Patent Description:
The present invention generally relates to machines for cutting products, including but not limited to slicing food products, and to tools used to adjust or maintain the operation of such machines. The invention particularly relates to tools for replacing knives in slicing machines.

Various types of equipment are known for slicing, shredding and granulating food products, as nonlimiting examples, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, and meat products. Widely used machines for this purpose are commercially available from Urschel Laboratories, Inc. , and include machines under the names Model CC7 and Model CCL. The Model CC7 and CCL machines are centrifugal-type slicers capable of slicing a wide variety of products at high production capacities. The Model CC7 line of machines is particularly adapted to produce uniform slices, strip cuts, shreds and granulations, and the Model CCL line is particularly adapted to produce slices or chips of a waffle or lattice type. Certain configurations and aspects of Model CC7 machines are represented in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, and<CIT>, <CIT>, and <CIT> and <CIT>.

<FIG> schematically depicts a machine <NUM> representative of a Model CC7 machine. The machine <NUM> includes a generally annular-shaped cutting head <NUM> equipped with cutting knives (not shown) mounted along its circumference. An impeller <NUM> is coaxially mounted within the cutting head <NUM> and has an axis <NUM> of rotation that coincides with the center axis of the cutting head <NUM>. The impeller <NUM> is rotationally driven about its axis <NUM> through a shaft that is enclosed within a housing <NUM> and coupled to a gear box <NUM>. The cutting head <NUM> is mounted on a support ring <NUM> above the gear box <NUM> and remains stationary as the impeller <NUM> rotates. Products are delivered to the cutting head <NUM> and impeller <NUM> through a feed hopper <NUM> located above the impeller <NUM>. In operation, as the hopper <NUM> delivers products to the impeller <NUM>, centrifugal forces cause the products to move outward into engagement with the knives of the cutting head <NUM>. The impeller <NUM> comprises generally radially-oriented paddles <NUM>, each having a face that engages and directs the products radially outward toward and against the knives of the cutting head <NUM> as the impeller <NUM> rotates. Other aspects pertaining to the construction and operation of Model CC7 machines, including various embodiments thereof, can be appreciated from the aforementioned prior patent documents.

<FIG> and <FIG> contain isolated views of an embodiment of a cutting head <NUM> that is capable of use with a variety of cutting machines, including the Model CC7 slicing machine <NUM> depicted in <FIG>. The cutting head <NUM> represented in <FIG> and <FIG> will be described hereinafter in reference to the slicing machine <NUM> of <FIG> equipped with an impeller <NUM> as described in reference to <FIG>. On the basis of the coaxial arrangement of the cutting head <NUM> and the impeller <NUM>, relative terms including but not limited to Aaxial,@ Acircumferential,@ Aradial,@ etc., and related forms thereof may be used below to describe the cutting head <NUM> represented in <FIG> and <FIG>.

In the isolated view of <FIG>, the cutting head <NUM> can be seen to be generally annular-shaped with cutting knives <NUM> mounted at its perimeter. <FIG> and <FIG> represent the knives <NUM> as having straight cutting edges for producing flat slices, and as such may be referred to herein as Aflat@ knives, though the cutting head <NUM> can use knives of other shapes, for example, Acorrugated@ knives characterized by a periodic pattern, such as a sinusoidal shape with peaks and valleys when viewed edgewise, to produce corrugated, strip-cut, shredded and granulated products. Each knife <NUM> projects radially inward in a direction generally opposite the direction of rotation of the impeller <NUM> within the cutting head <NUM>, and defines a cutting edge at its radially innermost extremity. The cutting head <NUM> further comprises lower and upper support rings <NUM> and ring <NUM> to and between which circumferentially-spaced slicing units <NUM> are mounted, each defining a cutting station of the cutting head <NUM>. The knives <NUM> of the cutting head <NUM> are individually secured with clamping assemblies <NUM> to the slicing units <NUM>. In the particular configuration shown in <FIG>, each knife <NUM> has a handle <NUM> at its upper longitudinal end that protrudes through an opening in the upper support ring <NUM>. The knife handles <NUM> provide a safety advantage by serving as a portion of each knife <NUM> that can be directly touched by a user and is remote from the cutting edge of the knife <NUM> during its installation and removal from the cutting head <NUM>.

