TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns the preparation of foodstuffs. More specifically, the present invention relates to the preparation of sausages, salami and other similar food items. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system adapted to cooperate with a feeding hopper of the type commonly used for stuffing machines for soft pastes based on meat or vegetables, such as pastes for "mortadella" or generally for all types of sausages and salami, but also vegetable-based pastes such as soy pastes or similar, as well as with an apparatus for processing soft pastes. Furthermore, the present invention concerns stuffing machines for meat- or vegetable-based soft pastes which are provided with such a system and with a feeding hopper and/or with such a device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF THE ART

As known, foods such as sausages, salami, and mortadella are traditionally obtained by stuffing a tubular casing, called a sausage casing, with a meat-based soft paste. The casing can be made either of catgut (animal bowels) or of a synthetic material, such as, for example, collagen. Said casing is then stuffed with a predefined amount of paste and then bound or stapled at its ends, so as to produce a sausage of the desired size. In particular, the stuffing is achieved by employing dedicated stuffing machines which process the paste by means of devices suitable for the purpose. The processed paste is then let out through an ejection tube upon which said casing is inserted, so as to stuff the tube with the paste let out through the ejection tube of the stuffing machine. In the case of mortadella, the stuffed casing is first cooked and then allowed to mature.

In the last few decades, in order to meet consumers' demand, sausage producers have used stuffing machines comprising basically two pumps of different types, arranged in a series between a hopper for feeding the paste into the machine and the ejection tube or nozzle of the machine. Following the direction of advancement of the paste between the hopper and the nozzle, the foremost pump in the series is a spiral conveyor, whereas the latter pump, adapted to push the paste out through the nozzle, is usually a volumetric pump, for example comprising a rotating body provided with paddles. Furthermore, dedicated air aspiration systems can also be introduced in order to prevent air bubbles from forming in the sausage. Such air bubbles might bring about hollows, blisters or similar defects which would jeopardize the quality of the final product.

In the following, a stuffing machine of known type shown in Fig. 1 will be described.

In particular, the stuffing machine of known type, schematically depicted in Fig. 1 and identified by the reference number 1 , comprises essentially a feeding hopper 2 adapted to be loaded with a soft paste and an exit nozzle 4, upon which a sausage casing or tubular casing is inserted in a way similar to a sock. Between the hopper 2 and the nozzle 4, a spiral conveyor pump 10 and a volumetric pump 20 are arranged in series. The conveyor pump 10 is provided with a spiral conveyor 6 driven by an engine 7, as well as with a fill opening 8 and an ejection opening 9 communicating with the lower part of the hopper and with the inlet to the volumetric pump 20, respectively. The volumetric pump 20 is provided with a rotor with radial paddles 12 driven by an engine 13.

In the known stuffing machine depicted in Fig. 1 , the soft paste loaded onto the hopper 2 is pushed by the spiral conveyor into the volumetric pump 20 and it is ejected by the latter pump through the ejection nozzle 4, so as to stuff the casing or tubular casing 5.

Known stuffing machines of the type depicted in Fig. 1 display several advantages and inconveniences.

First of all, the arrangement of the spiral conveyor pump 10 with respect to the hopper 2 causes possible insufficient feeding of the spiral conveyor pump. Actually, it often occurs that, due to the thickness of the paste, the rotation of the spiral conveyor 6 is not fast enough to let the past out of the hopper through the feeding opening 8. Rather, it often occurs that the paste gets partially stuck on the inner walls of the hopper and, therefore, cannot leave the hopper. It is thus necessary for an operator to push the paste manually from the top to bottom towards the feeding opening 8, in such a way that the paste can reach the spiral conveyor pump and be pushed by the latter pump to the volumetric pump 20. This causes the stuffing operations to be temporarily interrupted, thus considerably prolonging processing times.

Moreover, the feeding of the volumetric pump 20 carried out by the spiral conveyor pump 10 displays some inconveniences too. It actually occurs that the volumetric pump 20 is also not sufficiently fed with the paste. This is particularly due to the horizontal arrangement of the spiral conveyor pump 10, which causes the paste exiting the latter pump to follow a winding, non rectilinear path to reach the volumetric pump 20. When the volumetric pump 20 is not sufficiently fed, stuffing operations are slowed down.

