Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2022804
DEVICE FOR ~u~ G FRUIT, VEGETABLE8
OR THE LIRE INTO 8LICE8
The invention relates to a device for cutting
fruit, vegetables or the like into slices, having a knife-
holding plate, on whose front edge a V-shaped cutting knife
is arranged, which is comprised of two knife blades; two
frame borders arranged substantially parallel, which are
connected together by the knife-holding plate and at least
one additional crosspiece; and a sliding plate guided on
the frame border, that can slide parallel to the knife-
holding plate, whereby a narrow gap remains between the
rear edge of the sliding plate and the cutting knife.
Such a device is known for example from EP
0 306 017 A2, although the V-shaped cutting blade used in
it is of one-piece construction, which has technical
disadvantages, particularly for production.
In the drawings which accompany this application,
Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a prior art device
conforming to the preamble of Claim 1 of the type already
distributed by the applicant for some time;
Fig. 2. shows an enlarged view of the correspon-
ding arrangement of the knife blades in the device of Fig.
l;
Fig. 3 shows a schematic view of the device in
accordance with the invention;
Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view of the arrangement
and configuration of the knife blades; and
Fig. 5 shows another configuration of the knife
blades in accordance with the invention.
2022804
The state of the art on which the present inven-
tion is based is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. With reference to
Fig. 1, known device 1 includes two frame borders 2 which
are held together in their rear part by a knife holding
plate 4 and in their front part by two crosspieces on the
underside of device 1, which are not shown in the illustra-
tion. In the front part of device 1 parallel to the knife
holding plate a movable sliding plate 8 is arranged, which
is guided in a lateral groove in frame border 2 and in
locked position is arranged in such a way that between the
rear portion of sliding plate 8 and a cutting knife 6,
which is fastened on the front edge of knife holding
plate 4, a narrow gap remains. Sliding plate 8, on which
the product to be cut is guided, also has longitudinal
grooves 9 for that purpose.
Fig. 2 provides an enlarged view of the arrange-
ment of knife blades 10 and 12 of cutting knife 6 of known
device 1. The broken lines each show a profile step 16 of
knife blades 10 and 12, whereby the areas lying toward
cutting edges 11 and 13 of knife blades 10 and 12 are
located above the areas adjoining peripheral edges 14 and
15. These profile steps 16 are normally comprised of
chamfers, whereby the areas of the knife blades connected
by these chamfers run parallel to each other.
In the known device a V-shaped point 19 of
cutting knife 6 is formed because both knife blades 12 and
13 abut flush against each other, and they are mounted in
knife holding plate 4 by nesting, plastic nubs protruding
through corresponding bore holes 17 in both knife blades 10
and 12. The plastic nubs are manufactured using the
injection moulding process.
The known device has disadvantages in that it is
very difficult to maintain both knife blades precisely on
one cutting level, so that when specific cutting forces are
202280~
exceeded, e.g., when cutting relatively hard objects,
lifting of the knife blades is unavoidable. A correspon-
ding shift of the two knife blades against each other then
continues to increase over time and finally makes the
entire device unusable.
The present invention is therefore intended to
develop the known device in such a way that reliable
mounting of the knife blades is guaranteed, so that the
operability and life of the entire device are improved.
In accordance with the invention the aim is
achieved in that the peripheral edge of the knife blades,
at least in their rear area adjoining the V-shaped point of
the cutting knife, is held interlocking by injected plastic
strips in the form of a horizontal U-profile. By mounting
the knife blades in the knife holding plate in this way,
the lifting of the blades, previously unavoidable over
time, and the resulting defects in the joint cutting level
can reliably be avoided.
In a specific embodiment of the invention the
injected plastic strips go completely into the plastic mass
of the knife holding plate and simultaneously protrude
through the rear area of the knife blades in at least one
place. In this regard it is particularly advantageous that
in the rear area of each knife blade either at least one
separate bore hole is provided or that each has an edge
notch, whereby the edge notches after assembly of the knife
blades into a cutting knife together have the shape of a
single elongated bore hole. The plastic strips thus
prevent both spreading of the U-profile and subsequent
loosening of the form fit, and also provide an exact
securing of the knife blades against a shift in the level
of the cutting surface.
