US4603623A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Installation for the production of cheeses
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1984-08-29
•
Granted: 1986-08-05
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Expires: 2004-08-29
Abstract
Abstract An installation for the production of cheeses, notably having lactic characters and of cheeses of the soft paste type, includes curdling basins each in the shape of a semi-sphere, devoid of inner equipment and provided with structure for ensuring the closing, transportation and handling thereof. A rotary metering device with several heads fills and meters milk into the basin. Vertical silos with an air-conditioned environment store of the basins during the entire duration of the time required for coagulation of the milk. A rotary device with several working heads cuts the curds, and vertical silos store the basins after the curd cutting operation. A device extracts the whey, and a molding machine with several heads molds the cheese. The transfer of the basins and of the plates supporting the molded cheeses is carried out with the assistance of automatic conveyor systems.
Inventors
- 👤 Annick Le Guen
- 👤 Joseph Moutarde
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 00:34
CPC Classifications
A; A01; A01J; A01J25/00; A01J25/001
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
247 words
An installation for the production of cheeses, particularly cheeses having lactic characteristics and cheeses of the soft pasty type, said installation comprising: a plurality of basins of semi-spherical shape and having uncluttered smooth interiors; rotary means for metering milk into said basins; first conveyor means for passing said basins sequentially into said rotary metering means, whereat said basins are filled with milk, and for removing the thus filled said basins from said rotary metering means; first vertical air-conditioned silos for receiving said filled basins from said first conveyor means and for storing said filled basins for the entire duration of the time required for coagulation of said milk, thereby forming curds in said basins; rotary means for breaking up said curds in said basins; second conveyor means for transferring said curd containing basins from said first silos into said rotary curd breaking up means, whereat said curds in said basins are broken, and for removing therefrom said basins containing said broken curds; second vertical silos for receiving from said second conveyor means and for storing said broken curd containing basins, during which whey separates from said curds; means for extracting the thus separated whey from said curd containing basins; rotary molding means for transferring said curds from said basins to molds; and third conveyor means for transferring said basins containing separated curds and whey from said second silos to said extracting means, and for transferring said curd containing basins from said extracting means to said molding means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
247 words
An installation for the production of cheeses, particularly cheeses having lactic characteristics and cheeses of the soft pasty type, said installation comprising: a plurality of basins of semi-spherical shape and having uncluttered smooth interiors; rotary means for metering milk into said basins; first conveyor means for passing said basins sequentially into said rotary metering means, whereat said basins are filled with milk, and for removing the thus filled said basins from said rotary metering means; first vertical air-conditioned silos for receiving said filled basins from said first conveyor means and for storing said filled basins for the entire duration of the time required for coagulation of said milk, thereby forming curds in said basins; rotary means for breaking up said curds in said basins; second conveyor means for transferring said curd containing basins from said first silos into said rotary curd breaking up means, whereat said curds in said basins are broken, and for removing therefrom said basins containing said broken curds; second vertical silos for receiving from said second conveyor means and for storing said broken curd containing basins, during which whey separates from said curds; means for extracting the thus separated whey from said curd containing basins; rotary molding means for transferring said curds from said basins to molds; and third conveyor means for transferring said basins containing separated curds and whey from said second silos to said extracting means, and for transferring said curd containing basins from said extracting means to said molding means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
An installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said whey extracting means comprises a rotary mechanism.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
An installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said molding means comprises a rotary machine having at least one head rotated by a variable speed motor.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
72 words
An installation as claimed in claim 3, wherein each said head comprises a semi-spherical bell of dimensions equal to those of said basins, means for tightly sealing said bell to a respective said basin, means for creating a vacuum within the thus sealed bell-basin assembly, valve means for draining said curds from said assembly, and means for breaking the vacuum within said assembly and allowing separation of said bell from said basin.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
An installation as claimed in claim 1, further comprising fourth conveyor means for supplying said molds to said molding means to receive therefrom said curds and for removing therefrom curd containing molds.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-08-04 | 1990-02-03 | 1990-08-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-08-04 | 1994-02-03 | 1994-08-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-08-04 | 1998-02-03 | 1998-08-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |