Abstract:
A food slicer to slice food items in variable widths or thicknesses, the slicer has a frame with an upper and lower platform guide plate to slice food. It also has a translational guide system which moves the top guide plate within a parallel plane between the longitudinally aligned side rails. The translational guide system takes on many forms. One form is a rack and pinion system where the rack is attached to the top guide plate and the pinion is attached to one of two transversely aligned axles. The axles allow for range of movement of the guide plate between an upper location and a lower location. By adjusting the translational guide system, the top guide plate can move up and down between the upper and lower limits or locations which creates differing widths of the cutting slot. The top guide plate has a removable julienne blade plate portion. The bottom guide plate has a removable horizontal blade portion. Moving the food up and down the guide plates passes the food items over the julienne blades and the horizontal blade and cuts the food item which drops through the cutting slot.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     a) Field  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to products which are particularly adapted for preparing food for use in the culinary arts. Many times the chef or food preparer will utilize a food slicer or what is more commonly known in the industry as a mandolin, to prepare large quantities of fresh food. Such food could be for instance, sliced potatoes for creating French fries or sliced and shredded carrots as a garnishment. Often times, the adjustments to these mandolins do not enable the user to adequately adjust the cutting thickness to the desired height or width of the finished prepared food.  
         [0003]     b) Background Art  
         [0004]     U.S. patent publication number U.S. Pat. No. 2004/0216579 published on Nov. 4, 2004, discloses a food slicer which has a frame with a food receiving platform and an aperture. A reversible cutting blade has first and second cutting edges and can be selectively removed from the mounting frame in first and second positions for disposing the first and second cutting edges in the aperture for engagement with food being moved along the platform. The slicer has support legs which are rotatably carried by the frame and can be rotated and moved to a stowed position.  
         [0005]     U.S. Pat. No. 379,745 design patent, discloses a slicer which seems to have rotatable vertical blades, with a fixed food slicing plate, the vertical blades rise through a series of fixed longitudinal slots, the spacing of the slots correspond to the horizontal spacing of the vertical blades. Also, a fixed horizontal cutting blade seems to be provided.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,892 discloses a food slicer with an indexing turret, the turret has four faces, two of which have upstanding blades of different sizes on opposed faces, and two faces have different offset relationship to the centerline of the turret. Referred to Col 3 at line 52, the food slicer contemplates a base, a body portion, the body portion having two sides and terminating at side guide rails. A blade is at the end portion of the table blade segment and is angled at a 45 degree angle to the body sides. The table blade can be positioned into two locations, an upper way, or a lower way. Further, an indexing turret as referred to in Col 5 at line 59 provides large French fry blades. In the opposite side of the indexing turret a plurality of parallel shoestring blades are provided. The blades are positioned parallel with the longitudinal axis of the table. The horizontal cutting blade moves vertically up-and-down to provide the thickness variation for the food slices, and the indexing turret provides the rotational engagement for the varying cutting widths.  
         [0007]     U.S. Pat. No. 2,766,793 discloses a vegetable slicer having an adjustable cutting member, referring to Col. 1 at line 57, a board is provided which is substantially rectangular, and has a handle at one end and a rectangular opening at the other end. On the upper surface of the board is a plate preferably made of metal. The front edge of the plate is transverse in relation to the board and disposed nearest to the handle is a sharpened defined knife. Adjacent to the upper surface of the board is provided a recess for accommodating the edge of a plate. The device also has a pair of rack bars positioned in an oblique transverse relation to the board. Transverse to the board in an edge to edge relationship is a bore made in the board, and a shaft is positioned centrally there. The shaft has a pair of gears, one adjacent to each side of the board. The teeth are in a mesh with each rack bar. The gears are also in further relationship with a shaft. The shaft can be permitted to rotate the gears by manipulating the knob in either direction. This will shift the rack bars in a transverse relation to the board for raising and lowering of the knife edge with relation to the upper surface of the board. Thus, the gears provide the means through which the board can be raised and lowered.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 144,596 discloses a device for slicing or cutting vegetables with a knife readily removed from a rectangular frame. The knife is arranged diagonally within the rectangular frame having at its rear end portions hooks or arms which are adapted to the frame and provided vertical adjustment means.  
