EP0114074B1 - Vegetable cutter for domestic use - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vegetable cutter for household use according to the first part of claim 1.

A vegetable cutter of this type is known from Italian utility model application No. 53366 B / 79 (JT-U-177580). This vegetable cutter has a receiving funnel, obtained on a strip-like support, for the vegetables to be cut, whereby a frame-like cutting insert provided with cutting knives can be detachably received in a seat provided for this purpose in the receiving funnel, and a pressure insert which can be pivoted into the receiving funnel in the upper part of the funnel provided pressure lever is pivotally mounted.

In this version, three cutting inserts are provided, each of which has its own cutting function. A first cutting insert having parallel cutting knives is used for slicing the vegetables, a second cutting insert provided with grid-like cutting knives is used for stick cutting of the vegetables and a third, perforated cutting insert made of plastic is used to prepare vegetable porridges, starting from cooked vegetables.

Dice cutting is obtained when cutting again in the vegetable cutter provided with the cutting insert with parallel cutting knives from vegetable sticks already cut in advance.

Various disadvantages and inadmissibilities are associated with this design. The cutting insert having the grid-like arranged cutting knives requires a lengthy production and the cutting knives mechanically weakening. When cutting raw, hard vegetables, such as. As beets, potatoes, etc., a considerable amount of force is required to operate the pressure lever, which often leads to a shifting or relocation of the cutting knives to one another. This inevitably results in irregular thicknesses of the cut pieces of vegetables. Another disadvantage is the ability to cut vegetable slices with a certain thickness. In order to be able to cut diced vegetable pieces with this vegetable cutter, the distance between the cutting knives of the cutting insert for cutting vegetable slices is necessarily the same as the leg length of the individual square openings of the cutting insert for stick cutting, i.e. H. The thickness of the potato slices cut with this vegetable slicer is considerable and not suitable for the preparation of French fries.

A considerable disadvantage of this known vegetable cutter is also to be seen in the fact that the intended cutting inserts are to be used individually, i. H. two of them are always separated from the vegetable cutter, i.e. H. relocatable. Another disadvantage of the known design is the high number of components and the considerable space requirement, which is due to the lateral projection of the actuating part of the cutting insert inserted in the vegetable cutter. With this construction, a separate releasable pressure insert to be fastened in the pressure lever must also be provided for each cutting insert. This results in a corresponding expenditure of material and an additional lateral space requirement when the vegetable cutter is not used.

The present invention has for its object to provide a vegetable cutter for household use with fixed cutting knives, which is able to eliminate the disadvantages and inadmissibility of the known design on the one hand and on the other hand to cut vegetable slices with both larger and smaller thickness, and the other types of cutting, d. H. To cut sticks and cubes of vegetables. namely with only two cutting blades with cutting inserts that can be picked up in the vegetable slicer, the cutting inserts having an extremely powerful and stable construction, which ensure a reliable and permanent mode of operation even when cutting raw and hard vegetables.

Within the scope of this task, the proposed vegetable cutter should also create a cutting process, which - especially when cutting raw and hard vegetables, such as. B. beets and potatoes, - can be carried out with a relatively soft and even pressure.

• a) in den Seitenwaenden sind die aus zwei mit Schneidmessern versehenen rahmenartigen Schneideinsaetzen bestehenden Schneidmittel aufgenommen, wobei von den Schneideinsaetzen der erste im Aufnahmetrichter ortsfest aufgenommen und der zweite in den Aufnahmetrichter in zwei voneinander um 90° gedrehten Stellungen loesbar einfuehrbar ist, so dass mit demselben Gemueseschneider
  • dicke Scheiben - unter Verwendung des :ortsfesten Schneideinsatzes allein,
  • duenne Scheiben - unter Mitverwendung des beweglichen Schneideinsatzes, und zwar- mit Schneidmessern parallel zu den Schneidmessern des ortsfesten Schneideinsatzes,
  • Staebchen - unter Mitverwendung des beweglichen Schneideinsatzes, und zwar mit Schneidmessern senkrecht zu den Schneidmessern des ortsfesten Schneideinsatzes, und
  • Wuerfel - unter Verwendung des ortsfesten Schneideinsatzes zum Wiederschneiden in Querrichtung der vorher geschnittenen Gemuesestaebchen, herstellbar sind ;
• b) auf den Seitenwaenden sowie auf dem rahmenartigen loesbaren Schneideinsatz sind Positionierungsmittel sowie Blockierungsmittel fuer den genannten in die jeweils gewuenschte Stellung in den Aufnahmetrichter einfuehrbaren beweglichen Schneideinsatz vorgesehen ;
• c) in Schneidrichtung gesehen, ist die Anlenkungswelle des Druckhebels in den Seitenwaenden nach dem ersten bzw. ortsfesten Schneideinsatz gelagert, um somit in der Schliessstellung des Druckhebels eine Positionierung der Druckflaeche innerhalb des ortsfesten Schneideinsatzes zwischen den Schneidmessern desselben zu erhalten ;
• d) zur Herabsetzung der Gleitreibung beim Schneidvorgang ist der Produktausgangsweg zwischen zwei jeweils nebeneinanderliegenden Schneidmessern in Ausgangsrichtung hin divergierend bzw. zunehmend vorgesehen, wobei die Schneidmesserdicke in Gemueseausgangsrichtung hin abnimmt ;
• e) im Druckabschnitt des Druckhebels sind mit den Schneidmessern des ortsfesten Schneideinsatzes deckungsgleiche Durchbrueche erhalten, die die Einfuehrung der dadurch entstandenen Druckflaechen zwischen den Schneidmessern des genannten ortsfesten Schneideinsatzes in den letzteren gestatten.

