GB2059752A - Apparatus for producing comestibles in spherical form - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for producing spherical balls of edible pulp, e.g. potato, comprising a cutter block (8), Fig. 1 having a bore passing through one or more chambers (10) each accommodating a rotatable annular cutting blade (11), all of which blades have independent driving shafts (24), Fig 3, carrying a pinion (27) and commonly driven from a reciprocating rack (18), and a tubular cutter (7) coextensive with the bore for cutting from a vegetable a solid cylinder of vegetable pulp which when advanced into the bore is divided by each cutting blade into a spherical piece. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for producing comestibles in spherical form This invention relates to apparatus e.g. for cutting of fru it, vegetables and like comestibles into appetising portions, and more particularly for reducing vegetables, such as potatoes into small ball-shaped parts.

One such popular form of vegetable is the socalled French potato which is of small ball shape.

Hitherto, the preparation of thins comestible has been time-consuming and considerable wastage of foodstuff occurs in obtaining the desired shape of the food.

It is the main object of this invention to provide machinery which readily reduces to spherical form vegetables, fruit and similar comestibles with a relatively small amount of wastage.

To this end the invention in one general form provides apparatus for cutting e.g. comestibles such as fruit or vegetables, into spherical pieces, comprising a cylindrical cutter having a mouth portion to which the vegetable is applied with force to pierce same and form a cylinder thereof, a passage behind the cutter and communicating with said cylindrical cutter, an at least part-annular blade within said passage rotatable about its diameter to sever said cylinder into a spherical ball of vegetable, and means for rotating said annular blade.

The invention will now be exemplified with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 depicts in perspective the elements of the apparatus arranged in operative relationship; Figure 2 shows in plan the sphere-cutter element of the apparatus; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the sphere-cutter element; Figure 4 is a part sectional obverse view of the said element; Figure 5 is an end elevation of the said element; Figure 6 is a section of the said element viewed on the line VI of Figure 2; and Figure 7 is an exploded representation of a single annular knife blade incorporated in the sphere-cutter element.

With reference to the drawings as a whole, the example of the invention contains a supporting frame (not shown) for cutters and driving means therefor. A potato 5, if it be assumed that a vegetable of this kind is to be processed, is first applied with force to a cylindrical tubular cutter 7 having its entry end formed in a sharpened mouth portion 7A whereby the vegetable pulp is cut with each application to the cutter7 into a cylinder which is forced down the length of the cutter 7 to a rear passage 9 provided by the bore in a hollow sphere-cutter metal block 8. If no other cutting means is provided, more than one cylinder of the pulp may be formed from a single potato 5 by repeated application to the cutter mouth 7A. However, as shown in Fig. 1, preferably a grating 6 surrounds the mouth 7A to separate the pulp about the mouth 7A into elongated strips for French fries.A collating bin (not shown) may serve to gather these potato strips for subsequent cooking.

A plurality of flat-banded annular cutting blades 11 are located at spaced intervals along the bore 9 and are sharpened on opposite edges. As more clearly revealed in Figs. 3,6 and 7, each annular cutting blade 11 is provided with an adjustment screw 12 having longitudinal bearing protrusion 14 and a lock nut 13. Arowofvertical holes 11 A are bored through the sphere-cutter block 8, each passing through the diameter of a respective spherical chamber 10 and are arranged in a spaced series along the bore 9. The chambers 10 are spaced as close as possible to avoid too much wastage of pulp. Each chamber 10 is open to one side to a side face 15 of the block 8 while ejector access bores 28 connect the opposite face of the block 8 to respective spherical chambers 10.The upper end of each vertical passage 11 A is threaded to accept a respective one of the screws 12 with its lock nut 13 functioning to set the adjustment of the screw 12. The protrusion 14 on the screw 12 is accommodated in an upper bearing 22 in the annular blade 11. A key 23 formed as a lower longitudinal protrusion of the knife 11 is keyed into a keyway 25 formed in the upper end of a shaft 24, the lower end of which is provided with a bearing 26 and journal for pinion 27.

It can be seen from Fig. 3 that the pinion 27 associated with each of the four annular cutting blades 11 meshes internally of the sphere-cutter block 8 with a rack 18. Thus, linear displacement of the rack 18 in either of the directions shown by the arrows depicted in Fig. 1, will cause all of the cutting blades 11 to rotate upon the axis of their shafts 24. Therefore, should a cylinder of pulp of the potato 5 be positioned within the bore 9 and the blades 11 rotated under the action of the rack 18 the cylinder will be sliced by the blades 11 into spherical balls.

A pressure plate 1 is connected with a powered plunger 2 provided with a diametral abutment pin 3 to compress a helical spring 4 between the pin 3 and the pressure plate 1. Thus if a potato 5 is located between the plate 1 and the grating 6 and thereafter the plunger 2 advanced the potato 5 will be forced through the grating 6 and the mouth 7A to produce a cylinder of pulp within the cutter 7 and a plurality of elongated strips suitable for French fries.

