Food slicer interlock for tray system

Abstract

A food slicer includes a base, a knife mounted for rotation, and a carriage assembly mounted to the base to move back and forth past a cutting edge of the knife, a tray removably connected to a tray mount of a tray arm. A movable gauge plate for varying slice thickness is provided, and a gauge plate indexing locating assembly for moving the gauge plate between a closed position and a plurality of open positions is provided. An interlock assembly is disposed between the tray mount and the gauge plate indexing locating assembly, where the interlock assembly includes a tension-only cable system configured to (i) prevent the tray from being removed from the tray mount unless the gauge plate is in the closed position, and to disengage the tray from the tray mount unless the gauge plate is in the closed position. And (ii) prevent the gauge plate from moving out of the closed position when the tray is removed from the tray mount.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application generally relates to a food slicer commonly used for slicing large volumes of food, and more specifically to a tension-only interlock for a tray system or one or more other components in such a food slicer. Background Technology

[0002] A typical reciprocating food slicer features a rotatable circular or disc-shaped slicing blade, an adjustable gauge plate for varying slice thickness, and a support for the food as it moves back and forth across the blade's cutting edge during slicing. A drive motor is coupled to the support to reciprocate it during automated slicing operations performed by the slicer's controller. The gauge plate is positioned forward of the blade along the slicing stroke and can be moved laterally relative to the blade to change the thickness of the slices to be cut. A manually rotatable adjustment or indexing handle is provided for setting the slicing-oriented spacing between the plane of the gauge plate and the plane of the blade, allowing the operator to select the desired slice thickness.

[0003] The slicer tray arm holds the product tray in place and mounts it to the conveyor. Many slicer tray arms allow the product tray to tilt downwards for easy cleaning. Some slicer tray arms allow the tray to be removed from the tray arm for cleaning. The gauge plate interlock is a mechanism in the slicer that interlocks the gauge plate indexing system with the product tray system. If the gauge plate indexing system exposes the blade for cutting (the gauge plate needs to be in its home or closed position), the interlock will not allow the product tray to tilt / remove; and if the product tray is tilted / removed, the interlock will not allow the gauge plate indexing system to open and expose the blade. The purpose of this interlock system is to prevent unnecessary exposure of the blade when removing or tilting the product tray for cleaning.

[0004] Some solutions force the interlock to occur only when the carriage is in a known position (usually the initial or forward position), which reduces design complexity but often results in a less intuitive function for the operator. Other solutions that allow this interlock to operate throughout the entire travel of the carriage typically require more parts to perform the interlock in all carriage positions, making assembly more difficult and leading to higher costs.

[0005] U.S. Patent No. 7,637,191 discloses a clever method for transmitting interlocking control between two parts of a machine that are not stationary relative to each other (e.g., a gauge plate indexing system and a moving tray). The described system has several drawbacks because, in production, the design ultimately becomes quite expensive. Furthermore, the system only operates when the indexing system is not actuated by the indexing hand cam surface of the gauge plate. The biggest reason for the expense of the cited prior art design is due to the interlocking logic required for push / pull control cables. Furthermore, the prior art requires two sets of control cables that transmit the interlocking logic via an intermediate rod, which is quite complex.

[0006] Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a slicer with an improved tray system interlock. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In one aspect, a food slicer includes a base and a blade mounted to rotate relative to the base. A bracket assembly is mounted to the base to reciprocate through the cutting edge of the blade, wherein the bracket includes a tray mounted to a tray mount on a tray arm, and the tray is removably connected to the mount in a use position. A movable gauge plate is provided for varying the thickness of the food slices, and a gauge plate indexing and positioning assembly is provided for moving the gauge plate between a closed position and a plurality of open positions. An interlocking assembly is disposed between the tray mount and the gauge plate indexing and positioning assembly, wherein the interlocking assembly includes a tension-only cable system configured to (i) prevent the tray from being removed from the tray mount unless the gauge plate is in the closed position, and (ii) prevent the gauge plate from moving out of the closed position when the tray is removed from the tray mount.

[0008] In one embodiment of the preceding paragraph, the tension-only cable system includes a single cable having a first end and a second end, the first end being connected to interact with a portion of the gauge plate indexing and positioning assembly, and the second end being configured to interact with a portion of the mounting hardware for the tray.

