Cutting tool for cutting foodstuff

Abstract: A wedge cut cutter for food products is disclosed which includes one or more cutter sections (10) mounted between a base plate (12) and an end retainer (18). Each cutter section includes shoulders and clamping members (38, 44) for clamping each end of one or more elongate blades (32, 60) to the cutter section. Each blade is tensioned by an adjustment screw (50) which bears against a roll pin (51) which, in turn, urges a portion of the blade around a pair of anvils into a recess (56). The blades of each cutter section, or of adjacent cutter sections, are radially offset to cut incoming items into wedge-shaped portions.

Description: This invention relates to a cutting apparatus for cutting food products into wedge-shaped portions, according to the preamble of claim 1. Such an apparatus is disclosed in US 3,109,470 A. Food products and produce such as potatoes are cut and shaped by being entrained in a process stream of water or brine and passed through a "hydroknife" blade assembly which typically includes multiple blades for cutting the produce into the desired shape and size. For example, the 'hydroknife' cutter assembly disclosed in US 5,095,794 is used for cutting potatoes into elongate, square cross-sectioned pieces for further processing into french fries. Another popular form for processed potatoes is wedge-shaped portions. However, although the prior art includes some cutting assemblies for producing wedge-shaped portions, the prior art does not provide a wedge-cut cutter in which the blades are tensionable, which can be easily reconfigured to cut various numbers of wedge-cuts, and which are otherwise suitable for modem hydraulic cutting systems. This invention provides solutions to needs unmet by the prior art. The invention is embodied in an apparatus according to claim 1. In the preferred embodiment, the bearing member is a cylindrical pin, and the biasing member is a screw or bolt. The blade tensioners are adjustable to tension the blades to any of a plurality of selectable tensions. A cutter according to the invention may further include a second body similar to the first body, and stacked thereon to provide additional blades as required to achieve the desired number of cuts. The preferred embodiment includes mounting means for mounting the first and second bodies on an underlying surface. The mounting means includes a base member and means for removably attaching the first body to the base member. An end retainer is fitted on top of the stacked body, and through-bolts are used to secure the end retainer and stacked cutter bodies to the base plate. These and additional aspects of the invention are described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a wedge cutter assembly according to the present invention which includes two two-blade cutter sections, an end cap, and a bottom mounting plate; FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the cutter assembly shown in FIG. 1, and showing the central bore and four blades traversing the central bore and defining eight wedge-shaped zones; FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a two-blade cutter section shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and showing the upper and lower cutting blades mounted therein, and the lower blade mounting and tensioning mechanisms; FIG. 4 is a left-side elevation of the two-blade cutter section shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a right-side elevation of the two-blade cutter section shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 6 is an exploded bottom view of the two-blade cutter section shown in FIG. 3, showing the mounting and tensioning apparatus for the blade mounted therein; FIG. 7 is an exploded top view of the two-blade cutter section shown in FIG. 3, showing the mounting and tensioning apparatus for the blade mounted therein, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial bottom view of the two-blade cutter section shown in FIG. 3, and in particular the tensioning mechanism. Turning now to FIG. 1, a wedge cutter apparatus according to the invention is shown at 10. In the preferred embodiment, cutter assembly 10 is assembled from a bottom mounting plate 12, a lower two-blade cutter section 14, an upper two-blade cutter section 16, and an end retainer plate 18. The assembly is preferably made from stainless steel for food-processing applications, although the invention is not limited thereto. Bolts 20a-d extend downwardly through end retainer plate 18 and cutter sections 14 and 16, and are threaded into holes in bottom mounting plate 12. Mounting plate 12 is provided for mounting cutter 10 in a food cutting system, such as a hydraulic food cutting apparatus (not shown). US 4,807,503 discloses an hydraulic cutting system in which potatoes are entrained in a water stream and passed through a blade assembly which is mounted in a conduit. This '503 patent teaches that it is advantageous to accelerate the food product as it approaches the blades. The same principle is applicable to this invention, although the cutter assembly of this invention can be used with other hydraulic cutting systems as well, and even with non-hydraulic cutting systems. As can be readily appreciated by reference to FIG. 2, the use of two cutter sections, each having two blades, produces eight equal wedge-shaped portions in a single pass. In other embodiments, any even number of wedges can be produced by using different combinations of cutter sections and blades. A single cutter section can be used with one or two blades to produce two or four wedges. Three or more cutter sections, each with one or two blades, may be employed to cut six or 12 wedges, for example. Turning now to FIGS. 3-7, the details of a cutter section of the invention will be discussed. In FIG. 3, cutter section is shown generally at 22, and may be generally described as a cylindrical collar having an axial through-bore 23, and having recessed areas 24, 26 and 28 milled into its top surface 30. A blade 32 traverses axial bore 23 and is mounted at end 34 between shoulder 36 and blade clamp 38. Bolt 40 secures blade clamp 38 and blade end 34 to shoulder 36. Blade end 42 is likewise clamped by blade clamp 44 to shoulder 46 by bolt 48. Blade ends 34 and 42 may be notched or drilled to receive the respective bolts 40 and 48. In order to center blade 32 precisely within axial bore 23, shoulders 36 and 46 are offset from the transverse centerline of the axial bore 23 by one-half the thickness of blade 32. For example, in one embodiment, the ends of blade 32 are 0.20 mm (0.008") thick, and shoulders 36 and 46 are offset by 0.10 mm (0.004") from the transverse centerline of bore 23. Owing to the relatively-thin cross-section of blade 32, which can range from 0.10-0.30 mm (0.004-0.012"), the blade is placed in tension to ensure that it remains centered and does not flex when impacted by the food product. Referring also to FIG. 8, the present invention includes a blade-tensioning mechanism wherein a tensioning force is applied to blade 32 by turning adjustment screw 50 inwardly against a roll pin 51, which in turn urges blade 32 around blade tension anvils 52 and 54 and into recess 56 of blade clamp 44. Screw 50 is locked in place by locknut 53 (FIG. 5). Blade tension roll pin 48 preferably extends the full width of the blade 32, and is of a sufficiently large radius to avoid unduly high bending stresses in the blade at the point of contact with the roll pin 48. The applicant has found that a 4.76 mm (3/16") diameter roll pin is suitable for blades having a thickness of 0.10-0.30 mm (0.004 to 0.012"). Blade tension anvils 52 and 54 are also rounded in the preferred embodiment to minimize stress concentrations in blade 32, which if unchecked, could lead to premature failure of the blade. Although rounded roll pin and tension anvils extend blade life, the invention is not limited thereto, and other profiles could be employed for the roll pin and tension anvils without departing from the scope of the invention. In the preferred embodiment, the bottom surface of cutter section 22 includes a second blade 60, recessed milled areas 62, 64, 66, blade clamps 68 and 70, shoulders 72 and 74, and a blade-tensioning assembly (roll pin 76 and adjustment screw 78) which are identical to those described with respect to the top surface (FIG. 7). In the embodiment shown, blade 60 (FIG. 3) is rotated 90° relative to blade 32 to provide four wedge portions per cutter assembly, and multiples of four wedges if multiple cutter assemblies are stacked. In other embodiments, different rotational offsets between the upper and lower blades could be utilized. For example, three wedges can be produced by stacking a cutter section having two blades which are offset by 120° instead of 90° atop a cutter section having a single blade which is oriented at 120° relative to each of the two lower blades. By varying the blade angles and stacking sections, literally any number of wedge-shaped sections can be produced utilizing the invention.

