Article Slicing Method and Apparatus

An article slicing apparatus for simultaneously cutting several articles into an accumulation of multiple parallel slices, the articles having a longitudinal axis, comprising:

• a plurality of cutting blades spaced from one another in parallel planes for cutting the articles into slices,
• drive means connected to said cutting blades and
• configured for oscillating alternate ones of the cutting blades upwardly while oscillating the other alternate blades downwardly,
• article pushers each including a plurality of pusher fins sized and shaped to move from above the cutting blades downwardly between the cutting blades,
• pusher actuating means operatively connected to said article pushers for moving the article pushers from a loading position spaced away from the cutting blades for facilitating the placement of articles on the cutting blades to aligned positions aligned above the articles on the cutting blades, and for moving the pusher fins of the article pushers downwardly from the aligned positions to between the cutting blades to push the articles through the cutting blades,
• a transfer tray positioned beneath the cutting blades a distance for receiving the sliced articles from the cutting blades substantially without dropping the articles from the cutting blades,
• guides for guiding the slices as they are being received on the transfer tray to avoid the slices of each article from separating when received on the transfer tray and to avoid the slices from tilting, and
• gathering members movable with respect to said transfer tray for engaging and gathering the slices on the transfer tray in an edge standing attitude.