GB2378377A

GB2378377A - Rotating cutting apparatus for processing food

Info

Publication number: GB2378377A
Application number: GB0119099A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher John Brown
Original assignee: Maelstrom Advanced Process Technologies Ltd
Current assignee: Maelstrom Advanced Process Technologies Ltd
Priority date: 2001-08-03
Filing date: 2001-08-03
Publication date: 2003-02-12
Also published as: GB0119099D0

Abstract

A cutting apparatus comprises cutters 8 defining at least one cutting edge 9 and a body 1 rotatable relative to the cutters 8. The rotatable body 1 is arranged such that rotation of the body propels material located adjacent thereto towards the said at least one cutting edge 9.

Description

CUTTING APPARATUS The present invention relates to a cutting apparatus, particularly but not exclusively for processing food.

Food processors find use in domestic and commercial environments.

Typically the processors include a blade arrangement located in a vessel, the blade arrangement being rotated to process (e. g. by chopping/grating) food material. Although these processors provide increased ease/speed of food processing compared to manual processing there are several disadvantages associated therewith.

Since processing is achieved by blade rotation, with the blade arrangement being disposed within the vessel where the food is processed, material within the vessel is caused to circulate in the direction of blade rotation. As a result the blade has so be rotated extremely quickly to ensure that a sufficiently high relative velocity is established between the blade arrangement and food material.

The necessary sharpness of the blade arrangement means that it is difficult to clean in a safe manner, and is not easily changeable given that the blade must be very securely mounted to avoid the risk of accidental release when in use. Thus difficulties are encountered when the blade arrangement needs to be replaced following deterioration or when a different processing operation is required. In addition, as the blade arrangement operates at high speed, it presents a considerable danger to users in the case of, for example, mishandling or inadvertent operation during cleaning or maintenance.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate/mitigate the problems outlined above.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a cutting apparatus comprising a cutter defining at least one cutting edge, and a body rotatable relative to the cutter, the body being arranged such that rotation of the body propels material located adjacent thereto towards the said at least one cutting edge.

Preferably the cutter extends around a peripheral edge of the rotatable body.

The rotatable body may be in the form of a cone rotatable about the major axis of the cone, or in the form of a plate rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the plate. The rotatable body may define a simple surface of revolution, or one or

more vanes may be supported on the rotatable body so as to project from the surface of revolution. The term"vane"is used herein to include any surface irregularity or other surface feature, e. g. circular convex humps. Any such vane preferably has a configuration which does not result in the formation of any sharp edges that could cause injury if brought into contact with a user's finger.

The cutter may be in the form of a ring defining part of a cone with apertures being formed through the ring, edges of the apertures being sharpened to define cutting edges. An inner edge of the ring could also be sharpened to provide an additional cutting surface. Alternatively the cutter may be in me form of a tube in which apertures are formed, edges of the apertures being shaped to define cutting edges. The aperture edges do not necessarily have to be sharp, although this is preferred. It is sufficient that an edge is provided against which any impacting material propelled by the rotating body is split or sheared or cleaved.

In most circumstances the cutter will be mounted so as to be stationary. In some embodiments of the invention however the cutter could be driven in rotation in tne same or the opposite direction to the direction of rotation of the rotatable body.

/U that is required is a relative speed between the cutter and rotatable body sufficient to cause material to be propelled towards the cutter at a speed that causes the material to be cut. If the cutter is mounted for rotation, the speed of rotation will be less than that associated with conventional food processors in which material is cut solely as a result of the rotation at high speed of a cutting blade.

It has been found that cutting apparatus in accordance with the present invention has several advantages over the prior art. As the cutter does not rotate at high speed the apparatus is significantly less dangerous for a user; that is to say there are no fast-moving cutting blades and thus the risk of personal injury is considerably reduced. Additionally, the cutter may be maintained/replaced relatively easily.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view from below of a first embodiment of an apparatus in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is cross-sectional view of the embodiment of Figure 1 taken along the ID line 2-2 of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is of view on line 3-3 of Figure 2 ; Figure 4 is a view from below of a rotatable cone incorporated in the embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a view from above of a cutter ring incorporated in the embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a side view in section of a second embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 7 is a view on the line 7-7 of Figure 6.

