Motorised food-processor apparatus

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a motor-driven apparatus for processing food. It applies, in particular, to the field of vegetable cutters. More particularly, the invention applies to cutting fruit and vegetables to form sticks, matchsticks or fries and in particular to cutting potatoes into fries before cooking them. PRIOR ART

[0002] There are various solutions in the technical field of the invention, which relates to the principle of cutting a slice of the vegetable by means of a knife carried by a rotating disc, which slice is conveyed in this cutting movement from one face, generally upper, of the disc to the opposite face where adapted shapes push it in a direction essentially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the disc, against a grid consisting of a series of fixed blades, to be split into sticks. The transverse dimensions of a stick are determined by the thickness of the slice for the first and by the distance between the two fixed blades which formed it, for the second. With this method the length of the fixed blades is substantially equal to the thickness of the slice of the vegetable. This method is, in particular, implemented in patents CH430970A and BE680437A.

[0003] Currently, the disc / grid assemblies used in food processing appliances for cutting vegetables according to this principle limit the cross-section of the sticks to a square with a side of at least eight millimeters. A slice of the desired thickness greater than or equal to eight millimeters is presented upstream of the cutting grid. When the slice comes into contact with the series of parallel blades carried by the grid and spaced apart by a value substantially equal to the thickness of the slice, the latter is split into sticks of square cross-section.

[0004] This type of device is more frequently used for cutting potatoes into fries. In this case, the intrinsic rigidity, for example measured by the Young's modulus, of the potato slice makes it impossible to create fries with smaller sections. Indeed, when the slice is split by the blades of the grid, each part of the potato located between two adjacent blades undergoes, due to the thickness of the blades, a lateral compression inversely proportional to the ratio of the thickness of the blade to the distance between these two adjacent blades. Thus, the closer two adjacent blades of the grid are to each other in order to form sticks of small sections, the greater the compression rate and consequently the greater the effort required for this part of the potato to pass between the blades.

[0005] This phenomenon is aggravated by the intrinsic cutting force when slitting the slice, which necessarily increases with the number of blades, i.e. with the search for sticks of smaller sections as well as with the progressive and inevitable wear of the cutting edge of the blades. The intrinsic cutting force is directly added to the compression force. The cutting resistance of the slice is thus significantly inversely proportional to the section of the sticks.

[0006] Furthermore, when the desired fries have a small cross-section, the slice is necessarily cut to a reduced thickness, for example less than eight millimeters, and consequently offers reduced resistance to warping when pushed against the grill blades. However, the resistance to warping is proportional to the square of the thickness.

[0007] Thus, with these devices, the combination of all or part of these effects, substantially proportional to the cube of the section of the sticks, makes it impossible to cut small-section fries because the inherent resistance of the potato slices is incompatible with the forces they undergo. The thrust of the disc on the successive slices causes them to bend and break on contact with the blades of the grid. This leads, under these conditions, to their crushing into multiple breaks of random shapes and dimensions.

[0008] The difficulty lies in making fries with a square section of six millimetres on each side, as the slices are much more prone to breakage than slices eight millimetres thick.

[0009] There are similar devices for cutting potatoes into fries using a knife carried by a rotating disc that forms a slice of the vegetable to be processed. This slice passes from a generally upper face of the disc to the opposite face where a ramp presses it in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation against a series of fixed blades parallel to each other and located under the opposite face of the disc to be split into sticks. Document FR 2109211 presents such a device. The distance between the blades corresponds to a dimension of the desired section of fries. However, with this device the fixed blades are necessarily of a sufficient length to cover the entire surface of the disc. Relative to the lateral dimensions of the sticks, the length of these blades is very large.Under the action of the cutting forces they undergo, the fixed blades deform and therefore do not remain parallel to each other, which leads to the cutting of sticks of very irregular and random shapes.

[0010] There are other devices generally reserved exclusively for potatoes, which implement a rotating drive drum and at least one series of fixed blades held at its periphery. The potatoes are fed whole to the center of the rotating drum which have spiral internal surfaces which with the combined action of centrifugal force, push the potatoes towards the peripheral surface where openings made in the side wall of the drum allow the potato to exit a distance fixed by the distance from the casing which contains the drum.

[0011] The potato is subjected to the rotary movement of the drum by the action of the spiral shapes and in its trajectory comes against the set of fixed blades arranged in the form of a "comb" to be cut into sticks. The comb is located in a plane tangent to the peripheral surface of the drum. Patent GB844988 implements this principle.

[0012] These devices require complex means to ensure the potatoes are delivered to the center of the drum. In addition, the cutting process does not allow for the production of perfectly straight sticks due to the tangential cutting effect.

[0013] Finally, a device using this device does not offer the cutting diversity of a device using a disc because the drum only has a pushing function. It is therefore impossible to envisage, for example, cutting vegetables into cubes with such a device, which is a significant disadvantage. There are also devices that do not cut the potato into slices beforehand but divide it into sticks in a single operation. These devices use a grid formed by blades arranged in two perpendicular directions whose cutting edges then form squares. The whole potato is pushed along its entire length through the grid. This process is often reserved for manual French fry cutters because its mechanization is more difficult due to the cutting movement which must be exerted on a long rectilinear trajectory which cannot be obtained simply by using a rotary motor. STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The present invention aims to overcome all or part of these drawbacks. To this end, the invention aims at a motor-driven device for processing food comprising: a housing containing a motor for driving a shaft rotating about an axis of rotation, at least one knife rotated by the motor about the axis, which knife has a cutting edge extending outward from the housing from the shaft, a cover connected to the housing and surrounding the path of the knife, the cover being provided with a feed duct for feeding the food to be cut into said path, an outlet orifice for the cut food, a plate for guiding the cut food to the outlet orifice, at least one guide edge on the plate and defining the path of the cut food towards the outlet tool, an outlet tool located on the path of the food towards the outlet orifice, at least one drive member subjected to the same rotation as the knife about the axis, following a path located on the side of the path of the knife opposite the feed duct,to drive the cut product between the guide plate and the path of the knife towards the output tool; wherein the output tool comprises a series of blades in which, for any pair of adjacent blades, the parts of these two adjacent blades located on the path of the cut product, do not have any intersection of their orthogonal projections on a plane parallel to the axis of rotation and parallel to the segment formed by the intersection of one of these two blades with a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation, and in that at least one guide edge (1221) on the plate (1209) has an increasing elevation, in the direction of the trajectory of the food to be cut, above the plane of the guide plate and a cutting part at least in its upstream part in the direction of the trajectory of the food to be cut.

