Patent Application
20150313397
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
This invention relates to an extraction tool and in a preferred embodiment to a manual stemming tool for soft fruit and berries that are easily damaged by typical coring tools.
The manual extraction tool of this invention is designed as a simple, inexpensive hand tool particularly adapted to extract the stem from soft fruit and berries. Typically problematic is the removal of the stem and part of the core of the strawberry. The process, also called hulling, can be performed using a common paring knife. The knife can be employed to cut across the top of the strawberry removing the stem, cap and part of the core. However, this simple procedure sacrifices part of the fruit. The chef's technique of holding the paring knife at an angle while turning the fruit, saves more of the fruit, but can damage the remaining strawberry, particularly if ripe.
The prior invention of Holcomb et al, U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,975, issued Aug. 7, 2012, entitled “Hulling Device,” discloses a mechanically actuated hand tool specifically designed for hulling strawberries. The device is constructed to be operated with one hand while holding the strawberry in the other hand. The hulling device has a thumb-operated push cap at the end of a housing having a pair of oppositely-projecting finger rests allowing two of the user's adjacent fingers (typically the index finger and middle finger) to hold the device. The push cap displaces a spring-loaded pushing member that articulates nipping members that project from the opposite end of the device opposite. The four preferred nipping members form a substantially conical end that splays when the cap is pushed. This allows the separated tips of the nipping members to be inserted into the fruit around the stem. The device is twisted and pulled as the cap is retracted by the spring to grasp and remove the stem, stem cap and part of the core of the strawberry.
The hulling device of Holcomb et al, is a clever articulated mechanical device that is more complex than needs be for the primary task at hand, the stemming of strawberries. The complexity of the assembly with its many moving parts though fun to use, makes the hulling device difficult to thoroughly clean. Additionally, the device of Holcomb et al has little use other than a specialty tool for hulling strawberries. The configuration and orientation of the nipping members and the articulated extraction operation under spring force render the Holcomb et al device less suitable for harder fruit and berries. In this respect, the extraction device of this invention when employed as a hulling or coring device has the advantage that it can operate on harder fruit, berries or vegetables.
The manual extraction tool in a preferred embodiment of a stemming tool is a simplified hand tool that is inexpensive to make, compact, and easy to use and clean. The stemming tool is preferably made with only one or two separate parts that are configured for intuitive finger operation. The stemming tool is generally structured as single-piece tongs. Two opposed and pointed prongs converge when the prongs are urged together by the user's fingers in the manner of operating a tweezer.
The U-shaped configuration of the single-piece tongs simplifies fabrication and is structurally advantageous, since the hardening characteristic that provides the spring to the U-shape is advantageous for sharpening the edges of the pointed prongs to facilitate coring. The structure has multiple uses, but for use as a stemming tool, the prongs are curved and bifurcated into two tines with at least the outer edges sharpened to improve cutting. The tines follow the contour of the prong point and provide both a cutting function and a grasping function when the stemming tool is inserted into a fruit top, twisted to core a selected section, pinched and withdrawn to extract the stem, berry cap and partial core of the strawberry. The relatively simple structure and design coupled with the curved prongs that provide rigidity enable the coring tool to operate on firm as well as soft fruit and vegetables.
In the preferred embodiment, the connected ends of the unitary prongs encircle a plug. The plug assists in initially positioning the pointed ends of the prongs apart and is configured as a cylindrical member with an axis preferably oriented transverse to the generally longitudinal axis of the prongs. In an alternate embodiment the plug forms a casing for a battery and includes a switch and a light emitting diode to provide a light source to facilitate extraction of the target object.
Referring to
The opposed prongs taper from an interconnected flat band end 18 to a generally pointed tip end 16. The wider interconnected band end 18 has a circular curvature formed in a U-shaped configuration to space the prongs 14 apart in a substantially parallel arrangement. The circular curvature of the band end 18 is at least 180 degrees and provides a leaf spring action to return the prongs 14 to the parallel position shown in the drawings after the tip ends 16 of the prongs 14 have been urged together by the user's thumb and index finger when extracting a fruit or berry stem.
The opposed prongs 14 are partly bifurcated in the preferred configuration, forming two tines 20. The prongs 14 have sharpened outer edges 22 and have an arcuate cross-section, somewhat less than 180 degrees, as illustrated in the end view of
Manipulating the extraction tool 10 can be improved as shown by an alternate embodiment of the stemming tool 30 of
Referring now to
The prior embodiment having the transverse barrel 32 can include this added feature if desired. The plucking tool 36 of
It is to be understood that other modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as will be defined by the claims.
