FR3091666A1 - Manual device for slicing a bakery product - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a manual device (1) for slicing a bakery product (5) having a determined thickness and length, said device comprising at least one receiving support (10) for the bakery product (5) and a blade for slicing said product in its thickness and in the direction of its length, characterized in that the support (10) comprises at least one bottom (11) and two side walls (12) substantially parallel so as to form a tunnel cutting edge (15) and the blade rises from one of the two side walls (12) towards the other opposite side wall (12), said blade having an upstream cutting edge extending substantially parallel to said bottom ( 11) of the support (10). Figure for the abstract: Fig. 1

Description

Manual device for slicing a bakery product

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a manual device for slicing a bakery product. It applies, in particular, to the slicing of baguettes or similar products with a view to making sandwiches.

It is common for a takeaway food professional such as a baker, caterer or food truck owner to have to make a very large number of sandwiches, identical or not, in a day.

Similarly, during events such as music festivals, concerts (indoors or outdoors), sporting events (Tour de France ®, football or rugby match), the organizers often have to provide hundreds or even thousands of sandwiches to customers over a fairly short period of time (usually a few hours).

Usually these sandwiches are made in advance or over time entirely by hand, whether it be the cutting of the bread, in particular a baguette, the spreading of butter or the like, and the addition of filling food products such as meat, vegetables, sauces, etc…

However, the step of slicing a baked product in its length can be extremely long. It is also very repetitive so that the employee who takes care of it risks cutting themselves due to inattention.

Moreover, it is almost impossible, especially for large quantities of sandwiches to be supplied, to obtain perfectly sliced bakery products that are always uniform. Very often, the cutting is imperfect and very different from one product to another, which can cause subsequent problems with the filling of the bakery product or the quality of the product offered for sale.

Attempts have already been made to solve this problem by proposing a slicing machine, but these devices are expensive, complex to use, very bulky, impractical to move and unsuitable for “amateur” or outdoor use.

Presentation of the invention

The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks with a totally innovative approach.

To this end, according to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a manual device for slicing a bakery product having a determined thickness and length, said device comprising at least one support for receiving the bakery product and a blade for slicing said product in its thickness and in the direction of its length, characterized in that:
- the support comprises at least one bottom and two substantially parallel side walls so as to form a slicing tunnel comprising an upstream zone for receiving the product to be sliced, a zone for slicing the product by pushing/pulling the latter inside of the tunnel, and a downstream zone for recovering the sliced product, and
- The blade rises from one of the two side walls in the direction of the other opposite side wall, said blade having an upstream cutting edge extending substantially parallel to said bottom of the support.

Thanks to this structure, it is possible to split in its length different types of bakery products, for example a baguette, a loaf, a string, a milk bread, very quickly, in complete safety, with a very precise and reproducible cut. . Thus, it is possible to produce very quickly and very easily a large quantity of sandwiches of all kinds, which saves considerable time and makes it possible to obtain homogeneous products that are easier to garnish and present for sale.

The invention is implemented according to the embodiments and variants set out below, which are to be considered individually or according to any technically effective combination.

Advantageously, the blade is raised relative to the bottom by a distance comprised between a few millimeters and a few centimeters, preferably between 2 and 50 millimeters and advantageously by 5 to 25 millimeters.

Thus, the cut will be made at a distance from the underside of the bakery product such that the lower part will be thick enough, but not too thick, to be covered with butter or the like (mayonnaise) and then with food.

According to a preferred embodiment, the upstream cutting edge of the blade is inclined from upstream to downstream with respect to the side wall from which it rises and forms with the latter a determined angle of approximately 20 to 70° , and preferably from about 25 to 45°.

Thus, the cutting will be easier and more fluid (without jerking), guaranteeing a well-sliced sandwich.

Complementarily, the free end of the blade is placed at a distance of a few millimeters from the opposite wall, preferably between about 5 and 10 millimeters.

Thus, the baked product will not be sliced across its entire width, but a small piece of bread will be left so as to form a kind of hinge along its entire length between the top and bottom parts. This will facilitate the subsequent filling of the sandwich, which will hold better in the hand during this operation, since the two upper and lower parts will remain permanently connected to each other longitudinally.

In order to ensure the safety of the user, the slicing tunnel comprises in the upstream zone and/or in the downstream zone an articulated protective flap that can only be opened towards the said upstream zone.

Thus, the blade will be difficult to access and the user runs less risk of cutting himself when slicing.

Advantageously, the flaps are articulated on a support cover overlapping the slicing tunnel.

The blade is of the interchangeable type and is mounted for this purpose on a removable support, which will allow it to be changed when it is worn or damaged.

The device additionally comprises mechanical means for pushing/pulling the bakery product into the slicing tunnel, which will facilitate its slicing.

According to a preferred embodiment, the mechanical pushing/pulling means comprise an upstream guide slider which can move in translation inside the slicing tunnel as the bakery product advances in the latter to be sliced, said slider being provided with an upper support stop to push the product to be sliced.

Advantageously, the slider also comprises a lower stop to limit its translational movement in the slicing tunnel.