[0015] It is noted that, for a blade in a vertical plane such as the axis of rotation, the orthogonal projection plane is the plane of the blade. In this case, according to the invention, the orthogonal projection of the useful part of a vertical blade onto the vertical plane of an adjacent blade is entirely outside the useful part of this adjacent blade: The part located on the trajectory of the slice of foodstuff (“useful part”) of one of these blades on the general plane of the other of these blades does not include any point on the part of this other blade located on the trajectory of the slice of foodstuff.

[0016] Thanks to these arrangements, two adjacent blades in the series of blades do not pinch or crush laterally the same part of the foodstuff during its movement. As soon as the foodstuff begins to be divided by the cutting edge of a first adjacent blade, the part thus formed shifts laterally by half a blade thickness without constraint since no second adjacent blade is located opposite the first. Similarly, during its further movement, the part of the foodstuff shifts laterally in the other direction by half a blade thickness without constraint, when it is divided by the cutting edge of a second adjacent blade since there is no other adjacent blade opposite which could compress the foodstuff (see figure 16 ).

[0017] Thus each part of the foodstuff follows a sort of chicane by being separated by half a blade thickness, during its movement towards the outlet of the device, first on one side by a first of two adjacent blades, then on the other side, by the second, without at any point along its movement the foodstuff being compressed between two adjacent blades which would be opposite each other. The compression force is thus eliminated compared to the arrangement of adjacent blades facing each other, on either side of the path of each part of the foodstuff, because the blades do not act simultaneously on the foodstuff at the same point of its trajectory.

[0018] The invention makes it possible to produce straight sticks, i.e. with an overall rectangular parallelepiped shape, with a small cross-section, for example a square of six millimetres by six millimetres for potatoes, which corresponds to consumer demand.

[0019] Thanks to the elimination of the compressive force thus obtained, it is possible to cut the food into slices of lesser thickness and simultaneously to arrange two adjacent blades of the output tool at an apparent distance between them that is also lesser, perpendicular to the path of the slice of food, without the latter bending or breaking, despite its reduced resistance due to its lesser thickness.

[0020] In embodiments, the blades have cutting edges whose average slope forms an angle of less than 70° with a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

[0021] With a blade having its cutting edge in a position essentially parallel to the axis of rotation, the cutting edge of the blade perforates the slice over its entire height at the same time. When the cutting edges of the blades form an angle sufficiently smaller than a right angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation, the perforation in the slice is progressive with a scallop at the start, and the cutting forces are in turn greatly reduced. This arrangement contributes even further to limiting the forces undergone by the slice of foodstuff during its division by the exit tool, thus making it possible to cut weak foodstuffs into sticks of reduced section.

[0022] In embodiments, the blades have cutting edges consisting of a succession of concave arcs. These embodiments make it possible to give the cutting edges a succession of points formed by the intersections of successive concave arcs. The presence of these points is an alternative or a complementary arrangement to the inclination of the blades described above, which facilitates the cutting of the foodstuff by reducing the force required to initiate the cut by the effect of perforation of the surface by the points. The reduction in the cutting force thus obtained reduces the forces undergone by the slice of foodstuff, thus contributing to the objective of being able to cut into sticks of reduced section, a weak foodstuff, in particular potatoes.

[0023] The guide edge on the plate is necessary to bring the slice of food towards the exit tool located on the periphery of the path of the knife. For this purpose, the guide edge acts and thus exerts forces on the slice of food subjected to the rotational thrust action of the drive member, to allow it to deviate from its path towards the exit tool.

[0024] The arrangements which give an increasing elevation of the guide edge, in the direction of the trajectory of the food to be cut, above the surface of the guide plate, also contribute to reducing the forces undergone by the food because the groove which is created in the food during its movement around the guide edge, forms progressively after an initial incision.

[0025] These embodiments contribute to the objective of obtaining sticks with small sections because they make it possible to reduce the forces undergone by the slice of food at the level of the start of the groove that the guide edge creates in the food, to impose its trajectory towards the tool.

[0026] In embodiments, the thickness of the blades is less than or equal to 0.3 mm. Thus, the cutting forces experienced by the foodstuff during its cutting by the blades are limited. The risk of breakage of the foodstuff is therefore reduced.

[0027] In embodiments, the minimum distance between two adjacent blades, measured in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation and in a direction perpendicular to the trajectory of the foodstuff in the vicinity of these two blades, is less than or equal to 8 mm. These embodiments make it possible to produce sticks of smaller size than current devices for the same foodstuffs.

[0028] In embodiments, the distance between the knife and the guide plate is less than or equal to 8 mm. These embodiments allow for the production of smaller sticks than current devices for the same foodstuffs.

[0029] Thus, it is possible to give the space for guiding the food towards the output tool, formed between the path of the knife on the side opposite the feed duct, which is also the lower surface of the disc, and the guide plate, a dimension perfectly adjusted to the thickness of the slice of food, thus eliminating any excess space in which the food could bend and break under the effect of the forces it undergoes. The resistance of the slice to compression is greatly increased by the containment effect which is thus applied to it and it is thus possible to convey to the output tool and cut thinner slices despite their lower resistance because they are perfectly contained in their thickness. This allows the production of smaller sticks than current devices for the same foodstuffs.

