Helical Tool Patents (Class 83/672)
  • Patent number: 10368698
    Abstract: The present invention pertains to a cordless electrical grater, comprising a washable food container and a cordless electrical device, wherein the last one can be inserted substantially inside the free cavity of the first one in order to minimize the size, wherein interaction between both allow working cycles, wherein no turning parts are exposed, wherein pressing the food container on the electrical base activates the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Inventor: Alain Chemama
  • Publication number: 20150135926
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a cutting blade that is rotatably drivable and provided for machines for slicing food products, in particular high-speed slicers. With the aid of a mounting area surrounding a rotary shaft, the cutting blade is fixed to a drive shaft of the machine. A distance area is provided outside the mounting area but inside the cutting edge area. The disclosure aims at improving the cutting blade with respect to its stability and configuring it such that it has the lowest possible weight. For this purpose, alternately recessed and raised formations are provided in the distance area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2013
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Applicant: Weber Maschinenbau GmbH Breidenbach
    Inventors: Guenther Weber, Gerd Lischinski, Carsten Reinsch, Steffen Martens, Ulrich Pasel
  • Patent number: 8783150
    Abstract: A print product trimming device trims the forward edge of a print product supplied to it and has a stationary trimming knife having a knife shaft and a cutting edge attached to the knife shaft, a rotating drum, at least one counter knife attached to the rotating drum for rotating in a rotational direction and cooperating with the stationary knife along a circular cutting path. The trimming knife extends approximately transverse to the rotational direction of the counter knife. The cutting edge is a spiral cutting edge along surface lines of a cylindrical section that is formed by a cutting path of the counter knife. The knife shaft extends along the surface lines of the cylindrical section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Muller Martini Holding AG
    Inventor: Heinz Boss
  • Patent number: 8438960
    Abstract: An apparatus for cutting discontinuous apertures in the wall of a corrugated tube moving along an axial path between inlet and outlet ends of the apparatus, the apparatus including a first feeder-cutter wheel proximate to the outlet, a second feeder-cutter wheel proximate to the inlet and spaced axially from said first feeder-cutter wheel, each said wheel being disposed about the outer surface of said tube and having a cutting surface and a helical worm for engaging the tube corrugations, and means for rotating the feeder cutter wheels, wherein the improvement comprises means for axially moving the second feeder cutter wheel axially towards and away from the first feeder cutter wheel wherein to accurately position the feeder cutter wheels relative to tubing corrugations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Valley Gear and Machine, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard Booms
  • Patent number: 7856913
    Abstract: A rotary cutting blade provided with a curved cutting edge and a cutting surface extending centripetally from the cutting edge at angles varying in regular or irregular sequence between a predetermined maximum and a predetermined minimum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Weber Maschinenbau GmbH Breidenbach
    Inventors: Helmut Matzunsky, Rainer Schulze
  • Patent number: 7752949
    Abstract: A tissue paper cutting mechanism having upper knife with variable spiral curve angle includes a base, a bed knife roller rotatably mounted on the base and provided on a circumferential surface with a plurality of straight bed knives radially spaced at predetermined intervals, a knife carrier mounted on the base near the bed knife roller at an axis skew angle relative to the bed knife roller, and an upper knife associated with a structural surface of the knife carrier to extend along a longitudinal axis direction of the knife carrier from an end to another opposite end thereof in a spiral direction, such that an angle contained between an axis of the upper knife and a tangential line to the circumferential surface of the bed knife roller non-linearly varies with every change of the cutting position on the upper knife.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Chan Li Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tung-I Tsai
  • Publication number: 20100083802
    Abstract: The invention relates to the production of superabsorbent polymers on a continuous belt reactor, comprising at least one rotating knife that cuts the formed polymer gel at the end of the continuous belt reactor, wherein the length of the cutting edge is at least 1 cm and the cutting edge is non-parallel to the rotation axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2008
    Publication date: April 8, 2010
    Applicant: BASF SE
    Inventors: Matthias Weismantel, RĂ¼diger Funk, Leigh R. Blair, Kevin D. Heitzhaus, Bruce Storey
  • Patent number: 7191690
    Abstract: A cutting unit is described that contains a pair of cylinders disposed opposite one another with a gap formed there-between for receiving a ribbon. The pair of cylinders include a first cutting cylinder having a periphery with a cutting knife disposed helically about the periphery and a second cylinder. A drive rotates the first cutting cylinder for cutting the ribbon such that a signature cut from the ribbon has a smooth, straight edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: David Clarke Pollock, Charles Francis Svenson
  • Patent number: 6955110