As more readily evident in <FIG>, the clamping assembly <NUM> of each slicing unit <NUM> includes a knife holder <NUM> mounted with fasteners <NUM> to and between a pair of mounting blocks <NUM>, which in turn are configured to be secured to the support rings <NUM> and <NUM> with fasteners <NUM> that rigidly secure the mounting blocks <NUM> to the rings <NUM> and <NUM>. Each clamping assembly <NUM> further includes a clamp <NUM> positioned on the radially outward-facing side of the holder <NUM> to secure a knife <NUM> thereto. As shown in <FIG>, the knife <NUM> is supported by a radially outer surface of the knife holder <NUM>, and the clamp <NUM> overlies the holder <NUM> so that the knife <NUM> is between the surface of the holder <NUM> and a radially inward surface of the clamp <NUM> that faces the holder <NUM>. Alignment of the knife <NUM>, holder <NUM>, and clamp <NUM> is achieved with pins <NUM> that protrude from the knife holder <NUM> into complementary slots and holes in, respectively, the knife <NUM> and clamp <NUM>. By forcing the clamp <NUM> toward the holder <NUM>, the clamp <NUM> will apply a clamping force to the knife <NUM> adjacent its cutting edge.

<FIG> and <FIG> further show each slicing unit <NUM> as comprising an adjustable gate <NUM> secured to the mounting blocks <NUM> with fasteners <NUM>. A food product crosses the gate <NUM> prior to encountering the knife <NUM> mounted to the succeeding slicing unit <NUM>, and together the cutting edge of a knife <NUM> and a preceding trailing edge <NUM> of the preceding gate <NUM> define a gate opening that determines the thickness of a slice produced by the knife <NUM>. To provide relatively fine control of the thickness of a sliced product, the mounting blocks <NUM> are equipped with adjustment screws <NUM> that engage the gates <NUM> to alter the radial location of their trailing edges <NUM> relative to the cutting edge of the succeeding knife <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, an eccentric cam rod <NUM> can be used as a quick-clamping feature to apply the clamping force to the clamp <NUM>. The cam rod <NUM> is represented as passing through holes in the mounting blocks <NUM> to loosely assemble the clamp <NUM> to the mounting blocks <NUM> in combination with the pivot axis of the clamp <NUM> created by the fasteners <NUM>. Clockwise rotation of the cam rod <NUM> (as viewed in <FIG>) using a handle <NUM> attached thereto causes the cam rod <NUM> to eccentrically move into engagement with the surface of the clamp <NUM>, forcing the clamp <NUM> into engagement with the knife <NUM>. The force applied to the clamp <NUM> by the cam rod <NUM> can be released by rotating the cam rod <NUM> counterclockwise. Once the clamping forced is released, a knife <NUM> can be removed from the cutting head <NUM> by grasping its handle <NUM> and withdrawing the knife <NUM> upward through the opening in the upper support ring <NUM>.

The clamp <NUM> is pivotably mounted to the mounting blocks <NUM>, and in the embodiment shown the fasteners <NUM> that secure the mounting blocks <NUM> to the rings <NUM> and <NUM> extend through the blocks <NUM> to also serve as pivot pins for the clamp <NUM>. The mounting blocks <NUM> are equipped with pins <NUM> that engage holes in the support rings <NUM> and <NUM>. By appropriately locating the holes in the rings <NUM> and <NUM>, the orientation of the mounting blocks <NUM>, and consequently the knife <NUM>, knife holder <NUM>, and clamp <NUM> mounted thereto, can be used to alter the radial location of the cutting edge of the knife <NUM> with respect to the axis of the cutting head <NUM>, thereby providing relatively coarse control of the thickness of the sliced food product.

As disclosed in some of the aforementioned prior patent documents, an alternative to the quick-clamping arrangement of <FIG> and <FIG> is to employ bolts to secure the knives <NUM> and clamps <NUM> to their respective knife holders <NUM>.