The above-mentioned object is achieved according to the invention with a generic vegetable cutter, which is characterized in that it has the following features:

• a) in the side walls, the cutting means consisting of two frame-like cutting inserts provided with cutting knives are received, the first of the cutting inserts being fixed in the receiving funnel and the second being releasably insertable into the receiving funnel in two positions rotated by 90 °, so that the same Vegetable cutter
  • thick slices - using the: fixed cutting insert alone,
  • thin discs - using the movable cutting insert, with cutting blades parallel to the cutting blades of the fixed cutting insert,
  • Sticks - using the movable cutting insert, with cutting blades perpendicular to the Cutting blades of the fixed cutting insert, and
  • Cubes - can be produced using the stationary cutting insert for re-cutting in the transverse direction of the previously cut vegetable sticks;
• b) on the side walls and on the frame-like detachable cutting insert, positioning means and blocking means are provided for said movable cutting insert, which can be inserted into the desired position in the receiving funnel;
• c) seen in the cutting direction, the articulation shaft of the pressure lever is mounted in the side walls after the first or stationary cutting insert, in order thus to obtain a positioning of the pressure surface within the stationary cutting insert between the cutting knives of the same in the closed position of the pressure lever;
• d) in order to reduce the sliding friction during the cutting process, the product exit path between two cutting knives lying next to one another in each case is diverging or increasingly provided in the starting direction, the cutting knife thickness decreasing in the vegetable exit direction;
• e) in the pressure section of the pressure lever, congruent openings are obtained with the cutting knives of the fixed cutting insert, which allow the introduction of the resulting pressure surfaces between the cutting knives of said fixed cutting insert in the latter.

In the proposed design, the desired essentially soft and uniform cutting pressure force is achieved by means of two features.

First, when cutting slices of smaller thickness and when cutting sticks, which can be done with the two cutting inserts, the cutting operations on the vegetables are practically halved or separated, with half of the cutting operations being carried out by the first or stationary cutting insert and then or continuously second half of the cutting operations is carried out by the second or subsequent cutting insert, whereby the required pressing force is practically halved in relation to the known vegetable cutters.

Secondly, a feature is provided which aims to reduce the sliding friction that occurs between the vegetables and the cutting blades during the cutting process. This feature consists in the cutting knife thickness decreasing in the vegetable exit direction.

The cutting knives of the two cutting inserts preferably have the same division, the cutting knives of one cutting insert being offset by a half division with respect to the cutting knives of the other cutting insert.

The positioning means preferably consist on the one hand of strip-like ribs on the legs of the movable cutting insert on one base surface thereof, the said ribs having a length which is essentially the same but shorter than the inside width of the movable cutting insert, and on the other hand in each side wall a receiving groove on the other hand, this receiving groove is intended for receiving the strip-like rib of the movable cutting insert that is respectively introduced and has a matching cross section.

The blocking means provided preferably consist of a tongue having a tongue grip and a receiving seat, which is obtained in one piece in a side wall, wherein a preferably wedge-shaped projection provided on each frame leg of the movable cutting insert can be snapped into the tongue receiving seats.

After completion of the pressure lever, the pressure section preferably forms a single part with the same. The cutting inserts are also preferably provided as a frame made of plastic, the cutting knife ends being embedded in the cutting insert frame.

Further refinements can be found in the subclaims.

