Foods and beverages: apparatus – Means to treat food – By isolating a fluid constituent
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-28
2001-05-22
Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Means to treat food
By isolating a fluid constituent
C099S571000, C099S577000, C099S580000, C099S581000, C030S120100, C030S346000, C083S932000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06234070
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed for a knife used with an egg breaking element or cracker head that is part of a machine for breaking, separating, and inspecting eggs. In particular, the present invention is a knife which is designed to increase the egg content yield of such a machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Egg breaking and separating machines are known in the prior art. Examples of such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,718,906; 2,815,055; 3,029,849; 3,082,804; 3,133,569; 3,142,322; 3,180,381; 3,185,194; 3,203,458; 3,417,798; 5,085,139; 5,617,782 and European Patent Application No. 0 746 998.
FIG. 1
represents a typical prior art egg breaking elements or cracker head used with prior art egg breaking devices. The egg breaking device includes a series of egg breaker elements
5
which are conveyed by an egg breaker and separator conveyor
2
. Pivoted clamping fingers
7
, of which there are generally two on each egg breaker element
5
, are initially in a raised condition
7
′, shown in dashed lines in
FIG. 1
, in which they are pivoted away from cup halves
8
on the egg breaker element
5
. An egg E is rolled onto the cup halves
8
on the egg breaker element
5
, and then the pivoted clamping fingers
7
are pivoted down toward the cup halves
8
, to the position shown in solid lines in FIG.
1
. The egg E is thereby gripped between the pivoted clamping fingers
7
on the top and the cup halves
8
on the bottom.
After the egg E has been gripped in cup halves
8
of egg breaker elements
5
by clamping fingers
7
, the gripped eggs E are conveyed by egg breaker and separator conveyor
2
to an egg breaking station or location. At the egg breaking station or location, the eggs E are broken by egg breaker knives
31
on egg breaker elements
5
. Breaking is accomplished by pivoting the egg breaker knives
31
from a retracted position
31
′, shown in dashed lines in
FIG. 1
, to a breaking position, shown in solid lines in FIG.
1
. In the breaking position, the egg breaker knives
31
impact against the shell of egg E, thereby breaking the shell of the egg E into two egg shell halves.
The cup halves
8
are thereafter pivoted, in directions into and out of the paper in
FIG. 1
, to cause the contents of eggs E to fall into an egg separator element
6
associated with each egg breaker element
5
. Egg separator element
6
can include an egg yolk cup
9
and an egg white receiver
30
of any known type, whereby the egg yolk of egg E is caught in egg yolk cup
9
and the egg white of egg E is drained from egg yolk cup
9
, by the force of gravity, into egg white receiver
30
.
FIGS. 2 through 5
show an end view of the egg breaker element of
FIG. 1
, through a sequence of operation. In a first step, shown in
FIG. 2
, an egg is rolled or otherwise placed on cup halves
8
while the clamping fingers are in a raised condition
7
′. In the next step, shown in
FIG. 3
, the clamping fingers
7
are pivoted down, in directions G, to grip the egg E between the clamping fingers
7
and the cup halves
8
. The first two steps are accomplished with the egg breaker knives in a retracted position
31
′, below the lowermost portion of the shell of the egg B. Thereafter, at a breaking station or location, the egg breaker knives
31
are pivoted rapidly upward, in directions B, to the position shown in
FIG. 3
, which causes the edges of the egg breaker knives
31
to impact against and crack the shell of the egg E to create two egg shell halves E′. The clamping fingers
7
, cup halves
8
, and egg breaking knifes
31
associated with each egg shell half E′ is thereafter pivoted away, in directions P, from its counterpart associated with the other egg shell half E′, as shown in FIG.
5
. As a result, the contents C of the egg E are dumped from the egg shell halves E′, as shown by the arrows in
FIG. 5
, preferably into the egg separator element
6
shown in FIG.
1
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Several disadvantages have been discovered with the prior art egg breaking element
5
as shown in
FIGS. 1-5
. One disadvantage is that the straight upper edges
30
of the egg breaking knives
31
(as shown in
FIG. 1
) tend to cause a “damming” effect with some of the egg contents C in egg E. In other words, at least a portion of the egg contents C, located in the shaded area in
FIG. 5
, are trapped in the egg shells E′ by the upper edge
30
of egg breaking knives
31
. This trapped egg content C material is not dumped into the egg separator element
6
, and therefore decreases the yield of the egg breaking device.
Another disadvantage which has been found in the prior art egg breaking element
5
as shown in
FIGS. 1-5
is that the relatively flat lower edge
32
of the egg breaking knives
31
causes egg contents C to collect and drip at various locations across the entire length of the lower edge
32
. As a result, a number of drip points are created on the lower edge
32
, with the result that several drips may continue to adhere to the edge and not drip into the egg separator element
6
. This also tend to decrease the yield of the egg breaking device, because this adhering egg content material is not transferred to the egg separator element
6
. Finally, the straight upper edge
30
, which is sharpened to enhance the breaking ability of the egg breaking knives
31
, can cause cutting or perforation of the egg yolk sac, which is an undesirable result if the egg breaking machine is designed to separate egg yolks from egg whites.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an egg breaking knife used with an egg breaking element which increases the yield of the egg breaking device and eliminates some of the disadvantages of prior art egg breaking knives.
The apparatus of the present invention is an egg breaking knife which incorporates several features which eliminate the problems that are a part of prior art egg breaking elements. The upper edge of the egg breaking knife of the present invention is in a “V” shape, which “V” shape creates a lower drainage point to eliminate any “damming” of egg shell contents which may occur in the egg shell halves. The “V” shape also allows for increased surface area contact with the shell of the egg, thereby improving the breaking ability of the egg breaking knife. Furthermore, the “V” shape allows for an unsharpened area at the vertex of the “V” shape, which unsharpened area can allow the yolk to be dumped out of the egg shell halves while reducing the chance that the egg yolk will be cut or perforated. The upper edge of the egg breaking knife of the present invention may also include a vertical slot or opening, preferably at the vertex of the “V” shape, which also assists in preventing “damming” of egg contents and enhances the drainage of egg contents from the egg shell halves. Finally, the lower edge of the egg breaking knife of the present invention may include a drip point, preferably located below the vertical slot, which serves to collect all egg content drippage at a single location, to ensure that a minimal amount of egg content drippage remains adhered to the egg breaking knife during egg content dumping.
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patent: 3082804 (1963-03-01), Shelton
patent: 3133569 (1964-05-01), Shelton et al.
patent: 3142322 (1964-07-01), Shelton et al.
patent: 3180381 (1965-04-01), Shelton
patent: 3185194 (1965-05-01), Ellis et al.
patent: 3203458 (1965-08-01), Shelton et al.
patent: 3417798 (1968-12-01), Shelton
patent: 4068573 (1978-01-01), Romero
patent: 5085139 (1992-02-01), Pellegrinelli
patent: 5586931 (1996-12-01), Williams, Jr.
patent: 5617782 (1997-04-01), Thomas
patent: 0 746 998 A1 (1996-12-01), None
Hutchison Mark
Mazur Vladimir
Alexander Reginald L.
Diamond Automations, Inc.
Kenyon & Kenyon
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