Patent Publication Number: US-7216574-B2

Title: Food slicing apparatus

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/464,971, filed Apr. 24, 2003, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
   This invention relates to a food slicing apparatus. In particular, this invention relates to an apparatus for slicing bread. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
   Food items, such as bread, can be sliced using, for example, a serrated edge or other suitable knife-edge found on a knife. The bread is typically held in place by one hand, usually on a suitable cutting surface, while the other hand wields the knife to slice the bread. It can be appreciated that exposed knife-edges can injure the party slicing the bread. This is of concern in commercial establishments, such as, for example, a diner that serves sandwiches, or submarine sandwich restaurants, where slicing bread has to occur quickly, particularly during peak operation hours, such as, for example, lunch. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
   This invention relates to a food slicing apparatus, and particularly to an apparatus for slicing bread. The food slicing apparatus of the invention comprises an enclosure to support the food to be sliced. The enclosure features an access opening through which food can be introduced into the enclosure. A cover for the access opening can be provided, moveable relative to the enclosure from an open position to a closed position. 
   A guide is provided within the enclosure for guiding a blade to slice food supported within the enclosure. A stop is also provided to at least partially obstruct the guide. The cover is connected to at least one of the guide and the stop to displace the guide and the stop relative to one another, so that when the cover is in an open position, the stop at least partially obstructs the guide. In the embodiment disclosed, the stop is connected to the cover and moveable relative to the guide to at least partially obstruct the guide when the cover is in the open position. In this manner, the stop blocks the blade from traveling within the guide when the cover is in an open position. 
   The stop can be presented near at least one end of the guide. In the embodiment disclosed the stop is presented near each end of the guide so that two stops are provided. Further, the stop is spaced from an inside wall of the enclosure a sufficient extent to retain the blade between the stop and the wall. It can be appreciated, therefore, that when the cover is open, the blade can be retained between the stop and the inside wall of the enclosure, and the stop blocks the blade from traveling within the guide to the area where the food is supported. 
   The food slicing apparatus comprises a linkage assembly to connect the stop to the cover. The linkage assembly is a slotted arm, and, for the embodiment disclosed, is a curved slotted arm. The stop presents a pin for sliding within the curved slotted portion of the arm; an end of the arm is connected to the cover. 
   It is also desirable to provide a food slicing apparatus that cannot be opened when the blade is used to slice food supported within the enclosure. For this aspect of the invention, the food slicing apparatus comprises an enclosure to support the food to be sliced. The enclosure has an access opening and a cover for the access opening. The cover is moveable relative to the enclosure from an open position to a closed position. 
   A contact surface is provided to engage the blade. The cover is connected to at least one of the contact surfaces and the guide to displace the contact surface and the guide relative to one another so that as the cover is displaced to an open position the contact surface is displaced to at least partially cross the plane that the guide substantially guides the blade within. In the embodiment disclosed, the cover is connected to the contact surface and moveable relative to the guide, so that as the cover is displaced to an open position the contact surface is displaced to at least partially cross the plane of the guide. In this manner, when the blade is in use slicing food and traveling within the guide, the contact surface would engage the blade if the cover was to be opened, thereby stopping or blocking the cover from opening any further. 
   In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the contact surface is connected to the stop, and, particularly, extends between the stops that are provided near each end of the guide. Moreover, the contact surface is part of a support within the enclosure that supports the food to be sliced. In particular, the support is in the form of a cradle, and the contact surface forms the sides of the cradle. It can be appreciated that in the disclosed embodiment the cradle is bounded along its sides by the contact surfaces, and at each end by the stops. 
   Moreover, the food slicing apparatus of this invention provides a mechanism for holding the food in place within the enclosure as it is being sliced. In particular, the invention provides for an abutting surface presented within the enclosure and moveable relative to the enclosure to engage at least one side of the food supported within the enclosure. An actuator is presented outside of the enclosure and connected to the abutting surface to displace the abutting surface relative to the enclosure. In the embodiment disclosed, the cover of the apparatus provides for the actuator and the abutting surface. Further, the actuator is a compressible handle, biased to normally present the abutting surface away from where food is supported within the enclosure. 
