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US 5,074,203 AGranted

Coring apparatus

AssigneeAshlock Company

InventorsThomas W. Hirtle, Frederick J. Cimperman, Klaus Silbermann

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Abstract

An apparatus for severing fragments (such as fleurettes) from a one-piece core of an article, such as a cauliflower, as the article is translated between stations along a process path. In a preferred embodiment, the article is translated through a sequence of stations, including a coring station, along the process path. At the coring station, the article is held in a fixed position by an impaling knife or pin, while one or more rotating coring knives are lowered into engagement with the article by a pivoting arm mechanism. The pivoting arm mechanism causes each rotating knife to trace out a generally helical path as it cores the article.

Claims31

Dependent claims

A coring apparatus, including:

(a) a conveyor unit;
(b) a first holder mounted on the conveyor unit;
(c) a drive mechanism coupled to the conveyor unit for sequentially translating the conveyor unit and the first holder through a set of stations, including a coring station, along a process path;
(d) a rotatable coring knife assembly positioned at the coring station, and including a pivot arm assembly and a first coring knife mounted on the pivot arm assembly;
and
(e) a means for rotating the coring knife assembly while pivoting the pivot arm assembly, to translate the first coring knife downward along a coring path, wherein the first coring knife is capable of severing a one-piece core from an article resting in the first holder at the coring station, as the first coring knife translates along the coring path, wherein the first holder includes:
a first shaft attached to the conveyor unit;
a second shaft slidably mounted on the first shaft;
and
a set of alignment rollers rotatably mounted on the second shaft.

7 more elements

A coring apparatus, including:

(a) a conveyor unit;
(b) a first holder mounted on the conveyor unit;
(c) a drive mechanism coupled to the conveyor unit for sequentially translating the conveyor unit and the first holder through a set of stations, including a coring station, along a process path;
(d) a rotatable coring knife assembly positioned at the coring station, and including a pivot arm assembly and a first coring knife mounted on the pivot arm assembly;
and
(e) a means for rotating the coring knife assembly while pivoting the pivot arm assembly, to translate the first coring knife downward along a coring path, wherein the first coring knife is capable of severing a one-piece core from an article resting in the first holder at the coring station, as the first coring knife translates along the coring path, wherein the set of stations includes a deleafing station, and also including:
a frame positioned adjacent the process path, said coring knife assembly being rotatably mounted on the frame;
and
a deleafing knife assembly rotatably mounted on the frame adjacent the deleafing station.

6 more elements

A coring apparatus, including:

(a) a frame;
(b) a rotary table;
(c) a first holder mounted on the rotary table, and dimensioned to support a first article;
(d) a Geneva drive mechanism coupled to the table for driving the table and the first holder, as a unit, along a process path through a set of stations including a coring station;
(e) a first shaft, having a substantially vertical longitudinal axis, said first shaft being mounted on the frame above the coring station;
(f) means for rotating the first shaft about its longitudinal axis relative to the frame;
(g) a pivoting arm assembly attached to the first shaft in a manner so that the pivoting arm assembly is free to translate parallel to the first shaft's longitudinal axis but is constrained to rotate as a unit with the first shaft;
(h) a first coring knife fixedly attached to the pivoting arm assembly;
and
(i) a means for translating the pivoting arm assembly downward relative to the first shaft's longitudinal axis while the first shaft rotates as a unit with the pivoting arm assembly, so as to translate the first coring knife downward along a generally helical first coring path, so that the first coring knife is capable of severing fragments of the first article from a one-piece core of the first article in the first holder when the first holder is positioned at the coring station, wherein the pivoting arm assembly pivots as it translates downward, so as to direct the first coring knife inward toward the first shaft's axis, as the first knife translates downward, so that the radius of said first coring path decreases as the first coring knife translates downward, and wherein the pivoting arm assembly includes:
a jaw, slidably mounted around the first shaft and coupled to element (i);
a knife support, including a lower end to which the first coring knife is attached, and an upper end;
a first arm, pivotally attached between the jaw and the knife support's upper end;
and
a second arm, pivotally attached between the jaw and the knife support's lower end.

12 more elements

A coring apparatus, including:

(a) a frame;
(b) a rotary table;
(c) a first holder mounted on the rotary table, and dimensioned to support a first article;
(d) a Geneva drive mechanism coupled to the table for driving the table and the first holder, as a unit, along a process path through a set of stations including a coring station;
(e) a first shaft, having a substantially vertical longitudinal axis, said first shaft being mounted on the frame above the coring station;
(f) means for rotating the first shaft about its longitudinal axis relative to the frame;
(g) a pivoting arm assembly attached to the first shaft in a manner so that the pivoting arm assembly is free to translate parallel to the first shaft's longitudinal axis but is constrained to rotate as a unit with the first shaft;
(h) a first coring knife fixedly attached to the pivoting arm assembly;
and
(i) a means for translating the pivoting arm assembly downward relative to the first shaft's longitudinal axis while the first shaft rotates as a unit with the pivoting arm assembly, so as to translate the first coring knife downward along a generally helical first coring path, so that the first coring knife is capable of severing fragments of the first article from a one-piece core of the first article in the first holder when the first holder is positioned at the coring station, also including a second coring knife fixedly attached to the pivoting arm assembly, and wherein element (i) is capable of translating the pivoting arm assembly downward relative to the first shaft's longitudinal axis while the first shaft rotates as a unit with the pivoting arm assembly, so as to translate the first coring knife downward along a generally helical first coring path and to translate the second coring knife downward along a generally helical second coring path, so that the first and the second coring knives are capable of simultaneously engaging the first article in the first holder to sever fragments of the first article from a one-piece core of the first article.

