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US 10,207,418 B2Granted
Product slicer and automatic slicer engagement mechanism
AssigneeGlobe Food Equipment Co.
InventorsDouglas J. McGuffin-Noll, Peter Dierauer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A product slicer incorporating an automatic slicer engagement mechanism attached to a carriage assembly and configured for quick, safe, reliable, and releasable engagement with a belt to provide powered automated slicing, and disengagement to allow manual slicing.
Claims18
A product slicer (1100), comprising:
- a housing (1200);
- a knife (1300) mounted to the housing (1200) and rotatable about a central knife axis, the knife (1300) having a knife cutting edge (1320) defining a knife cutting plane;
- a carriage assembly (900) mounted to the housing (1200), the carriage assembly (900) including a carriage table (930) configured for reciprocating motion past the knife cutting edge (1320);
- a drive system (1000) mounted to the housing (1200) and including at least one motor (1010) to drive a belt (1020);
- an automatic slicer engagement mechanism (100) attached to the carriage assembly (900) and configured for releasable engagement with the belt (1020), wherein the automatic slicer engagement mechanism (100) includes:
- (a) a base (200);
- (b) a fixed jaw (240) connected to the base (200) and having a belt engagement surface (241), wherein the fixed jaw (240) includes a belt recess (242) such that the belt engagement surface (241) is a recess base surface (246) at a recess depth (243), and at least one moving jaw tooth (410) is configured so that it cannot enter the belt recess (242);
- (c) a moving jaw (400) movably connected to the base (200), wherein the moving jaw (400) comprises the at least one moving jaw tooth (410) and at least one arm (430);
- and
- (d) a slide (300) in slidable cooperation with the base (200) and in cooperating with the at least one arm (430), wherein the slide (300) is configured to move from a first position to a second position thereby displacing the at least one arm (430) and the moving jaw (400) from a disengaged state to an engaged state, wherein in the disengaged state the fixed jaw (240) and the moving jaw (400) do not engage the belt (1020) and the carriage assembly is manually movable, and in the engaged state the at least one moving jaw tooth (410) is substantially parallel with the belt engagement surface (241) and the belt (1020) is securely engaged between the fixed jaw (240) and the moving jaw (400) so that powered movement of the belt (1020) produces powered movement of the carriage assembly (900).
7 more elements
A product slicer (1100), comprising:
- a housing (1200);
- a knife (1300) mounted to the housing (1200) and rotatable about a central knife axis, the knife (1300) having a knife cutting edge (1320) defining a knife cutting plane;
- a carriage assembly (900) mounted to the housing (1200), the carriage assembly (900) including a carriage table (930) configured for reciprocating motion past the knife cutting edge (1320);
- a drive system (1000) mounted to the housing (1200) and including at least one motor (1010) to drive a belt (1020);
- an automatic slicer engagement mechanism (100) attached to the carriage assembly (900) and configured for releasable engagement with the belt (1020), wherein the automatic slicer engagement mechanism (100) includes:
- (a) a base (200);
- (b) a fixed jaw (240) connected to the base (200) and having a belt engagement surface (241);
- (c) a moving jaw (400) pivotably connected to the base (200) about a pivot axis, wherein the moving jaw (400) has at least one moving jaw tooth (410) and at least one arm (430) located on opposite sides of the pivot axis, and wherein the moving jaw (400) is biased toward the disengaged state;
- and (d) a slide (300) slidably attached to the base (200) and in contact with the at least one arm (430), wherein the slide (300) is configured to move from a first position to a second position thereby displacing the at least one arm (430) and pivoting the moving jaw (400) from a disengaged state to an engaged state, wherein in the disengaged state the fixed jaw (240) and the moving jaw (400) do not engage the belt (1020) and the carriage assembly is manually movable, and in the engaged state the at least one moving jaw tooth (410) has rotated to be substantially parallel with the belt engagement surface (241) and the belt (1020) is securely engaged between the fixed jaw (240) and the moving jaw (400) so that powered movement of the belt (1020) produces powered movement of the carriage assembly (900);
- and an actuator (700) that controls the position of the slide (300).
7 more elements
A product slicer (1100), comprising:
- a housing (1200);
- a knife (1300) mounted to the housing (1200) and rotatable about a central knife axis, the knife (1300) having a knife cutting edge (1320) defining a knife cutting plane;
- a carriage assembly (900) mounted to the housing (1200), the carriage assembly (900) including a carriage table (930) configured for reciprocating motion past the knife cutting edge (1320);
- a drive system (1000) mounted to the housing (1200) and including at least one motor (1010) to drive a belt (1020);
- an automatic slicer engagement mechanism (100) attached to the carriage assembly (900) and configured for releasable engagement with the belt (1020), wherein the automatic slicer engagement mechanism (100) includes:
- (a) a base (200);
- (b) a fixed jaw (240) connected to the base (200) and having a belt engagement surface (241);
- (c) a moving jaw (400) movably connected to the base (200), wherein the moving jaw (400) comprises the at least one moving jaw tooth (410) and at least one arm (430);
- (d) a slide (300) in slidable cooperation with the base (200) and in cooperating with the at least one arm (430), wherein the slide (300) is configured to move from a first position to a second position thereby displacing the at least one arm (430) and the moving jaw (400) from a disengaged state to an engaged state, wherein in the disengaged state the fixed jaw (240) and the moving jaw (400) do not engage the belt (1020) and the carriage assembly is manually movable, and in the engaged state the at least one moving jaw tooth (410) is substantially parallel with the belt engagement surface (241) and the belt (1020) is securely engaged between the fixed jaw (240) and the moving jaw (400) so that powered movement of the belt (1020) produces powered movement of the carriage assembly (900);
- and
- (e) a jaw biasing device (440) disposed between the fixed jaw (240) and the moving jaw (400) wherein the jaw biasing device (440) biases the moving jaw (400) to the disengaged state.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.