Abstract:
The food material cutter of the present invention has a feeding port for feeding a doughnut, titled plates and guiding plates for guiding the fed doughnut, and rotary blades for slicing the guided doughnut in half in the thickness direction. The link mechanism causes the tilt angles of the tilted plates to be increased due to the own weight of the doughnut, and causes the guiding plates to move by an equal distance from the center of the clearance between the respective guiding plates while matching with the thickness of the doughnut. The doughnut-is guided by the titled plates and guiding plates, and falls down to the palette in a state where it is sliced in half in the thickness direction.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a food material cutter for slicing a food material in half in the thickness direction, and can be suitably used to slice ring-shaped and disk-shaped food materials such as doughnuts and bagels. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Doughnuts sliced in half in the thickness direction with cream or the like being sandwiched between the two doughnut pieces are sold and have achieved popularity. Bagels are also sliced into two pieces to sandwich cheese, jam or the like therebetween. Conventionally, these ring-shaped food materials have been sliced in half in the thickness direction manually by means of a kitchen knife. Also, there have been developed slicing holders comprising a guiding means which fixes such ring-shaped food materials and guides a blade edge to slice them evenly in half (see JP H11-188692 A). 
     Further, hamburger cutters for snicking a hamburger bun are known (see JP S55-84 A). 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Problem to Be Solved by the Invention 
     However, there are various ring-shaped food materials such as doughnuts, including airy and soft food materials and food materials having sticky texture. Since these food materials are easily deformed when sliced in half with a kitchen knife, such slicing operations require skill and are troublesome. 
     In this regard, operators skilled to a certain extent can slice such a food material in half by using the above-described slicing holder. However, even in a case where the slicing holder is used, it is necessary to do operations such as housing a doughnut or the like in the holder, inserting a blade edge into a slit provided in the holder and taking out the sliced doughnut pieces. Therefore, the slicing operations are still troublesome, and cannot be said to be efficient. 
     The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problem, and a problem to be solved thereby is to provide a food material cutter by which any operator can easily, accurately and rapidly slice ring-shaped and disk-shaped food materials such as doughnuts and bagels in half regardless of the degree of skill of the operator. 
     Means for Solving the Problem 
     A food material cutter according to a first aspect of the invention includes a guiding means which guides a food material to a sliceable position and a cutting means having a cutting blade for slicing the guided food material, and is characterized in that: 
     the guiding means is provided with a feeding part into which the food material is to be fed, a pair of opposite guiding plates for guiding the food material fed into the feeding part to the cutting means, and a centering mechanism which moves the guiding plates by an equal distance from the center of the clearance between the respective guiding plates while the respective guiding plates matches with the thickness of the food material due to the own weight of the food material fed from the feeding part, and 
     the blade edge of the cutting blade is provided so as to pass over the central plane between the guiding plates, and configured so that the food material guided by the guiding plates is cut in half from the center of the thickness direction by means of the cutting blade. 
     In the food material cutter according to the first aspect, a food material such as a doughnut, when fed from the feeding part, passes between the pair of opposite guiding plates, and falls downward by its own weight. At this time, the guiding plates move by an equal distance from the center of the width direction while the space between the guiding plates matches with the thickness of the food material by the centering mechanism. Therefore, the food material falls down such that the center of the width direction of the food material is constantly on the central plane between the guiding plates. Further, the fallen food material is sliced in half from the center of the thickness direction by a cutting means provided so that the blade edge passes over the central plane between the guiding plates. 
     Thus, the food material cutter according to the first aspect enables any operator to easily, accurately and rapidly slice a food material such as a doughnut in half just by feeding it into the feeding part, regardless of the degree of skill of the operator. 
     Examples of the cutting means include a means in which a blade edge provided on the circumferential edge of a rotating disk is rotated on the central plane between the guiding plates, as well as a means in which a band-shaped blade is reciprocated on the central plane between the guiding plates and a means in which a looped band-shaped blade is cyclically rotated so as to pass over the central plane between the guiding plates. 
