WO2003045211A1

WO2003045211A1 - Cutting device

Info

Publication number: WO2003045211A1
Application number: PCT/NZ2002/000260
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kenneth Rennie Burton
Original assignee: Kenneth Rennie Burton
Priority date: 2001-11-26
Filing date: 2002-11-26
Publication date: 2003-06-05
Also published as: AU2002353677A1

Abstract

A cutting device 1, comprises a base member 2 for supporting an object to be cut, and a connecting device 4 connected to the base member 2 and protruding above a working surface 5 of the base member 2, for pivotally connecting a suitably adapted tip end portion of a blade of a cutting knife thereto such that the blade can be pivoted in a plane substantially perpendicular to a plane of the working surface 5 and substantially centrally over the working surface 5 by holding and moving a handle of the cutting knife.

Description

CUTTING DEVICE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to cutting device. For convenience only, the present invention will be predominantly described as a cutting device for cutting foodstuffs such as pumpkin, cheese and other foods which requires extra force to cut. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited as such. Moreover, because the invention may have many other applications, the prior art and possible applications of the invention discussed below are given by way of example only.

BACKGROUND ART

When cutting a solid type foodstuff such as pumpkin, hard cheese and the like with a cutting knife, a considerable force is usually required to cut through the object. Moreover, in the case of pumpkin, often the person cutting the pumpkin does not have sufficient strength to simply press the knife to cut through the hard skin, and may need to strike a heavy blade knife againStithe skin to cut through. Since in striking the skin the blade, is poorly ■ controlled, . and imoreover considerable effort is required to continue with the cutting, this can lead to accidents,, and to imperfect cutting, and increases the workload on persons such as housewives and the elderly i ■ '< ^■■■

Moreover especially for the elderly, it may not even be possible to cut objects such as pumpkin, hard cheese and the like.

Furthermore, when thinly slicing both solid and soft foodstuff, it is difficult to control the' blade of the cutting knife to obtain _'neat uniform slicing of the foodstuff.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

It is ah object of the- pϊrέsenf iftve'ήύ'ori to 'address^' the above problems with cόriventidn l n ethdds!"and de ϊ&e's fbr'cUrting'όbjycts's ch as' sόlitf arid soft type foodstuff,

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According to a first aspect, of the present invention there is provided a cutting device comprising; a base member for supporting an object to be cut, and a connecting device connected to said base member and protruding above a working surface of said base member, for pivotally connecting a suitably adapted tip end portion of a blade of a cutting knife thereto, such that said blade can be pivoted in a plane substantially perpendicular to a plane of said working surface and substantially centrally over said working surface.

Moreover, the cutting device may also incorporate the cutting blade with the suitably adapted tip end portion for pivotally connecting to the connecting means.

By providing connecting means for pivotally connecting the suitably adapted tip end portion of the cutting blade to the base member, a leverage force can be produced, so that a greater cutting force can be applied to the object being cut. Hence a solid object such as a pumpkin can be easily cut even by an elderly person.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a cutting device substantially as described above wherein there is further provided blade support means for supporting the blade of a cutting knife in a plane of the blade, when said blade is connected to said base member by said connection means.

By providing a blade support device, the blade can be supported in the plane of the blade when cutting, thus ensuring the blade does not tilt when cutting, hence enabling neat uniform slicing, minimizing cutting force, and ensuring even safer cutting conditions.

The said blade support means may comprise walls defining a slot, for accommodating a blade tip therebetween, said walls being aligned substantially perpendicular to said working surface.

By providing a slot for accommodating the blade tip, the blade tip can be easily inserted therein with the walls also serving as a guide for facilitating insertion of the blade into position.

The connecting means may comprise any suitable means whereby the tip end of the cutting blade can be pivotally connected to the base member, and retained when a force is applied to the blade for a cutting operation.

For example this may comprise a permanent pivotal connection, such as with a link member connecting between the tip of the blade and the base with a pin passing through an aperture in the blade. Moreover, the construction may be such that the connecting means comprises detachable connecting means whereby the cutting knife can be attached or detached to the base member at the tip by hand. For example not requiring tools for connection and detachment. By having the detachable connecting means for detachably connecting the blade, the blade can be removed from the base member after use, and used for other cutting operations, or safely stored. Moreover, being able to remove the blade facilitates cleaning of the cutting device.