[0009] In one embodiment of the preceding paragraph, the first end is biased with a first bias amount to apply tension to a single cable, and the second end is biased with a second bias amount to apply tension to a single cable, wherein the second bias amount applied to the second end is greater than the first bias amount applied to the first end.

[0010] In one embodiment of the preceding paragraph, the first end is connected to a lever arm, which is arranged to cause or allow the locking pin to move axially when the lever arm is rotated, and a spring applies a first bias to push the locking pin out of the gauge plate locking position.

[0011] In one embodiment of the preceding paragraph, the second end is connected to a cam disk having an associated spring that drives the cam disk to rotate in order to apply a second bias amount to the second end.

[0012] In one embodiment of the preceding paragraph, when the tray is in the use position, the cam disk is in a first rotational position, wherein, in order to remove the tray from the tray mount, the cam disk must rotate from the first rotational position in the direction of a second bias and into a second rotational position.

[0013] In one embodiment of any of the foregoing aspects or embodiments, the tension cable system includes a cable having a first end connected to a first component and a second end connected to a second component, wherein the first component is biased to pull the cable tension, and the second component is biased to pull the cable tension.

[0014] In one embodiment of the previous paragraph, the first component is a pivotable lever, and the second component is a rotatable cam disk.

[0015] In one embodiment of the preceding paragraph, the lever is configured to selectively move another component to a position that locks the gauge plate in a closed position, wherein the cam plate engages with a portion of the tray when the tray is in the use position.

[0016] In one embodiment of the preceding aspect of the aforementioned embodiments, the first spring biases the first component, and the second spring biases the second component.

[0017] In one embodiment of the preceding paragraph, the second spring and the second component are configured such that the second tension bias at the second end is greater than the first tension bias at the first end.

[0018] In one embodiment of any of the foregoing aspects or embodiments, a releasable locking assembly for holding a tray in a use position is provided, wherein the releasable locking assembly includes a button on the tray arm configured to release the locking of the tray when the button is pressed.

[0019] On the other hand, a method is provided for interlocking a tray mount and a gauge plate indexing and positioning assembly of a food slicer, the food slicer including a blade mounted to rotate, a bracket assembly movable back and forth over the cutting edge of the blade, wherein the bracket assembly includes a tray removably connected to a tray arm in a use position, wherein a movable gauge plate is capable of changing the thickness of the food slices, and the gauge plate indexing and positioning assembly is capable of moving the gauge plate between a closed position and a plurality of open positions. The method includes: providing an interlocking cable having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is associated with the gauge plate indexing and positioning assembly, and the second end is associated with the tray mount; and biasing and tensioning the first end of the cable and biasing and tensioning the second end of the cable.

[0020] In one embodiment of the preceding paragraph, the bias applied to the second end of the cable is greater than the bias applied to the first end of the cable. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 and Figure 2 A food slicer is shown;

[0022] Figures 3 to 4 A schematic diagram of the interlocking system is shown;

[0023] Figures 5 to 6 A portion of the indexing and positioning side of a first embodiment of the interlocking system is shown;

[0024] Figures 7 to 11 A portion of the tray side of a first embodiment of the interlocking system is shown;

[0025] Figures 12 to 13 A portion of the indexing and positioning side of a second embodiment of the interlocking system is shown;

[0026] Figures 14 to 17 A portion of the tray side of a second embodiment of the interlocking system is shown;

[0027] Figure 18 A portion of the cable routing path in the second embodiment is shown;

[0028] Figure 19 The tray locking / closing feature of the second embodiment is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0029] refer to Figures 1 to 2 The food slicer 10 includes a base 12 (e.g., a housing and / or frame) and a motor-driven circular slicing blade 14, which is mounted to the housing to rotate about an axis 16. Figure 1 The left side (where the controls (e.g., user interface 15) are located) is often referred to as the front side of the slicer (i.e., the position where the operator stands while slicing). Figure 1The right side is typically referred to as the rear side of the slicer. Food can be supported on a manually operated (or motor-driven) food carrier 20, which moves the food to be sliced ​​past the cutting edge 14a of the rotating slicing blade 14. The food carrier 20 reciprocates along a linear path 17, causing the lower end of a large volume of food to slide along the surface of the gauge plate 22, be cut by the blade 14, and then slide along the blade cover plate 24. The food carrier 20 includes a tray 25, which is mounted to a tray mount 26, which is mounted on the conveyor 23 and orients the food carrier tray at an appropriate angle (typically perpendicular) to the plane of the blade cutting edge. The arms of the food carrier reciprocate along a groove 28 in the lower part of the housing 12. The carrier 20 can be moved manually (e.g., via a handle 27) and / or can be automatically driven (e.g., via an internal motor 30 that drives a belt internally connected to the conveyor, to which the arms 26 are pivotally connected). The gauge plate system includes a rotatable handle 40 (connected to an opening in the base 12).