         [0009]     U.S. Pat No. 66,402 discloses a vegetable cutter which consists of a plate having a stationary knife attached to it, the stationary knife in combination with a plate can be adjusted to regulate the thickness of the slices of the vegetables cut from the plate. A set screw is utilized to raise and lower the cutting plate.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the food slicer;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the blade cutting assembly;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2A  is an exploded view of the removable upper glide plate with a flat glide plane;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2B  is an exploded view of the removable upper glide plate with small vertical julienne blades;  
         [0014]      FIG. 2C  is an exploded view of the removable upper glide plate with large vertical julienne blades;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2D  is an exploded view of the removable lower glide plate with a straight edge horizontal slicing blade;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2E  is an exploded view of the removable lower glide plate with wave form horizontal slicing blade;  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the food slicer frame and nonremovable upper glide plate;  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a detail perspective view of the upper glide plate translational support system;  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the nonremovable upper glide plate and translational support system;  
         [0020]      FIG. 5A  is a cross-sectional view of the nonremovable upper glide plate and an alternative embodiment of the translational support system;  
         [0021]      FIG. 5B  is a cross-sectional view of the nonremovable upper glide plate and a second alternative embodiment of the translational support system;  
         [0022]      FIG. 5C  is a schematic view of the upper glide plate at the high limit position;  
         [0023]      FIG. 5D  is a schematic view of the upper glide plate at an intermediate position;  
         [0024]      FIG. 5E  is a schematic view of the upper glide plate at the low limit position.  
         [0025]      FIG. 6  is a schematic view of the standard glide plate food slicer configuration showing the slicing of the food items;  
         [0026]      FIG. 7  is a schematic view of the standard glide plate food slicer configuration showing the return of the sliced food items to its original position;  
         [0027]      FIG. 8  is a schematic view of the food slicer glide plate showing the slicing of a food item;  
         [0028]      FIG. 9  is a schematic view of the food slicer glide plate showing the return of the sliced food item to its original position;  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0029]     The current embodiment of mandolin food slicers has been developed for general use in producing large quantities of sliced or shredded foods during preparation in the culinary arts. Many times, these food slicers are found in commercial kitchens or in use by caterers or chefs. The food slicers can enable the chef or caterer to produce a large quantity of, for example, shredded cheese or other garnishment type foods.  
         [0030]     Food slicers are generally provided with a frame member which has parallel longitudinal side rails as well as intermediate glide plates between the side rails. The frame member usually has a handle at the forward end and a foot portion at the base end. Towards the middle of the food slicer between upper and lower glide plates are the vertical and/or horizontal cutting blades which enable the chef or caterer to prepare the food to the desired proportions. Also, usually provided is a hand guard which rides above the glide plates and is utilized to fix the food so that the chef can move the food over the horizontal and vertical plates without cutting his or her hand.  
         [0031]     The caterer or chef will attach or fix the food to be sliced onto the hand guard, and then apply the food on top of the glide plates and move the food longitudinally back and forth over the horizontal and vertical blades. The food will drop below the cutting zone and fall onto a collection surface of some sort.  
         [0032]     As indicated above, the food slicer  10 , as discussed in  FIG. 1 , is comprised of a rectilinear frame or support frame  14  which has identical parallel but opposingly opposite side rails  13  which provide the majority of the frame structure. To complete the connection between the two parallel side rails, the frame is transversely connected by an upper portion which in the current embodiment comprises a handle portion  32  and a lower portion or rear end  33  which is part of the glide plate, which will be discussed below. The upper transversely connecting portion  32  is longitudinally forward and is supported by an upper leg support  22 .  
