Patent ID: 7430947

Claim:
An apparatus for slicing food products into pieces comprising: a housing defining a cutting station and a passageway; a stop member actuatable between a stop position in which the stop member obstructs the passageway and a retracted position in which the food product is free to pass through the passageway, the stop member serving to temporarily stop movement of the food product through the passageway and retain the food product in a substantially stationary position during cutting; at least one cutting blade actuatable between a retracted position outside the passageway and an extended position in which the blade substantially transversely spans the passageway; a support member to support each blade at a predetermined longitudinal distance from the stop member; an actuation system for actuating the stop member, actuating the cutting blade after a time delay to slice the food product into pieces as it rests against the stop member, and then after a further time delay actuating the stop member and cutting blade to retract; and the stop member and at least one cutting blade further comprising plural stop members and plural cutting blades supported by the housing at spaced apart longitudinal locations relative to the passageway, each being retained in a respective recess defined by the housing and each being independently actuatable.