US 2011/0256281 A1Published application

Cheese fabricating machine and method

OwnerCharles Johnsoninventor

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Abstract

Apparatus and methods for fabricating semi-solid food product such as cheese into bite-size or larger pieces by placing the product into a receptacle and pushing the product through a two-dimensional matrix of closely-spaced die apertures without disrupting the overall longitudinal conformation of the food product other than cutting the pieces for length. Substantial portions of the product emerge from the process having maintained fabrication conformation and longitudinal alignment with die apertures before, during, and after passing through the die, relative to where those portions were when received in the receptacle. The receptacle and die are cooperatively configured and aligned that, when product is introduced into the receptacle and pushed through the die, substantial portions of the product emerging from the die have remained in longitudinal alignment with respective die apertures before, during, and after passing through those apertures, relative to where those portions were when received in the receptacle.

Claims23

Dependent claims

Apparatus for converting semi-solid food product into a plurality of relatively smaller size product chunks, said converting apparatus comprising:

(a) a receptacle, having a feed portion associated with a feed end of said receptacle, an exit portion associated with an exit end of said receptacle, a length between the feed end and the exit end, an interior space being disposed between the feed end and the exit end, the interior space having a cross-section defined along the length of said receptacle, and a feed opening in the feed portion whereby food product to be converted can be loaded into the interior space of said receptacle;
(b) a forming die connected to the exit end of said receptacle, said forming die having a feed side facing toward said receptacle and an exit side facing away from said receptacle, said forming die comprising a two-dimensional matrix of apertures extending through said forming die between the feed side and the exit side, the two-dimensional matrix of apertures in said forming die extending across substantially the entirety of the cross-section of the interior space defined at the exit end of the receptacle, each aperture in the two-dimensional matrix being spaced from another of the apertures in the matrix by no more than 0.3 inch;
(c) a pusher adapted to engage a mass of semi-solid food product, with such pusher being disposed between the feed end of said receptacle and any such mass of semi-solid food product, and adapted to engage a rear of such mass, and to push such mass in a direction along the length of said receptacle and through said forming die,
said receptacle and said forming die being so cooperatively configured and aligned relative to each other that, when a such mass of semi-solid food product is introduced into the receptacle and pushed through said die by engaging said pusher against the rear of such mass and pushing, thus converting the mass of semi-solid food product into a plurality of emerging strands of such semi-solid food product, such emerging strands having strand lengths, and cross-sections substantially smaller than the cross-section of the exit portion of said receptacle, substantial portions of the semi-solid food product emerge from said die having maintained longitudinal alignment with the respective apertures before, during, and after passing through the respective apertures, relative to where those portions were when received in the receptacle;
and
(d) a cutter which periodically cuts such emerging strands transverse to the lengths of such strands, thereby to convert such emerging strands into multiple individual and separate pieces of such food product.

3 more elements

Apparatus for converting semi-solid food product into a plurality of relatively smaller size product chunks, said converting apparatus comprising:

(a) a receptacle, having a feed portion associated with a feed end of said receptacle, an exit portion associated with an exit end of said receptacle, a length between the feed end and the exit end, an interior space between the feed end and the exit end, the interior space having a cross-section defined along the length of said receptacle, and a feed opening in the feed portion whereby food product to be converted can be loaded into the interior space of said receptacle;
(b) a forming die connected to the exit end of said receptacle, said forming die having a feed side facing toward said receptacle and an exit side facing away from said receptacle, said forming die comprising a two-dimensional matrix of apertures extending through said forming die between the feed side and the exit side;
(c) a pusher adapted to engage a mass of semi-solid food product, with such pusher being disposed between the feed end of said receptacle and any such mass of semi-solid food product, and adapted to engage a rear of such mass, and to push such mass along the length of said receptacle and through said forming die;
and
(d) a cutter, said cutter comprising a wheel having an outer perimeter edge, and a plurality of cutting wires extending across said wheel transverse to the outer perimeter edge, said wheel being mounted on a shaft for rotation, with said shaft as the axis of such rotation, said shaft extending in a direction generally aligned with the length of said receptacle, and off-set transversely from said receptacle, said wheel being aligned with, and positioned relative to, said forming die such that rotation of said wheel causes said cutting wires to pass across the exit side of said forming die, in close proximity to said forming die such that said cutting wires cut such emerging strands, emerging from said forming die, substantially at the exit side of said forming die, cutting such emerging strands transverse to lengths of such emerging strands, thereby to convert such emerging strands into multiple individual and separate pieces of such food product.

2 more elements

A method of making cheese chunks, individual and separated from each other, the method comprising:

(a) introducing a mass of cheese through a feed opening into an interior space in a receptacle having a feed portion associated with a feed end of the receptacle, and an exit portion associated with an exit end of the receptacle, the interior space being disposed between the feed end and the exit end and having a cross-section defined along the length of the receptacle, the feed opening providing product feed access to the interior space;
(b) engaging a pusher against the mass of cheese, with the pusher being disposed between the feed end of the receptacle and the mass of cheese, and pushing the mass of cheese in a direction along the length of the receptacle and through a forming die and thereby concurrently forming a plurality of cheese strands emerging from the forming die, the forming die comprising a two-dimensional matrix of apertures extending through the forming die, the two-dimensional matrix of apertures in the forming die extending across substantially an entirety of a cross-section of the interior space, defined at the exit end of the receptacle,
such that substantial portions of the semi-solid cheese strands emerging from the forming die generally have maintained longitudinal alignment with the respective apertures before, during, and after passing through the respective apertures, relative to where those portions were when received in the receptacle;
(c) periodically cutting the emerging cheese strands transverse to the lengths of such strands, thereby to convert such emerging strands into multiple individual and separate pieces of such cheese;
and
(d) allowing the cut pieces to fall away from the forming die.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.