US1975942A - Bread slicer - Google Patents

Description

@CE 9, 1934. w w HARTMAN 1,975,942

BREAD SLICER Filed May 2, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor o 48 29 5' 45 o William Malzer Harimam. (X 753 I Oct. 9, 1934. w. w.' HARTMAN BREAD SLICER Filed May 2, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 J 2 tier/veg.

Patented st. 9, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHCE 13 Claims.

This invention relates generally to cutter mechanisms for slicing machines of the type used for slicing bread. Although bread slicing will be used as an example in explaining the invention,

it will be understood that I am not necessarily limited thereto for it can be adapted to slice other articles and still be within the spirit of my invention.

A large proportion of bread is now sliced before 19 being sold, the slicing, packaging, and handling being done by automatic machinery operating as rapidly as possible to effect maximum capacity and minimum cost. Certain difficulties arise in operating slicing machines at the desired rate, which must be at least the rate at which subsequent machines handle the loaf, for speed must not be attained at a sacrifice of quality or appearance of the sliced loaf.

In attempts to increase the capacity of a given machine, it frequently happens that the loaf carrier speed is increased to move the loaf past the knives more rapidly, with the result that the loaf passes the knives at a rate greater than that at which they can efficiently cut. When the cutting rate of the knives is less than the rate at which the loaves are fed through the knives, the effect is that of cutting with a dull knife and a relatively large quantity of crumbs are torn loose leaving a rough, ragged sliced surface. The increased carrier speed brings increased pressure of the loaf against the knives, and while this, in some instances, may slightly increase the cutting rate, a noticeable result is the very considerable compression of the leaf resulting from this excessive pressure. A slight compression of the loaf is normal and to be expected, but is not permanent; while an excessive compression leaves a permanent deformation that is objectionable to the trade.

It thus becomes a general object of my invention to provide a cutter mechanism capable of a relatively high rate of slicing Without tearing the cut surface or compressing the loaf to a point where it becomes permanently deformed, the cut ter mechanism thus being capable of handling properly the loaves at the highest loaf carrier speed. Under such circumstances, the cutting is clean and smooth and the pressure of the loaf against the knives is relatively small so that the loaf compression is not sumcient to leave the loaf deformed.

It is also an object of my invention to provide means to confine the loaf within the carrier and to position properly the loaf with respect to the knives.

To attain these objects, I use a plurality of laterally spaced cutters or knives reciprocated at high speed by a driving mechanism preferably designed to reciprocate alternate knives in substantially opposite directions relative to each other. In this respect, and in other general features, the cutter mechanism typifying the present invention similar to that of my prior copending application on Bread slicer, Ser. No. 429,650, filed February 17, 1930. The improvements particularly concerned in the present invention are characterized by the fact that the knives are offset with respect to each other in a direction of loaf movement, being preferably arranged in a flat \/-formation with the apex of the V pointed toward the advancing loaf. This arrangement of the knives secures increased cutting efiiciency, for the knives enter the crust singly or in pairs so that the comparatively high cutting resistance of the crust does not cause the loaf to be crushed.

To center loaves of difierent lengths with respect to the knives, a pair of guides are furnished one at each end of the loaf. These guides extend longitudinally in the direction of loaf movement and are adjustable laterally across the carrier so that the center of the loaf may be moved against the point of the V-formation of the cutters.

The improvements of the present invention are applicable generally to cutter mechanisms utilizing spaced reciprocating blades, as typified by the cutter mechanism shown in my prior copending application, Ser. No. 429,050; and, although the improvements herein concerned are not limited to that type, because of certain features that are concerned with that type I explain the improvements as embodied in that kind of cutter mechanism or cutter head.

To better explain how I accomplish the above and other objects of my invention, reference is here made to the following description and accompanying drawings wherein I describe and show typical embodiments of my invention.

In the drawings:

' Fig. l is a side elevation of a slicing machine equipped in accordance with myinvention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the cutter head on line 22 of Fig. 1, part of the crankcase being broken away to show the crank-shaft and means for attaching the knives thereto;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the cutter head on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the slide-rod guide and crank-case on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the spring attaching bar on line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan on line 66 of Fig. 1;

Fig. '7 is a side elevation of a variational form of cutter head in which the knives are mounted in two frames;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the cutter head on line 88 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a plan view on line 9-9 of Fig. '7 showing the formation of the frames;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of a partially sliced loaf;

and

Fig. 11 is a vertical section on line 11-11 of Fig. 10.