Optionally, the mechanical pushing/pulling means are motorized.

Brief description of figures

Other advantages, objects and characteristics of the present invention emerge from the description which follows given, for the purpose of explanation and in no way limiting, with regard to the appended drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric perspective view of a first embodiment of the device according to the present invention comprising closed safety shutters;

Figure 2 is an isometric perspective view similar to Figure 1 in which the security shutters are open;

Figure 3 is an isometric perspective similar to Figure 1 but without the flaps;

- Figure 4 is a top view of Figure 3;

- Figure 5 is a front view of Figure 4;

- Figure 6 is an isometric perspective view of a variant of Figure 3 comprising a pusher in the retracted position; and

- Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 with the pusher in the depressed position in the device.

Figures 1 to 5 show a first embodiment of a device 1 for slicing bakery products according to the present invention.

This device 1 comprises at least one support 10 for receiving a bakery product 5, for example a baguette or a loaf, and a blade 20 for slicing said product 5 in its thickness and in the direction of its length.

More specifically, the support 10 comprises at least one rigid bottom 11 and two side walls 12 substantially parallel to each other so as to form, with said bottom 11, a rectilinear slicing tunnel 15 a few centimeters wide, typically between 5 and 12 centimeters and preferably between 8 and 10 centimeters. This tunnel 15 advantageously comprises an upstream zone 15a for receiving the product 5 to be sliced, a zone 15b for slicing the product 5 by pushing/pulling the latter inside the tunnel 15, and a downstream zone 15c for recovering the product 5 sliced (Figure 2).

For its part, the blade 20 rises from one of the two side walls 12 in the direction of the other opposite side wall 12, said blade 20 comprising an upstream cutting edge 21 extending substantially parallel to said bottom 11 of support 10 .

As can be seen more specifically in Figures 3 to 5, the upstream cutting edge 21 of the blade 20 is inclined from upstream to downstream with respect to the side wall 12 from which it rises and forms with the latter a angle αdetermined from approximately 20 to 70°, and preferably from approximately 25 to 45°. This allows the bakery product 5 to be sliced gently and gradually, without jerking, so that the product is not damaged when it is cut lengthwise.

It can also be noted that the free end 22 of the blade 20 is placed at a distance D of a few millimeters from the opposite wall 12, preferably between about 5 and 10 millimeters. This particular arrangement of the blade 20 makes it possible not to slice the bakery product 5 across its entire width but on the contrary to leave a sort of hinge of material 5b between the upper and lower parts (see the sliced product in FIG. 2). This allows the bread, once sliced according to cutout 5a, to hold together better, which makes it easier to spread butter, jam or mayonnaise. Furthermore, once the bakery product 5 has been filled with food, it holds better during its use so that the products escape less easily, being held by the edge 5b.

Finally, as is also visible in Figure 5, the blade 20 is raised by a distance E relative to the bottom 11 of a few millimeters to a few centimeters and advantageously about 5 to 20 millimeters, which will then allow the product bakery 5, once cut in its length, to present a sufficiently thick lower part under its cut line 5a, to be able to stand and be for example covered with butter or mayonnaise.

The blade 20 is of the interchangeable type and is mounted for this purpose on a removable support 25 mounted on or integrated into one of the side walls 12 of the tunnel 15.

The slicing tunnel 15 further comprises, to delimit the slicing zone 15b, a first hinged protection upstream flap 31 which can only be opened towards the upstream zone 15a and a second hinged protection downstream flap 32 which cannot be opened. than towards the downstream zone 15c. These two flaps 31 and 32 are pivotally mounted respectively on hinges 33 and 34 belonging to a support cover 35 overlapping the slicing tunnel 15. They prevent the user from introducing his fingers into the slicing tunnel 15 and coming to the contact with the blade 20, which ensures its safety. Advantageously, this support 35 is screwed onto the side walls 12 and is made of transparent material such as a plastic material, for example polycarbonate or Plexiglas®. This allows the user to see the progress of bakery product 5 through tunnel 15 as the slicing operation is performed. Alternatively, the support cover 35 can be made of other materials and/or opaque.

In the same vein, and in accordance with Figures 6 and 7, the device 1 comprises mechanical means 40 for pushing/pulling the bakery product 15 into the slicing tunnel 15.

These mechanical pushing/pulling means 40 typically comprise an upstream guide slider 41 able to move in translation inside the slicing tunnel 15, in particular by means of guide grooves 42 formed in the support 10, as the bakery product 5 advances in the latter to be sliced. This slider 41 is also provided with an upper bearing stop 43 to push the product to be sliced 5 against the blade 20 in order to cut it longitudinally and with a lower stop 44 bearing against the upstream bearing edge 16 of the support 10 to limit its translational movement in the slicing tunnel 15.

The operation of this device 1 is extremely simple. The user enters a bakery product 5, for example a baguette, and introduces it into the upstream zone 15a of the tunnel. He raises the upstream protection flap 31 and begins to introduce the product 5 into the slicing zone 15b of the slicing tunnel 15 by advancing its downstream end. There, by continuing to push the downstream end of the product 5, the blade 20 cuts the latter longitudinally in a clean, perfectly straight manner (the side walls 12 acting as guide means), always at the same slicing thickness with respect to the bottom 11, and leaving a bread hinge 5b on the side (left) part of the product 5.