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for cutting soft materials such as meat. Two or more spirally mounted helical blades are situated between two supports, and the supports are mounted to a shank. The shank is rotated to impart rotary action to the spiral shear blades, and the entire device may be used to perform various cutting operations. The distal or bottom one of the supports may also be a cutting blade, and a number of versions of bottom cutting blades are useable in the practice of the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2005
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventors: Barry L. Spletzer, Diane S. Callow, James F. Jones, Michael A. Kuehl, Dick L. Shaw, Barbara J. Scalia
  • Patent number: 6742427
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel helical drum shear which is operable to cut a strip of material which moving at a first velocity. The cut is formed along a substantially straight line at a specific angle. The specific angle may be at an angle perpendicular to the feed direction thereby producing a squared cut. The helical drum shear comprises a means for cutting the material wherein the cutting means moves at a second velocity which is at a predetermined angle from the first velocity. The apparatus further comprises a means for moving the cutting means at a third velocity such that the combination of the second velocity and the third velocity is equivalent to the first velocity and the material is helically sheared along a substantially straight line oblique to the first velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Inventor: John R. Buta
  • Patent number: 6715393
    Abstract: A cutting apparatus is disclosed which is particularly suited for use in association with an apparatus for effecting lengthwise slitting of sheet stock, such as sheet metal. In the illustrated embodiment, the cutting apparatus includes first and second cooperating, counter-rotating pairs of knife assemblies, with each of the knife assemblies including at least one knife blade positioned for cutting cooperation with a respective knife blade of the other assembly. In order to facilitate adjustment of the gap or clearance between each cooperating pair of knife blades, the present apparatus includes an adjustment mechanism, whereby one of the knife assemblies can be shifted axially of the other assembly, thereby adjusting the clearance between the knife blades of the assemblies. Efficient adjustment of the cutting apparatus is thus provided, whereby the apparatus can efficiently cut opposite edge, scrap portions of sheet material as the sheet stock is slit by the slitter apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: Chicago, Slitter
    Inventor: Paul Esenther
  • Publication number: 20040035276
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for cutting up food products (4), in the form of a slicer. Said device is equipped with at least two cutter heads (9,10). The product flows produced by each cutter head are either combined and processed in the form of one product flow or are processed in the form of a plurality of product flows.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2003
    Publication date: February 26, 2004
    Inventor: Gunther Weber
  • Patent number: 6546974
    Abstract: A stump removal tool for boring around a stump at ground level. The stump removal tool includes an elongate member having a first end, a second end and outer peripheral wall extending between the first and second ends. The elongate member has a generally circular cross-section taken transversely to a longitudinal axis of the elongate member. A connecting portion is attached to and extends away from the first end of the elongate member. The connecting portion is removably coupled to a power tool. A plurality of teeth is attached to an outer surface of the peripheral wall. The teeth are spaced from each other and are positioned in a pattern extending from the first end to the second end. The elongate member is attached to the power tool and rotated such that the teeth may be used for boring through a stump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Inventor: Michael R. Mc Nabb
  • Publication number: 20020184985
    Abstract: This invention relates to a rotary cutoff apparatus, which permits easy speed control without needing high-level skill or technique and also allows ready replacement of its anvil member. The apparatus is provided with a knife cylinder, which has a knife arranged on its outer circumferential surface and is rotatably supported, and an anvil member with which a free edge of the knife can be brought into contact upon rotation of the knife cylinder, whereby a travelling band-shaped sheet is nipped between the knife and the anvil member and is hence cut off. The knife is supported on the knife cylinder via a spring having spring force sufficient to bear cutting force required to cut off the band-shaped sheet so that the knife is displaceable in a loaded direction upon cutting off the band-shaped sheet. The rotary cutoff apparatus according to the present invention can be arranged, for example, in a production line for a band-shaped sheet material such as a corrugated fiberboard sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 1998
    Publication date: December 12, 2002
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD
    Inventors: HIROSHI ISHIBUCHI, HIROYUKI TAKENAKA, TOSHIHIDE KATO
  • Patent number: 6484615
    Abstract: A slicing machine including a slicing blade for slicing at least first and second product loaves disposed in a side-by-side arrangement using a single rotation of the slicing blade is set forth. A single rotation of the slicing edge about the center of rotation results in a penetration gradient into each of the first and second product loaves that diminishes in magnitude over the single rotation. To this end, the slicing edge may have a profile defined a plurality of constant radius sections. Each constant radius section has a section center defining the center of the constant radius for that constant radius section. Further, each constant radius section has a section center differing from the section center of an adjacent constant radius section. Such a blade and its associated slicing station provide great control of slices from the loaves as they proceed from the loaf to a receiving conveyor of the slicing station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: Formax, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott A. Lindee