         [0033]     When in use, the food slicer  10 , as seen in  FIG. 1 , is generally propped as a positive angle from the horizontal plane of the food preparation surface such as a countertop. The angle varies depending on the length of the food slicer upper leg section  22 . When not in use, the food slicer upper leg  22  can be folded underneath the base portion of the mandolin or food slicing unit  10  for ease of storage.  
         [0034]     The chef or caterer will adjust the food to the inclined angle of the glide plate arranged parallel or substantially parallel with the side rails  13  propped at the leg angle. The chef will then adjust the cutting thickness of the mandolin or food slicer  10 .  
         [0035]     Generally speaking, most mandolins in the industry have an upper glide plate adjustment which places the upper glide plate at a nonparallel angle with the side rails  13 . To discuss the arrangement and operation of these food slicers, a brief description of the food slicing mechanics of mandolins currently found on the market and as seen in  FIG. 6  and  7  will be provided.  
         [0036]     First referring to  FIG. 6 , the upper glide plate  26  has a pivot hinge  201  which is fixed rotatable about the hinge axis. At the transversal cutting slot  214  edge of the upper glide plate  26 , the glide plate is free to move vertically upwards and/or downwards to adjust for the food slice cutting thickness. The lower glide plate  28  is generally fixed in a secured position parallel with the side rails. The chef places the food item  202  at the forward portion of the upper glide plate  26 . He then fixes the food using in some cases a hand guard which is not shown, and applies a compressive force  200  normal to the upper glide plate. The chef then applies a longitudinal translational force  204  to drag the food item  202  towards the transverse cutting slot  214 . The food item  202  is dragged across the transverse cutting slot  214  and a cut or sliced portion of the food item  206  falls through the transverse cutting slot  214 . The chef continues to apply a compressive force which must be transferred from the normal direction to the upper glide plate to a normal direction perpendicular to the lower glide plate. This transitional force  208  has a transitional resultant force  224 . The transitional resultant force  224  acts at the rearward edge of the food item and tends to create localized pressure thus compressing the food item and deforming it somewhat. The chef then continues with the transitional force  204  and the now compressive force normal to the lower glide plate  216 . Upon retum, the chef will apply a return longitudinal force  220  and the same normalized compressive force  216  to the lower glide plate. When transitioning from the lower glide plate  28  to the upper guide plate  26 , the chef will have to make an angular adjustment to the food item to make it parallel again with the upper glide plate. This adjustment may result in damage to the food item by localized pressure from a resultant transitioning compressive force  226  acting at the forward edge of the food item  202 . Upon return to its original position, the food item now has been damaged by the transition forces due to the localized pressure at the food item edges.  
         [0037]     In the current embodiment, the upper glide plate  26  and the lower glide plate  28  are kept parallel with the side rails  13  as seen in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . The chef or caterer thus has only to apply a single normal compressive force  230  in the vertical direction perpendicular with the glide plate surfaces. Thus the compressive force is spread over the entire base of the food item  202  thus providing for a greater distribution of pressure and less chance of deformation of the food item. This is in keeping with studied distribution of force over a larger surface area which decreases the localized unit over pressure.  
         [0038]     Briefly discussing the operational mechanics of utilizing a parallel guide plate system, the chef will apply a normal guide plate compressive force  230  to the food item  202 . Concurrently, a longitudinal translational force  232  will be applied to translate the food item  202  from the upper or forward location to the lower or rearward location. As the food item as seen in  FIG. 8  passes over the transverse cutting slot  214 , the sliced or cut portion  234  drops away. The resultant  236  against the compressive force  230  stays relatively the same during this transitionary cutting action. The chef will then, as seen in  FIG. 9 , transfer the food item  202  back to its original upper location for another cutting operation. During this return, the compressive force  230  is kept perpendicular to the lower glide plate  28  and the upper glide plate  26 . The chef transfers the food item over the forward edge of the lower glide plate and the food item will drop the cutting distance  214  down towards the upper glide plate  26 . If the transition is accomplished quickly enough, the food item will drop onto the glide plate with a uniform landing thus providing an even landing pressure and a normalized distribution force parallel with the upper glide plate  26 . This even distribution of landing pressure provides for less or minimal deformation of the food item  202  with little or no deformation depending on how much compressive force  230  is applied during the translational longitudinal return.  
