IL102507A

IL102507A - Cutting apparatus for vegetables and fruits and the like

Info

Publication number: IL102507A
Application number: IL10250792A
Authority: IL
Original assignee: Raz David
Priority date: 1992-07-15
Filing date: 1992-07-15
Publication date: 1996-11-14
Also published as: EP0579231A1; IL102507A0

Description

CUTTING APPARATUS FOR VEGETABLES AND FRUITS AND THE LIKE nanm m ai mpvi? ΙΊΓΡΠ τκ ο 102507/2 FOOD DICING DEVICE BACKGROUND AND FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a device for cutting food articles of all kinds, particularly fruit and vegetables, into cubes .

There are known already devices which comprise a supporting plate including a cutting blade, and a slide designed to hold a piece of vegetable to be cut being slidable across the blade and following that blade, in the direction of movement of the slide, is positioned a column of upstanding short cutters. Vegetables and fruits, such as potatoes, apples or the like, are affixed to the slide and are manually advanced towards the blade which slices off thin slices. The slices are then passed across the column of cutters which transform the cut-off slice into a number of strips. Such strips are then used in domestic kitchens for the preparation of cooked dishes, such as soups or stews or are incorporated in fresh salads.

Devices of this kind and the described construction serve well the needs, or at least most of the needs, of the ordinary housewife's kitchen, but cannot deliver cut vegetable products by cutting further the strips into smaller bodies.

A main object of this invention is to provide a device which comprises, besides the generally known cutting means referred to above as included in generally conventional cutting devices, further means permitting - 2 - 102507/2 obtaining substantially cube shaped food fragments by fragmentation of the produced strips.

According to the present invention, there is provided a novel food dicing device for cutting food articles along the three orthogonal axes to form cubes, comprising: a base plate; a movable plate movable over and parallel to the base plate between first and second position; a food article holder slidable along the movable plate; a first group of spaced, parallel blades carried by the base plate and oriented to cut a food article held by the food holder along a plurality of slits parallel to one orthogonal axis when the movable plate, and the holder and food article held thereby, are moved from the first position to the second position; a second group of spaced parallel blades; and a third group of spaced parallel blades; both the second and third groups of blades being located to cut the food article along a plurality of slits parallel to the second and third orthogonal axes, respectively, when, after the movable plate has been moved from the first position to the second position to cut the food article along slits parallel to the first orthogonal axis, the holder and food article held thereby are slid along the movable plate.

According to further features in the described preferred embodiment, second and third groups of blades are carried by the movable plate; also, the movable plate is a pivotal plate pivotally mounted to the base plate. - 3 - 102507/2 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a plan view illustrating one form of food dicing device constructed in accordance with the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the device of Fig. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The food dicing device illustrated in the drawings is particularly useful for cutting fruit, vegetables, or other food articles, along the three orthogonal axes to form cubes. In the drawings, there is shown a sub-structure 20 which carries, fixed to it a lower base plate 21 on which rests an upper pivotal plate 22. The two plates 21 and 22 are interconnected by a pivot 23. Thus the upper plate 22 is movable in its own plane through an arcuate path about pivot 23. In plate 22 is embedded in the conventional way, a cutting blade 25; vicinally ot it, across plate 22 extends in the known manner a column of cutters 26. On guide rails 24 is movable a slide 27, carrying a cylindrical food holder 30 for holding the food article to be cut into cubes.

As can be seen from Fig. 1, the lower base plate 21 is of larger area than the upper pivotal plate 22 and extends beyond both longitudinal edges of the upper pivotal plate. A large hole 28 is provided in base plate 22, the - 4 - 102507/2 purpose of which will become clear. The base plate 21 mounts a further group of spaced parallel blades 29.

As shown by the arrows in Fig. 1, the pivotal mounting 23 permits the upper pivotal plate 22 to be pivotted in a plane parallel to the base plate 21 to thereby also pivot the cylindrical food holder 30, and the food article held thereby, about pivotal mounting 23. The blades 29 define a first group of spaced parallel blades which are carried by the base plate 21 and are oriented to cut the food article carried by the holder 30 along a plurality of slits parallel to one orthogonal axis when the pivotal plate 22, and the holder 30 and food article carried thereby, are pivotted about pivotal mounting 23.

