Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ . '' 1
7 1 A ~ ~ t ~E~
t) I , " ;,; ~7Rfi8~4~2 ~ qR7,,
:'r~ ppr 0~
U111~ 6ub~ ~1
~non~ o--~
A C~EE815 8R~NIN0 8Y5T~ c~
P~9~P~)
On ~anua~y i0, 1973, thS~ appllcant appllod ~or c~ U.S.
p~t~n~ for hl~ inv~ntlon o~! a ~y~t~m fo~ ~oolins~ and cu~ing
5 ~9ellll50]~ l$an ~ho~ , and Sh4t al?pllc~t ~ on hsued ln~o
tJ.8~ ;Pa~en~ No. 3,910,174 on Octob-~ 7, 197S. P~lor t~l that
lnv~n~ion, th~ cr~tic~l ~t~p of brlnlng clnd ~oollng ~mlso~t
It~lian che-sos, su~ a~ proYolon~ ch~ , wan ~ o~ed
ontl~ely manually. The bouy~n~ blocks o~ che-fie wer~ float-
ad in a ta~k o~ brine, and though ehe blocks o~ ch~ese weresomQtima~ ~alghted eo submerge a~ much a~ po~ible o~ the
chee~e, the blooks of c~aeqe needed to be turned by hant at
re~ular ineervals.
3e~ore ap~llcant'~ invont~on of U.~. ~atent No.
3,~10,174, to achiev~ t~e coollng nec2s~ary to ~top
microbi~l a~tion ~he brine ~a~ ~efeiqeeated and the am~ie.le
alr cooled ~n an ef~o~t to cool the part3 of the block3 Oe
cheese ~loatlng ab~ve the brln~. Howev~r, th~ tendency Oe
heated fluid to ~i~e held the chee~e-waEmed br1ne at the coo
~round th~ ~loa~inq block~ o~ chee~e, while entrappinq the
cooled brlne at t~e bottom, 50 that cooling wa3 ve~y i~e~-
~lcient, and too ~ten lneEfective. Without sufflcien~
~oollng, ~heese qualit~ deteriorateg rapidly.
Beca4se the brine wa9 prepared ~n the vat be~ore U.S.
ZS Patent No. 3~910,174, much Oe the s~lt ~tded e~th~r never
went ln s~lution, or precipitated out on the bottom of the
vat, cau~lng excessive ~alt us~e, va~yin~ and unpredictable
sallnity of the b~in~, and ~on~equent lack of ~f~sctlve
control ove~ and uni o~mi~y of br~ning. Al~o, ~mpurities
- 1314261
f~om th~ ~alt toqcthez with blts o~ ~hee0e and fa~ ac~umll-
lat~d ln the va~, and thes~ decom~osed ufld~r the action o~
moldo and other mic~oor~arlisms to contaminat~ the brine,
re~uiring ~at the vat be periodlcally ~mptied, éhe brine
discarded, and the vat ~crubbed out before be~ ng rech~rged
wlth ~esh b~ne.
I~ ~ummary, the art before the lnventlon o~ U.S. Patent
No. 3,910,174 wa~ c~aracterized by e~ce~sive labor demand~,
excessive spac3 requ~rem~nts, ex~e~give ~nergy con~umption,
and exce~slve Balt u3age, and produced widely varyin~ and
uncontrollable pro~uct quallty.
Th~ inven~ion o~ U.S. Pa~ent No. 3,9~0,174 overcame much
of those defe~t~. rt pr~vided a brininq pit with an ov~r-
~low tank that was conn~cte~ to a separate brine mixing tank
lS with fil~r~tion, pa~teurization, and refrlgeratlOn apparatuQ
conneoted to it -~o that the brine ~O~ld ~e continually
cledned, reconstituted, r~rigerated and re~lrculated to
provide a more uni~orm optim~l salt content. temp~rature and
m~ch improved cleanllne~. u.g. Patent ~o. 3,910,174 also
teaches the u~e of lar~ r~cks whlch co~ld be loaded wi~h
blocks o~ cheese a~jacent to the brining pit, and then car-
ri~d by an o~erhead crane to the brining pit and submerged
in the brine 90 ~hat the blockq o~ cheese would be contlnu-
ously and entirely immerged in brlno, ellminating the need
25 to turn blocks. By utilizing the full depth of the brininq
pit, the lnvention of U~s. Patent ~o. 3,910,174 v~ly
in~reased ~he productive capacity of the brining pit.
Howeve~, a decade and a half~s expe~ience with the brin-
ing 9y9tem of U.s. Patent No. 3,310,11~ ha~ ~evealed to
appll~nt opportunity Eor ~ubstant~al improvo~ents. A need
developed to enlarge the capacl~y oE the hrlning sy~tem
--2--
1 3 1 4 26 ~ 24080-643
substantially without incurring the high capital costs of heavy
equipment required by the invention of U.S. Patent No.
3,~10~174. Also, a brining system was needed that could
automate the brining step of cheese manufacturing, and thereby
eliminate or minimize the human element, as a source of both
error as well as cost. Finally, more perfect uniformity and
control of temperature, brine concentration and brine purity
was needed to perfect the uniformity of the product and quality
control. The present invention satisfies those needs.
