Pivoting Pusher for Apple Wedger Blade Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current slicing devices for fruits and vegetables, such as apple slicers, are difficult to use as they often require users to push against the skin of the apple with their fingers, risking injury due to the resistance provided by the skin, which can prevent a complete cut.
Innovation Solution
A slicer and pusher device with radially arranged cutting blades and a hingedly attached pusher that can pivot to push remaining food items through the gaps between the blades, allowing for easier and safer slicing by utilizing raised projections to guide the food through the blades.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users push against the blade manually to complete the cut, then the cutting action can be completed, but the risk of injury increases due to contact with the blade
Solution Approach 1:
The pusher acts as an intermediary tool between the user and the blade. It has a rounded tip that contacts the food item and pushes it through the blade gap, while the user only needs to apply force to the pusher, not directly to the blade. This mediator transfers the pushing action safely, eliminating direct finger contact with the sharp blade while still achieving complete cutting through the skin and food item.
2Productivity
If the device is designed with fixed blades, then the structure is simple, but it cannot push through resistant skin effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The pusher is designed with dynamic characteristics - it is spring-loaded or resilient, allowing it to compress and flex as it pushes through resistant skin and food items. This dynamic flexibility enables the pusher to adapt to varying resistance levels and apply sufficient force to penetrate skin and complete the cut, while the overall device structure remains relatively simple.
3Ease of operation
If the pusher is always attached to the slicer, then the device is simple to use, but the pusher cannot effectively reach into gaps between blades
Solution Approach 1:
The pusher is designed to pivot or rotate relative to the slicer body, allowing it to dynamically reposition itself. When the slicer is pushed down, the pusher rotates to point toward the gap between blades, enabling it to effectively reach into and push food items through the gaps. This dynamic repositioning maintains ease of use while achieving effective pushing action.
Data Source
AI summary
An apple wedger for cutting fruits or vegetables into wedges or other desired shapes includes a slicer and a pusher, in which the slicer has a peripheral frame and internal cutting blades. The pusher is configured to be used to push at least partially sliced food items through the gaps between cutting blades. In some versions, the pusher is pivotally attached to the slicer.