US 10,525,609 B2Granted

Spiral cutting apparatus

AssigneeVeggie Noodle Co, LLC

InventorsMason Arnold, Christopher Tyson Self, David Kogan

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Abstract

A cutting device for spiral cutting a vegetable includes a mounting surface that engages the vegetable and is rotated using a motor, which causes rotation of the vegetable. The mounting surface may be moved toward a cutting surface using a lever arm that transmits only a portion of a manual force applied to the lever arm in a direction toward the mounting surface, facilitating precise movement of the mounting surface and a consistent size and shape of the resulting vegetable strands. Movement of the vegetable relative to the cutting surface may pass the vegetable through a slotted blade and a secondary blade. The spacing of cutters in the slotted blade determines the width of vegetable strands produced by the cutting apparatus, while the placement of the secondary blade determines the thickness of the strands. The position of the secondary blade may be adjustable to control the thickness.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A cutting apparatus comprising:

a mounting surface configured to engage an object;
a motor coupled to the mounting surface, wherein a first force from the motor rotates the mounting surface and the object about a rotational axis;
a faceplate that includes a cutting surface, wherein the mounting surface is movable, under application of a second force, in a first direction toward the cutting surface and a second direction away from the cutting surface;
a coring blade having a hollow center that at least partially encircles an orifice extending through the faceplate, wherein the coring blade is positioned approximately coaxial with the rotational axis;
a slotted blade positioned within a first side of a space that extends through the faceplate and extending radially from the coring blade in a non-parallel direction relative to the rotational axis;
a secondary blade having a first end with a cutting edge and a second end opposite the first end, the secondary blade positioned within a second side of the space adjacent to the slotted blade, wherein a portion of the space between the slotted blade and the secondary blade defines a gap between the slotted blade and the secondary blade and a width of the gap determines a thickness of portions of the object cut by the secondary blade, and wherein a position of the secondary blade relative to the slotted blade is adjustable to control the width of the gap;
a holder for the secondary blade, the holder including one or more pins positioned adjacent to the second end of the secondary blade, wherein the one or more pins engage the faceplate, and the holder is movable relative to the faceplate about a rotational axis defined by the one or more pins to move the cutting edge of the secondary blade relative to the slotted blade;
an adjustment member that engages the holder to a portion of the faceplate, wherein movement of the adjustment member applies a third force to the faceplate to cause the holder to pivot about the rotational axis defined by the one or more pins;
and
an arm assembly engaged with the mounting surface and configured to transmit a first portion of the second force to the mounting surface to urge the mounting surface in one or more of the first direction or the second direction, wherein the arm assembly is engaged to an attachment point that is configured to cause the arm assembly to transmit the first portion of the second force in the first direction and to transmit a second portion of the second force away from the first direction.

7 more elements

A cutting apparatus comprising:

a mounting surface configured to engage an object;
a faceplate that includes a cutting surface including one or more blades, wherein the one or more blades include:
a coring blade having a hollow center that at least partially encircles an orifice extending through the faceplate;
a slotted blade having a first axis perpendicular to at least one cutting edge of the slotted blade;
and
a secondary blade having a first end with a cutting edge, a second end opposite the first end, and a second axis parallel to the cutting edge of the secondary blade and parallel to the first axis, wherein a position of the secondary blade is adjustable relative to the slotted blade to control a width of a gap between the secondary blade and the slotted blade;
a holder for the secondary blade, wherein the holder engages the faceplate and is moveable relative to the faceplate about a rotational axis that is adjacent to the second end of the secondary blade to move the cutting edge of the secondary blade relative to the slotted blade;
an adjustment member positioned on the holder, wherein the adjustment member applies a force to the faceplate to cause movement of the holder to pivot the cutting edge of the secondary blade about the rotational axis;
and
a motor coupled to the mounting surface via a rotatable shaft, wherein the motor is configured to apply a first force to the mounting surface by rotating the rotatable shaft about an axis to cause rotation of the mounting surface and the object engaged to the mounting surface;
wherein the mounting surface is movable toward the cutting surface under application of a second force.

8 more elements

A cutting apparatus comprising:

a faceplate that includes a cutting surface and a space extending through the cutting surface;
a slotted blade positioned in a first side of the space, wherein the slotted blade has a first axis that is perpendicular to at least one cutting edge of the slotted blade;
a secondary blade having a first end with a cutting edge and a second end opposite the first end, the secondary blade positioned in a second side of the space adjacent to the slotted blade, wherein a second axis of the secondary blade is parallel to the cutting edge of the secondary blade and parallel to the first axis, and wherein a position of the secondary blade relative to the slotted blade is moveable to control a width of a gap between the secondary blade and the slotted blade;
a holder for the secondary blade, wherein the holder engages the secondary blade to the faceplate at a location on the holder that is adjacent to the second end of the secondary blade, and wherein the holder is moveable relative to the faceplate about a rotational axis to move the cutting edge of the secondary blade relative to the slotted blade;
an adjustment member that engages a portion of the faceplate and applies a force to the faceplate to cause movement of the holder to pivot the cutting edge of the secondary blade about the rotational axis;
and
a mounting surface configured to engage an object, wherein the mounting surface is rotatable to rotate the object and is moveable toward and away from the cutting surface to bring the object into contact with the slotted blade and the secondary blade, and wherein rotation of the mounting surface rotates the object to cause the slotted blade and the secondary blade to cut the object.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/650,742Filed 14 Jul 2017 · us provisional application
Priority: 18 Jul 2016
Published: US 2018/0015623 A118 Jan 2018
Granted: 7 Jan 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

B26D 3/11
Making cuts of other than simple rectilinear form: to obtain pieces of spiral or helical form
A47J 25/00
Devices for coring fruit
B26D 1/03
Having a stationary cutting member: with a plurality of cutting members
B26D 7/0666
Arrangements for feeding or delivering work of other than sheet, web, or filamentary form: by screw or rotary spiral conveyors