FR3104398A1 - Manually operated device for parallel and regular slicing of soft food products - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a manually actuated apparatus (1) for cutting soft food products (P) into parallel and regular slices, in particular fruits such as tomatoes or spun cheese such as a mozzarella ball, comprising at least one fixed frame (10) supporting a support (20) provided with a series of longitudinal blades (21) parallel to each other and arranged spaced apart, each blade having a thickness of cutting edge, and a pusher (30), said pusher (30) and said support (20) being manually movable in translation with respect to each other between a first retracted position for receiving the product (P) to be sliced and a second advanced position for cutting the latter in parallel slices (T) by passing through the blades (21), characterized in that said pusher (30) a solid structure having parallel fingers (35) spaced consecutively by a distance (D) greater by a few hundredths of a millimeter than m anoint 1 millimeters to the thickness of said blade considered so that in the advanced cutting position, the blades (21) pass between two consecutive fingers (35) and pass through said spaces flush with them. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 9

Description

Manually operated device for cutting into parallel and regular slices of soft food products

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a manually operated apparatus for cutting into parallel and regular slices of soft food products. It applies in particular to fruits such as tomatoes or citrus fruits, or to pasta filata cheeses such as a ball of mozzarella, or to eggs.

Currently, the method mainly used to slice food products with a soft texture, such as fresh mozzarella, a fragile and not very dense cheese, is still very basic and ancestral: the ball of cheese is placed on a support, such as a cutting board. , and the slices are made by hand using a knife. The slices thus obtained are generally very unequal in thickness and the risk of cutting oneself is obviously high. The time spent and the uncertainties on the results obtained are therefore not compatible with the requirements to which manufacturers (for example caterers) or catering professionals (restaurants, canteens, etc.) are subject.

Current devices, sold to individuals or professionals and used to cut food into parallel slices, are not suitable for this type of product. Indeed, devices with several parallel blades crush the product more than they slice it.

There is therefore currently no solution that allows clean cutting, without "jamming" and crushing of the product at the level of the cutting blade or blades.

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 manually operated device for cutting into parallel and regular slices of soft food products, in particular fruits such as tomatoes or pasta filata cheeses such as a ball of mozzarella, including at least:
- a fixed frame supporting a support provided with a series of longitudinal blades parallel to each other and arranged in a spaced apart manner, each blade having a cutting edge thickness, and
- a pusher having a zone for receiving the product to be sliced,
- said pusher and said support being manually movable in translation relative to each other between a first retracted position for receiving the product to be sliced and a second advanced position for cutting the latter into parallel slices by passing through the blades ,
characterized in that said pusher comprises, at the level of the zone for receiving the product to be sliced, a solid structure having parallel fingers spaced consecutively by a distance greater from a few hundredths of a millimeter to less than 1 millimeter than the thickness of said considered blade so that in advanced cutting position, the blades pass between two consecutive fingers and cross said spaces flush with them.

Thus, the cutting of the food is much faster and more efficient than in the prior art, with regular slices and little or no scrap, forcing the products to be thrown away and therefore causing financial losses.

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, in order to improve the slicing of the food, each blade is locally provided with hollow cells on at least one of its side faces.

In order to facilitate cleaning of the pusher, the latter has means for quick assembly/disassembly of the fingers, for example notched wheels.

In order to optimize the cut without damaging the product to be sliced, the cutting edge of the blades form an angle of inclination α with the direction of linear movement of the pusher relative to the support of between about 15 and 45 degrees, and preferably about 30 degrees .

Preferably, the blades are made of stainless steel and the fingers of the pusher are made of food-grade plastic material.

Brief description of figures

Other advantages, aims 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 a front perspective view of a food slicing device according to the present invention, with a manual pusher in a rear rest position,

Figure 2 is a top view of the apparatus of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a front perspective view similar to Figure 1 but in which the pusher is in a forward working position,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a detail element of the manual pusher,

Figure 5 is a partial front detail view of a blade of the device of the invention,

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the blade of Figure 5,

Figure 7 is a detail view of the apparatus of Figure 1,

Figure 8 is a front perspective view similar to Figure 1 with a product to be cut placed in the manual pusher in the rear rest position,

Figure 9 is a front view of Figure 7 with the product to be cut placed in the manual pusher in the rear rest position, and

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 3 with the pusher in the front working position and the cut product.