For example the detachable connecting means may comprise base member engaging means for detachably engaging with a blade tip region engaging means.

The blade tip region engaging means may comprise a protruding portion or a recess (either closed or as a hole), while the base member engaging means may comprise a corresponding recess or a protruding portion, the protruding portion and recess being formed on the top of the blade or on the side of the blade, for engaging with the corresponding protruding portion or recess on the base member, depending on design and requirements.

With such a construction, the blade tip region can be pivotally connected to the base member by engaging the protrusion or recess thereon or therein with the corresponding protrusion or recess on or in the connecting member, and can then be pivoted thereabout, to cut an obj ect placed on the .working surface.

In the case where the protruding portion or recess are formed on or in the side of the blade tip region, the construction may be such that an aperture or a protrusion is formed in or on the wall or .walls of the blade support means.

For example with this construction, the protrusion may constitute a pin and the recess may constitute a hole formed in the blade, the construction being such that when the blade tip is positioned between the walls, the pin can be inserted from the side through the hole in the blade and then through a corresponding hole on the other side. In such a case, the pin may be held in place by a suitable device which can be operated by hand, for example involving. a> thread, friction or a clip.

Moreover, the construction may be such that the protrusion is provided on the blade, and the aperture is provided in the wall or walls with an access slot to allow insertion, of the protrusion into the aperture via the access slot when the blade is inserted between the walls. In this case, the aperture may comprise an elongate retaining section with an entrance of the, access slot to the retaining section suitably inclined thereto such that after insertion via the access slot, the protrusion is retained therein during a cutting operation. With this arrangement, once the protrusion, on the blade tip region has been inserted into the retaining section via the access slot, the blade tip is retained by the protrusion seated in the retaining section, while being pivoted for cutting. Then to remove the blade, the blade can be tilted upwards and pulled back so as to come out of the retaining section when the protrusion aligns with the access slot.

It is generally envisaged that the entrance of the access slot to the retaining section would be positioned away from the top of the retaining section to thereby ensure that the blade is locked in position during use. , Furthermore, it may be desirable to position this away from the bottom of the retaining section for improved operation.

The working surface of the base member may comprise any suitable surface whereby the object to be cut can be stably supported during a cutting operation. Preferably a rim is formed at least on either side of the working surface . Moreover, the working surface may be formed with a recess in the vicinity of a cutting region.

By having a recess in the vicinity of the cutting region, the blade can be cut cleanly through the object supported on the working surface, and finish with the blade edge accommodated in the recess.

Moreover, the base member may be formed with a cutting knife retaining portion for retaining the knife on completion of cutting. This may involve a rib at an end of the recess to limit movement of the blade. Having a rib at the end of the recess may help prevent the cutting knife from becoming detached from the connecting device, for example if the cutting device is bumped when not being used. For this be effective the dimensions of the blade must be appropriate.

Furthermore the base surface may be provided with spikes for holding the item being cut in position.

Moreover, a hand grip portion may be provided on the base member for holding the base member by hand during cutting. The handgrip portion may for example constitute part of the connecting device.

According to another aspect of the present invention the construction may be such that the base member and the connecting device are integrally formed.

The base member of the cutting device may be formed from any suitable material.

For example this may be made from a cast aluminum, or may be molded from a resin material such as a polycarbonate, and iriay be fitted with inserts, for example at the pivot connecting portion as required or desired. According to yet another aspect of the present invention, in the case where the working surface of the cutting device is formed with the recess in the vicinity of the cutting region, there may be further provided a removable adapting member comprising a substantially flat working surface, and a channel section formed substantially central to said working surface, and adapted for inserting in the recess.

By providing the removable adapting member, the width of the recess can be made narrower. This may be advantageous in the case of cutting softer foodstuffs which may be difficult to cut neatly and uniformly with the wider recess.

Moreover the present invention relates to a cutting knife for any of the abovementioned cutting devices, comprising means for pivotally connecting a tip end of a blade of said cutting knife to the base member.

Furthermore the present invention relates to a method of cutting objects comprising the steps of;

providing a pivotal connection' device on the end of a cutting blade,

connecting said pivotal connection device to a corresponding connecting device suitably provided on a base member such that^' said' blade¹ can be pivoted in a plane substantially perpendicular to a plane of a working surface of said base member and substantially centrally over said working surface^

placing an object to be cut on said working surface, and

pivotally moving said blade down onto said object about said pivotal connection to cut said object.

