Food slicer with gauge plate position identification

Abstract

Disclosed is a food slicer, comprising: a base; a knife mounted to rotate relative to the base; a carriage assembly mounted to the base for reciprocating movement back and forth past the cutting edge of the knife; and an adjustable gauge plate mounted to move between a closed position preventing slicing and a plurality of open positions allowing slicing at respective thicknesses. A slice thickness identification system is provided, and slice thickness / graphics targeted for gauge plate position can be implemented.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates generally to a food slicer of the type commonly used to slice bulk food products, and more particularly to a gauge plate system in such a food slicer. BACKGROUND

[0002] A typical reciprocating food slicer has a rotatable circular or disc-shaped slicing blade, an adjustable gauge plate for determining the thickness of the slices, and a carriage for supporting the food product as it is moved back and forth past the cutting edge of the blade during slicing. A drive motor is typically linked to drive the carriage back and forth during automatic slicing operations performed by the controller of the slicer. The gauge plate is positioned along the blade ahead of the cutting stroke, and is movable laterally with respect to the blade to determine the thickness of the slices to be cut. A manually rotatable adjustment knob is provided for setting the spacing between the plane of the gauge plate surface and the plane of the blade for slicing purposes, so that the operator can select the thickness of the slices to be produced. Existing slicers generally utilize a pin / cam mechanism to convert the rotational motion of the knob to linear motion of the gauge plate. Moving the gauge plate away from the slicer blade allows the operator to select the slice thickness. The motion of the gauge plate is generally linear motion of the plane of the gauge plate with respect to the plane of the blade. The gauge plate has a "closed" position in which the position of the gauge plate is such that no slices are cut even as the carriage and associated food product are moved back and forth past the blade. A range of positions when the gauge plate is "open" provide slices of different thicknesses.

[0003] In existing slicers with a pin / cam mechanism, the cam helix is generally an exponential helix (rather than a linear helix), so the radial position of the knob does not correspond to the intuitive linear position of the gauge plate. Further, because the knob is typically rotated more than one full revolution, the knob indexing must be relative. There are quite a few inconveniences in this design. The operator must spend time, and can waste product, in adjusting the slice thickness. One of the biggest problems with the current pin / cam design is that not only is there inconsistency from machine to machine, but there is also inconsistency from slicing session to slicing session on one machine. Backlash, relative indexing, and machine-specific alignment often force the operator to rely on subjective interpretation to try to achieve consistent slice thickness.

[0004] Existing food slicers typically utilize a handle with relative graduations to adjust a gauge plate position that determines slice thickness. Some delis, grocery stores, and meat suppliers have developed loose / informal standards as to how thick a slice should be. Because the handle graduations are relative, there is no exact way to determine or select a particular slice thickness selection. Handle graduation numbers vary from machine to machine (even from the same manufacturer), and from manufacturer to manufacturer. Deli operators using the slicers have no industry standard and no standard for the machines themselves. Because of the lack of standardization and difficulty in communicating a customer's desired slice thickness, deli slicing often takes longer than necessary and sometimes results in unnecessary waste.

[0005] It would therefore be desirable to address one or more of the above problems. SUMMARY

[0006] In one aspect, a food slicer includes a base, a knife mounted for rotation relative to the base, a carriage assembly mounted to the base for reciprocating motion back and forth past a cutting edge of the knife, an adjustable gauge plate mounted for movement between a closed position that prevents slicing and a plurality of open positions that allow slicing at respective thicknesses, and a slice thickness identification system including at least one sensor for determining a position of the gauge plate. A controller is configured to identify an actual slice thickness based on output from the at least one sensor. A display is provided for communicating information to a slicer operator. The controller is configured to implement display of a graphical image targeting a slice thickness to indicate whether the gauge plate is in a position to achieve a defined slice thickness for a slicing operation.

[0007] In another aspect, a food slicer includes a base, a knife mounted for rotation relative to the base, a carriage assembly mounted to the base for reciprocating motion back and forth past a cutting edge of the knife, an adjustable gauge plate mounted for movement between a closed position that prevents slicing and a plurality of open positions that allow slicing at respective thicknesses, wherein a handle is operatively connected to enable manual position adjustment of the gauge plate, at least one sensor for determining a position of the gauge plate, and a display for communicating information to a slicer operator. A controller is configured to identify the gauge plate position based on output from the at least one sensor, wherein the controller is configured to implement display of a graphical image targeting the gauge plate position to indicate whether the gauge plate is in a position to achieve a defined slice thickness for a slicing operation, wherein the graphical image shows a first graphic of a target position and a second graphic of an actual position, and a relative position between the second graphic and the first graphic changes as the gauge plate moves.

