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US 6,401,604 B1Granted
Conveyorized cheese brining apparatus
AssigneeFood Process Systems, Inc.
InventorsScott J. Rose, James L. Karpinsky
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A series of narrow and tall above-ground stainless steel tanks define independent brining cells into which cheese blocks are conveyed by common inlet and outlet flumes. Each cell has a removable conveyor assembly having a looped plastic link belt driven around a frame by an electric motor. Projecting plastic flights on the belt engage infed cheese blocks, and submerge a series of rows of blocks. An infeed flume delivers a stream of cheese blocks to a cell. Once a level below a flight is filled, the conveyor is actuated to submerge that level, and the next level is then filled until the tank is filled. After brining, the conveyor is incremented to discharge the cheeses flight by flight into an outlet flume.
Claims27
A cheese brining apparatus comprising:
- a tank having a first side wall spaced from a second side wall, the tank defining at least one brining cell and having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, the cell having brine therein;
- a frame positioned within the tank;
- a looped belt which extends in a continuous path around the frame and which extends into the brine within the tank, wherein a plurality of flights protrude outwardly from the belt, the flights being positioned to engage floating cheese blocks introduced into the cell at the fluid inlet, and the cheese blocks are restrained between the belt and the tank first side wall as the belt extends downwardly, and the cheese blocks are restrained between the belt and the tank second side wall as the belt extends upwardly;
- and
- a drive mounted to advance the belt within the cell, and to drive the flights downwardly along a downward run to submerge the engaged cheeses within the cell, and then to restrain the floating cheeses along an upward run as the belt is returned to its original starting location.
2 more elements
A cheese brining apparatus comprising:
- a tank having opposed side walls which defines a brining cell having brine therein;
- a frame supported on the tank and having portions which are submerged within the tank, the frame having two upper side segments connected together, and two lower side segments connected together, and at least one upper axle is mounted between the two upper side segments, and at least one lower axle is mounted between the two lower side segments, the axles supporting a plurality of sprockets;
- a continuous looped belt mounted to the frame and encircling the upper axle and the lower axle, the belt having a plurality of flights which project outwardly from the belt toward a tank side wall, a downward run being defined between the belt as it extends downwardly from the at least one upper axle to the lower axle and one tank side wall, wherein cheese blocks are retained between said one tank side wall and the belt as they traverse the downward run and an upward run being defined between the belt as it extends upwardly from the lower axle to the at least one upper axle and another tank side wall, and wherein the cheese blocks are retained between said another tank side wall and the belt as they traverse the upward run;
- and
- a drive mounted to at least one axle to rotate the belt and to advance cheese blocks submerged within the brine in the tank down the downward run, beneath the lower axle, and up the upward run.
2 more elements
A cheese brining apparatus comprising:
- a first brine tank;
- a first conveyor assembly positioned within the first brine tank, the first conveyor assembly having a looped belt which traverses a continuous path within the first brine tank, the belt having a plurality of flights which project outwardly from the belt, and a drive is mounted to advance the belt within the first brine tank such that a cheese block received within the tank is engaged by one of the plurality of flights and advanced downwardly within the first brine tank adjacent a first side wall and upwardly within the first brine tank adjacent a second side wall opposite the first side wall;
- a second brine tank spaced from the first brine tank;
- a second conveyor assembly positioned within the second brine tank, the second conveyor assembly having a looped belt which traverses a continuous path within the second brine tank, the belt having a plurality of flights which project outwardly from the belt, and a drive is mounted to advance the belt within the second brine tank such that a cheese block received within the tank is engaged by one of the plurality of flights and advanced downwardly within the second brine tank adjacent a first side wall and upwardly within the second brine tank adjacent a second side wall opposite the first side wall;
- an inlet flume extending between the first brine tank and the second brine tank;
- at least one gate mounted within the inlet flume and operable to selectively introduce a sequence of floating cheese blocks within the inlet flume into either the first tank or the second tank;
- and
- an outlet flume extending between the first brine tank and the second brine tank, the outlet flume being connected to receive brined cheese blocks from the first brine tank and the second brine tank.
5 more elements
A cheese brining apparatus comprising:
- a brine tank having a first side wall and a second side wall, the first side wall and the second side wall converging to a bottom wall to define a brining cell;
- a frame extending within the tank and having at least one upper axle with at least one sprocket affixed thereto, and at least one lower axle with at least one sprocket affixed thereto;
- a looped belt mounted to the frame and encircling the upper axle and lower axle sprockets, wherein a drive is mounted to advance the belt in a drive direction, wherein the belt advances along a downward run between the at least one upper sprocket and the at least one lower sprocket as it moves downward within the tank, and the belt advances along an upward run between the at least one lower sprocket and the at least one upper sprocket as it moves upward within the tank, and wherein the upward run converges toward the downward run closer to the bottom wall of the tank, such that the downward run and the upward run are inclined from the vertical;
- and
- a plurality of flights which project outwardly from the belt, the flights on the downward run projecting toward the first tank side wall, and the flights on the upward run projecting towards the second tank side wall, the flights extending approximately perpendicular to the belt such that the flights are angled downwardly from a horizontal plane as they travel along the downward run and the upward run, to thereby engage cheese blocks between the flights and the belt.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.