Claims: Apparatus for cutting solid foodstuffs into slices of wedge-shaped or semicircular cross-section, comprising: a cutter body (10) having in it an axial bore (23), and means (38, 40, 44, 48) for mounting at least one blade member (32, 60) so that it traverses the axial bore and has its ends held by clamps (38, 44) against support surfaces (34, 42), characterized by a recess transverse to the blade path (56) in at least one of the clamps (44) at one end of the or each blade, the recess (56) underlying the blade path and extending across the width of the blade, and a blade tensioner (50, 51) on the side of the or each blade opposite to the clamp and extending transversely to the path of the blade, and movable in and out of the recess to urge a portion of the blade into the recess by an adjustable extent to adjust the longitudinal tension in the blade. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the cutter body (10) comprises means for mounting two blades (32, 60) so that their planes intersect both at a desired angle to each other, and at the axis of the bore. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, comprising two like two-blade cutter bodies (22) positioned in cascade, the two bodies being angularly positioned relative to each other so that the planes of the two pairs of blades intersect each other at desired angles. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which each cutter body (22) has two blades mounted in it at 90° apart, and in which the blades in one cutter body are positioned at 45° to those of the other cutter body. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, in which one end of the or each blade is intended to be engaged by a clamp member (38) engaged by a screw (40) passing through an aperture in the blade and engaging a screw-threaded hole in the cutter body; in which the other end of each blade is intended to be engaged by a second clamp member (44) similarly engaged by a second screw (48), and in which the blade tensioner includes a cylindrical pin (51) intended to bear on the blade at a location between the respective clamping screw and the axial bore. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which the cylindrical pin (51) is contacted at a location remote from the blade by the inner end of a screw (50) threaded in the body and extending transversely to the blade path. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the cutter body (10), or one of them, is adapted to be removably mounted on a base member (12). Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, in which the or each cutter body is clamped to the base member by a retainer plate (18) screwed to the base member. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the surfaces (36, 46) of the body to which the blade ends are intended to be clamped, are spaced from a diametral plane by half the thickness of the blade, whereby the central plane of the blade lies on a diameter of the axial bore.

Inventors: MENDENHALL GEORGE A, MENDENHALL, GEORGE A.
Applicants: MENDENHALL GEORGE A, MENDENHALL, GEORGE A.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B26D3
IPC codes: B26D3, B26D7