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US 8,852,662 B2Granted
String cheese cutting system
AssigneeJohnson Industries International, Inc.
InventorsGary Nesheim, Grant L. Nesheim, Peter F. Nelles
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A string cheese-forming machine provides for extrusion of cheese into control volumes, for example, implemented with tubes each movably blocked with a piston having a stop. Complete filling of each tube is detected before ejection of the cheese from the tubes is undertaken, thereby ensuring consistent product volume and weight.
Claims20
An apparatus for producing sections of extruded cheese comprising:
- a series of tubular sleeves of substantially constant cross-section having first ends adapted to receive cheese from an extruder;
- a series of pistons slidably fitting within corresponding tubular sleeves, the pistons having first ends contacting cheese filling the tubular sleeves from the extruder and second ends moving in a direction of extrusion as the tubular sleeves are filled with cheese;
- at least one blocking element stopping movement of the pistons when the tubular sleeves are filled with cheese to a predetermined volume;
- and
- an ejector operating upon a filling of the tubular sleeves to the predetermined volume to eject cheese from the tubular sleeves as molded cheese;
- further including set of forming tubes positioned between the extruder and the first ends of respective ones of the series of tubular sleeves, each forming tube having a cross-section substantially equal to the cross-section of a corresponding tubular sleeve, each forming tube positionable so that cheese passes through the forming tube from the extruder to be conducted to the corresponding tubular sleeve in filling the corresponding tubular sleeve and positionable so that cheese does not pass through the forming tube when cheese is ejected from the corresponding tubular sleeve by the ejector.
3 more elements
A method for producing sections of extruded string cheese employing an apparatus having:
- a series of tubular sleeves of substantially constant cross-section having first ends adapted to receive cheese from an extruder;
- a series of pistons slidably fitting within corresponding tubular sleeves, the pistons having first ends contacting cheese filling the tubular sleeves from the extruder and second ends moving in a direction of extrusion as the tubular sleeves are filled with cheese;
- at least one blocking element stopping movement of the pistons when the tubular sleeves are filled with cheese to a predetermined volume;
- and
- an ejector operating upon a filling of the tubular sleeves to the predetermined volume to eject cheese from the tubular sleeves;
- further including set of forming tubes positioned between the extruder and the first ends of respective ones of the series of tubular sleeves, each forming tube having a cross-section substantially equal to the cross-section of a corresponding tubular sleeve, each forming tube positionable so that cheese passes through the forming tube from the extruder to be conducted to the corresponding tubular sleeve in filling the corresponding tubular sleeve and positionable so that cheese does not pass through the forming tube when cheese is ejected from the corresponding tubular sleeve by the ejector;
- the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) extruding cheese from an extruder into a series of tubular sleeves each holding pistons slidably fitting within corresponding tubular sleeves, the pistons having first ends contacting cheese filling the tubular sleeves from the extruder and second ends moving in a direction of extrusion as the tubular sleeves are filled with cheese;
- (b) blocking movement of the pistons when the tubular sleeves are filled with cheese to a predetermined volume;
- and
- (c) ejecting cheese from the tubular sleeves upon a filling of the tubular sleeves to the predetermined volume.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.