Patent ID: 8474357

Claim:
An article slicing apparatus for simultaneously cutting several articles into multiple parallel slices, comprising: a plurality of elongated cutter blades extending parallel to and spaced from one another for cutting the articles placed on said cutter blades into slices, a blade actuator connected to said cutter blades for oscillating said cutter blades, article pushers each sized and shaped to move from above said cutter blades downwardly into engagement against the articles placed on said cutter blades to push the articles through said cutter blades, said article pushers including a plurality of fins sized and shaped to pass between said cutter blades, pusher actuating means operatively connected to said article pushers for moving said article pushers laterally from an article loading position to an aligned position above said cutter blades, downwardly from above said cutter blades to move said fins between said cutter blades and push the articles downwardly through said cutter blades, upwardly to withdraw said article pushers from said cutter blades, and laterally back to the article loading position to withdraw said article pushers from over said cutter blades, and a pick and placer including an actuator movable in timed relationship with said pusher actuating means to advance the articles toward the aligned positions above the cutter blades and place the articles on the cutter blades as the pusher actuating means withdraws the pushers away from the aligned positions toward the loading position, and to withdraw from the aligned positions as the pusher actuating means moves from the loading positions toward the aligned position, such that the progressive rearward movement of the article pushers to the article loading positions progressively forms a space for said pick and placer to progressively move in the same direction above the cutter blades to load the articles on the cutter blades, and as the article pushers progressively move forwardly to aligned positions above the positions where the articles are placed on the cutter blades, the pick and placer progressively withdraws from the aligned positions above the cutter blades.