. . The present invention may also broadly be said to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in, the specification of the application, individually or collectively, arid any or all coftibinatiόns of any two or more of the parts, elements or features, and where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which this invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawing in which; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cutting device of FIG. 1 with a cutting knife fitted thereto.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cutting device fitted with a removable adapting member.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the removable adapting member showing the underside thereof.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the figures.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a cutting device according to an embodiment of the present invention generally denoted by arrow 1, comprises a base member 2 for supporting an object to be cut, and a connecting device generally denoted by arrow 4 connected to the base member 2 and protruding above a working surface 5 of the base member 2, for pivotally connecting a suitably adapted tip end portion 6 (FIG. 2) of a blade 7 of a cutting knife 8 thereto such that the blade 7 can be pivoted in a plane substantially perpendicular to a plane of the working surface 5 and substantially centrally over the working surface 5 by holding and moving a handle 9 of the cutting knife 8.

By providing the connecting device 4 for pivotally connecting the suitably adapted tip end portion 6 of the cutting blade 7 to the base member 2, a leverage force can be produced, so that a greater cutting force can be applied to the object being cut. Hence a solid object such as a pumpkin can be easily cut even by an elderly person.

As shown in the figures, the connecting device 4 comprises a blade support device in the form of walls members 10 and 11 which define a slot 12, for accommodating the blade tip 6 therebetween, the walls 10 and 11 being aligned substantially perpendicular to the plane of the working surface 5.

By providing the blade support device wall members 10 and 11, the blade 7 can be supported in the plane of the blade 7 (vertical plane) when cutting, thus ensuring the blade 7 does not tilt when cutting, hence enabling neat uniform slicing while minimizing cutting force, and ensuring even safer cutting conditions. i Moreover by providing the slot 12 for accommodating the blade tip 6, the blade tip 6 can be easily inserted therein with the walls 10 and 11 also serving as a guide for facilitating insertion of the blade 7 into position.

In this embodiment, the connepting device 4 is a detachable connecting device enabling the cutting knife 8 to be attached or detached to the base member 2 at the tip 6 by hand. The connecting device 4 comprises a base member engaging device in the form of an elongate aperture 18 formed in the walls 10 and 11, for detachably engaging with a blade tip region engaging device in the form of a pin 20 (FIG. 2) which has been threaded in place in a hole drilled in the blade tip region 6. The elongate aperture 18 is provided with an access slot 22 to allow insertion of the pin 20 into the elongate aperture 18. With this arrangement, the tip end 6 of the cutting blade 7 can be pivotally connected to the base member 2, and retained when the handle 9 of the cutting knife 8 is gripped to apply a force to the blade 7 for a cutting operation.

As shown in the figures, the access slot 22 is suitably inclined to the elongate aperture 18 such that after insertion via the access slot 22, the pin 20 is retained therein during a cutting operation. In this embodiment the axis of the elongate aperture 18 is disposed substantially vertically and that of the access slot 22 is inclined upwards therefrom at approximately 60 degrees to the horizontal! Moreover an entrance 24 (FIG. 2) of the access slot 22 to the elongate aperture 18 is positioned slightly downward from the top of the elongate aperture 18 to ensure that the blade 7 is locked in position during use. Furthermore, the entrance 24 of the access slot 22 is positioned upward from the bottom of the elongate aperture 18. The dimensions of this arrangement, to ensure security of attachment and ease of insertion and removal, are determined by trial and error.

With this arrangement for the connecting device 4, once the pin 20 on the blade tip 6 region has been inserted into the elongate aperture 18 via the access slot 22, the blade tip 6 is retained by the pin 20 seated in the elongate aperture 18, while being pivoted for cutting. Then to remove the blade tip 6, the blade 7 can be tilted upwards and pulled back by the handle 9 so as to come out of the elongate aperture 18 when the pin 20 aligns with the access' slot 22.

With this embodiment, the base member 2 is formed with a rim 25 surrounding the working surface 5. Moreover, the working surface 5 is formed with a wedge shaped recess 26 in the center region, being the cutting region.

