Patent ID: 8187285

Claim:
A method for processing tissue using a hand-held device having a housing that rotatably supports a plurality of spaced apart blades having tips, the method comprising: bringing the blade tips into contact with the tissue such that the blade tips engage a cutting surface upon which the tissue is disposed; translating the hand-held device along the cutting surface in a first direction to cut through the tissue to produce sliced tissue, the sliced tissue being removed from the spaced apart blades by a separator having a plurality of tines that interdigitate with the plurality of blades as the hand-held device is translated across the cutting surface in the first direction; bringing the cutting blades into contact with the sliced tissue such that the blade tips engage the cutting surface; and translating the hand-held device along the cutting surface in a second direction to cut through the sliced tissue and produce further sliced tissue, the further sliced tissue being removed from the spaced apart blades by a second separator having a second plurality of tines that interdigitate with the plurality of blades as the hand-held device is translated across the cutting surface in the second direction.