[0030] In embodiments, the output tool is mechanically connected to the guide plate in a removably manner. Thus, the output tool can be easily cleaned or replaced with another output tool.

[0031] In embodiments, the apparatus of the invention comprises at least two output tools, the spacing between the blades of one of the output tools being different from the spacing between the blades of another output tool. These embodiments allow a user to modify the size and / or appearance of the sticks exiting the apparatus. In embodiments, the knife is immobilized in translation by the guide plate, in the direction defined by the axis of rotation.

[0032] In embodiments, for any pair of adjacent blades, one blade among the blades of the pair has an upstream guide edge in the direction of the path of the food to be cut.

[0033] In embodiments for any pair of adjacent blades, at least one guide edge is positioned in front of the most downstream blade in the direction of the path of the food to be cut.

[0034] In embodiments, each said guide edge extends to the blade in front of which said edge is positioned. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Other advantages, aims and particular characteristics of the invention will emerge from the following non-limiting description of at least one particular embodiment of the apparatus and the output tool which are the subject of the invention, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: There figure 1 represents, schematically and in partial exploded view, a first particular embodiment of the device which is the subject of the invention and, in perspective, two elements of this device, the figures 2 to 11represent, schematically and in top view, respectively the first to tenth particular embodiments of an output tool which is the subject of the invention, the figures 12 and 13 represents, schematically and in side view, two particular embodiments of a guide for slices of foodstuff, blade inclination and blade cutting edge shape, the figure 14 represents, schematically and in sectional view, a holding disc and a guide plate of a second embodiment of the apparatus which is the subject of the invention, the figure 15 represents, in top view, a holding disc overhanging a guide plate of the first embodiment of the apparatus which is the subject of the invention and the figure 16 represents the path of a slice of food cut by adjacent blades. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] This description is given without limitation, each characteristic of an embodiment being able to be combined with any other characteristic of any other embodiment in an advantageous manner.

[0037] Throughout the description, a vertical axis of rotation has been shown, thus defining the terms "above", "below", "upper" and "lower". However, the invention is not limited to devices whose axis of rotation is vertical, but extends to any device having an oblique or horizontal axis of rotation, a simple rotation of the figures then ensuring equivalence to the terms recalled above. Thus, in relation to the knife holding disc, "above" means on the side of the feed duct allowing the introduction of the food and "below" means the opposite side.

[0038] Throughout the description, an apparatus has been described comprising only a single knife for cutting slices of food. However, the invention extends to embodiments where several knives are used to form slices of food, for example two, three or four knives arranged on the same holding disc.

[0039] Throughout the description, two blades which cut two opposite faces of the same stick are called "adjacent".

[0040] Throughout the application, "facing" applied to two blades, in particular two adjacent blades, means that the orthogonal projection of one of these blades onto the general plane of the other of these blades includes at least one point on this other blade, a point which therefore corresponds to a lateral pinching of the rod between these two adjacent blades.

[0041] It is noted that the figures 12 and 13 are not to scale but that the figures 1 to 11 , 14 and 15 are to scale.

[0042] On observation, I figure 16, two adjacent blades 151 and 152, and a blade 153 adjacent to the blade 151. The blades are shown in black. The direction of movement of the food to be cut into sticks is shown by the broken arrow 158. The blade 151 is, in this direction of movement, upstream of the blades 152 and 153. As soon as the food begins to be divided by the cutting edge of the blade 151, its wall shifts, according to the arrow 154, by half the thickness of the blade 151, under low stress since none of the blades 152 and 153 adjacent to the blade 151 is located opposite the blade 151.Likewise, in the continuation of its movement, by passing the blade 151, under the effect of its elasticity, then, when the foodstuff begins to be cut by the cutting edge of a blade 152 or 153, this part of the foodstuff shifts laterally in the other direction by half the thickness of the blade 151 (arrow 156) under a low stress since this part of the foodstuff has passed the blade 151.

[0043] Thus, each part of the foodstuff follows a chicane trajectory 155 and 157, being separated by half a blade thickness, during its movement towards the outlet of the device, first on one side by a first of two adjacent blades, then on the other side, by the second of these two adjacent blades, without at any point along its movement the foodstuff being compressed between two adjacent blades which would be facing each other.

[0044] The compression force is thus very reduced compared to the arrangement of adjacent blades facing each other, on either side of the path of each part of the foodstuff, because the blades do not act simultaneously on the foodstuff at the same point in its path.

[0045] Preferably the height of the useful parts of the blades is greater than the distance between the holding disc 116 and the guide plate 109 (see below) so that no compression is exerted parallel to the edge of the blades.

[0046] Sticks 159 and 160 are thus produced.

[0047] On the right of the figure 16 , we have represented a plan 163, at the same time parallel to the axis of rotation (here perpendicular to the figure 16 ) and parallel to the segment formed by the intersection of one of these two blades with a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation (the plane of the figure 16 ).

[0048] It is observed that the orthogonal projections 161 and 162 of the useful parts (located on the trajectory of the slice of food) of the blades 151 and 152 do not have any common point, which allows this chicane path without pinching between two adjacent blades.

