Heavy duty machine for production of comminuted meat and other foods

Claim 2

A machine for producing boneless comminuted meat and other smooth comminuted food products by mechanically separating fragments of hard tissue perceptible to the touch from a coarse agglomeration of hard and soft tissues, and comprising, in combination: a. a machine casing; b. a hollow revolvable member mounted in said casing; c. a plurality of axially spaced helical cutting elements in said revolvable member defining a plurality of constricted helical grooves communicating between the exterior and the interior of said revolvable member; d. alternate ones of said helical cutting elements having an outer diameter defining the maximum outer diameter of said revolvable member; e. the remaining ones of said helical cutting elements having an outer diameter substantially less than the outer diameter of said revolvable member; f. means defining a pair of helical ribs in the outer peripheral portion of each said remaining one of said cutting elements, the ribs of each said pair being separated by a blind groove and diverging from each other toward the outer peripheral surface of said revolvable member; g. a pressure bar extending axially of said revolvable member and spaced from said alternate cutting elements by an amount not substantially greater than the smallest width of said constricted helical grooves; h. power means for revolving said revolvable member relative to said pressure bar and thereby adapted to force tissue without fragments into the interior of said revolvable member as the latter revolves; i. and means for removing tissue without fragments from the interior of said revolvable member as the latter revolves.

Claim 3

A machine for producing boneless comminuted meat and other smooth comminuted food products by mechanically separating fragments of hard tissue perceptible to the touch from a coarse agglomeration of hard and soft tissues, and comprising, in combination: a. a machine casing; b. a hollow revolvable member mounted in said casing; c. a plurality of axially spaced helical cutting elements in said revolvable member defining a plurality of constricted helical grooves communicating between the exterior and the interior of said revolvable member; d. alternate ones of said helical cutting elements having an outer diameter defining the maximum outer diameter of said revolvable member; e. said alternate ones of said helical cutting elements having circumferentially spaced transverse relief grooves defining corresponding circumferentially spaced teeth in their outer peripheral portion; f. the remaining ones of said helical cutting elements having an outer diameter substantially less than the outer diameter of said revolvable member; g. means defining a pair of helical ribs in the outer peripheral portion of each said remaining one of said cutting elements, the ribs of each said pair diverging from each other toward the outer peripheral surface of said revolvable member and toward said alternate ones of said cutting elements; h. a pressure bar extending axially of said revolvable member and spaced from said alternate cutting elements by an amount not substantially greater than the smallest width of said constricted helical grooves; i. power means for revolving said revolvable member relative to said pressure bar and thereby adapted to force comminuted tissue without perceptible fragments into the interior of said revolvable member as the latter revolves; j. and means for removing comminuted tissue without perceptible fragments from the interior of said revolvable member as the latter revolves.

Claim 4

A machine for producing boneless comminuted meat and other smooth comminuted food products by mechanically separating fragments of hard tissue perceptible to the touch from a coarse agglomeration of hard and soft tissues, and comprising, in combination: a. a machine casing; b. a hollow revolvable member mounted in said casing; c. a plurality of axially spaced helical cutting elements in said revolvable member defining a plurality of constricted helical grooves communicating between the exterior and the interior of said revolvable member; d. alternate ones of said helical cutting elements having an outer diameter defining the maximum outer diameter of said revolvable member; e. said alternate ones of said helical cutting elements having circumferentially spaced transverse relief grooves defining corresponding circumferentially spaced teeth in their outer peripheral portion; f. the remaining ones of said helical cutting elements having an outer diameter substantially less than the outer diameter of said revolvable member; g. means defining a pair of helical ribs in the outer peripheral portion of each said remaining one of said cutting elements, the ribs of each said pair diverging from each other toward the outer peripheral surface of said revolvable member and toward said alternate ones of said cutting elements; h. a pressure bar extending axially of said revolvable member and spaced from said alternate cutting elements by an amount not substantially greater than the smallest width of said constricted helical grooves; i. power means for revolving said revolvable member relative to said pressure bar and thereby adapted to force comminuted tissue without perceptible fragments into the interior of said revolvable member as the latter revolves; j. and means for removing comminuted tissue without perceptible fragments from the interior of said revolvable member as the latter revolves.

Claim 5

A machine as defined in claim 2, wherein said transverse grooves are of a depth not eXceeding half the difference between the maximum outer diameter of said revolvable member and the outer diameter of said remaining ones of said helical cutting elements.

Claim 6

A machine as defined in claim 2, wherein said transverse relief grooves extend helically of said revolvable member at a different pitch from that of said helical cutting elements.

Claim 7

A machine as defined in claim 2, wherein said helical cutting elements have a given pitch and said transverse relief grooves have a substantially more gradual pitch.

