The present disclosure relates generally to a device for cutting food. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a food cutting device having a detachable cutting wheel.
Rolling food slicers, such as pizza cutters, are convenient to use and are less hazardous to handle than knives. Pizza cutters utilize circular blades attached to handles, which are rolled across pizza to make long cuts using a combination of the sharp edge and downward pressure. The circular blades of conventional pizza cutters are permanently attached to the handles using various hinge mechanisms, therefore making it difficult to remove food residue such as pieces of crust, sauce, and cheese, which accumulates around the hinges and between the blade and handle in areas which a user cannot directly access.
Examples of food slicers with removable blades may be found within the prior art. However, these devices either employ hinges with removable locking pins which are difficult to remove and reassemble, or secure the blade between forked hinge assemblies which can hide food residue even after the blade is detached. A need therefore exists for a food cutting device which has a detachable cutting wheel which can be quickly disassembled to allow access to all accumulated food residue, and then easily reassembled for further use or storage.
In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.
An aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure is to provide a device for cutting food items which is capable of being disassembled and reassembled to facilitate cleaning of accumulated food residue. Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a food cutting device comprising a handle and a detachable cutting wheel, the detachable cutting wheel having a circular blade and an axle, the handle having a retaining pincer adapted to grasp the axle and rotatably retain the detachable cutting wheel, the retaining pincer having a pincer gap which allows the axle of the detachable cutting wheel to be alternatively inserted into or removed from the retaining pincer. Removal of the detachable cutting wheel exposes the accumulated food residue on the retaining pincer and the axle of the detachable cutting wheel.
It is another aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure to provide a device for cutting food items with snap-fit assembly and disassembly. Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a retaining pincer having a pair of curved prongs adapted to close around the axle of the detachable cutting wheel and exert an inward biasing force, thus preventing the detachable cutting wheel from being dislodged through the pincer gap without overcoming the inward biasing force.
It is yet another aspect of an example embodiment in the present disclosure to provide a device for cutting food items which protects the hand of a user while the device is in use. Accordingly, the handle has an upper blade guard and a lower blade guard which protect the user's thumb and fingers from the circular blade.
The present disclosure addresses at least one of the foregoing disadvantages. However, it is contemplated that the present disclosure may prove useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in a number of technical areas. Therefore, the claims should not necessarily be construed as limited to addressing any of the particular problems or deficiencies discussed hereinabove. To the accomplishment of the above, this disclosure may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the disclosure.
In the drawings, like elements are depicted by like reference numerals. The drawings are briefly described as follows.
The present disclosure now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show various example embodiments. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure is thorough, complete and fully conveys the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.
Referring to
The retaining pincer 32 of the support arm 30 has a pair of curved prongs comprising a first prong 34A and a second prong 34B. The first and second prongs 34A, 34B have a first tip 38A and a second tip respectively 38B, the first and second prongs 34A, 34B initially project outwardly away from the support arm and then curve inwardly towards each other to form a retaining arc 32C between the first and second prongs 34A, 34B. The first tip 38A and the second tip 38B are separated by a pincer gap 36 which provides access to the retaining arc 32C. The first and second tips 38A, 38B and the pincer gap 36 are oriented downwardly. In certain embodiments, the first and second tip 38A, 38B curve outwardly at the pincer gap 36 to facilitate the deflection of the first and second prongs 34A, 34B during the insertion of the axle 48 through the pincer gap 36.
The retaining arc 32C is adapted to receive the axle 48 of the detachable cutting wheel 40 through the pincer gap 36. In a preferred embodiment, the pincer gap 36 has a width, corresponding to the distance between the first and second tips 38A, 38B, which is smaller than the diameter of the axle 48. The first and second prongs 34A, 34B are formed using a material, such as plastic or metal, which is capable of flexing and deflecting, which allows the first and second tips 38A, 38B to deflect outwardly when the axle 48 is placed within the pincer gap 36, thus increasing the width of the pincer gap 36 and allowing the detachable cutting wheel 40 to be inserted into the retaining arc 32C. Once the axle 48 has passed through the pincer gap 36, the first and second prongs 34A, 34B flex inwardly, causing the retaining arc 32C to close around the axle surface 48S. Once enclosed within the retaining arc 32C, the axle 48 is oriented transversely in relation to the handle 12. In a preferred embodiment, the first and second prongs 34A, 34B have a first prong inner surface 35A and a second prong inner surface 35B respectively. The first and second prong inner surfaces 35A, 35B face inwardly and contact the axle surface 48S when the axle 48 is enclosed within the retaining arc 32C.
The retaining arc 32C allows the detachable cutting wheel 40 to freely rotate about the axle 48 while enclosed therein. In a preferred embodiment, the retaining arc 32C has a diameter which is substantially equal to or less than the diameter of the axle 48 of the detachable cutting wheel 40. When the diameter of the retaining arc 32C is less than the diameter of the axle 48, the presence of the axle 48 within the retaining arc 32C may therefore cause the first and second prongs 34A, 34B to deflect slightly. Tension within the first and second prongs 34A, 34B causes the first and second prongs 34A, 34B to produce an inwardly directed biasing force when deflected outwardly, thereby preventing the detachable cutting wheel 40 being dislodged from within the retaining arc 32C without first overcoming the inward biasing force. Furthermore, in order for the detachable cutting wheel 40 to be detached from the retaining pincer 32, the first and second prongs 34A, 34B must be deflected outwardly to sufficiently widen the pincer gap 36 to allow the axle 48 to pass through. To facilitate the detaching of the detachable cutter wheel 40, the axle 48 may have a hollow space 50 passing axially from the circular blade 42 to the axle end 48E, which allows the user to grasp the detachable cutter wheel 40 without contacting the circular blade 42. Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The handle 12 may further have a lower blade guard 20 which projects away from the first end 12A of the handle near the finger grips 16, in a direction opposite from the upper blade guard 18. The lower blade guard 20 is adapted to prevent the user's fingers 96 from contacting the cutting edge 46, and may also be curved to conform to the shape of the detachable cutting wheel 40.
Referring to
Returning to
It is understood that when an element is referred hereinabove as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present.
Moreover, any components or materials can be formed from a same, structurally continuous piece or separately fabricated and connected.
It is further understood that, although ordinal terms, such as, “first,” “second,” “third,” are used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, “a first element,” “component,” “region,” “layer” or “section” discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings herein.
Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, are used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It is understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device can be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
Example embodiments are described herein with reference to cross section illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, example embodiments described herein should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions as illustrated herein, but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. For example, a region illustrated or described as flat may, typically, have rough and/or nonlinear features. Moreover, sharp angles that are illustrated may be rounded. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region and are not intended to limit the scope of the present claims.
In conclusion, herein is presented a food cutting device with a detachable cutting wheel. The disclosure is illustrated by example in the drawing figures, and throughout the written description. It should be understood that numerous variations are possible, while adhering to the inventive concept. Such variations are contemplated as being a part of the present disclosure.
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