         [0039]     A more general discussion of the current embodiment of the food slicer  10  will now be provided. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the current food slicer  10  utilizes an upper glide plate  26  which is positioned at the forward portion of the food slicer. The food slicer  10  also has a lower glide plate  28  which is positioned at the rearward end of the food slicer. The upper glide plate in the current embodiment divided into two main plate sections. The first is a nonremovable upper glide plate section  30  and the second is a removable upper glide plate  32 . Similarly, the lower glide plate section  28  is separated into two plate sections. The lower glide plate has a nonremovable lower glide plate section  36  and a removable lower glide plate section  34 . The removable lower glide plate section  34  is positioned forward of the nonremovable lower glide plate  36 . Positioned approximately midpoint of the food slicer slide side rails  13  is the blade or cutting assembly  38 . The blade or cutting assembly is generally made of various horizontal and vertical blades which provide for slicing and dicing of the food item. In the current embodiment, the vertical blades are attached to the top face of the removable upper glide plate  32 . The horizontal blades are arranged in the longitudinal and transverse planes and are connected to the forwardmost edge of the removable lower glide plate  34 .  
         [0040]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the blade or cutting assembly  38  is shown separated from the main body of the food slicer  10 . As previously mentioned, the removable upper glide plate  32  is positioned forward of the removable lower glide plate  34 . At the general intersection or meeting of the removable upper glide plate rear edge and the removable lower glide plate forward or front edge is the cutting slot  40 . The adjustment of the cutting slot  40  in the current embodiment is provided by moving the upper glide plate  26  in either a The adjustment of the cutting slot  40  in the current embodiment will be discussed further in detail below. Generally speaking, the cutting slot can be opened and closed in both the vertical direction as well as the longitudinal direction. In the current embodiment this is performed by moving the upper guide plate in the vertical and/or longitudinal direction. The upper guide plate as seen in  FIG. 1  occupies a plane which is generally defined by the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis. The plane is allowed to move at least in the vertical and longitudinal directions with movement in the correct embodiment restricted to the transverse direction.  
         [0041]     Referring back to discussion of the configuration of the removable upper guide plate  32 , and referring to  FIG. 2A , the removable upper guide plate as seen in  FIG. 2A  is shown having a flat guide plane or plate  42 . In the current embodiment this upper guide plate movable portion is configured in somewhat of an A-frame type of configuration. The plate has an apex  44 , and two legs  46 , which form the frame of the “A” configuration. The shape also has a base  48  and the plate has a top face  54  and a bottom face  56 .  
         [0042]     The chef or caterer may wish to prepare food items which are cut in the horizontal direction as well as the vertical direction. Referring to  FIG. 2B , to provide for the slicing, the guide plate removable portion is provided in a removable upper guide plate with small vertical slicing teeth  50 . The small vertical slicing teeth  52  are configured in somewhat of a V-shape and placed linearly to parallel the edge or leg portion  46  of the plate configuration.  
         [0043]     An additional embodiment as seen in  FIG. 2C  is provided with larger vertical slicing teeth  60  and allows for a wider food slicing preparation such as what would be seen with for example French fries or carrot sticks and the like.  
         [0044]     This V-slicing configuration is also used in the removable lower guide plate with the horizontal slicing blade  62  is seen in  FIG. 2D . The horizontal slicing blade  64  is positioned at the forward edge of the removable lower guide plate  62  and the forward edge is configured to parallel the A-frame configuration of the upper guide plate  32  as seen in  FIGS. 2-2C . The blade configuration of the horizontal slicing blade  64  can be provided in different fashions for different food preparation results. One example is to provide a straight cutting blade edge as seen in  FIG. 2D  for the horizontal slicing blade  64 , also providing a wave form edge result which produces a horizontal shredding slicing blade  70  as seen in  FIG. 2E .  