   It can also be appreciated that one end of the blade extends outwardly of the enclosure along one side of the guide. This end can be provided with a handle that a user can grasp. The other end of the blade is provided with a blade stop that is displaceable within a channel provided along the other side of the guide. The channel is configured to allow the blade to travel within the guide, and also to allow for limited cutting action. In this manner, the blade is fully operable to slice food, yet is prevented from being removed from the apparatus. Moreover, the channel, the blade stop, and the extent of the knife-edge of the blade can be designed so that as the blade is traveling within the guide to slice food, the knife-edge of the blade is presented entirely within the enclosure. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     For a better understanding of the present invention and to show more clearly how it would be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings that show a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the food slicing apparatus of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  2 — 2  of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view similar to  FIG. 2 , but with the cover in a closed position showing the blade slicing a food item within the enclosure; 
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged sectional view showing the interconnection between the support assembly and the cover of the food slicing apparatus; 
       FIG. 5  is an illustration of the blade abutting the stop of the invention; 
       FIG. 6  is a view similar to  FIG. 5 , but with the stop in a lowered position; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing the food slicing apparatus in use; 
       FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  8 — 8  of  FIG. 7 ; and 
       FIG. 9  is a part view showing the blade slicing bread. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
   The food slicing apparatus  10  of this invention is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Apparatus  10  comprises an enclosure  12  to support food  14  to be sliced. Typically food  14  will be bread, such as, for example, a bun. Enclosure  12  features an access opening  16  through which food  14  can be introduced. A cover  18  for access opening  16  is provided to completely enclose food  14  within the apparatus  10 . Cover  18  is moveable relative to enclosure  12  from an open position to a closed position, as will hereinafter be described. 
   A guide  20  is provided within the enclosure  12  for guiding a blade  22  to slice food  14  supported within the enclosure. As illustrated in  FIG. 2  guide  20  is seen to be a series of slots in the outer and inner walls of the enclosure  12 ; the slots are aligned in a plane and, for the embodiment illustrated, extend along a substantially equal portion of the length of the enclosure. For the embodiment illustrated, and as best seen in  FIG. 2 , slot  24   a  is in outer wall  26   a , slot  24   b  is in inner wall  26   b , and slot  24   c  is in inner wall  26   c . It can be appreciated that different arrangements of slots and enclosure walls are contemplated; so long as a guide that the blade can travel within is provided. For example, inner wall  26   b  and associated slot  24   b  can be removed, additional inner walls and associated slots can be provided, or outer wall  26   d  could be provided with an associated slot. 
   As particularly illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , one end  28  of blade  22  extends outwardly of enclosure  12 , and particularly outwardly of the enclosure along one side of guide  20  (i.e., through slot  24   a  and away from wall  26   a  for the embodiment illustrated). End  28  can be provided with a handle  30  that a user (not illustrated) can grasp. The other end  32  of the blade  22  (see  FIG. 2 ) is provided with a blade stop  34  that is displaceable within a channel  36  provided along the other side of the guide (i.e., provided between inner wall  26   c  and outer wall  26   d  for the embodiment illustrated). Blade stop  34  stops end  32  of blade  22  from passing through slot  24   c , and hence a user is prevented from removing the blade by pulling it out of the slot  20 . Channel  36  is configured to allow blade  22  to travel within the guide  20  and allow for a limited cutting action as the blade  22  slices food  14  (see  FIG. 9 ). It can be appreciated that the blade is fully operable to slice food, yet cannot be removed from the apparatus during normal use. 
   Moreover, channel  36 , blade stop  34 , and the extent of the knife-edge  38  along the blade  22  can be designed so that as the blade is traveling within guide  20  to slice food  14 , knife-edge  38  of blade  22  is presented entirely within enclosure  12  (i.e., knife-edge  38  is stopped from passing through slot  24   a  to the outside of enclosure  12 ). 
