Hand Operated Food Cutting Apparatus Having a Self-Stabilizing Pusher-Arm Mechanism and a Food-Stabilizing Pusher-Arm Mechanism for a Food Cutting Apparatus

1 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus for cutting a food product, comprising:

a chassis designed and configured to engage a supporting structure so that the thrust-type food product cutting apparatus is stable during a cutting operation;

a cutting thrust axis forming an angle of 0 ° to about 30 ° relative to vertical when said chassis is supported by the supporting structure;

a blade set fixed relative to said chassis, said blade set having:

a plurality of blades spaced to define a plurality of food openings for receiving therethrough during the cutting operation of the thrust-type food product cutting apparatus; and

a cutting edge side;

a pusher head movable relative to said blade set toward and away from said blade set on said cutting edge side;

a guide mechanism designed and configured to guide said pusher head along said cutting thrust axis during a cutting operation;

a handle mechanism coupled to said chassis and engaged with said pusher head, said handle mechanism designed and configured to:

provide a self-stable food loading position in which the pusher head is spaced from said blade set; and

allow a user to manually drive said pusher head from said self-stable food loading position along said cutting thrust axis toward said blade set with said guide mechanism guiding said pusher head along said cutting thrust axis.

2 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said handle mechanism includes a pusher arm having a handle and a fulcrum pivot, wherein said pusher head is rotatably secured to said pusher arm between said handle and said fulcrum pivot.

3 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said handle mechanism is designed and configured to allow the user to manually drive said pusher head from said self-stable food loading position by the user applying only a food-cutting force to said handle.

4 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said handle mechanism is designed and configured to allow the user to put said pusher head in said self-stable food loading position by the user applying only a pusher head retraction force to said handle.

5 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a chassis pivot fixed relative to said chassis and located below said fulcrum pivot when said chassis is engaged with the supporting structure, said handle mechanism further including a pivoting link coupling said fulcrum pivot of said pusher arm to said chassis pivot.

6 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said fulcrum pivot has a fulcrum pivot axis and said chassis pivot has a chassis pivot axis and when the user manually drives said pusher head from said self-stable food loading position toward said blade set said fulcrum pivot moves so that a line perpendicular to and connecting together said fulcrum pivot axis and said chassis pivot axis along said link moves from a negative angle relative to vertical to a positive angle relative to vertical.

7 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said handle mechanism includes a stop that limits said negative angle.

8 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said stop is present on said link and engages a part of said pusher arm to hold said pusher head in said self-stable food loading position when said line is at the negative angle relative to vertical.

9 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a retractable food stabilizer designed and configured to retractably disengage the food product as the user manually drives said pusher head from said self-stable food loading position toward said blade set using said handle mechanism.

10 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein said handle mechanism includes a pusher arm having a handle and a fulcrum pivot, wherein:

said pusher head is rotatably secured to said pusher arm between said handle and said fulcrum pivot; and

said retractable food stabilizer includes a food engaging structure secured to said pusher arm proximate to said fulcrum pivot.

11 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein said food engaging structure comprises a food-piercing member.

12 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when said handle mechanism is in said self-stable food loading position said pusher head is maximally spaced from said blade set.

13 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

said guide mechanism includes:

a food product guide fixed relative to said chassis, said food product guide having guide walls extending away from said blade set on said cutting edge side, said guide walls being parallel to said cutting thrust axis and defining a concave food product receiving region relative to said food product loading side; and

first and second slide rails attached to corresponding respective ones of said guide walls and each having longitudinal axes extending parallel to said cutting thrust axis;

the thrust-type food product cutting apparatus further comprises a pusher assembly movable relative to said chassis and having first and second slides slidably engaging corresponding respective ones of said first and second slide rails; and

said handle mechanism designed and configured to allow a user to manually drive said pusher assembly along said cutting thrust axis toward said blade set with said first and second slides sliding correspondingly respectively along said first and second slide rails so as to guide said pusher assembly along said cutting thrust axis.

14 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein said handle mechanism includes a pusher arm having a handle on said food product loading side and a fulcrum pivot, wherein said pusher assembly is rotatably secured to said pusher arm between said handle and said fulcrum pivot.

15 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein said guide walls are configured to form a V shape in a cross-section perpendicular to said cutting thrust axis.

16 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 13 , further comprising a food pusher secured to said pusher assembly, said food pusher having a shape conforming to said guide walls.

17 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein said pair of slide rails are lateral extensions of said food product guide walls.

18 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said chassis includes:

a set of horizontal-mounting features designed and configured to engage a horizontal mount and secure the thrust-type food product cutting apparatus to said horizontal mount so that said thrust axis has an operating orientation; and

a set of vertical-mounting features designed and configured to engage a vertical mount and secure the thrust-type food product cutting apparatus to said vertical mount so that said thrust axis has the operating orientation.

19 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein:

the horizontal mount and the vertical mount are the same mount having a set of universal mounting features; and

both said set of horizontal-mounting features and said set of vertical-mounting features are designed and configured to engage the set of universal mounting features.

20 . A thrust-type food product cutting apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein:

the horizontal mount and the vertical mount are separate devices having a set of common mounting features that are common as between the horizontal and vertical mounts; and

both said set of horizontal-mounting features and said set of vertical-mounting features are designed and configured to engage the set of common mounting features.