• Figur 1 eine perspektivische Ansicht des erfindungsgemaessen Gemueseschneiders ;
• Figur 2 einen vertikalen Laengsschnitt entlang der Schnittlinie 11-11 von Fig. 1, wobei mit strichpunktierter Linie die Offenstellung des Druckhebels teilweise dargestellt ist ;
• Figur 3 eine Ansicht von unten auf den Aufnahmeteil fuer die Schneideinsaetze ;
• Figuren 4 und 5 jeweils eine perspektivische Ansicht des ortsfesten Schneideinsatzes bzw. des beweglichen Schneideinsatzes ;
• Figuren 6 und 7 eine Vorderansicht des erfindungsgemaessen Gemueseschneiders mit teilweise eingefuehrtem Schneideinsatz zum Schneiden von duennen Gemuesescheiben, Fig.6, und zum Wuerfeischneiden, Fig. 7, und
• Figuren 8 und 9 jeweils einen Querschnitt durch einen Schneideinsatz zur schematischen Darstellung der Schneidmesseranordnung zur Herabsetzung der beim Schneidvorgang einsetzenden Gleitreibung.

Further advantages of the vegetable cutter according to the invention can be found in the following description with reference to the drawing, in which a preferred embodiment is shown. Show schematically and in different scales:

• 1 shows a perspective view of the vegetable cutter according to the invention;
• FIG. 2 shows a vertical longitudinal section along the section line 11-11 from FIG. 1, the open position of the pressure lever being partially shown with a dash-dotted line;
• Figure 3 is a bottom view of the receiving part for the cutting inserts;
• FIGS. 4 and 5 each show a perspective view of the stationary cutting insert or of the movable cutting insert;
• FIGS. 6 and 7 show a front view of the vegetable cutter according to the invention with a partially inserted cutting insert for cutting thin vegetable slices, FIG. 6, and for cutting dice, FIG. 7, and
• FIGS. 8 and 9 each show a cross section through a cutting insert for the schematic representation of the cutting knife arrangement for reducing the sliding friction that occurs during the cutting process.

With reference to the drawing, the vegetable cutter according to the invention is denoted overall by 1 for household use. The same has a strip-like support 2 which has at one end a receiving funnel 3 for receiving the vegetables to be cut and two side walls 4, 5 for receiving the frame-like cutting inserts described in more detail below. The vegetable slicer also has a pressure lever 6 which is pivotally supported in FIG. 7 by a bearing shaft (not shown in detail) in the side walls 4, 5. The pressure lever 6 also has a pressure sector 8 which, after the production of the said pressure lever 6, contains the actual pressure section 9 in one piece, wherein in the pressure section 9 a number of grooves 10 are obtained which introduce the actual pressure surface 11 between the cutting blades 12 of the first of the two cutting inserts 13 and 14 provided according to the invention. This can be achieved because, as seen in the cutting direction, the bearing shaft 7 is mounted after the first cutting insert 13, as can be seen in particular in FIG. The maximum insertion position of the printing surface 11 within the first cutting insert 13 is determined by the contact between the stop edge 8a of the printing sector 8 and the front edge 3a of the receiving funnel 3.

As can be seen from the drawing, the side walls 4 and 5 form a receiving chamber 15 with respect to one another for receiving the cutting inserts 13, 14, the cutting insert 13 according to the invention preferably being received in a stationary manner in the receiving chamber 15 or between the side walls 4, 5. This is e.g. B. easy to perform with adhesive. The stationary cutting insert 13 has a square, preferably square, design and has a frame 13a, which is preferably made of plastic. The ends of the cutting knives 12 are mounted in two opposite frame legs. This is advantageously done by embedding the ends of these cutting knives in the cutting insert frame 13a. In contrast, the second cutting insert 14 can be releasably inserted into the receiving chamber 15 with cutting knives 16, which are either parallel with respect to the cutting knives 12 of the stationary cutting insert 13 or, after a rotation of 90 °, with the movable cutting insert 14 with respect to the aforementioned Cutting knives 12 are placed at right angles to the cutting knives 12 mentioned. For this reason, the second cutting insert 14 has a square design, which makes it possible to insert the cutting insert 14 into the receiving chamber 15 as desired in one of the two insertion positions rotated by 90 °. In order to ensure proper positioning of the second or movable cutting insert 14 during the cutting process, the same has a wedge-shaped projection 17 on the four frame legs, said projections 17 being at the same distance a with respect to the adjacent frame edge. An elastic tongue 18 cooperates with the projections 17, which is obtained in one piece in the side wall 4 and has a tongue grip 19 and a continuous receiving seat 20. 21 denotes a groove obtained in the opposite side wall 5, which is used to receive the respective projection 17 of the movable cutting insert 14 sliding in it during the insertion movement thereof into the vegetable cutter. As can be seen from FIG. 6, four positioning ribs 22 are formed on a base surface of the frame of the second cutting insert 14, the extension of which corresponds to a maximum of the internal light width of the said cutting insert 14. The positioning ribs, which are vertical in each case in the selected insertion position, are received in a guide groove 23 having a conjugate cross section and obtained in the side walls 4 and 5.