[0049] We observe, on the figures 1 And 15 , an embodiment of the apparatus 100 which is the subject of the invention. The apparatus 100 for processing food, also called commodities, comprises: a casing 101 containing a drive motor 102 of a shaft 103 rotating about an axis of rotation 115, at least one knife 104 rotated by the motor 102 about the axis 115, which has a cutting edge 105 extending towards the outside of the casing from the shaft 103, a cover 106 connected to the casing 101 and surrounding the path of the knife 104, the cover 106 being provided with a feed conduit 107 for supplying the food to be cut into said path, an outlet orifice 110 for the cut food, a guide plate 109 for the cut food to the outlet orifice 110, at least one guide edge 111 on the plate 109 and defining the path of the cut food towards a cutting tool outlet 112, the outlet tool 112 located on the path of the foodstuff towards the outlet orifice 110, and at least one drive member 114 subjected to the same rotation as the knife 104 around the axis 115,following a trajectory located on the side of the trajectory of the knife 104 opposite the supply conduit 107, to drive the cut product between the guide plate 109 and the trajectory of the knife 104 towards the output tool 112.,

[0050] The output tool 112 comprises a series of blades 113 in which, for any pair of adjacent blades 113, the parts of these two adjacent blades 113 located on the path of the cut product do not have any intersection of their orthogonal projections on a plane parallel to the axis of rotation 115 and parallel to the segment formed by the intersection of one of these two blades with a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

[0051] The casing 101 of the treatment apparatus may be of any shape known to those skilled in the art. The casing 101 is, for example, a truncated cylinder with a circular or parallelepiped generating curve. It is recalled here that a truncated cylinder is a truncated surface of a ruled surface defined by a directrix curve and a generating line running through this curve.

[0052] Preferably, the casing 101 comprises an internal orifice housing the plate 109 and the output tool 112 and of dimensions corresponding to the dimensions of the plate 109 and the output tool 112. For example, the internal orifice has the shape of a truncated cylinder with a circular directrix curve.

[0053] The apparatus 100 has a cover 106 connected to the casing 101. For example, the cover 106 has a shoulder, of dimensions corresponding to the dimensions of the casing 101, surrounding a portion of the casing 101 opposite the internal orifice. The shoulder may comprise locking means between the cover 106 and the casing 101. For example, the locking means may comprise at least one lug fitting into a corresponding orifice on the casing 101. In embodiments, the locking means condition the operation of the drive motor 102. Thus, when the locking means are not engaged, the drive motor 102 cannot be put into operation, which avoids a risk of injury to the operator, such as a cut with the knife 104. The deactivation means may be a push button activated by at least one lug of the locking means during locking.The cover 106 is provided with a feed conduit 107 for supplying the food to be cut into said path.

[0054] In embodiments, the apparatus 100 comprises a pusher (not shown) of a shape corresponding to the shape of the feed conduit 107. This pusher makes it possible to push the food to be cut into the path of the knife 104 without injury.

[0055] Preferably, the feed duct 107 is a truncated cylinder with a bean-shaped directrix curve, inscribed in orthogonal projection in the surface defined by the trajectory of the knife and with a directrix line parallel to the axis of rotation 115. In embodiments, the knife 104 is mounted on a holding disk substantially in the shape of a disk with a radius slightly greater than the largest dimension of the feed duct 107 measured from the axis of rotation 115 and in a plane perpendicular thereto. It should be noted that the holding disk 116 and the guide plate 109 may not be flat but, on the contrary, be conical or toric, for example.

[0056] In embodiments, the cutting edge 105 of the knife 104 is continuous and its ends, seen in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation 115, are located outside the orthogonal projection of the directrix curve of the cylinder truncated section which forms the feed duct 107.

[0057] In embodiments, the bean-shaped guide curve at the base of the cylinder trunk constituting the feed duct 107 is developed to cover substantially three-quarters of the surface swept by the knife 104. This arrangement makes it possible to give the feed duct 107 a larger useful loading volume for the food to be cut.

[0058] In other embodiments, the opening of the feed duct 107 is constructed on the basis of a truncated cylinder with a circular directrix curve and the duct 107 then surrounds the axis of rotation 115, which exposes the loading in the feed duct of the foodstuffs to be cut, on a surface of the disc larger than the surface defined by the trajectory of the knife 104, in particular in a central zone relative to the drive shaft where the knife 104 cannot have any cutting effect on the foodstuff. Preferably at least one partition (not shown) removably or not connected to the feed duct carries surfaces which occupy a central volume preventing the foodstuffs from being pushed onto the central zone where the knife 104 is inactive. The partition is located substantially in alignment with the surface of the output tool 112 furthest downstream relative to the direction of rotation of the knife 104.With this arrangement, a slice of food cut by the knife 104 is located in orthogonal projection on the guide plate 109, either upstream or downstream of the orthogonal projection of the partition.

[0059] Under the effect of the drive member 114 and a guide edge 111, a slice located upstream of the partition will be immediately pushed against the exit tool 112 in the direction of the exit orifice 110, while a slice located downstream of the partition will be driven in rotation around the axis 115 over nearly three-quarters of a turn of the drive member 114, before being guided by a guide edge 111, in the direction of the exit tool 112.Thus, with this arrangement of the partition, no slice of the food can end up on the guide plate 109, partly on the guide edges 111 and partly on the area of ​​the guide plate located downstream, relative to the direction of rotation of the knife 104, of the output tool 112, a situation in which the slice would be subjected by the drive member 114 to at least two contradictory movements, the first in the direction of the output tool 112 and the second in rotation around the axis 115, which would have the effect of completely breaking and shredding the slice without producing sticks.

[0060] In other embodiments, the apparatus 100 does not include a pusher for bringing the food to be cut into the path of the knife 104. The feed duct 107 rises from the path of the knife in a direction not parallel to the axis of rotation 115 and has surfaces that form an acute angle relative to the path of the knife 104. Preferably, the end of the feed duct furthest from the knife 104 is surmounted by a hopper intended to receive food to be cut and provided with walls arranged in a baffle so that a user's hand cannot come into contact with the moving knife 104. The food located in the hopper arrives by gravity in the opening of the feed duct, then enters the path of the knife 104.By the combined effect of the knife, gravity and the surfaces of the conduit forming the acute angle, the foodstuffs are pushed into the path of the knife 104 by wedge effect and are then cut into slices of regular thickness.

