Method and apparatus for severing shirred tubular food casing
AssigneeViskase Corporation
InventorsMichael P. Kazaitis, John Farkonas, Raymond A. Feldt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Severing a shirred stick of sausage casing from casing feed stock joined to the stick is accomplished by perforating a section of the casing across its flat width prior to moving the section through a shirring zone. The section is then moved through a shirring zone and tension applied to tear the casing apart along the line of perforations. The result is that the severed ends of casing each have an edge which has a crenellated profile for at least a portion of its length and which is substantially free of casing shards that or likely to separate from the casing during a conventional stripping operation.
Claims17
A method of separating a length of shirred casing from a length of feed stock casing comprising the steps of:
- a) weakening a flattened section of feed stock casing prior to shirring to form a frangible band of casing extending transverse the casing longitudinal axis and around its circumference;
- b) moving feed stock casing including the frangible band in the direction of the casing longitudinal axis towards and through a shirring zone;
- c) shirring, in the zone, at least a length of the feed stock casing preceding the frangible band;
- and thereafter
- d) tensioning the casing across the frangible band and tearing apart the casing along the frangible band thereby separating the shirred length from the feed stock casing.
A method of separating a length of shirred casing from a length of unshirred feed stock casing wherein flattened tubular casing is drawn from a feed stock on a supply roll, inflated and moved longitudinally over a mandrel and into a shirring zone, shirred in the shirring zone to form a shirred strand of casing such that one end face of the strand merges with unshirred casing in the shirring zone, including the steps of:
- a) prior to moving the inflated casing over the mandrel, perforating a section of the casing such that a line of perforations extends around the circumference of the casing;
- b) moving the perforated section of casing over the mandrel and through the shirring zone;
- and thereafter
- c) subjecting the perforated section to tension across the line of perforations to tear apart the casing along the line of perforations.
Apparatus for severing a stick of shirred tubular food casing from feed stock casing comprising:
- a) shirring means defining a shirring zone and a shirring mandrel extending through said zone wherein tubular feed stock casing is fed in a longitudinal direction onto a first end of said mandrel and along said mandrel to said shirring zone where said feed stock is gathered into pleats against said mandrel to form a shirred stick of casing;
- b) first means located prior to said mandrel first end for transversely weakening but not severing a flattened section of said feed stock casing to provide a narrow frangible band of casing extending about the circumference of the feed stock casing;
- and
- c) second means located after the shirring zone for tensioning said section of feed stock casing across said frangible band after passage of said section to said shirring zone and tearing apart the casing along said frangible band.
Apparatus as in claim 14 wherein said perforating means includes an anvil and a casing perforator disposed on opposite sides of the casing said anvil and casing perforator being movable one towards the other and against the casing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.