Yet another problem is that the action of the aspiration devices (not shown in Fig. 1 ), designed in order to remove or evacuate air sucked into the paste essentially because of the high velocity of rotation of the volumetric pump 20, is hindered due to the horizontal position of the spiral conveyor pump 10 and its positioning upstream the volumetric pump 20 in the series whose positive direction follows the direction of advancement of the paste between the hopper 2 and the ejection nozzle 4. Actually it is often observed that residual air gets trapped in the paste, thus giving the fatty parts of the paste a whitish colour particularly unpleasant to consumers. Said residual air also brings about hollows and blisters which jeopardise the uniformity of stuffed products. In particular, in the case of products adapted to be cut into slices when consumed, the slices display a plurality of small holes which damage their look and their quality.

Finally, since both pumps, i.e. the spiral conveyor pump and the volumetric pump, are housed in the stuffing machine, the machine is considerably bulky. Its size makes the use of the machine particularly cumbersome in cases of lack or shortage of room.

Due to the reasons listed above, a new machine has been developed which could overcome or, at least, limit the inconveniences of the machine shown in Fig. 1 . An example of a stuffing machine of this type can be found in EP 1 479 298 B1 and it is shown in Fig. 2. This type of machine allows the air trapped in the paste to be effectively removed and/or evacuated, as well as for the paste to be effectively conveyed to the stuffing nozzle, so as to reduce to a minimum the need for the operator to intervene during the stuffing process.

The stuffing machine shown in Fig. 2 comprises a hopper 2 comprising a main body 2a with the distinctive upside-down truncated conical or funnel-like shape. The main body 2a is adapted to be loaded with soft pastes of the type used for stuffed food products such as, for example, sausages, salami, mortadella, etc. , as well as with vegetable-based soft pastes used for stuffed vegetable food products such as, for example, soy salami, gluten salami, etc..

The main body 2a is fitted onto a secondary body 3, from which the paste is let out and ejected through an ejection nozzle 3a. A tubular casing (cover, covering) or casing 7 is put or inserted on the tube 3a in a similar way as a sock, in such a way that the paste ejected from the tube 3a stuffs the casing 7.

The paste, loaded in the hopper 2, is transferred into the secondary body 3 and hence let out or ejected through the ejection nozzle 3a.

The hopper 2 is placed on a support 5 and solidly joined to it. Obviously, the support 5 is also provided with an opening for transferring the paste from the hopper 2 to the secondary body 3. Furthermore, the support 5 is attached to the secondary body 3 by means of dedicated hinges and attaching means, so as to make it possible to lock and unlock the attaching means at will and, thus, to rotate the support 5, along with the whole hopper 2, around the hinges. By turning or rotating the hopper, one can inspect those constituent parts which are housed in the secondary body 3 right below the hopper 2.

A third housing body 6 is solidly joined to the hopper 2 by means of dedicated support means 6a. In particular, the housing body 6 is used to accommodate a power source for actuating the discharge means provided in the hopper 2.

In the secondary body 3 a dedicated rotating pump 8a with paddles 8b is accommodated. This pump is adapted to be fed with the paste let out by the hopper 2 and to eject said paste through the nozzle 3a, upon which a casing or tubular casing is inserted, in a similar way as a sock.

The pump 8a is driven by a dedicated power source 8, such as, for example, a hydraulic engine, or an electric engine, or any other power source adapted to the purpose and known to the skilled person.