     A food material cutter according to a second aspect of the invention is characterized in that the cutting blades include first and second rotary blades which are made rotatable mutually inversely in a direction of rolling in the food material, and are provided on the central plane between the guiding plates. 
     According to the food material cutter according to the second aspect, the first and second rotary blades are provided on the central plane between the guiding plates, and the food material has also fallen along the central plane between the guiding plates. Therefore, the food material is sliced in half from the center of the thickness direction with the first and second rotary blades. 
     A food material cutter according to a third aspect of the invention is characterized in that the straight lines formed by projecting the rotation trajectories of the first and second rotary blades onto a horizontal plane are in contact or overlap with each other. This makes it possible to surely slice the food material in half without leaving an uncut part of the food material. 
     A food material cutter according to a fourth aspect of the invention is characterized in that the feeding part has a pair of tilted plates which are open upward, and is configured so that the space between the lower ends of the respective titled plates widens due to the own weight of the food material, and that the titled plates or the tilted plates and the guiding plates are coupled by a link mechanism so that the wider the space is, the greater the moving distance from the center of the clearance between the respective guiding plates is. 
     According to the food material cutter according to the fourth aspect, the food material is easily fed since the feeding part is open upward. Also, since the feeding part is configured so that the space between the lower ends of the respective titled plates widens due to the own weight of the food material, the food material, when fed, can be automatically guided between the guiding plates without using any motive power. Further, the food material guided between the guiding plates by its own weight can be guided while the width between the guiding plates is automatically adjusted to match with the thickness of the food material, and can be automatically guided to an optimum position to be sliced in half from the center of the thickness direction, since the titled plates are coupled by the link mechanism and also the tilted plates and the guiding plates are coupled by the link mechanism so that the wider the space between the tilted plates is, the greater the moving distance from the center of the clearance between the respective guiding plates is. 
     A food material cutter according to a fifth aspect of the invention is provided with an energizing means which energizes the guiding plates to a direction of narrowing the distance between the guiding plates. This makes it possible to accurately guide the food material to an optimum position for slicing, since the food material is constantly guided in contact with the guiding plates. 
     A food material cutter according to a sixth aspect of the invention is characterized in that the energizing means energizes the guiding plates due to the own weight of a weight, the guiding plates and the weight being coupled by the link mechanism. 
     This makes it possible to accurately guide the food material to an optimum position for slicing constantly without using any motive power. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a doughnut cutter according to Example 1; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view when the doughnut cutter according to Example 1 is viewed from the side; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a guiding part main body  5  of the doughnut cutter according to Example 1; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the guiding part main body  5  of the doughnut cutter according to Example 1; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view when the doughnut cutter according to Example 1 is viewed from the front side; 
         FIG. 6  is a side view showing the state where a doughnut D is in contact with the tilted plates  8   a ,  8   b  of the guiding part main body  5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross sectional view of the guiding part main body  5  showing the state where the doughnut D has started to be cut with a rotary blade  22   b;  and 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the guiding part main body  5  of a doughnut cutter according to Example 2. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, the doughnut cutter as an embodiment of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings. 
     EXAMPLE 1 
       FIG. 1  shows the appearance of a doughnut cutter  1  of Example 1, and the doughnut cutter  1  is a device used to slice various kinds of doughnuts in half in the center of the thickness direction and to provide doughnuts in the state where fresh cream, jam or the like is sandwiched between the doughnut pieces. This doughnut cutter  1  is provided with a housing  2 , a feeding port  3  which communicates with the inside of the housing  2 , and a palette  4  which protrudes forward at the lower end of the housing  2 . A front cover  2   a  is provided on the housing  2 . 