         [0045]     Although the upper guide plate has a removable portion, the structure is needed to contain the removable portion during operation. The removable upper guide plate  32  can be considered the male portion to the female removable upper glide plate recess  80  as seen in  FIG. 3 . This recess  80  provides for a temporary staging location for the guide plate removable portions and allows for interchangeability through in one form, providing a punch hole  82  which is an open recess or open hole in the center portion of the recess base  88  of the upper glide plate nonremovable portion  30 .  
         [0046]     The removable upper glide plate recess  80  is positioned within the nonremovable upper glide plate  30 . The nonremovable upper glide plate  30  has a top surface  31  which is parallel with the top face  54  is seen in  FIG. 2A  of the removable upper glide plate  32  when installed in the recess  80 . The recess has a recess base  88  as previously discussed, recess sidewalls  86  which parallel the legs  46  of the plate edge as seen in  FIG. 2A , and the entire nonremovable upper glide plate  30  rests on a lower transverse axle system which will be discussed further below.  
         [0047]     Similarly speaking, the removable lower glide plate  34  as seen in  FIG. 2A  has longitudinally aligned cylindrical plate arms  66  which drape over the side rail  13  as seen in  FIG. 3  of the food slicer  10 . The semicylindrical plate arms  66 ,  FIG. 2D , fit within a removable lower glide plate recess  90  as seen in  FIG. 3 , which is substantially the same depth as the thickness of the cylindrical plate arms  66 .  
         [0048]     To keep the upper glide plate  26  in its longitudinal and transverse plane while still allowing for adjustment of the vertical slot  40 , a translational adjustment system is provided. This translational adjustment system can take many forms; the current embodiment utilizes a rack and pinion system  100  as seen in  FIG. 4 . Additionally, a four bar linkage system, a simple incline, a simple lever system, a pulley system, a screw drive, a belt drive, and other translational systems which allow for movement of a plane orientated in the longitudinal and transverse directions to be moved translationally at least in the vertical and longitudinal directions.  
         [0049]     The current embodiment provides one form of this translational adjustment system. Referring to  FIG. 4 , the nonremovable upper guide plate  30  is supported by two support axles. For additional vertical support, an incline stay  128  is provided so that the nonremovable upper glide plate  30 ,  FIG. 4 , has a three-part support base. This tripartite support base allows for a stable base although a dual support base would be equally as effective. The transverse axles include a lower transverse cylindrical shaft  92  which is fixed substantially in the rotational direction and spans between the side rails  13 . Longitudinally forward of this lower transverse axle  92  is an upper transverse axle shaft  94  which is fixed in the longitudinal, vertical, and transverse directions but is allowed to rotate about 360° of freedom of its transversely aligned shaft axis.  
         [0050]     In the current embodiment, the rack and pinion system  100  is attached to this rotationally free upper transverse axle shaft  94 . Attached to one end of the axle shaft  94  is a gear knob  106  which allows for the user to rotate the axle shaft  94  to any rotational degree of freedom. The rack and pinion system  100  is made of two main components, the sprocket or gear or in other words pinion  102  which is rotatably fixed to the axle shaft  94 . This pinion  102  is positioned to be interoperable with a rack or ladder which is essentially a flat bar running a linear distance with projecting vertical teeth. The rack  104  is attached in some form to the bottom edge of the upper guide plate  30 . In the current embodiment, the upper guide plate  30  has a perimeter edge frame  93 . The perimeter or edge frame  93  provides for additional rigidity of the guide plate and also has lower and upper guide frame projections which extend to interface with the axles.  
