Food slicing with continuous cleaning of endless band slicing blades
AssigneeKraft General Foods, Inc.
InventorsJose L. Camarena, Robert J. Thomas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for slicing food products such as loaves of bread and the like where multiple slices are formed at substantially the same time. A blade cleaning assembly is included for removing slicing debris from band slicing blades after having moved through the product being sliced. Multiple blade continuous cleaning by opposed scraper blades through which each band blade passes achieve the desired cleaning function. The apparatus and method are particularly well-suited for removing slicing debris from loaves of bread which are of the so-called no-fat or low-fat variety.
Claims14
An apparatus for slicing food loaves on a continuous basis, comprising:
- means for supporting and feeding a flow of a plurality of food loaves to and into a slicing assembly;
- said slicing assembly having a plurality of endless band slicing blades which rotate through respective generally parallel blade pathways and into slicing engagement with each food loaf, said endless band slicing blades passing through a slicing zone of each blade pathway, the slicing zone being in general alignment with said supporting and feeding means, said endless band slicing blades also passing through a blade return zone at which no slicing takes place, the blade return zone also being within each blade pathway;
- means for receiving and supporting each food loaf after having passed through said slicing zone and slicing assembly in order to provide a sliced food loaf;
- blade cleaning means for engaging and cleaning slicing debris from each individual one of said plurality of endless band slicing blades within said blade return zone, said blade cleaning means including a guide assembly having a plurality of individual scraper blade means, each scraper blade means being for engaging one of the endless band slicing blades to frictionally remove slicing debris from the endless band slicing blades while said endless band slicing blades move through and are within the blade return zone, each said scraper blade means includes a pair of generally opposed scraper members between which one of said endless band slicing blades passes, one scraper member of each said pair of scraper members engages one side surface of the endless band slicing blade, and the other scraper member engages a generally opposing side surface of the endless band slicing blade;
- and
- means for mounting each generally opposed scraper member pair, said mounting means permitting movement of each generally opposed scraper member pair in response to lateral movement of the endless band slicing blades in a direction closer to or farther from each other, said mounting means including a mounting block secured to each generally opposed scraper member pair, each mounting block being slidably mounted onto a rigid shaft generally transverse to the blade pathways, and wherein said mounting block is mounted onto said rigid shaft by way of a mounting opening through said mounting block, said mounting opening having a lateral double beveled surface.
A blade cleaning assembly for an apparatus for slicing food products on a continuous basis, the food product slicing apparatus including means for supporting and feeding a continuous flow of a plurality of food products thereto, a plurality of band slicing blades for engaging and slicing a continuous flow of food products, and means for receiving and supporting each food product after having passed through the slicing blades to provide a continuous flow of sliced food products, wherein said blade cleaning assembly comprises:
- a plurality of individual scraper blade means for cleaning one of each of the band slicing blades, each individual scraper blade means being mounted so as to be generally parallel to a slicing pathway through which each band slicing blade moves;
- a pair of generally opposed scraper members included in each scraper blade means, each scraper member of each said generally opposed scraper member pairs has a scraping edge that engages a generally flat side surface of each band blade, one said scraper member engaging one side surface of each said band blade and the other said scraper member engaging a generally opposing side surface of each said band blade;
- means for substantially simultaneously moving each of said generally opposed scraper member pairs out of engagement with its respective band slicing blade, when desired;
- means for mounting each generally opposed scraper member pair, said mounting means permitting movement of each generally opposed scraper member pair in response to lateral movement of the endless band slicing blades in a direction closer to or farther from each other, wherein the mounting means includes a mounting block secured to each generally opposed scraper member pair, each mounting block being slidably mounted onto a rigid shaft generally transverse to the slicing pathway by way of a mounting opening through said mounting block, said mounting opening having a lateral double beveled surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.