Figures 1 to 10 show a manually operated device 1 according to the invention for cutting into parallel and regular slices of soft food products, in particular fruits such as tomatoes or citrus fruits, or pasta filata cheeses such as a ball of mozzarella.

This device 1, rather reserved for the professional environment (in particular for restaurateurs and caterers), typically comprises a fixed rigid horizontal frame 10 made of metal mounted on feet 11 and on which is fixed (for example by screws not shown) a support 20 in the shape of a "U" provided with a series of longitudinal blades 21 and a solid handle 22 for gripping. These serrated blades 21 are all parallel to each other and extend longitudinally between two hooking members 23 stretched on the support 20 which tighten said blades 21 parallel to each other by screwing using spacers of spacing 24.

The blades 21, shown in more detail in Figures 5 and 6 and which are eleven in number in the present case, are all identical in thickness (E2 and E3), length and width. They are spaced equidistant from each other by the same gap 25 (determined by the spacers 24) measuring a few millimeters, for example between 4 and 10 millimeters, advantageously between 5 and 8 millimeters and preferably in the present case. 5.2 millimeters.

Each blade 21 has a cutting edge thickness E2 of a few tenths of a millimeter, for example between 0.2 and 0.8 millimeters and preferably 0.7 millimeters (at its greatest thickness) in the present case, for a height of about 10 millimeters at the cutting edge.

In accordance with Figure 6, each blade 21 is provided, at least on one side face 25, and preferably on both side faces, with hollow cells 26 so as not to catch the slices of cheese (limit adhesion). Thus, the thickness E3 of each blade 21 is refined at the level of the cells 26 and goes from 0.7 millimeters (thickness E2) to approximately 0.2 millimeters. These blades 21 are preferably made of stainless food steel to ensure a perfect edge and a long life while allowing passage in the dishwasher.

The device 1 according to the present invention also comprises a pusher 30 having a zone 31 for receiving the product to be sliced (see FIG. 4), said pusher 30 being manually movable in translation along the arrow F (FIG. 10), at the using a handling handle 32, with respect to the support 20 of the blades 21 along two parallel tubes 33 between a first retracted position (rear rest position) making it possible to place a product P to be sliced in the reception zone 31 ( Figures 1, 2, 8 and 9) and a second advanced position (front working position) for cutting the product P into thin parallel slices by passing through the blades 21 (Figures 3 and 10).

In accordance with the present invention, and contrary to the prior art, the pusher 30 comprises, at the level of the reception zone 31 of the product P to be sliced, a "solid" structure 34 consisting of a series of fingers 35 (see more in detail in Figure 4) parallel to each other and spaced apart by a distance D greater from a few hundredths of a millimeter to less than 1 millimeter than the thickness E2 of the blades 21, so that in the advanced cutting position (Figure 3 and 10), the fingers 35 pass through the spaces 25 provided between the blades 21 (and conversely, the blades 21 pass between the slots provided between two consecutive fingers 35) flush with them. This is also made possible because the thickness E of each finger is slightly less by a few hundredths to a few tenths of a millimeter than the spacing 25 provided between two consecutive blades 21. structures of the prior art) the fact that the fingers 35 are very slightly spaced from each other (barely a few tenths of a millimeter), thus giving an overall impression of an almost continuous structure (that is to say "full" ) over the entire width of the reception zone 31 and of the support and pushing surface of the product P to be sliced.

The pusher 30 thus thickened and mounted "as tightly as possible" (with each finger 35 arranged in pairs on either side of the blades 21) so as to avoid any scissor effect on the product P and delicately push the mozzarella through the blades 21.

This particularly advantageous solution therefore makes it possible, as can be seen in FIGS. 8 and 9 then 10, to slice very cleanly, quickly and without difficulty a food P with a soft texture, for example a fruit such as a tomato, and especially a cheese. with spun dough such as mozzarella represented by the ball P.

