(19) TZZ ¥Z_T (11) EP 2 836 076 B1 (12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION (45) Date of publication and mention (51) Int Cl.: of the grant of the patent: A22C 17/00 (2006.01) 25.05.2016 Bulletin 2016/21 (86) International application number: (21) Application number: 13729485.6 PCT/IT2013/000103 (22) Date of filing: 10.04.2013 (87) International publication number: WO 2013/153565 (17.10.2013 Gazette 2013/42) (54) IMPROVED SKEWER MACHINE FOR CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING FOOD ON SKEWERS VERBESSERTE SPIESSMASCHINE ZUR KONTINUIERLICHEN HERSTELLUNG VON NAHRUNGSMITTELN AUF SPIESSEN MACHINE À BROCHETTE PERFECTIONNÉE DESTINÉE À PRODUIRE DE MANIÈRE CONTINUE DES ALIMENTS SUR DES BROCHETTES (84) Designated Contracting States: (72) Inventor: Vitileia, Nicolino AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB 65010 Collecorvino (PE) (IT) GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR (74) Representative: Sarpi, Maurizio Studio Ing. Ivo Jacobacci & C. S.R.L. (30) Priority: 12.04.2012 IT RM20120155 Via R. Cadorna 29 00187 Roma (IT) (43) Date of publication of application: 18.02.2015 Bulletin 2015/08 (56) References cited: WO-A1-2009/025082 FR-A1- 2 929 079 (73) Proprietor: Vitileia, Nicolino NL-C2- 1 035 785 US-A1- 2009 181 155 65010 Collecorvino (PE) (IT) Note: Within nine months of the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent in the European Patent Bulletin, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to that patent, in accordance with the Implementing Regulations. Notice of opposition shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). EP 2 836 076 B1 Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR) 1 EP 2 836 076 B1 2 Description chine that has a supporting base comprising a guard for protection of the guiding unit. The base and the guard [0001] The subject of the invention is a skewering ma- enable sliding of a mould-supporting unit, the mould com- chine, i.e., a machine for the production of foodstuffs cut prising housings for cubes of food and grooves for pas- into pieces or having small dimensions, arranged on5 sage of the skewers for skewering the cubes of food. skewers, by which they are held together. [0010] The above machines are based upon the use [0002] This type of foodstuffs, known more commonly of particular containers or trays bearing a succession of as "sack-on-skewer", or, if roasted, as "arrosticini", "shish housings or cells, having the shape and set in the order kebab", "kepab" or "kebab", "churrasco", "souvlaki", etc., chosen by the manufacturer. is widespread in many culinary traditions of the world. 10 [0011] Each cell will have the shape of the product that [0003] The pieces of food used are in general red and it is designed to receive, i.e., of the piece of meat, veg- white meat, fish, vegetables or fruit, as well as foodstuff etable, sausage, etc. products already prepared, such as würstel, sausages, [0012] To speed up the operations of filling, the trays etc. are mounted on a conveyor, or on other movement sys- [0004] Preparation of the product is particularly labo- 15 tems, in such a way that, with a certain cadence, the rious, irrespective of the pieces of food used, in so far as operator is presented, in succession, with empty trays to it envisages, in a first step, preparation of the piece/piec- be filled. es of food required, possibly cutting them into portions, [0013] However, the skewers produced mechanically and then, in a second step, manual arrangement of the with the methods referred to above present a series of pieces on the skewers, possibly alternating the layers of 20 disadvantages and problems, above all regarding the ef- the various pieces of food according to the recipe chosen. ficiency and reliability of the machines themselves. [0005] The laboriousness of these operations has ori- [0014] The main purpose of the invention is hence to ented several manufacturers to the production of ma- overcome said disadvantages by providing a machine chines that are able to facilitate and/or carry out the me- presenting greater efficiency, reliability, and productivity chanical operations of skewering. 