Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Processes – With cutting – or mechanically subdividing solid material,...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-29
2001-05-15
Brouillette, Gabrielle (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Processes
With cutting, or mechanically subdividing solid material,...
C083S880000, C083S886000, C083S449000, C099S537000, C452S148000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231911
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains generally to meat cutlery. More specifically, the present invention pertains to meat cutting equipment which can continuously process a large volume of pre-processed sausage-like meat products at high speed. The present invention is particularly, but not exclusively, useful for superficially incising a hot dog, or other sausage type product, with a superficial helical shaped incision which improves and enhances the taste and cookability of the product.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the United States, hot dogs are a well known and widely used food staple. Literally, everyone has heard of, and at one time or another has most likely eaten, a hot dog. Not so well known, however, is the fact that superficial incisions into a hot dog can have several effects on the hot dog. These effects are both practical and aesthetic.
As a practical matter, incisions into the surface of a hot dog cause the hot dog to be cooked differently than it otherwise would be. For one thing, due to the incisions, the exposed surface of a superficially incised hot dog is increased. During cooking, this increased surface area causes heat to penetrate more quickly and deeper into the interior of the hot dog. This, in turn, promotes quicker and more even cooking of the hot dog. For health reasons, these effects of superficial incision may be very desirable. Additionally, while fat in a hot dog may be desirable for taste purposes; for the diet conscious, less fat than is normally present in a hot dog may be preferable. If so, superficial incisions into a hot dog will allow fat in the hot dog to be more easily drained away as the hot dog is being cooked. The result is a leaner hot dog.
In addition to the practical considerations associated with superficial incisions into a hot dog, aesthetic considerations also come into play. For many, incisions in the surface of a hot dog can be both eye-catching and entertaining. Further, superficial incisions can make the hot dog distinctive.
For high volume production of superficially incised hot dogs, it is clear that some device or apparatus is required. It is simply too time consuming and labor intensive to manually incise each and every hot dog in a high volume operation. Moreover, for many incision designs, it is extremely difficult to insure a uniform penetration depth for the incisions when they are made by hand. A superficial helical or spiral design on a hot dog is a case in point. In order to properly make a helical or spiral shaped design into the surface of a hot dog, it is necessary to rotate the hot dog during the cutting process. All the while, the pitch of the spiral incision must be maintained constant, and the penetration depth of the cut must be uniform. Doing all of this manually in a high-volume operation can be very exacting and tiresome.
Despite the difficulties to be encountered and overcome when establishing a high volume production operation for the superficial incisions of hot dogs, the practical and aesthetic advantages to be obtained can make the effort worthwhile. Further, while the discussion thus far has specifically considered the hot dog as a candidate for superficial incisions, it is to be appreciated that any sausage-like meat is suitable for consideration.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device and a method which can superficially incise prepared meat products, such as hot dogs, on a high volume basis. It is another object of the present invention to provide a device and a method for superficially incising prepared meat products with a helical or spiral design which establishes a constant pitch for the spiral pattern and which insures a uniform penetration depth for the incision. It is another objective of the present invention to incise a delicate meat product such as a hot dog or sausage at a very high speed, without deforming the round shape of the meat product or imparting cracks into the non-incised core of the meat product. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device for superficially incising prepared meat products which is easy to manufacture, simple to use, and comparatively cost effective.
SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A device for incising a cylindrical shaped meat product includes a tubular shaped cutter housing containing cutter blades, a drive mechanism to rotate the cutter housing about the housing's longitudinal axis, an injector to transport the meat product into the rotating cutter housing, and an ejector to withdraw the meat product from the cutter housing.
The tubular shaped cutter housing defines a longitudinal axis and is formed with a lumen that extends along the axis. The cutter housing has an inlet and an outlet which are opposite each other and respectively located at the ends of the lumen. Additionally, the cutter housing has an inner surface that surrounds and defines the lumen.
At least one cutter blade is mounted on the inner surface of the cutter housing to protrude inwardly therefrom toward the longitudinal axis of the housing. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, three blades are mounted around the lumen of the cutter housing, and they are azimuthally separated from each other by approximately one hundred and twenty degrees. Further, each blade is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the housing by an angle, &agr;, which is in a range of approximately ten to forty-five degrees (10°-45°). Preferably, the cutter housing is made of a high strength plastic and the cutter blades are made of metal.
As indicated above, the incising device of the present invention also includes an injector to transport the meat product into the cutter housing inlet. The device also includes an ejector to transport the incised meat product from the cutter housing outlet. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the injector includes an elongated tube which is formed with a pair of diametrically opposed slots that are longitudinally oriented on the tube. Separate motor driven conveyor belts respectively extend into each of the slots in the injector tube. Similarly, the ejector is configured with an elongated tube formed with slots allowing conveyor belts to extend into the lumen of the ejector tube. In addition to transporting the meat product along the longitudinal axis, the conveyor belts in both the injector and ejector also restrain the meat product from rotating during incision of the meat product in the cutter housing.
In the operation of the incising device of the present invention, a meat product, such as a hot dog, is first inserted into the injector. To ensure a uniform incision of the hot dog (meat product) at the cutting stage, the conveyor belts are positioned to minimize the pressure that is exerted on the meat product. Thus, the round meat product is not substantially flattened. On the other hand, the conveyor belts of the injector need to provide sufficient pressure on the meat product to prevent the meat product from rotating during incision. Thus, the conveyor belts of the injector function to transport the meat product at a translational velocity V
1
through the injector tube and into the lumen of the rotating cutter housing until the meat product comes into contact with the blades of the cutter housing. In the preferred embodiment, the lumen diameter of the cutter housing is slightly larger (e.g. approximately ⅛ inch larger) than the diameter of the meat product. This dimensional difference allows for radial expansion of the meat product during incision.
As the meat product passes through the cutter housing, the rotating blades that are mounted in the housing incise the surface of the meat product. The result is a pattern of helical spiral cuts that extend along the length of the meat product. Further, because the rotating blades are inclined relative to the meat product, the action of the blades upon the meat product tends to propel the meat product along the longitudinal axis at a velocity V
2
. Finally, the conveyor belts of the e
Hodges Ralph S.
Steinback Clarence
Brouillette Gabrielle
Madsen Robert
Nydegger & Associates
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