While centrifugal-type slicers of the type represented by the Model CC7 have performed extremely well for their intended purpose, further improvements are continuously desired and sought, including improvements relating to the maintenance of the machines. A nonlimiting example is the replacement of the knives <NUM>, whose cutting edges are vulnerable to damage, for example, from impacts with stones, sand, and other debris that often accompany food products such as potatoes.

The present invention provides tools for replacing knives in cutting machines, including centrifugal-type slicing machines having a cutting head with multiple knife assemblies mounted thereto.

According to one aspect, a knife replacement tool includes a clamping body and handle. The clamping body includes a base, a bracket, a clamp, and at least one knife support tab. The base has a cross-section that defines a lower surface, an oppositely-disposed upper surface, a front surface, and an oppositely-disposed rear surface. The bracket has a flange portion adjacent and spaced apart from the upper surface of the base. The clamp is coupled to the base so as to be able to translate relative to the base in translation directions that are transverse to a longitudinal axis of the base. The clamp includes a lift tab disposed on the same side of the base as the rear surface, and the handle is secured to the flange portion of the bracket so that at least a portion of the handle is located on the same side of the base as the lift tab. The knife support tab projects from the front surface of the base in a direction transverse to the translation directions of the clamp. The clamp is biased toward the knife support tab so that the clamp and the knife support tab create a knife gripping mechanism by which the clamp is able to clamp an edge of a knife against the tab.

Further aspects of the invention include methods of using a knife replacement tool as described above to install and remove knives from a cutting unit of a machine.

Technical aspects of knife replacement tools as described above preferably include the ability to install and remove knives from a cutting machine without requiring the installer to directly touch the knives during the installation and removal operations, thus reducing the risk of injury during maintenance operations performed on the machine.

Other aspects and advantages of this invention will be appreciated from the following detailed description.

<FIG> depict knife replacement tools that are capable of use with a variety of cutting machines, including but not limited to the centrifugal-type slicing machine <NUM> depicted in <FIG>. Nonlimiting embodiments of the invention will be illustrated and described hereinafter in reference to the slicing machine <NUM> of <FIG> equipped with an impeller <NUM> and annular-shaped cutting head <NUM> as described in reference to <FIG>, and as such the following discussion will focus primarily on certain aspects of the invention that will be described in reference to the slicing machine <NUM> and cutting head <NUM>. However, it will be appreciated that the teachings of the invention are also generally applicable to other types of cutting machines.

To facilitate the description provided below of the knife replacement tools represented in the drawings, relative terms may be used in reference to the orientation of the machine <NUM> as represented in <FIG> and the cutting head <NUM> as represented in <FIG>. On the basis of the coaxial arrangement of the cutting head <NUM> and impeller <NUM> of the machine <NUM> represented in <FIG>, relative terms including but not limited to Aaxial,@ Acircumferential,@ Aradial,@ etc., and related forms thereof may also be used below to describe the nonlimiting embodiments represented in the drawings. All such relative terms are useful to describe the illustrated embodiments but should not be otherwise interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention.