As previously mentioned, one more power source 9 is housed in the housing body 6. Said power source has the function of driving dedicated transport means 1 3 housed in a hollow body 14. The hollow body 14 and the transport means 13 are both parts of the discharge means housed in the main body 2a of the hopper 2. The power source 9 is connected to a rotating actuator 12 by means of a transmission belt 12. In turn, the rotating actuator 12 is adapted to engage with the transport means 1 3. The transport means 13 comprise a spiral conveyor and are received within a hollow body with substantially cylindrical shape 14. Said hollow body is provided with an opening 14a for letting in the paste loaded in the main body 2a from said main body into the hollow body 14. Furthermore, in order for the paste to enter more smoothly into the hollow body through the opening 14a, sending means 2b are also provided in the main body 2a. These sending means also have the distinctive upside-down truncated conical or funnel-like shape and display an opening adapted to engage with the external surface of the hollow body 14. Since the hollow body has a tubular or cylindrical shape, the opening of the sending means 2b has a substantially circular shape. Between the sending means 2b and the main body 2a, some filling means are designed so as to prevent parts of the paste from sliding between the sending means 2b and the main body 2a. Such filling means can comprise materials such as, for example, resins, foam rubber, etc. Furthermore, the sending means 2b are located on a flange stretching out from the surface of the hollow body 14 in such a way that the position of the opening corresponds to the inlet opening 14a. In this manner, the paste can more easily slide down along the main body 2a of the hopper 2 and more easily enter through the opening 14a, thus avoiding any paste accumulation opposite the opening 14a which would obstruct it. In this manner, a discharge direction of the hopper 2 is also defined, going substantially from top to bottom of Fig. 2, i.e. a direction substantially parallel to the symmetry axis or discharge axis of the main body 2a.

Air evacuation means are also connected with the interior of the hollow body 14 by means of a dedicate opening. For this purpose, a vacuum pump is used (not shown in the figure).

The hollow body 14 comprises an end comprising an emission opening, so that the paste, entering the hollow body 14 through the inlet opening 14a, is pushed by the turns of the spiral conveyors 13 and then conveyed by said conveyor from the opening 14a to the emission opening in the direction of transport and, hence, ejected through the through opening of the support 5.

The direction of transport is substantially parallel to the discharge axis of the main body 2a.

Although the stuffing machine shown in Fig. 2 can overcome or, at least, limit some inconveniences of stuffing machines of a similar type to that shown in Fig. 1 , it still has some disadvantages. In particular, as can be seen in Fig. 2, the structure of the hopper 2 is complex and, in general, expensive to manufacture. In particular, since the hollow body 14 with the spiral conveyor 1 3 are integrated in the hopper 2, manufacturing the hopper is a non trivial process. Therefore, sausage producers who would like to take advantage of the improved features of the machine shown in Fig. 2 have to obtain the whole hopper, thus facing considerable purchase costs due to the high costs for producing the machine. Due to these reasons, it would be desirable to have a system which is able to overcome all inconveniences of the known state of the art. In particular, it would be desirable to have a system which, besides effectively removing the air trapped in the paste and reducing the need for the operator to intervene during the stuffing process to the minimum, can be produced at limited cost.

BRI EF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In general, the present invention concerns the preparation of foodstuffs. In particular, the present invention concerns a system and a machine or device for preparing stuffed foods. More specifically, the present invention concerns a system adapted to cooperate with a feeding hopper of the type used for feeding stuffing machines for meat- or vegetable-based pastes, such as, for example, pastes for mortadella, sausages, salami, etc. , but also vegetable-based stuffed foods such as soy salami and similar products, as well as a device for processing said soft pastes. Furthermore, the present invention concerns stuffing machines for meat- or vegetable-based pastes equipped with a hopper and/or with such a system. The system according to the present invention allows one to obtain stuffed foods which are free of holes, hollows, blisters, or similar imperfections, as well as to prevent the fatty parts of the paste from assuming during the stuffing process that whitish colour which is particularly unpleasant to consumers.

The system according to the present invention stands out in that that the discharge and the emission of the paste are easily, effectively, and quickly achieved, thus preventing the paste remnants from getting trapped in the hopper, for example by getting stuck onto the walls of the hopper. In fact, by means of the system according to the present invention, the hoppers are thoroughly and quickly emptied.

According to a first embodiment, the object of the present invention is a system for processing soft pastes adapted to cooperate with a feeding hopper, said system comprising: discharging means adapted to receive said soft pastes from the main body of said hopper and to discharge said soft pastes from the lower opening of said hopper, a power source adapted to actuate said discharging means and a transmission system adapted to couple said power source with said discharging means, said system for processing soft pastes being removable from said hopper.

