CA1297762C

CA1297762C - Decorative form hydraulic cutting blade assembly

Info

Publication number: CA1297762C
Application number: CA000556040A
Authority: CA
Inventors: George A. Mendenhall
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-06-08
Filing date: 1988-01-07
Publication date: 1992-03-24
Anticipated expiration: 2009-03-24
Also published as: DE3780175T2; AU619727B2; EP0366650B1; ATE77789T1; EP0366650A1; JPH02504242A; AU8020787A; WO1988009711A1; DE3780175D1

Abstract

ABSTRACT

A cutter blade assembly 10 having a plurality of strip knives 15 for cutting away peripheral segments 19 of a potato 17 in order to define a decorative geometric shape for the residual cross sectional core area 18 of the potato, for use in a hydraulic food cutting ap-paratus for use in cutting potatoes 17, wherein said hydraulic food cutting apparatus has a water tank 20, centrifugal food pump 21, nozzle gun 22, deceleration loop 23 and drain separator 24.

Description

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
. _ Technical Field. This invention relates to cutting blade assemblles for hydraulic food cutting apparatus.
More particularly it relates to a cutter blade assembly which defines a core area and a perlpheral scrap area wherein the core area of the food product is cut into a recognizable decorative form.
Background Art. Many food products, and par-ticularly vegetables and fruits are processed prior to sale either by canning or freezlng. Unless the product involved ls of a naturally occurring edible size, for example peas, the product ls usually trimmed and sllced, or dlced, to edible size prior to preservation process-ing such as cannlng or freezing.
These slicing, dicing and other cutting operations have traditionally been accomplished with mechanical cutters. However, relatively recent advances in food product cutting technologies has resulted in the common use of hydraulic cutting apparatus whlch can be used to 1297~2 cut relatively huge quantities of food product at very high speeds. Cutting capacities of 30,000 pounds to 50,000 pounds per hour are not unusual.
In a typical hydraulic cutting apparatus wherein potatoes are to be cut, they are dropped into a tank filled with water and then pumped through conduit into an alignment chute wherein the potatoes are aligned and accelerated to high speed before impinglng upon a cutter blade assembly where the potato core is cut into a plurality of smaller pieces. Hydraulic cutting ap-paratus, or as they are known in the trade, hydroknlves, can be utilized to cut extremely high volumes of potatoes lf the potatoes can be properly aligned and accelerated to high speed lmmediately prior to impact with the cutter blade assembly.
FISHER, ET AL., Patent No. 4,372,184, discloses a cutter blacle assembly for use in coring a potato.
Quite obviously there are a varlety of applications for hydraulic cutter knlves other than ~ust for pota-toes. Some of these would include beets, pickles,carrots, apples, plneapples and literally a host of other edlble food products.
None of the prior art discloses or teaches a method of utllizing a hydroknife apparatus for cutting the core of a potato into a decorative form so as to enhance the 1.;~97762 marketing value of the processed food product, such as fish-shaped french fries for fast food seafood restaurants. Or, to enhance the edible appeal of the product in relationship to a particular market group such as alphabet french fries for small children.
Decorative shaped food products have been developed and suc~essfully marketed for many years. However, as a universal rule, they are formed products as opposed to directly cut from food product in original cellular form. Examples include cookie and pasta dough which is then either extruded and then cross sliced or sheet cut by cookie cutter type apparatus. The direct cutting of a decorative shape of a product core, which can then be cross sliced has not been attempted before.
Accordingly, it is an object of an aspect of this invention to produce a cutter blade assembly which can be utilized in a hydraulic cutting apparatus to cut the core of food product passing through the cutter blade assembly into a decorative, recognizable shape.
Various aspects of the invention are as follows:
In a system for the cutting of food products into decorative forms, having a product receiving tank adapted to be filled with a fluid medium, means to discharge said products into said tank, a food pump for withdrawing said medium and said products from said tank, a product fee line, said pump discharging said products into said product feed line, a tapered section in said feed line to separate, align, accelerate and feed said products into a cutter blade assembly, and means posterior to said cutter blade assembly, to discharge cut product, wherein the improvement is characterized in a cutter blade assembly having:
a perimeter frame having an inner longitudinal passage of size and shape for the longitudinal passage of product and fluid medium there through at a speed of 377~2 greater than 40 feet per second and less than 60 feet per second;
a plurality of sequentially arranged strip knives disposed one after another within the longitudinal passageway of said perimeter frame for forming a single non-triangular, non-rectilinear, non-circular decoratively shaped food product core by segmenting said longitudinal passageway into a plurality of peripheral segments for the cutting of a food product passed there through;
said plurality of strip knives being of size and shape so as to define said peripheral segments of the longitudinal passageway which results in the cross sectional shape of the core having a single non-triangular, non-rectilinear, non-circular decorative shape.
In a system for the cutting of food products into decorative forms, having a product receiving tank adapted to be filled with a fluid medium, means to discharge said products into said tank, a food pump for withdrawing said medium and said products from said tank, a product feel line, said pump discharging said products into said product feed line, a tapered section in said feed line to separate, align, acoelerate and feed said products into a cutter blade assembly, and means posterior to said cutter blade assembly, to discharge cut product, wherein the improvement is characterized in a cutter blade assembly having:
a perimeter frame having an inner longitudinal passage of size and shape for the longitudinal passage of product and fluid medium there through at a speed of greater than 40 feed per second and less than 60 feet per second;
a plurality of sequentially arranged arrays of strip knives disposed one after another within the longitudinal passageway of said perimeter frame wherein each of said arrays of strip knives is shaped to cut ~2~77~i2 3~
away different portions of the periphery of a single non-triangular, non-rectilinear, non-circular decorative food core as the food product sequentially impacts each array of strip knives thereby minimizing deceleration of the food core within said passageway.
In a system for the cutting of food products into decorative forms, having a product receiving tank adapted to be filled with a fluid medium, means to discharge said products into said tank, a food pump for withdrawing said medium and said products from said tank, a product feed line, said pump discharging said products into said product feel line, a tapered section in said feed line to separate, align, accelerate and feed said products into a cutter blade assembly, and means posterior to said cutter blade assembly, to discharge cut product, wherein the improvement is characterized in a cutter blade assembly having:
a perimeter frame having an inner longitudinal passage of size and shape for the longitudinal passage of product and fluid medium there through at a speed of greater than 40 feed per second and less than 60 feet per second;
a plurality of strip knives, each being shaped to cut a different portion of the total perimeter of a single non-triangular, non-rectilinear, non~circular decorative food core, said strip knives being disposed within said perimeter frame in sequential fashion, one after another along the longitudinal food path, whereby deceleration of the food product is minimized within said cutter blade assembly.
A