With reference to Figures 1 to 5, the first embodiment of the apparatus in accordance with the invention comprises a body 1 rotatable about an axis 2 and contained within a housing 3. The rotatable body 1 is in the form of a cone defining inner and outer conical surfaces. The inner surface of the cone supports two triangular section vanes 4. The rotatable body 1 is connected to a drive shaft 5 which rotates about the rotation axis 2. The drive shaft 5 is driven by a driving means such a-s an electric motor (not shown).

The housing 3 defines a substantially cylindrical open ended cavity within which the cone 1 rotates. The open end of the housing 3 is partially closed by a stator in the form of a frustoconical cutting ring 6 in which apertures 7 are formed, one side 01 each aperture 7 being shaped to define a cutting edge 8. The radially inner edge 9 of the ring 6 defines a further cutting edge. The outer periphery of the ring 6 supports five flanges which are secured to the housing 3 by nut and bolt assemblies 10. Radial apertures 11 are also formed in the housing 3 to give access to the space defined between the outer surface of the cone 1 and the housing 3.

In operation, the housing 3 is immersed in liquid such as water within a vessel (not shown) with the axis 2 substantially vertical and the ring 6 above the bottom of the vessel. Food or the like to be processed is deposited in the liquid within the vessel and the cone 1 is rotated. This generates a vortex about the rotation axis 2, causing the liquid and material deposited in the liquid to be drawn vertically upwards along the axis 2 and propelled radially and tangentially at high speed towards the ring 6.

The material thus engages the cutting edges 8, or if the material is relatively large the cutting edge 9. Thus the material is cleaved and propelled clear of the ring 6.

The vanes 4 ensure that material is caused to rotate with the cone at a speed sufficient for relative movement between the material and the cutting edges 8,9 to achieve effective processing. In some applications, the vanes 4 may be dispensed with, in which case the inner surface of the cone will be a simple surface of revolution.

It will be appreciated that, even when vanes 4 are provided, the device is inherently safe in that there are no sharp edges rotating at high speed which could be contacted for example by a user's finger. The worst that could happen is that a user can insert a finger behind the ring 6 and then drive the cone 1 in rotation. This would cause the user's fingers to be pushed against the cutting edges 8 or the cutting edge 9 but the worst outcome would be minor cuts rather than for example the severing of a finger which is a possibility with known mixing devices in which there are exposed blades which rotate at high speed.

In the illustrated example the vanes 4 are substantially triangular in cross section. The vanes extend to adjacent the cutting ring 6 so as to assist in the processes of forcing material towards and through the apertures 7. Other shapes would be possible, for example rounded profiles. Sharp edges should be avoided however to minimise the risk of injury.

The form of the cutting ring 6 may be altered to suit the nature of the desired processing operation. For example, the shape and configuration of the apertures 7 and the nature and angle of the cutting edges 8 can be varied. A user could be provided with a set of different cutting rings for selection to suit particular applications.

Although in the illustrated embodiment the cutting ring 6 is secured on the housing 3 by bolts, preferably the cutting ring 6 would be a snap-on arrangement facilitating repiacement of one cutting ring by another. Additionally the angle relative to the rotation axis defined by the cone 1 and the nature of the vanes 4 may be altered to suit the particular application.

With reference to figures 6 and 7, the illustrated second embodiment of the invention also comprises a body 1 rotatable about an axis 2 but in this embodiment the rotatable body comprises a circular plate. The plate 1 optionally (although not shown) may include a vane equivalent in function to the vanes 4 described with reference to the first embodiment. The plate 1 is connected to a drive shaft 5 which

rotates about rotation axis 2. The drive shaft 5 is driven by an appropriate driving means (not shown).

The plate 1 extends across one end of an annular stator in the form of a short cutting tube 12. The tube 12 is circular in section and centered on the rotation axis 2.

Apertures 7 are formed in the tube 12, each aperture defining a cutting edge 8. It will be appreciated that the shaft 5 and tube 12 are supported in an appropriate housing structure (not shown).

