Foods and beverages: apparatus – Means to treat food – By isolating a fluid constituent
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-13
2001-09-25
Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Means to treat food
By isolating a fluid constituent
C099S495000, C100S09800R, C100S108000, C100S213000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06293189
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a citrus juice extractor and, more particularly, to a citrus juice extractor that provides for a pulpier juice product.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The juice of citrus fruits has long been popular as a beverage due to its flavor, as well as its nutritional and health promoting properties.
In currently available industrial-scale machines for citrus juice extraction, the citrus fruit is placed one-at-a-time between a series of two opposed cups that move toward each other. A hole is cut in the skin or peel of each citrus fruit, and as the cups move together to squeeze the fruit, the internal components of the fruit, including juice, pulp (or juice sacs) and seeds, plus the cut portion of the peel are forced through the hole cut in the fruit and into a strainer tube. The juice and some pulp then are forced outward through the strainer tube and collected in a reservoir, while the undesired seeds and peel remain in the tube and are subsequently disposed of. See, generally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,996,485 and 5,655,441, which disclose two different configurations for juice extractors, and which are incorporated herein by reference.
Over time, it has been determined that many people prefer the taste of juice with intact pulp cells or juice sacs. In extractors of the type described in the above-identified patents, the strainer tubes are believed to be configured and/or oriented in such a way to restrict the flow of intact juice sacs therethrough, at times resulting in loss of valuable pulp into waste streams or less desirable byproducts. Flow restriction which can be characteristic of prior extractors also can result in a significant number of fruit sacs becoming cut or otherwise damaged when passing through the strainer tube. Further, while pulpier juice is desired, the travel of extraneous pulpy material into the primary juice stream through the strainer tube must be avoided.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a juice extractor which provides for pulpier, more flavorful juice product.
More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a juice extractor that incorporates an improved strainer tube assembly that permits more of the desirable pulp to flow therethrough while limiting the travel of the undesirable portions of the inside of the fruit into the juice stream.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved citrus juice extraction apparatus and method which satisfy a desirable texture profile analysis of pulp juice while reducing pulp damage and increasing pulp extraction efficiency and desirable pulp yield.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These objects, as well as others which will become apparent upon reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, are provided by an extractor for separating the juice and juice sacs from a citrus fruit that includes a lower cup for supporting a single piece of citrus fruit and an upper cup disposed vertically above the lower cup with the upper and lower cups moveable relative to each other in a vertical direction so as to cooperate to squeeze the piece of citrus fruit placed therebetween. An upper cutter is provided for cutting a plug in the citrus to permit the separation of the peel from the juice and the juice sacs, while a lower cutter is provided for cutting the plug to allow the juice and juice sacs to exit therethrough when the fruit is squeezed between the upper and lower cups. A strainer tube is vertically oriented beneath the lower cup and lower cutter, with the strainer tube having a plurality of circumferential slots along its working length. A plunger tube is slidingly received within the stainer tube for forcing the juice and juice sacs outwardly through the slots and the strainer tube into a separate reservoir. The slots in the strainer tube may be of equal width and evenly spaced apart or of varying widths. In any event, the slots are preferably between about 0.5 and about 3 millimeters in width.
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Evans Kevin E.
Korengel Jeffrey L.
Lineback David S.
Pollack Harold
Cook Alex McFarron Manzo Cummings & Mehler, Ltd.
Simone Timothy F.
Tropicana Products, Inc.
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