Title of Invention: Produce slicer and chopper device
Abstract: A produce slicer and chopper device (10) comprising a housing (12) having a large compartment (14) and a small compartment (16) in a side by side relationship. A first blade assembly (18) is mounted onto a top of the housing (12) to be manually operated to extend down into the large compartment (14), so as to vertically slice and chop vegetables, fruit and cheeses placed within the large compartment (14). A second blade assembly (20) is mounted onto the top of the housing (12) to be manually operated to extend down into the small compartment (16), so as to vertically slice and chop vegetables, fruit and cheeses placed within the small compartment (16). A third blade assembly (22) is mounted onto a side of the housing (12) to be manually operated to extend sideways into the large compartment (14), so as to horizontally slice and chop vegetables, fruit and cheeses placed within the large compartment (14), when the first blade assembly (18) is in an outwardly extended position.
Detailed Description: Part PAC: DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Part PAR: Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIGS. 1 through 6 illustrate the present invention being a produce slicer and chopper device 10. With regard to the reference numerals used, the following numbering is used throughout the various drawing
Part PAR_2: 10 produce slicer and chopper device 10
Part PAR_3: 12 housing of 10
Part PAR_4: 14 large compartment in 12
Part PAR_5: 16 small compartment in 12
Part PAR_6: 18 first blade assembly of 10
Part PAR_7: 20 second blade assembly of 10
Part PAR_8: 22 third blade assembly of 10
Part PAR_9: 24 base of 12
Part PAR_10: 26 rear wall of 12
Part PAR_11: 28 side wall of 12
Part PAR_12: 30 front wall of 12
Part PAR_13: 32 top wall of 12
Part PAR_14: 34 door of 12
Part PAR_15: 36 hinge between 30 and 34
Part PAR_16: 38 handle on 34
Part PAR_17: 40 window in 34
Part PAR_18: 42 lock mechanism in 34
Part PAR_19: 44 drawer of 12
Part PAR_20: 46 opening in 30
Part PAR_21: 48 handle on 44
Part PAR_22: 50 mounting plate of 18
Part PAR_23: 52 slot in 50
Part PAR_24: 54 thumbscrew
Part PAR_25: 56 guide rail of 18
Part PAR_26: 58 slot in 56
Part PAR_27: 60 blade of 18
Part PAR_28: 62 blade holder plate of 18
Part PAR_29: 64 operating handle on 62
Part PAR_30: 66 locking thumbscrew in 56
Part PAR_31: 68 mounting plate of 20
Part PAR_32: 70 slot in 68
Part PAR_33: 72 guide rail of 20
Part PAR_34: 74 slot in 72
Part PAR_35: 76 blade of 20
Part PAR_36: 78 blade holder plate of 20
Part PAR_37: 80 operating handle on 78
Part PAR_38: 82 mounting plate of 22
Part PAR_39: 84 slot in 82
Part PAR_40: 86 guide rail of 22
Part PAR_41: 88 slot in 86
Part PAR_42: 90 blade of 22
Part PAR_43: 92 blade holder plate of 22
Part PAR_44: 94 operating handle on 92
Part PAR_45: 96 adjusting apparatus in 12
Part PAR_46: 98 movable vertical partition of 96
Part PAR_47: 100 horizontal rack of 96
Part PAR_48: 102 pinion of 96
Part PAR_49: 104 crank handle of 96
Part PAR_50: The produce slicer and chopper device 10 comprises a having a large compartment 14 and a small compartment 16 in a side by side relationship. A first blade assembly 18 is mounted onto a top of the housing 12 to be manually operated to extend down into the large compartment 14, so as to vertically slice and chop vegetables, fruit and cheese placed within the large compartment 14. A second blade assembly 20 is mounted onto the top of the housing 12 operated to extend down into the small compartment 16, so as to vertically slice and chop vegetables, fruit and cheeses placed within the small compartment 16. A third blade assembly 22 is mounted onto a side of the housing 12 to be manually operated to extend sideways into the large compartment 14, so as to horizontally slice and chop vegetables, fruit and cheeses placed within the large compartment 14, when the first blade assembly 18 is in an outwardly extended position.
Part PAR_51: The housing 12 includes a base 24. A rear wall 26 extends upwardly from the base 24. A pair of side walls 28 extend upwardly from the base 24. A front wall 30 extends upwardly from the base 24. A top wall 32 extends across the rear wall 26, the side walls 28 and the front wall 30, thereby forming the large compartment 14 and the small compartment 16 therein.
Part PAR_52: The housing 12 also includes a door 34 hinged at 36 to the front wall 30 at the large compartment 14. A handle 38 is mounted on the door, so that the door 34 can be opened to gain access into the large compartment 14, to remove and replace the vegetables, fruits and cheeses.
