An automatic food product cutting apparatus is provided that employs a continuously rotating table arranged with multiple cutter cups, each cup being aligned with a plunger that rotates with the table. The plungers are driven to force fruit through the cup and to withdraw from the cup by cam following rollers that follow a generally elliptical cam track. The cam track is concentric to but does not rotate with the table. With this arrangement, a single drive motor is used to power both the rotation of the table and the plunging force to push the food product through the cutter cups, thereby achieving smooth, continuous operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention relates to a slicing or sectionizing apparatus, and
 more particularly to an apparatus for automatically and continuously
 cutting food products.
 In the commercial preparation of food products, especially fruit products
 for the food service industry, it is often necessary or desirable to cut
 the fruit or other products into some predetermined form or shape. For
 example, in the case of citrus fruit, it is common for a commercial
 kitchen to employ hand laborers to slice fruit into wedges or segments for
 presentation with a meal. Also, it is common for restaurants, hotel
 kitchens, or other institutional kitchens to slice citrus fruit
 transversely into "wheels" for presentation in or as a garnish with
 beverages. This is particularly common in providing "lemon wheels" for
 presentation in ice water at upscale hotels and restaurants.
 Since preparation of fruit sections or wheels is highly labor intensive, it
 is desirable to provide a mechanism that can perform this task
 automatically. Prior devices that have been used for this purpose have
 been of two general types. Manual sectionizers are slow, single fruit
 devices with one cutting barrel or cup. While these devices are adaptable
 to cut either sections or slices, they cannot produce the volume of
 production required in a modern commercial kitchen. Automatic devices,
 while faster than the manual sectionizers, are still too slow. They are
 stop-and-go single or multiple plunger units, usually requiring special
 air supplies to operate. Moreover, they are large and cumbersome and
 consume significant space in commercial facilities, making them less
 adaptable to existing layouts. Stop-and-go units typically require
 multiple power sources with special mechanisms to ensure alignment of the
 cutting barrel and plunger.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel food
 product cutting apparatus that overcomes the problems experienced with
 prior devices.
 A primary object of the invention is to provide an automatic food cutter
 that is effective and efficient in the setting of a commercial foodservice
 operation, such as an institutional kitchen.
 Another object of the invention is to provide a food cutting device that is
 capable of continuous, smooth and quiet, high volume operation that uses a
 single conventional power source to provide both the high speed operation
 and the motive force to cut the food products.
 Another object of the invention is to provide a food cutting device that is
 capable of performing a variety of different cutting operations and which
 is capable of operating at a wide variety of different speeds.
 Another object of the invention is to provide a versatile food cutting
 device that can operate on a variety of food products, is moveable,
 requires a minimum of space, and is easily adaptable to current equipment
 layouts.
 It is yet another object of the invention to provide a food product cutting
 apparatus that is capable of achieving the above objects and is still easy
 to clean and maintain, and is efficient in operation.
 These and other objects of the invention are achieved by providing an
 automatic food product cutting device that employs a continuously rotating
 table arranged with multiple cutting cups, each cup being aligned with a
 plunger that rotates with the table. The plungers are driven to force
 product through the cup and to withdraw from the cup by cam following
 rollers that follow a generally elliptical cam track. The cam track is
 concentric to, but does not rotate with, the rotating table. With this
 arrangement, a single drive motor is used to power both the rotation of
 the table and the plunging force to push the product through the cutter
 cups, thereby achieving smooth, continuous operation.
 In the cutting apparatus of the present invention, the table rotates
 through a loading station and a cutting station, and the plungers are
 caused to move away from the cutter cups at the loading station and
 toward, into, and through the cutter cups at the cutting station. The cam
 track is not perfectly elliptical, but instead is arranged to hold the
 plungers at or near their maximum distance from the cutters while the
 cutters pass through the loading station, and to accelerate the product
 downwardly through the cutters at the cutting station. For safety
 purposes, the cam track includes a ledge to prevent a plunger from moving
 toward the cutters as the cutters pass through the loading station, and
 the loading station is provided with contact switches at each side to stop
 operation of the apparatus if the switches are contacted. The cutting
 apparatus is also provided with a receptacle to receive cut product and a
 conveyor to remove the cut product from the receptacle. If desired, the
 apparatus can be provided with a product feeding mechanism to supply
 product to the loading station automatically.