[0061] The drive motor 102 is a drive motor known to those skilled in the art. The connection between the drive motor 102 and the shaft 103, and the connection between the shaft 103 and the knife 104, for example by means of a key or a bayonet pin, are known to those skilled in the art. The knife 104 is mounted on a holding disc 116. At the bottom left of the figure 1, this holding disc 116 is shown twice along these two faces. The holding disc 116 has substantially the shape of a solid disc comprising an opening 108 whose cutting edge 105 forms one of the edges. The opening 108 allows the passage of the foodstuff. When the motor rotates, the cutting edge 105 causes the foodstuff to be cut and the cut part, in the form of a slice or strip, then falls onto the plate 109 by gravity. The cutting edge 105 may have a shape, seen from above, in arcs of a circle or rectilinear.

[0062] With regard to the relative position of the knife holding disc 104 with respect to the plate 109, the distance between each lower surface of the holding disc and the plate 109, measured along the axis of rotation 115, must be as close as possible to the thickness of the slice, or lamella, of the food which is to be slit by the output tool 112. In currently existing devices, the plate rests on the casing and the distance from the plate to the disc along the axis of rotation is fixed by the pin linked to the drive shaft, for example by a bayonet system. As a result, said distance is determined by the accumulation of 15 different dimensions in the most unfavorable situation. The dimensional tolerances inherent in mass production techniques can lead to a variation in this distance greater than 2.5 millimeters.If a food slice thickness of 6 millimetres is required, such tolerances become prohibitive and the device can no longer perform its function.

[0063] In the apparatus, the pin 118 fixing the holding disc 116 of the knife 104 to the shaft 103 is retained for the rotational drive of the knife but by the use of a longitudinal groove 117 in the hub 122 of the holding disc 116, the pin 118 does not determine the axial position of the latter along the shaft 103. The holding disc 116 is directly pressed on the guide plate 109 in the central part, that is to say close to the shaft 103, by means of facing surfaces adapted to friction, since the guide plate 109 is fixed and the holding disc 116 rotates. The pin 118 therefore only has a driving function and not a driving and positioning function as in the prior art.

[0064] In embodiments, such as that partially illustrated in figure 14 , the knife 105 is carried by a holding disc 116 which comprises at its center a hub 122, which is freely adjusted on the rotating shaft. A system for driving the holding disc 116 by the rotating shaft is provided for example by a key between the shaft and the hub 122 of the holding disc 116 or, as illustrated in figure 14, by a pin 118 inserted transversely into the shaft opposite at least one groove 117 arranged for this purpose longitudinally in the hub 122 of the holding disc 116. The holding disc 116 is therefore driven in rotation by the shaft and remains free relative to the latter in the direction defined by the axis of rotation 115. This last degree of freedom in translation is blocked by direct support of the holding disc 116 on an upper surface of the guide plate 109, preferably in a central zone close to the hub 122 and by using facing surfaces of shapes, dimensions and nature chosen by those skilled in the art to reduce friction, or even eliminate it by a rolling effect.

[0065] To complete these arrangements, the holding disc 116 comprises on its hub 122 a locking device 123 below the guide plate 109, for example, as in figure 14, a screwed nut, which also rests on a lower surface of the guide plate 109. As for the support of the holding disc 116 on the top of the guide plate 109, the lock 123 presses on the underside, preferably in a central zone close to the hub 122 and by using facing surfaces of shapes, dimensions and nature chosen by those skilled in the art to reduce friction, or even eliminate it by a rolling effect.

[0066] Thus with all the arrangements of such embodiments, the position of the holding disc 116 and therefore of the knife 104, of its trajectory and of the drive member 114, in the direction defined by the axis of rotation 115, is directly determined by the guide plate 109 of the foodstuff. The disc is then linked to the plate 109 to undergo forces in both directions in the direction defined by the axis of rotation 115. The assembly of disc, knife, guide plate, drive member, is positioned in space in the direction of the axis 115, solely by the support of the plate 109 on the casing 101.

[0067] As can be understood from reading the description of the figure 14, the knife 104 is preferably immobilized in translation by the guide plate 109, in the direction defined by the axis of rotation 115. Under these conditions, the distance between the holding disc 116 and the plate 109 no longer depends on more than a small number of dimensions, or even only two dimensions, depending on the embodiments. It then becomes easy for mass production to limit the variation of this distance to a low value, for example of the order of 0.2 to 0.3 mm, compatible in all circumstances with the function.

[0068] At the same time, these embodiments solve a second technical problem related to the driving of the holding disc 116 of the knife 104 by bayonet and which appeared to be major due to the high inertia of the disc along its axis of rotation in the embodiments of known devices. Indeed, for a multipurpose device, capable of cutting very different thicknesses of foodstuff, the holding disc necessary for cutting slices of foodstuff of the order of six millimeters, is thicker, therefore more massive, that is to say with greater inertia, than a holding disc for cutting thicker slices of foodstuff.

[0069] Furthermore, the bayonet drive used in the prior art inherently creates significant angular play between the pin and the retaining disc. The consequence of this play is that each time the vehicle is started, the pin strikes the disc, and conversely, each time the vehicle is braked, the disc strikes the pin on the opposite face due to its inertia. The energy used in these successive impacts is directly proportional to the inertia of the disc. Endurance tests have shown that this leads to premature breakage of the pin, and that such a type of drive has proven unsuitable. The embodiments set out above avoid the use of such a bayonet shape and thus eliminate all angular play and consequently any shock effect.