Since the system for processing soft pastes is in its entirety, i.e. taken in its whole of power generator, transmission system, and discharging means, removable from said hopper, the system according to the present invention can be easily applied to any other type of hopper.

This allows not only for the easy implementation of any device comprising a hopper by means of the system according to the present invention, but also for the easy cleaning and maintenance of both the hopper and the system according to the present invention. Furthermore, a sausage producer can easily use the system of the present invention for different devices comprising a hopper, thus curbing purchasing costs of the required machines.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a system is provided wherein the transmission system comprises a first transmission element and a second transmission element substantially parallel to a first transmission direction, and a third transmission element adapted to couple said first transmission element with said second transmission element and being substantially parallel to a second transmission direction substantially perpendicular to said first transmission direction. If the first direction is, for example, substantially vertical and the second transmission direction is substantially horizontal then the lengths of the first and of the second transmission element allow one to fix the height of the discharging means with respect to the height of the power generator. Furthermore, the length of the third transmission element allows one to fix the lateral distance between the discharging means and the power generator. In other words, this configuration allows one to fix the spatial position of the discharging means with respect to the power generator, and to mechanically couple these two elements at the same time.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a system is provided wherein the first transmission element has an adjustable length so as to vary the height of the discharging means with respect to the ground. In this manner, the discharging means can be positioned at a variable height with respect to the ground. This allows one to easily insert the discharging means into a hopper, for example, by raising them to overcome the upper edge of the main body of the hopper and then by lowering them so as to take them into a working position inside the hopper. Furthermore, the discharging means can cooperate with different types of hoppers having, for example, different sizes and different heights from the ground.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a system is provided wherein a transmission system is housed in a system of hollow bodies. In this manner, the transmission system is, for example, protected by unwilled bumps. Furthermore, the system of hollow bodies can serve as a support structure for the transmission system.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a system is provided wherein the hollow body adapted to house the first transmission element having an adjustable length has an adjustable length.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a system is provided wherein the transmission system is adapted to be rotated around a rotation axis so as to let said discharging means rotate around said rotation axis so as to allow for the placement of said discharging means in any position along at least a circular arc parallel to the ground and centred in said rotation axis. In this manner the discharging means can be easily placed at one's will along at least a circular arc, so as to vary the angular position of the discharging means with respect to the power source while maintaining at the same time the mechanical coupling between them.

According to other embodiments of the present invention, said circular arc can correspond to several angles such as, for example, 30° (a twelfth of a circle), 60° (a sixth of a circle), 180° (half a circle) or 360° (a whole circle).

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a system is provided wherein the discharging means comprise a hollow body, a spiral conveyor housed in said hollow body, at least an opening adapted to receive the soft pastes from the main body of the hopper and to introduce them into said hollow body and a discharge opening so that said soft pastes introduced into said hollow body are conveyed by said spiral conveyor towards said discharge opening. In this manner, the soft pastes are processed by the spiral conveyor during the conveying process.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a system is provided wherein at least the lower portion of the hollow body is adapted to be housed in the lower opening of said hopper. In this manner the soft paste collected by the spiral conveyor is emitted by the lower portion of the hopper to the successive components of the stuffing device comprising the hopper. The housing of the lower part of the hollow body can be realised by, for example, occlusion means such as a flange or a gasket, adapted to occlude those portions of the lower opening of the hopper which are not occupied by the lower part of the hollow body.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a system is provided wherein the discharging means comprise evacuation means adapted to remove the air from inside said discharging means. In this manner the air contained in the soft pastes which are conveyed to the discharging means can be effectively removed. The evacuation means can be connected, for example, to a vacuum pump.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a system is provided comprising a stuffing machine for soft pastes comprising a system according to the present invention, and a stuffing device comprising a hopper. The stuffing machine, provided with a system for processing soft pastes removable from the hopper and provided with a power source autonomous and independent of any other power sources of the stuffing device comprising the hopper, is particularly versatile and user-friendly. In particular, both cleaning and maintenance can be easily carried out.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Further features and advantages of the hopper and the stuffing machine according to the present invention will be clearer in the following description of some particular forms of embodiment of the invention, the description referring to the attached figures. In the attached figures, identical or corresponding parts are identified by the same reference numbers. In particular, in the figures:

Fig. 1 shows schematically a first stuffing machine of the type known from the state of the art;

Fig. 2 shows schematically a second stuffing machine of the type known from the state of the art;

Fig. 3 shows schematically a system for processing soft pastes adapted to cooperate with a feeding hopper according to a particular embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4a shows schematically a portion of a transmission shaft with variable length according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4b shows a lateral section of a portion of a hollow body with variable length, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 represents schematically a stuffing machine according to a particular embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Although in the following description of the figures some embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated, it is intended that the present invention is by no means limited to such particular embodiments. Rather, the particular embodiments described in what follows clarify some aspects of the present invention, whose aim and reach are defined by the claims.

Fig. 3 represents schematically a system 100 adapted to cooperate with a feeding hopper of the type used for feeding stuffing machines for meat- or vegetable-based soft pastes according to a particular embodiment of the present invention.

The system 1 00 comprises a main body 1 01 which, as shown in the figure, can be provided with moving means adapted to move the system 100 such as wheels 103a and 103b or similar means. Inside the main body 101 a power source 102 is housed, or a hydraulic engine, or any other power source adapted to the purpose and known to the skilled person.

The power source 102 is adapted to actuate discharging means 120 by means of a transmission system.

The transmission system comprises a first transmission element 104, a second transmission element 108, and a third transmission element 105. The first transmission element 104 and the second transmission element 108 are substantially parallel along a first transmission direction. The first transmission direction can be, for example, substantially horizontal, i.e. substantially perpendicular to the ground. The third transmission element 105 is adapted to couple the first transmission element 104 with the second transmission element 108. In particular, as can be seen in the figure, the third transmission element is parallel to a second transmission direction substantially perpendicular to the first transmission direction of the first and second transmission element 104 and 108, respectively.

The power source 102 is coupled to the first transmission element 1 10 by means of dedicated coupling means 1 10, so as to actuate the motion of said first transmission element 104.

The first transmission element 104 is coupled to the third transmission element 105 by means of first coupling means 106, so that the motion of the first transmission element 104 is translated into a motion of the third transmission element 105.

In turn, the third transmission element 105 is coupled with the second transmission element 108 by means of second coupling means 107, so that the motion of the third transmission element 105 is translated into a motion of the second transmission element 108.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first transmission element 104 comprises a first transmission shaft and the second transmission element 1 08 comprises a second transmission shaft. The first coupling means 106 comprise a first pulley adjusted to the first transmission shaft. The second coupling means 1 07 comprise a second pulley adjusted to the second transmission shaft. The third transmission element comprises a transmission belt adapted to engage with the first and the second pulley. In this way, the power source 102 is adapted to spin (turn) the first transmission shaft. The rotation of the first transmission shaft determines the rotation of the first pulley and, therefore, the movement of the transmission belt. The movement of the transmission belt determines in turn the rotation of the second pulley and, therefore, the rotation of the second transmission shaft.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the transmission system can comprise a transmission system with gears. In particular, for example, the first transmission element 104 comprises a first transmission shaft, the second transmission element 108 comprises a second transmission shaft, and the third transmission element 105 comprises a third transmission shaft. The first coupling means 106 comprise toothed wheels adapted to engage with each other and adjusted to the first and to the third transmission shaft, respectively. The second coupling means 107 comprise toothed wheels adapted to engage with each other and adjusted to the third and to the second transmission shaft, respectively. In this manner, the power source 1 02 is adapted to spin the first transmission shaft. The rotation of the first transmission shaft determines the rotation of the third transmission shaft. The rotation of the third transmission shaft determines in turn the rotation of the second shaft.

The second transmission element 108 is coupled with the discharging means, which will be described in detail in what follows. In this manner, the discharging means 120 are actuated by the power source 102.