The embodiment illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 is generally used in the same manner as the embodiment of Figures 1 to 5. In operation, the plate 1 is rotated. Rotation of the plate 1 causes material in a volume defined within a tube 12 to be drawn upwards towards the centre of the circular plate l and then to be propelled radially and tangentially towards the cutting edges 8. The material thus engages the cutting edges and is processed.

The shape and configuration of the apertures 7 and cutting edges 8 may be altered as with the first embodiment of the invention.

Both the described embodiments of the invention may be used in batch or continuous processing of for example food. Although generally the rotating cone or plate will face downwards into a vessel containing material to be processed, the arrangement could be reversed so that the rotatable bodies are at a vertically upper end of the drive shaft. Such an arrangement is particularly useful in ensuring that material floating on the surface of for example water within a vessel surrounding the rotating body is drawn down towards the rotating body.

With the embodiment of Figures 1 to 5, it has been found that food material such as cubes of carrot with edge dimensions of 2cm can be readily processed.

Optionally, the cutting ring 6 or cutting tube 12 could be caused to rotate relative to the rotating body. Particularly if the cutting ring 6 or tube 12 rotates in the opposite direction to the rotating body this will further enhance the relative speed as between material propelled by the rotating cone or plate and the cutting edges.

Generally however adequate cutting of material thrown out by the rotating cone or plate can be achieved without requiring rotation of the ring or tube. Whereas in a rotating blade device rotation of liquid in which material to be chopped reduces the relative speed as between the cutting blade and the material, in embodiments of the

present invention such rotation of liquid within which material to be cut is suspended enhances the cutting effect.

An embodiment of the present invention could be used in association with a further cutting and/or mixing device. For example, in the case of the embodiment of Figures 1 to 5, a further component could be located inside the housing 3 so as to extend around the outer surface of the cone 1 such that material cut by the combination of the cone 1 and cutting ring 6 is fed through to the further device for further processing. One possible device particularly suited for use in such a manner is the inter-cavity transfer mixer of conical form described in British patent application No. 0027623. 8. With such an arrangement, the rotating cone I would be surrounded by a further cone, the facing surfaces of the two cones defining meshed annular projections in which cavities are formed, the mixing process resulting from material being fed radially outwards from the axis of rotation. To feed cut material into the space defined between the two cones, apertures would be provided in the rotating cone 1, those apertures being formed through the cone wall adjacent the hub upon which the cone 1 is rotated.

Apparatus in accordance with the invention provides numerous advantages over prior art devices which rely upon rapidly rotating blades. The absence of such blades brings obvious benefits in terms of safety. In addition however as material to be cut is propelled towards blades which are stationary or relatively slowly rotating material is cut in a very efficient manner. The forces which propel the material to be cut also ensure that the blades do not become clogged with material and as a result cleaning is a relatively simple process.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A cutting apparatus comprising a cutter defining at least one cutting edge, and a body rotatable relative to the cutter, the body being arranged such that rotation of the body propels material located adjacent thereto towards the said at least one cutting edge.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cutter extends around the peripheral edge of the rotatable body.
3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotatable body comprises a cone, rotatable about the major axis of the cone.
4. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotatable body comprises a plate rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the plate.
S. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rotatable body defines a surface of revolution from which at least one val1 projects.
6. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the cutter is supported on a housing defining an open ended cavity within which the rotatable body is mounted, the cutter being mounted on the housing to partially obstruct the open end of the cavity such that material propelled by the rotatable body is thrown against the cutter.
7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cutter is in the form of a frustoccnical ring in which apertures are defined, the edges of the apertures being sharpened to provide cutting edges.
8. An apparatus according to claims 7, wherein an irmer edge of the frustoconical ring is sharpened to define a further cutting edge.

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9. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cutter comprises a tube mounted on the housing, the tube defining apertures edges of which are sharpened to fom] cutting edges.
10. A method of processing material in which material to be processed is positioned in a liquid adjacent the rotatable body of an apparatus in accordance with any preceding claim.
11. An apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to figures 1 to 5 or figures 6 and 7 of the accompany drawings.