Patent Application
20060065089
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to food slicing machines, more particularly to an ozonation apparatus for food slicing machines, and still more particularly, an ozonation apparatus for food slicing machines that use an endless loop band blade to slice food products.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known to use an endless loop band blade extending around a pair of pulleys to cut food products. U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,007 to Grote et al., which is herein incorporated by reference, discloses such an apparatus. Such devices cut food by passing the food product, such as a food log, through a path that includes the upper span of the blade. As the food log passes through the blade, the blade severs a food product slice below the contact point with the blade from the food log above the contact point.
Such band blades are held in place by a blade guide, which is a thick slab of metal, such as tool steel, with a slot that is slightly thicker than the band blade. The slot extends into the blade guide at the intersection of two adjacent sides of the blade guide that intersect at an acute angle. The unsharpened edge of the blade is inserted into the slot, and the sharpened edge extends out therefrom. Because the slot has a slightly greater thickness than the blade, the blade fits into the slot with very little movement possible transverse to the plane of the blade. The food log is displaced through the sharp edge of the blade and onto the top of the blade guide, and the blade guide maintains the position of the edge of the blade despite the forces applied to the blade by the food log. There is a frictional engagement between the blade and blade guide, which is commonly lubricated by water injected into the slot of the blade guide.
Such food slicing machines can be difficult to clean due to the sharpness of the blade, the large area that the blade covers, the contact points between the blade and the pulleys, and tight tolerances between the blade and the blade guide slot. In order to effectively clean such machines conventionally, the machine is stopped, at least some parts are removed from the machine, and the entire cutting apparatus is cleaned manually.
Food safety laws mandate frequent cleaning of food slicing machines. However, cleaning of food slicing machines halts their productive activity for a significant time, thereby creating a disincentive to cleaning such machines. Nonetheless, in order to comply with requirements the operators of such machines must clean machines at least at the minimum required frequency.
It is also known that ozone, and ozonated water, has advantageous antibacterial characteristics. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,629 to Boley and U.S. Pat. No. 6,461,487 to Andrews et al., which are herein incorporated by reference, systems are disclosed for supplying ozone to various apparatuses. Such systems have desirable properties for reducing antibacterial agents without leaving behind unacceptable levels of chemicals or other residue.
Therefore, the need exists for an apparatus for supplying ozonated water in a food slicing environment.
In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the specific term so selected and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. For example, the word connected or term similar thereto are often used. They are not limited to direct connection, but include connection through other elements where such connection is recognized as being equivalent by those skilled in the art.
One embodiment of an ozonation apparatus is shown in
The water flowing through the tube 20 enters the first fluid circuit (that contains the tube 20) at the inlet 22. In
A second fluid circuit is in fluid communication with the first fluid circuit that includes the tubes 20, 26 and 28 and the contact chamber 30 described above. This second fluid circuit includes the tubes 40, 42 and 44. A pair of outlets, such as the solenoid-actuated valve 50 and the manually actuated hand sprayer 52, remove water from the first fluid circuit in the following manner, thereby causing water to flow through the second fluid circuit.
First, during normal operation of a connected food slicing machine, the solenoid-actuated valve 50 is opened to permit ozonated water in the second fluid circuit to flow to the blade guide, as described below in relation to
When water flows into the tube 40, it is water that contains near the maximum concentration of ozone of the entire system, due to its proximity to the venturi 20 and contact chamber 30. Thus, this water is very capable of being transported a significant distance without most or all of the ozone therein converting, due to a long period of time elapsing, back to O2.
When water flows into the second fluid circuit, the system adds water through the water inlet 22 to the first fluid circuit, and this water is immediately ozonated after introduction. As water continues to be removed from the first fluid circuit at the tube 40, the system continues to add water and immediately ozonates it. This water is removed into the second fluid circuit due to opening of the valve 50 during normal operation of the food slicing machine, or during use of the manual sprayer 52 during manual cleaning of the food slicing machine. Thus, at all times there is ozonated water present during circulation of water in the first fluid circuit, and there is ozonated water readily available in the second fluid circuit upon actuation of the valve 50 or manual sprayer 52. Typically, the manual sprayer 52 would be used to manually spray down a food-slicing machine when the machine is not slicing food. However, the sprayer 52 could be placed with its nozzle in close proximity to the blade to spray the blade as it is cutting.
Although the ozonation apparatus is shown in
The valve 50 is preferably connected to the blade guide 100 of the slicing machine as shown in
Three bores 102, 104 and 106 are formed in the rear edge of the blade guide 100. It is contemplated that there could be any number of bores from one to as many as are necessary to convey sufficient fluid to the blade slot 120, as will be recognized by a person having ordinary skill in the art. The bore 104, shown in the section view of
Each bore has an opening at the rear edge of the blade guide that receives a conduit, such as the tubes 112, 114 and 116 shown in
Upon opening of the valve 50, ozonated water flows through the respective tubes into the blade guide bores 102-106, and thereby, into the slot 120. The moving blade in the slot 120 is thereby bathed in ozonated water. This operates, in a manner understood by persons of ordinary skill, to kill bacteria that may be on the blade, blade guide, pulleys and other structures that are contacted by food products and/or the water.
Of course, the outlet, such as the valve 50, could be connected to a nozzle that simply sprays the ozonated water onto the blade. Alternatively, the water could be conveyed to the blade and its contacting structure by any other structure that causes the ozonated water released by the second fluid circuit to impinge upon the blade with flow rate and velocity that the blade is exposed to the ozonated water for a period sufficient to have the desired antibacterial effect.
As noted above, it is contemplated that virtually any water-ozonation apparatus can be used to inject ozonated water into the blade guide of a food slicing machine to construct the present invention. Thus, it will become apparent that such substitutions of other conventional water-ozonating devices is not a departure from the present invention.
While certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed in detail, it is to be understood that various modifications may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the following claims.
