Abstract:
A slicing and dicing device which includes a pivoted lever which when stroked slides a pusher assembly partway along on a main body towards a cutter piece to slice an interposed item. Gearing operated by the lever disengages after each stroke to allow another stroke, reducing the peak effect required by limiting the range of motion to a range where good leverage is obtained. A dicing assembly is mounted forward of the cutter piece for vertical sliding motion to allow cross cutting of strips sliced out of the item by the cutter piece.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 61/000,504 filed on Oct. 26, 2007. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention concerns slicing of vegetables or fruits such as potatoes into strips (i.e., french fries) or diced into cubes. There has heretofore been provided “potato chippers” which operate to force a potato (or other fruit or vegetable) through a cutter grid to slice the same into strips such as create french fries from a whole potato. 
         [0003]    A lever is manually pivoted through a single stroke which causes the item to be advanced by engagement of a pusher face having a pattern of plugs which fit into the cutter grid when the pusher face is fully advanced. 
         [0004]    Since a large number of slicing cuts into the item are made simultaneously, a substantial effort is required. The lever typically pivots through a range of 90° from a fully upright position, and the leverage able to be exerted by the user varies depending on the angle of the lever and a greater effort is required at the beginning of the lever motion when the lever is fully upright. 
         [0005]    Long levers are sometimes employed to reduce the effort, but this results in too bulky device for the home kitchen where space is at a premium and increases the cost of the device. 
         [0006]    While some versatility has been added to such devices by replaceable cutter grids of differing size, it would be advantageous if additional cutting functions could be provided by such device. 
         [0007]    It is the object of the present invention to provide a fruit or vegetable slicer device of the type described in which the peak effort required to be exerted on an operating lever is reduced while maintaining a compact size. 
         [0008]    It is a further object to provide such a device which also is capable of carrying out a dicing feature as well as conventional slicing. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The above recited objects as well as other objects which will become apparent to those knowledgeable in the art upon a reading of the follow specification and claims are achieved by a slicer having a pivoted operating lever which rotates gearing to cause a carriage to be advanced along a main body forcing an item to be pushed along the main body which has a cutter grid at a far end and through which the item is forced by repeated pivoting of the lever through a relatively narrow angular range. 
         [0010]    The gearing includes sector gears attached to the lever and intermediate pinion gears rotatably mounted on the carriage and held in engagement with gear racks fixed extending lengthwise along the main body to the cutter grid. 
         [0011]    The lever sector gears are disengageable with the intermediate pinion gearing by elongated holes pivotally mounting the lever to the carriage. Wire form springs engage the lever to normally urge the lever to an elevated position in which the lever pin pivot mount moves to the top of the elongated holes, with the sector gears then becoming separated from the intermediate pinion gearing Upon pushing down on the lever, the lever pivot pins descend in the elongated holes, and the sector gears engage the pinion gearing. 
         [0012]    The lever is pivoted down from an angled position to advance the carriage a part of the way towards the cutter grid, with an item to be sliced partially advanced into the cutter grid. 
         [0013]    Upon releasing pressure on the lever it pivots back up and the sector gears disengage from the pinion gearing and another stroking then carried out, with this repeated until the item is fully advanced through the cutter grid to be completely sliced up. 
         [0014]    A vertically oriented dicer blade and holder assembly maybe slidably mounted just forward of the cutter grid to be raised prior to each over operation and lowered to cross cut each length of the strips emerging from the cuter grid after a lever stroke and create diced portions thereof. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a reduced size pictorial view of a slicer and dicer device according to the invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a plane view of the slicer and dicer shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a pictorial exploded view of the components of the slicer and dicer shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 3A  is an enlarged pictorial view of a lever spring shown in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 3B  is an enlarged pictorial view of inner pinion gear set shown in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 3C  is an enlarged pictorial view of one of the out pinion gears shown in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 3D  is an enlarged view of one of the outer sector gears shown in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of the section  4 - 4  taken in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  is a pictorial view of a pusher assembly included in the device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  is a pictorial view of a carriage included in the pusher assembly shown in  FIG. 5 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 6A  is a sectional view of the carriage shown in  FIG. 6 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  is a pictorial view of a main body included in the device shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
           [0027]      FIG. 8  is a pictorial reverse view of a large sizepusher face shown in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 9  is a pictorial view of a dicer blade assembly included in the device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0029]      FIG. 10  is a fragmentary view of the section shown in  FIG. 4  with the pusher assembly retracted in preparation for a slicing stroke with the sector and pinion gearing disengaged. 
           [0030]      FIG. 11  is a view of the section shown in  FIG. 4  with an item I in position and the lever pushed down to engage the pusher gearing. 
           [0031]      FIG. 12  is a fragmentary view of the section shown in  FIG. 4  at the end of a lever stroke. 
           [0032]      FIG. 13  is pictorial view of the device, shown in  FIG. 1  with the lever raised and the dicer blade assembly also raised in preparation for a slice and dice operation. 
           [0033]      FIG. 14  is a pictorial view of the device shown in  FIG. 13  at the completion of a slice and dice operation. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0034]    In the following detailed description, certain specific terminology will be employed for the sake of clarity and a particular embodiment described in accordance with the requirements of 35 USC 112, but it is to be understood that the same is not intended to be limiting and should not be so construed inasmuch as the invention is capable of taking many forms and variations within the scope of the appended claims. 
         [0035]    Referring to the drawings and particularly claims  1  and  2 , a slicing and dicing device  10  in a stored condition according to the invention. The device  10  includes a main body  12  supported on feet  14 . 
         [0036]    A cutting grid  16  is supported at an upright front end  17  of the main body with plugs of a pusher face  24  of a pusher assembly  18  protruding through spaces in the cutter grid  16 . 