By having the recess 26 in the vicinity of the cutting region, the blade 7 can be cut cleanly through the object supported on the working surface 5, and finish in a position with the blade edge accommodated in the recess 26 as shown in FIG. 2. For the dimensions of the recess 26, the wedge is made wide enough to allow for ease of cutting, and yet ensure there is adequate support for the object being cut. In this embodiment, this is an angle of approximately 24 degrees, and the depth of the recess 26 at the deep end (the blade handle 9 end) is approximately 20 mm below the working surface 5.

Moreover, the base member 2 is formed with a cutting knife retaining portion for retaining the knife on completion of cutting. This involves a rib 28 constituting a part of the rim 25 at an end of the recess 26, to limit movement of the blade 7. Having the rib 28 at the end of the recess 26 helps to prevent the cutting knife 8 from becoming detached from the connecting device 4, for example if the cutting device 1 is bumped when not being used. As shown in FIG. 2, the dimensions of the blade 7 and the base member 2 are such that the blade 7 fits snuggly in the lengthwise direction thereof in the recess 26.

Furthermore the working surface 5 is provided with several rows of spikes 29 for holding the item being cut, in position.

Moreover, a hand grip portion 30 is provided on the base member 2 for holding the base member 2 by hand during cutting. Here one part of the handgrip portion 30 constitutes part of the connecting device 4, thus providing a rigid support for the connecting device 4.

The base member 2 is also provided with four foot pads 31 suitably positioned and attached to the base member 2.

In this embodiment the base member 2 and the connecting device 4 thereof are integrally formed by casting the base riiember 2 from aluminum. Alternatively this may be molded from a resin material such as a polycarbonate, and may be fitted with inserts, for example at the pivot connecting portion 4 as required or desired.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 illustrate a removable adapting member generally denoted by arrow 32 for the cutting device 1, FIG. 3 being a perspective view of the cutting device 1 fitted with the removable adapting member 32, and FIG. 4 being a perspective view of the removable adapting member 32 showing the underside thereof. In FIG. 3 the cutting device 1 is the same as in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, and hence reference symbols for unrelated parts are omitted.

Here the removable adapting member 32 is molded from a durable plastics material, and comprises a substantially fiat secondary working surface 34, and a channel section 36 formed substantially central to the secondary working surface 34, and adapted for inserting in the recess 26 of the working surface 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, the underside of the removable adapting member 32 is formed with ribs 38 for supporting the channel section 36, and for ensuring that the removable adapting member 32 fits snuggly in the recess 26. As such, the length of the ribs 38 reduces from one end to the other end of the channel section 36, corresponding to the wedge shape of the recess 26. Moreover, protruding spacers 40 in the form of short hollow columns are formed over the underside of the removable adapting member 32 and spacing ribs 42 are provided around the periphery, to provide support for the secondary working surface 34.

By providing the removable adapting member 32, the width of the recess 26 can be made narrower. This may be advantageous in the case of cutting softer foodstuffs which may be difficult to cut neatly and uniformly with the wider recess 26.

A method of cutting objects using the cutting device 1 involves firstly connecting the blade tip 6 of the cutting blade 7 to the connecting device 4 by inserting the blade tip 6 into the slot 12 so that the pin 20 enters into the elongate aperture 18 via the access slot 22. In this condition the cutting blade 7 can be pivoted in a plane substantially perpendicular to a plane of the working surface 5 and substantially centrally over the working surface 5. Next an object to be cut is placed on the working surface 5, and secured in position by the spikes 29. The blade 7 is then pivotally moved down onto the object, about the pin 20 to cut the object.

Moreover, in the case of cutting soft foodstuff, where the width of the recess 26 is too wide to enable neat uniform slicing, the removable adapting member 32 is first fitted to the cutting device 1 as shown in FIG. 3, with the channel section 36 inserted in the recess 26 of the working surface 5. Fitting the blade 7 and the subsequent operations are the same as described' above.

While the invention has been specifically described with respect to the embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, and various other configurations are also possible.

For example the connecting device is not limited to one enabling releasable pivotal connection of the blade tip region, and the invention also includes a cutting device where the blade is permanently or semi-permanently connected to the base member. Moreover in the embodiment the detachable connecting device comprises a pin secured to the blade and the elongate aperture for accommodating the pin. However the invention is not limited to this arrangement, and any suitable configuration is possible whereby the blade can be attached or detached to the base member at the tip by hand.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The invention is considered to have the following advantages which give industrial applicability, however it should be appreciated that all such advantages may not be realised on all embodiments of the invention and the following list is given by way of example only as being indicative of potential advantages of the present invention.