         [0051]     The perimeter edge frame  93  has a lower guide frame  96  which substantially parallels the outer leg edge  86  as seen in  FIG. 3  of the removable plate recess  80 . The lower guide frame  96  projects vertically downwards to form a connection with the lower transverse shaft axle  92 . Formed within the lower guide frame  96  are translationally aligned elliptical or semi cylindrical guide holes  95 . Each guide hole allows for translational movement along the desired translational path of the guide plate while riding on the shaft or axle  92 . Similarly, the perimeter edge frame  93  has an upper guide frame  98 . This upper guide frame  98  has positioned within it the same translationally aligned cylindrical guide holes  95 . Aligned in parallel with these translationally aligned cylindrical guide holes  95  is the rack  104  as previously discussed. The rack is permanently affixed to the outer edge of the upper guide frame  98 . The upper guide frame  98  is essentially two legs which both parallel the vertical depth of the side rails  13 . At each end of the upper transverse axle shaft, as previously discussed, is position the pinion  102  which is rotationally fixed to the transverse axle  94 ; each pinion is placed in operation with each rack attached to the upper guide frame legs  98 .  
         [0052]     In the current embodiment the translation of the upper guide plate is determined by the orientation of the cylindrical guide holes  95  positioned within the upper and lower guide frame portions. Referring to  FIG. 5 , the cylindrical guide holes  95  have an incline path axis  120 , which is along the path of the desired translational movement of the upper glide plate  26 . This incline path axis  120  is at a positive angle away from the longitudinal axis  21  and arranged between the longitudinal axis  21  and the vertical axis  23 . Consequently, the incline path axis  120  has a vertical travel range component  124  as well as a longitudinal travel range component  122 . The incline path axis  120  is defined by the resultant of the horizontal and vertical ranges which are combined to give the incline travel range  126 . The incline travel range is from a low upper glide plate limit position  127  to a high upper glide plate limit position  129 .  
         [0053]     When the upper transverse axle shaft  94  has its central axis positioned at the high upper glide plate limit position  129 , the center of axis is at the lowest slot position within the cylindrical guide hole  95 . Similarly, when the upper transverse axle shaft  94  has its center axis positioned at the low upper glide plate limit position  127 , the center axis is at the highest position within the cylindrical guide hole  95 .  
         [0054]     While the translation of the upper guide plate is provided along an incline travel range  126  which follows an incline path axis  120  which also has arranged along the same parallel path the rack  104  attached to the upper guide frame  98  and each of the guide frame legs, the orientation of the cylindrical guide holes  95  can be provided so that for example as seen in  FIG. 5A , the translation of the guide plate follows essentially a vertical travel path  250 . The rack  104  remains parallel to the vertical travel path  250  and the cylindrical guide hole  95  is arranged along the vertical travel path  250  as well. Thus a vertical travel range  252  allows for an upper and lower travel range limit similar to the incline travel range limit  126  as previously discussed.  
         [0055]     While the translation of the upper guide plate is provided along an incline travel range  126  which follows the inclined path axis  120 , and which also provides for an arrangement of the rack  104  attached to the guide frame legs  98 , the orientation of the cylindrical guide holes  95  can be provided in other angular arrangements. These can include a vertical arrangement as seen in  FIG. 5A  or other angular vertical path orientations which center around the origin of the upper transverse axle shaft  94 . It is conceivable that the orientation of the cylindrical guide hole  95  can even take on somewhat of a curved profile shape providing desired logarithmic incline and decline travel paths as needed by the food preparation professional.  
         [0056]     In addition to using a rack and pinion configuration  100  as seen in  FIG. 5 , an alternative embodiment for moving the upper guide plate  26  between an upper position and a lower position can include the use of a four bar linkage system  260  as seen in  FIG. 5B . Mechanically speaking, the four bar linkage system utilizes at least two simple pivot pins which act as shafts. In the current embodiment they include a lower or rear pivot shaft  264  and an upper or forward pivot shaft  270 .  