         [0037]    The main body  12  includes a pusher assembly  18  supported on a bed  20  defined by the main body  12  to the rear of the front end  17 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 1  show the pusher assembly  18  in its storage condition. 
         [0039]    A dicer blade assembly  22  is received in the front end  17  of the main body  12  to be vertically slidable therein as well be described herein. 
         [0040]      FIG. 4  shows an enlarged sectional view of the slicing and dicing device  10  in the storage condition. 
         [0041]    The pusher assembly  18  includes a short lever  24  pivotally mounted to a molded plastic carriage  26  movable along main body bed  30  engaged by pinion gear assembly  30 . The lever  24  may be molded of ABS plastic with a softer overmold of TPE plastic. 
         [0042]    The lever  24  is pivotally mounted at one end to ears spaced apart of the carriage  26  by press pins  32 . 
         [0043]    A lever lock slide  36  accessible through a slot  38  in the lever  24  is slidable to the front along the slot  38  where a catch lip  40  enters a slot  43  in a top wall  42  of the carriage  26  to hold the lever  24  in its lowered position shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  4 . 
         [0044]    A wire form spring piece  44  has a pair of long legs  46  extending beneath the lever  24  and a pair of short legs  48  resting on a bottom wall  50 , with intermediate wound up coils  52  creating a spring pressure resisting downward pivoting of the lever  24  and urging it back up when depressed, as seen in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0045]    A stainless steel mounting plate  54  is attached to a front end of the carriage  26  with screws  55 . A pivotable push face lock  56  riveted to the plate  54  holds either one of two pusher face blocks  34 A or  34 B to the plate  54  and the front end of the carriage  26  by engagement with a pair of oppositely oriented hooks  35  on each pusher face block  34 A and  34 B ( FIG. 8 ). The plug pattern of the pusher face blocks  34 A,  34 B configured are to enter grid spaces in a cutter grid  16 A or  16 B alternatively installed in a blade cartridge frame  58  upon fully advancing the pusher assembly  18 . 
         [0046]    The dicer blade assembly  22  includes an upper handle  60  (which may have an overmold as indicated) having attached a pair of stainless steel blade supports  62  and a U-shaped blade  64  welded to the supports  62 , having a sharpened portion  65  extending between the supports. 
         [0047]    A lock piece  66  beneath the handle  60  has locking catch portions  68  engaging features  70  on the front end of the main body  12  when the dicer blade assembly  22  is fully lowered. In this position, the blade sharpened edge portion  65  lies below the cutter grid  16 A or  16 B to not interfere with slicing of the item. The blade  64  is slidable in a space to the rear a facia piece  74  and the main body front end  17  while the supports  62  are slidable in spaces  72  ( FIG. 7 ). 
         [0048]    A pair of helical compression springs  76  in spaces  72  are engaged with notches  78  to spring load the dicer blade assembly  22  and urge it to its raised position. 
         [0049]    The lever  24  has a pair of sector gears  80  held to a respective side wall portion, each sector gear  80  aligned with a respective one of a pair of inner pinion gears  82  formed at either end of a gear tube  84  of the pinion gear assembly  30 . 
         [0050]    The pinion gear tube  84  is rotatably mounted in the carriage  26  received in holes  86  ( FIGS. 6 ,  6 A) and captured by outer pinion gears  88  press fit into respective ends of the gear tube  84  with square shapes  89  preventing relative rotation ( FIGS. 3B ,  3 C). The outer pinions  88  are each meshed with a respective gear rack  28 . 
         [0051]    The carriage  26  is captured by protrusions  90  riding in a guideway space  92  beneath gear racks  28 . 
         [0052]    Stop inserts  27  are ultrasonically welded with the front of the main body  12  after the carriage  26  is assembled thereto, preventing advance out of the main body  1  after assembly. 
         [0053]    The lever  24  is pivotally mounted to the carriage  26  by a pair of pins  32  passed through elongated holes  94  in spaced ears  96  on the carriage  26 . The pins  32  are each pressed into a respective hole  98  in each sector gear  80  press fit inside the lever  24 . 
         [0054]    The spring  44  urges the lever  24  upwardly such that pins  32  are normally pushed to the top of elongated holes  94  which allow limited vertical travel of the lever  24 , i.e. on the order of 3.5 mm travel. In this condition, shown in  FIG. 10 , the sector gears  80  are out of engagement with pinion gears  82 . The lever  24  is positioned at an inclined angle as shown. 
         [0055]    Upon exertion of downward pressure on the lever  24 , the sector gears  80  are brought into mesh with pinion gears  82  as seen in  FIG. 11 . 
         [0056]    Continued downward movement of the lever  24  causes the pusher assembly  18  to advance as seen in  FIG. 12  by the pinions  88 B rotating while engaged with the gear racks  28 . This causes the pusher face  34  to advance the item I partially through the cutter grid  16  and cut strips therein. 
         [0057]    The item I is only partially sliced such that several strokes of the lever  24  are required to complete the cutting. The disengagement of gears  80 ,  82  allows the successive stroking of the lever while slicing a single item I. 
         [0058]    The stroke of lever  24  is limited to be entirely within a range where good leverage is developed, thus reducing the peak effort required. An inclined start position, i.e., 70°, rather than a straight up position reduces the peak effort required. 
         [0059]    To also dice, the handle  60  is pulled up, the lock  66  released thereby. The lever  24  is then pivoted down to partially advance and partially slice an item I. 
         [0060]    The handle  60  is then depressed to cross cut the partially sliced strips to dice the item. 
         [0061]    This is repeated until the item I is completely cut up.