Julienne cutter for food processors

Claim 1

A julienne cutter tool for use in rotary food processors of the type having a working bowl with tool drive means extending into the bowl for rotating said julienne tool in said bowl in a predetermined direction about an axis, a removable cover for the bowl when in use, and a feed passage for introducing food material into the bowl, said julienne tool having a hub with a disc-like member secured to the hub, said disc-like member having a periphery and an elongated opening therein extending from a region near said hub to a region near the periphery of said disc-like member, said disc-like member having an elevated portion having a leading edge located behind said opening, and cutting means associated with said opening for producing multiple closely spaced cuts in food items applied thereto with the resultant cut strips passing through said opening into said bowl, said julienne cutting tool comprising: a unitary integral cutting structure formed of sheet metal having an elongated lower portion integral with an elongated upper portion, which is at a higher elevation than said lower portion, said elongated lower portion of said integral cutting structure being secured beneath said disc-like member in front of said opening in said disc-like member, said elongated upper portion of said integral cutting structure being secured to the top of said elevated portion of said disc-like member behind said opening near to the leading edge of said elevated portion of said disc-like member, said elongated upper portion of said cutting structure projecting forward generally horizontally beyond the leading edge of said elevated portion of the disc-like member, said cutting structure including a row of relatively closely spaced, small parallel blades integral with both said upper and lower portions of said cutting structure, said row of blades being located in said elongated opening, said small, parallel blades extending upwardly relative to said disc-like member as seen looking at said row of blades in front elevation, each of said blades being integrally joined to said upper portion of the cutting structure by an upper triangular gusset, each of said blades being integrally joined to said lower portion of the cutting structure by a lower triangular gusset, said upper and lower triangular gussets extending generally horizontally in opposite directions from the respective blades, the leading edges of the upper triangular gussets being sharpened for forming a series of horizontally aligned knife edges, the leading edges of the blades also being sharpened, for said upper triangular gussets to make clean horizontal cuts in food items and for said blades to make uniformly spaced upright cuts in the food items for forming cleanly, uniformly, and neatly cut julienne strips when said cutter tool is rotated at high speed by the drive means in the food processor.