         [0057]     At each end of the pivot shaft is located a rigid bar which acts as a link providing for the travel distance between the upper location and the lower location as previously mentioned above. In the current alternative embodiment, there are two forms of bars, a simply connected link bar  266  and a moment resisting link bar  266 A. The simple connection bars  266  provide for  360  degree rotational degrees of freedom about the simple pivot pin  264  at the lower location and the simple upper pivot pin  270 . Connected at one distil end into the upper simple pivot shaft  270  is the gear knob  106 . Connected at the same distal end, is the rigid or moment resisting linkage bar  266 . This bar is rigidly connected to the pivot At each end of the pivot shaft is located a rigid bar which acts as a link providing for the travel distance between the upper location and the lower location as previously mentioned above. In the current alternative embodiment, there are two forms of bars, a simply connected link bar t shaft  270  acting as a cantilever and rotating rigidly along the same axis of rotation as the gear knob  106  and the shaft  270 . At the opposing end of the rigid connection of the link bar  266 , the bar is simply connected to the bottom face of the glide plate or guide plate  26  as a simple pivot connection  262 . This allows for the upper glide plate  26  to be simply supported in the vertical direction. The upper glide plate  26  also has the vertical and longitudinal degrees in freedom for adjustment in cutting thicknesses.  
         [0058]     As previously discussed, the overall goal is to keep the upper glide plate  26  in a plane which stays parallel with the side rails  13  and the transverse axis and can move at least longitudinally and vertically in either direction. Rotation of the gear knob  106  is resisted in some form by a frictional resistance component  272  which in one form might be a low gear, a belt system or even a ridge and valley system within the gear knob  106  itself. No matter how the resistance is provided, the gear knob can rotate the upper pin shaft  270  which then rotates the four bar linkage system  260  allowing the upper guide plate  26  to travel along a semicircular travel path  274  and limited only by the physical restraints of the linkage system.  
         [0059]     Now discussing the operation of the current embodiment, referring to  FIG. 5C , the upper guide plate  26  is positioned at the high points  280  where the upper guide plate  26  is parallel and in an even plane with the lower guide plate  28 . Thus, there is negligible vertical differential between the upper guide plate or the horizontal slicing blade  64  and the upper guide plate rear edge  290 . The food preparation professional can rotate in this current embodiment the gear knob  12  counterclockwise and position the upper guide plate  26  to an intermediate cutting position as seen in  FIG. 5D . The rotation of the gear knob  12  rotates the upper transverse axle shaft  94  which in turn concurrently rotates the gear or pinion  102 . The pinion teeth interface and leverage the rack  104  and the upper guide plate ratchets downward the vertical travel distance  292  to the desired intermediate cutting position  294  of the upper transverse axle shaft  94 . The vertical travel distance  292  during this intermediate position is directly proportional to the vertical cutting differential  282  at that intermediate location. Since the upper guide plate  26  is traveling along an angle, the longitudinal resultant distance or travel distance  296  concurrent to the vertical distance  292  is directly proportional to the longitudinal food slice gap  298  at the intermediate location.  
         [0060]     After the food preparation professional has finished cutting at the desired intermediate food thickness and Referring to  FIG. 5E , he can then rotate the gear knob  12  counterclockwise to drop the upper guide plate  26  to its lowest vertical differential or lowest vertical position  284  and greatest longitudinal position  300  from the horizontal slicing blade edge  64 . Concurrently, the pinion has ratcheted the rack  104  to its highest vertical position  127  or in other words the lowest upper glide plate limit position  127  (as seen in  FIG. 5 ). This also corresponds to the lower limit of the vertical travel range  124 .  
         [0061]     Thus the food preparation professional can ratchet and move the upper glide plate to any position between the high point of the rack incline and the low point of the rack incline and create varying food slice thicknesses with ease of food translational efficiency across the cutting slot and transitioning from the upper guide plate to the lower guide plate which remain substantially parallel throughout.