Summarv Of The Invention
The present invention provides a system for brining
and cooling buoyant blocks of cheese comprising the combination
of: a brining pit for holding cooled brine; a cage immersible
in said brining pit, said cage having an open structure to
permit flow of brine through it, separate compartments for
containing cheese to be cooled and brined, a loading end for
receiving said blocks of cheese adjacent one side of said
brining pit, and a discharge end for discharging said blocks of
cheese adjacent another side of said brining pit; means for
hoisting said cage to the surface of said brine to receive and
discharge said blocks of cheese floating on said surface and
submerging said cage beneath said brine to submerge said blocks
of cheese in said brine for cooling and brining; means to
convey said blocks of cheese to æaid loading end of said cage;
means to convey said blocks of cheese away from said discharge
end of said cage; means to float said blocks of cheese into
said cage at said loading end; and means to float said blocks
of cheese out of said discharge end of said cage.
The invention also provides a system for brining and
cooling buoyant blocks of cheese comprising the combination of:
a brining pit adapted to contain cooled brine; a cage mounted
A
1 3 1 ~ 2 6 1 24080-643
for vertical travel into and out of said brining pit~ and
having an open framework supporting a plurality of horizontal
shelves defining compartments for containing sald blocks of
cheese, said horlzontal shelves having a plurality of openings
through them to allow vertical circulation of brine through
said compartments; and a brine recirculating circuit for
continuously removing a portion of said brine near its surface,
and expelling said portion of brine into said brining pit
beneath said cage in said brining pit ko force said brine to
flow continuously vertically through said openings in said
shelves and about said cheese in said compartments.
The invention further provides a brine circulation
system for a cheese brining and cooling system, comprislng the
combination of: a brining tank filled with brine and having a
relatively deep centrally located brining pit with a relatively
shallow canal surrounding the outside of said brining pit and
contiguous with said brining pit; a brine propulsion means
located near the surface of said brine in said canal to impart
a horizontal current to said brine through said canal; a brine
reservoir adjacent to said brining tank having a weir lower
than the surface of said brine between said brine reservoir and
said brining tank to allow a surface portion of said brine to
spill from said brining tank into said brine reservoir; a
conduit from said reservoir connected to a pump to pu~p said
brine from said brine reservoir and through said conduit~ and
means connected to said conduit for sanitizing~ reconstituting
and cooling said brine; and a manifold connected to said
conduit to receive sanitized, reconstituted and cooled brine
and having a plurality of nozzles located to expel said brine
into said brining tank at a plurality of spaced apart locations
across ~he bottom of said brining tank to create a vertical
24080-643
current from the bottom of said brining tank to the surface of
said brine.
The foregoing invention is founded upon ~he
perception that the buoyancy of semisoft Italian cheeses, which
had been a principal obstacle to the efficient and effective
brining and cooling of that cheese before the invention of U.S.
Patent No. 3,910,174, can be used to facilitate, ease, automate
and simplify the handling and brining of the cheese. After the
semisoft, Italian style cheese, such as provolone cheese, has
been made and formed, typically tnto bricks, six-pound loaves
or twenty-pound slabs, it is carried by conveyor belts or other
suitable means to the brininy
4a
'~A
131~261
tank where ~t ~ depoeited in canal~ rormed parallel to the
s~de8 o~ and con~iguoua with the ~rlnlng plt. A large capa-
~ity pump or propello~s impart ~ current ~o ~ho brlne
~reating ~low streams of ~rin~ ln th~ canal~ whlch tran3port
S ~o ~loa~in~ block~ o~ cheese to deslred location adjacent
to the brining p~t. A g~te 1~ extend~d obllquely ac~oss the
c2nal to gu~de t~e blocka o~ che~s~ toward thn cent~r o~ the
brlnln~ tank and into the cage~
The ~ack shown ln U.S. Patent No. 3,910,17~ 1B a heavy
Qtructure bullt to supp~rt a full load o~ chee~e outslde of
the brining pit, and then to b~ ted by an ovnrhead crane,
carried to the b~ining pit and lowered into th6 brine ~h~re
lt r~mains submerged for the time r~qui~lte to cool and
brlne the chee~e, after which it wa~ hoi~ted out o~ the
brlnlng ~it, and conveyed away to be unload~d outside o~ the
brining tank, ~y con~rast, the.cage of ~he present inven-
tion never support3 the cheese ~nd never lea~s the brining
~it. Con~equently it can be con~tructed of ~ lightweight,
stainless ste~l, tubular ~ramework, the vertical members oF
which suppor~ inwardly projectlng horizontal ledges, on
whlch removable, per~orate~, stainlegg ~t~el shelve6 rest.
The shel~es do not support the chee e since the block3 of
cheese are bouyant and supported by the brlne. Instead, the
Yhelves divide the space in ehe cage into s~acked, ~o~-
2S 20nt~1 compartments.
In a brin~ng system ~ccording to tne present invention,the bloeks of cheese are float~d into tho~e compartment3 in
the cage, and ~loated out again when brining and cooling are
completed. To load ~he cage, it i9 ho~ted up until the
bot~om compartment is partlal~y above an~ partially below
the surface of the ~rine 60 blocks of chee3e c~n float into
1314261
it, earried by the current o~ the stream of brinc. As each
compartment i9 ~ ed in tho 3ame manner, tha c~ge 18 lower-
ed to p~esen~ ~he next comp~tment untll all compartments
are Eilled and the c~ge compl~tely ~ubmerged. TO unload th~
S cage, i~ i~ boisted until ~rs~ the top compartment ~merges
above tho sur~ace of the ~lne, and ~h~ chee~ ~s Clodted
out o~ it. ~hen the cage i~ raised aga~n until the next
compartment eme~ge~ abo~e th~ ~ur~aoe so lts load o~ ~heese
can b~ floated out. ~he ca~e i~ ~u~ ralsed and ~mptied by
compartments until completaly emptied.