   For the embodiment illustrated, cover  18  is pivotally attached to the enclosure  12  through a pivot  40  provided on inner wall  26   c . By pivoting cover  18  as illustrated, a portion  42  of the cover can be moved to open or close enclosure  12  while a second portion  44  pivots into and out of channel  36 . Outer wall  26   a  of enclosure  12  can be provided with a ledge  46  that the leading edge  48  of the cover  18  can fit within. The remaining edges of the cover  18  are sized to just fit within access opening  16  so that when the cover is in a closed position (as illustrated in  FIG. 7 ) the access opening is substantially covered. Cover  18  can be provided with a window  50  to allow a user to look into enclosure  12  when the cover is closed. The window can be glass, plexiglass, or other suitable material. 
   To minimize or prevent exposure by a user to knife-edge  38  of the blade  22  when cover  18  is open, it is desirable to position the blade away from where food  14  is supported within enclosure  12  and stop the blade from being able to travel within the guide  20  along its longitudinal extent. A stop  52  is therefore provided to at least partially obstruct the guide  20  and stop the blade from traveling within the guide. Stop  52  as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is a block that is sized to move within a channel provided between inner walls  26   b  and  26   c . It can be appreciated, however, that other shapes and arrangements for the stop can be provided to stop the blade  22  from traveling within the guide  20 . 
   To position the stop  52  in place so that it stops the blade  22 , the guide and the stop  52  are moveable relative to one another. In particular, when the cover  18  is in an open position, the stop should at least partially obstruct the guide  20  to block movement of the blade within the guide beyond the stop (see, for example,  FIGS. 1 and 5 ). In the embodiment disclosed, stop  52  is connected to cover  18  so that it moves relative to guide  20  to at least partially obstruct the guide when the cover is in the open position, as will hereinafter be described. 
   Stop  52  is presented near at least one end of guide  20 . In the embodiment disclosed, stop  52  is presented near each end  54   a  and  54   b  of the guide; in other words, two stops,  52   a  and  52   b , respectively, are provided. Further, stops  52   a  and  52   b  are spaced from the inside facings  56   a  and  56   b  of end walls  58   a  and  58   b  of enclosure  12   a  sufficient extent to define spaces  60   a  and  60   b  respectively, to retain the blade. Once the food has been sliced, the blade  22  can be moved to either one of spaces  60   a  and  60   b . The cover is then opened, and the blade  22  is retained in the space by the respective stop  52   a  or  52   b . In this manner blade  22  can be stopped or blocked from traveling within the guide where food  14  is supported within the enclosure  12 . 
   A linkage assembly  62  can be provided to connect stop  52  to cover  18 . Linkage assembly  62  includes a slotted arm  64 , and, for the embodiment disclosed, slotted arm  64  is two curved slotted arms  64   a  and  64   b  provided at either side of the cover  18 . Openings  65   a  and  65   b  are provided between each end or side of inner wall  26   c  and the inner facings  56   a  and  56   b  of end walls  58   a  and  58   b , respectively, to allow the respective curved slotted arms  64   a  and  64   b  to move through. If necessary, similar openings (not illustrated) can be provided between inner wall  26   b  and the inner facings of the end walls. A pin  66  is provided by each stop  52   a  and  52   b  shaped to slide within the curved slotted portion  68  of the curved slotted arms  64   a  and  64   b . A spacer  70  (see  FIG. 4 ) can be provided over pin  66  between the stops and the slotted arms. An end  72  of the curved slotted arms  64   a  and  64   b  is connected to the cover  18 , and particularly at either side of the rear portion  44  of the cover. 
   In operation, then, as cover  18  is pivoted about pivot  40  to an open position, rear portion  44  of the cover pivots into channel  36  of enclosure  12 . As the rear portion  44  of the cover is connected to the curved slotted arms  64   a  and  64   b , the arms move through respective opening  65   a  and  65   b . Pin  66  of the respective stops  52   a  and  52   b  moves within the slot  68  of the arms from the position shown in  FIG. 3  to the position shown in  FIG. 2 . This motion causes stops  52   a  and  52   b  to move relative to the guide  20  between inner walls  26   b  and  26   c  of enclosure  12  from a position that allows the blade to travel within the guide (see  FIGS. 3 and 6 ) to a position where the stops at least partially obstruct the guide (see  FIG. 2 ) and hence block travel of the blade within the guide (see  FIG. 5 ). 