~ ~9~2 DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
Thls object is achieved by use of a cutter blade assembly wherein a plurality of strip knlves are utilized to define peripheral segments of the lon-gitudlnal passageway which result in a resldual crofissectlonal core area havlng a partlcular decorative shape.
Because of the dynamic forces assoclated with the impact of the product against the strlp knives, and the need to frequently sharpen the strlp knives, it is not practical to fabricate the complete form fro~ a single strlp knife in cookie cutter fashlon. Instead, the perimeter frame is subdivided into a number of parallel sequential planes, each containing strip knives which define particular segments of the peripheral area.
End tabs on the strlp knlves are lnserted lnto notches ln the perimeter frame and are held firmly in position to mlnlmize wobble by compression of said tabs inserted into the perimeter frame from the strip knives when the varlous sections of the perlmeter frame are bolted together.

12977~`2 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig~ 1 is a schematic representation of a hydraulic cutting apparatus.
Flg. 2 is the top plan view of a cutter blade S assembly for cutting a decorative M.
Flg. 3 is a representatlonal perspective view of a partially cut potato core in the shape of an M.
Fl~. 4 lS a representatlonal perspective view of the cutter blade assembly for cuttlng a decorative core M.
Fig. S ls a representational ~lde view of a cutter blade ring and blade.
Flg. 6 is a representatlonal vlew of the cutter blade assembly for cuttlng a slngle decorative fish shaped core.
Flg. 7 ls a representatlonal vlew of the cutter blade assembly for cuttlng two decoratlve flsh shaped cores.
Fig. 8 18 a representational vlew of the cutter blad~ assembly for cuttlng a decorative A shaped core.
Fig. 9 is a representatlonal view of the cutter blade assembly for cutting an decorative X shaped core.
Flg. 10 is a representatlonal view of the cutter blade assembly for cutting a decorative K shaped core.