When the product starts to exit by pushing the downstream flap 32, the user can start pulling on the upstream end of the bread 5 (incidentally he can continue to push on its downstream end) to continue the longitudinal cutting of the product 5 along of the cutting line 5a.

Once the product 5 has completely come out of the tunnel 15, the latter is perfectly sliced to a constant thickness over its entire length, and it holds up well due to the presence of a side border 5b of bread which forms a hinge between the part lower part (intended to be covered with food product to form a sandwich) and the upper part which closes the sandwich. This operation is very fast, of the order of a few seconds, without any danger for the user due to the presence of the protective flaps 31 and 32, and can be repeated hundreds of times so as to obtain as many sliced sandwiches identically

The blade 20 can be changed very easily by removing the removable support 25 fixed to a side wall 12, either in order to replace it due to wear, or to install another having different technical characteristics, for example the angle of the edge 21, the height E of the edge 21 relative to the bottom 11 or even the distance D of the free end relative to the side wall 12.

In order to facilitate the pushing of the product in the tunnel 15, in particular to make the latter more efficient (more homogeneous and more intense pushing, risks further reduced with regard to the blade 20) the user can use the slider 41 as described above.

In an improved embodiment not shown, the mechanical pushing/pulling means 40 are motorized to facilitate the pushing of the bakery product 5 into the tunnel 16 and to make slicing faster.

In addition, the dimensions E, D and the angle α can be variable, for example using manual adjustment devices incorporated in the removable support 25 to raise/lower the blade relative to the bottom, to modify its inclination or to moving the end of the blade away from/coming closer to the side edge 12, in order to allow different types of slicing according to the bakery products introduced. Thus, for a thicker baguette, the blade can be raised in order to slice at an optimized location. For a finer stick, the end of the blade can be moved transversely to obtain a hinge positioned at best.

References Designations 1 device 5 bakery product 5a Cutting the bakery product 5b baked product hinge 10 Support 11 Fund 12 side walls 15 Tunnel 15a Upstream area of the tunnel 15b Slicing area 15c Downstream area of the tunnel 16 Upstream support edge 20 Blade 21 Edge of the blade 22 Free end of the blade 25 Removable blade holder 31 Upstream protection component 32 Downstream protection component 33 Upstream hinge 34 Downstream hinge 35 Hood support hinges 40 Means of pushing 41 slider 42 Groove 43 Upper stopper 44 Lower stopper

Claims (11)

Manual device (1) for slicing a bakery product (5) having a determined thickness and length, said device comprising at least one receiving support (10) of the bakery product (5) and a blade (20) for slicing said product in its thickness and in the direction of its length, the support (10) comprising at least one bottom (11) and two side walls (12) substantially parallel so as to form a slicing tunnel (15) comprising an upstream zone (15a) for receiving the product (5) to be sliced, a zone (15b) for slicing the product (5) by pushing / pulling the latter inside the tunnel (15), and a downstream zone ( 15c) for collecting the sliced product (5), and the blade (20) rising from one of the two side walls (12) towards the other opposite side wall (12), said blade (20) comprising an upstream cutting edge (21) extending substantially parallel to said bottom (11) of the support (10), characterized in that the cutting edge nt upstream (21) of the blade (20) is inclined from upstream to downstream relative to the side wall (12) from which it rises and forms with the latter a determined angle α of about 20 to 70 °, and preferably about 25 to 45 °. Device (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the blade (20) is raised relative to the bottom (11) by a distance (E) of between a few millimeters and a few centimeters, preferably between 2 and 50 millimeters and advantageously from 5 to 25 millimeters. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the free end (22) of the blade is arranged at a distance D of a few millimeters from the opposite wall (12), preferably between approximately 5 and 10 millimeters. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the slicing tunnel (15) comprises in the upstream zone an articulated protective flap (31) which can only be opened towards said upstream zone (15a). Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the slicing tunnel (15) comprises in the downstream zone (15c) an articulated protective flap (32) which can only be opened towards said downstream zone ( 15c). Device (1) according to claims 4 and 5, characterized in that the flaps (31, 32) are articulated on a support cover (35) overlapping the slicing tunnel (15). Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blade (20) is of the interchangeable type and is mounted for this purpose on a removable support (25). Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises mechanical means (40) for pushing / pulling the bakery product (5) into the slicing tunnel (15). Device (1) according to Claim 8, characterized in that the mechanical pushing / pulling means (40) comprise an upstream guide slide (41) able to move in translation inside the slicing tunnel (15) as that the bakery product (5) advances in the latter to be sliced, said slide (41) being provided with an upper bearing stop (43) for pushing the product to be sliced. Device (1) according to Claim 9, characterized in that the slide (41) also comprises a lower stop (44) to limit its translational movement in the slicing tunnel (15). Device (1) according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the mechanical pushing / pulling means (40) are motorized.