<FIG> and <FIG> schematically represent a nonlimiting embodiment of a knife replacement tool <NUM> particularly well adapted for, but not limited to, installing and removing the knives <NUM> of the cutting head <NUM> of <FIG> and <FIG>. The tool <NUM> is represented in <FIG> and <FIG> as comprising a clamping body <NUM> and handle <NUM>. The clamping body <NUM> comprises a base <NUM> and a bracket <NUM> and clamp <NUM> secured to the base <NUM>. The base <NUM> is represented as having a generally elongate shape with a rectangular cross-section that defines, as viewed in <FIG> and <FIG>, what are referred to herein as a lower surface <NUM>, an oppositely-disposed upper surface <NUM>, a front surface <NUM>, and an oppositely-disposed rear surface <NUM>. The bracket <NUM> is preferably secured to the base <NUM> so as to maintain a fixed position relative to the base <NUM>, whereas the clamp <NUM> is secured to the base <NUM> so as to be able to translate relative to the base <NUM> in translation directions that are transverse to the longitudinal axis of the base <NUM>. In the nonlimiting embodiment of <FIG> and <FIG>, the bracket <NUM> is secured to the base <NUM> with fasteners <NUM> that pass through the base <NUM> between its front and rear surfaces <NUM> and <NUM>, with a lower flange portion <NUM> of the bracket <NUM> clamped against the rear surface <NUM> of the base <NUM> and an upper flange portion <NUM> of the bracket <NUM> adjacent and spaced apart from the upper surface <NUM> of the base <NUM>. The handle <NUM> is secured to the upper flange portion <NUM> so that the majority of the handle <NUM> is located on the same side of the base <NUM> as its rear surface <NUM>, and the handle <NUM> extends at an acute angle to the upper surface <NUM> of the base <NUM>.

In the nonlimiting embodiment represented in <FIG> and <FIG>, the clamp <NUM> is mounted to the base <NUM> so as to be able to translate in directions parallel to the front surface <NUM> of the base <NUM> and perpendicular to the lower and upper surfaces <NUM> and <NUM> of the base <NUM>. A lower flange portion <NUM> of the clamp <NUM> is secured to the base <NUM> with the fasteners <NUM> at the front surface <NUM>, and an upper flange portion <NUM> of the clamp <NUM> is disposed within a gap <NUM> defined by and between the upper flange portion <NUM> of the bracket <NUM> and the upper surface <NUM> of the base <NUM>. The fasteners <NUM> pass through elongate slots <NUM> in the lower flange portion <NUM> of the clamp <NUM> that are oriented to substantially limit the clamp <NUM> to translate in directions parallel to the front surface <NUM> of the base <NUM> and perpendicular to the lower and upper surfaces <NUM> and <NUM> of the base <NUM>. A pair of pins or rods <NUM> span the gap <NUM> between the upper flange portion <NUM> of the bracket <NUM> and the upper surface <NUM> of the base <NUM>, and compression coil springs <NUM> are mounted on the rods <NUM> and engage the upper flange portion <NUM> of the clamp <NUM> to bias the upper flange portion <NUM> downward toward the upper surface <NUM> of the base <NUM>. Though compression coil springs <NUM> are depicted, various other biasing means are foreseeable, as nonlimiting examples, one or more springs (including gas or hydraulic) and/or elastic members that apply a compression, tension, or torsion force and may operate through a lever or other intermediate mechanism.

The clamp <NUM> includes a lift tab <NUM> that protrudes from its upper flange portion <NUM> through a slot <NUM> (<FIG> and <FIG>) in the bracket <NUM>, such that the tab <NUM> is disposed on the same (rear) side of the base <NUM> as the handle <NUM>. The tab <NUM> and handle <NUM> are positioned and oriented relative to each other so that an operator gripping the handle <NUM> with their hand can simultaneously grasp and draw the tab <NUM> toward the handle <NUM>, causing the clamp <NUM> to translate upward so that its upper flange portion <NUM> translates away from the upper surface <NUM> of the base and toward the upper flange portion <NUM> of the bracket <NUM> against the biasing effect of the springs <NUM>. Releasing the tab <NUM> allows the springs <NUM> to translate the clamp <NUM> downward so that its upper flange portion <NUM> translates away from the upper flange portion <NUM> of the bracket <NUM> and toward the upper surface <NUM> of the base <NUM>.

