US3664396A

US3664396A - Dicing machine

Info

Publication number: US3664396A
Application number: US103430A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gerard A Tremblay
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-01-04
Filing date: 1971-01-04
Publication date: 1972-05-23
Anticipated expiration: 1989-05-23

Abstract

A reversible motor is connected through a speed reducing drive train to rotate a worm having pitched and pitchless grooves to advance intermittantly a ram mounted pressing head within a box fastened to a face plate holding interchangeable cutting frames and orificed plates to produce desired protrusions; the same drive train to rotate a shaft to which attach interchangeable cutting knives to revolve flush with the outward face of said face plate to sever the extrusions only upon the stationary position of said pressing head. The length of the extrusions for dicing is determined by the distance between the centers of the pitched and pitchless grooves of said worm, which is equal to the spacing between the blades disposed in quadrillations of the specific cutting frame chosen to produce said square extrusions. Reversing the rotation of the motor retracts the pressing head to its starting position in the box. A motor switch supplies electrical power to the motor and its direction of rotation is controlled by a forward reverse switch actuated by the closing and opening of the box door. A forward rotation limit switch stops the motor automatically at the completion of a full extrusion cycle and a reverse rotation limit switch stops the motor automatically at the completion of a full retracting cycle.

Description

United States Patent Tremblay [54] DICING MACI-HNE Gerard A. 'lremblay, 2780 Jeanne DArc Ave., Apt. 1, Montreal 403, Quebec, Canada [22] Filed: Jan. 4, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 103,430

[72] Inventor:

Primary ExaminerWillie G. Abercrombie [451 May 23,1972

[57] ABSTRACT A reversible motor is connected through a speed reducing drive train to rotate a worm having pitched and pitchless grooves to advance intermittantly a ram mounted pressing head within a box fastened to a face plate holding interchangeable cutting frames and orificed plates to produce desired protrusions; the same drive train to rotate a shaft to which attach interchangeable cutting knives to revolve flush with the outward face of said face plate to sever the extrusions only upon the stationary position of said pressing head. The length of the extrusions for dicing is determined by the distance between the centers of the pitched and pitchless grooves of said worm, which is equal to the spacing between the blades disposed in quadrillations of the specific cutting frame chosen to produce said square extrusions. Reversing the rotation of the motor retracts the pressing head to its starting position in the box. A motor switch supplies electrical power to the motor and its direction of rotation is controlled by a forward reverse switch actuated by the closing and opening of the box door. A forward rotation limit switch stops the motor automatically at the completion of a full extrusion cycle and a reverse rotation limit switch stops the motor automatically at the completion of a full retracting cycle.

8 Clains, 19 Drawing figures PATENTEDwzs I912 3,664,396

- mum INVENTOR v DICING MACHINE SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In its preferred form the invention comprises a reversible motor driven ram operated pressing head type machine for cutting fruits, vegetables and other foods, having a pitched and pitchless grooved worm determining the length of extrusions produced by the cutting blades of specific frames and by the orifices of specific plates, and the severance of the extrusions being accomplished by specific rotating knives, and a motor reversing means to retract the pressing head upon completion of the extruding cycle.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a sturdy, efficient, easily operated, safe to use, readily dismantable for cleaning and fully portable machine for cutting fruits, vegetables and other foods in small size cubes for dicing, principally, and also capable of producing such other shapes as square and round strips, slices, shreds, gratings, mincings, ricings, extracting juices, crushing ice, etc., in the preparation of soups, salads, side dishes, garnishings, cocktails, for french-frying, preserving and pickling, which will prove to be a great asset to restaurants, hotels, institutions and homes.

Other features of the invention reside in its construction and in the simple arrangement of its parts as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, fully in section, of one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the machine in direction II of FIG. 1 showing the face plate with a cutting frame having blades disposed in quadrillations and a cutting knife in position to sever the extrusions to produce cubes for dicing.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the machine with a cut in direction IV-IV of FIG. 1 showing the teeth of the toothed block meshing into the grooves of the worm and the releasing bolt arrangement.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view in direction IIIIII of FIG. 1 showing the reducing gear train and the forward-reverse rotation switch and door actuating arrangements.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view in direction II--II of FIG. 1 showing the position of the motor in relation to the driving shaft and to the ram pressing head.