[0070] Finally, the embodiments described above, in that they define a guide space of a height well adjusted to the thickness of the slice of food between the plate 109 and the knife holding disc, make it impossible for several slices of food to overlap in this guide space. This occurs with the devices currently existing when there is an unfavorable accumulation of all the dimensions which define this height due to mass production tolerances. In this situation, very significant forces are produced by the wedge effect between the overlapping slices. Thus, the embodiments described above reduce the stresses generated by the vertical forces on the output tool 112 and make it possible to simplify and lighten its construction.

[0071] The holding disc 116 comprises at least one drive member 114 subjected to the same rotation as the knife 104 around the axis 115, following a trajectory located on the side of the trajectory of the knife 104 opposite the supply conduit 107, to drive the cut food between the guide plate 109 and the trajectory of the knife 104 towards the output tool 112. The drive member 114 is, in the embodiment illustrated in figure 14 , angularly distant from the knife 104 on the holding disc 116. On the contrary, in the embodiment illustrated in figures 1 And 15, the drive member 114 is angularly close to the knife 104 on the holding disc 116. The drive member 114 is, for example, a protrusion known to those skilled in the art on the side of the holding disc opposite the conduit 107. For example, the protrusion forms a convex relief crossing the holding disc 116 along a radius of the holding disc 116. The drive member 114 pushes the cut food on the plate 109 to the output tool 112.

[0072] Preferably, the distance between the knife holding disc 104 and the guide plate 109 is equal to or very slightly greater than the thickness of the slice of food.

[0073] The plate 109 has substantially the shape of a solid disc comprising a portion provided with at least one guide edge 111 up to the output tool 112. The guide edge 111 may be a rounded or raw-edged tab. Preferably, the guide edge 111 follows a straight line segment perpendicular to a radius of the plate 109 and parallel to at least one blade 113 of the output tool 112.

[0074] The output tool 112 includes a set of blades 113 substantially on the periphery of the platen 109, over approximately one-quarter of the periphery of the platen 109. The output tool 112 and the platen 109 of the apparatus 100 may be combinations of the output tool embodiments described with respect to the figures 2 to 11The outlet 110 is an orifice on one of the side surfaces of the housing 101. The housing 101 may be provided with a flap around the outlet 115 to prevent the cut goods from being scattered and to localize the fall of the cut goods.

[0075] Preferably, each element of the apparatus 100 with which the foodstuff can come into contact is detachable for changing or cleaning. In embodiments, the output tool 112 is mechanically connected to the guide plate 109 in a removable manner so that the output tool 112 can be easily changed. The output tool 112 can be assembled to the guide plate 109 by means of a tenon fitting into a correspondingly shaped groove.

[0076] In embodiments, the apparatus 100 comprises at least two output tools 112, the lateral spacing, i.e. in the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the motor, between the blades of one of the output tools 112 being different from the spacing between the blades of another output tool. These embodiments make it possible to adapt the cutting size of the food.

[0077] As understood from the description of the elements above, the foodstuffs, for example potatoes, are placed in the feed duct 107. The foodstuffs come into contact with the knife 104, either by gravity or by being pushed by the pusher. The cutting edge 105, which is rotated by the motor 102 by means of the shaft 103, cuts the foodstuff into strips of substantially equal thickness. As it is formed, the strip is guided by the knife 104 towards the opening 108 to be deposited by gravity on the tray 109 which is fixed. By continuing its rotational movement, the knife holding disc completely contains the lamella in its thickness against the guide plate, then the lamella is pushed by the drive member 114 which is fixed under the knife holding disc 104 and therefore driven in rotation at the same speed and along the same trajectory as the knife 104.The drive member 114 pushes the lamella on the plate 109 toward the guide edges 111 which guide the pushed lamellae toward the blades 113 of the output tool 112. The lamella passes through the output tool 112 toward the output orifice 110 being cut into sticks, chips or matches. For example, to obtain matches with a square section of six millimeters on each side, the cutting edge 105 of the knife 104 is spaced about six millimeters from an upper surface of the knife holding disc 104 and the blades 113 are spaced about six millimeters apart.

[0078] THE figures 2 to 11 show ten arrangements of exit tool blades. The figures 12 and 13 show two different embodiments of blades and guide edges which are compatible with each other and with the arrangements of the figures 2 to 11 .

[0079] In the remainder of the description, each blade is defined by an end called the “upstream end” and an end called the “downstream end” on the path followed by the foodstuff on the plate 109 towards the outlet orifice 110. The upstream end is the end which comes into contact with the foodstuff to cut it. The upstream end comprises the cutting edge of the blade. The downstream end is the end closest to the outlet orifice.

[0080] Embodiments of output tools 222 to 922 illustrated in figures 2 to 9 have fourteen blades. These blades are in parallel planes spaced according to a predefined cutting size, for example six millimeters. More generally, the number of blades of the output tool is defined by the predefined cutting size and the dimension of the output tool 112. In the figures 2 to 11, for each blade, a line perpendicular to this blade passing through the upstream end of this blade has been represented. These lines show that the orthogonal projections of a blade on the plane of each blade adjacent to it do not have any point on this adjacent blade. Otherwise defined, for any pair of adjacent blades, the parts of these two adjacent blades located on the trajectory of the cut food, do not have any intersection of their orthogonal projections on a plane parallel to the axis of rotation and parallel to the segment formed by the intersection of one of these two blades with a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

[0081] Embodiments of output tools 222 to 1022 illustrated in figures 2 to 10have guide edges 221 to 1021 parallel to each other and parallel to the blades. The part of the plate 209 to 1009 covered by the guide edges represents approximately a quarter of the surface of the plate 209.

[0082] We observe, on the figure 2 , a first arrangement of blades, 201 to 214, of an output tool 222. The blades, 201 and 202 being parallel, the orthogonal projection of each other blade on the plane of a blade, 201 for example, is such that: the orthogonal projection has an alternation between a downstream end of a blade 202 and the upstream end of an adjacent blade 201, such that the orthogonal projections of the fourteen blades are aligned without superposition and each downstream end of a blade 202 does not have an intersection with the upstream end of another directly adjacent blade 201.

