Method and apparatus for severing shirred tubular food casing and article
AssigneeViskase Corporation
InventorJohn Farkonas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The severing of a shirred stick from unshirred casing is accomplished by pressing and annular tear edge directly against the last-shirred end of the stick and tearing unshirred casing away from the stick along this edge. The result is little or no tail of loose casing at the last-shirred end. Characteristically, the resulting torn ends both extend normal to the casing longitudinal axis. In addition, this torn end at the first-shirred end of the stick is clean and continuous whereas the torn end at the last-shirred end of the stick contains one or more tags or loose shreds of casing.
Claims30
In a shirring method including longitudinally moving a tubular food casing in a shirring direction over a mandrel and into a shirring zone, shirring the tubular casing in the shirring zone to form a shirred stick composed of generally conical pleats nested one within another with the innerfold of each pleat being formed against the mandrel, and then stopping the shirring when a desired length of shirred stick has accumulated on the mandrel, the improvement comprising;
- (a) longitudinally separating the shirring zone and shirred stick to provide a space therebetween and expose a section of unshirred tubular casing which extends from the shirring zone and merges into the shirred conical pleats defining the end face of the stick at the last-shirred end thereof;
- (b) positioning an arcuate tear edge about the conical pleats at said end face;
- (c) holding the unshirred tubular casing against longitudinal movement in the shirring direction;
- (d) driving the tear edge longitudinally in the shirring direction and against said end face while continuing said holding step (c) to move the stick longitudinally along the mandrel relative to the shirring zone and away from the exposed section of unshirred tubular casing;
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- (e) continuing said holding step (c) and driving step (d) thereby first tensioning the exposed section of tubular casing and thereafter transversely tearing it from the stick along said tear edge at said end face.
A method for severing a shirred casing stick from a length of unshirred feed stock comprising:
- (a) inflating and feeding the feed stock casing longitudinally in a shirring direction into a shirring zone and shirring the inflated feed stock casing in said zone to form a shirrred casing stick;
- (b) stopping said feeding and shirring and then deflating said feed stock after a desired length of shirred stick is formed;
- (c) holding said deflated feed stock casing against longitudinal movement in the shirring direction and displacing said shirred stick longitudinally away from said shirring zone thereby deshirring the last-shirred pleats of said stick and providing a length of unshirred casing extending from said shirring zone and merging into the end face of said stick;
- (d) positioning an annular tear edge around said unshirred casing and against said end face;
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- (e) while continuing to hold said deflated feed stock against longitudinal movement in the shirring direction, driving said tear edge longitudinally away from said shirring zone to move said stick relative to said held feed stock thereby tensioning and tearing said unshirred casing from said end face along said annular tear edge.
A shirring apparatus comprising:
- (a) means for feeding tubular casing feed stock in a longitudinal direction through a shirring means for gathering said casing feed stock into pleats to form a shirred stick of casing;
- (b) means operable when a desired length of shirred stick is formed for holding the feed stock casing against movement in said longitudinal direction;
- (c) means for longitudinally separating said shirring means and shirred stick to expose a length of unshirred tubular casing therebetween which extends to and merges with the shirred pleats defining the last-shirred end face of the shirred stick;
- (d) a casing tearing member including an arcuate tear edge oriented transverse the longitudinal axis of the shirred stick and positionable against said last-shirred end face;
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- (e) drive means operatively connected to said casing tearing member for pressing said tear edge against said end face and moving said shirred stick longitudinally away from said shirring means so as to apply tension to said unshirred tubular casing and transversely tear it from said shirred stick at said end face.
Apparatus for severing a shirred casing stick from unshirred feed stock casing comprising:
- (a) a mandrel receiving feed stock casing for shirring and means associated with said mandrel for inflating the feed stock casing received on said mandrel;
- (b) casing delivery means defining a nip through which said feed stock is driven in a longitudinal direction and along said mandrel;
- (c) shirring means operating in conjunction with said mandrel for shirring the inflated feed stock casing into generally conical pleats nested one against another to form said shirred stick;
- (d) means for deflating said feed stock after a desired shirred length is attained;
- (e) holding means operable to hold deflated feed stock against movement in said longitudinal direction;
- (f) means for displacing said desired shirred length in said longitudinal direction relative to said holding means and away from said shirring means for providing a space between said shirring means and the last-shirred end of said stick and causing the deshirring of pleats from said last-shirred end so that a length of deflated unshirred casing is exposed in said space which extends from said shirring means and merges into the conical end face of said stick;
- (g) casing tearing means movable into said space, and including an arcuate tear edge positionable about said exposed deflated casing and against said conical end face;
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- (h) said casing tearing means being operable in cooperation with said holding mean and movable in said longitudinal direction for pressing said tear edge directly against said end face and moving said shirred stick relative to held feed stock thereby tensioning said deflated unshirred casing and tearing it from said end face along said tear edge.
A shirred casing article comprising:
- (a) a shirred stick composed of a length of tubular cellulosic food casing shirred to form generally conical pleats nested tightly one against another.
- (b) the stick having a last-shirred open end including a terminal edge of the casing length which extends substantially normal the longitudinal axis of the casing length and which contains at least one pointed tag of casing formed by a tear extending obliquely inward from said terminal edge;
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- (c) said stick having a first-shirred end including a terminal edge of the casing length which extends substantially normal the longitudinal axis of the casing length and is tag-free.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.