In order to explain fully the action of my improved cutter mechanism, I show it operating in conjunction with a bread carrying mechanism; and for this purpose I have selected that type of machine which is the subject-matter of my prior copending application, Ser. No. 429,050, because the general arrangement and features of the cutter head in which I explain my improvement, are in particulars adapted for cooperation with that type of carrier mechanism. However, it is to be understood that the improved cutter mechanism, or the features of the present improvement, are applicable to other types of carriers and appurtenant mechanisms.

Referring to Fig. l, which shows one side of a slicing machine, the slicer is seen to have a frame generally indicated at 15 which includes a pair of longitudinal horizontal members 15. Mounted one on each of frame members 15a are two supporting brackets 16 which carry between them the cutter head generally indicated at 18. Also attached to bracket 16 is a pair of rings 19 on and between which are rotatably mounted a plurality of rollers 20. Rollers 20 support the rotating loaf carrier which comprises a plurality of laterally spaced disk rings 21 having extending arms 21a which, when laterally alined, form loaf carrying compartments 22 about the periphery of the carrier.

Leaves of bread are placed upon the feed belt 23 which carries them to a point where the rotating stile 24 picks up the loaves and places them in the successive loaf compartments 22 of the carrier. After passing through the knives near or at the top of the carrier, the loaves are retained in the carrier compartments until they are deposited by gravity upon discharge belt 2"! which moves the loaves out of the slicing machine.

Motor 28 drives, through a suitable gear reduction box 29, a chain 30 that rotates star wheel 31, which in turn forms the means for moving the loaf carrier, and also rollers 32 and 33 that drive the feed and discharge belts respectively.

The foregoing brief description of the general operation of the slicer herein illustrated is given so that the nature and utility of my invention may be more fully understood; and reference may be had to my prior application, referred to above, for a more complete description of the construction and operation of this preferred form of slicing machine. Although I show and describe my improved form of cutter head as being used in connection with a particular type of loaf conveying and handling mechanism, I do not wish to be limited thereto; for it will be realized that the cutter head may be used with types of loaf handling mechanism other than herein illustrated, and one of which is shown in my copending application on Synchronous slicer and wrapper feed, Ser. No. 544,429, filed June 15, 1931.

The cutter head comprises a series of laterally spaced knives, means to support the knives, and mechanism to drive the knives. This driving mechanism, best seen in Figs. 2 and 3, includes a crank-case 35 within which is housed crankshaft 36. Crank-case 35 comprises a main body portion open at both ends and along the top.-

The top opening is continuous with at least one end opening so that the connecting-rods and slide-rods, to be described later, can be attached to the crank-shaft and the entire assembly inserted into the crank-case as a unit. The open ends of the crank-case body are closed by end plates 37 which also serve to support suitable bearings for the crank-shaft. The crank-shaft extends beyond one end plate and carries on the extension a drive pulley 38 which is driven from motor 28 by means of belts 39. The top of the crank case is closed by means of sliderod guide 40 bolted to the crank-case.

The crank-shaft is formed with a series of eccentrics or cranks 42 to which are attached the lower ends of connecting rods 43. The upper ends of the connecting-rods are slotted to receive slide-rods 44 and are pivoted thereto. Each slide-rod 44 is formed with a cylindrical portion which reciprocates within a suitable bore in guide 40 so that a bearing guide for the rod is thus provided. The upper ends of the slide-rods are connected with the lower ends of knives or cutters 46, while the upper ends of these cutters are attached to tension springs 47 which in turn are supported from attaching strip 48 fastened to cross bar 49.

Vertical uprights 50, bolted to the ends of guide 40, support between adjusting nuts 53 bearings 51 that journal the ends of shaft 54. To each end of shaft 54 is pinned an eccentric 55 which is connected to cross bar 49 by means of eccentric strap 56. Collars 58 on the ends of cross bar 49 slide on the upper end of uprights 50 to guide the cross bar as it is moved up and down.