12977~2 BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT INVENTION
Fig. 1 shows, ln schematlcal format, the main components of a hydraullc cuttlng apparatus for use in cutting potatoes. Potatoes 17 are dumped into the water fllled receivlng tank 20. Food pump 21, usually a single impeller centrifugal pump, draws its suction from receiving tank 20, and pumps water and the suspended potatoes 17 from the tank lnto nozzle gun 22.
Nozzle gun 22 functlons as a venturi which is used to accelerate and align potatoes 17 immediately prior to impinging upon the knife blades of cutter blade assembly 10. Depending upon the product belng cut, its size, core density and physlcal characteristics, normal speeds at the point of impingment upon the knife blades of cutter blade assembly 10 range from forty feet per second to sixty feet per second.
The cut product, whlch ln thls case is a decora-tively shaped potato core 18, and the peripheral scrap 19 exit cutter blade assembly 10 lnto deceleration loop 23 which in effect is the second half of the venturi.
The deceleration loop returns to a point above recelving tank 20 where the water, cut cores 18 and scrap 19 are deposited onto chain separator 24. The water passes through chain separator 24 and returns to receiving tank 2' 20. Chaln separator 24 ls typlcally an endless loop 12977~i2 chain or dewatering shaker which is used to mechanically remove the potatoes from the hydraulic cutting apparatus assembly. The decorative cores 18 and scrap l9 are then usually mechanically separated by means of a sizer conveyor, not sh'own. The cores 18 are then sllced, again usually mechanlcally, into appropriate thicknesses for further processing by blanching, freezing and packaging for sale.
The cutter blade assemblies in use today normally run at capacities of 30,000 pounds per hour to 50,000 pounds per hour, and can be operated at capacities of up to 100,000 pounds of product per hour. During the course of an eight hour work shlft, that represents a relatively huge amount of food product passing through lS the cutter blade assembly, and as a result, strip knives are removed for resharpening about once per eight hour work shift.
Referring to Figs. 2, 4 and S, my cutter blade assembly, in an embodlment designed to produce a potato core ln the shape of an M, as shown in Fig. 3, ls disclosed. In order to produce the decorative M, as is shown ln Figs. 2 and 3, a plurality of strip knives must be utilized to cut away peripheral segments of the potato in order to define an M in the core area of the potato. The end tabs of strip knives 15 as is shown in 3~7~2 Figs. 4 and 5 are inserted into notches 14 of rings 11, 12 ~ and 13, each ring and its connecting strip knives 15 defining a separate array, and all rings together de-fining a multisegmented peripheral volume of the longi-tudinal passageway. By arranging a plurality of strip knives lS to define various segments of the longitudinal passageway, the residual cross sectional core area can be shaped into a variety of recognizable decorative forms.
In the case of a decorative M as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, six strip knives are required, and result in a core in the form of a decorative M and up to twelve separate peripheral areas. Referring to Fig. 2, whole potato 17 is schematically represented at the point where it is just about to impinge upon the cutter blade assembly 10. It can be seen that potato 17 will be cut into a potato core having a cross sectional shape of an M and twelve separate peripheral scraps.
Fig. 5 is a representational side view which shows a feature of my invention which results in a minimization of wobble of the strip knives in the cutter blade assembly.
The end tab sections of strip knife 15 are slightly ele-vated above the plane surface of ring 13 so that when all of the rings containing the strip knives are bolted to-gether by use of bolts passing through holes 16, strip knives 15 will be tightly clamped into place.

~2~771~i2 This deslgn, as is shown in Figs. 4 and 5 results in a cutter blade assembly which can be quickly disas-sembled for purposes of removing and sharpening strip ~nives lS.
Figs. 6 through 10 show other configurations of the strip knives which are designed to produce decorative shaped cores in a variety of different configurations.
Figs. 6 and 7 disclose strlp knife configurations whlch result in a decoratlve core in the shape of fish. Fig.
6 uses six strlp knlves to configure the core in the shape of a single fish. ~t requires the use of three sectional rings to hold six strip knives. Fig. 7 dlscloses a strip ~nife configuration which results in the product core being cut into two decorative fish lS sections, and requlres the use of eight strip knives and four rlng sections. Figs. 8, 9 and 10 disclose other configurations of strip knives which result in core shapes in the forms of an A, X and R. In practice it has been found that virtually all of the letters of the alphabet as well as decorative geometric shapes such as stars and triangles can be easily produced by varying the configurat~ons of the strip knives.
While there is shown and described the present preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be di~tinctly understood that thls invention is not limited .

, .. .

