AU677831B2 - Universal cutter - Google Patents

Abstract

Vegetable cutter having a replaceable inclined sliding surface (4) which is arranged in front of the cutting knife and extends beneath the cutting edge of the knife for a distance equal to the width of the cutting gap. The casing is composed of two parts, having a lower part (16) which acts both as a support and as a container for the material to be cut. The two casing parts are connected to one another by means of a separable articulation (17). <IMAGE>

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION NAME OF APPLICANT(S): Moha Moderne Haushaltwaren AG ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Attorneys 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

INVENTION TITLE: Universal cutter D a o

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e D c The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:a re I, P:\OPER\SEVM63350-94,PE 28/1196 la The invention relates to a universal cutter for cutting vegetables, fruit and the like having a sliding surface for guiding the produce be cut, a knife disposed in the sliding surface diagonal to the direction of sliding that separates the sliding surface into two parts, a cutting groove formed of the knife-edge and the part of the sliding surface lying lower than the knife and a housing that folds out to form a stand.

Cutters for foodstuffs are indispensable kitchen gadgets since most porduce has to be cut into slices, strips, etc. at some stage in its processing, When different shapes have been 15 required in the past it has, however, hitherto been necessary to use several different utensils. It would be desirable to have a universal gadget with which vegetables, fruit and the like could be processed into cut produce of different shapes and sizes.

*.see: Yt is therefore an object of the invention to provide a universal cutter with which different shapes and sizes of cut oooo produce can be prepared.

According to the present invention, there is provided a universal cutter for vegetables or fruit comprising: a housing that folds out to form a stand; a sliding surface for guiding the produce to be cut; a knife having a cutting edge and being solid with the housing, the knife being disposed in the sliding surface and defining an oblique angle with the direction of sliding; the sliding surface comprising a first part solid with the SR~,housing lying in the same plane as and in front of the cutting 7- T Pz tA~ PAOPER\SEWM63350-94.SPE -28/11/96 b edge of the knife, a second part solid with the housing lying in the same plane as and behind the cutting edge of the knife and an inclined interchangeable part interposed beween the first solid part and the knife; the inclined interchangeable part having a first edge disposed below and parallel to the cutting edge of the knife to define a cutting groove between the first edge and the cutting edge of the knife and a second edge parallel to the first edge for engaging the first solid part.

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PMOPER\SBWM63350-94,SPE28I 1/96 2 Different interchangeable parts are preferably also present with different inclinations of sliding surfaces by means of which cutting grooves of different width are formed to prepare sections of different thickness.

According to a preferred embodiment, interchangeable parts are provided with a series of cutting edges disposed vertically to the sliding surface with which an incision is made in the produce to be cut before this is cut by the knife-edge in a ot** S:0 direction vertical thereto.

According to another preferred embodiment, the housing .o consists of a main cutting part and a support associated therewith by means of a separable hinge for setting up the cutter in an inclined position. The support is preferably .adapted as a container for the cut produce.

20 An embodiment of the present invention will now be :described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 a plan view of a universal cutter; Fig. 2 a side view of the same universal cutter; Fig. 3 a front view of the universal cutter, seen from the side that can be folded out; Fig. 4 a front view of the universal cutter from the side having the hinge; M:OPER\S2W6335O-94.SPE281 1196 2a Fig. 5 a side view of :he cutter in the folded out state; Fig. 6 the hinge of the cutter, in partial section.

As shown in Fig. 1, the cutter has a knife disposed diagonally in a rectangular, corrugated sliding surface. The ft ft ft ft ft. ft.

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3 corrugated sliding surface consists of three parts: a part integral with the housing which lies substantially in the plane of the knife a part also integral with the housing disposed behind the knife; a part forming the shape of a parallelogram with angles which correspond to the pitch of the knife. The corrugated surface of the part is diagonally disposed to the plane of the knife and leads evenly from the common edge with the part to an edge lying below the knife. The edge runs parallel to the knife and is disposed by a distance therebelow which defines the cutting groove together with the knife-edge of the knife which determines the thickness of the sections of the produce to be cut.