In the system shown in Fig. 3, the transmission system is housed in a system of hollow bodies. In particular, the first transmission element 104 is housed in a first hollow body 1 14. The first hollow body 1 14 can have, for example, a cylindrical shape. The second transmission element 108 is housed in a second hollow body 1 1 8. The second hollow body 1 18 can have, for example, a cylindrical shape. The third transmission element 105 is housed in a third hollow body 1 1 5. The third hollow body 1 1 5 can have, for example, a cylindrical shape. The first coupling means 106 are housed in the area where the first hollow body 1 14 and the second hollow body 1 15 join. The second coupling means 107 are housed in the area where the third hollow body 1 1 5 and the second hollow body 1 1 8 join.

The first hollow body 1 14 is mounted on the main body 101 of the system 100.

According to a particular embodiment of the present invention, the first hollow body 1 14 is coupled with the main body 101 by means of rotation means 109 adapted to spin the first hollow body 1 14 about a rotation axis A substantially vertical. The rotation axis A can, for example, be coincident with the symmetry axis of the first hollow body 1 14. For instance, in the case where the first hollow body 1 14 is cylindrical, the rotation axis A can be coincident with the axes of the cylinder.

In this manner, the system of hollow bodies, inside which the transmission system is housed, can be rotated as shown by the arrow in Fig. 3, so that the discharging means 120 can in turn be rotated about the rotation axis A and, thus, be placed in any position along a circular arc substantially parallel to the ground, i.e. to the horizontal direction, and centred in the rotation axis A. In case the rotation axis A coincides with the symmetry axis of the first hollow body 1 14 as shown in Fig. 3, the radius of said circular arc corresponds substantially to the length of the third hollow body 1 15.

The rotation means 109 can be adapted to perform a full rotation of 360°, or a partial rotation, for example a rotation of 30°, 60°, 90° or 180°.

Furthermore, the rotation means 109 can be adapted to perform such rotation in both directions, clockwise and counter-clockwise, respectively, so that a rotation in the opposite direction with respect to that of the first rotation is sufficient to bring the discharging means 120 back to their initial position. In case the rotating means 1 09 are adapted to perform a full rotation of 360°, said rotating means can only be adapted to perform such rotation in one direction, i.e. either a clockwise or a counter-clockwise rotation only, so that a full rotation has to be performed to bring the discharging means to their initial position.

The rotation means 109 can be activated both manually and automatically, for example by means of an adapted power source such as an electric engine.

Furthermore, the rotation means 109 can be provided with locking means adapted to lock the rotation so as to guarantee that the discharging means 120 are securely locked in a certain position determined by the user. In particular, by means of the locking means one avoids that the discharging means 120 are unintentionally moved due to, for example, bumps caused by the user.

According to a particular embodiment of the present invention, the system 100 is adapted to vary the height of the position of the discharging means 120.

In this case, the first transmission element 104 can be a transmission shaft with variable length. For instance, the transmission shaft can comprise a first hollow portion and a second hollow portion adapted to be inserted by sliding into the first hollow portion. Furthermore, the second portion is adapted to be inserted in different positions inside the first hollow portion, so as to vary the overall height of the transmission shaft. When the second portion is completely inserted in the first hollow portion, then the shaft has minimum length. Conversely, when the second portion is extracted up to the maximum position in which the first and second hollow portion are still in steady contact, then the shaft has maximum length. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first hollow portion has a hexagonal horizontal cross-section and the second portion has a horizontal cross-section which is adapted to be inserted into the first hollow portion, as schematically shown in Fig. 4a. Fig. 4a shows a detailed view of a transmission shaft 104 with variable length according to the present invention. The transmission shaft 104 shown in Fig. 4a comprises the first hollow portion 104a with hexagonal horizontal cross-section and the second portion 104 adapted to be inserted by sliding into the first hollow portion 104a and with hexagonal horizontal cross-section.

According to further embodiments of the present invention, the horizontal cross- section of the first hollow portion and of the second hollow portion can have different shapes such as, for example, triangular, pentagonal, octagonal shape, etc.