 In addition, the cutters of the present invention are comprised of
 removable cups that contain an array of cutting blades. A flexible support
 membrane extends across the top of the cup to releasably receive and
 support the product for cutting. The cups are removable and replaceable to
 permit use of different configurations of the array of cutting blades. The
 plungers are provided with plunger heads that contact and push the product
 through the cutters. These plunger heads are also removable and
 replaceable to accommodate different configurations of the blade arrays.
 The apparatus includes a pair of guide plates mounted on the same axis as
 the table for synchronous rotation with the table and for the purpose of
 guiding each plunger toward and away from its respective cutter cup.
 These and other aspects of the invention will be more apparent from the
 following description of the preferred embodiment thereof when considered
 in connection with the accompanying drawings and appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 A partially assembled food product cutting apparatus is generally shown at
 10 in FIG. 1 and is comprised of a frame 12 arranged to be moveable on
 locking casters 14. A rotary table 16 is mounted for rotation above a
 platform 18 on the frame 12 and is arranged to rotate in a horizontal
 plane by being secured to a central rotating axle center rotary shaft 20.
 The axle center rotary shaft 20 could be a stationary post with the table
 mounted for rotation by a conventional bearing and being driven by, for
 example, a gear track around the periphery of the table. However, in the
 preferred embodiment of the invention, the table is rigidly secured to the
 central axle center rotary shaft 20, and the axle center rotary shaft 20
 is driven by a motor 22 and gearbox 24 to provide the motive force to
 rotate the table 16. The motor 22 and gearbox 24 are best seen in FIG. 6.
 The upper end of the axle center rotary shaft 20 is rotatably received in
 a bearing (not shown in FIG. 1) that is ultimately secured to a plate 26
 that is formed as part of the frame 12.
 The table 16 shown in FIG. 1 has eight evenly spaced apertures 28 in which
 an array of cutting cups (not shown in FIG. 1) are positioned. Positioned
 over each aperture 28 is a plunger assembly 30, which is moveable toward
 and away from the aperture 28 in a manner that will be described in more
 detail below. The purpose of this motion is to force food products through
 the apertures 28, and the cutter cups positioned therein, to perform the
 cutting operation of the apparatus 10. For clarity of illustration, only
 one plunger assembly has been shown in FIG. 1, but it will be noted that a
 separate plunger assembly 30 is provided for each aperture 28 in the table
 16.
 The detailed structure of the plunger assembly 30 is best illustrated in
 FIG. 2. The plunger assembly 30 is comprised of a shaft 32, preferably
 having a hexagonal cross section, that has a plunger head mounting bracket
 34 secured to its lower end by a machine screw 36. To prevent rotation of
 the bracket 34 with respect to the shaft 32, the bracket has a groove or
 slot 38 that aligns with the flats of the shaft 32. A removable plunger
 head, indicated generally at 40, is attached to the mounting bracket 34 by
 a pair of machine screws 42. The plunger head 40 can be molded as a single
 piece, including a base section 44 that has a pair of threaded holes for
 receiving the screws 42. Extending downwardly from the base section 44 are
 a series of product contacting fingers 46 arranged to cooperate with the
 array of cutting blades located in the apertures 28. The fingers 46 have
 product contacting surfaces 48 that are angled inwardly to contact and
 control the food product to be cut as nearly as possible toward the center
 of the aperture 28.
 In order to removably hold the aforementioned array of cutting blades in
 the apertures 28, a cutter blade cup 50 is received in the aperture 28.
 The cutter cup 50 has an upper flange 52 that is received in a recess 54
 formed around the aperture 28. The array of cutting blades 56 is disposed
 in the interior of the cup 50 and can be of any desired configuration. For
 example, to create wedge sections of fruit, two, three or more blades
 extending across the diameter of the cup 50 would be spaced radially
 evenly from one another. To core and create wedge sections of fruit,
 three, four or more blades extending from a central cylindrical blade
 would be spaced radially evenly from one another. To create slices, a
 series of blades would extend across the interior of the cup 50 parallel
 to one another and spaced any desired distance apart. In order to ensure
 that the cup 50 is oriented in the proper relationship to the plunger head
 40, the cup 50 includes one or more keys 58 that cooperate with a recess
 60 in the aperture 28.
 To hold the food product to be cut in position above the cup 50, a flexible
 support 62 is secured to the top of the cup 50. The flexible support 62
 includes inwardly extending fingers 64 that are sufficiently rigid to
 support the product to be cut, such as a citrus fruit. The fingers are
 sufficiently flexible to yield to the force of the plunger 30 and allow
 the product to be forced through the support 62, and into and through the
 cutter cup 50. The support 62 is preferably secured to the cup 50 by
 mating of a ridge formed around the top lip of cup 50 and a groove formed
 in support 62 and is aligned by pins, formed in cup 50, and fitting into
 holes 66. If desired, the support 62 and the cup 50 can be secured to the
 table 16 by these same screws passing through the flange 52 and the recess
 54 in the aperture 28.