FIG. 6 is a frontal elevation of the essential components of the machine to achieve intermittancy of the rams advance showing the pitched and pitchless grooves of the worm and toothed block arrangement.

FIG. 7 is a frontal elevation, partly in section, of the pressing head in the box showing the fashion in which a fruit or vegetable is pressed through the blades of a cutting frame.

FIG. 8 is a frontal elevation, partly in section, showing the lugs of the pressing head in lodged position in the spaces between the blades of a cutting frame at the end of a full extrusion cycle.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the box door and attaching fitting.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the box and attaching fittings.

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a knife-guard pan retaining clip.

FIG. 12 is an isometric view of the pressing head with attching fitting.

FIG. 13 is an isometric view of the machine in the horizontal position and stripped of all removable parts for cleaning.

FIG. 14 is an isometric view of cutting frames and orificed plates and their attaching fitting.

FIG. 15 is an isometric view of the knife-guard pan.

FIG. 16 is an isometric view of a face plate leg.

FIG. 17 is an isometric view of a cross-cutting knife and attaching fitting.

FIG. 18 is an isometric view of a toothed knife.

FIG. 19 is a side view of a serrated blade.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 19 inclusively, the illustrated dicing machine comprises a motor 1 having a resilient mounting 2 fastening to and within housing 3 which, in its turn, is fastened to the back face of face-plate 4. The driving shaft 5 of said motor is fitted with a pinion 6 which meshes with gear 7 fitted to one end of shaft 8 rotating in bearing 9 of bearing block 10 which is fastened to the top of said housing. The other end of said shaft is fitted with pinion 11 which meshes with gear 12 fitted to one end of shaft 13 rotating in bearing 14 of said bearing block. The other end of said shaft is fitted with pinion 15 which meshes with gear 16 fitted to shaft 17 rotating in bearing 18 of said bearing block and in straddling bearing 19 which is also fastened to said bearing block, and it meshes with gear 20 fitted to driving shaft 21 rotating in bearing 22 of said bearing block and in bearing 23 at the base of housing 3. This gear is fitted with lugs 24 which adapt in transversal groove 25 in one end of worm 26 where the latter has a centrally bored recess 27 adapting to the tapered end 28 of said driving shaft. The other end of said worm has stub shaft 29 which rotates in bearing 30 fastened to gear and worm housing 31 being, in its turn, fastened to the top of housing 3. The body of said worm has a pluralit of grooves cut in its face in the following fashion: parallel or pitchless grooves 32 in 180 of its circumference or in half of its face, and single pitched or advancing tvpe grooves 33 in the remaining 180 of its circumference or in the opposite half of its face. When said worm is driven in clockwise rotation, facing stub shaft 29, toothed block 34 having a plurality of teeth 35 meshing into said grooves is made to advance when said teeth are engaged in said single pitched grooves and to remain stationary when thev are engaged in said pitchless grooves. This stationary position coincides with the position of cross-cutting knife 36 then revolving over the upper half of face-plate 4 and across the outward face of cutting frame 37 having its serrated blades disposed in quadrillations 38 and having its step-cut edges 39 seating into the step-cut edged opening 40 of said face-plate to sever extrusions produced by the advance of said toothed block when its teeth are engaged in the pitched grooves of said worm. Keying opening 41 in the hub 42 of said cross-cutting knife adapts to a similarly shaped extension 43 at the extremity of driving shaft 21, said extension being tapped centrally 44 to receive wingscrew 45 fastening said cross-cutting knife which has a progressively curved cutting edge 46 to sever extrusions with a slicing effect. One said extrusions have been severed, the knife continues to revolve over the lower or blank half of said faceplate, therefore being out of the way of other extrusions being formed.

