Patent Application
20140054836
The present invention relates to a device which acts as a tool to assist with the manual cutting of a roll of food product, such as a roll of sushi.
Preparation of rolled sushi involves creating a roll of sushi, which is generally wrapped in seaweed (nori), and cutting the roll along cross-sections into several pieces. When made in small proportions, cutting is done by eye, using a knife in one hand to cut the sushi, and using the other hand to hold the sushi roll. When cutting sushi manually the hand holding the roll can deform the roll, if this happens the pieces of sushi produced will not have the preferred cross section. In addition, as each cut is judged by eye, the roll may be cut unevenly, resulting in sushi pieces that are of different thicknesses.
Large-scale sushi production utilises machines with multiple knives at a predetermined distance from each other, which cut the roll or rolls simultaneously. These machines are expensive and are not feasible for use on a small scale, such as in a small sushi shop or in the home.
An object of the present invention is to provide a tool to assist a user with the manual cutting of a sushi roll, or other roll of food product, and/or provide the consumer with a useful choice.
Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification is not an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.
The present invention provides a tool including a first section and a cutting block where said first section is essentially an extended hollow member with a longitudinal aperture, wherein said first section further includes
In a preferred form each first slot is spaced equidistantly from each immediately adjacent first slot.
Preferably the cutting block includes an exposed surface that is configured to complete an inner wall of the tool when said tool is in the closed position, where said inner wall is the surface of the tool configured to contact an exposed surface of the food product to be cut. In one preferred form said exposed surface, in cross section is flat or concave. In an alternative preferred form said exposed surface is dimensioned such that, in the closed position, it is configured to maintain the cross section of the food product essentially circular.
Preferably said first section includes a plurality of parallel second slots, where each said second slot is a transaxial aperture through at least the second and third sections. In a highly preferred form each said slot extends part way into each flange. Preferably each second slot is spaced equidistantly from each immediately adjacent second slot.
Preferably said first section further includes at least one handle configured to assist a user in pivoting the second section relative to the third section. Preferably there is one handle connected to each of the second and third sections. In a highly preferred form each handle extends away from a first end of the first section, where said first end is one distal end of the first section.
Preferably said extended hollow member is a tube with an essentially circular or rectangular cross section.
Preferably said pivotable link is a mechanical configuration that allows the second section and third section to pivot about a longitudinal axis of said pivotable link. Preferably said pivotable link is a series of hinges alternating with the slots along the length of the first section. In an alternative form said pivotable link is a portion of the first section which is a suitably flexible material such as rubber.
Preferably at least one flange is a strip of material, aligned lengthwise parallel to the centreline of the first section, with one peripheral edge coterminous with a matching peripheral edge of the longitudinal aperture. Preferably each flange extends away from the centre of the first section.
Preferably the food product to be manually cut is a sushi roll.
Preferably the cutting block includes a plurality of transaxial cutting grooves which are channels in the cutting block configured to align with a matching slot in the first section.
Preferably the cutting block includes a block groove which is dimensioned and configured to accept, and releasbly retain, one flange, a first flange. Preferably, where the cutting block includes a block groove, there is one handle attached to the other flange, a second flange.
In an alternative embodiment the cutting block has an inverted ‘T’ cross section.
Preferably the first section is biased towards the closed position by a bias means. In a highly preferred form the first section is spring biased towards the closed position.
Preferably each of the flanges are configured to rest against a complementary feature of the cutting block. In an alternative preferred form one flange, a first flange, is permanently or temporarily attached to the cutting block.
By way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Flange: A strip or any elongated hollow or solid member aligned lengthwise parallel to an edge to which it is attached (or formed as part of), including a projecting flat rim, collar, or rib on an object, serving for strengthening or attachment or for maintaining position on a rail.
Transaxial: at right angles to the longitudinal (lengthwise) axis of a body in at least one plane.
Tube: an extended hollow member with an essentially circular or rectangular cross-section, though alternative cross sections may also be used.
The tool is described with specific reference to sushi but any food product that needs to be retained in a specific shape whilst being manually cut into sections can use the tool, for example sausage rolls and rolled sponge with cream or jam filling.
Referring to
The guide (2) includes a first section (4) and two handles (5). The first section (4) is a tube, with a longitudinal aperture (6) extending the full length. Attached to each edge of the longitudinal aperture (6) is a flange (7,8).
In this first embodiment each flange (7,8) is a strip of material, aligned lengthwise parallel to the centreline of the first section (4), with one peripheral edge coterminous with a matching peripheral edge of the longitudinal aperture (6). Each flange (7,8) extends away from the centre of the first section (4), though not necessarily radially.
