Apparatus for accumulating stacks of sliced material

Claim 1

Apparatus for cutting successive slices from an elongated mass comprising a knife rotatable around a cutting path, means for feeding said mass at a substantially constant rate along a downward feed path intersecting said cutting path to cause successive slices to be cut from said mass, means spaced below said cutting path for accumulating a stack of the slices successively cut from said mass, means for moving said accumulating means downwardly at a rate infinitely variable within a range to equal substantially the rate at which said mass is fed along said feed path, thereby maintaining a substantially constant dropping distance for successive slices cut from said mass, said moving means including a carriage mounted for vertical reciprocation on downward accumulation strokes and upward return strokes, and including a motor and clutch for driving said carriage on said downward strokes and resilient biasing means for moving said carriage upwardly on said return strokes, said accumulating means comprising a platen rotatably movable between a substantially horizontal accumulating position during a downstroke accumulating a stack of the slices and a releasing position for releasing the stack, drive means for moving said platen from said accumulating position to said releasing position adjacent the lower end of a downward stroke of said moving means.