Slicing apparatuses and methods for slicing products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9862113-B2
Application number	US-201615040521-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2016
Priority date	Feb 10, 2016
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for slicing products. Such an apparatus has an annular-shaped cutting head equipped with knife assemblies located at a circumference of the cutting head, and interior surfaces each located in a circumferential direction of the cutting head relative to one of the knife assemblies such that each interior surface leads one of the knife assemblies and trails a different one of the knife assemblies. Each knife assembly has a flat knife that extends radially inward to define a gate opening. Each interior surface has continuous flow paths defined therein that extend across at least a majority of the interior surface from adjacent a leading edge thereof through a trailing edge thereof and are fluidically connected to one of the gate openings between the interior surface and the knife that trails the interior surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for slicing products, the apparatus comprising an annular-shaped cutting head comprising:
an axis defining an axial direction;
knife assemblies located at a circumference of the cutting head, each knife assembly comprising a flat knife and means for securing the knife to the cutting head, each of the knives extending radially inward and in a first circumferential direction of the cutting head to define a gate opening and produce product slices with parallel cuts and a uniform thickness; and
arcuate interior surfaces each located in the first circumferential direction relative to a corresponding one of the knife assemblies such that each of the interior surfaces defines a trailing edge that leads one of the knife assemblies and defines therewith the gate opening with the knife that trails the interior surface, and such that each of the interior surfaces defines a leading edge that trails a different one of the knife assemblies, each of the interior surfaces having a plurality of continuous flow paths defined therein that extend across at least a majority of the interior surface from adjacent a leading edge thereof and continuing through the trailing edge thereof and are fluidically connected to one of the gate openings between the interior surface and the knife that trails the interior surface;
wherein each of the continuous flow paths of each of the interior surfaces comprises first and second channels recessed in, respectively, a shoe member that defines the leading edge of the interior surface and a gate member that defines the trailing edge of the interior surface, each of the second channels being individually aligned with a corresponding one of the first channels, and the first channels having smaller cross-sectional areas and/or different cross-sectional shapes than the second channels aligned with the first channels.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the continuous flow paths extend entirely across the interior surfaces starting at the the leading edges thereof and continuing through the trailing edges thereof.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the continuous flow paths of each of the interior surfaces are parallel to each other.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional shapes of the first channels are U-shaped.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first channels are separated by surfaces therebetween that are collinear with each other in the axial direction of the cutting head.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first channels are separated by surfaces therebetween that are defined by rounded peaks.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first channels are separated by surfaces therebetween that are defined by sharp peaks.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional shapes of the second channels are U-shaped.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gate members comprise ribs that define raised edges that separate the second channels.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional shapes of the first channels are different from the second channels aligned with the first channels.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second channels are separated by surfaces therebetween that are collinear with each other in the axial direction of the cutting head.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional areas of the first channels are smaller than the second channels aligned with the first channels.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , the apparatus further comprising an impeller coaxially mounted within the cutting head for rotation about an axis of the cutting head in a direction opposite the first circumferential direction of the cutting head, the impeller comprising one or more paddles circumferentially spaced along a perimeter thereof for delivering products radially outward toward the cutting head.

14. A method of using the apparatus of claim 13 , the method comprising:
rotating the impeller;
supplying a lubricating fluid to the impeller;
supplying products to the impeller that are delivered radially outward toward the cutting head; and
slicing the products with the knives of the cutting head to produce product slices with parallel cuts and a uniform thickness.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the lubricating fluid is water that is recycled through the cutting head.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the products are food products and the water contains starch solids.

Assignees

• Urschel Laboratories Inc

Inventors

• Jacko Michael Scot

Classifications

• B26D7/0691 Primary

  by centrifugal force · CPC title

• B26D1/03

  with a plurality of cutting members · CPC title

• B26D7/08

  Means for treating work or cutting member to facilitate cutting (tensioning band cutters B26D1/48) · CPC title