Since the cage~ never baar ~he welght of th~ che~e, thQ
present i~vention impo~es practically no ~ize ll~its on the
in~tallation, exc~pt ~h~ chee~e mak~r~s oapac$ty ~equire-
ment3, and the space available. A slngle brininq pit may
hold as ~ny ca~es a~ desired. Since the cage~ are loaded
and unloaded lndividually, each batch o~ che~!se made i~
separately brined, m~xl~izing product and q~ality control.
The brining cAn be comple~ely automated, but if manually
operated, requires only one operator.
In addltlon ~o the brine stream ~reated by the l~rge
capacit~ pump in the canals to transport t~e cheese, the
brlne is al~o ~on~tantly circulated vertically th~ough the
pit by another brine circuit. A brine reservoi~ sharing a
common wall with the end of th~ brining tank has ~ portlon
of the common wall ~eces6~d below the level of thO brine ~o
create an ove~flow weir, which skim8 off the top layer o
the circulating b~ine taking Wi~h i~ all floatlng impuri-
ties, such as globules of fat and pieces of cheese. The
floating impurities are slfted out of the brine, which i~
pumped out of the reservoir and through a clrcu~ to pu~ify,
sterilize, reconstitute and cool the brlne. The ~egenerated
1 31 4261
b~ino ~D than ~umped back throuq~ a mani~old ~rom ~hich lt
i~ di~cbarged into the bottom o~ th~ brining ~Lt at ~paced
location3. ~he con~tant d1~charq~ of re~eor-d ~r~ne at the
bo~tom of the brlning pit ~oree~ the ~ooled brlne upward in
5 th~ pit to tho ~u~face, where it ~oln8 th~ hor1zontAlly
circulat~ng st~ea~ tha~ ~ran~por~ the ~loc~3 o~ che~e. As
the brine flowa vertically upw~rd it brine~ and Gool~ the
chesso, and ~a~r~ loose p~rticle5 8nd 1m~uritie3 to the
~u~ace. ~hu~ the pre~ent lnven~on maintains the br1ns at
lC ~ constant temp~rature and concentration at all ~lmos and
lo~atlon in the brining p~t, and it cons~antly clean~ and
puri~i~s the brine. ~hi3 ensures h~h~r p~o~u~t ~uality and
uni o~mlty.
The~e and other ob~ects and adv~ntage~ of the p~es~nt
lnvention will become apparent in the ~ollowing de~cr1p~1On
of the preEerred embod1m~nt of th~ invention.
B~1ef Descr~ptio~ OF The D~awin~
In the draw~ngs:
FIG, 1 ia a top plan vlew of a brining tank and appara-
tus embodying the present invention.
~ G. 2 i~ a side ele~ation o~ the embodiment shown inFIG. l taken alony the llne 2-2 ln FIG. 1.
~ IG. 3 ls a side el~v4tion in 3ect~on of the b~ning pit
with caqe~ of the em~odiment of th~ presen~ invention shown
25 in FI5. 1.
FI~. 4 is a cross-sectional view in elevatlon of the
embodiment 3hown in FIG. 3 taken along the lineY 4-4 in FIG.
3.
1 3 1 426 1
~lG. S 1~ a partlal cro~ ectlon in elevatlon t~ken
along th~ lln~ 5-5 ln FIG. 1 showlng the pump ~or drlving
~he str~sm ln the canal~ ~nd showlng the conveyor belt~
carrying the block~ Oe cheese to and erom the brining pit.
~G. 6 Ig an ex~lod~d per~p~c~iv~ view of ~ cage embod~-
~ng the p~esent lnvantion with one ~omplet~ she1~ ln place
and a ~cond nhel~ d~s~semble~ lnto ~t~ two part~ out~lde
o~ the grame.
F~. 7 i~ a ~ragment~ry top plan view in section o~ a
por~lon o~ the brining pit and cageg ~ak~n along the l~ne 7-
7 ln ~IG. 3 ~owing the guide for the cage3 and port~ons of
the end doors in Eron~ o~ the entry and of the cages.
~IG. 8 i~ a gide e~vation and section of the structure
3hown ln ~IG. 7 and ~I~. 3 taken along the line 8-B in FIG.
7 showing a porti~n of the end6 of ~wo cages ~nd ~llustrat-
~ng the mountin~ of the shelves in the cages.
FIG. 9 is a p~rtial view in section of thQ joining of
two shel~ members taken alohg the line 9-9 in FlG. ~.
FIG. 10 is a fragmentary side elevatlon in ~ectlon taken
Along the llne 10-10 in F~G. 1 and i~lu8t~ating She recessed
wall of the brine re3ervoir that ~erve~ ~s a welr o~er which
th~ brine ~lows f kmly flume on the brlning tank into the
rese~voir.