Block carrier 47 contains said toothed block 34 and it travels within the walls of a trough-shaped guide 48 fastened to gear and worm housing 31 and to the ledge 49 of motor housing 3. It is equipped with rollers 50 which are inserted in its back member 51 and protruding slightly so as to ride over the flat surfaces 52 of said guide. Annular opening 53 in said back member allows the passage of releasing bolt 54 having a threaded portion 55 rotating in tapped hole 56 in the rear of said toothed block. Locking pin 57 is fitted transversally in the bodv of said bolt and adapts into groove 58 in the inner face of said back member when said toothed blocks teeth are disengaged from the grooves of the worm. Coil spring 59 encircles the bodv of said bolt and exerts pressure between said back member and knob 60 to hold said disengaged position when the machine is not in use. Slot 61 in the front wall of said guide allows free sliding of said bolt and spring for the entire length of the worm. Hub 62 of said block carrier is fitted to the end of ram 63 and it is locked bv setscrew 64 which also retains switch tripper arm 65. Bearing 66 of ledge 49 guides said ram in its travel and centers pressing head 67 with its hub 68 adapting to the end of said ram and being locked to the latter by means of a thumbscrew 69 for removability, said pressing head having a plurality of lugs 70 which lodge freely in the spaces between blades 38 of the cutting frame at the completion of an extruding cycle.

Box 71 has a slot 72 in its top wall to slide with generous clearance over said ram to permit removability for cleaning. Thumbscrews 73 fasten said box flanges 136 to said face-plate 4 and motor housing 3. Half hinges 74 and 75 of said box mate with

half hinges

76 and 77 of door 78. Pin 79 adapts for pivotting into hole 80 and thumbscrew 81 adapts for pivotting in hole 82 and fastens into tapped hole 83. Pin 84 fitted to the inside top of said door coincides with annular opening 85 in the front face of said guide 48 to depress stem 86 of forwardreverse rotation switch 87 against spring 88 within said switch. A pull-knob 89 is fitted to the front face of said door. Parallel lugs 90 of said box are drilled and tapped to receive threaded pin 91 retaining latch 92 which is held in closed position by coil spring 93 fitting over lug 94. Forward limit switch 95 is retained by bracket 96 having a studbolt 97 adapting in slot 98 of said guide 48 for adjustment to advance or retard the completion of extrusion or crushing cycles as tripper arm 65 depresses switch button 99. Nut 100 locks said switch in calibrated positions. Reverse limit switch 101 is retained by bracket 102 having studbolt 103 adapting in slot 104 of said guide for adjustment to advance or retard the completion of the rams retraction as tripper arm 105 fastened to the end of block carrier 47 depresses switch button 106 of said switch. On-off motor switch 107 is fastened to housing 3 and it is connected to said motor and to plug-in cord 108 which passes through opening 109 and resilient bushing 110. Forward rotation contacts 111 of said forward-reverse rotation switch are connected to one pole of said motor switch and to said motors clockwise rotation terminal via forward limit switch, and reverse rotation contacts 112 of said forward-reverse rotation switch are connected to the other pole of said motor switch and to said motors anticlockwise rotation terminal via reverse limit switch. The above connections provide operational safety of the machine as said contacts 111 are closed only upon said box door being shut causing said motor to rotate in the clockwise direction to advance the ram pressing head inside said box to extrude and the cross-cutting knife to revolve and sever the extrusions. Opening said box door closes contacts 112 causing said motor to rotate in the anticlockwise direction to retract said ram pressing head to the top of the box.

Back plate 113 is fastened to said motor housing 3 to close the latter and it is extended at its bottom edge to form a narrow angle bracket 114 to hold knife-guard pan 115 having flanged edge 116 being retained at two other points by clips 117 pivotting at the rear face of face-plate 4 by means of screws 1 18.

When the machine is operated in the vertical position, said faceplate is fitted with a plurality of legs or posts 119 being capped with resilient ends 120 and having reduced threaded portions 121 fastening into tapped holes 122 in the outward face of said face-plate. When the machine is operated in the horizontal position, extending legs 123 of said face-plate and 124 of said gear and worm housing are fitted with resilient ends 125 to provide four point support.

Frame 126, having serrated blades 127 disposed in parallel, has the same step-cut edges 39 as frame 37 and adapts into opening 40 of said face-plate to extrude slices.

Plate 128, having large orifices 129 in its surface coinciding with the inside dimensions of the box fitting over said plate, has the same step-cut edges 39 as frame 37 and adapts into opening 40 of said face-plate to extrude round strips.

Plate 130, having small orifices 131 in its surface coinciding with the inside dimensions of the box fitting over said plate, has the same step-cut edges 39 as frame 37 and adapts into opening 40 of said face-plate to extrude shoestrings and to extract juices.