[0008] In another aspect, a food slicer includes a base, a knife mounted for rotation relative to the base, a carriage assembly mounted to the base for reciprocating movement past a cutting edge of the knife, and an adjustable gauge plate mounted for movement between a closed position that prevents slicing and a plurality of open positions that allow slicing at respective thicknesses. A slice thickness identification system includes at least one sensor for determining a position of the gauge plate and a display for displaying a slice thickness indicator corresponding to the determined position. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a slicer;

[0010] Figure 2 is a side view of a slicer;

[0011] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a gauge plate system;

[0012] Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of a control system;

[0013] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a gauge plate system including a motor;

[0014] Figure 6 an example slicer display is shown;

[0015] Figures 7A-7B an example slicer display graphic is shown for targeting a slice thickness;

[0016] Figure 8 another example slicer display graphic is shown for slice thickness / gauge plate position targeting; and

[0017] Figure 9 is another example slicer display graphic for slice thickness / gauge plate targeting. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Referring to Figures 1-2 , a food slicer 50 includes a housing or base 52 and a motor-driven circular slicing knife 54 mounted to the housing for rotation about an axis 55. Figure 2 The left side of the Figure 2 is generally referred to as the front side of the slicer (i.e., the position in which an operator stands to perform slicing), Figure 2 depicts a right side view of the slicer. Food can be supported on a manually operable (or motor-driven) food carriage 56 that moves the food to be sliced past a cutting edge 57 of the rotating slicing knife 54. The food carriage 56 is reciprocated relative to theFigure 2 Reciprocating motion along a linear path from left to right causes the lower end of the bulk food product to slide along the surface of the gauge plate 70, be cut by the knife 54, and then slide along the knife cover plate 72. The food carriage 56 includes a tray mounted on a tray arm 58 that orients the tray of the food carriage at the appropriate angle (typically perpendicular) to the plane of the cutting edge. The food carriage reciprocates in a slot 64 at the lower portion of the housing 52, and a handle 66 is mounted to the food carriage 56. The handle can be grasped by the user and can be used to manually move the food carriage. The carriage can also be driven automatically (e.g., as by a motor 67). Also shown is a handle or knob 74 that is used to adjust the gauge plate to control the slice thickness.

[0019] Repeatability of slice thickness refers to the control of slice thickness from like product to like product, e.g., if a particular machine cuts a ham of ideal thickness when the index setting on the adjustment knob is at 4, then the next time a customer comes back for more slices of ham, if the index setting is at 4, the machine will cut the same thickness. This theory also applies to machine to machine repeatability. The prior art provides repeatability to some extent, but not as consistently as desired. Machine to machine repeatability generally does not exist.

[0020] Referring to Figure 3 , the gauge plate system includes a rotatable handle assembly having a handle 74 that rotates a cam 90 having a helical cam slot 92. The gauge plate 70 is mounted such that adjustment of the slice thickness is accomplished by movement of a slider 94 of the gauge plate mounting assembly along a shaft 96. The slider 94 includes an associated pin 98 that travels in the helical cam slot 92 for this purpose.

[0021] Referring to Figure 4 , a schematic illustration of a slicer with gauge plate thickness control is provided. A display 110 provides a digital readout of the actual gauge plate position. This will provide an accurate measurement of the slice thickness that is repeatable (even if a stepper motor is not used to move the gauge plate). In one embodiment, the display 110 can be a touch screen display that serves as a user interface. In other embodiments, the display 110 can be a display device that is used only to output gauge plate position information.

[0022] One exemplary technique to identify the slice thickness based on the position of the gauge plate is to utilize the capacitive array 112 to detect motion / position. As the slider 94 is moved, an AC voltage is picked up and interpolated to determine the position (e.g., to within about 6 inches with 0.0002" accuracy). This technique involves the need for zeroing, as the capacitive array 112 provides a relative measurement. Zeroing can be performed automatically upon power-up of the microtome, or at each time the gauge plate is fully closed, as indicated by the gauge plate closed switch 114 tripping to cause the measurement device to re-zero. Linear or rotary embodiments are contemplated.

[0023] Another technique to measure or determine the slice thickness based on the position of the gauge plate is to use an encoder 116. For example, the encoder uses a light source and is provided with a photodetector device, with a disk passing between the light source and the light sensor. The disk is "encoded" in such a way that it provides sufficient information to the software (e.g., in the controller 100) to determine the rotational position of the disk. If the controller 100 knows the rotational position of the indexing cam 90, the controller 100 can interpolate where the gauge plate is (e.g., known points can be stored in memory to match rotational data points of the indexing cam to corresponding linear data points of the gauge plate). Linear or rotary embodiments are contemplated.