     A guiding part main body  5  for guiding doughnuts fed from the feeding port  3  downward is provided within the housing  2 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . A top plate  6  having an opening  6   a  is provided at the upper end of the guiding part main body  5 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , and the opening  6   a  communicates with the feeding port  3  (see  FIG. 2 ). Attachment parts  30   a ,  30   b  bent and hung downward are provided at two places on both sides of the longitudinal direction of the top plate  6  (see  FIG. 4 ), and fixed on the upper end of the substrate  21  stood in approximately the center of the inside of the housing  2 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . Also, on the rear side of the top plate  6 , brackets  7   a ,  7   b ,  7   c  and  7   d  are attached to 4 places in the vicinity of the opening  6   a , as shown in  FIG. 4 . A tilted plate  8   a  is coupled via a turning shaft  9   a  to the brackets  7   a ,  7   c , and a tilted plate  8   b  is coupled via a turning shaft  9   b  to the brackets  7   b ,  7   d . Both the tilted plates  8   a ,  8   b  are open upward in an inverted truncated chevron shape. Tongue pieces  10   a ,  10   c  bent at a right angle are provided on both side ends of the titled plate  8   a , and tongue pieces  10   b ,  10   d  bent at a right angle are similarly provided on both side ends of the titled plate  8   b . The tongue piece  10   b  and  10   d  are coupled on both ends of a common fixation shaft  11 . On the other hand, slits  12   a ,  12   c  are provided in the tongue pieces  10   a  and  10   c , and the fixation shaft  11  is inserted into the slits  12   a ,  12   c . Also, metal fittings  14   a ,  14   c  are coupled via a turning shaft  13   a  to the lower end of the titled plate  8   a , and metal fittings  14   b ,  14   d  are coupled via the turning shaft  13   b  to the lower end of the titled plate  8   b . Further, poles  16   a ,  16   c  are coupled via the turning shaft  15   a  to one end of the metal fittings  14   a ,  14   c , and L-shaped metal fittings  16   b ,  16   d  are coupled via the turning shaft  15   b  to one end of the metal fittings  14   b ,  14   d . One end of poles  16   a ,  16   c  is coupled via the turning shaft  17   a  to the brackets  7   a ,  7   c , and the L-shaped metal fittings  16   b ,  16   d  are coupled via the turning shaft  17   b  to the brackets  7   b ,  7   d . Further, a weight bar  18  includes an iron round bar is horizontally disposed at the tip ends of the L-shaped metal fittings  16   b ,  16   d  by screwing. Between the metal fittings  14   a ,  14   c  and the metal fittings  14   b ,  14   d , the guiding plates  19   a  and  19   b  are respectively hung and attached so as to be opposite to each other. Parts of both sides of the width direction of the guiding plate  19   a  are bent to form bending parts  20   a ,  20   b , and parts of both sides of the width direction of the guiding plate  19   b  are similarly bent to form bending parts  20   c ,  20   d.    
     A motor  22  is attached to the upper end of the substrate  21  as shown in  FIG. 2 , and a disk-shaped rotary blade  22   b  is attached to the rotating shaft  22   a  of the motor  22  so that the rotary blade  22   b  is located on the central plane in a clearance between the guiding plates  19   a  and  19   b . Also, a motor  23  is attached to the substrate  21  in a position diagonally below the motor  22 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , and a disk-shaped rotary blade  23   b  is attached to the rotating shaft  23   a  of the motor  23  so that the rotary blade  23   b  is located on the same plane with the rotary plane of the rotary blade  22   b . The rotating directions of the motors  22  and  23  are designed so that the rotary blades  22   b  and  23   b  rotate mutually reversely in a direction of rolling in doughnuts downward. The straight lines formed by projecting the rotation trajectories of the rotary blades  22   b  and  23   b  onto a horizontal plane have an overlapping portion L. Also, the rotating shaft  23   a  is located in a lower position by a distance h than the rotating shaft  22   a.    
     Next, the action and effect of this doughnut cutter will be described. 
     The state of the guiding part main body  5  before use is shown in  FIG. 4 . The L-shaped metal fittings  16   b ,  16   d  undergo energizing force in a clockwise direction around the turning shaft  17   b  due to the own weight of the weight bar  18 . This causes the metal fittings  14   b ,  14   d  coupled via the turning shaft  15   b  to the metal fittings  16   b ,  16   d  to undergo energizing force in a counterclockwise direction. Further, this energizing force causes the titled plate  8   b  coupled via the turning shaft  13   b  to the metal fittings  14   b ,  14   d  to undergo energizing force for turning it around the turning shaft  9   b  to a direction that the tilt angle is an acute angle. Consequently, the fixation shaft  11  fixed to the tongue pieces  10   b ,  10   d  turns upward around the turning shaft  9   b , and undergoes energizing force for pushing the tongue pieces  10   a ,  10   b  upward while moving in the slits  12   a ,  12   c . This causes the tilted plate  8   a  to undergo energizing force for turning it around the turning shaft  9   a  to such a direction that the tilt angle is an acute angle. As a result, the metal fittings  14   a ,  14   c  undergo rightward energizing force via the turning shaft  13   a.    