The drawing also shows that the distance or the "division b between the cutting knives 12 and 16 is the same for both cutting inserts 13 and 14, the cutting knives of a cutting insert being a total of half a division b / 2 with respect to the Cutting knife of the other cutting insert are arranged offset. Good results have been achieved with a pitch b of 9 mm.

In order to reduce the cutting friction between vegetables and cutting knives, two structural features are proposed according to the invention, the same being shown schematically in FIGS. 8 and 9, and these features being shown only in principle and not to scale.

In FIG. 8 the cutting knives are arranged essentially in a fan-like manner, whereas in FIG. 8 they are arranged parallel to one another and their thickness tapers in the starting direction.

In both cases, therefore, the path between two cutting knives arranged next to one another is designed to be slightly diverging in the starting direction, in order to create a possibility of letting out the water or moisture film that forms on the cutting product during the cutting process.

Such features can be provided on both cutting inserts as well as on only one of them.

With the reduction of the sliding sliding friction together with the subdivision of the entire cutting processes in the case of the two cutting inserts lying next to one another or arranged one behind the other, an inherently soft and uniform cutting pressure is obtained.

It can be seen from the above that the vegetable cutter according to the invention makes it possible to effectively accomplish the object on which the present invention is based and to achieve the advantages mentioned above.

• - Gemuesescheiben groesserer Dicke (z. B. 9 mm, entsprechend der Teilung « b »), unter Anwendung von lediglich des ersten bzw. ortsfesten Schneideinsatzes 13,
• - Gemuesescheiben kleinerer bzw. halbierter Dicke (z. B. von 4,5 mm, d. h. 1/2 « b »), unter Anwendung des zweiten bzw. beweglichen Schneideinsatzes 14, und zwar mit parallel zu den Schneidmessern 12 des ortsfesten Schneideinsatzes 13 angeordneten Schneidmessern 16,
• - Gemuesestaebchen (mit Kante von 9 mm bzw. wie die Teilung « b ») unter Einsetzung des beweglichen Schneideinsatzes 14 mit in bezug auf die Schneidmesser 12 des ortsfesten Schneideinsatzes 13 rechtwinklig angeordneten Schneidmessern 16,
• - Gemuesewuerfel (z. B. mit Kante von 9 mm, d. h. wie die Teilung « b »), durch Wiederschneiden mit lediglich dem ortsfesten Schneideinsatz 13 der vorher schon staebchenartig geschnittenen Gemuese.

With the vegetable cutter according to the invention, which has only two cutting inserts provided with cutting knives, one of which is fixed in the receiving funnel and the other of which can be inserted into the supporting funnel in two positions offset by 90 °, it is possible to cut off:

• - Vegetable slices of greater thickness (e.g. 9 mm, corresponding to the division “b”), using only the first or stationary cutting insert 13,
• - Vegetable slices of smaller or halved thickness (z. B. of 4.5 mm, ie 1/2 "b"), using the second or movable cutting insert 14, with parallel to the cutting blades 12 of the fixed cutting insert 13 arranged Cutting knives 16,
• Vegetable sticks (with edge of 9 mm or like the division “b”) using the movable cutting insert 14 with cutting knives 16 arranged at right angles to the cutting knives 12 of the stationary cutting insert 13,
• - Vegetable cubes (eg with an edge of 9 mm, ie like the division “b”), by cutting again with only the stationary cutting insert 13 of the vegetables which have already been cut in a stick-like manner.

With only two cutting inserts provided with continuous cutting knives, which can be accommodated in the vegetable cutter at the same time, it is therefore possible to carry out all the types of cutting required for culinary use. And this with an extremely powerful and stable design of the cutting inserts, the cutting force being practically halved and even in relation to the known vegetable cutters.

Apart from the tongue grip, the vegetable cutter according to the invention has no protruding part, it does not require any parts or accessories separate from it and is very easy to use in handling. It is also easy to clean.

The scope of protection also provides for the movable cutting insert to be introduced laterally into the receiving funnel instead of from below.

In practice, both the design of the strip-like support and the receiving funnel and the pressure lever, as well as the individual components of the vegetable cutter according to the invention or the frame-like cutting inserts of the same, can be chosen as desired, without thereby increasing the scope of protection of the present invention as specified in the claims leave.

