Method for pitting and slicing olives with spring-loaded, adjustable slicing knife assembly

Abstract

A method and apparatus for pitting olives (or other fruit) and slicing the pitted fruit. In preferred embodiments, a pitting knife and a coring knife horizontally translate each olive to be pitted while the pitting knife, coring knife, and olive revolve together about a horizontal axis, the pitting knife pushes out the pit horizontally as the olive and cup translate along a segment of a circular first path around the axis, the apparatus includes slicing pockets (in positions horizontally separated from the first path) which translate along a circular second path parallel to the first path, after pitting, a pitting knife pulls the pitted olive horizontally away from the first path and into one of the pockets, and the pitted olive in the pocket is sliced by slicing knives as the pitted olive and pocket translate around the axis along a segment of the second path into engagement with the slicing knives. Preferably, the slicing knives are pivotably mounted to a fixedly mounted knife holder, the knife holder allows convenient adjustment of the slicing knives' orientation such as by advancing and/or retracting an easily-accessible adjustment screw, and the slicing knives are spring-biased by the knife holder in a first orientation relative to each object to be sliced so that the slicing knives can temporarily pivot away from debris that translates into engagement therewith and spring back into the first orientation.