  • Publication number: 20020124703
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an automated in-line drop cut apparatus comprising a drop cut unit and a pathway for receiving folded documents from an upstream feeder and transporting said documents to and from the drop cut unit. The drop cut unit includes at least one cutter for cutting the folded documents along a document folded edge parallel to the direction of document travel, said cutter being positioned adjacent said pathway. A method of producing nested drop cut documents in-line is also provided by this invention.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2002
    Publication date: September 12, 2002
    Inventor: Kenneth A. Stevens
  • Patent number: 6422113
    Abstract: A knife drum for a web cross-cutting machine has a generally cylindrical drum body centered on an axis and formed by inner and outer tubes. The inner tube is reinforced with fibers extending helicoidally of the axis at positive and negative angles of 30° to 60° crosswise of one another. The outer tube is fitted coaxially in direct engagement over the inner tube and is reinforced with fibers extending at an angle of less than 30° to the axis. It further is formed with a full-length radially outwardly open groove holding a blade holder in turn carrying a blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: Jagenberg Papiertechnik GmbH
    Inventor: Albrecht Blume
  • Publication number: 20020088322
    Abstract: A cutting unit is described that contains a pair of cylinders disposed opposite one another with a gap formed there-between for receiving a ribbon. The pair of cylinders include a first cutting cylinder having a periphery with a cutting knife disposed helically about the periphery and a second cylinder. A drive rotates the first cutting cylinder for cutting the ribbon such that a signature cut from the ribbon has a smooth, straight edge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Publication date: July 11, 2002
    Inventors: David Clarke Pollock, Charles Francis Svenson
  • Publication number: 20010022124
    Abstract: Apparatus for the continuous, chipless separation of individual, identical pieces from a solid round workpiece, includes at least two cutting rollers, cooperating with one another, for separating and rolling the workpiece. Each of the cutting rollers is defined by a separating portion and has a coil, with the height of the coil of one cutting roller being equal or slightly greater than the radius of the workpiece in the separating portion, and with the coil of the other cutting roller so configured as to eliminate a collision in the separating portion with the coil of the one cutting roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Publication date: September 20, 2001
    Inventors: Wilfried Forster, Roland Stephan, Joachim Schlegel
  • Patent number: 6155151
    Abstract: A cutter drum for a web-cutting machine has a body having a cylindrical outer surface centered on an axis and formed with at least one seat having a radially outwardly directed floor face extending axially and helically of the axis and a tangentially directed rear face extending generally radially of the axis. A helically nonstraight blade lies flat on the floor face and has a front cutting edge lying radially outside the surface and a rear side confronting and spaced from the rear face of the seat. Blade bolts extending generally radially of the axis through the blade are seated in the body and secure the blade to the floor face with a possibility, when the blade bolts are not tightened, of limited movement of the blade on the floor face. A plurality of axially spaced spacer blocks each have a rear edge bearing against the rear face of the seat and a front edge bearing against the rear side of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: Jagenberg Papiertechnik GmbH
    Inventor: Peter Reichert
  • Patent number: 6058817
    Abstract: An apparatus for cutting a web with a rotary cutter 31 includes a cutter drum 42, which has an air suction chamber 58 and air discharge chambers 59A and 59B, these chambers being formed in its inside, as well as having first air jet holes 71, second air jet holes 72, and third air jet holes 73, these air jet holes 71 to 73 being open in its outer periphery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: Kao Corporation
    Inventors: Hideo Kobayashi, Manish Sharma
  • Patent number: 5996457
    Abstract: A device for destroying used tickets includes a housing and a cutter which is removably mounted to the housing. The cutter includes an enclosure having a slot which allows tickets to enter. The cutter also has a rotating blade which cuts the tickets as they pass through the slot. Both the slot and the blade are inclined relative to the horizontal, the inclinations of the slot and the blade being mutually opposite. Thus, the ticket is subjected to an effective angle of shear which is equal to the sum of the angles of inclination of the blade and the slot. The blade is in geared engagement with the same motor that operates a plurality of rollers for advancing the tickets through the device. The cutter enclosure is detachably mounted to the housing, so that it can be quickly and easily removed for servicing. The cutter effectively destroys the incoming tickets, preventing them from ever being re-used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Deltronic Labs Inc.
