US 4,614,141 A · Food product centering and aligning tube

Abstract

A centering and aligning tube for use in hydraulic food cutting apparatus, said tube including a rigid outer housing and a resilient liner insertable into the housing, the liner constructed of resilient material and preferably provided with a plurality of evenly spaced, radially inward and longitudinally extending ribs operable to engage the food product, such as a potato, for alignment and centering thereof relative to a cutter. The ribs are preferably tapered from entrance to a location adjacent the exit of the liner. A resilient annular seal with an opening for passage of the food product, such as a raw potato, is provided adjacent the exit end of the liner to increase the exit speed of the potato and to restrict fluid use for greater efficiency. An inner tube engaging the inner most surface of the ribs may optionally be provided.

Claims21

Dependent claims

In hydraulic food product cutting apparatus including a food cutter, a food product centering and aligning tube comprising:

a rigid tubular housing, said housing fixed in immovable relationship relative to said food cutter, and
a liner constructed of resilient material, said liner fixed in immovable relationship with respect to said housing and snugly engaging the interior surface of said housing for maintaining configuration of said liner and said liner having an inlet port and an outlet port, the inner surface of said liner operable to resiliently engage a food product for the centering and aligning thereof relative to the cutter.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Food product centering and aligning tube

Life of this patent

Food product centering and aligning tube

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21