[0030] An interlock is installed between the gauge plate system and pallet 25 or the pallet mounting hardware. For example... Figure 3 and Figure 4 As schematically shown, the interlock has two sides attached via a control cable 50. Here, the cable extends between a lever arm 52 and a cam disc 54. The lever arm 52 includes a fixed pivot axis 52a along the middle portion of the arm, a pivot connector 52b for one end of the cable, and a pivot connector 52c to a pin unit 56, such that pivoting or rotating the lever arm 52 causes axial movement of the pin 56a of the pin unit or allows axial movement of the pin 56a of the pin unit. A spring (e.g., a tension spring 56b or a torsion spring 56c) biases the pin in the direction in which tension is applied to the cable (e.g., by means of...). Figure 3 In the schematic diagram, pushing the pin to the right causes the lever arm 52 to rotate clockwise about axis 52a. A cam disc 54 is mounted to rotate about axis 54a and includes a pivoting connector 54b for the other end of the cable and a peripheral groove 54c. A spring bias applied to the cam disc 54 (e.g., provided by a tension spring 57a or a torsion spring 57b) drives the cam disc 54 to rotate in a direction 55 that applies tension to the cable. The cam disc 54 moves with the food tray, and therefore the distance between the pivoting connector 52b and the pivoting connector 54b changes continuously during the movement of the food tray. Accordingly, the path 58 of the cable 50 includes a slack cable that can be flexed to accommodate movement. The cable 50 may include a wire traveling within a cable sheath.

[0031] The interlock mechanism has two states. State 1 ( Figure 3This occurs when the mechanism is independently set up without external interference. In state 1, the cam disc springs 57a / 57b cause the cam disc 54 to rotate fully clockwise. This clockwise rotation pulls the cable and overcomes the pin spring force. Note that in Figure 3 On the right side of the schematic diagram of State 1, cable 50 is pulled upward during rotation, which in turn pulls control cable 50 and causes the control cable on the left side of the State 1 image to move to the right.

[0032] To start from state 1 ( Figure 3 Move to state 2 ( Figure 4 An external disturbance must occur. If the cam disc spring bias is overcome and the cam disc 54 rotates completely counterclockwise, the control cable 50 will loosen / slacken at the end of the lever arm. With the cam disc spring bias overcome, the pin springs 56b / 56c will now maintain tension on the cable and move the pin, as illustrated in the state 2 image.

[0033] Sufficient force can be applied to overcome the cam disc spring bias to rotate the cam disc 54 (this allows the indexing and locating side to move the mechanism to state 2). Physically, this manifests as mounting the product tray. Removing the product tray eliminates this external interference. Another external interference is the situation where pin 56a physically stops moving axially to the left. If there is a wall arrangement in front of pin 56a, it is impossible to move from state 2 to state 1. Physically, this manifests as the indexing handle locking recess 40a not being aligned with the pin (meaning the indexing handle is not in its zero position, where the gauge plate is closed to protect the cutting edge of the tool). Whenever pin 56a cannot move to the state 1 position (because the gauge plate is not closed), this will prevent the cam disc from rotating and allow the product tray to be removed.

[0034] More specifically, in state 1, pin 56a engages with or is engaged into a feature of the gauge plate indexing system (e.g., recess 40a), making the indexing system unadjustable. Pin 56a is aligned with this feature only when the gauge plate is fully closed. In state 2, the pin disengages from or retracts from the feature, allowing the gauge plate position to be adjusted by rotating handle 40. To move from state 2 to state 1, cam disc 54 must be rotated to pull lever arm 52 and move pin 56a into feature 40a of the gauge plate indexing system. Here, this is achieved by removing tray 25 from the mounting platform 26a of gauge plate arm 26, such that spring bias on cam disc pushes cam disc into and holds cam disc in state 1 position. Tray 25 can only be removed from tray arm when cam disc 54 is able to move to state 1 position, which occurs only when the gauge plate is closed. To move from state 1 ( Figure 3 Move to state 2 ( Figure 4The tray 25 is attached to the tray arm 26, and in the process, the tray includes a feature that engages in the cam disc groove 54c and forces the cam disc 54 to rotate counterclockwise against the bias of the cam disc spring. This allows the lever arm 52 to rotate so that the pin 56a is retracted from the feature 40a, thereby allowing the gauge plate to open to allow slicing and change the slice thickness.