The clamping body <NUM> is represented as comprising multiple knife support tabs <NUM> that project from the front surface <NUM> of the base <NUM> and the lower flange portion <NUM> of the clamp <NUM> in a direction transverse to the translating directions of the clamp <NUM>. In the particular embodiment shown, the tabs <NUM> are generally parallel to the lower surface <NUM> of the base <NUM>. In addition, the embodiment shown in the drawings represents the tabs <NUM> as formed as portions of the lower flange portion <NUM> of the bracket <NUM>, such that the tabs <NUM> are adjacent and preferably abut the lower surface <NUM> of the base <NUM>. The springs <NUM> bias the lower flange portion <NUM> of the clamp <NUM> downward toward the tabs <NUM> and optionally into contact with the tabs <NUM>. In this manner, the lowermost edge <NUM> (<FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>) of the clamp <NUM> and the knife support tabs <NUM> create a knife gripping or clamping mechanism by which the lowermost edge <NUM> of the clamp <NUM> can clamp an edge of a knife against the tabs <NUM>, as represented with the knife <NUM> in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>. The knife <NUM> depicted in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG> has a corrugated configuration, and the lowermost edge <NUM> of the clamp <NUM> is represented as having projections <NUM> that engage valleys of the corrugated knife <NUM> to assist in positioning and securing the knife <NUM> relative to the longitudinal direction of the base <NUM>, as evident from <FIG>.

<FIG> represents the tool <NUM> in position relative to a cutting head <NUM> to install or remove the knife <NUM> from a clamping assembly <NUM> of the cutting head <NUM>. The clamping assembly <NUM> is represented as a Aquick-clamping@ assembly <NUM> of the type shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, though other clamping assembly configurations are foreseeable. To assist in positioning the tool <NUM> and maintaining its position relative to the cutting head <NUM>, the tool <NUM> includes a slot <NUM> in the lower surface <NUM> of the base <NUM> that is sized to receive the upper ring <NUM> of the cutting head <NUM>, and further includes magnets <NUM> (<FIG>) embedded in the lower surface <NUM> of the base <NUM> to magnetically hold the base <NUM> against the radially interior surface of the cutting head <NUM>, for example, against a gate <NUM> located adjacent the clamping assembly <NUM> that the knife <NUM> is being installed in or removed from. <FIG> shows that, for a cutting head <NUM> whose gates <NUM> are equipped with grooves <NUM> that promote egress of stones, sand, and other debris that often accompany food products such as potatoes (such as shown in <FIG>), the knife support tabs <NUM> can be sized to be received in the grooves <NUM> to help locate the tool <NUM> relative to the cutting head <NUM>.

<FIG> represent a progression of steps that occur during the installation of a knife <NUM> with the tool <NUM>. In <FIG>, the upper support ring <NUM> is omitted to provide a clearer view of the operation of the tool <NUM>. In <FIG>, the handle <NUM> of the clamping assembly <NUM> has already been rotated to disengage the cam rod <NUM> from the clamp <NUM>, releasing the clamping force that secures the clamp <NUM> against its knife holder <NUM> to permit installation of the knife <NUM> in a resulting gap <NUM> between the clamp <NUM> and knife holder <NUM>. The clamping body <NUM> can be seen as abutting the gate <NUM> immediately adjacent the clamping assembly <NUM> in which the knife <NUM> held by the tool <NUM> is to be installed. As previously noted, the magnets <NUM> in the lower surface <NUM> of the base <NUM> can assist in maintaining the clamping body <NUM> of the tool <NUM> against the gate <NUM>, and the knife support tabs <NUM> are received in the grooves <NUM> in the gate <NUM> to help locate the tool <NUM> relative to the cutting head <NUM>. Additionally, the upper support ring <NUM> of the cutting head <NUM> (not shown in <FIG>) can be inserted in the slot <NUM> in the lower surface <NUM> of the base <NUM> to help locate the knife replacement tool <NUM> relative to the cutting unit <NUM>, as evident from <FIG>.

In <FIG>, the tool <NUM> has been moved toward the knife holder <NUM> of the clamping assembly <NUM> and the knife <NUM> is partially received in the gap <NUM> between the clamp <NUM> and knife holder <NUM>, and in <FIG> further movement of the tool <NUM> has resulted in the knife <NUM> being fully installed between the clamp <NUM> and knife holder <NUM>. In <FIG>, the handle <NUM> of the clamping assembly <NUM> has rotated the cam rod <NUM> (not visible) to cause the cam rod <NUM> to eccentrically move into engagement with the surface of the clamp <NUM>, forcing the clamp <NUM> into engagement with the knife <NUM> to clamp the knife <NUM> between the clamp <NUM> and knife holder <NUM>. Thereafter, the clamping tab <NUM> of the tool <NUM> can be released to disengage the clamp <NUM> from the knife <NUM>, followed by withdrawing the tool <NUM> from the cutting head <NUM>. Removal of the knife <NUM> can be achieved by simply reversing the order of the steps depicted in <FIG>.