[0024] A small stepper motor 120 can be provided for powered rotation of the handle 74, and thus for powered positioning of the gauge plate. In such an embodiment, the gauge plate system can be designed such that there are two possible inputs: (i) the stepper motor 120 can control the gauge plate position, or (ii) the operator can manually rotate the handle 74 to control the gauge plate position. The stepper motor 120 can include a gear connection 122 to the cam 90 for effecting powered motion of the cam. In this embodiment, an encoder internal to the stepper motor can be used to monitor the position of the cam 90, and thus the position of the gauge plate.

[0025] The controller 100 can include a memory 100a and a stored function for one or more high usage thicknesses, which are stored and selected by the operator for quick and accurate repeated achievement of the same slice thickness, with the controller 100 responsively driving the stepper motor 120 in accordance with the selection.

[0026] A standard practice for slicing a large piece of meat is to cut off a large unusable piece section prior to slicing. The slicer controller 100 can be programmed to initially drive the stepper motor 120 to move the gauge plate to automatically cut off this first section at a predetermined thickness, and then immediately drive the stepper motor 120 to move the gauge plate to a position that achieves a different selected / desired slice thickness for the purpose of subsequent slicing, without stopping and without operator input. In one mode of operation, the controller 100 of the food slicer 50 stores the first section thickness in memory, and the controller 100 is configured to drive the motor 120 to reach the first section thickness for the first slice, and then adjust the motor 120 to reach another predetermined thickness for the subsequent slice, which is typically less than the first thickness. In embodiments, this mode of operation can be selected via a user interface (e.g., the touchscreen display 110), and / or can be selectively enabled and disabled as desired.

[0027] In conjunction with the scale, the controller 100 can be configured to automatically adjust the slice thickness to achieve and maintain a desired weight for each slice. Since most large pieces of meat have varying cross-sectional areas, it is difficult to maintain an exact weight for each slice, and in some applications this feature would be desirable. For example, the controller can be configured with a thickness adjustment feature to adjust the gauge plate position to achieve relatively uniform slice weights (e.g., if the incremental weight of each slice falls below a set range, the gauge plate can be driven further open until the incremental slice weight is back within the range, or if the incremental weight of each slice rises above a set range, the gauge plate can be driven slightly closed until the incremental slice weight is back within the range).

[0028] It should be clearly understood that the above description is merely given by way of illustration and example only, and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Changes can be made.

[0029] For example, various types of sensors can be used to determine the position of the gauge plate, such as a linear potentiometer, as well as an infrared distance sensor or an imaging system sensor (e.g., a camera). In any such case, the sensor can directly sense the position of the gauge plate (e.g., sense the position of the gauge plate itself), or can indirectly sense the position of the gauge plate (e.g., sense the position of some portion of the indexing assembly that implements movement of the gauge plate). As indicated previously, the sensor can also be an integral part of the drive motor (e.g., an encoder that outputs a count or step corresponding to a rotation of the drive motor, where the controller tracks the count of steps from a known zero position of the gauge plate). An inductive position sensor can be used. This sensing approach involves a custom PCB (printed circuit board) and a ferrite material that moves relative to the PCB. The ferrite material induces a voltage on the board that can be used to determine a position along the PCB. The inductive position sensor has an advantage over other linear encoders in that only the sensor and a simple, passive ferrite material are required. In an inductive position sensor, the processor PCB can contain the "sense" portion, while the "read" portion can be attached to the portion that moves relative to the PCB.

[0030] Although the above describes a rotatable handle for manually adjusting the position of the gauge plate, it should be appreciated that the handle can be eliminated, and that the operator can use a button (e.g., the physical button 130 or a button image presented on the touchscreen display 110) to turn the gauge plate on and off, for example.

[0031] In embodiments, the controller 100 can be configured with advanced functionality, such as an automatic shut-off function by which the controller automatically causes the gauge plate to shut off under predetermined conditions (e.g., after a set period of time without slices or after a programmed slicing operation has been completed). For example, the controller can be configured to shut off the gauge plate after a certain number of slices have been cut or after a certain weight of slices has been cut (where the slicer includes a weight sensor 132 for weighing the sliced product).

