Potato peeling system
AssigneeUTZ Quality Foods, Inc.
InventorJeffrey E. Fuhrman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A potato peeling system includes a drum-type batch peeler, an unpeeled potato infeed assembly upstream from the batch peeler and a peeled potato discharge assembly downstream from the batch peeler. The batch peeler includes a rotary plate and a vertically adjustable cylindrical liner with a number of vertically spaced bands of different abrasive material. A drive moves the liner up and down to position a selected abrasive band above the plate for peeling.
Claims14
The method of peeling food articles using a batch peeler having a vertical cylindrical member with an interior and a number of separate abrasive peeling bands extending around the interior of the member and formed from different quality peeling material wherein said abrasive bands are spaced vertically along the interior surface of said member, and a rotary plate located in the member, comprising the steps of:
- A) charging food articles to be peeled into the member and onto the plate;
- B) moving at least one of:
- (a) the plate and (b) the member in a vertical direction to position the plate adjacent the bottom of a first selected peeling band to be used during peeling;
- C) rotating the plate to drive the articles on the plate outwardly and against the first selected peeling band to peel the articles;
- and
- D) discharging the peeled articles from the peeler.
A method of peeling food articles using a batch peeler having a vertical member extending around a rotary plate, an article support surface on the top of the plate and a plurality of cylindrical abrasive bands of different grade abrasive located within the member and each extending around the interior of the member, comprising the steps of:
- A) loading food articles to be peeled into the member and onto the support surface of the plate;
- B) rotating the plate to propel the articles on the support surface outwardly from the plate;
- C) positioning a first abrasive band with the abrasive facing the plate, extending a distance upwardly above the plate and located in the path of articles propelled by the plate while positioning each other abrasive band away from the plate and out of the path of articles propelled by the plate, and then peeling articles propelled by the plate against the first abrasive band;
- D) positioning a second abrasive band with the abrasive facing the plate, extending a distance upwardly above the plate and located in the path of articles propelled by the plate while positioning each other abrasive band away from the plate and out of the path of articles propelled by the plate, and then peeling articles propelled by the plate against the second abrasive band;
- and
- E) discharging peeled articles from the drum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.