[0083] In top view as shown in figure 2, a part of the upstream ends of the blades are placed on an arc of a circle corresponding to the periphery of the disc forming the plate 209. Another part of the upstream ends of the blades are placed on a straight line tangent to the periphery of the disc forming the plate 209. This makes it possible to start cutting the food and to accompany its passage through the spaces between the other blades without two adjacent blades being opposite each other and compressing the stick being formed.

[0084] In the embodiment shown in figure 2 , the upstream end of the blades 209 to 214 are placed on an arc of a circle corresponding to the periphery of the disc forming the plate 209 and the upstream end of the blades 201 to 208 are placed on a straight line tangent to the periphery of the disc forming the plate 209.

[0085] To describe the first eight arrangements represented in the figures 2 to 9, we use the following table, which, for each blade, in the order of their number, associates two indicators "Am" or "Av" depending on whether this blade is upstream or downstream of the previous blade and "C" if the cutting edge of the blade is on an arc of a circle corresponding to the periphery of the disc forming the plate, or "T" if the cutting edge of the blade is, with the cutting edge of the previous blade or the following blade on a straight line tangent to the periphery of the disc forming the plate. Figure 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Lame 1 T C C C / / / / / / Lame 2 AmT Of Of Of AmC Am AmC AmC AmT AmT Lame 3 AmT AmC AvT AmC Of Of Of Of AmC AmC Lame 4 AmT AvT AmT Of AmC Am Of AmC AmC AmC Lame 5 AmT AmT AmT AmC Of Of Am Of AmC AmC Lame 6 AmT AmT AmT Of AmC AmC Am AmC AmC AmC Lame 7 AmT AmT AmT AmC Of Of Of Of AmC AmC Lame 8 AmT AmT AmT Of AmC Am Of AmC AmC AmC Lame 9 AmC AmC AmC AmC Of Of Am Of AmC AmC Lame 10 AmC AmC AmC AmC AmC Am Am AmC / AmC Lame 11 AmC AmC AmC AmC Of Of Of Of / AmC Lame 12 AmC AmC AmC AmC AmC Am Of AmC / / Lame 13 AmC AmC AmC AmC Of Of Am Of / / Lame 14 AmC AmC AmC AmC AmC Am Am AmC / /

[0086] Compared to the figure 2 , the ninth arrangement illustrated in figure 10has fewer blades, since the dimension of the exit orifice has remained unchanged and the spacing between the blades varies from a larger value between blades 1001 and 1002 to a smaller value between blades 1008 and 1009. The sections of the matches, sticks or fries produced with the exit tool 1022 are, at least in part, rectangles of different lengths.

[0087] We observe, on the figure 11 , a tenth arrangement of blades, 1101 to 1111, of an exit tool 1122. The exit tool 1122 has eleven blades, 1101 to 1111. These blades are spaced according to a predefined cutting size, for example seven millimeters. More generally, the number of blades of the exit tool 1122 is defined by the predefined cutting size and the dimension of the exit tool 1122.

[0088] The guide edges 1121 are circular arcs, preferably concentric, but whose center is different from the axis of rotation 115 of the knife 104. Each blade, 1101 to 1111, is tangent to the circular arc defining a guide edge 1121. The blades, 1101 to 1111 are not parallel to each other but each individually is tangent to the trajectory of the cut foodstuff defined by the guide edges 1121. Thus without being parallel, they do not constitute an obstacle to the passage of the foodstuff and the operation of cutting the slice, or strip, into fries, matchsticks or sticks is obtained without difficulty. On the contrary, the angles between the planes of the blades cause the fries, matchsticks or sticks being formed to move apart, which facilitates their cutting. Preferably, the radius of the arc of a circle defining each guide edge 1121 is greater than or equal to one and a half times the radius of the disc defining the plate 1109.The circular arcs of the guide edges are concentric. This arrangement makes it possible to deviate the initially circular trajectory of the slice (imposed by the drive member) by a segment which resembles a portion of a spiral rather than a straight line segment.

[0089] In top view as shown in figure 11 , a part of the upstream ends of blades, 1103 to 1111, are placed on an arc of a circle corresponding to the periphery of the disc forming the plate 1109. Another part of the upstream ends of the blades, 1101 to 1103, is placed on a straight line tangent to the periphery of the disc forming the plate 1109. This makes it possible to start cutting the food and to accompany its passage through the spaces between the other blades without presenting two adjacent blades facing each other, which would have the effect of laterally compressing the stick during its formation.

[0090] The portion of the plate 1109 covered by the guide edges 1121 represents approximately one quarter of the surface area of ​​the plate 1109.

[0091] We observe on the figure 12 , an embodiment of a sectional exit tool 1222.

[0092] The output tool 1222 comprises at least one blade 1201. The blades 1201 have cutting edges whose average slope forms an angle of less than 70° with a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation 115. Indeed, when the angle is greater than 70°, the blade penetrates less easily into the foodstuff and the cutting capacity is limited. In the embodiment shown in figure 12 , the guide edge ends with a shoulder at a predefined distance from the blade 1201.

[0093] The output tool 1222 has at least one guide edge 1221. At least one guide edge on the plate 1209 has an increasing elevation, in the direction of the path of the food to be cut, above the upper surface of the guide plate.

[0094] Preferably, the distance between the guide edge and the disc supporting the knife 104 is less than or equal to the desired thickness of the food slice.

[0095] We observe on the figure 13 , an embodiment of a sectional exit tool 1322.

[0096] The output tool 1322 comprises blades 1301 which have cutting edges consisting of a succession of concave arcs. The succession of concave arcs forms a succession of points, one at each intersection of concave arcs, substantially similar to that of a bread knife. Of course, the blades 1301 are preferably inclined as explained with respect to the figure 12. In embodiments, the blades 1301 have cutting edges whose average slope forms an angle of less than 70° with a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation 115. The tool 1322 comprises at least one guide edge 1321 on the plate 1309 having a cutting portion 1310 at least in its upstream portion in the direction of the trajectory of the food to be cut. The cutting portion makes it possible to pre-cut the food and guide it towards the blades 1301. Preferably, the cutting portion represents a dimension less than ten percent of the desired dimension of the food to be cut. The output tool 112 shown in figure 1 may be any embodiment of the output tools shown in figures 2 to 13 .

[0097] The output tools represented in figures 2 to 11 may present the particular characteristics set out in relation to the figures 12 and 13, for the blades and the guide edges in any combination. Preferably, the blades are made and sharpened individually and are fixed on a support. Preferably, in the embodiments described with regard to the figures 2 to 13 , the thickness of the blades is less than or equal to 0.3 millimeters. Preferably, in the embodiments described with regard to the figures 2 to 13, the minimum distance between two adjacent blades, measured in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation and in a direction perpendicular to the path of the foodstuff in the vicinity of these two blades, is less than or equal to eight millimeters. In embodiments, the spacing between the blades of the output tool is not constant. With these arrangements it is possible to divide the same slice of foodstuff into sticks of rectangular sections, in order to give a less regular cutting effect reminiscent of the result obtained with a hand knife. In embodiments, the cutting edges of the blades of the output tool are not all contained in a plane parallel to the axis of rotation. With these arrangements it is possible to divide a slice of foodstuff into sticks of trapezoidal sections. In embodiments, the cutting edges of the blades of the output tool are wavy.With these arrangements it is possible to divide a slice of food into sticks whose faces cut by the blades of the tool present substantially the same undulations as the edges of the blades.

Claims

1. Motorised food-processor apparatus (100) comprising: - a housing (101) containing a drive motor (102) for rotating a shaft (103) about an axis of rotation (115); - at least one cutter (104) set into rotation around the axis by the motor, said cutter comprising a cutting edge (105) extending outward from the shaft; - a cover (106) connected to the housing and surrounding the trajectory of the cutter, the cover being fitted with a supply conduit (107) for bringing the foodstuff to be cut into said trajectory; - an outlet opening (110) for the cut foodstuff; - a guide plate (109) for guiding the cut foodstuff to the outlet opening (110); - at least one guide ridge (111) on the plate, which ridge defines the trajectory of the cut foodstuff in the direction of the outlet tool; - an outlet tool (112, 222, 322, 422, 522, 622, 722, 822, 922, 1022, 1122, 1222, 1322) located on the path of the foodstuff in the direction of the outlet opening; - at least one drive unit (114) subjected to the same rotation about the axis as the cutter, following a trajectory located on the side of the cutter's trajectory opposite the inlet conduit, for driving the cut foodstuff between the guide plate and the cutter's trajectory toward the outlet tool; characterised in that the outlet tool comprises a series of blades (113, 201 to 214, 301 to 314, 401 to 414, 501 to 514, 601 to 614, 701 to 714, 801 to 814, 901 to 914, 1001 to 1009, 1101 to 1111, 1201, 1301) wherein, for any pair of adjacent blades, the portions of these two adjacent blades located on the trajectory of the cut foodstuff do not have any intersection of their orthogonal projections on a plane that is - parallel to the axis of rotation (115) and - parallel to the segment formed by the intersection of one of these two blades with a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation. and in that at least one guide ridge (1221) on the plate (1209) has an increasing elevation in the direction of the trajectory of the foodstuff to be cut, above the plane of the guide plate, and a cutting portion in at least its upstream portion in the direction of the trajectory of the foodstuff to be cut.

2. Apparatus (100) according to claim 1, wherein the cutter (104) is immobilised in translation by the guide plate (109) along the direction defined by the axis of rotation (115).

3. Apparatus (100) according to one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the blades (1201) have cutting edges whose mean slope forms an angle less than 70° with a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation (115).

4. Apparatus (100) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the blades (1301) have cutting edges made of a succession of concave arcs.

5. Apparatus (100) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein for any pair of adjacent blades, one blade among the blades of the pairs has a guide ridge (1221) upstream in the direction of the trajectory of the foodstuff to be cut.

6. Apparatus (100) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein for any pair of adjacent blades, at least one guide ridge (1221) is positioned in front of the blade the most downstream in the direction of the trajectory of the foodstuff to be cut.

7. Apparatus (100) according to claim 6, wherein each said guide ridge (1221) extends to the blade in front of which said ridge is positioned.

8. Apparatus (100) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the thickness of the blades is less than or equal to 0.3 mm.

9. Apparatus (100) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the minimum distance between two adjacent blades, measured in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation and along a direction perpendicular to the trajectory of the foodstuff in the vicinity of these two blades, is less than or equal to 8 mm.

10. Apparatus (100) according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the distance between a support disc (116) of each cutter and the guide plate along a direction defined by the axis of rotation is less than or equal to 8 mm.

11. Apparatus (100) according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the outlet tool (112, 222, 322, 422, 522, 622, 722, 822, 922, 1022, 1122, 1222, 1322) is connected mechanically to the guide plate in a removable manner.

12. Apparatus (100) according to claim 11, which comprises at least two outlet tools (112, 222, 322, 422, 522, 622, 722, 822, 922, 1022, 1122, 1222, 1322), the spacing between the blades (1022) of one of the outlet tools being different from the spacing between the blades of another outlet tool (112, 222, 322, 422, 522, 622, 722, 822, 922, 1122, 1222, 1322).