[0035] Another way to explain the operation of this mechanism is as follows: The indexing and positioning side of the mechanism (the left side of states 1 and 2) always attempts to move the pin from state 1 to state 2 (due to the action of springs 56b / 56c). The cam side of the mechanism (the right side of states 1 and 2) always attempts to enter the state 1 position (due to the spring force on the cam disc). The bias applied by the cam disc spring is designed to be mechanically stronger than the bias of the pin spring, thus overcoming the pin spring by default. Therefore, state 2 is only achieved when the user mounts the tray onto the tray arm, overcoming the stronger cam spring.

[0036] refer to Figures 5 to 6 The diagram shows a portion of the indexing and positioning side of the first embodiment of the interlocking mechanism, including a lever arm 52 and a pin 56a that engages with a feature in the form of a hole or recess 40a on the inward side of the handle 40. This is a state 1 engagement configuration that prevents the handle 40 from rotating.

[0037] refer to Figures 7 to 11 The diagram shows a portion of the tray side of a first embodiment of the interlocking mechanism. The bottom or mounting side of the tray 25 includes a mounting feature 25a comprising a pin 25b. When the tray is mounted to the tray mount of the tray arm and the cam disk 54 is forced to rotate against the bias of the cam disk spring 57b, the pin engages in the aforementioned groove 54c of the cam disk 54 to force the interlocking into position 2. When the cam disk 54 rotates to position 2, the tray pin 25b, positioned in the groove 54c therein, moves below the capture finger 26b within a groove, recess, or gap in the mounting platform 26a of the tray mount, making it impossible to remove the tray from the tray mount by pulling the tray arm upward away from the platform 20a. The mounting feature 25a slides into and out of the open end of the groove in the mounting platform 26a for tray mounting and removal purposes.

[0038] refer to Figures 12 to 13 The diagram shows a portion of the indexing and positioning side of the second embodiment of the interlocking mechanism, including a lever arm 52 and a pin 56a that engages with a feature in the form of a hole or recess 40a on the inward side of the handle 40. A spring 56c (here, a torsion spring) and pivoting connections 52a, 52b, and 52c are also shown. This is the State 1 engagement configuration that prevents rotation of the handle 40.

[0039] refer to Figures 14 to 17The diagram shows a portion of the tray side of a second embodiment of the interlock. The bottom or mounting side of the tray 25 includes a mounting feature 25a (e.g., a bracket with a downward-facing slot) comprising a pin 25b that engages in the aforementioned slot 54c of the cam disk 54 to force the interlock into position 2 when the tray is mounted to the arm and the cam disk 54 is forced to rotate against the bias of the cam disk spring 57a. When the cam disk 54 rotates to position 2, the slot 54c in which the tray pin 25b is positioned moves to below the capture finger 26b within a recess or gap in the mounting platform 26a, making it impossible to remove the tray from the tray arm by pulling the tray arm upward away from the platform 20a. As shown, the cam disk spring 57a applies a pulling force to the cam disk 54 in direction 59, causing the cam disk 54 to apply tension to the cable 50 in direction 61.

[0040] Although the exact wiring of the cable between the two endpoints is not critical, according to the second embodiment, as... Figure 18 As shown, the middle portion of cable 50 can be routed through the channel in conveyor section 23 to reach the pallet side.

[0041] like Figure 15 and Figure 19 As seen, a releasable locking assembly for the pallet is provided. Here, mounting feature 25a also carries a shaft 70 with an enlarged head 70a for releasably locking the pallet onto the mounting platform 26a. According to... Figure 19 The mounting arm 26 includes an internal locking lever 72 that is biased upwards to a position such that, when the tray is in its use position, the upper edge of the locking lever 72 is positioned to interact with the head 70a to prevent the tray from sliding in the removal direction. A button 74 on the arm can be pressed down to temporarily move the locking lever 72 downwards, thereby allowing the tray to be removed (if the gauge plate is in the closed position).