~n the embodiment o the p~esent 1nventiQn illu~trated
by FIG. 1, a brining pit 1 is shown 3urrounded by a rela-
tlvely 3hallow canal 2, the two being ~on~ained within out-
side w~ll 3 of brining ~ank 5. Although the 3ize of the
brining pit 1 wlll vary with the capacity required and the
~pace available, a brinlng pit 1 9iX ~eet deep, ~0 feet long
and 7 fQet wide would b~ deemed ordinary.
131~261
A r~l~e~ walk~ay ~ re~ched by 9tai~ 6 i3 con~t~ucted
around the brining tank 5 to p~o~id~ acoes~ to tho br~ning
tank 5. Alternati~ely, the br~nin~ plt 1 ~ould ~o rece~sed
in the floo~ 22 o~ the brining room, ob~iat~ng the ne~d for
a rai3ed walkway 4 and al~o p~ovidl~g ~o~e lnsul~t~on around
thc brlning pit 1 to stabilize ~urt~or tho temperature of
tho brine. ~h~ walkway ~ extends to th~ brinlng room wall3
7.
A loading conveyor bel~ 8 car~i~s block~ of che~sc 100
~rom a coollng tank (not ~hown) to a load~n~ can~1 9, which
i~ a portion o~ the canal 2. A discharye convsyor bQlt 10
wi~hdraw~ ~h~ block3 of cheese 100 ~om a di~charge canal
11, whi~h ig th~ part of can21 ~ on the opposita side Oe " ~ '
brining pit 1 ~ the loading canal 9. The dischar~e co~- ~13/~
veyor b~lt 10 carrie~ ~he blocks of ~e~se 100 ~rom the
tLscharge canal 11 away ~rom the ~ining t~nk 5 ~o a wa3her
not shown) and f~om the~e to the cheege ~rapping m~chine
~not ~hown).
~he c~nal 2, including the loadlng canal 9 ~nd discharge
canal 11 i~ bounded on the out~ide by the tank wall 3. The
inQlde o the c~nal 2 is bounded on the ends by blind end
dlke 12 and a~cess end dike i3. ~etween the end dikes 12
~nd 13, the in~ide boundaries o~ the canal ~ are created by
3even lo~ding doors 14 that de~lne the inside o~ the loading
2S canal ~ alon~ the edge of ~he brlning plt 1. Seven
di3charge door~ 16 make up the inside b~undary o~ the
dlscharg~ ~anal 11 along the oppo~ite side of the brtning
plt 1. B~tween each pair of loading and discharge door3 14
and 1~, a cage 15 i9 loca~ed 30 that it can bc ra~sed out of
and lowered into the brining pit 1.
_g_
~ ~ 1 426 1
A la~ge c~pacity Archlmedl~n screw pum~ 17 ls mounted in
~n end canal 18 at ~h~ acce~s end 1~ of the brlnl~g tank 5,
joining the loading and dlscha~ge canals 9 and 11. 'rhe pump
17 drlves the stream o~ brine 99 in the canal 2 as repre-
sentod by arrows 98 in the d~awlng, Th~ pump 17 19 d~lven
by a vari.~blQ speed hydr~ulic motor 84, and in thl~ embodl-
mant 13 capabl~ o~ moving up to 3,000 gallons of brine 99
por ~inute. ~he hyd~aulic motor a~ an~ scr~w 86 of pump 17
a~e supported by a journal bearing 85 ~o that the motor ~4
and ~earing ~S are well above the brlne 9g and only the
easily sani~l~ed screw a6 proie~tg into th~ brlne 99.
Next to ~nd sharlng a common wall 20 with tho a~ce3s end
canal 18 ls a brine reservoir 21. A reces ed over~low weir
2 ~oln~ the ~ommon wall 20 of the canal 18 and b~ining tank
wall 3 so that pa~t o~ the b~1ne 99 entering the end canal
18 from the digcharge c~nal 11 ~an spill into ~he brlne
reser~oir 21, ~esting across the top of the brine reservoir
~1 ad~acent to thc weir 23 is a perfo~ted stainle~ eteel
b2sket 2~ which servea as the ri~9t fllter ~or the brlne a3
it 5pill~ from the ~cce~ end canal 18 into the res~rvoir
21. .
