Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A method and apparatus for producing helical slices of an object, such as a potato. The apparatus includes a rotatably mounted knife assembly having one or more sets of knife blades arranged in a spiral pattern. Each set of knife blades produces a set of helically shaped potato slices. The spiral arrangement of each blade set reduces the torque needed to slice an object using the knife assembly. The knife assembly includes a knife bearing rotatably mounted within a housing. To rotate the knife assembly, a gear rotatably mounted on a mounting member engages and drives an outer annular surface of the knife bearing. A liquid is injected through a channel within the knife bearing housing, and preferably also through a channel within the gear mounting member, to flush fragments of the objects being sliced from the knife assembly and gear. Preferably, the apparatus also includes a vertically oriented feed chain assembly, in which a pair of chain drive sprockets rotate a pair of chains to translate unsliced objects to a set of feed rolls. The feed rolls push the objects into contact with the rotating knife assembly. The chain drive sprockets and feed rolls are mounted on shafts that are spring-biased together, and which have freedom to move away from each other to permit objects within a wide range of sizes to pass between the chain drive sprockets and the feed rolls.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim