Patent Application
20230234253
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The disclosure relates to slicing devices and more particularly pertains to a new slicing device for slicing tortillas into triangular chips. The device includes a platform that includes a rotating plate upon which a stack of tortillas can be placed. The device includes a support frame which extends upwardly from the platform and a cutting unit that is pivotally disposed on the support frame. The cutting unit includes a blade and the cutting unit can be urged downwardly such that the blade slices the stack of tortillas. The plate is continually rotated each time the stack of tortillas is sliced until the stack of tortillas is sliced into a plurality of triangular chips.
The prior art relates to slicing devices including a food slicer which includes a platform with a hole and a slicer which is urged downwardly through the hole for slicing a food product that is positioned on the platform. The prior art discloses an automated tortilla slicer which includes a conveyor belt and a motorized cutter that is urged upwardly and downwardly for cutting tortillas on the conveyor belt. The prior art discloses a foldable blade device that includes a plurality of blades that are radially oriented.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a disk that is mountable to a horizontal support surface. The disk has a plate which is rotatably disposed on the disk and a stack of tortillas can be positioned on top of the plate. A support frame is coupled to and extends upwardly from the disk. A cutting unit is pivotally disposed on the support frame and the cutting unit is urgeable downwardly on the support frame to cut the stack of tortillas. Furthermore, the plate is rotated a pre-determined amount each time the cutting unit is urged downwardly to cut the tortilla into a plurality of triangular chips.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The bottom surface 20 rests on the horizontal support surface 14 thereby facilitating the hole 28 in each lobe 26 to accommodate a fastener for securing the disk 12 to the horizontal support surface 14. The plate 16 has an upper surface 30 and a lower surface 32, and the lower surface 32 is spaced from the top surface 22 of the disk 12. The plate 16 has a pivot 34 extending between the lower surface 32 and the top surface 22 of the disk 12 thereby facilitating the plate 16 to rotate about the pivot 34. The upper surface 30 of the plate 16 has a plurality of grooves 36 each extending downwardly toward the lower surface 32. The plurality of grooves 36 radiate outwardly from a center point 38 of the plate 16 such that the plurality of grooves 36 divides the plate 16 into a plurality of triangular sections 40. Each of the grooves 36 has a bounding surface 42 and the bounding surface 42 of each of the grooves 36 has a pair of intersecting sides 44 such that each of the grooves 36 has a V-shape.
A lever 46 is positioned between the disk 12 and the plate 16 such that the lever 46 can be manipulated. The lever 46 has an exposed end 48 which extends outwardly from the disk 12 and the plate 16. The lever 46 is biased into a locking position the lever 46 engaging the plate 16 thereby inhibiting the plate 16 from rotating on the disk 12. The lever 46 is urgeable into an unlocked position having the lever 46 disengaging the plate 16 thereby facilitating the plate 16 to rotate on the disk 12.
A stacking guide 50 is coupled to platform to stabilize the stack of tortillas 18 when the stack of tortillas 18 is positioned on the plate 16. The stacking guide 50 has a lower edge 52 and a first surface 54, and the lower edge 52 is coupled to the top surface 22 of the platform. The first surface 54 is concavely arcuate such that the stacking guide 50 curves along the perimeter surface 24 of the disk 12. A support frame 56 is coupled to and extends upwardly from the disk 12. The support frame 56 has a pivot point 58 integrated into the support frame 56 and the pivot point 58 is spaced upwardly from the disk 12.
The support frame 56 comprises a plurality of vertical members 60 that each has a bottom end 62 and a top end 64. The bottom end 62 is coupled to the top surface 22 of the disk 12 having each of the vertical members 60 extending upwardly from the disk 12. The vertical members 60 are arranged into a pair of sets 66 which are positioned on opposing sides of the disk 12 from each other. The support frame 56 includes a pivot member 68 which has a first end 70, a second end 72 and a series of bends 74 that are distributed between the first end 70 and the second end 72 to define a central portion 76 extending between a pair of outward portions 78. The outward portions 78 are perpendicularly oriented with the central portion 76 such that the pivot member 68 has a U-shape. Each of the first end 70 and the second end 72 is associated with a respective one of the outward portions 78.
A respective pair of the bends 74 is spaced from a respective one of the first end 70 and the second end 72 to define an angled section 80 of each of the outward portions 78. The angled section 80 of each of the outward portions 78 rests against a respective one of the vertical members 60. Additionally, each of the outward portions 78 angles rearwardly and upwardly from the respective vertical members 60 having the central portion 76 being horizontally oriented. The support frame 56 includes a pair of brackets 82 that is each coupled between the top end 64 of each of the vertical members 60 associated with a respective one of the sets 66 of vertical members 60 and a respective one of the outward portions 78 of the pivot member 68. The support frame 56 includes a pair of tabs 84 that is each coupled to and extends away from the central portion 76. Each of the tabs 84 is angled upwardly on the central portion 76 and each of the tabs 84 has an opening 86 extending through the tabs 84. Additionally, the tabs 84 are spaced apart from each other.
A cutting unit 88 is pivotally disposed on the pivot point 58 of the support frame 56 and the cutting unit 88 is urgeable downwardly on the support frame 56 to cut the stack of tortillas 18. The plate 16 is rotated a pre-determined amount each time the cutting unit 88 is urged downwardly. In this way the cutting unit 88 can cut the stack of tortillas 18 into a plurality of triangular chips. The cutting unit 88 is urgeable upwardly on the support frame 56 into a stored position.
The cutting unit 88 comprises a handle 90 that has a coupled end 92 and a free end 94, and the coupled end 92 is pivotally coupled to the central portion 76 of the pivot member 68 of the support frame 56. The handle 90 is positioned between the pair of tabs 84 on the central portion 76 and the handle 90 extends outwardly over the plate 16. The handle 90 has an engagement 96 extending downwardly from the handle 90 and the engagement 96 is centrally positioned between the coupled end 92 and the free end 94. A grip 98 extends around the handle 90 and the grip 98 extends from the free end 94 toward the coupled end 92. The grip 98 is comprised of a resiliently compressible material for enhancing comfort when gripping the grip 98.
The cutting unit 88 includes an arm 100 that has an upper end 102 and a lower end 104, and the upper end 102 is pivotally coupled to the engagement 96. The cutting unit 88 includes a cross member 106 that has an upper edge 108 and a front surface 110, and the cross member 106 has an engagement 111 extending upwardly from the upper edge 108. The engagement 111 on the upper edge 108 is centrally positioned on the upper edge 108 and the lower end 104 of the arm 100 is pivotally coupled to the engagement 111 on the upper edge 108. The cutting unit 88 includes a blade 112 that has a top edge 114, a bottom edge 116 and a rear surface 118 extending between the top edge 114 and the bottom edge 116. The blade 112 is fastened to the cross member 106 having the rear surface 118 abutting the front surface 110 and having the top edge 114 being aligned with the upper edge 108 of the cross member 106.
The bottom edge 116 is sharpened to slice the stack of tortillas 18 when the handle 90 is pivoted downwardly on the central portion 76 of the pivot member 68. Furthermore, the bottom edge 116 is aligned with a respective pair of the grooves 36 in the plate 16 when the handle 90 is pivoted downwardly. In this way the respective pair of grooves 36 facilitates the bottom edge 116 of the blade 112 to pass fully through the stack of tortillas 18. The cutting unit 88 includes a pin 120 that is extendable through the opening 86 in each of the tabs 84 on the central portion 76 of the pivot member 68 when the handle 90 is lifted. In this way the handle 90 can rest on the pin for retaining the handle 90 in a lifted position.
In use, the disk 12 is mounted to the support surface 14, a stack of tortillas 18 is placed on the plate 16 and the handle 90 is urged downwardly to cut the stack of tortillas 18. The lever 46 is urged into the unlocked position and the plate 16 is rotated to align a respective pair of grooves 36 with the blade 112. The handle 90 is urged downwardly again to cut the stack of tortillas 18 and the plate 16 is rotated again. The process of urging the handle 90 downwardly and rotating the plate 16 is repeated until the stack of tortillas 18 is cut into a plurality of triangular chips.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