    Inventor: John Wingeron, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5988033
    Abstract: Apparatus, device and method for improved slicing of large food sticks, loaves and the like are provided. A slicing blade which has a top flat surface or top flat land width along its cutting edge provides generally longitudinal forces on the food product being sliced, which forces are in a direction generally opposite to the direction through which the food products are fed through a slicing apparatus. The slicing blade includes a bottom primary bevel land width surface and an advantageous primary angle for imparting improved stack and slice uniformity and for controlling package overfill. The slicing blade also exhibits a long slicing blade surface which follows an Archimedean spiral. The invention is particularly important in improving handling of large luncheon meat sticks, especially non-frozen, high water content and reduced fat content luncheon meat sticks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Kraft Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Gary R. Skaar, Timothy T. Watson, Greg C. Wicke, Dennis G. Flisram, Robert B. Glennon, Larry C. Gundlach
  • Patent number: 5989607
    Abstract: A ham product which is formed by cutting a spirally sliced half ham longitudinally through the bone. The cut can be made by feeding the half ham through a band saw blade by hand, by pushing a split cart through the blade, or by feeding the product through the blade on a split belt conveyor. A special tray for packaging of the ham product has either a flap providing a double layer of material at the location of a sharp exposed corner of the femur or a plurality of cushioning dimples extruded at appropriate location thereon to pad the femur corner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Farmland Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen D. Dieso, David L. Fawcett
  • Patent number: 5979520
    Abstract: An apparatus for smoothing a workpiece has a housing that is displaced relative to the workpiece in a direction and that carries a pair of augers provided with respective screwthreads having outer edges in contact with the workpiece. These augers are rotated on the housing about respective generally parallel axes transverse to the direction so as to scrape the workpiece with the screwthreads. Furthermore the augers are of such a hand and the are rotated in such a direction that the augers exert on the workpiece opposite axially directed forces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Babcock-BSH GmbH
    Inventor: Burkhard Behrendt
  • Patent number: 5979285
    Abstract: An apparatus for cutting dough products fed by a conveyor assembly into a cutting section comprises a segmented, generally spiral-shaped straight cutting blade or three-dimensional or helical-shaped cutting blade having an angled blade edge, the blade attached to a shaft coupled to a motor operable to turn the blade to effect a cut of the dough products within the cutting section, with a feedback controller coordinating the blade turning rate with the dough feed rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: The Pillsbury Company
    Inventors: Glenn O. Rasmussen, James S. Thorson, Jimmy A. DeMars
  • Patent number: 5918518
    Abstract: An apparatus for cutting a web with a rotary cutter 31 includes a cutter drum 42, which has an air suction chamber 58 and air discharge chambers 59A and 59B, these chambers being formed in its inside, as well is having first air jet holes 71, second air jet holes 72, and third air jet holes 73, these air jet holes 71 to 73 being open in its outer periphery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1999
    Assignee: Kao Corporation
    Inventors: Hideo Kobayashi, Manish Sharma
  • Patent number: 5862968
    Abstract: Linerless labels are cut or burst from a web by passing the web through infeed and outfeed pairs of rolls with a separator device located therebetween. Each roll pair includes a friction surface for engaging the slick smooth surface of the web and another roll with a silicone elastomeric or plasma-coated surface for engaging substantially without gripping the exposed adhesive side of the linerless label web. In the cutting mode, a rotary blade severs the web against a fixed blade to form the label. The infeed rolls are backed up after each cut to break the adhesive bond between the web and the fixed blade and then reverse to advance the web through the cutting position and into the outfeed rolls for a subsequent cutting operation. The outfeed rolls continue to advance the cut linerless label to a receiving station. In a bursting mode, the web is perforated and a roller breaker bar is disposed between the infeed and outfeed rolls to break the web along the perforations to form the linerless label.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1999
    Assignee: Moore Business Forms, Inc.
