Cutter Has Arcuate Path Around Food Patents (Class 99/596)
  • Patent number: 7913600
    Abstract: A cutting device holds an article to be cut stationary while a blade is traversed along a curved guide to peel or slice away material from the article. The article may be rotated using an indexing mechanism to realign the article with respect to the blade. The cutting device is especially configured to cut complex shapes, such as a seven-sided tourné. Portions of the cutting device may be separated for storage or travel, and a storage container may be provided to protect the device as well as to keep the separated pieces together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Inventor: Donald Odom, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20080314222
    Abstract: A cutting device holds an article to be cut stationary while a blade is traversed along a curved guide to peel or slice away material from the article. The article may be rotated using an indexing mechanism to realign the article with respect to the blade. The cutting device is especially configured to cut complex shapes, such as a seven-sided tourné. Portions of the cutting device may be separated for storage or travel, and a storage container may be provided to protect the device as well as to keep the separated pieces together.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2008
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Inventor: Donald Odom, JR.
  • Patent number: 7278346
    Abstract: A cutting device holds an article to be cut stationary while a blade is traversed along a curved guide to peel or slice away material from the article. The article may be rotated using an indexing mechanism to realign the article with respect to the blade. The cutting device is especially configured to cut complex shapes, such as a seven-sided tourné. Portions of the cutting device may be separated for storage or travel, and a storage container may be provided to protect the device as well as to keep the separated pieces together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Inventor: Donald Odom, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7077058
    Abstract: A fruit and vegetable peeler which is suitably used in general homes for peeling a small amount of fruits and vegetables, which is small-sized and light-weight, and which is further convenient in carrying and storage. A pair of clamp members are supported by a housing to lie in opposed relation, and a handle is fixed to a handle shaft extended externally of the housing. The housing accommodates a speed increasing gear mechanism for transmitting rotation of the handle shaft to a cup-shaped rotating blade, a transmission gear mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the handle shaft to the rotary shaft of the clamp member, and a rotating-blade swinging mechanism for converting the rotation of the handle shaft into a swing motion of the rotating blade along the circumference of a fruit/vegetable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: Muro Corporation
    Inventor: Giichiro Muro
  • Patent number: 6516713
    Abstract: A produce mandrel system has a driven cylinder formed with a point. A driven support receives the driven cylinder for its axial reciprocation and for rotation there within. A driven control assembly has a handle and a collar receiving the driven cylinder whereby movement of the handle will axially shift the driven cylinder. A drive cylinder is formed with needles and a guard with a point coaxial with the driven cylinder. A drive support with bearings receives the drive cylinder for its axial and rotational movement. A drive control assembly includes a motor to rotate the cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2003
    Inventor: Rudolph A. Holmander
  • Patent number: 6125744
    Abstract: A peeling machine is disclosed for peeling various fruits and vegetables. The peeling machine includes a lower holding assembly and an upper holding assembly rotatably coupled to a frame for securing and rotating a fruit or vegetable to be peeled. An air cylinder acts to push the lower assembly towards the upper holding assembly, in the process securing the fruit or vegetable between the upper and lower holding assemblies. A carriage assembly, which is configured to move vertically, is movably coupled to the frame, the carriage assembly containing a cutting assembly coupled to the end of a second air cylinder. The extension of the second air cylinder acts to push the cutting assembly towards the fruit as the carriage assembly moves upwards, as a result peeling the rind from the fruit or vegetable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2000
    Assignee: Pre-Pack Machinery, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard Martin
  • Patent number: 5806414
    Abstract: A processing apparatus and method for removing rind from a spheroidal food article, such as a melon is provided. The apparatus includes infeed and outfeed componentry for conveying melons to be processed into and out of the apparatus, providing an apparatus well suited for use in an automated environment. The infeed componentry includes a positioning device for positioning a melon to be processed between revolving mandrels, for achieving a desired orientation of the melon relative to the mandrels. The mandrels retain the melon on its axis and revolve the melon on its equator. Knife members are positioned on either side of the melon and aligned with the equator thereof when the melon is in an initial position. The knife members have detachable blades to accommodate rinds of different thicknesses, so that the blades extend through the rind, without extending into the flesh. Rollers are secured to the knife members to control the cutting depth of the blades and to enhance the ease with which the rind is cut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1998
    Assignee: Heinzen Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan Heinzen, Charles Shimmel, Rudi Groppe, Erick A. Davidson
  • Patent number: 5640898
    Abstract: A machine (10) for automatically peeling substantially elongated fruits (15), advantageously for peeling kiwis, comprising a frame (11) supporting a conveyor suitable for translating said fruits (15) from a first feeding station towards a peeling station, said conveyor being provided with means (14) suitable for substantially aligning to each other the longitudinal axes of the fruits which are placed on the conveyor and for rotating said fruits about said longitudinal axes. Furthermore, the machine comprises at least a peeling device (30) cooperating with said means (14) provided on the conveyor, said device (30) being provided with means (53) for cutting and raising a given area of skin of each fruit (15), said cutting and raising means (53) acting during the rotation phase of the fruit about its longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1997
    Inventor: Tiziana Tomelleri
  • Patent number: 5105735
    Abstract: This machine consists of a chassis equipped with two arms, at the ends of which are devices for holding the fruit and turning it. The cutter can be fixed, with the fruit being kept in contact through its own weight, the peeling being carried out by angling the axis of the fruit, or it can move round the fruit, and in this case of fruit is fixed. The movement of the cutter in relation to the fruit or vice versa is proportional, thanks to fixed or variable and/or electronic demultiplication mechanisms or devices. The fruit remains centered in relation to the arms which support it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1992
    Assignee: Pelanar, S.L., Castell
    Inventor: Jose P. Gonzalvo
  • Patent number: 4753159
    Abstract: An automated portable cutting machine for severing kernels from ears of corn and which includes adjustable cob supporting spindles which rotatably support the ear of corn relative to an adjustable cutting element which is longitudinally moved with respect thereto by manual operation of a tracking element with a power shaft driven by the drive source for the rotatable spindles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1986
    Date of Patent: June 28, 1988
    Inventor: William Eaton
  • Patent number: 4408519
    Abstract: Apparatus for slicing or skinning bacon, fish or like products has a frame which supports an adjustable knife downstream of an endless belt conveyor serving to deliver successive products along a horizontal path into the range of a rotary traction wheel which is driven to advance the products past the knife. A rotary hold-down device with a row of elastic discs is installed in a shroud which normally overlies the knife and the traction wheel as well as at least a portion of the conveyor and is mounted on two pairs of levers which enable the hold-down device to move in parallelism with as well as at right angles to the upper reach of the conveyor so that the discs can conform to the configuration of the upper side of a product approaching and moving past the knife. The shroud is biased to maintain the hold-down device in a starting position close to the cutting edge of the knife in the absence of products in the path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1981
    Date of Patent: October 11, 1983
    Assignee: Maja Maschinenfabrik Hermann Schill GmbH
    Inventor: Herman Schill