[0042] The advantages provided by the described interlocking system include (i) cost-effectiveness due to the use of only a tension control cable and / or (ii) simplicity due to the presence of only one control cable and / or (iii) intuitiveness for the operator as it eliminates the need to bring the tray to its initial position to remove the product tray.

[0043] It should be clearly understood that the above description is for illustrative and exemplary purposes only, and not for limiting purposes. Variations are possible.

Claims

1. A food slicer, the food slicer comprising: Base; A blade, the blade being mounted to rotate relative to the base; A bracket assembly, which is mounted to the base to reciprocate through the cutting edge of the blade, wherein the bracket includes a tray mounted to a tray mount of a tray arm, and the tray is removably connected to the mount in the use position; A movable gauge plate, the movable gauge plate being used to change the thickness of food slices; A gauge plate indexing and positioning assembly, wherein the gauge plate indexing and positioning assembly is used to move the gauge plate between a closed position and multiple open positions; An interlocking assembly located between the tray mount and the gauge plate indexing and positioning assembly, wherein the interlocking assembly includes a tension-only cable system configured to (i) prevent the tray from being removed from the tray mount unless the gauge plate is in the closed position, and (ii) prevent the gauge plate from moving out of the closed position when the tray is removed from the tray mount.

2. The food slicer as described in claim 1, wherein, The tension-only cable system includes a single cable having a first end and a second end, the first end being connected to interact with a portion of the gauge plate indexing and positioning assembly, and the second end being configured to interact with a portion of the mounting hardware for the tray.

3. The food slicing machine as described in claim 2, wherein, The first end is biased with a first bias to apply tension to the single cable, and the second end is biased with a second bias to apply tension to the single cable, wherein the second bias applied to the second end is greater than the first bias applied to the first end.

4. The food slicing machine as described in claim 3, wherein, The first end is connected to a lever arm, which is arranged to cause or allow the locking pin to move axially when the lever arm is rotated, and a spring applies the first bias to push the locking pin out of the gauge plate locking position.

5. The food slicer as described in claim 4, wherein, The second end is connected to a cam disk having an associated spring that drives the cam disk to rotate in order to apply the second bias to the second end.

6. The food slicing machine as described in claim 5, wherein, When the tray is in the use position, the cam disk is in a first rotational position, wherein, in order to remove the tray from the tray mount, the cam disk must rotate from the first rotational position in the direction of the second bias and enter a second rotational position.

7. The food slicer as described in claim 1, wherein, The tension-only cable system includes a cable having a first end connected to a first component and a second end connected to a second component, wherein the first component is biased to pull the cable tension, and the second component is biased to pull the cable tension.

8. The food slicer as described in claim 7, wherein, The first component is a pivotable lever, and the second component is a rotatable cam disc.

9. The food slicer as described in claim 8, wherein, The lever is configured to selectively move another component to a position to lock the gauge plate in the closed position, wherein the cam plate engages with a portion of the tray when the tray is in the used position.

10. The food slicer of claim 7, further comprising: in, A first spring biases the first component, and a second spring biases the second component.

11. The food slicer as described in claim 10, wherein, The second spring and the second component are configured such that the second tension bias at the second end is greater than the first tension bias at the first end.

12. The food slicer as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: A releasable locking assembly for holding the tray in the use position, wherein the releasable locking assembly includes a button on the tray arm configured to release the locking of the tray when the button is pressed.

13. A method for interlocking a tray mounting component and a gauge plate indexing and positioning assembly of a food slicer, the food slicer including a blade mounted to rotate and a bracket assembly capable of reciprocating through the cutting edge of the blade, wherein, The bracket assembly includes a tray removably connected to a tray arm in a use position, wherein a movable gauge plate is capable of changing the thickness of food slices, and the gauge plate indexing and positioning assembly enables the gauge plate to move between a closed position and multiple open positions, wherein the method includes: An interlocking cable with a first end and a second end is provided, wherein the first end is associated with the gauge plate indexing and positioning assembly, and the second end is associated with the tray mount; and The first end of the cable is biased and tensioned, and the second end of the cable is biased and tensioned.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The bias applied to the second end of the cable is greater than the bias applied to the first end of the cable.

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