Blade assembly and retraction mechanism for a high-speed food slicing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12558808-B2
Application number	US-202218045901-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2022
Priority date	Oct 25, 2021
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

Abstract

A food slicing system having a main frame includes a blade reciprocating assembly, which further includes a support frame, a rotating cutting blade mounted to the support frame, a motor mounted on the support frame, and a support shaft operatively coupled to the main frame at opposite ends thereof. The support shaft is coupled to an upper portion of the support frame and is configured to support the support frame and permit pivotal movement of the support frame. A drive shaft is operatively coupled to the main frame and is rotationally driven by an actuator. A plurality of linkage elements are configured to operatively couple the drive shaft to a lower portion of the support frame, where the linkage elements reciprocally move the blade reciprocating assembly between a slicing position and a clearance position, and where the support frame pivots about the support shaft during the reciprocal movement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A food slicing system having a main frame, the system comprising:
an input conveyor configured to transport a food product for slicing; an output conveyor configured to receive thereon, sliced food product; a blade reciprocating assembly located between the input conveyor and the output conveyor; the blade reciprocating assembly further comprising:
a support frame;
a rotating cutting blade mounted to the support frame;
a motor mounted on the support frame configured to operatively drive the cutting blade;
an upper support shaft operatively coupled to the main frame at opposite ends thereof;
the upper support shaft coupled to an upper portion of the support frame and configured to support the support frame and permit pivotal movement of the support frame about the upper support shaft;
a servomotor actuator fixedly coupled to the main frame and configured to rotationally drive a drive shaft, the drive shaft supported by a bearing at an end of the drive shaft located away from the servomotor actuator;
a gear box or reducer operatively coupled between the drive shaft and the servomotor actuator; and
at least one set of linkage elements, each set of linkage elements operatively coupled to the drive shaft at a first end of the linkage elements and operatively coupled to a lower portion of the support frame at a second end of the linkage elements, the linkage elements configured to convert rotational motion of the drive shaft to pivoting movement of support frame about the upper support shaft.

2 . The food slicing system according to claim 1 , wherein when the blade reciprocating assembly is in the slicing position, a plane of the cutting blade is substantially co-planar with a cutting plane of the food product, and the cutting blade is configured to slice the food product; and
wherein when the blade reciprocating assembly is in the clearance position, the plane of the cutting blade is disposed at a predetermined angle away from the cutting plane of the food product, and the cutting blade does not contact the food product.

3 . The food slicing system according to claim 1 , wherein the gear box or reducer is a planetary gear arrangement.

4 . The food slicing system according to claim 1 , wherein the gear box or reducer translates forward rotation and reverse rotation of the servomotor actuator into corresponding forward rotation and reverse rotation of the drive shaft, wherein rotation of the drive shaft is limited to a plus and minus 10 degree angular displacement.

5 . The food slicing system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one set of linkage elements comprise:
a first linkage having first and second ends, the first end of the first linkage fixedly coupled to the drive shaft; a second linkage having first and second ends, the first end of the second linkage pivotally coupled to the lower portion of the support frame; and wherein the second end of the first linkage is pivotally coupled to the second end of the second linkage.

6 . The food slicing system according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one set of linkage elements include a first set of two linkages located at a leftward lateral portion of the drive shaft, and a second set of two linkages located at a rightward lateral portion of the drive shaft.

7 . The food slicing system of claim 1 , wherein when the blade reciprocating assembly is in the clearance position, the plane of the cutting blade is disposed at an angle of between 2 degrees and 10 degrees away from the cutting plane of the food product.

8 . The food slicing system of claim 1 , wherein when the blade reciprocating assembly is in the slicing position, the plane of the cutting blade is substantially co-planar with the cutting plane of the food product within a tolerance of between +0.50 degrees and −0.50 degrees.

9 . The food slicing system of claim 5 , wherein an angle between the first linkage and the second linkage when the blade reciprocating assembly is in the slicing position differs from an angle between the first linkage and the second linkage when the blade reciprocating assembly is in the clearance position, in a range of between 4 degrees and 12 degrees.

10 . The food slicing system of claim 1 , wherein the blade reciprocating assembly is moved from the slicing position to the clearance position after a sliced stack having a predetermined number of slices, is produced.

11 . A food slicing system comprising:
a blade reciprocating assembly mounted to a main frame of the food slicing system; the blade reciprocating assembly further comprising:
a support frame;
a rotating cutting blade mounted to the support frame;
a motor mounted on the support frame configured to operatively drive the cutting blade;
an upper support shaft operatively coupled to the main frame at opposite ends thereof;
the upper support shaft coupled to an upper portion of the support frame and configured to support the support frame and permit pivotal movement of the support frame about the upper support shaft;
a drive shaft operatively coupled to the main frame between a bearing and a servomotor actuator, the drive shaft rotationally driven by the servomotor actuator;
a gear box or reducer operatively coupled between the drive shaft and the servomotor actuator; and
at least one set of linkage elements, each set of linkage elements operatively coupled to the drive shaft at a first end of the linkage elements and operatively coupled to a lower portion of the support frame at a second end of the linkage elements, wherein the linkage elements are configured to reciprocally move the blade reciprocating assembly between a slicing position and a clearance position, and wherein the support frame pivots about the upper support shaft during the reciprocal movement.

12 . The food slicing system according to claim 11 , wherein when the blade reciprocating assembly is in the slicing position, a plane of the cutting blade is substantially co-planar with a cutting plane of the food product, and the cutting blade is configured to slice the food product; and
wherein when the blade reciprocating assembly is in the clearance position, the plane of the cutting blade is disposed at a predetermined angle away from the cutting plane of the food product, and the cutting blade does not contact the food product.

13 . The food slicing system according to claim 11 , wherein the gear box or reducer is a planetary gear arrangement.

14 . The food slicing system according to claim 11 , wherein the gear box or reducer translates forward rotation and reverse rotation of the servomotor actuator into corresponding forward rotation and reverse rotation of the drive shaft, wherein rotation of the drive shaft is limited to a plus and minus 10 degree angular displacement.

15 . The food slicing system according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one set of linkage elements comprise:
a first linkage having first and second ends, the first end of the first linkage fixedly coupled to the drive shaft; a second linkage having first and second ends, the first end of the second linkage pivotally coupled to the lower portion of the support frame; and wherein the second end of the first linkage is pivotally coupled to the second end of the second linkage.

16 . The food slicing system according to claim 15 , wherein the at least one set of linkage elements include a first set of two linkages located at a leftward lateral portion of the drive shaft, and a second set of two linkages located at a rightward lateral portion of the drive shaft.

Assignees

• Provisur Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Torrenga Ryan Michael

Classifications

• B26D7/01

  Means for holding or positioning work · CPC title

• B26D5/42

  with interrelated action between work feed and clamp (work clamping arrangements B26D7/02) · CPC title

• B26D2007/0018

  Trays, reservoirs for waste, chips or cut products · CPC title

• B26D7/0608

  by pushers (B26D7/0616, B26D7/0625 and B26D7/0641 take precedence) · CPC title

• B26D7/32

  for conveying or stacking cut product (means for removing cut-out material or waste B26D7/18) · CPC title