     By the link mechanism as described above, due to the own weight of the weight bar  18 , the metal fittings  14   b ,  14   d  undergo leftward energizing force, and the metal fittings  14   a ,  14   c  undergo rightward energizing force. The metal fittings push each other in the central position so as to be in a stop state. Therefore, the distance between the guiding plates  19   a  and  19   b  is in the closest state. 
     When the doughnut cutter is used to slice a doughnut, an operator firstly holds the doughnut D in his/her hand, and inserts it from the feeding port  3  of the doughnut cutter  1  shown in  FIG. 2  in a vertical direction, and then releases his/her hand from the doughnut. Thus, the doughnut D falls down, and is brought into contact with the tilted plates  8   a  and  8   b  to press the titled plates  8   a  and  8   b  in a direction of pushing out the tilted plates  8   a  and  8   b , as shown in  FIG. 6 . Consequently, the tilted plates  8   a  and  8   b  turn around the turning shafts  9   a ,  9   b  and are pushed out so that the doughnut is further held between the guiding plates  19   a  and  19   b , as shown in  FIG. 7 . At this time, the doughnut D is pressed from the guiding plates  19   a  and  19   b  by the above-described link mechanism due to the own weight of the weight bar  18 , guided downward so that it is constantly positioned in the center of a clearance between the guiding plates  19   a  and  19   b , and brought into contact with the rotary blade  22   b  so that cutting of the doughnut D in the center of the thickness direction is started. With progression of the cutting, the doughnut D comes down due to its own weight, and then is brought into contact also with the rotary blade  23   b  shown in  FIG. 5 , cut with both the rotary blades  22   b  and  23   b  so as to be rolled in, and slides down to the palette  4  in a state where it is completely sliced in half. The doughnut D passes through the clearance between the guiding plates  19   a  and  19   b , and, at the same time, the guiding plates  19   a  and  19   b  and the titled plates  8   a  and  8   b  return to the original positions by the energizing force caused due to the own weight of the weight bar  18 . 
     As described above, the doughnut cutter  1  of Example 1 enables any operator to slice the doughnut D in half easily, accurately and rapidly just by feeding the doughnut D from the feeding port  3  shown in  FIG. 5 . Also, no power other than the power supplies for motive power for the motors  22  and  23  is used. 
     EXAMPLE 2 
     In a doughnut cutter of Example 2, a coil spring  40  is attached to the tip ends of L-shaped fittings  41   b ,  41   d  in place of the weight bar  18  in the doughnut cutter of Example 1 (see  FIG. 4 ), and energizes the tip ends of L-shaped fittings  41   b ,  41   d  downward. The other components are similar to those of the doughnut cutter of Example 1. The same symbols are added to the same components, and the explanations about these components are omitted. 
     In the doughnut cutter of Example 2, the coil spring  40  always energizes the tip ends of L-shaped fittings  41   b ,  41   d  downward in place of the weight bar  18  in the doughnut cutter of Example 1. Consequently, the doughnut can be pressed from the guiding plates  19   a  and  19   b  so as to be guided downward so that it is constantly located in the center of the clearance between the guiding plates  19   a  and  19   b , as is the case with Example 1. Therefore, the action and effect similar to those in Example 1 are obtained, and anyone can slice the doughnut D in half easily, accurately and rapidly just by feeding the doughnut D from the feeding port  3 . Also, no power other than the power supplies for motive power for the motors  22  and  23  is used. 
     This invention is not limited by the explanations about the embodiments of the invention given above. Various modified embodiments are also encompassed in this invention within a scope which would be obvious to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the claims.