This arrangement provides a means to raise and lower the cross bar to release tension in the springs so that knives may be easily changed. In the position of Fig. 2, the center line of eccentrics 55 is above the center of shaft 54 and cross bar 49 is in its uppermost position. If, however, shaft 54 is rotated counterclockwise (Figs. 1 and 3) a little more than 180 by means of handle 60 so that the center of eccentrics 55 is directly beneath the shaft, cross bar 49 and attaching strip 48 move to the lower, dotted line position and the springs 47 are then under little or no tension. That the device is self-locking with the cross bar raised may be seen by reference to Fig. 3. In this position the center of eccentrics 55 is moved clockwise past top dead center, handle 60 moving from the dotted line to the full line position when the bar is raised, so that the downward pull of the springs tends to continue the rotation of the eccentric in a clockwise direction, this continued rotation, however, being prevented by the engagement of handle 60 with cross bar 49. The tension of the springs as a whole may be adjusted to secure the best cutting results by means of adjusting nuts 53 which permit the raising or lowering of shaft 54 and cross bar 49 as desired.

The reciprocating slide-rods move the cutters up and down while the tension springs always tend to pull them upwardly. This keeps the cut ters under a continuous tension that elim nates any tendency of the knives, which are preferably thin and therefore flexible, tobuckle or deviate from a true vertical path under the up-thrust cf the rapidly moving slide-rods. As an aid in keeping the cutters properly spaced and free from side play, a guide bar 62 supported by and between uprights 50 receives in slots the upper ends of the cutters as may be seen in Fig. 3. Clips 63 are attached to the knives to enlarge the bear- 1.5;

ing surface between the slots and the rear, noncutting edge of the knives.

Because it is desirable to operate the cutters at a high linear speed but with short strokes, the cranks are of fairly small eccentricity and the crank shaft is adapted to operate at relatively high rotational speed. To eliminate vibration it is necessary to dynamically balance the reciprocating parts, this balance being attained by arranging the eccentrics in pairs, the directions of eccentricity of the two eccentrics of each pair being 180 apart. While it is possible to make adjoining members of successive pairs of eccentrics angularly spaced by 180", it is preferable to make the angular spacing between successive pairs other than 130 so that the pairs are evenly distributed over 180 or 360; though it is not necessary that all the spacings between be equal since better balance may be obtained with unequal spacings in View of the divergence between the knives, as will be explained later. latter arrangement is preferred because it produces a better dynamic balance for the centrifugal forces are uniformly distributed at small intervals around the crank shaft and are consequently smaller in magnitude. However, in either arrangement adjacent knives are driven in substantially opposite direction with relation to each other.

Moving at a high linear speed, the knives cut rapidly when once within a loaf; but the resistance of the outside crust is much higher than that of the interior of the loaf so that when the loaves, moving at the proper rate for cutting the interior, initially contact the knives, the resistance of a flat side presented to all the knives at once causes compression of the loaf until the crust is penetrated. This is especially true when the loaf interior warm and soft since it compresses more easily offers less support to the crust.

This crushing of the loaf and why it occurs may be more readily understood by reference to Figs. 10 and 11 where a loaf is shown as partially sliced by a of knives all of whose cutting edges are in the same laterally extending plane parallel to the advancing side of the loaf. The relatively high resistance of the forward crust necessitates that it be firmly pressed against the knives in order to be cut through; otherwise it remains stationary as the knives slowly saw through it and continuously advancing carrier pushes the rear crust forward. Finally, the loaf is sufiiciently squeezed to exert the required force against the forward crust to cause penetration of the knives. The cutting of the interior of the loaf proceeds much more rapidly; but if the interior is compressed, the cut is apt to be crooked and characterized by an excess of crumbs.

The slices at or near the ends of loaf 66 are adequately supported by the end crusts of the leaf so that little or no crushing occurs at these places. Likewise, the top and bottom of all slices at 67 and 68 respectively are supported by the top and bottom crusts. This leaves an elongated central area 6% supported only by the loaf interior, which, pointed out, must be compressed to exert the reactive force against the inside of the forward crust required for slicing. A small amount of compression is not harmful for the loaf springs back to its original shape, but an excessive compression passes the elastic limit and results in a permanent deformation of the leaf.