    Inventor: John E. Traise
  • Patent number: 5853117
    Abstract: Linerless labels are cut or burst from a web by passing the web through infeed and outfeed pairs of rolls with a separator device located therebetween. Each roll pair includes a friction surface for engaging the slick smooth surface of the web and another roll with a silicone elastomeric or plasma-coated surface for engaging substantially without gripping the exposed adhesive side of the linerless label web. In the cutting mode, a rotary blade severs the web against a fixed blade to form the label. The infeed rolls are backed up after each cut to break the adhesive bond between the web and the fixed blade and then reverse to advance the web through the cutting position and into the outfeed rolls for a subsequent cutting operation. The outfeed rolls continue to advance the cut linerless label to a receiving station. In a bursting mode, the web is perforated and a roller breaker bar is disposed between the infeed and outfeed rolls to break the web along the perforations to form the linerless label.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1998
    Assignee: Moore Business Forms, Inc.
    Inventor: John E. Traise
  • Patent number: 5836228
    Abstract: Apparatus for slitting or cutting material comprises a driving roller 10 and a driven roller 12. Each roller 10 or 12 has on its periphery a plurality of ribs at a predetermined pitch and helix angle. The pitch of the ribs 18 on the driving roller 10 is smaller than the pitch of the ribs 30 on the driven roller 12, and the helix angle of the ribs 18 on the driving roller 10 is of opposite direction to, and of smaller magnitude than, the helix angle of the ribs 30 on the driven roller 12. The ribs 18, 30 cooperate to cut with a shearing action a web 16 of sheet material fed into the nip between the rollers 10, 12.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: Shaikh Ghaleb Mohammad Yassin Alhamad
    Inventors: Duncan Richard Guthrie, David William Smith, John David Wood
  • Patent number: 5619897
    Abstract: A cutter for cutting helical vegetable strips comprising a circular disk-like plate having an upstream surface and an axis of rotation. The cutter has a knife blade extending radially from the axis of rotation, the blade edge being axially displaced from the upstream surface. The cutter also includes a plurality of slitter blades spaced apart and located at different distances from the axis of rotation and extending substantially perpendicular to the upstream surface. The slitter blades have different lengths and, therefore, extend to different heights above the upstream surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 15, 1997
    Inventors: Jocelyn A. Dube, James D. Arbeau, Micheal D. Ryder, Derek J. Penney, Layton D. McInnis, Jean L. Lebel
  • Patent number: 5572917
    Abstract: An apparatus for perforating corrugated tubing is disclosed. The apparatus receives tubing to be perforated along an axial path coincident with the axis of the tubing. A plurality of feeder-cutter wheels drive the tubing through the apparatus and concurrently perforate the tubing in the valley of its corrugations. Each feeder-cutter wheel, and the drive shaft each wheel is mounted upon, is offset at an angle relative to the axial path, this angling facilitating uniform perforations at higher speeds. An alternate embodiment of the apparatus has six feeder-cutter wheels disposed within four distinct planes. This design permits the wheels to be interchangeable with different wheels, allowing the apparatus to perforate tubing of different diameters. The alternate embodiment also offsets the wheels at an angle to facilitate perforation at high speeds than previously known in perforating apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 12, 1996
    Inventors: Dale Truemner, Richard Booms
  • Patent number: 5526726
    Abstract: Apparatus for shearing elongated products such as rods, bars and the like moving longitudinally along a path of travel. The apparatus includes a pair of constant diameter helical blades mounted for rotation about axes parallel to the path of travel. The rotational orientation of the blades and the spacing between their respective axes is such that segments of the blades coact along a cutting path parallel to the path of travel. The blades are rotated in opposite directions to thereby cause coacting segments thereof to move repetitively along the cutting path in the direction of product movement. A switch diverts the products from the path of travel across the cutting path for shearing by the coacting segments of the cutting blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 18, 1996
    Assignee: Morgan Construction Company
    Inventors: Terence M. Shore, Melicher Puchovsky, Harold E. Woodrow
