Food handling apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING VEGETABLES AND THE LIKE INTO PIECES OF PREDETERMINED DIMENSION, COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A DISCHARGE OPENING AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF AND HAVING AN APERTURE THROUGH ONE SIDE THEREOF, A ROTARY CUTOFF KNIFE ADAPTED TO MOVE PAST SAID APERTURE WITHIN SAID HOUSING, DRIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO ROTATE SAID CUTOFF KNIFE PAST SAID APERTURE, A STATIONARY CUTTER MEMBER INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF BLADES SUPPORTED IN PREDETERMINED SPACED RELATION, MEANS REMOVABLY MOUNTING SAID CUTTER MEMBER IN SAID APERTURE PROVIDING FOR DISCHARGE OF MATERIAL PASSING SAID BLADES INTO SAID HOUSING PAST SAID CUTOFF KNIFE, A GUIDEWAY FOR MATERIAL TO BE CUT EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM THE EXTERIOR OF SAID HOUSING AND ALIGNED WITH THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID APERTURE FOR GUIDING MATERIAL THEREON INTO SAID STATIONARY CUTTER MEMBER, A PUSHER MEMBER SUPPORTED FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID CUTTER MEMBER ALONG SAID GUIDEWAY TO FORCE MATERIAL THEREON THROUGH SAID CUTTER MEMBER AND PAST SAID BLADES, A DRIVING MEMBER REMOVABLY MOUNTED IN POSITION EXTENDING ALONG SAID GUIDEWAY, A MANUAL ENGAGING PRESSURE RESPONSIVE DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID PUSHER MEMBER AND SAID DRIVING MEMBER OPERATIVE TO MOVE SAID PUSHER MEMBER UNDER POWER TOWARD SAID CUTTER MEMBER, AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID DRIVING MEMBER TO SAID DRIVE MEANS COORDINATING THE CYLIC MOVEMENT OF SAID CUTOFF KNIFE WITH FEED STROKE MOVEMENT OF SAID PUSHER MEMBER FOR CUTTING INTO PREDETERMINED LENGTHS THE CUT PIECES OF VEGETABLE PASSING FROM SAID STATIONARY CUTTER MEMBER.