The first section (4) includes a second section (10) and a third section (11) pivotably connected by a pivotable link (12). Said pivotable link (12) lies parallel to, and is located directly opposite to, the centreline of the longitudinal aperture (6). Though this location is preferred in some embodiments the pivotable link (12) may lie parallel to the centreline of the longitudinal aperture (6) but not be directly opposite. Said pivotable link (12) may be one or more hinges of known type, a piece of flexible material such as rubber or a physical feature that allows the second section (10) and third section (11) to pivot with relation to each other.
The second and third sections (10,11) are made of a resilient but essentially rigid material such as food grade stainless steel or plastic, though similar food grade materials can be used. Noting that springy materials could be used for the second and third sections (10,11) providing they are dimensionally stable enough to maintain the required shape of the sushi (rolled food product).
One handle (5) is attached to the second section (10) and one handle (5) is attached to the third section (11). In this first embodiment each handle (5) lies parallel to the centreline of the longitudinal aperture (6) and extends beyond a first end (14) of the first section (4), where the first end (14) is one distal end of the first section (4). Each handle (5) lies approximately equidistant from the pivotable link (12).
The first section (4) further includes a plurality of parallel transaxial first slots (20) spaced equidistantly along the length of the first section (4). Each first slot (20) extends partially into each flange (7,8) and is dimensioned to accommodate a knife blade (not shown). In this first embodiment there are 7 first slots (20) shown which will allow a sushi roll (not shown) to be cut into 8 pieces, though if the ends need to be trimmed there may be nine first slots (20). The first slots (20) divide the pivotable link (12) up into a series of sub-sections.
As shown in
Referring to
In
In
Referring to
In
In further embodiments (not shown) a combination of the cutting block (3) and handle (5) locations described earlier are used.
With reference to
In step A the third section (11) is pivoted away from the cutting block (3) in the direction of arrow (i) to move the first section (4) from a closed position (shown) into an open position (shown in step B).
In step B the tool 1 is shown in an open position. In this step a sushi roll (40) is placed into the tool (1) to rest on the exposed distal end (24, 34) of the cutting block (3), shown as arrow (ii).
In step C the third section is moved in the direction of arrow (iii) to move the first section (4) to the shown closed position. In the closed position a user passes a knife (not shown) through each required slot (20, 27) down until it contacts the cutting block (3) cutting the retained sushi roll (40) into the desired number of pieces. As can be seen the peripheral surface of the sushi roll is supported by the combination of the inner surface of the guide (2) and the exposed distal end (24) of the cutting block (3) during the cutting stage. As such the sushi roll retains the required cross sectional shape, for many applications this will be a circular or essentially circular cross section, though it can be a square or rectangular cross section.
In step D the closed first section (4) is opened by moving the third section (11) in the direction of arrow (iv) into the open position. In the open position the cut pieces of the sushi roll (40) can be removed from the tool (1).
Though the slots (20, 27) are shown perpendicular to the centreline of the first section (4) there is no reason why these could not be angled so that elliptical or angle sushi pieces were created. Further, though the slots (20, 27) are described as being parallel there is no reason why they need to be for some applications, though in general they will be.
It is preferred that in the closed position that the inner surfaces of the first section (4) contact the outer surface of the sushi roll (40) sufficiently closely to retain the desired shape of the sushi roll (40) as it is being cut. This may mean that pressure is applied to the sushi roll (40), this pressure may be governed by the pressure the user applies to the handle/s (5) or some form of biasing means. This also means that the exposed distal end (24) of the cutting block (2) needs to act in conjunction with the inner surface of the guide to retain the desired cross section.
In further embodiments there may be additional slots (20,27), or plurality of slots (20,27) for cutting different numbers of pieces.
In a fifth embodiment as shown in
Though the pivotable link (12) is shown immediately opposite the centreline of the longitudinal aperture (6) it may in fact be located closer one flange (7,8) than the other (7,8). For example it may be located a quarter or a third (or any other dimension) of the way around the circumference of the first section (4).
In alternative embodiments one or both said flanges (7,8) could incorporate an expanded section that is configured to engage with a complementary feature in the cutting block (3). For example the feature could be a wire or a folded section of the flange (7,8) in question. It should also be noted that the flange can be a strip or any elongated hollow or solid member aligned lengthwise parallel to the centreline of the first section (4), with one peripheral edge coterminous with a matching peripheral edge of the longitudinal aperture (6).
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 602012 | Aug 2012 | NZ | national |