  • Patent number: 5518391
    Abstract: An assembly for cutting and shaping a bar-shaped dough body including a plurality of polyhedral cutting members disposed around an opening through which the bar-shaped dough body is extruded. The polyhedral members are rotatably mounted around the opening and are formed to cooperatively close the opening, thereby cutting the bar-shaped dough body, multiple times during each revolution of the polyhedral members. Each polyhedral member includes curved sides meeting at one or more tip edges, the tip edges of each of the polyhedral members meeting at a center of the opening when the bar-shaped dough body is cut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1996
    Assignee: Rheon Automatic Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasunori Tashiro
  • Patent number: 5386753
    Abstract: Cross cuts for forming the ends of a tab on a sheet, for example a glue tab on a corrugated paperboard container blank, are performed by independent rotary cutter units. Each cutter unit has a spirally convoluted blade which, as it rotates, cuts progressively inwards from an outside edge of the sheet towards an opposite outside edge. As the sheet is conveyed along, a downstream cutter unit cuts the leading end of the tab, and an upstream cutter unit cuts the trailing end. After each cut, the cutter remains at rest with its blade in an inoperative position out of the path of any oncoming sheet. A sensor senses the next oncoming sheet and initiates the cutting via a computer. These rotary cutters mitigate skewing of the sheets while being cut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1995
    Assignee: Ward Holding Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael P. Baron, John R. Harrison, William F. Ward, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5385074
    Abstract: An apparatus for cutting helically shaped pieces from potatoes has a top portion forming a drive section, a center portion forming a feed section and a lower portion forming a cutting section. The drive section comprises a plurality of rotatable shafts extending in a circle about a central axis. The feed section comprises a plurality of rotatable rods arranged in a circle about the central axis, each rod at its upper end connected to a lower end of a shaft. At least the lower part of each rod has a spiral outer surface. The cutter section includes a cutter of hollow conical form having a series of spiral channels on its interior surface, each spiral ending in an aperture, the apertures forming cutting edges. Potatoes are fed through the feed section, on rotation of the rods, by the spiral surfaces of the rods, and pushed into the cutter, which on rotation, cuts helical pieces from potatoes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1995
    Assignee: Cavendish Farms Limited
    Inventor: Russell E. Burch, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5385073
    Abstract: Apparatus for perforating corrugated tubing of large diameter is achieved by use of multiple cutters disposed within the threading on the feeder-cutter wheels. The apparatus receives tubing to be perforated along an axial path coincident with the axis of the tubing. A plurality of feeder-cutter wheels drive the tubing through the apparatus and concurrently perforate the tubing in the valley of its corrugations by virtue of a plurality of cutters disposed within the threading. These multiple cutters allow perforation of larger diameter tubing in the range of nine to twelve inches. Each feeder-cutter wheel, and the drive shaft each wheel is mounted upon, is offset at an angle relative to the axial path, this angulation facilitating uniform perforations at higher speeds. This design permits the wheels to be interchangeable with different wheels, allowing the apparatus to perforate tubing of different diameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 31, 1995
    Inventors: Dale Truemner, Richard Booms
  • Patent number: 5293803
    Abstract: A blade assembly for cutting vegetables, such as potatoes, preparatory to processing into a plurality of helical strips. The assembly includes a vertically disposed central cutting tube, a base plate and a plurality of tiers disposed therebetween. The tiers preferably are helically disposed with respect to the cutting tube and base plate. The blade assembly may be utilized in a cutting assembly for cutting articles into helical strips having a holder with at least one longitudinal passage therein, a plurality of inwardly biased members extendable in the passage to align and hold the article against rotation while being cut, and a rotary cutter which includes the blade assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 15, 1994
    Assignee: Universal Frozen Foods Co.
