Machine for cutting fruit or vegetables into segments
AssigneeA.B.L. S.R.L.
InventorsCarlo Ascari, Luca Ascari
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A machine for cutting fruit or vegetables into segments, including a blade group (10), at least one of which is arranged with a radial orientation relative to a central axis (X); a presser (20) arranged above the blade group (10) and mobile according to an operating stroke along which it pushes a product (P) through the blades (10); a motor, connected to the presser (20) for activating it along an operating stroke thereof. The presser (20) includes a central body (21), connected to the motor; a peripheral body (22), arranged concentrically to the central body (21) and mobile relative to the central body (21) between a first and a second end position.
Claims15
A machine for cutting fruit or vegetables into segments, comprising:
- a blade group (10), structured to perform the cutting of the product into cut segments and to remove a first or central portion thereof, which comprises radial blades (11), arranged with a radial orientation with respect to a central axis (X), and a tubular blade (12), arranged concentrically to the central axis (X) for removing the central portion of the product;
- a presser (20), equipped with a plurality of radial notches, intended to be inserted on the radial blades (11), which is arranged above the blade group (10) and is mobile according to an operating stroke along which the presser (20) pushes a product (P) through the radial blades (11);
- motor means, connected to the presser (20) by means of a mobile structure (40), predisposed for activating along an operating stroke thereof;
- characterised in that the presser (20) comprises:
- a central body (21), connected to the motor means;
- a peripheral body (22), arranged concentrically to the central body (21) and mobile relative to the central body (21);
- pusher means (23) acting on the peripheral body (22) for pushing the peripheral body (22) downwardly;
- wherein the pusher means (23) comprises a spring;
- wherein during the operating stroke:
- (a) the central body (21) pushes the product (P) with a first pressure sufficient to push the first or central portion of the product (P) through the tubular blade (12), and (b) the peripheral body (22) pushes a second portion of the product (P) surrounding the central portion through the radial blades (11) with a second pressure which is less than the first pressure and which is effective to minimize damage to the segments cut from the second portion and which yields intact cut segments, wherein, during the cutting of the segments from each other and from the central portion of the product (P), the peripheral body (22) is not rigidly connected to the central body (21), and wherein, during at least a portion of the cutting of the segments from each other and from the central portion of the product (P), the central body (21) advances downwardly more quickly than the peripheral body (22).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.