Thus, as shown in Figure 10, said ball of food P is divided into (eleven) identical and regular slices T which are collected on a receptacle 37 which follows the movement of the pusher 30 under the blades 21.

For economic reasons, the fingers 35 of the pusher 30 are all made of food-grade plastic material (polypropylene) or of metal (molded or machined) or of any material allowing precise shaping and suitable for contact with food. Preferably, a material that can be washed in the dishwasher will be chosen.

Because of its thickness, the pusher 30 is ideal for pushing a ball of mozzarella P but it proves to be impractical for cleaning (particularly because of the fine spaces between two consecutive fingers 35 where slicing residues of This is why it is equipped with a removable connection system using screws and knurled nuts 36 so as not to require a tool for its disassembly, which will preferably be carried out each time cleaning.

A first casing 40 for protecting the hands of the user is provided in front of the pusher 30, and a second casing 50 for protecting the hands of the user is provided around the support 20 of the blades 21, so as to avoid contact between the fingers and the blades 21 when the pusher 30 is advanced into the cutting position using the manipulation handle 32.

As indicated in the preamble to the invention, the main problem with mozzarella (or other food products of this type, in particular fruits, cheeses or even eggs) is that it is crumbly, soft and often hollow. The device 1 of the present invention therefore makes it possible to cleanly slice commercial mozzarella balls without crushing them.

Thus, unlike cutting with a knife, which respects the food, but takes time and does not make it possible to cut regular slices, the invention makes it possible to ensure the regularity in thickness of the slices and a considerable saving of time during setting up in the kitchen.

Similarly, unlike existing mechanical devices which save time but crush the food, the invention allows the passage of delicate mozzarella balls without crushing them and therefore without loss.

It should be understood that the detailed description of the subject of the invention, given solely by way of illustration, does not in any way constitute a limitation, the technical equivalents also being included in the scope of the present invention.

This combination of honeycomb blades and a pusher adjusted as close as possible to the slicing blades can be made in various types of assembly (horizontal, vertical, on columns, etc.).

In the current situation, the blade unit is fixed and the food mobile thanks to the pusher: it is quite possible for the food to be fixed, in a cradle, and for the blades to be mobile and pass through the food

The knurls 36 for quick assembly/disassembly of the fingers 35 can be replaced by clipping elements, clamps which grip the fingers 35 against each other, through pins, etc.

Claims (7)

Manually operated apparatus (1) for cutting into parallel and regular slices (T) of soft food products (P), in particular fruits such as tomatoes or pasta filata cheeses such as a ball of mozzarella, comprising at less :
- a fixed frame (10) supporting a support (20) provided with a series of longitudinal blades (21) parallel to one another and arranged in a spaced apart manner, each blade (21) having a cutting edge thickness (E2), and
- a pusher (30) having a reception zone (31) for the product (P) to be sliced,
- said pusher (30) and said support (20) being manually movable in translation relative to each other between a first retracted position for receiving the product (P) to be sliced and a second advanced position for cutting the latter in parallel slices (T) by passing through the blades (21),
characterized in that said pusher (30) comprises, at the level of the reception zone (31) of the product (P) to be sliced, a solid structure (34) having parallel fingers (35) spaced consecutively by a distance (D ) greater by a few hundredths of a millimeter to less than 1 millimeter than the thickness (E2) of said blade considered so that in advanced cutting position, the blades (21) pass between two consecutive fingers (35) and cross said spaces by touching them. Device (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that each blade (21) is locally provided with hollow cells (26) on at least one of its lateral faces (25). Apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pusher (30) has means for rapid disassembly/disassembly of the fingers (35). Apparatus (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the means (36) for the rapid assembly/disassembly of the fingers (35) consist of notched wheels. Apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cutting edges of the blades form an angle of inclination α with the direction of linear movement (F) of the pusher (30) with respect to the support (20) including between about 15 and 45 degrees, and preferably about 30 degrees. Apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blades (21) are made of stainless steel. Appliance (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fingers (35) of the pusher (30) are made of food-grade plastic material.