A battery 21 of ejection plungers is upstanding from a mounting plate 21Awhich reciprocates as shown in Fig. 1 in the directions of the arrows. When the plate 21A is advanced the battery of plungers 21 passes through respective ones of the ejector access bores 28 to eject from the spherical chambers 10 potato balls which have been formed by rotation of the blades 11. These balls pass from their respective chambers 10 for gathering at the far side 15 of the block 8. It wiil be apparent that timing between the operation of the rack 18, the plunger 2 and the plunger plate 21A must be effected for satisfactory operation of the apparatus. It is preferred that such timing be obtained through the facility of cam control.One such cam 20 is shown fixed upon its shaft and bearing upon the outer end of the rack 18 which is slidable within the block 8 through bearings 17 and held against the face of the cam 20 by a compression spring 19. Access to the rack 18 and pinions 27 is provided by a removable retainer plate 16 upon the base of the block 8. Similar cams to cam 20 will be provided for actuation of the plunger 2 and the mounting plate 21 A while the shaft or shafts upon which they are all mounted will have a common drive.

The timed sequence of operations is as follows: A potato 5 is advanced towards the grating 6 and cutting mouth 7A by advancement ofthe plunger 2 when the mounting plate 21A is in its retracted position and the rack 18 is fully extended by its spring 19 to its rest position so that the cutting blades 11 are positioned as shown in Fig. 1, in parallel planes transverse to the axis of the bore 9. If a cylinder of potato pulp be already positioned within the cylin drical cutter 7, the cutting of a further cylinder of pulp will cause the former to be advanced into the bore of the sphere-cutter block 8.When the plunger 2 has completed its advancement the rise on the cam 20 will cause the rack to make a single forward and return reciprocation in the block 8 causing the blades 11 to rotate on their diameters somewhat more than 1800 and close to 270 , before returning to rest. While the blades 11 are fully rotated and before return the ejector mounting plate 21A is quickly advanced underthe action of its controlling cam (not shown) to eject the balls of potato which have been formed within the confines of each blade 11 to be ejected from the far side 15 of the block 8. The mounting plate 21A is quickly returned to normal and the blades 11 thereafter returned each to its rest position. The apparatus is then ready for a further cycle of operation.

It will be appreciated that variation from the above described enbodiment is intended, for example the grating 6 and cylinder 7 may be interchangeable with similar units of different dimensions to provide a degree of selection of the size of potato balls as well as French fries to be attained from the apparatus. Furthermore, where as the cutting blades 11 have been shown and described as being of complete annular form, satisfactory functioning of the apparatus may be achieved should they be of semi-, or part-annular form with suitable provision made in respect of their angle of rotation to ensure that a completely spherical cut is obtained. It will also be appreciated that the bore 9 in the block 8 may be a through bore for ease of discharge of the vegetable scraps from the cylinder of pulp.

Claims (15)

1. Apparatus for cutting e.g. comestibles of the kind such as fruit or vegetables, into spherical pieces, comprising a cylindrical cutter having a mouth portion to which the vegetable is applied with force to pierce same and form a cylinder thereof, a passage behind the cutter and communicating with said cylindrical cutter, an at least part-annular blade within said passage rotatable about its diameter to sever said cylinder into a spherical ball of vegetable, and means for rotating said annular blade.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said passage is a bore in a sphere-cutter block provided with a spherical chamber within which said annular blade is rotatably located.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said chamber is opened at one side to the exterior of said block to permit discharge from said chamber of one of said spherical pieces.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein an access hole is provided in said block communicating with said chamber and opposite said open side thereof, and a reciprocating plunger enters said chambervia said access hole to discharge said spherical piece from said chamber.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said rotating means for said annular blade comprises a rack and pinion connection, a shaft carrying said pinion and being fixed to said annular blade on an axis substantially normal to the axis of said access hole, and a cam follower on said rack for receiving driving power.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the degree of rotation of the annular blade between opposite limits of its rotation is substantially 270 , and at its opposite limits of rotation on the one hand is in a rest position and permits unobstructed entry into said chamber of said cylinder of vegetable while on the other hand is in a displaced position and lies clear of the path of entry into said chamber of said reciprocating plunger.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein timing between the operation of said driving rack and said plunger is such that complete reciprocation of said plunger occurs while said rack is operated so that said blade is in its said displaced position.

8. Apparatus for producing spherical pieces, comprising a spherical cutter block having a through bore interconnecting a row of spaced chambers within said block, an at least part-annular cutting blade within each of said chambers and having a driving shaft for rotating said blade about its diameter, means for applying a common drive to all of said shafts to rotate said blades between a rest and displaced positions, and a tubular cutter co-extensive with said through bore to produce from vegetable matter presented to it a solid cylinder of vegetable pulp which when advanced into said through bore is subsequently cut by said blades into a plurality of spherical pieces.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said common drive means is a linearly displaceable rack meshing with a plurality of opinions each secured on a respective one of said driving shafts.

10. Apparatusforproducing spherical pieces substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A method for producing spherical pieces, comprising producing said spherical pieces by means of apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said pieces comprise a vegetable.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said pieces comprise potato.

14. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said pieces comprise a fruit.

15. Spherical pieces produced by apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 or by means of a method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 14.