These are the conditions existing when the several cutting edges are in one plane. The loaf even at the central area 69 will hold the crust in place against one or two cutters and these will quickly penetrate as is the case where the knives are near the loaf end. Consequently, if the knives are offset relative to each other in the direction of loaf movement so that they enter the loaf singly or in pairs, any given knife will not contact the loaf until the preceeding knives have cut through the crust and consequently the loaf will not be crushed. With the knives in a single plane parallel to the loaf, the carrier travels through a relatively large are from the time of initial contact until any given knife penetrates so that the forward crust is cut at a rate relatively slower than that of the loaf interior. With offset knives, any knife penetrates the crust with relatively small travel of the carrier so that, in effect, the cutting rate of the crust has been increased to that of the interior. The total time required for slicing a loaf may now be materially reduced because of the lessened crushing; and the capacity of the machine may be correspondingly in creased by speeding up the movement of the leaf carrier.

Although the knives may be arranged in a single plane inclined to the loaf, I prefer to place them in two intersecting planes equally inclined to the loaf so that the knives are arranged in a V-formation with the apex pointing toward the advancing loaf. By this latter arrangement the first knife contacts the loaf at or near the center and succeeding knives progressively toward the ends of the loaf so that the maximum support of the end crusts is thereby attained.

Fig. 3 shows how the knives in one half of the V appear fanned out as they radiate outwardly from the crank-shaft. The knives reciprocate radially from the crank shaft at divergent angles, the angle depending upon the lateral position of the knife. The variations in these angles may be seen in Fig. 4 which indicates the different directions of the slide-rods passing through guide so. The spread of the tension springs at their upper end requires that attaching strip 48 be of a V-shape as indicated in Fig. 5. Guide bar 62 is also V- shaped to conform to the arrangement of the knives near their upper end. Comparison of Figs. 4 and 5 shows that the V formed by the knives and their supporting and driving means becomes more pronounced progressing from the crank-shaft outwardly to attaching strip 48.

This naturally follows from the fact that, although the center lines of the individual knives pass through the center line of crank-shaft 36, the knives are moving radially from the crank shaft at diverging angles. By placing the crankshaft at the center of the circular loaf carrier, all the knives contact the loaf at the same angle and, no matter how great the distance between knives in the direction of carrier movement, the knives always reciprocate radially of the carrier and perpendicularly of the loaf path.

For the purpose of confining the bread endwise and of centering the loaf with respect to the knives, there is provided a pair of annular guides 70 (see Fig. 1) which, for ease of handling and 1 :1-

adiustability, are made in three separate arcuate segments 70a, 70b, and 700. Carried at the upper end of a pair of uprights 71 on the frame 15, is rod 72 on which is adjustably mounted a pair of ide brackets '73. tached a plate 70a, each plate 70a having an inclined extension '74 which serves as a point of attachment and as a flared guide to receive the bread as the loaf is moved by inverting stile 24 from infeed. belt 3 into a, loaf compartment 22 To each of brackets '73 atof the carrier. Segments 70a are thin plates adapted to fit in the spaces between disk rings 21 and are laterally adjustable toward and away from each other to center the bread held between them with respect to the apex of the cutters arranged in V formation.

Fastened across between uprights is rod '76 which also carries a pair of slide brackets 78. To each of slide brackets '78 is attached a segment 7972. Guides 7979 are also thin plates adapted to be placed between disk rings 21 to form continuaticns of guides a. Plates 70a and 70b are adapted to be rotated about rods 72 and '76 respectively, so that they may be-lifted vertically out of the spaces between the disk rings when it is desired to shift the guides laterally across the carrier to new desired positions. Set screws are provided in the slide brackets to hold the guides at any desired place. As seen in Fig. 1, segments '70:; and 7613 are supported upon the two upper rollers 20. Should it be desired to cut a loaf shorter than the full width of the loaf carrier, certain of the knives are removed to permit the in ertion of the end guides between the disk rings.

The third segments of guides 70 are plates 700 which are adjustably mounted upon a rod carried by uprights so that plates 790 may be inserted between suitable disk rings to form continuations of the plates 7%. In order to hold the sliced loaves within compartments 22 on the downwardly moving side of the carrier, there is provided a curved sheet 81 which also serves as a supporting means for the lower ends of plates 700.

Thus it will be seen that, taken as a whole, the pair of end guides 70 serve not only as means for receiving the loaf and guiding it and centering it with respect to the knives, but also as means for confining the ends of the sliced loaf to keep the slices together while the loaf is moved along the downwardly moving side of the carrier and is deposited finally upon discharge belt 27. Under certain circumstances it may be desirable to make one guide '79 in the form of a stationary and continuous plate while the other one is made adjustable as described. It is preferred, however, that both guides 7 be made adjustable so as to secure the full use of these guides as means for centering the leaves as they pass through the offset knives. Although shown as of annular shape to conform to the rotary carrier illustrated, it will be understood that the end guides may be made to conform with and laterally adjustable of any other type of longitudinally moving loaf carrier.