<FIG> represents that the knife replacement tool <NUM> is also capable of gripping a Aflat@ knife <NUM>, i.e., having a straight cutting edge for producing flat slices. As such, the steps discussed above in reference to <FIG> also apply to the installation and removal of flat knives. Notably, the tool <NUM> eliminates the need of a knife handle (for example, the handles <NUM> of the knives <NUM> shown in <FIG> and <FIG>), since the user is not required to directly touch the knives <NUM> during the actual installation and removal operations.

<FIG> represent an additional but optional tool <NUM> for use in combination with the knife replacement tool <NUM> depicted in <FIG>. The tool <NUM> is shown in <FIG> as adapted to be used on the exterior of the cutting head <NUM>, and therefore opposite the knife replacement tool <NUM> as viewed in <FIG>. The tool <NUM> is equipped with at least one and preferably multiple magnets <NUM> disposed in a valley or concavity defined in a surface <NUM> of the tool <NUM>. The magnets <NUM> are sufficiently powerful so that when the tool <NUM> is positioned on the cutting head <NUM> as seen in <FIG>, the magnets <NUM> are able to magnetically secure the tool <NUM> to the cutting head <NUM> and draw the clamp <NUM> away from the knife holder <NUM> to facilitate installation of the knife <NUM> into the gap <NUM> between the clamp <NUM> and knife holder <NUM>. For this purpose, one of the magnets <NUM> of the tool <NUM> shown in <FIG> is centrally located near the midpoint of the valley for attracting the knife clamp <NUM>, and two of the magnets <NUM> are located near the outer extents of the tool surface <NUM> to magnetically secure the tool <NUM> to the cutting head <NUM>. Instead of the quick-clamping assembly <NUM> of <FIG> and <FIG>, the cutting head <NUM> is represented in <FIG> as employing bolts <NUM> to secure the knives <NUM> and clamps <NUM> to their respective knife holders <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A knife replacement tool (<NUM>) for installing and removing a knife (<NUM>) from a cutting unit (<NUM>) of a machine (<NUM>), the knife replacement tool (<NUM>) comprising:
a clamping body (<NUM>) comprising a base (<NUM>), a bracket (<NUM>), a clamp (<NUM>), and at least one knife support tab (<NUM>), the base (<NUM>) having a cross-section that defines a lower surface (<NUM>), an oppositely-disposed upper surface (<NUM>), a front surface (<NUM>), and an oppositely-disposed rear surface (<NUM>), the bracket (<NUM>) having a flange portion (<NUM>) adjacent and spaced apart from the upper surface (<NUM>) of the base (<NUM>), the clamp (<NUM>) being coupled to the base (<NUM>) so as to be able to translate relative to the base (<NUM>) in translation directions that are transverse to a longitudinal axis of the base (<NUM>), the clamp (<NUM>) comprising a lift tab (<NUM>) disposed on the same side of the base (<NUM>) as the rear surface (<NUM>), the knife support tab (<NUM>) projecting from the front surface (<NUM>) of the base (<NUM>) in a direction transverse to the translation directions of the clamp (<NUM>);
means (<NUM>) for biasing the clamp (<NUM>) toward the knife support tab (<NUM>); and
a handle (<NUM>) secured to the flange portion (<NUM>) of the bracket (<NUM>), at least a portion of the handle (<NUM>) being located on the same side of the base (<NUM>) as the lift tab (<NUM>);
wherein the clamp (<NUM>) and the knife support tab (<NUM>) create a knife gripping mechanism by which the clamp (<NUM>) clamps an edge of the knife (<NUM>) against the tab (<NUM>).