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US 6,694,649 B2Granted
Motor driven knife including depth limiting device
AssigneeBettcher Industries, Inc.
InventorsJeffrey A. Whited, Robert L. Leimbach, Robert R. Bolin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotary knife comprising, an annular blade having a central axis, a blade supporting head assembly supporting the blade for rotation about the axis, a manually grippable handle assembly connected to the head assembly, and a flex shaft drive transmission for driving the blade about the axis. A depth of cut limiting device engages material as an operator moves the rotary knife across a surface to trim material from that surface. The depth of cut limiting device has particular utility in trimming fat from meat while leaving a controlled thickness of fat on the meat.
Claims32
A rotary knife comprising:
- an annular blade having a cutting edge that extend around at least a portion of the annular blade;
- a blade support that supports said blade for rotation about an axis of rotation;
- a manually grippable handle assembly connected to said blade support for allowing an operator to orient and move the blade to cut an exposed surface of meat and/or fat material with the annular blade;
- a drive transmission that engages the blade for driving said blade about said axis;
- and
- a cut depth limiting device mounted for movement with the handle assembly during movement of the knife, said depth limiting device including a gauge which includes one or more prongs which enter the material during operation of the rotary knife to limit a depth to which the blade enters the material;
- wherein the depth limiting device comprises a position adjustable base that supports the cut depth limiting device and attaches to the handle assembly for adjusting a position of the cut depth limiting device with respect to the blade;
- wherein said gauge comprises one or more rotatable wheels supported by the base, said wheels including radially extend prongs that enter said meat and/or fat material as the knife blade cuts off material leaving a controlled thickness of said material.
5 more elements
The rotary knife of claim 11 wherein the base mounting assembly comprises a clamp for engaging a clamp surface of the handle assembly and further includes connectors which when tightened fix the base mounting assembly in relation to the blade.
A method for trimming fat from meat comprising:
- supporting an annular blade having a cutting edge that extend around at least a portion of the annular blade for rotation about an axis of rotation in a blade housing;
- mounting the blade housing and said annular blade to a manually grippable handle assembly to allow an operator to orient and move the blade into contact with an exposed surface of a piece of meat;
- connecting a cut depth limiting device to the handle assembly, said depth limiting device including a gauge which penetrates fat during operation of the rotary knife to limit a depth to which the blade enters a layer of fat on the surface of said meat;
- coupling the blade to a power source and driving said blade about its axis of rotation;
- and
- moving the handle to trim fat from the meat while leaving a layer of fat defined by a position of said gauge;
- wherein the depth limiting device is pivotally attached to the handle assembly to allow the depth limiting device to pivot during manipulation of said device.
4 more elements
A motor operated knife comprising:
- a blade having a cutting edge that extends along at least a portion of the blade;
- a blade support assembly supporting said blade for movement as the blade is brought into contact with a material;
- a manually grippable handle assembly connected to said blade support assembly for allowing an operator to orient and move the blade to cut material on an exposed surface;
- a drive transmission that engages the blade for driving said blade during manipulation of the knife;
- and
- a cut depth limiting device mounted for movement with the handle assembly during manipulation of the knife, said depth limiting device including a gauge which includes one or more prongs which enter the material during operation of the knife to limit a depth to which the blade enters the material;
- wherein a depth limiting device base is mounted to the handle assembly in a position spaced above the blade and further wherein the base extends outwardly from a location where the base is attached to the handle assembly to a region of contact between the blade and the material where the prongs enter the material as the blade cuts into said material;
- wherein said gauge comprises one or more rotatable wheels supported by the base, said wheels including radially extend prongs that enter the material as the knife blade cuts off a thickness of material to leave a desired thickness of uncut material.
5 more elements
A cut depth limiting attachment for use with a hand held knife comprising:
- a) a mounting assembly adapted to be connected to a knife handle assembly which supports a cutting blade for movement with the knife during manipulation of the knife;
- b) base pivotally connected to the mounting assembly for rotation about an axis of rotation and including a base portion that extends within or beyond the blade;
- and
- c) one or more depth limiting gauges connected to the base portion which enter material that is to be trimmed during operation of the knife for limiting a thickness of material remaining after the blade passes over a surface of the material as the knife is moved relative to the material.
1 more element
A cut depth limiting apparatus for use with a hand held knife comprising:
- a) a mounting assembly adapted to be connected to a knife handle assembly which supports a cutting blade for movement with the knife during manipulation of the knife;
- b) a base pivotally connected to the mounting assembly for rotation about an axis of rotation and including a base portion that extends within or beyond the blade;
- and
- c) one or more depth limiting gauges connected to the base portion which enter material that is to be trimmed during operation of the knife for limiting a thickness of material remaining after the blade cuts through the material as the knife is moved relative to the material.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.