Claims (9)

1. Household utensil to cut vegetables into various shapes, comprising a supporting base, which contains at one end a hopper (3) to contain the vegetables to be cut, the containing hopper having side walls (4, 5) for the fitting of the cutting means and, at the top of the hopper, is supported, in an oscillating manner, a pressing lever (6) provided with a pressing surface (11) pressing on the vegetables to be cut, characterized in that said utensil comprises the following characteristics :

a) the side walls (4, 5) house the cutting means consisting of two cutting frame-shaped units (13, 14) provided with cutting blades (12, 16), of the cutting units (13, 14) the first (13) being housed in a fixed manner in the containing hopper (3) and the second (14) being insertable in a removable way in containing hopper (13) in two positions at right angles to each other so that with the same utensil (1) to cut vegetables can be obtained :

thick slices - using only the fixed cutting unit (13).

thin slices - also using the removable cutting unit (14), and more precisely with cutting blades (16) parallel to the cutting blades (12) of the fixed cutting unit (13),

sticks - also using the removable cutting unit (14), and more precisely with cutting blades (16) at right angles to the cutting blades (12) of the fixed cutting unit (13), and

small cubes - using the fixed cutting unit (13) to cut once more in a crosswise direction the vegetable sticks previously cut ;

b) on the side walls (4, 5) as also on the removable frame-shaped cutting unit (14) are provided positioning means (22, 23) as well as locking means (17, 18, 19, 20) for said removable cutting unit (14), insertable in the containing hopper (3) in the position desired from time to time ;

c) seen in cutting direction, the hing pin (7) of the pressing lever (6) is lodged in the side walls (4, 5) after the first fixed cutting unit (13), so as to obtain thereby, in the closed position of pressing lever (6), a positioning of the pressing surface (11) inside fixed cutting unit (13) between the cutting blades (12) thereof ;

d) for the reduction of the friction during the cutting process the outlet path of the products between two cutting blades (12, 16) one near the other respectively, is divergent, or increasing, in the outlet direction, the thickness of the cutting blades decreasing in the outlet direction of the vegetables ;

e) in the pressing section (9) of pressing lever (6) are provided slits (10) with the same coverage as the cutting blades (12) of the fixed cutting unit (13), such slits permitting the insertion of the thereby originated pressing surfaces (11) between cutting blades (12) of said fixed cutting unit (13) in the latter.

2. Utensil to cut vegetables according to Claim 1, characterized in that the side walls (4, 5) form a housing chamber (15) serving as the housing for cutting units (13, 14), said housing chamber (15) having an opening side, or inlet side, in the lower part of the containing hopper, or support side of utensil (1) to cut vegetables.

3. Utensil to cut vegetables according to Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the removable cutting unit (14) has a frame (14a) of quadrangular configuration.

4. Utensil to cut vegetables according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cutting blades (12, 16) of both cutting units (13, 14) have the same pitch (b), the cutting blades of a cutting unit being arranged in a staggered manner for half a pitch (b/2) with respect to the cutting blades of the other cutting unit.

5. Utensil to cut vegetables according to Claim 1, characterized in that said positioning means consists of rod-like ribs (22) on the sides of the removable cutting unit (14) on a base area thereof (14) on one hand, said ribs (22) having a length which is basically similar but shorter than the aperture for the removable cutting unit (14), and also, in each side wall (4, 5), on the other hand, said positioning means consists of a reception channel (23), said reception channel (23) being designed to receive the rod-like rib (22) respectively introduced of the removable cutting unit (14) and presenting a cross section suited to the same (22).

6. Utensil to cut vegetables according to Claim 1, characterized in that the securing means consists of a flexible tongue (18) with a tab (19) and a receiving seat (20), said tab constituting a single piece in a side wall (4), and of a projection (17) arranged in the same way and provided on each side of the removable cutting unit (14), the projection (17) of the shank of the cutting unit sliding into the side wall (4) with the flexible tongue (18), upon reaching the position of introduction of the removable cutting unit (4) snapping into the receiving seat (20) of the flexible tongue (18).

7. Utensil to cut vegetables according to Claims 1 and 6, characterized in that in the continuous side wall (5) is provided a channel (21) for the housing of the projection (17), respectively sliding in said channel (21) of the removable cutting unit (14).

8. Utensil to cut vegetables according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cutting units (13, 14) have a frame (13a, 14a) composed of plastic, in said frame (13a, 14a) the ends of the cutting blades (12, 16) being supported by being embedded in the frame plastic.

9. Utensil to cut vegetables according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cutting blades (12, 16) of at least one of both cutting units (13, 14) are arranged parallel to each other and are made tapered in the outlet direction of the cut vegetables.

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