Frames

37 and 126 and plates 128 and have the same tapped hole 132 into which fits setscrew 133 having small end 134 adapting in hole 135 in the front flange 136 of said box to ensure proper alignment.

Progressively curved toothed knife 137 has a plurality of teeth 138 of a width equal to the length of the extrusions. It features the same keying opening in its hub as cross-cutting knife 46 and it attaches to driving shaft 21 with the same wingscrew 45.

The interchangeability of the above frames, plates and knives provides a wide selection of extrusions, cuts and shapes and their combinations will produce the following:

Cutting frame 37 having serrated blades 38 disposed in quadrillations, used with cross-cutting knife 36 fitted to driving shaft 21, will produce perfect cubes for dicing. The same frame used with toothed knife 137 will produce chips or gratings, and the same frame used with no knife will produce long square strips as required for french-frying.

Cutting frame 126 having serrated blades 127 disposed in parallel, used with cross-cutting knife 36 fitted to driving shaft 21, will produce short rectangular strips. The same frame used with toothed knife 137 will produce shreds, and the same frame used with no knife will produce slices.

Plate 128 having large orifices 129, used with cross-cutting knife 36 fitted to driving shaft 21, will produce short round pellets or discs. The same plate used with toothed knife 137 will produce mincings, and used with no knife it will produce long round strips or sticks.

Plate 130 having small orifices 131, used with cross-cutting knife 36 fitted to driving shaft 21, will produce ricings. The same plate used with toothed knife 137 will produce fine mincing, and used with no knife it will produce shoestrings. This plate is also used for extracting juices, crush ice, press meat for hambergers, etc.

The particular embodiment depicted was chosen solely for illustrative purposes, and is not intended to limit the extent of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

1 claim:

1. A dicing machine for cutting fruits, vegetables and other foods in cubes and capable, through interchangeability of parts, of extruding and cutting such shapes as strips, slices, shreds, mincings, ricings, gratings, shoestrings, and also capable of extracting juices, crush ice, compress meats, etc., comprising:

a face-plate having a three-sided opening, the edges of which being step-cut to provide seating for interchangeable extruding cutting frames with serrated blades disposed in quadrillations and in parallel and plates having large and small orifices, said frames and plates having step-cut edges which slide into said opening;

a face-plate having an annular opening in its center allowing passage of a driving shaft to which attach interchangeable cross-cutting and toothed knives to sever the extrusions produced by said cutting frames and orificed plates;

a face-plate having a plurality of tapped holes in its outward face into which fasten legs or posts supporting the machine when it is operated in the vertical position;

a face-plate having two extensions to its rear edge forming supporting legs for the horizontal operating position of the machine;

a faceplate having tapped holes in its back face to receive the screws fastening the flanges of a motor housing and the flanges of a removable box enclosing a ram pressing head;

a face-plate having tapped holes in its rear edge to receive the screws fastening a plate closing said motor housing, said plate having a narrow angled bracket extending from its bottom edge to receive for support the flanged rim of a circular knife-guard pan;

a face-plate having two tapped holes in its back face to receive the screws pivoting the swinging clips holding for support said flanged rim of the knife-guard pan.

2. A dicing machine as described in claim 1 including:

a motor housing having flanges at its open bottom which are fastened to the back face of said face-plate;

a motor housing having tapped holes in the bosses inside of one of its walls to receive the bolts fastening the resilient mounting of a motor;

a reversible motor being retained by said resilient mounting;

a motor housing having a on-off two-pole motor switch fastened to one of its walls;

for the seating of a bearing-block and having a plurality of 5 tapped holes in said top wall to receive the bolts fastening the flanges of said bearing-block to the top of said top wall;

a reducing gear train being held in rotation by the bearings of said bearing-block, the sections of which are bolted together and forming part of the bearing-block assembly;

a reducing gear train being rotated by the meshing of a pinion fitted to the shaft of said motor;

a driving shaft being rotated by said reducing gear train, in said bearing-block, and extending to rotate in a bearing at the base of the front wall of said motor housing to protrude beyond the annular opening in the center of said face-plate where an off-set keying lug is tapped centrally to receive a wingscrew which fastens said interchangeable knives and align the latter for flush revolving over the outward face of said face-plate;