   It can be appreciated other arrangements for connecting the lid to displace the stop relative to the guide can be constructed without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. For example, linkage assembly  62  could be in the form of arms that depend from the sides of front portion  42  of the cover  18  directly down into the channel between inner walls  26   b  and  26   c , to connect to the respective stops. In this arrangement, as the cover is lifted the connecting arm directly lifts the respective stops upwardly in the channel between inner walls  26   b  and  26   c  so that they at least partially obstruct guide  20 . Here, the connecting arms can be secured at either side of the front portion  42  of the cover  18  through appropriate pivotal connections to accommodate the change of orientation between the cover and the connecting arms as the cover is lifted to an open position. The connecting arms can also be pivotally connected to the respective stops, if desired. 
   It is also desirable to provide a food slicing apparatus that cannot be opened when the blade is used to slice food supported within the enclosure. For the embodiment illustrated, a contact surface  74  is provided to engage the blade  22 . The cover can be connected to at least one of the contact surface and the guide to displace the contact surface and the guide relative to one another so that as the cover is displaced to an open position the contact surface is displaced to at least partially cross the plane of the guide. In the embodiment disclosed, the cover is connected to the contact surface, as will hereinafter be described, to move the contact surface relative to the guide. 
   As illustrated, for example, in  FIGS. 1 and 4  the contact surface  74  is connected to the stop  52 , and, particularly, extends between stops  52   a  and  52   b . Moreover, the contact surface  74  is part of a support structure  76  within enclosure  12  that supports food  14  to be sliced. In particular, support structure  76  is in the form of a cradle, and the contact surface forms the sides  74   a  and  74   b  of the cradle. The ends of the cradle are formed by stops  52   a  and  52   b . A lower support surface  78  is formed by rods extending between stops  52   a  and  52   b . It can be appreciated that other structures can form the lower surface, however, it is desirable to provide spacing within the lower support surface sufficient to allow food particles to fall through to the bottom of the enclosure for later disposal. 
   In operation, then, and as previously discussed, stops  52   a  and  52   b  do not obstruct the guide when cover  18  is in a closed position, and the blade  22  can travel within the guide to slice food supported by the support structure  76 . When the blade is in use, should a user attempt to pivot cover  18  about pivot  40  to an open position, for the embodiment illustrated, curved slotted arms  64   a  and  64   b  move through opening  65   a  and  65   b , and pin  66  will attempt to move within the slot  68  from a position shown in  FIG. 3  to the position shown in  FIG. 2 . However, as previously discussed, this motion will begin moving the stops  52   a  and  52   b  to the position that blocks guide  20 . This, in turn, by virtue of the construction disclosed, causes the cradle, and hence the contact surfaces  74   a  and  74   b  to move across the plane of the guide, thereby bringing the contact surfaces in contact with the surface  80  of the blade  22 . Therefore, further movement of the cradle is blocked and the cover is stopped from opening any further. In this manner, a user can be prevented from accessing the enclosure while the blade is used to slice food. 
   To further protect a user from the knife-edge  38  of the blade  22 , a cover  82  (see  FIG. 4 ) can be provided. Cover  82  particularly prevents a user from contacting the knife-edge  38  of the blade when the blade is in either of spaces  60   a  and  60   b  by covering these spaces from the top. Cover  82  can also be provided with a sloped portion  83  that can help direct food  14  placed within the enclosure  12  to the support structure  76 . 
   A mechanism  84  (see  FIG. 8 ) for holding the food  14  in place in the support structure  76  as it is being sliced is also disclosed. In particular, an abutting surface  86  is presented within the enclosure  12  and moveable relative to the enclosure to engage at least one side of food  14  supported within the enclosure. An actuator  88  is presented outside of the enclosure and connected to the abutting surface through suitable connecting members, such as, for example, posts  90   a  and  90   b , as illustrated in  FIG. 8 . In the embodiment disclosed, the cover  18  of the apparatus provides for the actuator and the abutting surface. The actuator can be a compressible handle  94 , biased through springs  92   a  and  92   b  to normally urge the handle away from the cover, and hence the abutting surface away from where food is supported within the enclosure. A grip  96 , can be provided to aid a user in compressing handle  94 , as best illustrated in  FIG. 7 and 8 . 
   It can appreciated that variations to this invention would be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and this invention is intended to include those alternatives.