Unitary tray and blade guide mount for a food processing machine

Abstract

A unitary tray and blade guide frame including longitudinal members extending from rigid, integral attachment with a back tray. An end frame member transversely, rigidly mounts to the longitudinal frame members and the back tray. A blade guide mounts to the back tray, with its upper surface flush with the upper surface of the back tray. A thickness tray slidably mounts in slots formed in the longitudinal frame members. An adjustment mechanism adjusts the position of the thickness tray. A food product workpiece extends downwardly from a reciprocatably displaceable workpiece retaining carriage, and rests on the upper surface of the thickness tray. The carriage advances the workpiece into a blade, which removes a slice from the workpiece. The lower surface of the remaining workpiece slides against the upper surface of the blade guide and the back tray. A coupling for drivingly linking a rotary motor driveshaft with a driven pulley, including a pair of feet extending perpendicularly from, and on opposite sides of, the driveshaft. The feet extend into a gap between a pair of fingers extending perpendicularly from the face of the pulley. The fingers are equidistantly spaced on opposite sides of the axis of rotation of the pulley. Elastic bushings are mounted to the feet, and rollers are rotatably mounted to the fingers. Rotation of the driveshaft abuts the feet against the fingers, exerting a force on the fingers which rotatingly drives the pulley.