a driving shaft being fitted with a gear having lugs or dogs for the driving of a worm, and being tapered at its top end to provide easy centering of the bored recess of said worm;

a motor housing having a ledge extending from its top wall and being centrally bossed and bored to form a bearing into which slides a ram and for the guidance of said rams pressing head within said enclosing box;

a forward-reverse rotation switch being fastened to said ledge and having a stem extending frontward to coincide with and fit into a pocket in the front base of a ram guide, said stem being pushed-in to close the contacts of the forward rotation side of said switch by the action of a pin fitted to the box door when the latter is closed, said stem being released by the opening of said door, at which time the reverse rotation contacts are closed and the forward rotation contacts are open;

a motor housing having a plurality of tapped holes in the flanged edge of its open back wall to receive the screws fastening said closing plate.

3. A dicing machine as described in claim 1 including:

a worm having one of its ends recessed and bored to adapt to the tapered end of said driving shaft and being transversally grooved to adapt over the lugs or dogs of said shaft gear to be driven in rotation by said driving shaft;

a worm having its other end terminating into a stub shaft which rotates in a bearing fastening to a gear and worm housing, the latter being fastened to the top of said motor housing;

a worm having a plurality of single pitched grooves in 180 or in one half of its circumferential face and parallel or pitchless grooves in the remaining 180 or in the opposite half of its circumferential face and being continuous in width, depth and angle for the entire length of said face;

a toothed block having a plurality of teeth of a width, length and angle to slide into and to mesh with a group of the worm s grooves to be advanced when said teeth are riding in the pitched grooves and to remain stationary when riding in the pitchless grooves of said worm, thereby being advanced intermittantly upon each full revolution of said worm;

a block carrier retaining said toothed block and having a hub at its lower end which is bored to fit over a ram and being tapped to receive a setscrew;

a block carrier having embedded rollers in the top and bottom face of its back member protruding slightly from the latter to ride over the inside face of a trough shaped guide fastening to said gear and worm housing and to said ledge of the motor housing when said carrier is advanced by the toothed blocks meshing into the pitched grooves of said worm;

a ram being of a diameter to slide through the bearing in the ledge of said motor housing and being of a length which includes the length of the body or face of the worm plus an extension beyond said bearing to allow for the adapting of a pressing head;

a pressing head being square in shape and having a bored hub adapting to the end of said ram and being tapped to receive a knurled head setscrew for hand locking, providing easy removability for cleaning;

a pressing head having a plurality of lugs of a length and shape to lodge loosely in the spaces between the serrated blades of the cutting frames at the completion of a full extrusion cycle.

4. A dicing machine as described in claim 1 including:

a guide being trough shaped, e. g having three walls, the side walls of which are flanged for fastening to said gear and worm housing and being slotted in its front wall to allow for full travel of a releasing bolt;

a guide having a slot at the top and bottom of its front wall into which slide for adjustment the studbolts of the limit switch brackets, the top one being for the reverse rotation limit switch and the bottom one being for the forward rotation limit switch and being calibrated for specific adjustments when extrusions are made by cutting frames or by orificed plates, the latter requiring a shorter extrusion cycle;

a guide having a larger width and height at its lower end to fit over the forward-reverse rotation switch and has an annular opening near its bottom edge to form a pocket into which lodges the extremity of the stem of said switch, said larger end being drilled to receive the bolts fastening it to said motor housing ledge.

5. A dicing machine as described in claim 1 including:

a releasing bolt for the manual engagement and disengagement of said toothed blocks teeth with the grooves of said worm;

a releasing bolt having a threaded end rotating in thetapped hole in the back center of said toothed block, a body fitting loosely in an annular opening in the back member of said block carrier, a locking pin fitted transversally into said body and lodging into a transversal groove in the inside face of the back member of said block carrier when said toothed block is in the disengaged'position;

a releasing bolt having a body extending beyond and within the slot in the front wall of said guide and having a knurled head for hand rotation;

a releasing bolt having a coiled spring encircling its body to exert pressure between said knurled head and the back member of said block carrier to hold said locking pin in said transversal groove when in disengaged position;

a releasing bolt as described above being in the engaged position when it is pressed-in and rotated in either direction, whereby said locking pin is dislodged from said transversal groove and wedges vertically between the in side face of said block carrier and the back of said toothed block forcing its teeth to lodge into the grooves of said worm.