The entire sliding surface composed of the corrugated parts and the knife are disposed in a housing composed of two lateral pieces and transverse connections (10,11) at S the end, the latter laying underneath the cutting surface.

The inserted part also has two lateral pieces (12,13) which fit into corresponding recesses in the lateral pieces of the frame.

As shown in Fig. 2, the frame has an extension (14) extending beyond the transverse connection (10) which is bent downwards. The extension (14) ends in another transverse connection (15) which forms a handle.

As also shown in Fig. 2, the housing has a lower part (16) which is arranged as a trough-shaped container. This lower part (16) of the housing is associated with the upper part in the area of the extension (14) by means of a rotating hinge (17).

The rotating hinge (17) consists of a cam (18) shown in Fig. 1 on both sides of the lower part of the housing (16) and corresponding recesses in the lateral parts of the frame (8 and 9) of the upper part. The cam (18) is also clearly visible in the partially cut view shown in Fig. 6.

Two resilient pins (19) disposed in each of the lower parts of the housing (8 and 9) in the vicinity of the transverse I 1I connection (11) are provided with step-shaped projections which mesh with corresponding recesses in the lower part so that the two parts of the housing cannot become detached from one another independently.

The lower part of the housing (16) has two functions. In the closed state that is best seen in Fig. 2, the lower part of the housing serves to collect cut slices of vegetables, fruit and the like. It is particularly suitable for this when a smaller amount of produce has to be cut. The diagonally disposed end wall (20) of the container is particularly suitable for removing the cut material.

In its second function, the lower part of the housing serves as a support for the diagonally positioned universal cutter as shown in Fig. 5. In this case both parts are folded out until the upper edge of the extension (14) rests against a shoulder (21) in the lower part of the housing provided for this purpose.

The two parts may easily be separated to clean the cutter and in particular the lower part of the housing. The cam (18) is slanted in a wedge shape for this purpose so that the upper part S may be slid off the lower part of the housing in the half-open position.

Differently shaped inserts are provided to prepare slices and other shapes of different sizes which may be interchanged as required. Different inserts are therefore provided with differently pitched sliding surfaces and S consequently cutting grooves of different widths. These inserts S make it possible to cut thinner or thicker slices.

Inserts are also provided which have a plurality of cutting edges (22) disposed vertically to the sliding surface the height of which correspond to the cutting groove. These cutting edges produce parallel incisions in the part of the vegetable, fruit or the like in such a way that this slice may be separated into a plurality of strips after a slice has been cut off by the knife The reference numerals in the following claims do not in any way limit the scope of the respective claims.

Claims (4)

1. 2. A universal cutter according to Claim 1, wherein it has various interchangeable parts with different inclinations of their sliding surfaces which form cutting grooves of different widths for producing sections of different thickness.
2. 3. A universal cutter according to Claim i, wherein the interchangeable part has a series of knife-edges disposed vertical to the sliding surface with which an incision is made in the produce to be cut before it is cut by the knife-edge in a direction vertical thereto. p P:\OPR\SEW\6335O)-94.SPE28l 1/96 6
3. 4. A universal cutter according to Claim 1, characterised by a support associated eet by-ans of a separable hinge for supporting the cutter in an inclined position. A universal cutter according to Claim J, wherein the support is adapted as a container for the cut produce.
4. 6. A universal cutter substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings. Moha Moderne Haushaltwaren AG DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Attorneys for the Applicants DATED this 28th day of November 1996 Moha Moderne Haushaltwaren AG DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Attorneys for the Applicants a0 sl- lk~~ Abstract A cutter for vegetables, fruit and the like with, disposed in front of the cutting knife, an interchangeable, inclined sliding surface which leads under the knife-edge by the. vidth of the cutting groove. The housing consists of two parts with a lower part (16) that is simultaneously adapted as a support and as a container for the cut produce. The two parts of the housing are associated with one another by means of a separable hinge (17). o o oo *o *o o* i