Patents by Inventor Brent L. Bucks

Brent L. Bucks has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230390956
    Abstract: A knife assembly includes a knife blade of which a front edge is a cutting edge, a holder for supporting the knife blade, a clamp for clamping the knife blade onto the holder, and a fastening mechanism for securing and clamping the knife blade between the clamp and the holder with the cutting edge protruding at a front side of the assembly. The holder has a frontal portion which is the foremost portion of the assembly at a bottom side of the knife blade and of which a foremost contact point is, in clamped state, in contact with a bottom side of the knife blade at a first distance from the cutting edge. The clamp includes front portions which protrude forward and into valleys of the knife blade and which have leading edges that protrude beyond said foremost contact point and create a crumple zone in front of the holder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2023
    Publication date: December 7, 2023
    Applicant: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks
  • Publication number: 20230278248
    Abstract: A cutting head for a centrifugal cutting apparatus includes a rim structure; and a plurality of cutting stations mounted onto the rim structure, each of said cutting stations comprising a cutting element for cutting food products at a leading end of the cutting station and an inner wall extending from the leading end to a trailing end and forming a product sliding surface, along which the food product slides between successive cuts. The cutting stations are assembled adjacent one another onto the rim structure in such a way that a gap is present between each pair of adjacent cutting stations through which a product slice exits the cutting head upon being cut. The cutting head also includes a gap setting mechanism for setting the radial size of the gap by adjusting the radial offset of the trailing end of the respective cutting station with respect to the rim structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2023
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Applicant: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks
  • Patent number: 11673286
    Abstract: A cutting head for a centrifugal cutting apparatus includes a rim structure; and a plurality of cutting stations which are mounted onto the rim structure, each of said cutting stations comprising a cutting element for cutting food products at a leading end of the cutting station and a product sliding surface between the leading end and a trailing end of the cutting station. The cutting stations are assembled adjacent one another onto the rim structure in such a way that a gap is present between each pair of adjacent cutting stations through which a product slice exits the cutting head upon being cut by one of the cutting elements. The product sliding surface has a first wall curvature on a front part and deviates from the first wall curvature on a rear part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks
  • Publication number: 20220152859
    Abstract: A cutting head for a centrifugal cutting apparatus includes a rim structure; and a plurality of cutting stations which are mounted onto the rim structure, each of said cutting stations comprising a cutting element for cutting food products at a leading end of the cutting station and a product sliding surface between the leading end and a trailing end of the cutting station. The cutting stations are assembled adjacent one another onto the rim structure in such a way that a gap is present between each pair of adjacent cutting stations through which a product slice exits the cutting head upon being cut by one of the cutting elements. The product sliding surface has a first wall curvature on a front part and deviates from the first wall curvature on a rear part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2022
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Applicant: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks
  • Publication number: 20220111454
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a reciprocating saw blade includes forming a body with a shank end configured to secure the blade with a reciprocating saw, a plunging end configured to enter a workpiece, and a cutting edge and opposite back edge extending between the shank end and the plunging end. The cutting edge is formed to include a plurality of teeth arranged in a repeating pattern that includes left set teeth and right set teeth, the plurality of additional teeth being substantially the same size as each other and as the third tooth, wherein the plurality of additional gullets are substantially the same size as each other, and wherein the enlarged first gullet is longer in an axial direction than each of the plurality of additional gullets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Publication date: April 14, 2022
    Inventors: Brent L. Bucks, Jeremy A. Lowder
  • Patent number: 11273571
    Abstract: Cutting head assembly for a centrifugal cutting apparatus, comprising a plurality of drum stations, at least one of which is a cutting station, provided for together forming a drum, and fixing parts provided for assembling and holding the drum stations together. The drum stations have overlapping parts with each time at least one receiving part for receiving one of the fixing parts, such that in assembled condition the adjacent drum stations are each time fixed to each other by means of at least one of the fixing parts at the overlapping parts of the adjacent drum stations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks
  • Patent number: 11241748
    Abstract: A reciprocating saw blade includes a body formed from a piece of coil stock. The body has a shank end configured to secure the blade with a reciprocating saw, a plunging end configured to enter a workpiece, and a cutting edge and opposite back edge extending between the shank end and the plunging end. The cutting edge has a plurality of teeth arranged in a pattern that includes left and right set teeth. A plurality of gullets is disposed between adjacent teeth. Each of the teeth and the gullets has substantially the same size, except that the first and third consecutive teeth immediately adjacent the plunging end have been flattened to be unset, and at least a portion of the second consecutive tooth has been removed to form an enlarged gullet between the first and third teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Black & Decker Inc.
    Inventors: Brent L. Bucks, Jeremy A. Lowder
  • Patent number: 11186005
    Abstract: Impeller for a centrifugal food cutting apparatus, comprising a base plate and at least one set of paddle parts mounted on the base plate and provided for imparting centrifugal force to food products to be cut. Each set comprises inner and outer paddle parts defining at least a first stage and a second, cutting stage, the inner and outer paddle parts being offset from each other in radial and angular direction of the impeller, such that a safe compartment is defined for food product which is in the second stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks
  • Publication number: 20200353637
    Abstract: Cutting head assembly for a centrifugal cutting apparatus, comprising a plurality of drum stations, at least one of which is a cutting station, provided for together forming a drum, and fixing parts provided for assembling and holding the drum stations together. The drum stations have overlapping parts with each time at least one receiving part for receiving one of the fixing parts, such that in assembled condition the adjacent drum stations are each time fixed to each other by means of at least one of the fixing parts at the overlapping parts of the adjacent drum stations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Applicant: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks
  • Publication number: 20200290140
    Abstract: A reciprocating saw blade includes a body formed from a piece of coil stock. The body has a shank end configured to secure the blade with a reciprocating saw, a plunging end configured to enter a workpiece, and a cutting edge and opposite back edge extending between the shank end and the plunging end. The cutting edge has a plurality of teeth arranged in a pattern that includes left and right set teeth. A plurality of gullets is disposed between adjacent teeth. Each of the teeth and the gullets has substantially the same size, except that the first and third consecutive teeth immediately adjacent the plunging end have been flattened to be unset, and at least a portion of the second consecutive tooth has been removed to form an enlarged gullet between the first and third teeth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Inventors: Brent L. Bucks, Jeremy A. Lowder
  • Publication number: 20200246995
    Abstract: Cutting head assembly for a centrifugal cutting apparatus, comprising a plurality of drum stations, at least one of which is a cutting station, provided for together forming a drum, and fixing parts provided for assembling and holding the drum stations together. The drum stations have overlapping parts with each time at least one receiving part for receiving one of the fixing parts, such that in assembled condition the adjacent drum stations are each time fixed to each other by means of at least one of the fixing parts at the overlapping parts of the adjacent drum stations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Applicant: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks
  • Patent number: 10702934
    Abstract: A reciprocating saw blade includes a body formed from a piece of coil stock. The body has a shank end configured to secure the blade with a reciprocating saw, a plunging end configured to enter a workpiece, and a cutting edge and opposite back edge extending between the shank end and the plunging end. The cutting edge has a plurality of teeth arranged in a pattern that includes left and right set teeth. A plurality of gullets is disposed between adjacent teeth. Each of the teeth and the gullets has substantially the same size, except that the first and third consecutive teeth immediately adjacent the plunging end have been flattened to be unset, and at least a portion of the second consecutive tooth has been removed to form an enlarged gullet between the first and third teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Black & Decker Inc.
    Inventors: Brent L. Bucks, Jeremy A. Lowder
  • Patent number: 10427314
    Abstract: Apparatus for cutting products, comprising: a base; a cutting head with at least one cutting element along the circumference of the cutting head for cutting products fed into the cutting head, the cutting head being rotatably fitted to the base; an impeller adapted for rotating concentrically within the cutting head to urge products fed into the cutting head towards the circumference of the cutting head by means of centrifugal force; a first drive mechanism for driving the rotation of the impeller at a first rotational speed setting the centrifugal force; and a second drive mechanism for driving the rotation of the cutting head at a second rotational speed, determined such with respect to the first rotational speed that the product is cut by the at least one cutting element at a predetermined cutting velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks
  • Publication number: 20190232514
    Abstract: Impeller for a centrifugal food cutting apparatus, comprising a base plate and at least one set of paddle parts mounted on the base plate and provided for imparting centrifugal force to food products to be cut. Each set comprises inner and outer paddle parts defining at least a first stage and a second, cutting stage, the inner and outer paddle parts being offset from each other in radial and angular direction of the impeller, such that a safe compartment is defined for food product which is in the second stage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2019
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Inventor: BRENT L. BUCKS
  • Patent number: 10293505
    Abstract: Cutting head assembly for a centrifugal cutting apparatus, comprising a plurality of drum stations, at least one of which is a cutting station, provided for together forming a drum, and fixing parts provided for assembling and holding the drum stations together. The drum stations have overlapping parts with each time at least one receiving part for receiving one of the fixing parts, such that in assembled condition the adjacent drum stations are each time fixed to each other by means of at least one of the fixing parts at the overlapping parts of the adjacent drum stations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks
  • Patent number: 10265877
    Abstract: Impeller for a centrifugal food cutting apparatus, comprising a base plate and at least one set of paddle parts mounted on the base plate and provided for imparting centrifugal force to food products to be cut. Each set comprises inner and outer paddle parts defining at least a first stage and a second, cutting stage, the inner and outer paddle parts being offset from each other in radial and angular direction of the impeller, such that a safe compartment is defined for food product which is in the second stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks
  • Patent number: 10213935
    Abstract: Apparatus for cutting products, comprising: a base; a cutting head rotatably fitted to the base; an impeller adapted for rotating concentrically within the cutting head to urge products fed into the cutting head towards the circumference of the cutting head by means of centrifugal force; an impeller drive mechanism for driving the rotation of the impeller at an impeller rotational speed setting the centrifugal force; and a cutting head drive mechanism for driving the rotation of the cutting head at a cutting head rotational speed which is greater than the impeller rotational speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks
  • Patent number: 9855668
    Abstract: A system comprising a plurality of apparatuses for cutting products, comprising: a base; a cutting head with at least one cutting element along the circumference of the cutting head for cutting products fed into the cutting head, the cutting head being rotatably fitted to the base; an impeller adapted for rotating concentrically within the cutting head to urge products fed into the cutting head towards the circumference of the cutting head by means of centrifugal force; a first drive mechanism for driving the rotation of the impeller at a first rotational speed setting the centrifugal force; and a second drive mechanism for driving the rotation of the cutting head at a second rotational speed, determined such with respect to the first rotational speed that the product is cut by the at least one cutting element at a predetermined cutting velocity; and a controller for controlling said apparatuses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks
  • Patent number: 9643332
    Abstract: Apparatus for cutting products, comprising: a base; a cutting head rotatably fitted to the base; an impeller adapted for rotating concentrically within the cutting head to urge products fed into the cutting head towards the circumference of the cutting head by means of centrifugal force; an impeller drive mechanism for driving the rotation of the impeller at an impeller rotational speed setting the centrifugal force; and a cutting head drive mechanism for driving the rotation of the cutting head at a cutting head rotational speed which is greater than the impeller rotational speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks
  • Patent number: D793158
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: FAM
    Inventor: Brent L. Bucks