The new cutting device is used as follows: After the food article is loaded into holder 30, with pivotal plate 22 in one of its pivotal positions (e.g., adjacent the upper edge of the base plate 21), plate 22 is pivotted about pivotal mounting 23 to the opposite (lower) edge of the base plate. During this pivotal movement of plate 22, the blades 29 cut the food article held by the holder 30 carried by the pivotal plate 22 along a plurality of slits parallel to one orthogonal axis (the vertical axis in Fig. 1), but do not yet sever any pieces from the food article .

Slide 27 is then moved from its outer position illustrated in Fig. 1 to its inner position adjacent to pivotal mounting 23. It will be seen that blades 26 define - 5 - 102507/2 a second group of spaced parallel blades carried by the pivotal plate 22; and blades 25 define a third group of spaced parallel blades also carried by pivotal plate 22, both groups of blades being carried by the pivotal plate at an intermediate location of the pivotal plate. Thus, when the slide 27, including the holder 30 and the food article held thereby, is moved from its outer position (shown in Fig. 1) to its inner position, adjacent pivotal mounting 23, the two groups of blades 26 and 25 are oriented to cut the food article along a plurality of slits parallel to the second and third orthogonal axes, respectively, thereby severing the food article into cubes.

The cubes so produced drop through opening 28, adjacent the pivotal mounting 23, into a container (not shown) located under that opening.

If it is desired to produce only sticks of the food articles, rather than cubes, the first operation would be skipped, and only the second operation would be performed. That is to say, the pivotal plate 22 would not be pivotted so that the blades 29 would not be effective to slit the food article; but rather only slide 27 would be moved towards or away from pivotal mounting 23 to make the blades 26 and 25 effective to cut the food article into strips, rather than cubes. - 6 - 102507/2

Claims

1. A food dicing device for cutting food articles along the three orthogonal axes to form cubes, comprising: a base plate; a movable plate movable over and parallel to said base plate between first and second position; a food article holder slidable along said movable plate; . a first group of spaced, parallel blades carried by said base plate and oriented to cut a food article held by the food a plurality of slits parallel to one orthogonal axis when the movable plate, and the holder and food article held thereby, are moved from said first position to said second position; a second group of spaced parallel blades; and a third group of spaced parallel blades; both said second and third groups of blades being located to cut the food article along a plurality of slits parallel to the second and third orthogonal axes, respectively, when, after the movable plate has been moved from said first position to said second position to cut the food article along slits parallel to said first orthogonal axis, the holder and food article held thereby are slid along said movable plate.

2. The device according to Claim 1 , wherein said second and third groups of parallel blades are carried by said movable plate. - 7 - 102507/2

3. The device according to Claim 2, wherein said movable plate is a pivotal plate and is pivotally mounted at one end to said base plate.

4. A food dicing device for cutting food articles along the three orthogonal axes to form cubes, comprising: a base plate; a pivotal plate mounted over the base plate by a pivotal mounting which permits the pivotal plate to be pivotted in a plane parallel to the base plate; a food article holder slidable along said pivotal plate; a first group of spaced, parallel blades carried by said base plate and oriented to cut a food article, held by said holder, along a plurality of slits parallel to one orthogonal axis when the pivotal plate, and the holder and food article held thereby, are pivotted about said pivotal mounting; a second group of spaced parallel blades; and a third group of spaced parallel blades; both said second and third groups of spaced parallel blades being carried by said pivotal plate and oriented to cut the food article held by said holder along a plurality of slits parallel to the second and third orthogonal axes, respectively, when, after the pivotal plate has been pivotted to cut the food article along a plurality of slits parallel to said one orthogonal axis, the holder - 8 - 102507/2 and food article held thereby are slid along the pivotal plate.

5. . The device according to Claim 4 , further including supporting legs for supporting the base plate above a horizontal supporting surface.

6. . The device according to Claim 5 , wherein said base plate is formed with an opening adjacent one end thereof permitting the cut cubes to drop therethrough into a container underlying the base plate.

7. . The device according to Claim 6 , wherein said opening in the base plate is adjacent to said pivotal mounting. For the Applicant by: Sanford T. Colb & Co. By: Benjamin J. Barish Advocate, Patent Attorney P.O. Box 2273 Rehovot 761 22 c : 20093