6. A dicing machine as described in claim 1 including:

a box having two side walls and an open front being flanged for fastening by means of thumbscrews to the back of the face-plate and to the front wall of the motor housing, said thumbscrews permitting the easy removability of said box for cleaning;

a box having an annular opening in its front flange into which adapts the end of the setscrew fastening for alignment the cutting frames and orificed plates;

a box having a top wall spanning its two side walls to provide rigidity, said top wall being slotted to lodge over the ram with generous clearance to allow for removability;

a box having half hinges at the top and bottom of one of its side walls, the bottom one having an annular opening in which adapts the pivoting pin of the bottom half hinge of a door, and the top one having an annular opening into which adapts a thumbscrew pivoting the top half hinge of said door;

a box having parallel lugs at the front center of one of its side walls between which fulcrums a latch being pivoted by a screw fitting into tapped holes in said lugs;

a latch having a hook-shaped head to hold the door in closed position, said latch being kept in engagement bv the pressure of a coil spring fitting over a lug at end of the inner face of the tail end of said latch and resting on said side wall;

a latch being released from said engaged position by pressing in said tail end against said spring, whereby said hooked head slides off the edge of said door.

7. A dicing machine as described in claim 1 including:

a door having half hinges at the top and bottom of one of its side edges, the bottom one having a pin adapting into the annular opening in the bottom half hinge of said box, and the top one being tapped to receive the threaded end of the thumbscrew pivoting into the annular opening in the top half hinge of said box;

a door having step-cut edges at all four sides to provide tight closure over the edges of the front wall of the box, the smaller rectangle being formed by said step-cut fitting with slight clearance within said box;

a door having a pull-knob fitted to its outward face;

a door having a pin fitted to the inside top of its step-cut edge to coincide with and lodge into the annular pocket in the bottom front of the ram guide when the door is shut to actuate the forward-reverse rotation switch stem, whereby the ram head will be made to advance in an extrusion cycle with said door in the closed position only.

8. A dicing machine as described in claim 1 including:

a knife-guard pan being circular and having a flat bottom, preferably of transparent material to permit observation of the extrusions and cuts produced by the machine, and being of a height to clear generously the surface upon which the machine rests in the vertical position or as standing upon the removable legs fitted for that purpose to the outward face of the face-plate;

a knife-guard pan having a narrow outward flange at its top for seating to the outward edge of said face-plate and being of an inside diameter generously larger than the circle described by the revolving tip of the knife fitted to the driving shaft;

a knife-guard pan being retained in position upon said faceplate by the hooking of its flange between the angled extension at the bottom edge of the motor housing closure plate and said face-plate, and by the closing of the clips pivotted at the back of said face-plate upon said flange, thereby fastening said knife-guard pan at three points and providing complete safety of operation of the machine in either the vertical or horizontal position

Claims

1. A dicing machine for cutting fruits, vegetables and other foods in cubes and capable, through interchangeability of parts, of extruding and cutting such shapes as strips, slices, shreds, mincings, ricings, gratings, shoestrings, and also capable of extracting juices, crush ice, compress meats, etc., comprising: a face-plate having a three-sided opening, the edges of which being step-cut to provide seating for interchangeable extruding cutting frames with serrated blades disposed in quadrillations and in parallel and plates having large and small orifices, said frames and plates having step-cut edges which slide into said opening; a face-plate having an annular opening in its center allowing passage of a driving shaft to which attach interchangeable cross-cutting and toothed knives to sever the extrusions produced by said cutting frames and orificed plates; a face-plate having a plurality of tapped holes in its outward face into which fasten legs or posts supporting the machine when it is operated in the vertical position; a face-plate having two extensions to its rear edge forming supporting legs for the horizontal operating position of the machine; a face-plate having tapped holes in its back face to receive the screws fastening the flanges of a motor housing and the flanges of a removable box enclosing a ram pressing head; a face-plate having tapped holes in its rear edge to receive the screws fastening a plate closing said motor housing, said plate having a narrow angled bracket extending from its bottom edge to receive for support the flanged rim of a circular knifeguard pan; a face-plate having two tapped holes in its back face to receive the screws pivoting the swinging clips holding for support said flanged rim of the knife-guard pan.

