Power operated rotary knife with notched rotary knife blade and trim guide

A power operated rotary knife assembly comprising:

• a) a hand-held power operated rotary knife including a head assembly and an elongated handle assembly extending from the head assembly along a longitudinal axis, the head assembly including:
• i) an annular rotary knife blade supported for rotation about a central axis of rotation in a direction of rotation, the annular rotary knife blade including a blade section including a central opening and a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart notches extending from a lower end of the blade section, each of the plurality of notches including an opening at the lower end and a central open portion defined by a peripheral wall, the peripheral wall including a cutting portion, the cutting portion of each of the plurality of circumferentially spaced apart notches defining a cutting edge of the rotary knife blade;
• ii) a trim guide including a central opening and a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart notches extending from a lower end of the trim guide, each of the plurality of notches including an opening at the lower end and a central open portion defined by a peripheral wall, the peripheral wall including a shearing portion, the shearing portions in overlapping axial alignment with the cutting portions of the plurality of notches of the blade section of the annular rotary knife blade as the annular rotary blade rotates about the central axis of rotation, overlapping central openings the annular rotary knife blade and the trim guide defining a central cutting opening of the head assembly;
• and
• iii) a frame body supporting a drive mechanism including a gear member engaging and rotating the annular rotary knife blade;
• b) a portable power unit including a drive motor assembly and a blower assembly, the drive motor assembly including a driveshaft assembly rotating about a driveshaft central axis of rotation, the blower assembly including a fan and a duct, the fan operatively coupled to the driveshaft assembly for rotation, rotation of the fan causing a vacuum pressure condition within an interior region of an inlet duct side of the duct;
• c) a flexible shaft drive transmission including a rotating flex shaft assembly operatively coupled between the driveshaft assembly of the portable power unit and the drive mechanism of the head assembly of the power operated rotary knife, rotation of the driveshaft assembly about the driveshaft central axis of rotation causing rotation of the flex shaft assembly and rotation of the gear member of the drive mechanism to rotate the annular rotary knife blade;
• and
• d) a vacuum assembly including a vacuum hose coupled between the head assembly and the inlet duct side of the duct of the blower assembly, the interior region of the inlet duct side in fluid communication with an interior region of the hose and a region of the central cutting opening of the head assembly.