Patent ID: 7757603

Claim:
A cheese process vat comprising: a vat body having an interior and first and second ends; and an agitator shaft assembly including an agitator shaft having a centerline, the agitator shaft extending between the first and second ends of the vat body and a plurality of agitator panels interconnected to the shaft, wherein the vat body is generally concentric with respect to the agitator shaft and the agitator panels extend away from the agitator shaft in one of two directions that are opposite to one another such that all of the plurality of agitator panels reside generally in a first plane that passes through the centerline of the agitator shaft; wherein the agitator shaft has a greatest length, the plurality of agitator panels including first, second and third agitator panels arranged along the greatest length of the agitator shaft in series; wherein the first and third agitator panels extend from the agitator shaft in a first direction and the second agitator panel, flanked by the first and third agitator panels with respect to the greatest length of the agitator shaft, extend from the agitator shaft in a second direction; wherein each agitator panel has a surrounding edge and a second plane parallel to the first plane that extends to the surrounding edge, each of the respective second planes having a surface area; wherein the combined surface area of the second planes of the first agitator panel and the third agitator panel is substantial the same as the surface area of the second plane of the second agitator panel.