Claim 8

A machine as defined in claim 2, wherein said circumferentially spaced teeth are generally diamond-shaped and are staggered circumferentially.

Claim 9

In a machine for producing boneless comminuted meat and other smooth comminuted food products by mechanically separating fragments of hard tissue perceptible to the touch from a coarse agglomeration of hard and soft tissues, a hollow revolvable member comprising, in combination: a. a plurality of axially spaced helical cutting elements in said revolvable member defining a plurality of constricted helical grooves communicating between the exterior and the interior of said revolvable member; b. alternate ones of said helical cutting elements having an outer diameter defining the maximum outer diameter of said revolvable member; c. the remaining ones of said helical cutting elements having an outer diameter substantially less than the outer diameter of said revolvable member; d. and means defining a pair of helical ribs in the outer peripheral portion of each said remaining one of said cutting elements, the ribs of each said pair diverging from each other toward the outer peripheral surface of said revolvable member and toward said alternate ones of said cutting elements.

Claim 10

In a machine for producing boneless comminuted meat and other smooth comminuted food products by mechanically separating fragments of hard tissue perceptible to the touch from a coarse agglomeration of hard and soft tissues, a hollow revolvable member comprising, in combination: a. a plurality of axially spaced helical cutting elements in said revolvable member defining a plurality of constricted helical grooves communicating between the exterior and the interior of said revolvable member; b. alternate ones of said helical cutting elements having an outer diameter defining the maximum outer diameter of said revolvable member; c. the remaining ones of said helical cutting elements having an outer diameter substantially less than the outer diameter of said revolvable member; d. and means defining a pair of helical ribs in the outer peripheral portion of each said remaining one of said cutting elements, the ribs of each said pair diverging from each other toward the outer peripheral surface of said revolvable member and toward said alternate ones of said cutting elements.

Claim 11

In a machine for producing boneless comminuted meat and other smooth comminuted food products by mechanically separating fragments of hard tissue perceptible to the touch from a coarse agglomeration of hard and soft tissues, a hollow revolvable member comprising the combination of: a. a plurality of axially spaced helical cutting elements in said revolvable member defining a plurality of constricted helical grooves communicating between the exterior and the interior of said revolvable member; b. alternate ones of said helical cutting elements having an outer diameter defining the maximum outer diameter of said revolvable member; c. said alternate ones of said helical cutting elements having circumferentially spaced transverse relief grooves defining corresponding circumferentially spaced teeth in their outer peripheral portion; d. the remaining ones of said helical cutting elements having an outer diameter substantially less than the outer diameter of said revolvable member; e. means defining a pair of helical ribs in the outer peripheral portion of each said remaining one of said cutting elements, the ribs of each said pair diverging from each other toward the outer peripheral surface of said revolvable member and toward said alternate one of said cutting elements defining constricted passages with the latter.

Claim 12

In a machine for producing boneless comminuted meat and other smooth comminuted food products by mechanically separating fragments of hard tissue perceptible to the touch from a coarse agglomeration of hard and soft tissues, a hollow revolvable member comprising the combination of: a. a plurality of axially spaced helical cutting elements in said revolvable member defining a plurality of constricted helical grooves communicating between the exterior and the interior of said revolvable member; b. alternate ones of said helical cutting elements having an outer diameter defining the maximum outer diameter of said revolvable member; c. said alternate ones of said helical cutting elements having circumferentially spaced transverse relief grooves defining corresponding circumferentially spaced teeth in their outer peripheral portion; d. the remaining ones of said helical cutting elements having an outer diameter substantially less than the outer diameter of said revolvable member; e. means defining a pair of helical ribs in the outer peripheral portion of each said remaining one of said cutting elements, the ribs of each said pair diverging from each other toward the outer peripheral surface of said revolvable member and toward said alternate one of said cutting elements defining constricted passages with the latter.

Claim 13

The combination set forth in claim 8, wherein said teeth on said alternate helical cutting elements are spaced circumferentially and staggered with respect to the teeth of adjacent ones of said elements.

Claim 14

The combination set forth in claim 8, wherein said transverse relief grooves are disposed with a more gradual pitch from that of said helical cutting elements.

Claim 17

The method of claim 11, wherein said cutting tool is traversed at a pitch more gradual than that of said helical cutting elements and at a depth not exceeding half the difference between their respective outer diameters.

Claim 18

A machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said alternate ones of said helical cutting elements are formed with outer peripheral surfaces tapering radially toward their trailing edges.

Claim 19

A machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said outer peripheral surfaces of said alternate helical cutting elements taper radially to a diameter at their trailing edges substantially equal to the diameter of said remaining helical cutting elements.

Claim 20

The combination set forth in claim 7, wherein said alternate ones of said helical cutting elements are formed with outer peripheral surfaces tapering radially from their leading to their trailing edges.