3rine 99 i5 drawn from the re~ervoi~ 21 by a pump 25
that 15 driven by a motor ~6. The brine 99 coming from
re8ervoir 21 pagses ~hrough a fine filter 27 which removes
~S all ~olid impurities, Next the brine 9~ p~3ses throu~h an
ultraviolet light sterill~er 28, which deatroy3 any micro-
or~anisms that may ~ontaminate the brine 99. ~rom the
ultraviolet llght sterili2er 28, the brlne 99 passes into a
brln~ make-up tan~ 29, where ~alt i9 addedt LE nees sary, :o
resto~e the Concentra~ion of the brl~e 99. The br1n~ make-
up tank 2~ i~ equipped to mix the ~alt completely lnto the
--10~
1314261
solutlon, ~o any lnsoluab1s i~puri~ies in the ~al~ precipi-
tate out ln th~ make-up tdnk 29 and nev~ reaoh the b~ning
plt l. The addltion of ~alt to tha ~r1ne 99 may be a~toma-
tic~lly controlled by ~ ~eedback ~y3tem utlllzing a s~iina-
S tlon 8enso~, or by a program wh~ch calculates the amount o~
salt cons~med by ~he volume of c~eego tha~ ha~ boen brlned
and adds suficlent amount of ~lt to rostore the deslred
concentration, ~rom the brlne mako-~p tank 29, the ~rine 99
i~ pu~ped through a heat exchanger 30 oonnected to a refri-
geration unlt (not shown), ~hich is th~mo~t~tically con-
trolled, to ~educe the temperature o~ th~ brine 99 to a
desi~ed temperatu~e to cool thc block~ of cheQ~e 100 rapld-
ly,
~rom the hea~ exch~nger 30, the clea~ed, ~terilized,
reconetituted and cooled brine 99 18 pumped to a m~nlfold
pipe 32 loo~ted beneath the loadlng cana~ 9 and extending
the length o the brinlng pit l. ~he manifold pipe 32 has a
plu~allty o~ outlet no2zles 33, 34 and 35 which extend from
it, and open alon~ the ~ottom Of the brinlng pi~ 1 at spaced
interval~, Th~ cool brine 99 ~ e~cc~e~ th~ough the nozzles
33, 34 a~d 35 ln~o the bottom of the brining pit l with
~ufficient force to overcome the tendency of the cooler
fluid to remain ~t t~e bottom. ~hi~ ~orc~s the cooler brine
99 to flo~ upwa~d through the cages 15, surrounding the
blo~ks of ~heese 100 held in ~he ~ges 15 a6 described
below,
A stalnless steel frame~ork cons~stlng o ver~ical
stanchion3 36, ~hich are made o~ square oros~-section stain-
less 6teel tu~ing, anchored ~o the w211~ of the brlning pit
1, and joined at the top by horizontal ide beams 37
provides support and guidanoe or the movable partn of the
--11--
131~26~
brlnlng app~ratus. In addltion to th~ ve~tlc~l ~tanchions
36 at ea~h ~nd oE the brinin~ tank S, ona ve~tlcal ~anchion
36 iu pr~ided between each pair of a~acent cages 15.
Plastl~ planks 39 and 40 are bolted to the outslde and
S inslde gur~e~, r~s~ectively, o~ each vert~c~l ~tanchion 36
to defino betwoen th~m ~ulde chennol~ 41 for tho ~ertically
sl~dlng lohding and dlscharge door~ 14 and 16, ~o~ctively,
ad~a~ent to loadlng and di~c~arge ~n~B g~ ~nd 4~, re~pec-
tively, o~ the cages 15. ~he out~ide guide plank 39 extend3
.10 from the floor o~ the lo~d~ng and dl~charge canals 9 or 11, ,~o~
re~ectlvely, to a ~elgh~ ~lightly highe~ than ~ e top of 51/~
~ch doo~ 14 or 16 at the peak of its t~avel, and the inside
guide plank 40 extends From the floor of ~he brining p~t 1
to the sa~ height ~ ~he out~ide suide plank 39.
A pla6tl~ rall 45 fa~ened to the centor o~ the lnside
door ~u~de plank 40 extend~ at a right angle from the in~ide
door suid~ 40 towards ~he ce~ter o~ the b~tning plt 1 rrom
th~ bottom to the top of the inslde door guide plank 40.
The plasti~ rail 45 tog~ther ~ith the inslde door guide 40
~0 thu~ provlde right angl~ corne~ guides Fo~ each corn~ o~
each cage 15 to guide it8 vertical travel in and out of ~he
brlne 99.
Each sliding loading door 14 ~cross the entry end 43 of
the ~age 15 is ec~red to the end of t~e pis~o~ ~od 46 of a
pneumatio cylinder 47, the blind end 48 of whi~h ls fastened
to the horizontal gide beam 37. I~ the preferred embodl-
ment, t~e pneumatic cylinders 47 a~ double ac~ing cyllnders
connected in the conventional fashion to a conventlonal
pneumatic elrcult that h~s control~ ~not ~3hown) conveniently
30 located for the operator to ac:tuate the~ cylinder~ 47 to
rai6e and lower the lo~dlng door~a 14 indiv~d~tally, to allow
1 3 1 ~26 1
blo k8 of chee8e l00 to 4e carrled by tho ~tre~m~ 98 o~
~rlno 93 into the cages 15. ~ydraullc cylind~r~ connected
w~th a hydraulio circul~ could also b~ uscd in place o~ the
pnuematic cylindero 47, a~ co~ld rotary nydraulic motors, o~
electri~ m~to~.
In tho p~e~crred e~bodiment, the ~l~ding discharg6 doors
16 opposite ~he exit ~nd~ 44 o~ tho cage~ 15 ara lndlvi-
dually, manually ;a~ed and low~r~d in the guide channels 41
by mean~ o~ lever~ ~, which have handle~ 50 at the top
end3, and whlch are p~votally ~aut~ned at th~l~ bottom ends
51 to the topc o~ the ~espec~lve di~ch~r~ doors 16. The
levers 49 are pivotally su~pended intermediate thelr ends
f~om fulcrum ro~s 52, ~he lower end~ of which a~e pivotally
conn~ted to a point intermediate the ends of the levexs 49
lS and the upper ~nd~ of which ar~ pivot~lly fastened to the
horizontal ~ide be~m 37~
A g~te 53 i5 hinge mounted to the outside of e~ch
outside door guide 39 acros~ the loading door 14 that
con~rol3 acceg~ ~o the entry end 43 oE the cage 15. ~he
gate 53 is normally stowed p~ral~l to th~ load~ng door 14
when it is not in use. To put ~ gate 53 into operation, its
f~ee end 54 i~ pivotted away f~om the loading door 14 to
extend the gate 53 obli~uely across the ioading canal 9.