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 illustrate another cutter head using a variational arrangement of the V-formation of the cutter. This cutter head is constructed generally as described above except that the cutters are attached to two oppositely moving frames instead of being each actuated by a separate eccentric, as will be now explained. Crank case 35 houses crank shaft which has a pair of diametrically opposed cranks at each end, only one pair being shown in Fig. '2, to which connecting rods 91 are attached. At the upper ends of connecting rods 91 are pivoted slide- rods 92 and 93 which have bearing in guide block 94 and guides 95 fastened to uprights 96. Uprights 96 are bolted at their bases to guide block 94 and held spaced at their upper ends by bar 98.

Lower and upper frame bars 169 and 101, respectively, are attached to the pair of slide-rods 93 and form a frame to which several of the cutters are attached. Two other frame bars 192 and 103 are connected to slide rods 92 and form a second frame to which the remainder of knives 46 are attached, the knives of one frame being positioned between the knives of the other frame so that alternate knives are atached to alternate frames (Fig. 9). The eccentrics on crank shaft 90 being diametrically opposed to each other, slide-rods 92 and the frame driven by them will reciprocate in an opposite direction to that of slide-rods 93 and their frame. In this manner alternate knives are driven in substantially opposite directions with relation to each other. Springs 105 are mounted on the upper frame bars to properly tension the cutter blades.

Fig. 9 shows the lower frame bars in plan and illustrates how the knives are arranged one offset behind the other in the direction of loaf travel to form a V. This arrangement of the cutters is the same as described above except that when viewed from the side as in Fig. 8 the cutters are parallel rather than divergent as in Fig. 3.

This variational form of cutter head may be used with other types of carriers or with the same rotary loaf carrier as described, and in this latter case the construction and operation of end guides '70 will be the same as explained before. In Fig. '7 guides 70 are shown as positioned to receive a loaf shorter than the distance between extreme cutters. In this case the cutters are removed from between the rings where the end guides are inserted so that there wfll be no interference with the guides.

The following claims are directed to the described improvements in the cutting mechanism, and in combination with an arcuately or circularly moving bread carrier; but do not include claims to adjustability of position of the cutter head or a variable speed drive for the carrier, that being the subject-matter of my copending application Ser. No. 623,364, filed July 19, 1932, Bread slicer.

It is to be understood that the drawings and description are to be considered merely as illustrative of. and not as restrictive on the broader claims appended hereto; for various changes in design, structure, and arrangement may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A cutter head having a plurality of laterally spaced slicing knives disposed in parallel planes, the cutting edges of the knives facing in one direction along said planes, and supporting and driving means for the knives including a crankshaft with a plurality of cranks each driving one of the several knives, the several knives extending radially of the crankshaft and the cutting edges of the knives being spaced from each other in a direction parallel to said planes.

2. A cutter head having a plurality of laterally spaced slicing knives disposed in parallel planes, the cutting edges of the knives facing in one direction along said planes, and supporting and driving means for the knives incluring a crankshaft with a plurality of cranks each driving one of the several knives, the several knives extending radially from the crankshaft, and the cutting edges of the knives being spaced from each other in a direction parallel to said planes so that the knives are arranged in V -formation.

3. A cutter head having a plurality of laterally spaced slicing knives disposed in parallel planes, the cutting edges of the knives facing in one direction along said planes, supporting and driving means for the knives including a crankshaft with a plurality of cranks each driving one of the several knives, the several knives extending radially from the crankshaft and the cutting edges of th knives being spaced from each other in a direction parallel to said planes so that the knives are arranged in ll-formation, means to move loaves against and through the knives, and guide means to center the loaf on the V-formation during the travel of the loaf.

4. In a slicing machine adapted to slice a loaf of bread, a plurality of laterally spaced slicing knives, supporting and driving means for the knives, and a loaf carrier adapted to carry a loaf past the knives, the cutting edges of said knives being arranged in offset relation in the direction of loaf movement to form a V with the apex presented to the center of the advancing loaf, and adjustable means to center the loaf relative to the apex of the knives said centering means including a pair of normally stationary plates extending past the knives to confine the sliced leaf and mounted rotatively and slidably to permit of insertion between selected knives.