 For the purpose of driving the plunger assemblies 30 toward and away from
 the cutter cups 50, a cam track following roller assembly 68 is provided
 at the top of the plunger assembly 30. For a clearer understanding of the
 roller assembly 68, reference will be made to FIGS. 3 and 4, which
 illustrate the cam track, indicated generally at 70, in more detail.
 FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cam track taken in the same direction
 as seen in FIG. 1. It can be seen that the cam track consists of an
 annular curved track 72 supported by an internal web 74. The entire
 assembly is suspended from the frame 12 by an upper plate 76 that is
 bolted to plate 26 of the frame 12 (FIG. 4). At the lower end of a central
 post 78 of the cam track 70 is a lower plate 80 that provides support for
 the upper end of the central rotating axle center rotary shaft 20. For
 this purpose, a bearing 82 is secured to the lower plate 80, and the upper
 end of the axle center rotary shaft 20 is rotatably received in the
 bearing 82.
 With this arrangement, it can be seen that the cam track 70 will remain
 stationary with respect to the frame while the table 16 and axle center
 rotary shaft 20 rotate below it. Since the plunger assembly 30 also
 rotates with the table 16 and axle center rotary shaft 20, the roller
 assembly 68 will cause the plunger assembly to change elevation in
 accordance with the geometry of the curved cam track 72. Viewed from
 directly above, the cam track 72 would appear to be circular and
 concentric with the axle center rotary shaft 20.
 As can be seen in both FIGS. 3 and 4, the actual path of the track 72 is
 set generally on a plane that is oblique to the axle center rotary shaft
 20, and is therefore referred to as being generally elliptical. When
 reference is made to the path of the track 72 as being generally
 elliptical, it must be understood that the preferred path of the track 72
 is not actually an ellipse. Rather, in the preferred embodiment of the
 present invention, the geometry of the track 72 is arranged to achieve
 specific motion of the plunger assembly 30, which will be described in
 more detail below.
 The structure of the cam track following roller assembly 68 is best
 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4. The roller assembly 68 is comprised of an
 upper roller 84 and lower roller 86 that are secured to the plunger shaft
 32 by an inside plate 88 and an outside plate 90. Both plates 88 and 90
 are fastened to the shaft 32 by bolts 92, but the inside plate 88 extends
 only up to the lower roller 86, and the outside plate 90 extends up to
 secure both the lower and the upper rollers 86 and 84. This is because if
 the inside plate 88 extended up to the upper roller 84, it would interfere
 with the internal web 74 of the cam track 70.
 In order to guide the plunger assemblies 30 toward and away from the cups
 50, and referring again to FIG. 1, the shafts 32 of the plunger assemblies
 30 pass through a pair of guide plates 94. The plunger guide plates 94 are
 spaced vertically above the table 16 and are secured to the central axle
 center rotary shaft 20 for synchronous rotation with the table 16. Each of
 the guide plates 94 has a series of apertures 96 aligned with the
 apertures 28 in the table 16. The table 16 and the plates 94 are keyed to
 the central axle center rotary shaft 20 by a key 98 that ensures
 synchronous rotation of the table and plates, and constant alignment of
 the plungers 30 with the cutter cups 50.
 As can best be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the plunger shaft 32 is preferably
 hexagonal in cross section, and each of the apertures 96 in the guide
 plates 94 is provided with a group of roller bearings 100. The roller
 bearings are arranged to bear against surfaces of the shafts 32 to keep
 the plungers 30 in alignment with the cups 50. FIG. 5 illustrates the
 detail of the roller bearings 100 and shows that they are secured to the
 plate 94 by screws 102 after they have been carefully positioned by set
 screws 104.
 In operation, referring again to FIG. 1, food products to be cut into
 desired shapes by the apparatus 10 are received at a loading station,
 indicated generally at 106. The food products are received on the flexible
 support 62 for transport to a cutting station, indicated generally at 108.
 As a cutting cup 50 passes through the loading station 106, an operator
 places a piece of product to be cut, such as a whole citrus fruit, on the
 flexible support 62 covering the cup 50. As the table proceeds in its
 rotary motion, the cam following rollers 84 and 86 follow the curved track
 72 and force the plunger assembly 30 downwardly toward the cutter cup 50.