2. A dicing machine as described in claim 1 including: a motor housing having flanges at its open bottom which are fastened to the back face of said face-plate; a motor housing having tapped holes in the bosses inside of one of its walls to receive the bolts fastening the resilient mounting of a motor; a reversible motor being retained by said resilient mounting; a motor housing having a on-off two-pole motor switch fastened to one of its walls; a motor housing having a rubber bushed annular opening in one of its walls for the passage of a plug-in cord which is connected to said motor switch; a motor housing having a rectangular opening in its top wall for the seating of a bearing-block and having a plurality of tapped holes in said top wall to receive the bolts fastening the flanges of said bearing-block to the top of said top wall; a reducing gear train being held in rotation by the bearings of said bearing-block, the sections of which are bolted together and forming part of the bearing-block assembly; a reducing gear train being rotated by the meshing of a pinion fitted to the shaft of said motor; a driving shaft being rotated by said reducing gear train, in said bearing-block, and extending to rotate in a bearing at the base of the front wall of said motor housing to protrude beyond the annular opening in the center of said face-plate where an off-set keying lug is tapped centrally to receive a wingscrew which fastens said interchangeable knives and align the latter for flush revolving over the outward face of said face-plate; a driving shaft being fitted with a gear having lugs or dogs for the driving of a worm, and being tapered at its top end to provide easy centering of the bored recess of said worm; a motor housing having a ledge extending from its top wall and being centrally bossed and bored to form a bearing into which slides a ram and for the guidance of said ram''s pressing head within said enclosing box; a forward-reverse rotation switch being fastened to said ledge and having a stem extending frontward to coincide with and fit into a pocket in the front base of a ram guide, said stem being pushed-in to close the contacts of the forward rotation side of said switch by the action of a pin fitted to the box door when the latter is closed, said stem being released by the opening of said door, at which time the reverse rotatioN contacts are closed and the forward rotation contacts are open; a motor housing having a plurality of tapped holes in the flanged edge of its open back wall to receive the screws fastening said closing plate.

3. A dicing machine as described in claim 1 including: a worm having one of its ends recessed and bored to adapt to the tapered end of said driving shaft and being transversally grooved to adapt over the lugs or dogs of said shaft gear to be driven in rotation by said driving shaft; a worm having its other end terminating into a stub shaft which rotates in a bearing fastening to a gear and worm housing, the latter being fastened to the top of said motor housing; a worm having a plurality of single pitched grooves in 180* or in one half of its circumferential face and parallel or pitchless grooves in the remaining 180* or in the opposite half of its circumferential face and being continuous in width, depth and angle for the entire length of said face; a toothed block having a plurality of teeth of a width, length and angle to slide into and to mesh with a group of the worm''s grooves to be advanced when said teeth are riding in the pitched grooves and to remain stationary when riding in the pitchless grooves of said worm, thereby being advanced intermittantly upon each full revolution of said worm; a block carrier retaining said toothed block and having a hub at its lower end which is bored to fit over a ram and being tapped to receive a setscrew; a block carrier having embedded rollers in the top and bottom face of its back member protruding slightly from the latter to ride over the inside face of a trough shaped guide fastening to said gear and worm housing and to said ledge of the motor housing when said carrier is advanced by the toothed block''s meshing into the pitched grooves of said worm; a ram being of a diameter to slide through the bearing in the ledge of said motor housing and being of a length which includes the length of the body or face of the worm plus an extension beyond said bearing to allow for the adapting of a pressing head; a pressing head being square in shape and having a bored hub adapting to the end of said ram and being tapped to receive a knurled head setscrew for hand locking, providing easy removability for cleaning; a pressing head having a plurality of lugs of a length and shape to lodge loosely in the spaces between the serrated blades of the cutting frames at the completion of a full extrusion cycle.

