Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Product assembly or manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-17
2003-04-15
Picard, Leo (Department: 2125)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Product assembly or manufacturing
C083S072000, C083S077000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06549823
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention has to do with methods and apparatus for cutting large blocks of cheese into portions, e.g. for packaging.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various automated systems exist for doing this. A manufactured block of cheese—usually rectangular and weighing for example 20 kg, or 640 lb in the US, —has to be divided into portions whose weight and shape generally need to be selected according to various criteria depending on the type of cheese, the end user, prevailing commercial regulations and so forth.
Issues of practical significance in an automated system include the following (not necessarily all together):
that the system will cut up a large number of blocks without failing, jamming or damaging the cheese;
that the system is sufficiently versatile to be able to cut to different geometries according to the end use and other criteria;
that the system presents the cut portions separated from or easily separable from one another so that they can conveniently be presented to a packaging machine;
that the system can cut to satisfy a target weight criterion for the portions, e.g. by cutting to maintain an average portion weight and deviation from the average within set limits, with reliability and low wastage;
that the system be as compact as possible on the factory floor, and fast and convenient to operate, maintain and adjust.
These are difficult things to achieve, particularly in combination, not least because cheese is in itself a difficult product to handle and furthermore because typically the original large blocks vary significantly from one another (in shape, weight, density and dimensions) and these variations need to be accommodated by the cutting system.
PRIOR ART
By way of introduction, the operation of a sophisticated known system (our own Wright Pugson C
33
) is shown schematically in FIG.
1
. The incoming cheese block
1
of height H width W and length L is presented at a weighing and centring station where it is aligned, weighed and its width W and height H measured. These data are input to a control processor CP programmed to determine a suitable cut geometry, at least for the vertical-longitudinal (vl
1,2
) and horizontal (h
1
) i.e. depth cuts. The program is operable according to various operator requirements. One important regime operates with a view to forming the largest possible number of portions in a predetermined target weight range, maintaining a required average weight and with minimum wastage. The control processor CP is therefore connected to control the cut geometry by adjusting the spacing of cutter elements (metal wires or blades set in a frame) in first-stage and second-stage cutting stations
6
′,
7
′ which respectively form the horizontal (depth) and vertical-longitudinal cuts by the block's being pushed through the frame.
FIG. 1
shows a version in which the first- and second-stage cutter frames are combined at a single cutting station; they may alternatively be positioned at a spacing. The block, now cut into two layers
11
′ each made up of longitudinal sticks
12
′, issues onto a turntable (not shown) where it is rotated through 90° (as described in our GB-A-2225929). Its width (the original length dimension L) is measured and the cutter spacing of a third-stage cutting station
8
′ adjusted accordingly using the L data together with the weight M and the H and W data gathered previously. The block is then pushed, either as a whole or one layer
11
′ at a time, through the third-stage cutting station
8
′ to form the eventual portions
13
. The fully-cut block of portions
13
is then dismantled and the portions loaded onto a packing machine either manually or by an automated procedure; see for example our GB-A-2285962.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Our new proposals relate to apparatus and methods for cutting cheese blocks into portions, including
(a) optionally, making one or more longitudinal cuts to divide the width of the block;
(b) making plural transverse cuts to divide the length of the block, and
(c) optionally, making one or more longitudinal cuts to divide the depth of the block. Usually, at least one and preferably both kinds of longitudinal cut will be made, or at least is/are available to be made.
In a first aspect a longitudinal cutting stage, including making the one or more longitudinal cuts (a) and/or (c) to form a set of longitudinal sticks, is followed by a transverse cutting stage in which the longitudinal sticks are presented together as a set at a transverse cutting station. At the transverse cutting station the transverse cuts (b) are preferably made through the set, forming with each transverse cut a corresponding set of portions. Additionally or alternatively, different sticks of the set may be subjected to different transverse cutting.
A first particular proposal in relation to this aspect is that the transverse cuts be made successively, so as to form sets of portions successively, and separating the successively-formed sets of portions from the residue of the set of sticks. This enables a high rate of formation of portions while moving them progressively downstream in the process. Difficulties in handling and dismantling large fully-cut blocks or part-blocks are thereby reduced or avoided. The sets of portions may be fed successively to the intake of a packaging machine via apparatus for portion orientation and spacing.
The transverse cutting station preferably includes a set separation arrangement which for the making of a transverse cut also moves a respective cut set of portions downstream in the process away from the residue of the set of sticks. For example the cut sets of portions may be on, or be urged or fall onto, a separate conveyor to carry them successively downstream.
The set of sticks is desirably presented unseparated for the transverse cutting, i.e. with the sticks abutting side-by-side along the longitudinal cut(s). This can maximise speed. It is strongly preferred that only one set of sticks be transversely cut at a time, i.e. as a single “layer”. Thus, where a cut (c) is made to divide the depth of the block this is preferably done before the transverse cuts (b), preferably also before the longitudinal cut(s) (a), and the resulting layers separated from one another before the transverse cuts are made in each. They may conveniently separate at the longitudinal cutting stage; this is in itself well-known.
It should be noted however that the system may allow for “sets” of only one stick e.g. if it is chosen to make no longitudinal cuts in a given block, or longitudinal cuts in only one sense to create layers which are separated before the transverse cutting.
The direction of the transverse cuts is preferably transverse in space to the longitudinal cutting direction, i.e. the set of sticks is not rotated between the longitudinal and transverse cutting stages.
A convenient and compact arrangement makes the transverse cuts with a cutting movement in the depth direction of the set of sticks, preferably cutting all sticks of the set simultaneously, and/or with an active (driven) cutter element such as a guillotine cutter. An active (e.g. guillotine) cutter is usually stronger and easier to control and maintain than cutter elements in a frame, and well suited to making single successive cuts. Furthermore an indexing conveyor is conveniently used to space the transverse cuts by moving the set of sticks progressively longitudinally relative to the cutter location between cuts. This is much more convenient and can be done with simpler apparatus than is required to control the spacing of a set of cutter elements adapted to make plural cuts simultaneously.
By these means the cutting operation may if wished be done in-line, i.e. from the initial block to a separated set of portions without requiring transverse movements or rotations of the cheese. A straight line is preferred.
The cutting methodology and systems described above are in themselves new and advantageous for the reasons given. Normally it will be desired also to be able to
Hicks Nigel Lyndon
Lambert Nicholas Paul
Marchant Schmidt, Inc.
Rapp Chad
Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.
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