Furthermore it is not intended that the advantages of the present invention be restricted to those of the list which follows:

1. The cutting device of the invention enables a greater force to be exerted on an object being cut due to the lever effect, so that even an elderly person can safely cut through an object such as a pumpkin. Moreover the general workload on persons such as housewives and the elderly can be reduced.

2. By providing the support device such as the walls on either side of the blade tip, improved cutting and safety is achieved.

3. By having the detachable connecting device for detachably connecting the blade, the blade can be removed from the base member after use, and used for other cutting operations, or safely stored. Moreover, being able to remove the blade facilitates cleaning of the cutting device.

4. By providing the removable adapting member, the width of the recess can be made narrower, which may be advantageous in the case of cutting softer foodstuffs which inay be difficult to cut neatly and uniformly with the wider recess.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cutting device comprising;

a base member for supporting an object to be cut, and

connecting means connected to said base member and protruding above a working surface of said base member, for pivotally connecting a suitably adapted tip end portion of a blade of a cutting knife thereto, such that said blade can be pivoted in a plane substantially perpendicular to a plane of said working surface and substantially centrally over said working surface.

2. A cutting device according to claim 1, wherein said connecting means comprises blade support means for supporting the blade of a cutting knife in a plane of the blade, when said blade is connected to said base member by said connecting means.

3. A cutting device according to claim 2, wherein said blade support means comprises walls defining a slot, for accommodating a blade tip therebetween, said walls being aligned substantially perpendicular to the plane of said working surface.

4. A cutting device according to any one of claim 1 through claim 3, wherein said connecting means comprises detachable connecting means whereby the cutting knife can be attached or detached to the base member at the tip by hand.

5. A cutting device according to claim 4, wherein said detachable connecting means comprises base member engaging means for detachably engaging with a blade tip region engaging means.

6: A cutting device according to claim 5, wherein said blade tip region engaging n eans comprises a pin secured to said blade so as to protrude to the side thereof, and said base member engaging means comprises an elongate retaining section with an access slot to allow insertion of said pin into said elongate retaining section when said blade is inserted between said walls, an entrance of said access slot to said retaining section being positioned away from a top of said elongate retaining section and suitably inclined thereto such that after insertion of said pin into said elongate retaining section via said access slot, said pin is retained in said elongate retaining section during a cutting operation.

7. A cutting device according to any one of claim 1 through claim 6, wherein said base member comprises a rim formed surrounding said working surface.

8. A cutting device according to claim 7, wherein said working surface is formed with a recess in the vicinity of a cutting region, and a rib part of said rim is adapted to provide a cutting knife retaining portion for retaining the cutting knife on completion of cutting.

9. A cutting device according to any one of claim 1 through claim 8, wherein said working surface is provided with spikes for holding an item being cut in position.

10. A cutting device according to any one of claim 1 through claim 9, wherein a hand grip portion is provided on said base member for holding said base member by hand during cutting.,

11. A cutting device according to claim 10, wherein said handgrip portion constitutes part of said connecting device.

12. A cutting device according to any one of claim 1 through claim 11, wherein said base member and said connecting device are integrally formed.

13. A cutting device according to any one of claim 1 through claim 12, including said cutting knife.

14. A cutting device according to any one of claim 8 through claim 13, further comprising a removable adapting member comprising a substantially flat working surface, and a channel section formed substantially central to said working surface, and adapted for inserting in said recess.

15. A cutting knife for a cutting device according to any one of claim 1 through claim 14, comprising means for pivotally connecting a tip end.of a blade of said cutting knife to said base member.

16. A method of cutting obj ects comprising the steps of;

providing a pivotal connection device on the end of a cutting blade,

connecting said pivotal connection device to a corresponding connecting device suitably provided on a base' member such that said blade can be pivoted in a plane substantially perpendicular to a plane of a working surface of said base member and substantially centrally over said Working surface, '

placing an object to be cut on said working surface, and pivotally moving said blade down onto said object about said pivotal connection to cut said object.

17. A cutting device substantially as described herein with reference to the appended drawings.

18. A method of cutting objects substantially as described herein with reference to the appended drawings.