Claims
- 1. A food slicing appliance for cutting bagels, baked goods and other food items, comprising:
- a main housing for providing support on an existing surface, said main housing defining a walled enclosure having a side aperture and a top aperture;
- a food receptacle providing a walled compartment for seating a food item, said food receptacle being adapted for slidable insertion into the side aperture of said main housing, and said food receptacle having a notch extending downwardly into a leading wall thereof,
- a cutting carriage adapted for slidable insertion into the top aperture of said main housing, said cutting carriage further including,
- a cutting carriage housing,
- an electric motor mounted within said cutting carriage housing for providing rotary drive,
- a slicing assembly mounted within said cutting carriage housing, said slicing assembly including an elongate reciprocating blade protruding laterally from said cutting carriage, said blade being disposed over the food receptacle when said food receptacle is inserted into the side aperture of said main housing, and a drive mechanism mounted in said cutting carriage and coupled between said electric motor and reciprocating blade for translating the rotary drive into blade reciprocation to facilitate slicing through the food item;
- whereby a food item may be seated in said food receptacle, said food receptacle may be slidably inserted into the side aperture of said main housing, and said cutting carriage may be slidably depressed downward into the top aperture of said main housing for driving said reciprocating blade down through said notch in said food receptacle and through the food item seated therein for slicing of the food item.
- 2. A food slicing appliance for cutting bagels, baked goods and other food items, comprising:
- a main housing for providing support on an existing surface, said main housing defining a walled enclosure having a side aperture and a top aperture, and a ratchet gear strip extending interiorly downward;
- a food receptacle providing a walled compartment for seating a food item, said food receptacle being adapted for slidable insertion into the side aperture of said main housing, and said food receptacle having a notch extending downwardly into a leading wall thereof,
- a cutting carriage adapted for slidable insertion into the top aperture of said main housing, said cutting carriage further including,
- a cutting carriage housing,
- an electric motor mounted within said cutting carriage housing for providing rotary drive,
- a slicing assembly mounted within said cutting carriage housing, said slicing assembly including an elongate reciprocating blade protruding laterally from said cutting carriage, said blade being disposed over the food receptacle when said food receptacle is inserted into the side aperture of said main housing, and a drive mechanism mounted in said cutting carriage and coupled between said electric motor and reciprocating blade for translating the rotary drive into blade reciprocation to facilitate slicing through the food item, and
- a cutting carriage drive assembly including a start switch for manually activating said electric motor, a gear coupling between said electric motor and the ratchet gear strip of said main housing for drawing said cutting carriage into the main housing when said motor is activated, and a reverse switch activated upon full insertion of said cutting carriage into the main housing to reverse rotation of said electric motor, thereby operating said gear coupling to automatically return said cutting carriage to a home position;
- whereby a food item may be seated in said food receptacle, said food receptacle may be slidably inserted into the side aperture of said main housing, said electric motor may be activated by said start switch to draw the cutting carriage into the main housing via the gear coupling with said ratchet gear strip, thereby driving said reciprocating blade down through the notch in said food receptacle for slicing of the food item seated therein, whereupon said reverse switch is automatically activated to reverse rotation of said electric motor and automatically return said cutting carriage to a home position.
- 3. The food slicing appliance of claim 1, wherein said food receptacle further comprises:
- spring-biased centering means for centering a food article upon insertion into said food receptacle.
- 4. The food slicing appliance of claim 3, wherein said spring-biased centering means comprises:
- a food centering block formed with a concave face to center the food item within the food receptacle, and
- at least one compression spring for biasing the food centering block against the food item.
- 5. The food slicing appliance of claim 4, wherein said spring-biased centering means further comprises:
- a handle extending outward from the front wall of said food receptacle, said handle having two rearward extending posts extending through the front wall of said food receptacle and attached to said food centering block; and
- said at least one compression spring further comprises a pair of compression springs, each spring being mounted on a corresponding one of said two rearward extending handle posts between said food centering block and the front wall of said food receptacle;
- whereby said handle may be pulled outward from the food receptacle against the force of said spring biasing means to allow insertion of a food article and may be released to center said food article against said food centering block.
