Machines and methods for cutting products and impellers therefor

{
  "publication_number": "US10456943B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Machines and methods for cutting products and impellers therefor",
  "abstract": "Methods and equipment for cutting products, including food products. Such equipment includes an impeller adapted to be coaxially mounted within an annular-shaped cutting head for rotation about an axis of the cutting head in a rotational direction relative to the cutting head. The impeller includes a base and ring spaced axially from each other, at least a first intermediate plate disposed between the base and the ring so as to define at least first and second tier levels within the impeller, and paddles disposed between the base and the ring and within the first and second tier levels. The first intermediate plate has an opening therein that defines a passage between the first and second tier levels. The impeller further has pockets defined by and between immediately adjacent pairs of paddles within each tier level.",
  "claims": [
    "1. An impeller adapted to be coaxially mounted within an annular-shaped cutting head for rotation about a vertical rotational axis thereof in a rotational direction relative to the cutting head, the impeller comprising: a base and a ring spaced axially from each other, the ring defining an entrance to the impeller that surrounds the rotational axis of the impeller; one or more intermediate plates disposed between the base and the ring and comprising at least a first intermediate plate so as to define at least first and second tier levels within the impeller, the first intermediate plate being closer to the entrance of the impeller than any other of the intermediate plates, the first tier level being between the ring and the first intermediate plate, the second tier level being between the first intermediate plate and the base, the first intermediate plate having an annular shape that defines an opening that is concentric with the rotational axis of the impeller, is smaller than the entrance in the ring, and defines a passage between the first and second tier levels and through which products are able to pass to enter the second tier level beneath the opening from the first tier level, the passage being disposed on and encompassing the rotational axis of the impeller such that the rotational axis of the impeller lies within the passage, the first intermediate plate functioning as a baffle whereby a fraction of the products entering the impeller through the entrance is captured within the first tier level as a result of encountering and being deflected by the first intermediate plate and a second fraction of the products entering the impeller passes through the opening in the first intermediate plate and is captured within the second tier level beneath the opening of the first intermediate plate; paddles disposed between the base and the ring, at least a portion of each paddle being disposed within at least one of the first and second tier levels, each of the paddles having a radially outer extremity adjacent an outer perimeter of the impeller, an oppositely-disposed radially innermost extremity, and a face between the radially innermost and outer extremities and facing the rotational direction of the impeller; and pockets defined within each of the first and second tier levels, each pocket being disposed between a pair of the paddles that are immediately adjacent each other in the rotational direction of the impeller, the pockets being delimited in an axial direction of the impeller by the base, the ring, and at least the first intermediate plate; wherein the first intermediate plate includes a planar portion that surrounds the passage through the first intermediate plate, and the planar portion of the first intermediate plate surrounds a frustoconical flange that extends in the axial direction from the planar portion and surrounds the passage through the first intermediate plate.",
    "2. The impeller of claim 1, wherein each paddle extends between the base and the ring and passes through the first intermediate plate so that portions of the paddle are disposed within the first and second tier levels.",
    "3. The impeller of claim 1, the intermediate plates further comprising at least a second intermediate plate disposed between the first intermediate plate and the base so as to define at least a third tier level within the impeller between the second intermediate plate and the base, the second intermediate plate having an annular shape that defines an opening that is concentric with the rotational axis of the impeller, is smaller than the opening in the first intermediate plate, and defines a second passage between the second and third tier levels and through which products are able to pass to enter the third tier level beneath the opening from the second tier level, the passage being disposed on and encompassing the rotational axis of the impeller such that the rotational axis of the impeller lies within the passage, the second intermediate plate functioning as a second baffle whereby the second fraction of the products is captured within the second tier level defined between the first and second intermediate plates as a result of encountering and being deflected by the second intermediate plate and a third fraction of the products entering the impeller through the entrance passes through the opening in the second intermediate plate and is captured within the third tier level beneath the opening of the second intermediate plate.",
    "4. The impeller of claim 3, wherein the paddles pass through the first and second intermediate plates so that a portion of each paddle is disposed within each of the first, second, and third tier levels.",
    "5. The impeller of claim 3, wherein the first intermediate plate has a planar portion that surrounds the passage therethrough and the second intermediate plate has a planar portion that surrounds the second passage therethrough.",
    "6. The impeller of claim 5, wherein the planar portion of the second intermediate plate surrounds a frustoconical flange that extends in the axial direction from the planar portion and surrounds the second passage through the second intermediate plate.",
    "7. The impeller of claim 1, wherein the paddles are equi-angularly spaced at the outer perimeter of the impeller and the pockets are identical.",
    "8. The impeller of claim 1, further comprising attachments that are each attached to a corresponding one of the paddles and extend in the rotational direction from the radially innermost extremity of the corresponding paddle, each of the attachments forming a restricted opening to a corresponding one of the pockets between the corresponding paddle from which the attachment extends and a preceding one of the paddles that precedes the corresponding paddle in the rotational direction, the restricted opening being narrower than a distance between the radially innermost extremities of the corresponding paddle from which the attachment extends and the preceding paddle that precedes the corresponding paddle in the direction of rotation of the impeller.",
    "9. The impeller of claim 8, wherein each of the attachments has a blunt surface and each of the restricted openings is defined by and between one of the blunt surfaces and the preceding paddle that precedes the corresponding paddle from which the attachment extends.",
    "10. The impeller of claim 9, wherein each of the blunt surfaces is parallel to the preceding paddle that precedes the corresponding paddle from which the attachment extends and the restricted opening defined thereby has a generally uniform width in the rotational direction.",
