Patent ID: 8596176
Filing Date: 2013-12-03
Classification: B26D,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A cubing device for cutting food items into six-sided pieces, the device comprising: an inlet frame and an outlet frame, the inlet frame having a support plate supported from the inlet frame, the support plate supporting a split nut with internal helically-positioned surfaces that define a helical thread that creates a releasable advancement mechanism that operates by moving from a closed position where the nut sections engage the threaded rod, to an opened position where the nut sections are apart from one another, opening the helical threads; a hollow elongated body having an outer wall, an inner wall, an inlet and an outlet, the inner wall having at least one protrusion, or discontinuity, to create an internal track, the hollow elongated body adapted for accepting a cutting grid attached to the outlet, the cutting grid engaging the protrusion, and the inlet of the hollow elongated body being adapted for engagement with the support plate that is supported from the support frame; a threaded rod having a first end and a second end, the first end being attached to a pressure plate that includes a recess or the like that cooperates with the protrusion on the hollow elongated body to index movement of the pressure plate to the movement of the hollow elongated body, and the second end being adapted for attachment to a crank for turning the threaded rod, the threaded rod extending through the split nut, so that when the split nut is in the first position the internal threads of the split nut engage the threaded rod, so that the turning of the crank rotates the threaded rod relative to the split nut, causing the threaded rod to advance relative to the split nut, causing the pressure plate to move towards the cutting grid, and so that moving the split nut to the open position allows threaded rod to be drawn back, away from the cutting grid, and so that as the pressure plate advances towards the cutting grid, it forces a food item placed between the cutting grid and the pressure plated to be cut by the cutting grid as the food item is pressed against the cutting grid.