US5343623A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Knife assembly for cutting a food product
Assignee: Urschel Laboratories Inc
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Filing: 1992-05-11
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Granted: 1994-09-06
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Expires: 2012-05-11
Abstract
Abstract A knife blade and knife blade assembly are disclosed for cutting food products into sticks or slices without causing surface cracking. The knife blade has a cutting portion defining a cutting edge and is mounted in the knife assembly such that a tension force is exerted on the knife blade in the plane of the cutting edge. The cutting edge of the knife blade is not sharp, but is generally flat and extends between parallel sides of the knife blade. The individual knife blades are formed of stainless steel and are electro-polished to remove any surface defects or sharp edges which may produce stress concentrations. This enables a significant tension force to be applied to the knife blade without diminishing its useful life. The electro-polishing process may also round off the corners of the juncture between the flat cutting edge and the parallel knife blade sides.
Inventors
- 👤 Eugene H. Cole
- 👤 Charles Rowell
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 18:16
CPC Classifications
B; B26; B26D; B26D1/00; B26D1/0006; B26D1/01; B26D1/46; B26D1/48; B26D3/00; B26D3/18; B26D3/185; B26D2001/002; B26D2001/006; B26D2001/0086; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T83/00; Y10T83/748; Y10T83/7593; Y10T83/7607
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
47 words
A knife blade for a knife assembly to cut food products comprising: a) a cutting portion having a cutting edge extending in a plane; and, b) mounting portions defining means for applying a tension force to the knife blade substantially in the plane of the cutting edge.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
47 words
A knife blade for a knife assembly to cut food products comprising: a) a cutting portion having a cutting edge extending in a plane; and, b) mounting portions defining means for applying a tension force to the knife blade substantially in the plane of the cutting edge.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
The knife blade of claim 1 wherein the means for applying a tension force comprises holes defined by the mounting portions, the centers of the holes lying substantially in the plane of the cutting edge.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
The knife blade of claim 1 wherein the cutting edge is generally semicircular in cross-sectional configuration.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The knife blade of claim 1 wherein the cutting edge is generally flat in configuration.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
The knife blade of claim 1 wherein the thickness of the cutting portion is less than 0.015 inches.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
The knife blade of claim 5 wherein the thickness of the cutting portion is between 0.005 and 0.010 inches.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
The knife blade of claim 6 wherein the thickness of the cutting portion is approximately 0.008 inches.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The knife blade of claim 1 wherein at least the cutting portion is formed of stainless steel having a tensile strength of approximately 330,000 psi.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
The knife blade of claim 8 wherein the stainless steel has a yield strength approximately equal to its tensile strength.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
64 words
A knife blade assembly for cutting a food product comprising: a) at least one knife blade having a cutting edge extending in a plane; b) mounting means attached to the at least one knife blade; and, c) tension means operatively associated with the mounting means to apply a tension to the at least one knife blade substantially in the plane of the cutting edge.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
64 words
A knife blade assembly for cutting a food product comprising: a) at least one knife blade having a cutting edge extending in a plane; b) mounting means attached to the at least one knife blade; and, c) tension means operatively associated with the mounting means to apply a tension to the at least one knife blade substantially in the plane of the cutting edge.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
The knife blade assembly of claim 10 wherein the cutting edge is generally semi-circular in cross-sectional configuration.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
16 words
The knife blade assembly of claim 10 wherein the cutting edge is generally flat in configuration.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
22 words
The knife blade assembly of claim 10 wherein the thickness of the at least one knife blade is less than 0.015 inches.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
23 words
The knife blade assembly of claim 13 wherein the thickness of the at least one knife blade is between 0.005 and 0.010 inches.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
The knife blade assembly of claim 14 wherein the thickness of the at least one knife blade is approximately 0.008 inches.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
63 words
The knife blade assembly of claim 10 wherein the at least one knife blade has opposite ends and wherein the mounting means comprises: a) first and second mounting members; and, b) attachment means to attach the first and second mounting members to opposite ends of the at least one knife blade, the attachment means located substantially in the plane of the cutting edge.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
73 words
The knife blade assembly of claim 16 where in the attachment means comprises: a) first and second holes defined by opposite end portions of the at least one knife blade having centers lying substantially in the plane of the cutting edge; and, b) fastening means extending through the first and second holes so as to attach opposite ends of the at least one knife blade to the first and second mounting members, respectively.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
75 words
The knife blade assembly of claim 16 wherein the tension means comprises: a) first means operatively associated with the first mounting member to hold the first mounting member substantially stationary; and, b) second means operatively associated with the second mounting member to move the second mounting member away from the first mounting member so as to apply a tension force on the at least one knife blade substantially in the plane of the cutting edge.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
31 words
The knife blade assembly of claim 18 wherein the first means comprises: a) a stationary member; and, b) second attachment means to attach the stationary member to the first mounting member.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
77 words
The knife blade assembly of claim 18 wherein the second means comprises: a) a tension member; b) third attachment means to attach the tension member to the second mounting member; and, c) movement means operatively interposed between the tension member and the stationary member to move the tension member with respect to the stationary member so as to apply a tension force to the at least one knife blade substantially in the plane of the cutting edge.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-09-05 | 1998-03-07 | 1998-09-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-09-05 | 2002-03-07 | 2002-09-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-09-05 | 2006-03-07 | 2006-09-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |