DE29710452U1 - Bread cutter - Google Patents

Description

*· · ·· ·· ·* ····
• * · · · « ··♦ · Dipl.-Ing. H. FRITZ 97/175 Dipl.-Chem. E.L. FRITZ 12.06.1997/EF/Ra Patent attorneys Mühlenberg 74 59759 Arnsberg

Mr

Herbert Rosen 10

HiIsmannweg

59755 Arnsberg

"Bread cutter"

e ···» * · · * t _{a aa t} ,'

The present invention relates to a device for cutting rolls, bread, e.g. baguettes, croissants, pretzels or the like, with a channel-like shaft through which the material to be cut passes and a knife that extends at least partially into the shaft, wherein the shaft and the feed direction of the material to be cut are inclined at an angle to the horizontal, so that the material to be cut is transported through the shaft by gravity.

Various devices for cutting rolls, bread, e.g. baguettes, croissants, pretzels or the like of the type mentioned above are known from the prior art. These devices are used, for example, in bakeries, but also in food chains that sell foodstuffs that include a roll or bread and another foodstuff placed inside, such as hot dogs, fish sandwiches or the like. In some of the applications mentioned, the cutting devices are used to cut rolls or bread

lengthwise, but in other cases 20

it is desired to only cut into the roll or bread, but not to cut through it, so that it can then be opened up and a food item such as a hot dog or fish can be placed inside.

Bread roll cutting devices with horizontal or vertical 25

Shafts are known which form the cutting channel for the material to be cut. There are also machines in which the shaft is arranged at an angle to the horizontal. The present invention relates to such a machine, so that, unlike the devices with a horizontal cutting channel, a

Transport device for the material to be cut is not necessary. The material to be cut is instead placed at the upper end in the channel-like shaft and then transported through the shaft automatically due to the inclination of the shaft due to gravity. In this process, the material to be cut is generally

The motorized cutting blade used even accelerates the transport process. For a device of the type mentioned, a circular blade can be used, for example.

which rotates around its axis and is motor-driven and which then preferably partially protrudes into the channel-like shaft through which the material to be cut falls. If the knife only partially protrudes into the shaft, then it is possible to only cut into the material to be cut and not to cut through it. However, it is equally conceivable that the cutting knife passes completely through the shaft transversely to the transport direction and then the material to be cut is completely cut through. The aforementioned first variant is, however, preferred within the scope of the present invention.

For safety reasons, it is desirable for such cutting devices to protect the operator from injuring themselves when reaching into the channel-like shaft of the device. Experience shows that cutting rolls or bread or other foods of the type mentioned above with such cutting devices is usually very

quickly, as in a relatively short time many rolls or breads 20

must be cut. If there are any problems in the machine's working process, e.g. because the material to be cut is not transported properly, the operator may reach into the channel-like shaft to

to resolve the difficulties. There is a great danger that 25

that injuries occur.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of providing a device for cutting rolls, bread or

to create such things of the type mentioned above, at 30

which is prevented by appropriate devices from allowing the operator to reach into the area of the knife when reaching into the channel-like shaft from above.

The solution to this problem is provided by an inventive

Device for cutting rolls, bread or the like of the type mentioned at the beginning with the characterizing features of claim 1. By means of the inventive

The flap system provided with preferably two pivoting flaps ensures that the upper first flap is normally closed when the device is working. If the operator now wants to place a product to be cut into the channel-like shaft, the upper pivoting flap is opened by an operating device so that it can be placed in the channel-like shaft. At the same time, however, the second flap further down in the shaft is closed by a forced mechanism so that the operator cannot reach the knife even when reaching into the shaft. The operating lever is then turned over again and only then is the further transport path for the product to be cut in the direction of the knife released by the lower second flap pivoting open, but at the same time the first upper flap closes again so that during the cutting process the cutting channel is again closed by the upper first flap and the operator cannot reach into the cutting channel.

Preferably, the second flap is coupled in terms of movement to the first flap via a rod and this rod is preferably in turn operated via an operating lever arranged on the outside of the shaft so as to be pivotable.

This operating lever can be 25

However, this can also be dispensed with if the rods are designed accordingly. The arrangement can be chosen in such a way that the weight of the lower flap causes the rods to move back to the position in which the upper flap is open so that immediately after a cutting operation

the food to be cut can be fed into the shaft again without having to operate the operating lever. With this alternative, the entire mechanism is essentially automatic.

This preferably foldable operating lever can be connected, for example, to a movably mounted lever rod in the form of a parallelogram.

Connect the first flap at a rigid angle to a first lever rod of the lever linkage and connect the second flap at a rigid angle to a second lever rod of the lever linkage so that the desired swivel movement of the two flaps into the desired position is achieved by operating the foldable operating lever. In the aforementioned automatic variant, the swivel movement of the two flaps into one or the other position even takes place without operating the operating lever. This works particularly well when the weight of the lower flap exceeds that of the foldable lever.