[0032] Standardized thickness system

[0033] The described food slicer 50 can be implemented in a system that establishes the most commonly used slice thicknesses and standardizes them on the slicing machine. In embodiments, printed matter or signage can be posted to inform customers about the specific options for slice thickness, or the slice thickness information can be displayed on a customer-facing display (e.g., display 180) located in the deli area (e.g., where the customer display 180 is directly or indirectly linked through the store computer system 190 to communicate with the slicer). Regardless of the form of customer communication implemented, a numbering or lettering system can be used to communicate to the customer and the deli operator what slice thickness is desired, such that the customer and deli operator agree, or a universal, understandable nomenclature is used. This numbering / lettering system can be incorporated into the slicer such that the operator need only select the desired slice thickness communicated by the customer (e.g., selecting slice thickness #3 will cause the automatic gauge plate adjustment system to move the gauge plate to the standardized position that achieves the corresponding thickness).

[0034] In embodiments, the display 180 is independent of the slicer, such as a display mounted to the deli counter, or the display can be of the customer’s mobile device via an application running on the mobile device. The display 180 can additionally present graphical information, such as virtual images and / or animations of different deli items cut to the specified standardized thicknesses, and associated uses of that type of thickness. For example, a #3 slice can be associated with a standardized thickness of 3 mm and used for sandwiches, so the display 180 can present a #3 adjacent to a virtual image of a sandwich of the type with deli items on the sandwich. This display process can be applied to present all of the standardized thicknesses to the customer (rather than using printed matter) to assist the customer in selecting a standardized thickness.

[0035] The following Table 1 shows a possible distribution of slice thicknesses. The nomenclature column refers to what is communicated between the customer and the deli operator. #1 is as thin as possible without tearing the meat (this is verbally equivalent to shaved meat). The other numbers are arbitrary, but can be chosen to be very similar to other verbal / understandable slice thickness variations, e.g.: ‘very thin’, ‘sandwich cut’, ‘dinner cut’, etc. Table 1 shows two example nomenclatures, but in practice, a single standardized nomenclature will be used for consistency.

[0036] Table 1. Slice thickness and exemplary nomenclature

[0037]

[0038]

[0039] Implementing and effectively communicating the nomenclature of defined thicknesses will provide numerous advantages. The greatest advantage is in the communication between the operator and the deli staff. Since the customer can simply communicate what slice thickness they want, and the operator can reliably deliver that slice thickness (since the slice thickness has been built into the machine (e.g., as a setting)), waste of meat and time should be minimal. The grocery store will be able to more efficiently serve customers in the deli. If the customer already knows what the slice thickness will be, there is no longer a need to have them check the slice thickness. Waste from the slicer operator choosing the wrong slice thickness and customers asking for thinner / thicker will be reduced. The learning curve for the slicer operator will also be reduced.

[0040] In one embodiment, most slices are divided into four main slice thickness categories: shavings (a stack of very thin); thin, medium (sandwich cut) and thick (dinner cut). Most end-user customers will not be able to distinguish between the differences between subtle changes in thickness within a category. The slicer controller 100 can be configured to indicate these slice thickness categories, rather than numbers. The slicer user interface (e.g., via the display 110) will communicate to the operator whether the gauge plate is ready to slice into shavings, thin, medium or thick (e.g., by displaying "shavings" or "thin" or the like). Additionally, this information can be communicated to the customer in the deli setting so that the customer only needs to select from 4 different options (shavings, thin, medium, thick). This will simplify the communication between the customer and the slicer operator at the deli counter.

[0041] Some food service providers desire these larger categories to have specific slice thicknesses. Thus, in embodiments, specific slice thicknesses can be programmed into the image of the sliced product. For example, if fast food chain XYZ makes sandwich #1 on its menu with a slice thickness of 1 mm, the display can show an image 194 of sandwich #1 on the screen 110 when the gauge plate opens to the exact position that will slice at 1 mm (e.g., see Figure 6 ).

[0042] Targeting the operator with the gauge plate position

[0043] In the case where the food slicer 50 includes a gauge plate position identification system as described above, the slicer can also be configured to communicate to the operator the actual position of the gauge plate relative to the desired gauge plate position when the operator is attempting to set the thickness. The operator can set a desired slice thickness for a particular product (e.g., they can typically slice ham at 1 mm). This can be stored in the memory of the controller 100 as a selectable thickness (e.g., selectable via a preset key / shortcut, etc.). When the operator selects this preset, the controller 100 will provide feedback to the operator as to whether the desired slice thickness has been achieved (e.g., feedback communicated via the slicer display 110 as the operator rotates the gauge plate handle 74). This connects the product or shortcut to a particular slice thickness without requiring the operator to remember a number.