~his open9 ~cc~9~ to the loading door 1~ ~nd loadinq end 43
of the cage 15, and slmultaneously blo~kg pas~aqe o~ ~h~
floating block4 of cheeBe lo~ in the loading canal 9, de-
flectlng the cheese blocks 100 inwardly through loading door
14 and i~to the cages 15.
~he cages 15 are o~ very li~ht and open construction,
con~lsting o~ and open rectan~ular, ~ainles~ ~t~el fr~me-
work 55 made up of an open ~ectangular bottom Erame 56 and
13~2~1
an o~en re~tangular top frame 57 th~t a~Q ~oined on e~h
corn-~ ~nd s~ de by v~tloal ~rut~ 58 ~nd 59. The top and
bottom ~rame4 57 and S6 are braced ~y tran~vorse ~orizontal,
top and bottom b~acos 6Q ~nd 61, re~pe~tively, which extend
acros~ the top and bottom ~rames 57 and 56, re~pectively, in
all~nment with the re~ectiv~ v~rtl~ truts 58 and 59.
plurallty o horizontal, etainle~ ~te~l bars ~2 are welded
to the ln ides of th~ strut~ 58 a~d 59, equally sp~c~d apart
~nd parallel to ~he top and bottom frames 57 and 56 to
extend the ~ull length of the cage framework 55 and prov~de
ledges 62 for supporting a plur~lity of remova~l0 shelves
53.
~ h~ shelv~s 63 ar~ ~ad~ ~E stainl093 s~eel shae~s the
central, hori20ntal a~ea 64 of which is perforated with
large ~irc~lar hole~ 65 to create ~ much o~en area as pos-
3ible for ve~lcal flow of brine 99 in the brining pit 1.
Opposite sid~ fenceg 6~ and 67 o~ each shelf 63 are bent goo
dawnward to provide vertical support~ for the shelves 63 and
to enclo3e the sides of compartmcnt 97 betwe~n and defined
~o by the shelve~ 63 ln the ~ages 15. Ends 6~ of the vertical
~en~es 66 and 67 o the shelves 6~ are bent horlzontally
inward to provide feet 6~ to rest on the ledgea ~2 on the
vertical po8ts 5~ and 59 of the cage frame 55. Th~ end~ of
th~ ledges 62 have br~cket~ 70 welded to them, so the
bracket~ 70 project upwardly and inwardly over the to~s of
tha feet 68 ~nd 69 ~o hold the shelves 63 in posltion.
The ~orizontal central portions 64 o~ the shelve3 63
have th~ee equally spaced long$tudinal ridge~ 71. 72 and 73,
extending the entire length of the ~helves 63 to provide
rlgldity. ~ach shel~ 63 is made up of two, identical ahelf
m~mbers 74 and 7s, each o~ w~ich extends hal~ the l~ngth o~
-14-
1 3 1 426 1
th~ c~go 15. The ~helf membera 74 and 75 abut each other in
tho contor o~ ~he cage 15, and are jolned by stainlas~ ~teel
pin~ 76 ~nd 77 tha~ ~re welded ln the ridges ~1 and 73 of
one shelf member 7~. ~he pins 76 and 77 pro~ct from the
end~ ~ the shQlf ~ember 74 an~ i~to the ridga5 71 and 73 o~
th~ othe~ shclf memb~ 75, wh~re th~ ends of the interiors
o~ tha rid~e~ 71 and 73 are closed to for~ t~lan$ul~r ~aped
hole ~y m~ans Oa strips of ohee~ stock welded acro~ the
bottom~ o~ the rldges 71 and 73. ~y fo~mlnq eac~ shelf ~3
from two shelÇ m~m~er6 74 and 75, removal of ths ~half 63 i8
facil~tated, ~ecause the s~el~ members ~4 and 75 are 3ho~t
enough to Fit in the space betwee~ th~ b~lning pit 1 and the
br~ning ~oom wall 7. Als~, the shelf ~embera 74 and 75 are
light enough to be easily lifted ~nd c~r~ie~. Easy removal
o~ the shelve3 63 ~ro~ the cage~ 15 fa~ilitates cleaning,
and allows the ope~ator to enlarqe ~he compartment~ 97 be-
~ween the shel~es 63 to accommod2te larger blocks of cheese
100 by removing every other shelf 63.
~he caqe~ 15 ~re supplied wlth rings 79 and 80 welded to
th~ center~ o~ two intermediate top bra~es ~0. Sta1nles6
3te~1 cabl~s 81 and 82 are attached to the rings 79 and 80
and ~rom ~here to a powe~ source ~ not shown) so that the
cages 15 can be individually raised or lowered into the
brining pit 1. The power source or sources for ll~tln~ the
cages 15 may be hydraulic cylinders, hydraulic motors or
electrlc mo~orA, which need not be la~ge or high powered
sin~e they never lift mo~e th~n the weight of an empty c~ge
15. The cage~ 15 are at all times supported by the ~taln-
les~ steel cables 81 and ~2 QO tha~ even ln the lowe~t posi-
tion the bo~toms of ~he cages 15 are suspended a ~hort dis-
tance above the floor 87 of the b~ining pit 1 to allow ample
1314261
space r~r the clarl~l~d, reconstituted and cooled brine 99
rom th~ mani~old nozzle~ 33, 3~ 4nd 35 to ~low unob~tructsd
undRr the en~ c~g@~ 15 and then upw~ through th~ per-
~o~tio~a ~5 in th~ shel~ 63 to the ~u~fa6e o~ the br$ne
gs wher~ lt jo~ns the horl20n~cal ~tr~am~ 9~.
