Countertop bread slicer
AssigneeOliver Products Company
InventorsBernard L. Petersen, Gary L. Kruse
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A compact and efficient bread slicer for countertop use such as in an in-store bakery or delicatessen. The slicer includes horizontal slicing blades and a bread cradle for carrying a loaf upwardly along a linear path through the blades. An infeed table extends downwardly from the blades to support the bread along the linear path. Preferably, the infeed table and the linear path are inclined from the vertical such that the loaf falls against the table to ride therealong. Further preferably, the cradle movement mechanism includes a gas spring for urging the bread through the blades at a generally uniform speed.
Claims14
a bread slicer comprising:
- a generally horizontal blade assembly;
- a bread cradle means for supporting a loaf of bread and being generally vertically shiftable between a lower poisition below said blade assembly permitting a loaf to be positioned on said cradle means and an upper position generally proximate said blade assembly;
- and
- urging means for urging said cradle means toward the upper position, said urging means including a gas spring to transport said cradle at a generally uniform speed;
- whereby a loaf can be sliced by lowering said cradle means, positioning a loaf thereon, and releasing said cradle means to carry the loaf at a generally uniform speed through the blade assembly.
A bread slicer comprising:
- a housing having a forward portion, a rear portion, and at least one side;
- generally horizontal blade means for slicing loaves of bread, said blade means being mounted in said forward portion of said housing to be accessible from above said housing;
- motive means for driving said blade means, said motive means being located within said rear portion of said housing and thus behind said blade means;
- a bread cradle in said forward portion of said housing, said cradle being vertically shiftable between a lower position below said blade means and an upper position proximate said blade means;
- and
- lever means for vertically shifting said cradle along a generally linear path, said lever means including a manually oprated handle mounted on said side of said housing, said lever means further including bias means for biasing said cradle to said upper position, said bias means including a gas spring to shift the loaf upwardly at a generally unifrom rate when said manually operated handle is released.
A bread slicer as defined in claim 13 wherein said causing means comprises means for maintaining said cradle generally perpendicular to said infeed table means as said cradle travels along said linear path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.