    Inventor: Clyde E. Foster
  • Patent number: 5201259
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for efficiently cutting food items, such as potatoes, into helical strips. The food items are provided seriatim to the cutting assembly from a conveyor system fed by a trough shaker or other singulator device. Food items on the conveyor are aligned longitudinally and are then impaled on small spikes protruding from the conveyor so that they maintain the longitudinal orientation during their travel to a feed roller portion of the system. The feed rollers firmly grip the food items by their peripheries and advance them into the rotary cutting assembly. This assembly includes a helically shaped cutting member defining at a leading edge thereof a slicing blade and supporting on its front surface a plurality of perpendicularly extending scoring blades. The helically shaped cutting member is mounted at its periphery by being threadedly received in a helical thread cut in an annular holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 13, 1993
    Assignee: Lamb-Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: Darrell L. Covert, Gary D. Cuddeford, Kenneth J. Stanley, John C. Julian
  • Patent number: 5154555
    Abstract: The equal-pitch groove processing device (1) comprises transferring means (10), (40) for continuously transferring a workpiece (100) in an axial direction of the workpiece (100); processing tools (23), (33) in which cutting teeth (23a) of a thickness corresponding to a width of a groove to be processed are formed around an outer peripheral portion along a spiral path, and which is rotatively driven with the center of that spiral as an axis; and controlling means (70), (80) for synchronously operating the processing tools (23), (33) in such a manner that the workpiece (100) is transferred by a one-normal-pitch portion of the spiral while the processing tools (23), (33) undergo one revolution, whereby equal-pitch grooves are formed in the workpiece (100) by the cutting teeth (23a) of the processing tools (23), (33).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1992
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusko
    Inventor: Tadayuki Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 5142957
    Abstract: A device including at least one elongate slot having an elongate blade or vane secured therein, in which the slot when viewed in transverse cross section is curved and the blade or vane is resilient and normally flat in its unstressed condition out of said slot and has a portion securely locatable in said slot by the reactive pressures resulting from deformation of said portion to assume the curve of the slot when located therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1992
    Assignees: Dennis W. Gallimore, Stephen J. Gallimore
    Inventor: D. W. Gallimore
  • Patent number: 5138940
    Abstract: An electrical appliance for slicing fruits and vegetables which includes (i) a container defining a retention compartment configured and arranged for retention of an article of produce, (ii) a means for rotating the article of produce retained within the container, (iii) a longitudinally reciprocable blade assembly positioned within said rentention compartment for slicing, slicing and coring or grating the article of produce retained within the retention compartment as the article of produce is rotated by said rotating means and the blade assembly is longitudinally propeled against the article of produce.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1992
    Assignee: National Presto Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard L. Geissler, Roger L. Kelly
  • Patent number: 5125302
    Abstract: A machine is described for perforating webs of material, such as toilet paper. The machine includes a cylinder (17) mounted on the frame of the machine and around which cylinder the web is carried as the web passes through the machine. The cylinder has a plurality of blades, one edge of each extending beyond the surface of the cylinder and parallel to the axis of the cylinder. A support (21) for a cooperating blade (33) is pivotally mounted on the machine in a manner which permits the cooperating blade (33) to move toward and away from the blades in the cylinder (17). The cooperating blade (33) extends at an angle to the axis of the cylinder and consists of a plurality of segments, each of which is supported in a block (25) which fits into seats in the support. The seats extend in a line parallel to the cylinder axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1992
    Assignee: Fabio Perini S.p.A.
    Inventor: Guglielmo Biagiotti
  • Patent number: 5117718
    Abstract: A rotary perforator having a rotary anvil roll carrying one or two anvils cooperable with a fixed perforating blade edge for forming lines of perforations at spaced intervals along a continous web fed between the anvil roll and the blade edge, with provision for feeding the web and driving the anvil roll at different speeds, and for positioning the anvil roll at different skew angles relative to a plane transverse to the path of the web at right angles to the edges of the web so that the lines of perforations extend at right angles to the edges of the web, and with provision for forming the perforations in each line progressively across the web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1992
    Assignee: Integrated Design Corporation
    Inventor: Eugene W. Wittkopf
  • Patent number: 5089286
    Abstract: An electrical appliance for slicing a fruit or vegetable into spiral segments which includes (i) a frame which defines a retention compartment, (ii) a container configured for telescoping reception within the frame which defines a retention chamber, (iii) a means for rotating produce contained within the retention compartment of the frame, and (iv) a blade assembly across the base of the container operable for slicing the produce contained within the retention compartment when the container is telescopingly inserted within the frame and the produce is rotated by the rotating means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1992
    Assignee: National Presto Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard L. Geissler, Rodger L. Kelly
  • Patent number: 4979418
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for efficiently cutting food items, such as potatoes, into helical strips. The food items are provided seriatim to the cutting assembly from a conveyor system fed by a trough shaker or other singulator device. Food items on the conveyor are aligned longitudinally and are then impaled on small spikes protruding from the conveyor so that they maintain the longitudinal orientation during their travel to a feed roller portion of the system. The feed rollers firmly grip the food items by their peripheries and advance them into the rotary cutting assembly. This assembly includes a helically shaped cutting member defining at a leading edge thereof a slicing blade and supporting on its front surface a plurality of perpendicularly extending scoring blades. The helically shaped cutting member is mounted at its periphery by being threadedly received in a helical thread cut in an annular holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 25, 1990
    Assignee: Lamb-Weston, Inc.