~I Z~62 thereto but may be variously embodied to practice within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

Claim No. 1. In a system for the cutting of food products into decorative forms, having a product receiving tank adapted to be filled with a fluid medium, means to discharge said products into said tank, a food pump for withdrawing said medium and said products from said tank, a product fee line, said pump discharging said products into said product feed line, a tapered section in said feed line to separate, align, accelerate and feed said products into a cutter blade assembly, and means posterior to said cutter blade assembly, to discharge cut product, wherein the improvement is characterized in a cutter blade assembly having:
a perimeter frame having an inner longitudinal pas-sage of size and shape for the longitudinal passage of product and fluid medium there through at a speed of greater than 40 feet per second and less than 60 feet per second;
a plurality of sequentially arranged strip knives disposed one after another within the longitudinal pas-sageway of said perimeter frame for forming a single non-triangular, non-rectilinear, non-circular decoratively shaped food product core by segmenting said longitudinal passageway into a plurality of peripheral segments for the cutting of a food product passed there through;
said plurality of strip knives being of size and shape so as to define said peripheral segments of the longitudinal passageway which results in the cross sec-tional shape of the core having a single non-triangular, non-rectilinear, non-circular decorative shape.
2. The apparatus of Claim No. 1 wherein said plurality of strip knives define segments of the longitudinal passageway resulting in the core cut area defining the shape of a fish.
3. The apparatus of Claim No. 1 wherein said plurality of strip knives define segments of the longitudinal passageway resulting in the core cut area defining the shape of an alphanumeric character.
4. The apparatus of Claim No. 1 wherein said plurality of strip knives define segments of the longitudinal passageway resulting in the core cut area defining the shape of a person.
5. The apparatus of Claim No. 1 wherein said plurality of strip knives define segments of the longitudinal passageway resulting in the core cut area defining the shape of an animal.
6. The apparatus of Claim No. 1 wherein said plurality of strip knives define segments of the longitudinal passageway resulting in the core cut area defining the shape of a recognizable geometric form.

Claim No. 7. The cutter blade assembly of claim No.
1 wherein said plurality of strip knives are further arranged and shaped to limit the length and number of blades contacting any one segment of the food product at any given time during the passage of the food product through the longitudinal passageway whereby the frictional and shear force imparted to the food product being cut and the resulting deceleration of food product are minimized.

Claim No. 8. The apparatus of claim No. 7 wherein said plurality of strip knives define segments of the longitudinal passageway resulting in the core cut area defining the shape of a fish.

Claim No. 9. The apparatus of claim No. 7 wherein said plurality of strip knives define segments of the longitudinal passageway resulting in the core cut area defining the shape of an alphanumeric character.

Claim No. 10. The apparatus of claim No. 7 wherein said plurality of strip knives define segments of the longitudinal passageway resulting in the core cut area defining the shape of a person.

Claim No. 11. The apparatus of claim No. 7 wherein said plurality of strip knives define segments of the longitudinal passageway resulting in the core cut area defining the shape of an animal.

Claim No. 12. The apparatus of claim No. 7 wherein said plurality of strip knives define segments of the longitudinal passageway resulting in the core cut area defining the shape of a recognizable geometric form.

Claim No. 13. In a system for the cutting of food products into decorative forms, having a product receiving tank adapted to be filled with a fluid medium, means to discharge said products into said tank, a food pump for withdrawing said medium and said products from said tank, a product feel line, said pump discharging said products into said product feed line, a tapered section in said feed line to separate, align, accelerate and feed said products into a cutter blade assembly, and means posterior to said cutter blade assembly, to discharge cut product, wherein the improvement is characterized in a cutter blade assembly having:
a perimeter frame having an inner longitudinal pas-sage of size and shape for the longitudinal passage of product and fluid medium there through at a speed of greater than 40 feet per second and less than 60 feet per second;
a plurality of sequentially arranged arrays of strip knives disposed one after another within the longitudinal passageway of said perimeter frame wherein each of said arrays of strip knives is shaped to cut away different portions of the periphery of a single non-triangular, non-rectilinear, non-circular decorative food core as the food product sequentially impacts each array of strip knives thereby minimizing deceleration of the food core within said passageway.

Claim No. 14. In a system for the cutting of food products into decorative forms, having a product receiving tank adapted to be filled with a fluid medium, means to discharge said products into said tank, a food pump for withdrawing said medium and said products from said tank, a product feed line, said pump discharging said products into said product feel line, a tapered section in said feed line to separate, align, accelerate and feed said products into a cutter blade assembly, and means posterior to said cutter blade assembly, to discharge cut product, wherein the improvement is characterized in a cutter blade assembly having:
a perimeter frame having an inner longitudinal pas-sage of size and shape for the longitudinal passage of product and fluid medium there through at a speed of greater than 40 feet per second and less than 60 feet per second;
a plurality of strip knives, each being shaped to cut a different portion of the total perimeter of a single non-triangular, non-rectilinear, non-circular decorative food core, said strip knives being disposed within said perimeter frame in sequential fashion, one after another along the longitudinal food path, whereby deceleration of the food product is minimized within said cutter blade assembly.