7 more elements

A coring apparatus, including:

(a) a frame;
(b) a rotary table;
(c) a first holder mounted on the rotary table, and dimensioned to support a first article;
(d) a Geneva drive mechanism coupled to the table for driving the table and the first holder, as a unit, along a process path through a set of stations including a coring station;
(e) a first shaft, having a substantially vertical longitudinal axis, said first shaft being mounted on the frame above the coring station;
(f) means for rotating the first shaft about its longitudinal axis relative to the frame;
(g) a pivoting arm assembly attached to the first shaft in a manner so that the pivoting arm assembly is free to translate parallel to the first shaft's longitudinal axis but is constrained to rotate as a unit with the first shaft;
(h) a first coring knife fixedly attached to the pivoting arm assembly;
and
(i) a means for translating the pivoting arm assembly downward relative to the first shaft's longitudinal axis while the first shaft rotates as a unit with the pivoting arm assembly, so as to translate the first coring knife downward along a generally helical first coring path, so that the first coring knife is capable of severing fragments of the first article from a one-piece core of the first article in the first holder when the first holder is positioned at the coring station, also including:
(j) an impaling pin mounted on the frame above the coring station;
and
(k) means for translating the impaling pin downward before element (i) translates the first coring knife downward, so that the impaling pin is capable of impaling the core of the first article in the first holder, when the first holder is positioned at the coring station but before the fragments are severed from the core of the first article.

10 more elements

A coring apparatus, including:

(a) a frame;
(b) a rotary table;
(c) a first holder mounted on the rotary table, and dimensioned to support a first article;
(d) a Geneva drive mechanism coupled to the table for driving the table and the first holder, as a unit, along a process path through a set of stations including a coring station;
(e) a first shaft, having a substantially vertical longitudinal axis, said first shaft being mounted on the frame above the coring station;
(f) means for rotating the first shaft about its longitudinal axis relative to the frame;
(g) a pivoting arm assembly attached to the first shaft in a manner so that the pivoting arm assembly is free to translate parallel to the first shaft's longitudinal axis but is constrained to rotate as a unit with the first shaft;
(h) a first coring knife fixedly attached to the pivoting arm assembly;
and
(i) a means for translating the pivoting arm assembly downward relative to the first shaft's longitudinal axis while the first shaft rotates as a unit with the pivoting arm assembly, so s to translate the first coring knife downward along a generally helical first coring path, so that the first coring knife is capable of severing fragments of the first article from a one-piece core of the first article in the first holder when the first holder is positioned at the coring station, wherein element (d) translates the table and the first holder initially into a loading station, then from the loading station into a first alignment station, then into a second alignment station, then into an impaling station, then into the coring station, and then into a core unloading station.

7 more elements

A coring apparatus, including:

(a) a frame;
(b) a rotary table;
(c) a set of holder mounted around the periphery of the rotary table, where each holder in the set is dimensioned to support an article to be cored;
(d) a drive mechanism coupled to the table for sequentially translating the table and the holders as a unit through a set of stations, including a coring station, along a closed process path;
(e) a rotatable coring knife assembly mounted on the frame in a position above the coring station, and including a pivot arm assembly and a first coring knife mounted on the pivot arm assembly;
(f) a means for rotating the coring knife assembly while pivoting the pivot arm assembly, to translate the first coring knife downward along a coring path each time one of the holders is positioned at the coring station, wherein the first coring knife is capable of severing fragments of each article from a one-piece core of said each article resting in each said one of the holders as the first coring knife translates along the coring path;
(g) an impaling pin mounted on the frame in a position above the coring station;
and
(h) means for translating the impaling pin downward before element (f) translates the first coring knife downward, so that the impaling pin is capable of impaling the core of each article resting in each one of the holders, when said each one of the holders is positioned at the coring station but before the core is severed from said article fragments.

6 more elements

A coring apparatus, including:

(a) a frame;
(b) a rotary table;
(c) a set of holders mounted around the periphery of the rotary table, where each holder in the set is dimensioned to support an article to be cored;
(d) a drive mechanism coupled to the table for sequentially translating the table and the holders as a unit through a set of stations, including a coring station and an impaling station, along a closed process path;
(e) a rotatable coring knife assembly mounted on the frame in a position above the coring station, and including a pivot arm assembly and a first coring knife mounted on the pivot arm assembly:
(f) a means for rotating the coring knife assembly while pivoting the pivot arm assembly, to translate the first coring knife downward along a coring path each time one of the holders is positioned at the coring station, wherein the first coring knife is capable of severing fragments of each article from a one-piece core of said each article resting in each said one of the holders as the first coring knife translates along the coring path;
(g) an impaling knife slidably attached to each holder so that said impaling knife has a substantially vertical axis;
and
(h) a means for translating one of the impaling knives upward parallel to said impaling knife's axis each time one of the holders is positioned at the impaling station, in order to impale the core of an article in each said one of the holders.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.