In a slicing machine adapted to slice a loaf of a plurality of laterally spaced knives adapted to recipr cate in the direction of their l gths, supporting and driving means for the as, and an arcuately moving loaf carrier adapted to a loaf of bread past the knives, the cuttin edges of said knives being offset from each other in the direction of loaf movement and L, n of each knife being substantially radial to he center of the loaf carrier movement.

of a plurality of laterally spaced knives adapted to reciprocate in the direction of their lengths, a circular loaf carrier adapted to carry a loaf of bread past the knives, and supporting and driving means for the lmives including a ikshaft at the center of the carrier having a plurality of cranks and means to connect each of the knives to one of the cranks, the cutting edges of knives being oiiset from each other in the direction of loaf movement and arranged to reciprocate radially of the carrier.

'7. In a slicing machine adapted to slice a loaf of bread, a plurality of laterally spaced knives, a loaf carrier adapted to move a loaf past the knives, said carrier comprising a plurality of laterally spaced elements movable through the spaces between the knives, and a loaf end guide movable laterally to position the loaf on the carrier with respect to the knives and to confine the sliced loaf endwise, said guide comprising several overlapping segments forming continuations of each oth r and each separately supported and movable to ermit insertion of the guide between selected carrier elements.

8. In a cutter head, a plurality of cutters movable endwise, a supporting cross bar, a plurality of tension springs, each spring being attached to the upper end of one cutter to separately support the cutter from the cross bar, and means to move the cross bar to release the tension from all the springs at once; said moving means comprising a shaft supported above said crossbar, a pair of eccentrics on the shaft, and eccentric straps connecting the eccentrics to the crossbar to raise and lower the crossbar by rotation of the shaft and the eccentrics thereon.

9. In a slicing machine adapted to slice a loaf of bread, a plurality of laterally spaced knives, a circular car ier comprising a plurality of laterally spaced rings adapted to carry a loaf of bread past the knives, and supporting and driving means for said knives, said supporting and driving means including a laterally extending crankshaft within the carrier rings and operatively connected to the knives to reciprocate the knives in the direction of their lengths, and a knife support exterior of the carrier, said support having a plurality of individual knife attaching elements, adapted to attach the knives to the support, arranged in offset relation so that the cuttin edges of the knives are offs t from each other in the direction of loaf movement.

10. In a slicing machine adapted to slice a loaf of bread, a plurality of laterally spaced knives, a circular carrier comprising a plurality of laterally spaced rings adapted to carry a loaf of bread past the knives, supporting and driving means for said knives, said supportin and driving means including a laterally extending crank shaft within the carrier and operatively connected to the knives to reciprocate the knives in the direction of their lengths, and a knife support exterior of the carrier, said support having a plurality of individual knife attaching elements, adapted to attach the knives to the support, arranged in olfset relation so that the cutting edges of the knives are arranged in a V with the apex presented to the advancing loaf.

11. A cutter head having a plurality of slicing knives laterally spaced in parallel planes, the cutting edges of the knives facing in one direction along said plane, supporting and driving means for the knives including a crankshaft with a plurality of cranks, drive means connecting each of said crank-s to the lower end of one of said knives, a stationary crossbar mounted on the head, a plurality of tension springs connected one to each blade at its upper end and to said crossbar, and a stationary guide bar for the upper end of the knives, having spaced knife receiving slots opening from one edge of the guide, said crossbar and guide being so shaped as to support and guide the knives in offset relation so the cutting edges of the knives are oiiset from each other in the direction of loaf movement.

12. In a slicing machine adapted to slice a loaf of bread, a plurality of laterally spaced slicing knives, supporting and driving means for the knives, and a loaf oar'ier adapted to carry a loaf past the knives, the cutting edges of said knives being arranged in offset relation in the direction of loaf movement to form a V, and adjustable means to center the leaf relative to the apex of the knives, said centering means including a pair of normally stationary plates extending past the knives to confine the sliced loaf and mounted rotatively and slidably to permit of insertion between selected knives.

13. In a slicing machine adapted to slice a loaf of bread, a circular bread carrier and means to rotate it about its center, a plurality of knives in planes spaced axially of the carrier, the cutting edge of each knife being substantially radial of the carrier and the several knife edges being offset from each other in a direction circiunferential of the carrier.

WILLIAM WALTER HARTMAN.

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