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US 7,757,603 B2Granted
Horizontal cheese vat having single agitator shaft
AssigneeAdvanced Process Technologies, Inc.
InventorsPaul R. Bokelmann, Craig J. Campbell, Gary L. Starkson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cheese process vat is disclosed. The cheese process vat includes an enclosure and a shaft assembly, preferably a shaft assembly having a shaft and a plurality of agitator panels arranged on the shaft in a planar fashion. The agitator panels are preferably arranged on the shaft such that the shaft assembly is balanced in both weight and agitator panel surface area around the centerline of the shaft.
Claims21
A cheese process vat comprising:
- a vat body having an interior and first and second ends;
- and
- an agitator shaft assembly including an agitator shaft having a centerline, the agitator shaft extending between the first and second ends of the vat body and a plurality of agitator panels interconnected to the shaft, wherein the vat body is generally concentric with respect to the agitator shaft and the agitator panels extend away from the agitator shaft in one of two directions that are opposite to one another such that all of the plurality of agitator panels reside generally in a first plane that passes through the centerline of the agitator shaft;
- wherein the agitator shaft has a greatest length, the plurality of agitator panels including first, second and third agitator panels arranged along the greatest length of the agitator shaft in series;
- wherein the first and third agitator panels extend from the agitator shaft in a first direction and the second agitator panel, flanked by the first and third agitator panels with respect to the greatest length of the agitator shaft, extend from the agitator shaft in a second direction;
- wherein each agitator panel has a surrounding edge and a second plane parallel to the first plane that extends to the surrounding edge, each of the respective second planes having a surface area;
- wherein the combined surface area of the second planes of the first agitator panel and the third agitator panel is substantial the same as the surface area of the second plane of the second agitator panel.
4 more elements
A cheese process vat comprising:
- a vat body having an interior and first and second ends;
- and
- an agitator shaft assembly including an agitator shaft having a centerline, the agitator shaft extending between the first and second ends of the vat body and a plurality of agitator panels interconnected to the shaft, wherein the vat body is generally concentric with respect to the agitator shaft and the agitator panels extend away from the agitator shaft in one of two directions that are opposite to one another such that all of the plurality of agitator panels reside generally in a first plane that passes through the centerline of the agitator shaft;
- wherein the agitator shaft has a greatest length, the plurality of agitator panels including first, second and third agitator panels arranged along the greatest length of the agitator shaft in series;
- wherein the first and third agitator panels extend from the agitator shaft in a first direction and the second agitator panel, flanked by the first and third agitator panels with respect to the greatest length of the agitator shaft, extend from the agitator shaft in a second direction;
- wherein each agitator panel has a surrounding edge and a second plane parallel to the first plane that extends to the surrounding edge and each of the respective second planes has a surface area;
- wherein the combined surface area of the second planes of the first agitator panel and the third agitator panel is from about 40 to about 60% of the combined surface area of the second planes of the first agitator panel, the second agitator panel and the third agitator panel.
4 more elements
A cheese process vat comprising:
- a vat body having an interior and first and second ends;
- and
- an agitator shaft assembly including an agitator shaft having a centerline, the agitator shaft extending between the first and second ends of the vat body and a plurality of agitator panels interconnected to the shaft, wherein the vat body is generally concentric with respect to the agitator shaft and the agitator panels extend away from the agitator shaft in one of two directions that are opposite to one another such that all of the plurality of agitator panels reside generally in a first plane that passes through the centerline of the agitator shaft;
- wherein the agitator shaft has a greatest length, the plurality of agitator panels including first, second and third agitator panels arranged along the greatest length of the agitator shaft in series;
- wherein the first and third agitator panels extend from the agitator shaft in a first direction and the second agitator panel, flanked by the first and third agitator panels with respect to the greatest length of the agitator shaft, extend from the agitator shaft in a second direction;
- wherein each agitator panel has a surrounding edge and a second plane parallel to the first plane that extends to the surrounding edge and each of the respective second planes has a surface area;
- wherein the surface area of the second plane of the second agitator panel is from about 40 to about 60% of the combined surface area of the second planes of the first agitator panel, the second agitator panel and the third agitator panel.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.