- 6. The food slicing appliance of claim 4, wherein said food receptacle further comprises:
- a transverse notch along one side of the food receptacle for engagement with a guide rail disposed on the interior wall of said main housing, whereby said transverse notch and said guide rail interfit upon insertion of the food receptacle into said main housing to guide insertion of the food receptacle.
- 7. The food slicing appliance of claim 1, wherein said main housing further comprises a vertical rib placed along the interior wall of said main housing.
- 8. The food slicing appliance of claim 7, wherein said cutting carriage further comprises a vertical channel disposed within said cutting carriage housing for slidably engaging said vertical rib on said main housing; and
- said food slicing appliance includes a motor actuating switch disposed within said vertical channel for actuating said electric motor;
- whereby as the cutting carriage housing is slidably depressed downward into the top aperture of said main housing, said vertical rib in said main housing is inserted into said vertical channel on said cutting carriage and engages said motor actuating switch to initiate operation of said electric motor.
- 9. The food slicing appliance of claim 1, wherein said food slicing appliance further comprises a motion limiting means in said main housing for limiting the vertical movement of said cutting carriage housing.
- 10. The food slicing appliance of claim 9, wherein said motion limiting means further comprises:
- a detent pin disposed in a side wall of said main housing, said detent pin extending interiorly in the side wall of said main housing for engagement with said cutting carriage housing;
- said cutting carriage housing being configured to engage said detent pin to thereby limit a slidable range of said cutting carriage housing.
- 11. The food slicing appliance of claim 2, wherein said food slicing appliance further comprises:
- spring-biased centering means for centering a food article upon insertion into said food receptacle.
- 12. The food slicing appliance of claim 11, wherein said spring-biased centering means comprises:
- a food centering block formed with a concave face to center the food item within the food receptacle, and
- at least one compression spring for biasing the food centering block against the food item.
- 13. The food slicing appliance of claim 12, wherein said spring-biased centering means further comprises:
- a handle extending outward from the front wall of said food receptacle, said handle having two rearward extending posts extending through the front wall of said food receptacle and attached to said food centering block; and
- said at least one compression spring further comprises a pair of compression springs, each spring being mounted on a corresponding one of said two rearward extending handle posts between said food centering block and the front wall of said food receptacle;
- whereby said handle may be pulled outward from the food receptacle against the force of said spring biasing means to allow insertion of a food article and may be released to center said food article against said food centering block.
- 14. The food slicing appliance of claim 2, wherein said food receptacle further comprises:
- a transverse notch along one side of the food receptacle for engagement with a guide rail disposed on the interior wall of said main housing, whereby said transverse notch and said guide rail interfit upon insertion of the food receptacle into said main housing to guide insertion of the food receptacle.
- 15. The food slicing appliance of claim 2, wherein said main housing further comprises a vertical rib placed along the interior wall of said main housing.
- 16. The food slicing appliance of claim 15, wherein said cutting carriage further comprises a vertical channel disposed within said cutting carriage housing for slidably engaging said vertical rib on said main housing; and
- said food slicing appliance includes a motor actuating switch disposed within said vertical channel for actuating said electric motor;
- whereby as the cutting carriage housing is slidably depressed downward into the top aperture of said main housing, said vertical rib in said main housing is inserted into said vertical channel on said cutting carriage and engages said motor actuating switch to initiate operation of said electric motor.
- 17. The food slicing appliance of claim 2, wherein said food slicing appliance further comprises a motion limiting means in said main housing for limiting the vertical movement of said cutting carriage housing.
- 18. The food slicing appliance of claim 17, wherein said motion limiting means further comprises:
- a detent pin disposed in a side wall of said main housing, said detent pin extending interiorly in the side wall of said main housing for engagement with said cutting carriage housing;
- said cutting carriage housing being configured to engage said detent pin to thereby limit a slidable range of said cutting carriage housing.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Priority of this application is based on provisional application Ser. No. 60/016,067, filed Apr. 25, 1996.
US Referenced Citations (5)