.~
4 20 22804
A further embodiment of the invention proposes
that the knife blades be arranged in such a way that at
least one projection of one knife blade lies at least
partially beneath the other knife blade, whereby said
projection compared with the main part of one knife blade
is kinked, beveled, step-shaped or similarly formed. These
measures in accordance with the invention also effectively
prevent spreading of the knife blades in the area of the
knife point, while the corresponding kink, step-shape or
bevel of the lower knife blade ensures that the cutting
surfaces of the knife blades are actually located exactly
on one level and reliably remain there.
The invention also contemplates that the knife
blades exhibit a profile having one step, which in the rear
area of the knife blades adjoining the knife point is
rounded in such a way that when the knife blades abut, a
nearly semicircular profile shape results. This specific
configuration of the rear area of the knife blades permits
particularly secure mounting of them by means of injected
plastic strips in the particularly sensitive area of the
V-shaped point of the cutting knife, since the entire
peripheral edge can be encompassed in an interlocking
manner.
The invention therefore provides a generic
device, whose knife blades are held particularly securely
and firmly in the knife-holding plate and in which even
under high mechanical and thermal loads it is ensured that
the cutting surfaces of the knife blades reliably remain on
one level. Moreover, it should be noted that the injection
moulding methods used in accordance with the invention are
particularly easy to control, since no core puller is
needed for removal from the mould.
,,,~
20228~
Additional advantages and characteristics of the
invention are described below with reference to the embodi-
ment illustrated in Figs. 3-5.
Fig. 3 shows a similar view to that shown in
Fig. 1. A significant difference between the device in
accordance with the invention shown in Fig. 3 and the
state-of-the-art device shown in Fig. 1 is the different
shape of the step profile, which is shown in both illustra-
tions by broken lines on the knife blades. In the state-
of-the-art device these profile steps run straight from one
end of the knife blade to the other. In the device in
accordance with the invention each profile ends at a front
lateral edge of the knife blade before frame border 2,
while on the other end it concludes in a curve, so that
when the knife blades are assembled a nearly semi-circular
conclusion of the step profiles on the upper end of
V-shaped knife 6 results.
The path of these profiles can be seen more
clearly in the enlarged view shown in Fig. 4. The profile
steps 16 end here shortly before they reach the lateral
edges 20 of knife blades 10 and 12, whereby the areas of
the knife blades facing cutting edges 11 and 13 lie higher
than the areas facing peripheral edge 14, 15. That further
reduces the load on the sensitive V-shaped point 19 of
knife 6 from sliding forces in the cutting surface, since
the front lateral edges 20 of knife blades 10, 12 which are
not penetrated by profile steps 16 can henceforth slide
freely in the corresponding slots in frame border 2. That
enables the occurrence of shearing forces to be reliably
avoided during temperature fluctuations, initially during
shaping, but also later during cleaning processes using hot
water, etc., since due to the profile-free edges 20 thermal
compensation during contractions of plastic and metal is
possible. The interlocking mounting of knife blades 10 and
12 of cutting knife 6 occurs in the indicated manner at
6 2022804
least in the area of V-shaped point 19 of cutting knife 6.
To do so, in this area a projection 18 is provided in left
knife blade 12, which compared with the main part of knife
blade 12 is kinked, beveled or step-shaped, so that it lies
below the section of right knife blade 10 located there.
To improve mounting in this area further at least two bore
holes 17 are provided, of which at least one is arranged in
each one of the two knife blades 10 and 12. The interlock-
ing injected plastic strips overlap at least this area of
the knife blades interlocking from both sides and thereby
simultaneously protrude through bore holes 17.
As shown in Fig. 5, alternatively in each knife
blade 10, 12 edge notches 21, 22 may also be provided,
which together assume the shape of a single elongated bore
hole, which then can be penetrated by the plastic supports.
The characteristics of the invention revealed in
the above description, in the illustrations and in the
claims may be essential either individually or in any
combination for realization of the invention in its various
embodiments.
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