According to a preferred development of the invention, a further flap is also arranged in the lower area of the shaft, which is also pivotally mounted. This further flap pivots open when the material to be cut passes through, once it has passed through the blade plane, and allows the material to be cut to leave the channel-like shaft. This further flap is, however, dimensioned in such a way that it only pivots in one direction of rotation, but in the

against the shaft wall in the opposite direction of rotation. This means that the operator cannot reach into the shaft from below towards the blade, as the blade is covered by the additional flap in front of it.

The features mentioned in the subclaims relate to preferred developments of the solution to the problem according to the invention. Further advantages of the invention emerge from the exemplary embodiment given below.

The present invention is described in more detail below using an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematically simplified partial representation of a bread roll cutter according to the invention with a shaft cut lengthwise;

Fig. 2 a corresponding schematically simplified view

similar to Fig. 1 in a later stage of the 10

cutting process;

Fig. 3 is a similar schematically simplified view as in Fig. 1, but at an even later stage of the cutting process;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed view of the upper shaft section of the bread roll cutter;

Fig. 5 a corresponding view of the upper 20

Shaft section of the bread slicer similar to

in Fig. 4, but with a different position of the flaps.

First, reference is made to Fig. 1 to 3. The

The illustration shows a simplified schematic of a bread roll cutter according to the invention, whereby only the parts of the device essential to the invention are shown and everything unimportant is omitted. It can be seen that the bread roll cutter has a channel-like shaft, which

for example, can be rectangular in cross-section and has a lower shaft wall 11 and an upper shaft wall 18, as can be seen from the sectional view according to Fig. 1. The bread roll cutter also has a blade housing, which is only indicated here and is marked with the reference number 19

A circular knife 17 is mounted in the knife housing 19 and rotates around its central axis during the cutting process, whereby here the circular knife 17 is positioned relative to the shaft 11, 18 so

is arranged so that the circular blade 17 does not cut vertically from above but diagonally from the side into the bread roll 15. The bread roll 15 is not cut through, but only cut into, so that the user can then put a food item, e.g. fish or a sausage or similar, into the bread roll. This type of cutting of the bread roll is only one of many possible variants. The principle according to the invention is not limited to the arrangement of the circular blade 17 and the cut made. Rather, it is about the means provided according to the invention, which are there to prevent the operator from reaching into the channel opening 20 of the shaft from above during the cutting process and then injuring himself.

This inventive design of the shaft of the bread roll cutter, which is provided for safety reasons, is now explained in more detail below with reference to Fig. 1 to 3. It can be seen from Fig. 1 that in the upper

Channel section of the shaft 2 pivoting flaps 20

are provided, namely an upper pivoting flap 13 and a flap 14 pivoted further down in the shaft. These flaps are referred to below as the first flap 13 and the second flap 14. The two flaps 13, 14 are

coupled in terms of movement according to the invention and can be connected via the 25

foldable handle 12.

The kinematics of the two flaps 13, 14 and the movement sequence during the cutting process is as follows.

First, the first flap 13 is opened, whereby this flap 30

13 is brought into an open position shown in Fig. 1 by turning the pivoting operating lever 12. In this position, the roll 15 can be inserted into the slot from above through the opening 20. As can be seen, the second flap 14 is initially closed, since this

is coupled in terms of movement to the first flap 13 via a rod (this will be explained in more detail later with reference to Fig. 4 and 5). By turning the

-1-

By operating lever 12, the second flap 14 is moved into the closed position shown in Fig. 1 and the bread roll 15 is held in place and cannot initially reach the area of the cutting blade 17. The closed flap 14 in this position also prevents the operator from reaching the area of the cutting blade 17 when inserting the bread roll 14.

Then the operating lever 12 is moved from the position in

Fig. 1 shown position into the position shown in Fig. 2 10

Position. As a result, the first flap 13 is simultaneously moved into its closed position and the second flap 14, which is coupled to it and the operating lever 12, is moved into the open position so that the channel section of the shaft further down is released. Because the channel-like shaft with the shaft walls 11, 18 is arranged inclined to the horizontal, after the second flap 14 is opened, the roll 15 moves further down in the channel-like shaft due to gravity, as shown in Fig. 2, and slides into the area

of the cutting blade 17, where it is cut in the manner described above. As the cutting blade 17 rotates, the roll 15 is additionally accelerated in the channel-like shaft and is further conveyed through the blade plane 17. This movement process of the

roll 15 through the channel-like shaft and the cutting process can therefore take place very quickly.