4. A dicing machine as described in claim 1 including: a guide being trough shaped, e.g. having three walls, the side walls of which are flanged for fastening to said gear and worm housing and being slotted in its front wall to allow for full travel of a releasing bolt; a guide having a slot at the top and bottom of its front wall into which slide for adjustment the studbolts of the limit switch brackets, the top one being for the reverse rotation limit switch and the bottom one being for the forward rotation limit switch and being calibrated for specific adjustments when extrusions are made by cutting frames or by orificed plates, the latter requiring a shorter extrusion cycle; a guide having a larger width and height at its lower end to fit over the forward-reverse rotation switch and has an annular opening near its bottom edge to form a pocket into which lodges the extremity of the stem of said switch, said larger end being drilled to receive the bolts fastening it to said motor housing ledge.

5. A dicing machine as described in claim 1 including: a releasing bolt for the manual engagement and disengagement of said toothed block''s teeth with the grooves of said worm; a releasing bolt having a threaded end rotating in the tapped hole in the back center of said toothed block, a body fitting loosely in an annular opening in the back member of said block carrier, a locking pin fitted transversally into said body and lodging into a tRansversal groove in the inside face of the back member of said block carrier when said toothed block is in the disengaged position; a releasing bolt having a body extending beyond and within the slot in the front wall of said guide and having a knurled head for hand rotation; a releasing bolt having a coiled spring encircling its body to exert pressure between said knurled head and the back member of said block carrier to hold said locking pin in said transversal groove when in disengaged position; a releasing bolt as described above being in the engaged position when it is pressed-in and rotated 90* in either direction, whereby said locking pin is dislodged from said transversal groove and wedges vertically between the inside face of said block carrier and the back of said toothed block forcing its teeth to lodge into the grooves of said worm.

6. A dicing machine as described in claim 1 including: a box having two side walls and an open front being flanged for fastening by means of thumbscrews to the back of the face-plate and to the front wall of the motor housing, said thumbscrews permitting the easy removability of said box for cleaning; a box having an annular opening in its front flange into which adapts the end of the setscrew fastening for alignment the cutting frames and orificed plates; a box having a top wall spanning its two side walls to provide rigidity, said top wall being slotted to lodge over the ram with generous clearance to allow for removability; a box having half hinges at the top and bottom of one of its side walls, the bottom one having an annular opening in which adapts the pivoting pin of the bottom half hinge of a door, and the top one having an annular opening into which adapts a thumbscrew pivoting the top half hinge of said door; a box having parallel lugs at the front center of one of its side walls between which fulcrums a latch being pivoted by a screw fitting into tapped holes in said lugs; a latch having a hook-shaped head to hold the door in closed position, said latch being kept in engagement by the pressure of a coil spring fitting over a lug at end of the inner face of the tail end of said latch and resting on said side wall; a latch being released from said engaged position by pressing in said tail end against said spring, whereby said hooked head slides off the edge of said door.

7. A dicing machine as described in claim 1 including: a door having half hinges at the top and bottom of one of its side edges, the bottom one having a pin adapting into the annular opening in the bottom half hinge of said box, and the top one being tapped to receive the threaded end of the thumbscrew pivoting into the annular opening in the top half hinge of said box; a door having step-cut edges at all four sides to provide tight closure over the edges of the front wall of the box, the smaller rectangle being formed by said step-cut fitting with slight clearance within said box; a door having a pull-knob fitted to its outward face; a door having a pin fitted to the inside top of its step-cut edge to coincide with and lodge into the annular pocket in the bottom front of the ram guide when the door is shut to actuate the forward-reverse rotation switch stem, whereby the ram head will be made to advance in an extrusion cycle with said door in the closed position only.

8. A dicing machine as described in claim 1 including: a knife-guard pan being circular and having a flat bottom, preferably of transparent material to permit observation of the extrusions and cuts produced by the machine, and being of a height to clear generously the surface upon which the machine rests in the vertical position or as standing upon the removable legs fitted for that purpose to the outward face of the face-plate; a knife-guard pan having a narrow outward flange at its top for seating to the outward edge of said face-plate and being of an inside diameter generously larger than the Circle described by the revolving tip of the knife fitted to the driving shaft; a knife-guard pan being retained in position upon said face-plate by the hooking of its flange between the angled extension at the bottom edge of the motor housing closure plate and said face-plate, and by the closing of the clips pivotted at the back of said face-plate upon said flange, thereby fastening said knife-guard pan at three points and providing complete safety of operation of the machine in either the vertical or horizontal position.