    Inventors: Darrell L. Covert, Gary D. Cuddeford, Kenneth J. Stanley, John C. Julian
  • Patent number: 4949606
    Abstract: An apparatus for severing data-bearing tapes which are dispensed by a machine, which apparatus comprises an electric motor for driving a double-edged helical rotary cutter for cooperating with a spring-loaded stationary cutter, comprises an angle-section carrier, which is formed on the outside of one leg of said carrier with a concave recess extending along said one leg and receiving said rotary cutter, whereas the second leg of the carrier constitutes a bottom for mounting the motor, which is disposed in the spaced defined between the two legs, and the carrier is adapted to be cut to a length which matches the width of the tape to be severed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 21, 1990
    Assignee: Hengstler GmbH
    Inventor: Horst Pfeiffer
  • Patent number: 4926726
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for efficiently cutting food items, such as potatoes, into helical strips. The food items are provided seriatim to a cutter head assembly from a conveyor system. Food items on the conveyor system are aligned longitudinally and fed to the cutter head assembly. The cutter head assembly includes a cylindrical sleeve or tube having an open discharge end and an opposed cutting end to which a cutting member is attached. The sleeve is supportively carried by a cylindrical jacket having a pair of outer flanged members, a central drive-belt engaging member and fasteners coupling the outer members together to secure the central member therebetween. The sleeve is secured coaxially within the jacket by fasteners and the entire assembly rotated by a drive belt engaging the central member. The entire assembly is supported by idler rollers which ride in a circumferential track formed by the jacket and by thrust rollers which engage the discharge end of the cutter head assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1990
    Assignee: Lamb-Weston, Inc.
    Inventor: John C. Julian
  • Patent number: 4911047
    Abstract: A synchronous rotary cross-cutter is disclosed with two oppositely rotated, axially parallel cutting rotors that support cooperating, helically extending knife blades with cutting edges situated in a cylindrical envelope. The axes of these cutting edges run at an angle, corresponding to the inclination of the helix, with respect to the direction of advancement of the material web being cut. To accommodate different cutting lengths without the need for a controllable irregular drive for this purpose, the axial distance of the cutting rotors from the material web is variable and the knives are mounted on a flat blade holder that runs substantially tangentially in the rotor cross section and is slightly flexible. The knife blade holder, supported by a series of individually adjustable supporting elements, can be given a slight flexure with a radial adjustment, so as to assure that the position of the cutting edge of the knife remains within in the cylindrical envelope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1988
    Date of Patent: March 27, 1990
    Assignee: Valmet-Strecker GmbH
    Inventors: Hans Hornung, Bernd Fuchs, Eduard Voltz
  • Patent number: RE38149
    Abstract: A cutter for cutting helical vegetable strips comprising a circular disk-like plate having an upstream surface and an axis of rotation. The cutter has a knife blade extending radially from the axis of rotation, the blade edge being axially displaced from the upstream surface. The cutter also includes a plurality of slitter blades spaced apart and located at different distances from the axis of rotation and extending substantially perpendicular to the upstream surface. The slitter blades have different lengths and, therefore, extend to different heights above the upstream surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: McCain Foods Limited
    Inventors: Jocelyn A. Dube, James D. Arbeau, Michael D. Ryder, Derek J. Penney, Layton D. McInnis, Jean L. Lebel