 More specifically, in order to facilitate loading of product onto the
 flexible support 62 and cutter cup 50, the annular track 72 is arranged to
 hold the plunger assembly 30 at or near its greatest distance from the cup
 50 while the cup passes through the loading station 106. After clearing
 the loading station 106, the track 72 resumes its generally elliptical
 path until it approaches the cutting station 108. At the cutting station
 108, the cam track 72 takes a pronounced dip downwardly as at 110 in order
 to cause the fingers 46 to accelerate the product being cut through and
 out of the cutter cup 50. After passing through the cutting station 108,
 the cam track 72 resumes its generally elliptical path to return the
 plunger assembly 30 to its position spaced above the cutter cup 50 to
 receive another product at the loading station 106. It will be noted that
 the cam track 72 is shown as being symmetrical on its path to and from the
 cutting station. While this is the preferred form of the track 72, it is
 not necessary to achieve the desired results of the present invention.
 In order to enhance safe operation of the apparatus 10, a safety ledge 112
 can be provided on the cam track 70. As best seen in FIG. 4, the safety
 ledge protrudes beneath the inside plate 88 and bolts 92 of the cam track
 following roller assembly 68 while the plunger assembly passes through the
 loading station 106. The ledge 112 is secured to the cam track 70 by being
 bolted to the lower plate 80 and by a spacer and pair of bolts 114
 extending from the internal web 74. With this arrangement, should the
 outside plate 90 or upper roller 84 of the cam track following roller
 assembly 68 fail while the plunger assembly 30 is passing through the
 loading station 106, the ledge 112 would catch the inside plate 88 and
 bolts 92 and prevent the plunger assembly 30 from falling toward the
 cutter cup 50 at a time when the operator is likely to have his hand
 between the plunger and the cup. To further enhance the safe operation of
 the apparatus 10, contact switches (not shown) can be located along the
 inside of vertical frame members 116, or at any other suitable position
 defining the loading station 106. If the operator or any object touches
 either of these switches, the apparatus 10 will come to an immediate stop.
 To remove finished cut product from the apparatus 10, as best illustrated
 in FIG. 6, a catching tank 118 and conveyor 120 are provided. Cut product
 is ejected from the bottom of the cutter cup 50 at the cutting station 108
 and falls into the tank 118, which may, if desired, contain a water bath
 and may or may not include some treatment material. The removal conveyor
 120 then transfers the cut product from the bath away from the apparatus
 10 for packaging or further processing. If desired, an automatic feeder
 (not shown) can be provided at the loading station 106 to automatically
 provide product to the loading station for cutting by the apparatus 10.
 In the preferred embodiment, the rotary table 16 is formed of ultra high
 molecular weight polyethylene, and the plunger guide plates 94 are formed
 of stainless steel. Although any desired number of cutter cups 50 can be
 arranged on the table 16, with eight cups as shown, a rotational speed of
 between about 7 to 11 revolutions per minute is preferred. For this
 purpose, the apparatus is preferably provided with a control so that the
 operator can adjust the rotational speed of the apparatus from about 4 to
 15 R.P.M. If automatic supply of product is used, the rotational speed
 could be much higher.
 Although the apparatus has been discussed as being intended for use in
 sectionizing or slicing citrus fruit, it will be understood that the
 present invention would be suitable for cutting many other food products
 such as apples or pears. If desired, the apparatus 10 could be used to cut
 product that has already been subjected to some processing, such as pitted
 stone fruit or fruit halves. In addition, the apparatus of the present
 invention is moveable on the locking casters 14, occupies minimal space,
 and because the cups and plunger heads are removable, the apparatus is
 easy to clean and service.
 Various modifications and changes may be made by those having ordinary
 skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the
 invention. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated
 embodiment has been set forth only for the purpose of example, and that it
 should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined in the following
 claims.
 The words used in this specification to describe the present invention are
 to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings,
 but to include by special definition, structure, material, or acts beyond
 the scope of the commonly defined meanings. The definitions of the words
 or elements of the following claims are, therefore, defined in this
 specification to include not only the combination of elements which are
 literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material, or acts for
 performing substantially the same finction in substantially the same way
 to obtain substantially the same result.
 In addition to the equivalents of the claimed elements, obvious
 substitutions now or later known to one of ordinary skill in the art are
 defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.
 The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically
 illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can
 be obviously substituted, and also what essentially incorporates the
 essential idea of the invention.