ln ope~ation, aater tha ~u~d 13 forme~, kneadod, ~pa-
rated ~rom the wh~y and preas~d into shape~, wh$C~ are typi-
cally ~ix-pound lo~e~ o~ 20-pou~ ~lab~, in th~ well-known
manner, the bloc~s of chees~ 100 ar~ deposited by the belt
conveyor a in the brine-fllled loading canal 9 along the
~ide oX the brining pit 1. The pump 17 impar~s power~ul
currents to the brine 99 that are foçuse~ into streams 98 by
the canal 2. The stream 98 in the loading canal 9 propels
and conveys the ~loatlng blockQ oP cheese 100 tow~rd the
bl~nd end 42 of the brlning ~ank 5 until they reach a gate
53 opened acro~ the canal 9 opposite th~ cage 15 to be
loaded. The operator will also have actuated the pneumatic
cylinder q7 to open the adjacent loading door 14 so the gate
53 can de~lect the floating cheese blocks 100 and part of
t~e st~eam 9~ ~nto loading end 43 of the cage 15 in the
compartment 97 between the shelves 63 that is at ~he ~urface
of the brine 99.
When one compartment 97 in a c~ge lS is filled to lts
capaclty with block~ o~ cheese 100, the operatOr lower~ the
cage 15 ~n~o the brlning p~t 1 to submerge that compartment
97, and allgns the next highe~ compartment ~7 with the ~ur-
~ace o~ ~he brine 99. Wh~n all oF the compartments 97 in
that cage 15 are filled, the c~ge lS will be complet~ly
aubmerged, and the operator closes its adjac~nt ~o~ding door
1~ and gate 53. ~he block~ of chee~e 100 ~loatlng with the
~tream 9~ in the loadlng ~anal 9 then flow to nQxt gate 53
1314261
o~ened by ~he operato~ where they z~ de~le~ted through the
op~ned loading door l~ lnto the bottom compartment 97 o~ the
next ~ag~ 15 selected by the operato~ to be loaded.
~hen all of the ~age~ lS ha~e be~n filled wlth chee~e
lOO, or when the entir~ production run o~ chee6e lOO ~
submerged in the ~rine 99, it 19 held t~ere by tha cages 15
while ~be vertical ~low o~ brine 99 i~ ~he brining pit l
carrles heat away from ~hC che~se lOO to tho su~f~ce of the
b~lne 99 and con~inually ~ashes all of th~ surf~ce~ of the
~lock3 of cheego lOO w~th b~n~. Wheneve~ ~h~re iB cheese
lOO anywhere in the brining tank 5, bo~h the brine circula-
tlon pump ~5 and the brin~ propul~ion pump 17 must be
oper~ting. Thus the b~ining 3y~tem o~ the presen~ invention
rap~dly cools the block~ o~ che~e lOO to stop ~ll biochemi-
lS cal action, produ~ing ~hee~ 100 havinq exactlY the ~pec~-
fled acldity. Al~o, ~he invention br1ne3 the chee3e to thed~sired saltine6s in a mlnimum time.
When the b~ining is completed, the operator can begin
unloading the cages 15 in the ~ame 9equences as they were
loaded. ~he loadlng and di3charge doors l~ and 16 have
diqtinct upper and lower halve3 87, sa, ~9~ 90, respectlve-
ly. The upper halves 87 and 88 of ~he loadlng and di~charge
door3 14 and 16 ~e ~olid, bu~ the lower h~lves 8g and 90
ar~ pe~orated to pre3en~ ~n open grating through which the
~ream~ 98 of b~ine 99 can flo~ 3y holstin; the cage 15 to
be unloaded untll the co~p~rtment 97 between the shel~e~ 63
to be unloaded ~g partially above the surface of th~ brine,
opening the adjacent discha~ge door 15 and raising the oppo-
slte loading door 14 50 that the lowe~, per~orated half 89
is at surface l~vel, the blo~k~ of cheese 100 ~ loat
~ith the re3ulting stream 98 out of the dls~h~ge end 43 of
131~261
t~e c~g~ 15 lnto tha dl~charg~ ~anal 11. The ~t~eam 98 ln
tho d~charge canal 11 carrie~ the ~loating cheese blocks
loO tow~rd the acce~3 end 19 o~ ~he b~ining tank 5, whcre
the bel t conveyo~ 10 remove~ ~he chR~se blocks 100 ~om the
canal 2, ~nd carries thc block~ th~ugh a washer ~not shown)
to tho wr~ppin~ machine ~not shown). A~ each compar~ment 97
betw~n the ~h~lve~ 63 is thus amptled, tho cage 15 ~ 5
hoiAtad to ll~t ~he next compartment ~7 partially above the
3urface of th~ ~rine 99 ~or unloadlng. Thi~ epeated
1~ until the cage 15 i~ empty, and s~spended above the brine 99
ln the pit 1. ~hen the sa~e proce~ure i3 followed with the
next cage 15 until all ~ages 15 hav~ been unlo~ded.