25 as compared to the machines currently on the market. [0006] The document No. US 2009/181155 describes [0015] The above purpose has been obtained, accord- a machine for kebabs for automatically inserting wooden ing to the present invention by providing a machine pre- skewers in various foodstuff components, such as for senting substantial modifications to some functional el- example meat, vegetables, and the like. The foodstuff ements and consequently to the modalities of execution components are kept inside the conveyors, whereas the 30 of the steps of the production cycle, as specified in the individual skewers are conveyed by a skewer conveyor. ensuing Claim 1. The skewers are guided through the conveyors and the [0016] A better understanding of the invention will be foodstuff components present therein to form the kebab. obtained from the ensuing detailed description with ref- As the conveyors are passing over a gear wheel, the erence to the attached drawings, which illustrate a pre- adjacent carrying elements tilt with respect to one anoth- 35 ferred embodiment thereof purely by way of nonlimiting er with tiltable elongated extensions until they release example. and expel the skewers with the pieces of food arranged [0017] In the drawings: thereon from the conveyors for further processing oper- ations. Figure 1 shows a container/tray of a known type, [0007] The document No.WO 2009/025082 envisages 40 used in existing skewering machines, a skewering apparatus that is able to insert a skewer Figure 2 is a view of the principle used in the ma- directly in materials placed on a tray so that it can perform chines currently on the market; a skewering operation in the same manner as when Figure 3 is a view of the principle diagram used in skewering by hand. A tray carrying materials is trans- the new skewering system; ferred to a skewering position, and the materials placed 45 Figure 4 is a view of the main elements of the new on the arraying unit of the tray are then held by the holding system for arranging the pieces of food on the skew- unit of a holding device. A circular skewer, which is drawn ers set in a revolver-type arrangement. starting from the guiding passage of a loading unit of a Figure 5 is a view of the system for closing the con- driving device, is inserted straight into the centre of the tainers/trays by means of the new flexible-band sys- materials arranged in a line in the arraying unit. 50 tem; [0008] The document No. NL 1035785 describes a de- Figure 6 is a schematic view of the currently known vice provided with a container having a compartment for device for selection and automatic loading of the withholding the pieces of food, where the dimensions of skewers; the compartment are aligned for maintaining in position Figure 7 is a schematic view of the new device for the pieces of food. A driving unit is arranged on a support, 55 selection and automatic loading of the skewers; and the compartment is designed for blocking the pieces Figure 8 shows the system for fast coupling of the of food. containers/trays to the conveying system; [0009] The document No. FR2929079 describes a ma- Figure 9 is a 3D view, from the side opposite to that 2 3 EP 2 836 076 B1 4 of Figure 4, which shows a part of the invention al- wherein said moving elements, said means for picking ready assembled in the portion for conveying of the up the skewers, and said respective housings for the food to be skewered and for arrangement thereof on skewers all move in synchronism with continuous motion the skewers; corresponding to the movement of the containers/trays Figure 10 is a 3D view from the side opposite to the 5 for the foodstuff product to be skewered. previous one, which illustrates the new system for [0021] It should be noted that by means of said skew- automatic loading of the skewers; and ering system the following purposes are achieved: Figure 11 is a top plan view corresponding to those of Figures 9 and 10. a) PERFECT CENTRING OF THE SKEWER IN THE As is will be seen more clearly in what follows, the 10 PRODUCT main improvements introduced by the present inven- tion are: [0022] The system is such as to guarantee that, during the movement of skewering, the skewer is always guided A. improvements to the skewering system; and accompanied so as to prevent it from coming out of B. improvements designed to increase the pro- 15 the foodstuff product in the passage between the various ductivity by providing a continuous skewering cells of the tray or so as to prevent, on account of the cycle without any pause and/or intermittence; variation of consistency of the various products skew- C. improvements to the system for closing the ered, the skewer from being deviated and coming out of containers/trays; the product to be skewered. D. improvements to automatic pick-up of the 20 skewers; and b) GUARANTEE THAT THE SKEWERS WON’T STICK, E. improvements to the system for connection DEFLECT OR BREAK ofthe containers/traysto theconveyor to enable, in the case of change of format of the product, [0023] Simple skewering by pushing the skewer into a fast replacement thereof without dismantling 25 the piece of food does not prevent, where defects of rec- the conveyor.