Patents by Inventor Neal Lingard

Neal Lingard has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10647014
    Abstract: An apparatus for cutting potato slices, the apparatus comprising an annular-shaped cutting head and a central impeller coaxially mounted for rotation within the cutting head for delivering potatoes radially outwardly toward the cutting head, a plurality of knives serially mounted annularly around the cutting head, and a plurality of orientation elements serially and annularly mounted within the impeller to define a plurality of cutting zones located around the impeller, each cutting zone being between adjacent orientation elements, wherein radially inner parts of adjacent orientation elements are separated in circumferential direction to define between adjacent orientation elements a throat for passage therethrough of a potato in a radially outward direction into the respective cutting zone toward the cutting head, wherein the throat has a width of from 70 to 140 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Frito-Lay Trading Company GmbH
    Inventors: Ahmed Nadim Khan, Neal Lingard
  • Publication number: 20170239831
    Abstract: An apparatus for cutting potato slices, the apparatus comprising an annular-shaped cutting head and a central impeller coaxially mounted for rotation within the cutting head for delivering potatoes radially outwardly toward the cutting head, a plurality of knives serially mounted annularly around the cutting head, and a plurality of orientation elements serially and annularly mounted within the impeller to define a plurality of cutting zones located around the impeller, each cutting zone being between adjacent orientation elements, wherein radially inner parts of adjacent orientation elements are separated in circumferential direction to define between adjacent orientation elements a throat for passage therethrough of a potato in a radially outward direction into the respective cutting zone toward the cutting head, wherein the throat has a width of from 70 to 140 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2015
    Publication date: August 24, 2017
    Inventors: Ahmed Nadim KHAN, Neal LINGARD
  • Publication number: 20150258698
    Abstract: A potato chip cutting apparatus, the apparatus comprising an annular-shaped cutting head and a central impeller coaxially mounted for rotation within the cutting head for delivering potatoes radially outwardly toward the cutting head, the impeller having a base with an upper surface across which potatoes are, in use, delivered to the cutting head, a plurality of knives serially mounted annularly around the cutting head, each knife having a first cutting edge extending substantially vertically and spaced from the cutting head to provide a gap between the first cutting edge and the cutting head, each knife also having a second cutting edge extending substantially horizontally and extending radially at least partly across the gap, the second cutting edge being located at least 50 mm above the upper surface of the impeller to define a cutting zone for cutting a single potato slice between the upper surface and the second cutting edge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Inventors: Brian Butt, Chris De Bruyne, Ahmed Nadim Khan, Neal Lingard, Joe McDonnell, John O'Brien, Nico Vandecasteele