Abstract:
Apparatus for separating cheese that has previously been shredded but matted together due to temperature, or settling from being in stacked containers. A central roller has tines projecting from an outer surface that mesh with opposing rows of fixed tines supported in a housing which contains the central roller. The tines can be arranged along the surface of the roller in straight or curved rows and the roller can be turned by hand or by motor.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention pertains to separation of cheese and in particular to separation of cheese that has previously been shredded but has been matted together by temperature, or settling from stacking.  
           [0002]    Cheese, especially mozzarella cheese is a common topping for the number one selling fast food, pizza. Cheese toppings that are used by the purveyors of cooked pizza are shredded prior to being used in the pizza baking process. A large number of cheese cutters are available and are known to the prior art.  
           [0003]    Examples of prior art devices for initially shredding cheese are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,187,432, 3,618,211, 3,888,428, 3,980,235, 4,620,838, 5,983,769 and 5,702,061.  
           [0004]    In a conventional pizza making operation the topping cheese, e.g., mozzarella cheese, is preshredded and stored in refrigerators either in, e.g., a tub, tray, plastic storage bags, etc. A common problem with storage of shredded cheese is that it will matte due to storage at low (refrigeration) temperatures or it will matte because of storage at refrigeration temperatures by settling due to stacking of bags or containers of the cheese. It is conventional to take the matted cheese and break it up by hand.  
           [0005]    It is also been a common practice to try and reshred the cheese through a conventional shredding machine. However, reshredding the matted cheese causes a drastic change in the consistency of the cheese which results in the cheese melting differently than if it were used before the cheese became matted and was reshredded. The difference in the melting characteristics of the cheese topping will change the cooking process for the pizza and will affect the appearance and taste of the cooked pizza. There are suppliers that will provide pre-shredded cheese in bags but this is a more expensive item to the pizza shop owner. Furthermore, pre-shredded cheese in bags, if stored improperly will matte similar to block cheese that has been shredded by the pizza shop owner.  
           [0006]    Therefore, there is a need for a device to rapidly and effectively separate matted pre-shredded cheese without changing the characteristics of the cheese.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention is a device for separating shredded cheese that has been matted together, i.e., by temperature, pressure, settling from being in stacked containers or the like comprising in combination; a housing having the shape of a rectangular prism, the housing having four sides with an open top and a bottom shelf, the bottom shelf adapted to be one of opened or pivoted away from one side of the housing, the shelf adapted to permit recirculation of the cheese and to permit removal of separated cheese, a generally cylindrical roller mounted in the housing for rotation about an axis located proximate the open bottom of the housing, the axis extending between opposite smaller faces of the prism, a plurality of tines embedded in and perpendicular to an outer surface of the roller, the tines arrayed in at least four rows, each of the rows parallel to and spaced apart from an adjacent row, each row extending along a substantial length of the outer surface of the roller, the tines in a row of tines spaced from each other by a distance of at least one half inch, and a plurality of fixed position tines mounted in two opposing rows on opposite larger faces of the housing adjacent the open bottom of the housing, the fixed position tines of a number and spacing to mesh with close tolerance spacing with the tines mounted on the cylinder as the cylinder is rotated.  
           [0008]    The device of the present invention can include a cover for the open top of the housing.  
           [0009]    A feature of the invention is an auxiliary stand in the shape of an open frame that is adapted to support the housing above a receptacle so that as the matted cheese is processed or separated it falls into a suitable container for application in the pizza making process by a user.  
           [0010]    Another feature of the invention is the use of tines spaced in a curved array along the surface of the cylinder, the tines being in parallel rows of curved array.  
           [0011]    The roller of the present invention can be rotated by hand or connected to a motor for motorized rotation. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an apparatus according to the invention.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a left side elevational view of the device of FIG. 1.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a left side elevational view of the device of FIG. 1 illustrating the movable bottom shelf in position to discharge the reshredded cheese.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the device according to the invention illustrating a step in the use of the device.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a partial isometric view of the device of FIG. 3 showing the apparatus of the invention in a further stage during normal use.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is a partial isometric view identical to FIG. 5 except for showing removal of the reshredded cheese from the device. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]    Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and  3  the basic apparatus  10  of the invention includes a housing  12  which is in the shape of a regular or rectangular prism having two long faces  14 ,  16  and two shorter faces  18  and  20 . Mounted for rotation within the housing  12  is a cylinder or roller  22 . The cylinder or roller  22  has embedded in its outer surface equally spaced tines all of which are illustrated by tines numbered  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30 . The tines  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  can be in the shape of generally cylindrical pegs with or without heads. For example, pegs or tines  24  have generally cylindrical heads to provide more surface area to contact the agglomerated (matted) cheese when the device  10  is in use. Tines  26 ,  28 , and  30  can be in the shape of a hook with the short end giving the hook an “L” shaped appearance as shown or with the short end curved. In either case the short end can be oriented to the side or parallel to the axis of the cylinder or roller  22 . Tines  26 ,  28  and  30  can be different lengths. The tines  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  are shown in the position of rows spaced equally around the surface of the roller  22  along a straight line from adjacent edge  21  to adjacent edge  23  of the roller  22 .  