    "11. The impeller of claim 8, wherein the attachments define the faces of the paddles.",
    "12. A machine comprising the impeller of claim 1, the machine comprising an annular-shaped cutting head having at least one knife extending radially inward toward the impeller in a direction opposite the rotational direction of the impeller.",
    "13. A method of using the impeller of claim 1, the method comprising: rotating the impeller; supplying products to the impeller through the entrance defined by the ring; vertically stratifying the products among the first and second tier levels with the first intermediate plate and the passage therethrough; propelling the products into the pockets through action of rotating the impeller; and orienting the products to have a major axis functionally tangent to the outer perimeter of the impeller, wherein the orienting step is performed with attachments that are each attached to a corresponding one of the paddles and extend in the rotational direction from the radially innermost extremity of the corresponding paddle, each of the attachments forming a restricted opening to a corresponding one of the pockets between the corresponding paddle from which the attachment extends and a preceding one of the paddles that precedes the corresponding paddle in the rotational direction, and the restricted opening is narrower than a distance between the radially innermost extremities of the corresponding paddle from which the attachment extends and the preceding paddle that precedes the corresponding paddle in the direction of rotation of the impeller.",
    "14. An impeller adapted to be coaxially mounted within an annular-shaped cutting head for rotation about a vertical rotational axis thereof in a rotational direction relative to the cutting head, the impeller comprising: a base and a ring spaced axially from each other, the ring defining an entrance to the impeller that surrounds the rotational axis of the impeller; one or more intermediate plates disposed between the base and the ring and comprising at least a first intermediate plate so as to define at least first and second tier levels within the impeller, the first intermediate plate being closer to the entrance of the impeller than any other of the intermediate plates, the first tier level being between the ring and the first intermediate plate, the second tier level being between the first intermediate plate and the base, the first intermediate plate having an annular shape that defines an opening that is concentric with the rotational axis of the impeller, is smaller than the entrance in the ring, and defines a passage between the first and second tier levels and through which products are able to pass to enter the second tier level beneath the opening from the first tier level, the passage being disposed on and encompassing the rotational axis of the impeller such that the rotational axis of the impeller lies within the passage, the first intermediate plate functioning as a baffle whereby a fraction of the products entering the impeller through the entrance is captured within the first tier level as a result of encountering and being deflected by the first intermediate plate and a second fraction of the products entering the impeller passes through the opening in the first intermediate plate and is captured within the second tier level beneath the opening of the first intermediate plate; paddles disposed between the base and the ring, at least a portion of each paddle being disposed within at least one of the first and second tier levels, each of the paddles having a radially outer extremity adjacent an outer perimeter of the impeller, an oppositely-disposed radially innermost extremity, and a face between the radially innermost and outer extremities and facing the rotational direction of the impeller; pockets defined within each of the first and second tier levels, each pocket being disposed between a pair of the paddles that are immediately adjacent each other in the rotational direction of the impeller so that each immediately adjacent pair of the paddles comprises a preceding paddle and a succeeding paddle in the rotational direction, the pockets being delimited in an axial direction of the impeller by the base, the ring, and at least the first intermediate plate; and attachments that are each attached to a corresponding one of the paddles and extend in the rotational direction from the radially innermost extremity of the corresponding paddle, each of the attachments forming a restricted opening to a corresponding one of the pockets between the corresponding paddle from which the attachment extends and the preceding paddle that precedes the corresponding paddle in the rotational direction, the restricted opening being narrower than a distance between the radially innermost extremity of the corresponding paddle from which the attachment extends and the radially innermost extremity of the preceding paddle that precedes the corresponding paddle in the direction of rotation of the impeller.",
    "15. The impeller of claim 14, wherein each of the attachments has a blunt surface and each of the restricted openings is defined by and between one of the blunt surfaces and the preceding paddle that precedes the corresponding paddle from which the attachment extends.",
    "16. The impeller of claim 15, wherein each of the blunt surfaces is parallel to the preceding paddle that precedes the corresponding paddle from which the attachment extends and the restricted opening defined thereby has a generally uniform width in the rotational direction."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention generally relates to methods and machines for cutting products. The invention particularly relates to machines equipped with an impeller adapted to transport products to at least one knife suitable for cutting the product, wherein the impeller is capable of transporting and orienting products that are relatively small, for example, the size of a small potato and smaller.\n\nVarious types of equipment are known for slicing, shredding and granulating food products, such as vegetable, fruit, dairy, and meat products. A widely used line of machines for this purpose is commercially available from Urschel Laboratories, Inc., under the name Urschel Model CC®, an embodiment of which is represented in FIG. 1. The Model CC® machine line provides versions of centrifugal-type slicers capable of producing uniform slices, strip cuts, shreds and granulations of a wide variety of products at high production capacities. When used to produce potato slices for potato chips, the Model CC® line of machines can make use of substantially round potatoes to produce the desired circular chip shape with a minimum amount of scrap.\n\nThe Model CC® machine 10 schematically represented in FIG. 1 includes a cutting head 12 mounted on a support ring 15 above a gear box 16. A housing 18 contains a shaft coupled to the gear box 16 that rotates an impeller 14 within the cutting head 12. Products are delivered to the cutting head 12 and impeller 14 through a feed hopper 11 located above the cutting head 12.",
  "cpc": [
    "B26D 7/0691",
    "B26D 1/03",
    "B26D 3/28",
    "B26D 7/08"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B26D 7/06",
    "B26D 7/08",
    "B26D 1/03",
    "B26D 3/28"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Urschel Laboratories Inc"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Daniel Wade King",
    "Fut Meng Wong"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2015-12-02",
  "publication_date": "2019-10-29",
  "grant_date": "2019-10-29",
  "priority_date": "2014-12-03",
  "application_number": "US-201514957157-A",
  "family_id": "56092443",
  "cited_by_count": 18,
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}