In case the system is provided with a first transmission shaft 104 with variable length, the first hollow body 1 14 adapted to house the first transmission shaft can also have variable length. In particular, the hollow body 1 14 with variable length comprises a first hollow portion and a second hollow portion adapted to be inserted by sliding into the first hollow portion. Furthermore, the second portion is adapted to be inserted in different positions inside the first hollow portion, so as to vary the overall height of the hollow body. When the second portion is completely inserted in the first hollow portion, then the hollow body has minimum length. Conversely, when the second portion is extracted up to the maximum position in which the first and second hollow portion are still in steady contact, then the hollow body has maximum length. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first hollow portion has a circular horizontal cross-section and the second portion has a circular cross- section with a smaller diameter than the cross-section of the first hollow portion.

Fig. 4b shows a section of a portion of a hollow body 1 14 with variable length according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The first hollow portion is indicated by the reference number 170. The second hollow portion adapted to be inserted by sliding into the first hollow portion 170 is marked by the reference number 180. The inner surface of the first hollow portion 170 is provided with a series of discs 171 , 172, 173, 174. The discs 171 , 172, 173, 174 are mounted on the inner surface of the first hollow portion 170 at regular distance from each other. Furthermore, each disc 171 , 172, 173, 174 is provided with a central hole whose diameter is adapted to house the second hollow portion 180. In other words, the second hollow portion 180 slides inside the first hollow portion 170 by sliding inside the central holes of the discs 171 , 172, 173, 174.

The outer surface of the second hollow portion 180 is provided with a thread 1 81 comprising a series of turns 181 a, 181 b, 1 81 c, 181 d adapted to cooperate with the discs 171 , 172, 173, 174 of the first hollow portion 170. It is thus clear that, by rotating the second hollow portion 180 with respect to the first hollow portion 170, the second portion can slide inside the first hollow portion 170. In this manner, the length of the first hollow body 1 14 with variable length can be varied.

The number of discs of the first hollow portion 170 and the number of turns of the thread 181 can have several values. However, it is evident that, when the number of discs and of turns increases, the displacement which can be performed by the second hollow portion 180 with respect to the first hollow portion 170, and hence the elongation of the hollow body 1 14, also increases.

According to further embodiments of the present invention, the first hollow body 170 and the second hollow body 180 can be provided with other displacement means known to the skilled person and adapted to enable the sliding of the second hollow portion 180 inside the first hollow portion 170 so as to adjust (regulate) the length of the first hollow body 1 14 with variable length.

The system according to the present invention can be provided with manual means for selecting the length of the first hollow body 1 14 with variable length, or with automated means such as, for example, a dedicated power generator with an electric engine. It is clear that the first transmission shaft with variable length is housed inside the second hollow portion 180. For the sake of simplicity, the transmission shaft is not shown in Fig. 4b.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the system 100 is adapted both to vary the height of the position of the discharging means and to allow the discharging means to rotate about the rotation axis A as previously described.

In the following, an example of the discharging means 120 adapted to be used in the system 100 according to the present invention 100 will be described.

The discharging means 120 comprise a hollow body 121 and discharging means 122. The discharging means 122 are adapted to engage with the second transmission element 108 of the system 100. The discharging means 122 comprise a spiral conveyor, and are received inside a hollow body 121 with a substantially cylindrical shape. The hollow body 121 is provided with at least one opening 121 a adapted to receive the paste so as to let it into the hollow body 121 . The hollow body 121 can be provided with a plurality of openings 121 a.

The spiral conveyor 122 can be maintained in position inside the hollow body 121 by means of dedicated positioning or support means, placed on the lower and/or upper part of the hollow body. In particular, such support means can comprise bearings adapted to engage with the upper end of the rotation shaft of the conveyor and aimed at facilitating the rotation of the conveyor and preventing the turns from hitting the hollow body 121 and rubbing its inner surface.

The hollow body 121 comprises also a lower end comprising a discharging opening 123 so that the paste entering the hollow body 121 through the opening 121 a is pushed by the turns of the spiral conveyor 122 and, thus, conveyed by the spiral conveyor from the opening 121 a to the discharging opening 123 in the direction of the convection, and hence discharged.

As will clearly result from the following description, said end is placed downstream with respect to the direction in which the paste is conveyed in the hollow body 121 by the conveyor 122. Inside said end, the turns of the lower end of the conveyor 1 22 as well as the lower end of the shaft are received.

