Premark Feg L.l.c.

James Alan Shirk

Richard C Watson

Joseph C Huang

Shahram Shariff

Richard P Scherch

Timothy Allen Schrand

Danny J Mitchell

Jeff Frock

Michael W Johnson

Mark Andrew Kovacs

James Franz Yoder

Front face of a slicer

Base for a reciprocating food slicer

A food product slicer comprises a housing having a bilevel profile which includes a raised portion having a first aperture therein and a horizontal planar portion having a second aperture therein; a slicing blade mounted for rotation on a drive shaft extending through the first aperture; a compartment on the bottom side of the housing defined by a wall member; a scale including a platter, mounted on a post extending through the second aperture; a load cell mounted in the compartment and engaging the post extending through the second aperture; and an electronic control for operating the scale and slicer, mounted in the housing outside of the compartment. The platter is located below the slicing blade such that the food product sliced by the slicing blade is deposited on the platter, and the post is mounted to the center of the platter, such that a food product portion deposited on the platter will measure substantially the same weight on each corner of the platter. The invention also comprises a display, electrically coupled to the scale, for providing a readout of the weight of the food product portion deposited on the scale. The display is oriented for viewing by at least one person other than the operator, i.e., the customer. Therefore, the centered mounting of the platter to the post and the orientation of the display both facilitate the scale as being certifiable as 'Legal for Trade.'

Food product slicing machine incorporating a scale

A food product slicing machine includes a coupling and associated interlock mechanism for connecting and disconnecting a carriage arm of the food slicing machine to and from a reciprocating carriage base mounted to the housing of the machine. The coupling includes a cylindrical mounting head which is rotatably mounted in the carriage base by a bracket. The mounting head contains a slot for slidably receiving a foot of the carriage arm, and the bracket also contains a slot with which the mounting head slot can be aligned through rotation of the mounting head within the bracket. The mounting head slot and bracket slot must be aligned in order to attach or remove the carriage arm's foot to or from the carriage base. The interlock mechanism is provided to prohibit the alignment of the slots when the gauge plate of the slicing machine is not in a safe position. Accordingly, the carriage arm may not be removed from the carriage base when the gauge plate is not in the safe position.

Food product slicer having an interlock mechanism

Base for reciprocating food slicer

Growing community of inventors

Union, OH, United States of America

James Alan Shirk