Foods and beverages: apparatus – Means to treat food – Subdividing into plural products
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-18
2001-12-04
Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Means to treat food
Subdividing into plural products
C099S589000, C099S587000, C099S584000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324969
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for peeling fruit or vegetables, and in particular to an apparatus for peeling melons.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Machines which automatically peel stone fruit and in particular mangoes are known. An example of such a machine is described in Australian Patent No. 602073. This machine has a curved peeling blade, which conforms to the concave outer surface of the mango. The mango is first halved and seeded and then transported by conveyor belt towards the peeling blade. The mango is urged past the peeling blade by means of an overhead profiled belt. Slicing blades are associated with the curved blade to both slice the mango and to guide the mango half through the peeling blade. However, such an arrangement is unsuitable if it is desirable for the fruit to be peeled as a single piece rather than slices. For example, slices are typically unsuitable for further processing in dicing machines.
The distance through which the centerline of the fruit skin moves as it passes through the peeling blade is greater than the distance moved by the edges of the skin. However, the profiled belt and roller arrangement as described in AU602073 moves fastest at the edges of the skin and slowest at the centerline. In practice, this difference in travelling speeds causes uneven feeding of the fruit past the blade and/or jamming of the fruit in the machine. Another mmango peeling machine, described in Australian Patent No 621411, employs a similar curved peeling blade. However, a pair of counter rotating traction wheels are used to urge the mango past the blade. Each wheel has a rim profiled to conform to the shape of the peeling blade. The distance between the rim and the blade controls the peeling depth. The rims are adapted to grip the skin of a piece of mango, which is being fed by a conveyor toward the rotating wheels. When the mango reaches the wheels, it is gripped by the rims and urged downwards through the peeling blade. Use of the profiled rims enables the different speeds of the centerline and edges of the mango as it travels through the peeling blade to be accommodated.
The machines as described above are operated by electric motors which operate chain or belt drives. However, such drive systems are expensive to fabricate, install and align. Regular maintenance and servicing is also required. Further, after a period of time, the chain or belt and respective guides become worn and/or loose. In the case where the peeling machine has a pair of counter rotating wheels, the chain drive is subject to wearing and stretching. When such wearing and stretching occurs, the fruit may be gripped in an uneven manner by the wheel rims. This causes the fruit being to be fed to peeling blade in an uneven or skewed manner. This results in non-uniform peeling of the fruit.
Another disadvantage of the above machines, is that the size of the drive mechanisms require a relatively large housing. This means that the size of the machine prevents its application in the domestic kitchen or smaller spaces such as a restaurant or cafe. Another feature of the known machine which makes it unsuitable for these applications is that the drive mechanisms generate considerable noise.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for peeling fruit or vegetables, which may at least partially overcome the above disadvantages or provide the public with a useful choice.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first broad form of the invention there is provided an apparatus for removing skin from fruit or vegetables, the apparatus including a substantially U-shaped peeling blade and a pair of gear wheels mounted for rotation and an outwardly extending fruit-gripping portion located on the face of each wheel, characterized in that when said wheels are rotated, the fruit-gripping portion of each respective wheel is able to grip the skin and urge the fruit or vegetable past the blade so as to remove the skin therefrom.
The apparatus of the present invention may be used for removing the skin of any suitable fruit or vegetable such as an eggplant or papaya. In particular the apparatus is suitable for peeling melons. In the present specification and claims, it will be understood that a reference to fruit also includes a reference to vegetables and no limitation is intended thereby. The apparatus may be used for peeling whole or precut sections of fruit. Typically, the apparatus removes skin from a fruit or vegetable half.
The apparatus of the present invention includes a U-shaped peeling blade. The peeling blade may be rigid or semi-rigid. The size of the blade typically corresponds closely to the size and shape of the fruit or vegetable to be peeled. It is preferred that the peeling blade is of a size and degree of curvature such that it can pass through the flesh at an optimum peel depth. A single apparatus may be used for peeling fruit or vegetables of different sizes through the ability to replace one peeling blade with a blade of a different length and/or degree of curvature.
The peeling blade is generally located on the same plane as the axis of the wheels. Typically the distance between the blade and the fruit-gripping portion corresponds to the depth of peel removed from the fruit. Preferably, this distance is able to be varied.
In some cases it may be desirable for the peeled fruit to have a decorative surface. In this case, the peeling blade may have an uneven or zigzagged edge.
Typically, a fruit half is fed toward the peeling blade in a horizontal or in a slightly downward direction. The fruit may be fed by any suitable means, e.g., manually or via a conveyor belt. As the fruit half approaches the blade, the cut surface facing downwards, the fruit meets the counter-rotating wheels and is forced to change direction such that it passes downwards through the peeling blade. In order to provide a uniform cut it, is preferred that the fruit describes an arc as it peeled. In order to facilitate such arcuate passage, it is preferred that the peeling blade has a convex cutting face. Fruit or vegetables which have been cut into segments such as thirds or quarters may also be peeled in accordance herewith. Typically the cut section is fed towards the blade on a V-shaped feeding plate. Whole fruit or vegetables, such as eggplant, may be peeled by passing the fruit or vegetable through the peeling blade twice.
The apparatus may further include an inner curved blade concentric with the peeling blade. In use, the inner blade can separate the seed sac or seed of a cut section of a fruit or vegetable.
The apparatus of the invention also includes a pair of gear wheels. The gear wheels typically have a 1:1 ratio and have an outwardly extending fruit-gripping portion which contacts and grips the fruit skin. The fruit-gripping portion is typically profiled such that there is a uniform gap between the fruit-gripping portion and the blade. This gap defines the peel depth. The fruit-gripping portion of each wheel typically extends from a point opposite the apex of the peeling blade and follows the curve of the peeling blade. In one form of the invention, the fruit-gripping portion does not follow along the full curvature of the peeling blade. In this case, the apparatus may further include at least one guide for guiding the fruit being peeled past the outer part of the curved section of the peeling blade. Typically the distance between the guide and the peeling blade is constant and is essentially the same as the distance between the fruit griping portion and the peeling blade. In this manner a constant peeling depth may be obtained.
The guide may form part of or be separate from the respective wheels. In one form of the invention the wheels have an outwardly extending front face, curved to follow the contour of the curved section of the peeling blade. That part of the front face adjacent the wheel rim may be provided with gripping means such as pins or the like for gripping the fruit skin. The part of
Alexander Reginald L.
Cesari and McKenna
Univex Corp.
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