers progressively decreases in dimension. 
     
     
         51 . The food product manufacturing system according to  claim 48  further including:
 a second slicing blade is located downstream of the one or more pairs of compression rollers and upstream of the distal end of the second conveyor, wherein the second slicing blade is arranged over a portion of the foodstuff receiving surface of the belt of the second conveyor. 
 
     
     
         52 . The food product manufacturing system according to  claim 51 , wherein the second slicing blade is connected to an actuator. 
     
     
         53 . The food product manufacturing system according to  claim 51  further including:
 an oven located downstream of the second slicing blade and upstream of the distal end of the second conveyor, wherein the oven arranged about the foodstuff receiving surface of the belt of the second conveyor. 
 
     
     
         54 . The food product manufacturing system according to  claim 47 , wherein the belt of the second conveyor is rotatably supported by a proximal roller located at the proximal end of the second conveyor and a distal roller located at the distal end of the second conveyor.