The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 08, 1983
Filed:
Aug. 17, 1981
Gretz L Hazen, Fort Atkinson, WI (US);
Dec International, Inc., Madison, WI (US);
Abstract
An enclosed finishing vat for cheese making. The vat has a generally oval configuration and an agitating unit is mounted for reciprocating movement on a frame above the vat and includes a vertical drive shaft that extends through a slot in the top of the vat. The lower end of the drive shaft carries a rotatable support arm and at each end of the arm both a stirring paddle and an unloading paddle are pivotally mounted. The stirring paddle and unloading paddle extend in opposite directions from the respective end of the arm. In operation, the agitating unit reciprocates along the length of the vat, and the arm is rotated such that the stirring paddles lead in the direction of rotation and stir the curd, while the unloading paddles trail and float on the curd. To unload the curd from the vat, a discharge opening in the bottom of the vat is opened and the direction of rotation of the arm is reversed, whereby the unloading paddles lead in the direction of rotation and scrape along the bottom of the vat and deliver the curd through the discharge opening.