Knife assemblies and cutting apparatuses comprising the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10843363-B2
Application number	US-201816186998-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2018
Priority date	Nov 10, 2017
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

Knife assemblies and cutting apparatuses adapted for producing strip-cut products, for example, a strip-cut food product. The knife assemblies include a slicing knife having a leading edge configured to produce a slice product from a product, at least one tab that extends outward from the slicing knife and configured to cut the slice product into strips, a knife holder for securing the slicing knife and fixing a proximal end of the tab to a position adjacent to the slicing knife, and a tab support assembly configured to clamp onto a distal end of the tab and optionally pull the tab in a direction away from the knife holder along a longitudinal axis of the tab to apply tension to the tab.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A knife assembly adapted for cutting a product, the knife assembly comprising:
a slicing knife having a cutting leading edge and configured to produce a slice product from the product;
a tab that extends outward from the slicing knife and is configured to cut the slice product into a strip-cut product, the tab having a longitudinal axis and a distal end;
a knife holder for securing the slicing knife and fixing a proximal end of the tab to a position adjacent to the slicing knife; and
a tab support assembly configured to clamp onto a distal end of the tab, the tab support assembly comprising:
first and second support blocks, the first support block having a first finger and a first elongated hole, the second support block having a second finger and a second elongated hole;
means for lifting the first and second support blocks away from the knife holder in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the tab; and
guide screws coupling the first and second support blocks together and passing through the first and second elongated holes of the first and second support blocks, the first and second elongated holes having profiles so that, due to interactions between the guide screws and the profiles of the first and second elongated holes, as the first and second support blocks are lifted away from the knife holder the first and second support blocks translate in opposite directions and the first and second fingers move toward each other so that the first and second fingers simultaneously clamp the tab and apply tension to the tab.

2. The knife assembly of claim 1 , wherein knife assembly comprises a plurality of the tab, the first support block has a plurality of the first finger, the second support block has a plurality of the second finger that are interdigitated with the first fingers of the first support block, and the first and second fingers are paired so that each pair of the first and second fingers is configured to clamp therebetween a distal end of a corresponding one of the tabs.

3. The knife assembly of claim 2 , wherein the slicing knife and the tabs each produce a two-dimensional cut and the strip-cut product has four sides each having a shaped surface that is not flat.

4. The knife assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a positioning pin on one of the first and second support blocks and a corresponding slot on the other of the first and second support blocks, wherein the corresponding slot is elongated such that when the positioning pin in located in the corresponding slot at least one of the first and second support blocks slides along a longitudinal axis thereof relative to the other of the first and second support blocks as the first and second support blocks translate in the opposite directions.

5. The knife assembly of claim 1 , further comprising means for releasably securing the knife holder and the tab support assembly together and to a cutting head of a cutting apparatus.

6. A cutting apparatus comprising:
a cutting head having at least one knife assembly located at a circumference of the cutting head;
an impeller comprising paddles and configured to rotate within the cutting head such that products are contacted with the paddles and directed radially outward toward the knife assembly at the circumference of the cutting head, wherein radial directions extend perpendicularly from an axis of rotation of the impeller toward the circumference of the cutting head;
wherein the knife assembly comprises:
a slicing knife having a cutting leading edge and configured to produce a slice product from a product;
a tab that extends outward from the slicing knife and is configured to cut the slice product into a strip-cut product;
a knife holder for securing the slicing knife and fixing a proximal end of the tab to a position adjacent to the slicing knife; and
a tab support assembly positioned radially outward from the knife holder and configured to clamp onto a distal end of the tab and pull the tab away from the knife holder along a longitudinal axis of the tab to apply tension to the tab, the tab support assembly comprising:
first and second support blocks, the first support block having a first finger and a first elongated hole, the second support block having a second finger and a second elongated hole;
means for lifting the first and second support blocks away from the knife holder in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the tab; and
guide screws coupling the first and second support blocks together and passing through the first and second elongated holes of the first and second support blocks, the first and second elongated holes having profiles so that, due to interactions between the guide screws and the profiles of the first and second elongated holes, as the first and second support blocks are lifted away from the knife holder the first and second support blocks translate in opposite directions and the first and second fingers move toward each other so that the first and second fingers simultaneously clamp the tab and apply tension to the tab.

7. The cutting apparatus of claim 6 , wherein both the knife holder and the tab support assembly are releasably secured to the cutting head via a shoe, the knife holder is coupled to a radially inward surface of the shoe and the tab support assembly is coupled to a radially outward surface of the shoe.

8. The cutting apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising a positioning pin on one of the first and second support blocks and a corresponding slot on the other of the first and second support blocks, wherein the corresponding slot is elongated such that when the positioning pin in located in the corresponding slot at least one of the first and second support blocks slides along a longitudinal axis thereof relative to the other of the first and second support blocks as the first and second support blocks translate in the opposite directions.

9. The cutting apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the lifting means lifts the first and second support blocks radially away from the knife holder with the tab clamped between the first and second fingers to apply the tension to the tab.

10. The cutting apparatus of claim 6 , wherein knife assembly comprises a plurality of the tab, the first support block has a plurality of the first finger, the second support block has a plurality of the second finger that are interdigitated with the first fingers of the first support block, and the first and second fingers are paired so that each pair of the first and second fingers is configured to clamp therebetween a distal end of a corresponding one of the tabs.

11. The cutting apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the slicing knife and the tabs each produce a two-dimensional shaped cut and the strip-cut product has four sides each having a shaped surface that is not flat.

12. The cutting apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first and second fingers extend parallel to the slicing knife to stabilize the slice product after exiting the slicing knife and prior to encountering the tabs.

13. The cutting apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising rotating feed disks having radial legs adapted to assist in moving the slice product through the tabs to produce the strip-cut product, wherein the adjacent pairs of the first and second fingers define slots therebetween through which the radial legs of the feed disks pass so that each of the radial legs engages a portion of the slice product moving between an adjacent pair of the tabs.

14. The cutting apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the cutting head has a plurality of the knife assembly arranged around the circumference of the cutting head.

Assignees

• Urschel Laboratories Inc

Inventors

• Gereg Dustin Joseph

Classifications

• B26D3/185

  Grid like cutters · CPC title

• B26D7/0691

  by centrifugal force · CPC title

• B26D2210/02

  for cutting food products, e.g. food slicers · CPC title

• B26D1/03

  with a plurality of cutting members · CPC title

• B26D7/2614 Primary

  Means for mounting the cutting member · CPC title