The lower end of the hollow body 121 can comprise a flange not shown in the figure and adapted to mount in a removable manner the end of the hollow body 121 inside a nopper Dy means οτ aeaicaxea mounting means sucn as, ΤΟΓ example, screws or similar means.

The end of the hollow body 121 is such that, when the hollow body 121 is inserted inside the hopper, the emission opening 123 lies in correspondence with the lower opening of the hopper so as to discharge the paste coming from the discharge means into the lower opening of the hopper. It is thus clear to the skilled person that the paste entering the hollow body 121 through the openings 121 a is pushed by the turns of the conveyor 122 and, thus, conveyed by the conveyor from the openings 121 a to the emission opening 123 in the direction of convection.

The housing of the lower end of the hollow body 121 in the opening of the hopper can be also realized by occlusion means, such as a flange or a gasket, adapted to occlude those portions of the lower opening of the hopper which are not occupied by the lower end of the hollow body 121 .

The hollow body 121 is adapted to be mounted on the second hollow body 1 18 of the system 100. In particular, the upper part of the hollow body 121 can comprise a flange adapted to engage with the lower part of the second hollow body 1 1 8 by means of removable mounting means such as screws or similar means.

Furthermore, means 150 for evacuating air from inside the hollow body 121 through a dedicated opening can also be provided For this purpose, a vacuum pump (not shown in the figure) appropriately connected to the means 150, or any other equivalent means known to the skilled person, can be used. The means 1 50 for evacuating air can be placed, for example, in the upper part of the hollow body 1 21 below the flange enabling mounting to the second hollow body 1 18.

The system 100 according to the present invention can also be easily used for cooperating with different types of feeding hoppers of the type used for feeding stuffing machines for vegetable- or meat-based soft pastes.

I n particular, as shown in Fig. 5, the system 100 for processing soft pastes can be inserted into the hopper 2 of a stuffing machine 200. The hopper 2 comprises a main body 2a adapted to receive the soft pastes and a lower opening 2b adapted to convey the soft pastes contained in the main body to the following component of the stuffing machine 200.

In particular, in the example shown in Fig. 5, the stuffing machine 200 comprises a secondary body 3 from which the paste is emitted through an ejection tube or nozzle 3a. A tubular casing or casing is located or inserted on the tube 3a, in a similar manner as a sock, so that the paste coming out of the tube 3a stuffs the casing. Furthermore, the hopper 2 is placed on a support 5 and steadily attached to it. The support 5 is provided with an opening for letting the paste through from the hopper 2 to the secondary body 3. In the secondary body a rotating pump 8a with paddles 8b is housed. The pump 8a is adapted to be fed with the paste discharged by the hopper 2 and to emit the paste through the nozzle 3a. The pump 8a is actuated by a dedicated power source 8. Vacuum means (not shown in the figure) can also be designed for evacuating air from the pump 8a.

The system 1 00 according to the present invention is inserted into the hopper 2 in such a way that the emission opening 123 of the discharging means 120 of the system 100 is in correspondence with the lower opening 2b of the hopper 2. In this manner, the material in the main body 2a of the hopper 2 is inserted into the discharging means 120 through the openings 121 a and conveyed to the lower opening 2b of the hopper and, hence, to the following components of the stuffing machine.

As can be observed in the figure, the direction of convection of the discharging means 120 is substantially parallel to the discharge axis of the hopper.

By means of the present invention it is therefore possible to provide existing hoppers with the discharging means 120 which enable an effective evacuation of the air in the paste, thus obviating the problem of the formation of holes or hollows in sausages. In particular, by means of the system 100 it is possible to provide the hoppers originally lacking a system for removing the air from the paste with discharging means perfectly functional for this purpose. Therefore, the system 1 00 of the present invention allows for the considerable improvement of existing systems in an easy and cost-effective way.

Furthermore, by means of the system 100, the discharging means 120 can be easily inserted into and removed from the hopper. This simplifies, for example, cleaning procedures of both the hopper and the discharging means.

Obviously, several modifications of the system for processing soft pastes of the present invention can be conceived without exceeding the scope of this invention. It must therefore be noted that the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, including all embodiments equivalent to the claimed ones.