As can be seen in Fig. 2, the upper first flap 13 is now closed, so that during this cutting process of

the operator cannot reach into the channel-like shaft from above. During this cutting process, as can also be seen from Fig. 2, a third pivoting flap 16 arranged in the lower section of the shaft is initially closed. This third flap 16 is

not operated via the rod and the operating lever 12, but opens by the pressure of the moving due to gravity through the channel-like shaft

roll 15 automatically, so that the roll 15 can leave the channel-like shaft, as shown in Fig. 3. This pivoting flap 16 is dimensioned so that it is longer than the height of the channel-like shaft. This ensures that the flap opens in the direction of movement of the roll 15, i.e. it can pivot clockwise from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 3, but the flap 16 locks in the

In this way, when the 10

When an operator reaches into the lower shaft opening 21, they cannot reach the area of the cutting blade 17 with their hand, as this is prevented by the flap 16. As soon as the roll 15 has left the channel-like shaft through the lower shaft opening 21, the flap 16 falls back into its closed position as shown in Fig. 2.

The movement-related coupling of the first flap 13 and the second flap 14 is again explained with reference to the

Fig. 4 and 5. As you can see, the hand 20

actuatable, foldable operating lever 12 is connected to a movably mounted lever rod in the manner of a parallelogram. This comprises a first movable lever rod 22, which can be pivoted about an axis 23 and to which the first flap 13 is fixedly attached. The angle between the first

As can be seen by comparing Fig. 4 and 5, the position of the flap 13 and the lever rod 22 remains the same when the operating lever 12 is moved. This first lever rod 22 is connected in an articulated manner to a strut 24 which can be moved in the direction of the channel and is articulated at both ends.

This strut 24 is connected at its other end to a second lever rod 26 so that it can pivot about an axis 25. This second lever rod 26 is, as can be seen from Fig. 5, pivotably mounted at its other end and firmly connected to the second flap 14 at the other end.

When the second lever rod 26 pivots, as can be seen by comparing Fig. 4 and 5, the angle between this second lever rod 26 and the second

Flap 14 is the same. If you move the operating lever 12 from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 5 in a clockwise direction, the open flap 13, which is horizontal in Fig. 4, is closed at the same time and the closed flap 14, which is vertical in Fig. 4, is opened. In Fig. 5, the closed first flap 13 is therefore approximately vertical and the open second flap 14 is then approximately horizontal.

Referring again to Fig. 1 and 2, one can see 10

the flaps 13, 14, the lever rods and the operating lever 12 are also designed in such a way that after the food has passed through the lower flap 14 automatically falls back into the closed position due to its own weight and in doing so throws the operating lever 12 into the position shown in Fig. 1, so that the upper flap 13 automatically opens again and releases the shaft 20 for the insertion of the next item to be cut

Claims (7)

• · -1-Protection claims: 1. Device for cutting rolls, bread, e.g. baguettes, croissants, pretzels or the like, with a channel-like shaft through which the material to be cut passes and a knife that extends at least partially into the shaft, the shaft and the feed direction of the material to be cut being inclined at an angle to the horizontal, so that the material to be cut is drawn through by gravity the shaft is transported,
10 characterized in that a system of in the shaft (20) pivotably arranged flaps are provided with at least one upper first flap (13) and a second flap (14) arranged deeper in the shaft, wherein the flaps (13, 14) are pivotable into a first position in which the first flap (13) is opened and at the same time the second flap (14) is closed and into a second position in which the first flap (13) is closed and at the same time the second Flap (14) is open.
20 2. Device for cutting rolls, bread or the like according to claim 1, characterized in that an operating lever (12) arranged pivotably on the outside of the shaft is provided as the operating device is, when folded over, the flaps (13, 14) can be brought into one or the other position. 3. Device for cutting rolls, bread or the like according to claim 1 or 2, characterized characterized in that the operating lever (12) automatically moves back into the first position in which the first flap is opened after the passage of the material to be cut (15) by the pivoting movement of the second flap (14). 4. Device for cutting rolls, bread or the like according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized -2- characterized in that the second flap (14) is coupled in terms of movement to the first flap (13) via a linkage (22, 24, 26). 5. Device for cutting rolls, bread or the like according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the foldable operating lever (12) is connected to a movably mounted lever rod (22, 24, 26) in the manner of a parallelogram. 6. Device for cutting rolls, bread or the like according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a first lever rod (22) of the lever linkage is connected at an angle to the first flap (13) and a second lever rod (26) of the lever linkage is connected at an angle to the second flap (14). 7. Device for cutting rolls, bread or the like according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized 20 characterized in that in the lower region of the shaft there is arranged a further flap (16) which is pivotally mounted and is dimensioned such that it only pivots in one direction of rotation, but in the opposite direction of rotation on the shaft wall (11) 25 and locks the shaft against intervention from below in the direction of the knife.