Patent Application
20090120252
This invention relates to an apparatus, system and method of displacing paper from a paper roll to a desired length piece of paper called a divider insert, then positioning the divider insert into position.
This invention is capable of cutting the paper to form the divider insert, and then displacing the cut paper or divider insert by means of an air knife to a location under a blade and above an adjustable opening. The blade then descends, pushing the paper through the adjustable or cam controlled opening, and folding the cut paper, also called a divider insert. The descending blade then positions the divider insert between adjacent portions of a food product.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,148 issued in 1981 to Meier shows the method of cutting a food item in which a sheet of wax paper is folded about the cutting edge of a guillotine blade before the blade is forced into the food item. The sheet of wax paper then remains as a separator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,138,823 issued in 1992 to Hartman et al. shows a complex machine for introducing foil-like material between slices of a food product that has, apparently, already been cut by a cutting machine. U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,053 issued Jan. 21, 1986 to Browne and Hertzberg discloses an apparatus for cutting round pastries, such as cake, and then after cutting inserting a divider between each two adjacent portions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,728 issued in 1999 to Giamello shows an apparatus for cutting food products in which a cutting blade energized with ultrasonic vibrations is driven through different layers of a food product at a controlled and variable speed.
As can be seen, there is a need for am apparatus, system and method that can quickly cut paper from a roll, using less mechanical parts then in the existing art. There is also a need to be able to quickly and easily adjust the desired length of the paper to be inserted. There is also a need for a divider insert feed system that does not cause the divider inserts to curl up, curl down, or jam.
One aspect of the present invention is A divider insert feed system, comprising: a drive roller (50) capable of displacing paper; at least one of an upper shear blade (100) or a lower shear blade (90) that is positioned downstream of said drive roller (50), said upper shear blade (100) and said lower shear blade (90) capable of cutting a length of paper to form a divider insert (230); an air knife (120) that is capable of displacing the divider insert (230) to a cutting position (500); a slicing blade (20) disposed upwardly from said divider insert (230), said slicing blade (20) capable of descending and pushing said divider insert (230) downwardly to position said divider insert (230) into position into a workpiece.
Another aspect is a divider insert feed system, comprising: a drive roller (50) capable of displacing paper; at least one of an upper shear blade (100) or a lower shear blade (90) that is positioned downstream of said drive roller (50), said upper shear blade (100) and said lower shear blade (90) capable of cutting a length of paper to form a divider insert (230); an air knife (120) that is capable of displacing the divider insert (230) to a cutting position (500); a slicing blade (20) disposed upwardly from said divider insert (230), said slicing blade (20) capable of descending and pushing said divider insert (230) downwardly to position said divider insert (230) into position into a workpiece; said air knife (120) is disposed downwardly from said slicing blade (20); said air knife (120) has an air gap (240) of 0.002 inches; said air knife (120) has a vacuum chamber (110) defined by a top wall (300) and a bottom wall (310); said air knife (120) having a first wall (267) and said bottom wall (310) that are integral with a radius (270); said radius is about 0.25 inches; said air knife has an air chamber inlet (260) disposed downwardly from said air gap (240), whereby air can flow from said air chamber inlet (260) to said air gap (240); a first air flow (250) starting in the air gap (240) and displacing downstream through said vacuum chamber (110); a second air flow (255) extending from a suction point (280) downstream to said first air flow (250).
Another aspect is a method of displacing divider inserts between adjacent pieces of a food item, comprising the steps of: providing (600) a divider insert roll; displacing (610) a portion of the divider insert roll adjacent a shear blade; cutting (620) a portion of said divider insert roll to form a divider insert (230); displacing (630) said divider insert (230) through an air knife (120) to be positioned downwardly from a slicing blade; and displacing (640) said divider insert (230) downwardly between two adjacent pieces of food.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Broadly, the present invention may be used to cut paper from a roll to form divider inserts, and position the divider inserts between adjacent foot items.
The present invention differs from the prior art by, among other things, the use of an air knife to displace the cut divider inserts at a high rate of speed. The use of an air knife allows the procedure to be accomplished with less moving parts than a comparable machine with mechanical parts in lieu of the air knife.
Also, the present invention may use a roll of paper, or a set of paper rolls, from which paper is displaced before being cut, then repositioned by means of an air knife to a location under an ultrasonic or mechanical slicing blade, which descends downwardly to reposition the insert.