[0044] Figures 7A-7B One example of such a target feature is shown in FIG. 20. Here, the displayed semicircular (or full circular) dial 200 can have a line 202 indicating the target gauge plate position or slice thickness, and a second line 204 indicating the actual gauge plate position or slice thickness. This allows the operator to visually adjust the gauge plate to the correct position. Once achieved, the screen / dial can change color (e.g., from red in Figure 7A to green in Figure 7B as indicated by the different dot-dash lines in the dial 200) to indicate that the correct slice thickness has been achieved. The numerical values of the target and actual thicknesses can also be displayed, as well as a message telling the operator to open or close the gauge plate. Figure 8 An alternative graphical image configuration is shown in FIG. 21 in the form of a thickness / position bar 210 having a target thickness / position line 212, an actual thickness / position line 214, and a directional arrow 216. Alternatively, according to Figure 9 the controller 100 can be configured to implement a picture / graphic of the indexed handle 74a and an arrow 75 indicating the necessary direction of handle rotation to achieve the desired slice thickness. Once the appropriate slice thickness is achieved, this graphic / message will disappear.

[0045] Still other variations are possible.

Claims

1. A food slicer comprising: a base; a knife mounted for rotation relative to the base; a carriage assembly mounted to the base for reciprocating movement back and forth past a cutting edge of the knife; an adjustable gauge plate mounted for movement between a closed position that prevents slicing and a plurality of open positions that allow slicing at respective thicknesses; a slice thickness identification system comprising at least one sensor for determining a position of the gauge plate; a controller configured to identify an actual slice thickness based on output from the at least one sensor; a display for communicating information to a slicer operator; wherein the controller is configured to implement display of a graphical image that targets a slice thickness to indicate whether the gauge plate is in a position to take a defined slice thickness for a slicing operation.

2. The food slicer of claim 1, wherein, The controller is configured so that the graphical image changes as the gauge plate moves.

3. The food slicer of claim 2 wherein, The controller is configured so that a color characteristic of the graphical image changes when the gauge plate reaches a position to take a defined slice thickness.

4. The food slicer of claim 2 wherein, The controller is configured so that display of the graphical image stops when the gauge plate reaches a position to take a defined slice thickness.

5. The food slicer of claim 1 wherein, The controller is configured so that the graphical image shows a first graphic of a target position and a second graphic of an actual position, and a relative position between the second graphic and the first graphic changes as the gauge plate moves.

6. The food slicer of claim 5 wherein, The first graphic is a first line on a dial graphic and the second graphic is a second line on the dial graphic.

7. The food slicer of claim 1 wherein, The controller is configured so that the graphical image shows an iconic slicer handle and a direction of handle rotation needed to move the gauge plate to a position to take a defined slice thickness.

8. The food slicer of claim 1 wherein, The controller is configured so that display of the graphical image is implemented in response to an operator selection of a defined slice thickness.

9. The food slicer of claim 1 wherein, The display is a touchscreen display and the defined slice thickness is a thickness selected via an interface presented on the touchscreen display.

10. A food slicer comprising: a base; a knife mounted for rotation relative to the base; a carriage assembly mounted to the base for reciprocating movement back and forth past a cutting edge of the knife; an adjustable gauge plate mounted for movement between a closed position and a plurality of open positions that allow slicing at respective thicknesses, with a handle operatively connected to enable manual position adjustment of the gauge plate; at least one sensor for determining a position of the gauge plate; a display for communicating information to a slicer operator; a controller configured to identify a gauge plate position based on output from the at least one sensor, wherein the controller is configured to effect display of a graphical image targeting the gauge plate position to indicate whether the gauge plate is in position to take a defined slice thickness for a slicing operation, wherein the graphical image shows a first graphic of a target position and a second graphic of an actual position, and a relative position between the second graphic and the first graphic changes as the gauge plate moves.

11. The food slicer of claim 10 wherein, The graphical image further includes a directional indication as to which direction the hand knob should be rotated in order to move the gauge plate into position to take the defined slice thickness.

12. The food slicer of claim 10 wherein, The display is a touchscreen display, and the defined slice thickness is a thickness selected via an interface presented on the touchscreen display.

13. The food slicer of claim 10 wherein, The graphical image further includes a background graphic, and the first graphic and the second graphic are superimposed on the background graphic, wherein the background graphic is a dial graphic or a bar graphic.

14. The food slicer of claim 10 wherein, The graphical image further includes a background graphic, and the first graphic and the second graphic are superimposed on the background graphic, wherein the controller is configured such that a color characteristic of the background graphic changes when the gauge plate reaches position to take the defined slice thickness.

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