The brinin~ Sy9tem of the pre~ent inventlon may be
deslgned so that each cage 15, or a giv~n number of cages
15, wlll accommodate a batch o~ cheese. This fea~ure
enhances quallty control and minimizes loss in the event o~
a bad batch or ~n in~erior ~uality batch. ~hen a cage L5 i~
filled to c~pacity, o~ to the deaired extent. all o~ the
che~e block~ 100 will be submerged in the ~rlne pit 1. The
~0 con~nual ~low of filte~e~, ster~llzed, reconstltuted and
cocled brine ~rom ~he outlet noz~les 33, 34 ~nd 35 into the
bottom of the brininq pit 1 c~eateg a con3tance in~lux of
~resh, cool brine 9~, which ri~e~ vertically from the bottom
o~ the brining pit 1 towards the s~rface of the brine 9g,
where ~he brin~ sg lg cau~ht in the horizontal 3tream 98
c~eated by the larqe ~apa~ty, brine propulsion pump 17.
Thls stream 98 flows from the pump ~7 thr~ugh the loading
~na} 9 from ~here it br~ncheg with par~ flowing acro~ the
brinlng pit 1 through or over the cages 15, and part
con~lnues aro~nd the blind ~nd canal 31 at the blind end ~2
o~ the brining tank 5 an~ lnto the di~charge c~nal 11. The
-18-
131~261
brine ~ream 98 ~low~ ~n the dlscha~ge canal 11 f rom t~e
bllnd ~nd ~2 o the tank 5 towArds it~ acce~3 Qnd 19. W~en
the tream g8 o~ brine gg reache~ the acce~ ~nd 19 o~ th~
tank 5, part of ~t spill~ ove~ th~ top of the wei~ 23 lnto
5 tho brlne re3e~voi r 21 into ~nd through the perforated
baskQt ~4, and th~ othe~ part o~ ~he stream 9~ 1~ d~awn into
the brine p~opulsion pump 17 w~lch d~iv~ I t back into the
lo~dlng canal 9 to ~omplet~ th~ c~ rcuit.
~he ~ortion Or th~ brine 9g tha~ ~pllls into thn brine
reservoir 21, through the ba~k0t 24 i~ pumped out of the
brine re~rvoir ~1 through drain pipè 83 by the circulat~on
pump Z5. The brine i~ pumped t~ough the E~ne filte~ 27, to
remo~e ~ny solldg remaining in it, and through the ultravio-
let sterllizer 2~, which kllls any microorgani~m-4 that m~y
enter the brine 9g wlth the che~se blocks 100 or form the
ambient air, From the steri1iz~r 28, the brlne i8 p~mped to
the make~up tank 29 where additional sAlt i8 added, if
needed, to restore the brine to optimal concent~tion. The
~rine flows ~om the b~ne mak~-up tank 2g, through the heat
exchang~r 30 where it i cooled to the desired temperature,
and lnto the manifold pip~ 3~ ad~ac~nt the brine pit 1, And
it is pumped ou~ o~ the manifold pip~ 32 through the outlet
no~zles 33, 34 and 35 in~o the bottom o~ the ~rlnlng pit 1
beneath the ~ge~ lS to repedt itg circulation.
Sanitatlon i~ extremely importan~ in the ~roces9ing and
handling of dairy products and though chee~e tend~ to puri~y
it3elf, Qanitation i9 nevertheless im~ortant to preserve
good quallty. A brining system embodylng the present lnven-
tlon readily lend~ it~elf to cl~aning, both b~c~use ~he
shelves 63 ln the cages 15 are e~sily disa~se~bled and ro-
moved for cleaning, and becau~e thc brine 99 i9 continually
-19-
131~261
rocl~u14ted, ~lltered and sterllized. In addltion, mixlng
tho ~a1t into th~ brine 99 $n the b~lne make-uP tank 29
in~tead of ~he brining pit wa~ done befc~e tho ~nv~ntion o~
U.S. P~tent No. 3,910,174 pre~ent2 1mpurlties in the ~alt
from gattlng into the brlning pit, and a1so prevent~ sa1t
from ~ett1ing out in the bottom o~ the brlning pit. Nover
thele~ ter ext~nded per~od~ o uAag~, 3uch a~ a week, lt
is de~irab1e to t~e pres~rvation of ~lgh 3~andard~ of 3ani-
t~tion to empty t~e brinlng pit and thoroughly e1ean the
~ntir~ syst~m. A ~y~eem embodying the p~esent invention
readi1y 1end~ itself to automatlc CIP (clean in p1ace)
systems, AEte~ the b~ine has been emp~ied fro~ ~he brlning
pit 1, the brine re~ervoir 21 a~d ~h~ brine reconstituting
circult, whlch inc1ud0s ~he pump 25, the fine filter 27,
st~ri1izer 2~, make-up t~nk 29, and h~at exchanger 30, C~P
~1uids can be pumped ~hrough the brine ~econ3tituting cir-
ouit ln the opposi~e direction ~fom the normal brine flow to
c1eAn ~oroughly all of the in~ide surf~ce~ of condu1t 83,
3~, 33, 34, 35, ~ilters 24 and 27, steri1izer 28, the brine
Z0 make-up tank Z9, the heat exchanger 30, the brlne reservoir
21 and ~he brining pit 1.
-20-
