Demolding and brining of cheese
AssigneeForemost-McKesson, Inc.
InventorHoward H. Heimbruch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Cheese manufacturing operations of demolding and brine soaking are carried out by a method and with an apparatus wherein the operations are automated and carried out in a continuous manner starting with placing cheese molds on a conveyer on which they are moved to a demolding station where cheese is ejected from the molds, and continuing with movement of the cheese blocks from the demolding station to the brine soaking tank. These blocks are introduced into the brine soaking tank in regular rows, with the rows being advanced from one end of the tank to the other.
Claims10
In a cheese processing method in which blocks of cheese after being removed from molds are soaked in brine solution in a brine soaking tank, the steps of introducing a first row of cheese blocks into one end of the tank by sequentially introducing single blocks into the tank at one corner of the same and moving successive blocks laterally of the tank to form a free floating horizontal row extending laterally across the tank, moving the row after it is completed toward the other end of the tank for a distance comparable to the width of the row, introducing a second free floating horizontal row of cheese blocks into said one end of the tank at said one corner, moving both the first and second rows toward the other end of the tank for a distance comparable to the width of each row after the second row is completed, and then repeating successive introduction of rows of cheese blocks into the tank at said one corner and causing movement of the same toward the other end of the tank whereby the first row of cheese blocks eventually reaches the other end of the tank, and then removing said first row from the tank.
In a cheese processing method applicable to blocks of cheese within molds, the steps of supplying the molds with the cheese therein to conveying means, causing the molds to progress step by step to a demolding station, expelling cheese blocks from the molds at the demolding station, conveying the expelled cheese blocks from the demolding station to one end of a brine soaking tank, the tank having a corner extension at said one end, successively moving the blocks from the corner extension into the adjacent end of the tank, successively introducing the conveyed blocks one by one into the corner extension of the brine soaking tank to form a first horizontal free floating row of cheese blocks extending laterally across the tank, moving the row after it is completed toward the other end of the tank for a distance comparable to the width of the row, introducing a second free floating horizontal row of cheese blocks into said one end of the tank at said one corner, moving both the first and second rows toward the other end of the tank for a distance comparable to the width of each row after the second row is completed, and then repeating successive introduction of rows of cheese blocks into the tank at said one corner and causing movement of the same toward the other end of the tank whereby the first row of cheese blocks eventually reaches the other end of the tank, and then removing said first row from the tank.
In apparatus for the processing of cheese, a brine soaking tank having a receiving end, an opposite discharge end, and a corner extension at the receiving end, means for successively introducing cheese blocks into the corner extension, means at the corner extension for successively moving the blocks from the same into the receiving end of the tank to form free floating horizontal rows of blocks extending laterally of the tank, receiprocating pusher means for moving each row of cheese blocks after it is formed toward the discharge end of the tank for a distance comparable to the width of each row whereby a space is formed for receiving a next row of blocks from said corner extension.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.