An air knife 120 may displace the cut paper, also referred to herein as a divider insert 230 through a vacuum chamber to a divider adjustable stop 150. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the vacuum chamber 110 may be defined by a top wall 300 and bottom wall 310 of the air knife. In one exemplary embodiment, the distance from the top wall 300 to the bottom wall 310 may be about 0.002 inches. In another embodiment, the distance from the top wall 300 to the bottom wall 310 may be greater than 0.002 inches, or less than 0.002 inches. In one embodiment the distance between the top wall 300 and the bottom wall 310 may be about 0.001 inches. In another embodiment, the distance between the top wall 300 and the bottom wall 310 may be about 0.004 inches.
The divider adjustable stop 150 may enable the cut paper 230 to stop mid-way above a divider insert fold crease forming edge 130, and below an ultrasonic or mechanical slicing blade 20. The divider present sensor 140 may sense the position of the cut paper 230, to activate the ultrasonic or mechanical slicing blade 20, also referred to herein as a slicing blade 20. When activated, the slicing blade 20 descends, and moves the cut paper 230, also referred to herein as a divider insert 230, downwardly, to be positioned, generally between two adjacent pieces of food, such as cake slices, which are disposed below the divider insert fold crease forming edge 130. The general operation of the slicing blade 20 is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,662,529, and 6,860,091, both assigned to Foodtools, Inc.
In operation, in one embodiment of the present invention, the divider insert feed system 10 is fed from divider insert roll 30 and is guided over a roller 220 into a set of pinch rollers 60 one of which may be driven. The pinch rollers 60 may be driven by a servo motor (not illustrated) to determine the exact length of the individual divider insert 230. Once the length has been fed through the pinch rollers 60 into the vacuum chamber 110, also referred to herein as the pneumatic conveying chamber 110 and has stopped, a mechanical shear, which may comprise an upper shear blade 100 and a lower shear blade 90, is activated and cuts the paper to the proper sized divider insert 230.
A linear venturi 120 or air knife 120 creates a vacuum on the entrance 280, also referred to herein as a suction point 280, of the pneumatic conveying chamber 110. When the paper is cut to form the divider insert 230, the vacuum 255, also referred to herein as the second air flow 255 moves the divider insert 230 horizontally (leftwardly in this
At this point, the slicing blade 20 begins to travel downwardly. At the point where the slicing blade 20 contacts the divider insert 230, the divider insert 230 begins to fold around the blade 20 and between the divider insert fold crease forming edges 130 as it moves downward.
As the slicing blade 20 descends, the divider insert fold crease cam 200 contacts the divider insert fold crease cam rollers 190 and the divider insert fold crease forming edges 130 open to allow the blade 20 to pass through without contacting any other components.
The slicing blade 20 may continue downwardly with the divider insert 230 wrapped around it and the slicing blade 20 cuts the product and inserts the divider insert 230 all in the same motion. When the slicing blade 20 reaches the bottom it reverses and moves up, as the divider insert 230 may remain in the position it was placed when the slicing blade 20 reached the bottom. The slicing blade 20 then may move upwardly to the starting position where the reciprocating vertical (slicing blade 20 reciprocating from starting position to the bottom position) cycle is repeated as many times as needed.
In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention 10, the pneumatic conveying chamber 110 or vacuum chamber 110 may be 14.5 inches in length, as measured from the suction point 280 to the air exit portion 295; and may be 12.5 inches in width (as measured perpendicular with respect to the length). In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention 10, the vacuum chamber 110 may be capable of displacing a divider insert 230 that may have a length between 2 inches and 12 inches, and a width between 2 inches and 6 inches. In another embodiment, the vacuum chamber 110 may be 14.5 inches in width, and may be 12.5 inches in length. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the vacuum chamber 110 may have an opening
In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the air knife 120 may be made of stainless steel.
The force, flow, and compressed air consumption may be controlled by a pressure regulator with filter. In one exemplary embodiment, a compressed air supply may be on one side of the air knife 120.
The air knife may have a 0.002 inch opening to allow a precise air flow to move the divider insert 230 horizontally from the suction point 280 across the venture and air knife 120 to the adjustable divider fold stop 150.
The air supply may be from 10 pound-force per square inch gauge (PSIG) to 100 PSIG and the air consumption may be from 1 to 4 square cubic feet per minute (SCFM) based on a 12 inch wide air knife 120. The velocity of the second air flow 255 may be from 2000 feet per minute to 13,000 feet per minute at 6 inches from the adjustable divider fold stop 150 based on a 12 inch air knife 120. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the downward velocity of the slicing blade 20 may be from 2000 feet per minute to 13,000 feet per minute.
In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a compressor or other air supply may force air into the chamber space 265 or into the air chamber inlet 260, to then be displaced as the first air flow 250, which in turn causes the second air flow 255.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