         [0019]    In one embodiment the tines  24 ,  26 ,  28 , and  30  can be placed along parallel arcs of circles, the arcs drawn across the face or outer surface of roller  22 . The tines should be equally spaced with a spacing approximately one half inch apart. It is also within the scope of the invention to have more than four rows of tines with intermediate rows being of a shorter length with or without a headed portion. As shown in FIG. 1 the rows of tines can be placed in generally parallel rows with the hooked tines facing in different directions. Each row can have a full set of tines or a tine at every other location aligned with the tines of an adjacent row. As stated before the drawing shows the tines in a form for illustration and understanding of the basis of the invention only.  
         [0020]    Disposed on opposite larger faces  14 ,  16  of the housing  12  are rows of stationary tines  34 ,  36 . The stationary tines  34 ,  36  are arrayed in two rows on opposite sides of the housing  12  in a spacing that is dictated by the spacing of the tines on the roller  22  so that the fixed or stationary tines  34 ,  36  will mesh with moveable tines  24 ,  26 ,  28 , and  30  with a defined clearance as the roller  22  is turned. The stationary tines  34 ,  36  can have a headed portion with a cylindrical shank as shown in the drawings. Roller  22  has a central shaft  40  which is journaled in bearing boxes  42 ,  44  so that the roller can be readily turned by handle  48  attached to the shaft extension  50  of roller  22 .  
         [0021]    Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and  3  housing  12  includes a bottom  60  which is pivotably mounted to a long face, e.g. face  14  as by hinges  64 ,  66 . Bottom  60  serves as a platform to permit the cheese to be processed through the device a number of times until separation is completed. As shown in FIG. 4 when the cheese has been separated the bottom  66 , temporarily held horizontal by devices such as blocks, one of which is shown as  62  in FIG. 2 can be removed and the bottom  60  pivoted or dropped open to discharge the separated or shredded cheese.  
         [0022]    As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 the housing  12  can be placed on an open stand  52  the stand  52  being a generally rectangular frame which, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, is adapted to have a user position a receptacle such as a tray  56  (FIG. 4) underneath the roller  22  to receive the separated cheese. The stand  50  can be made of any suitable material that is compatible for use in food handling and is preferably open to provide access and cleaning and need only be of such dimensions to support the housing  12  above the receptacle  56 .  
         [0023]    Referring to FIGS. 4, 5 and  6  clumps of cheese  68 ,  70  (FIG. 4) are placed in the housing  12  with bottom  60  fixed in a horizontal position thus defining a closed housing. The clumps of cheese  68 ,  70  are conveniently supported in the housing  12  by the tines  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 . When the handle  48  is turned in a direction such as shown by arrow  72  in FIG. 5, the clumps of cheese  68 ,  70  and other clumps  74 ,  76  (FIG. 5) are carried toward the stationary tines  34 ,  36  and the action of the meshing of the tines  24 ,  26 ,  28  and  30  fixed to roller  22  and stationary tines  34 ,  36  causes the cheese to re-separate into the original shredded pieces shown schematically as  78  in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 6 when the cheese has been reshredded bottom  60  can be pivoted or released from it locked horizontal position to permit the user to collect the reshredded cheese in bin or receptacle  56 .  
         [0024]    Handle  48  is adapted to turn either clockwise or counter clockwise as the user is facing the side  20  of the housing  12  and by this action the cheese clumps  68 ,  70 ,  74  and  76  can be alternately brought by movable tines on roller  22  between fixed tines on either side of the housing  12  of device  10 .  
         [0025]    A device according to the invention was constructed with the housing having width of 7¼ inches with a roller having a diameter of  3  inches. Two rows of 2½ inch fixed or stationary tines were placed on either side of the housing  12 . The tines  24  on roller  22  were 2¼ inches long with shorter tines being 2 inches or 1¼ inches long measured from the surface of roller  22 .  
         [0026]    The device  10  so constructed was tested by feeding clumps of matted cheese into the housing  12  and churned by rotation of the handle  48  where the cheese was broken into smaller pieces resembling its original condition after initial shredding making the cheese useable again.  
         [0027]    A device according to the invention is important to the owner of a shop serving pizza since the shredded cheese or the unshredded is very expensive and the most vital ingredient to making pizza. Therefore, portion control in applying cheese to the pizza is of utmost importance, not only for making excellent pizza but making excellent pizza at a competitive price.  
         [0028]    Having thus described my invention, what is desired to be secured by letters patent of the United States as set forth in the appended claims.