Part PAR_53: The door 34 contains a window 40, so that a person can see into the large compartment 14. The door 34 also contains a lock mechanism 42 to keep the door 34 locked. A drawer 44 is inserted in a sliding manner within an opening 46 in the front wall 30 at the small compartment 16. A handle 48 is mounted on the drawer 44, so that the drawer 44 can be pulled out to remove and replace the vegetables, fruits and cheeses.
Part PAR_54: The first blade assembly 18 comprises a mounting plate 50 having a plurality of spaced apart parallel slots 52 therethrough. A plurality of thumbscrews 54 are for attaching the mounting plate 50 over an aperture in the top wall 32 of the housing 12 above the large compartment 14. A pair of guide rails 56 are spaced apart and extend upwardly on the mounting plate 50. Each guide rail 56 has a slot 58. A plurality of blades 60 are provided. A blade holder plate 62 is for retaining in spaced apart parallel relationships the blades 60. The blade holder 62 has an operating handle 64. A pair of thumbscrews 54 are each threading into an opposite side of the blade holder plate 62 to ride in the slots 58 of the guide rails 56. The blades 60 will extend vertically through the slots 52 in the mounting plate 50 and into the large compartment 14 in the housing 12. A locking thumbscrew 66 threads transversely through one of the guide rails 56 at an upper end of the slot 58, so as to keep the first blade assembly 18 locked in its outwardly extended position.
Part PAR_55: The second blade assembly 20 contains a mounting plate 68 having a plurality of spaced apart parallel slots 70 therethrough. A plurality of thumbscrews 54 are for attaching the mounting plate 68 over an aperture in the top wall 32 of the housing 12 above the small compartment 16. A pair of guide rails 72 are spaced apart and extend upwardly on the mounting plate 68. Each guide rail 72 has a slot 74. A plurality of blades 76 are provided. A blade holder plate 78 is for retaining in spaced apart parallel relationships the blades 76. The blade holder plate 78 has an operating handle 80. A pair of thumbscrews 54 are each threaded into an opposite side of the blade holder plate 78 to ride in the slots 74 of the guide rails 72. The blades 76 will extend vertically through the slots 70 in the mounting plate 68 and into the small compartment 16 in the housing 12.
Part PAR_56: The third blade assembly 22 includes a mounting plate 82, having a plurality of spaced apart parallel slots 84 therethrough. A plurality of thumbscrews 54 are for attaching the mounting plate 82 over an aperture in the side wall 28 of the housing 12 adjacent the large compartment 14. A pair of guide rails 86 are spaced apart and extend outwardly on the mounting plate 82. Each guide rail 86 has a slot 88. A plurality of blades 90 are provided. A blade holder plate 92 is for retaining in spaced apart parallel relationships the blades 90. The blade holder plate 92 has an operating handle 94. A pair of thumbscrews 54 are each threaded into an opposite side of the blade holder plate 92 to ride in the slots 88 of the guide rails 86. The blades 90 will extend horizontally through the slots 84 in the mounting plate 82 and into the large compartment 14 in the housing 12. The housing 12 includes an apparatus 96 for adjusting the width of the large compartment 14.
Part PAR_57: The adjusting apparatus 96, as best seen in FIG. 5, consists of a movable vertical partition 98 carried within the housing 12 adjacent the large compartment 14 opposite from the third blade assembly 22. A horizontal rack 100 is affixed at one end to the movable vertical partition 98 and is carried within the housing 12. A pinion 102 is carried within the housing 12. The pinion 102 is in engagement with the horizontal rack 100. A crank handle 104 is on an outer surface of the front wall 30 of the housing 12 and is connected to the pinion 102 in an operable manner. When the crank handle 104 is manually rotated, the pinion 102 will rotate and cause the horizontal rack 100 to go into a reciprocating motion, to move the movable vertical partition 98 to the left and to the right to decrease and increase the width of the large compartment 14 within the housing 12.
Part PAR_58: It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above.
Part PAR_59: While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described are pointed out in the annexed claims, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
Part PAR_60: Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.


{'bibliographic_information': "{'Patent Number': '059792817', 'Series Code': '9', 'Application Number': '0276669', 'Application Type': '1', 'Art unit': '374', 'Application Filing Date': '19980223', 'Title of Invention': 'Produce slicer and chopper device', 'Issue Date': '19991109', 'Number of Claims': '20', 'Exemplary Claim Number(s)': '1', 'Assistant Examiner': 'Goodman; Charles', 'Primary Examiner': 'Rada; Rinaldi I.', 'Number of Drawing Sheets': '6', 'Number of figures': '6'}", 'source_file': './grant/1999/pftaps19991109_wk45.txt', 'source_data': 'USPTO-Grant'}