Patents Assigned to Lamb-Weston, Inc.
  • Patent number: 12276354
    Abstract: A food article defect removal apparatus includes a manifold that defines one or more chambers for holding pressurized fluid. First channels extend from a first side of the manifold into fluid communication with the chambers. Second channels extend from the first side of the manifold to a second side of the manifold. Valves selectively connect corresponding first channels and second channels together to dispense the pressurized fluid from the manifold. The manifold can have an exterior wall that at least partially defines a first chamber and a second chamber, with an interior wall disposed between the first chamber and the second chamber. The interior wall can define the second channels. The valves can be included with a valve assembly, which includes a driver operably coupled with the valves. The valves can be pluggably coupled with the driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: Phillip Klein, Kevin Mellor, Chris Rhynalds
  • Patent number: 12064890
    Abstract: A food cutter assembly can include a spindle body defining an interior passage for receiving a food product. A cutting tool can be connected to an end of the spindle body for cutting the food product. The food cutter assembly can also include a housing for rotationally mounting the spindle body. Rotation of the spindle body can be controlled by one or more magnets mounted to the spindle body and by a stator and/or pulley magnetically or electromagnetically coupled with the magnet to drive the one or more magnets about a rotational axis, which in turn spins the spindle body about the rotational axis, driving the rotational cutting motion of the cutting tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignee: Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel Monk, Tayler Wonders, Grayden Howard, Mark Fow
  • Patent number: 11498234
    Abstract: A tension knife includes an elongate knife body with a thin, flat profile. The tension knife defines first and second mounting points at opposing ends of the knife body. The knife body has a characteristic width across a length of the knife body between the first and second mounting points. The characteristic width of the knife body defines a centerline between a leading edge of the knife body and a trailing edge of the knife body. One or more of the first and second mounting points has a focus between the centerline of the knife body and the leading edge. A frame can be configured to support and tension the tension knife to form a tension knife assembly. Clamp blocks can be used to mount the tension knife to the frame at the first and second mounting points, where one or more of the clamp blocks is configured to rotate with respect to the frame to tension the leading edge of the tension knife.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel Monk, Danelle Roan, Mark Alan Fow, Grayden Howard, Daniel L. Banowetz, Michael S. Jacko
  • Patent number: 11485037
    Abstract: A vegetable knife includes a pulverizing coring pin for pulverizing a core of a vegetable, where the pulverizing coring pin can be a generally cylindrical tube. The pulverizing coring pin can define one or more pulverizing tubes that extend from a first end of the pulverizing coring pin to a second end of the pulverizing coring pin opposite the first end. The vegetable knife also includes at least one vegetable shaping blade that extends radially outwardly from the pulverizing coring pin, where the at least one vegetable shaping blade supports the pulverizing coring pin at a location generally central with respect to the vegetable knife. The vegetable knife may also include an outer flange for coupling the vegetable knife to a rotatable cutting assembly. The vegetable shaping blade can be connected between the outer flange and the pulverizing coring pin for supporting the pulverizing coring pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: John Julian, Mark A. Fow, Samuel Monk, Christopher M. Smith
  • Patent number: 11207793
    Abstract: A food product cutting system can include a food product carrier for carrying food product circumferentially around an axis of rotation, where the food product carrier includes food cutters each having a knife and a corresponding pusher. Each knife is for receiving and engaging with food product, and each pusher is slidably coupled with a knife and movable for pushing food product out of engagement with the food cutter. The food product cutting system can also include a track oriented generally circularly with respect to the food product carrier. The track can be arranged at varying radial distances from the axis of rotation and coupled with followers. Each follower can be connected to a corresponding pusher. In operation, food product moved into the knife of a food cutter and carried around the axis of rotation is incrementally pushed out of engagement with the food cutter by the corresponding pusher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignees: Lamb Weston, Inc., Lamb-Weston/Meijer V.O.F.
    Inventors: Grayden Howard, Samuel Monk, Tayler Wonders, Mark Alan Fow, Dirk Jacob Van Dijk
  • Patent number: D924019
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventor: John Julian
  • Patent number: D925862
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: Jake Fischer, Roger Samoray, Samuel Monk
  • Patent number: D941100
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: Grayden Howard, Kevin Mellor
  • Patent number: D944487
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel Monk, Andrea Rehwalt
  • Patent number: D953112
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: LAMB WESTON, INC.
    Inventors: Samuel Monk, Grayden Howard, Mark Fow
  • Patent number: D957880
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: LAMB WESTON, INC.
    Inventors: Samuel Monk, Grayden Howard, Mark Fow
  • Patent number: D970148
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignees: Lamb Weston, Inc., Lamb-Weston/Meijer V.O.F.
    Inventors: Samuel Monk, Dirk Jacob van Dijk
  • Patent number: D1003123
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: LAMB WESTON, INC.
    Inventor: Samuel Monk
  • Patent number: D1007949
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel Monk, Tayler Wonders
  • Patent number: D1007950
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel Monk, Tayler Wonders
  • Patent number: D1007959
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: Casey Bettendorf, Celso S. Martinez
  • Patent number: D1009405
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel Monk, Tayler Wonders
  • Patent number: D1009406
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel Monk, Tayler Wonders
  • Patent number: D1011826
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: Casey Bettendorf, Celso S. Martinez
  • Patent number: D1015065
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Lamb Weston, Inc.
    Inventor: Samuel Monk