AU659850B2 - Fruit or vegetable peeler or sheller - Google Patents

Description

659850 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 Name of Applicant Actual Inventor Address for Service Invention Title

NIGHTINGALE

INTERNATIONAL PTY LTD

KENNY

PAUL OSWALD NIGHTINGALE GRANT ADAMS COMPANY Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Level Santos House 215 Adelaide Street BRISBANE QUEENSLAND 4000

AUSTRALIA

FRUIT OR VEGETABLE PEELER OR

SHELLER

Details of Associated Provisional Applications Numbers PK7631, PK8701 and PL0910 I I. 9 The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to the applicant.

THIS INVENTION relates to a fruit or vegetable peeler or sheller. The utensil shall primarily be described as an onion sheller but is also applicable as a peeler for fruits (eg. citrus fruits such as oranges and limes) and other vegetables.

Anyone who has had to peel an onion is aware of the problems of only removing the outer layer or shell; and weeping eyes from the acid fumes released by the onion.

The applicants have established that the problem of the acid fumes can be eliminated (or at least markedly reduced) by cutting around the root end of the onion before the outer layer or shell is removed as the acid is primarily concentrated at the root end.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, yet efficient hand-held utensil to peel or shell fruits or vegetables such as onions.

It is a preferred object to provide a utensil which enables a circular cut or coring cut to be made in fruit or vegetables.

It is a further preferred oblect to provide a utensil which enables the peel or outer layer to be scored and then peeled or shelled.

i Other preferred objects will. become apparent from the following description.

In a broad aspect, the present invention resides in a fruit or vegetable peeler or sheller including: a handle having a portion to be gripped; a neck portion extending from the handle; a first blade extending laterally from the neck portion to score or cut the peel or skin of a fruit or vegetable; a second blade on the neck portion to form a circular cut or core around a core or end of the fruit or vegetable; and a third blade at the distal end of the neck portion, spaced from the handle portion to be gripped, engageable under the peel or layer or shell of the fruit or vegetable to lift and remove the peel, layer or shell as the third blade is advanced, wherein the second blade incorporates a cutting blade assembly having four cutting edges arranged in a circle to form a circular cut when the handle is rotated through at least 90° and said cutting blade assembly extends upwardly from the neck portion which connects the third blade to the handle.

The peeler or sheller is preferably moulded in a single unit from a suitable plastics material, although one or more of the two blades may be detachable and formed, eg. of stainless steel. Finger grips may be moulded into the handle.

The first blade has a sharpened edge to enable the peel/layer/shell to be scored or cut.

a 20 Preferably, the third blade has rearwardlydirected, upwardly inclined wings to lift the peal/layer/shell from the fruit or vegetable and a potato "eye" remover is provided on the handle.

A paring blade may be provided on the handle and may be extendible to a cutting position and retractable into the handle in a storage position.

To enable the invention to be fully understood, a number of preferred embodiments will now a be described with reference to the accompanying 30 drawings, in which: *o o FIG 1 is a perspective view of one ei -faKiment of the utensil; FIG 2 is a perspective view showing forming a circular cut around the root end of an onion (the stalk end still intact); 4 FIG 3 is a perspective view she-ing forming a circular cut around the root end of the onion after the stalk end has been cut off; FIG 4 is a perspective view showing the scoring of the outer shell of the onion; FIG 5 is a perspective view showing the outer shell being removed from the onion, the peeling blade entering one end of the onion; FIG 5A is a similar view showing the outer shell being removed, the peeling blade being advanced around the circumference of the onion; FIG 6 is a side view of a second embodiment of the utensil; FIGS 7 to 9 show a third embodiment of the utensil which incorporates a retractable paring knife blade.

Referring to FIGS 1 to 5, the utensil 10 of the first embodiment has a handle 11 with an integral thumb grip 12. From the forward end of the handle 11, a neck 13 extends forwardly and downwardly to the third blade 14 to be hereinafter described.

SA first blade 15, ie, the "scoring blade", extends laterally from a raised formation 16 on the neck 13 and has a cutting edge 17.

A circular blade assembly 18, on the top of S.the formation 16, has four blades 19 arranged in a circle, with cutting edges so that rotation of the handle about an axis centred on the blade. assembly 18 will form a circular cut.

As shown, the neck 13 extends forwardly and downwardly and is tapered to engage the rear of the third blade 14, ie. "the peeling or shelling blade", which is substantially V-shaped in plan view, with curved (blunt) leading edge 20 extending from the tips of side wings 21, 22.

4 i..

j% *2* In use, the first blade 15 is used to cut an elongate score 30 in the skin and outer shell of an onion 31 see FIG 4.

After the stalk end 31A has been cut off, the onion is then held with its root end 32 upprmost and the cutting blade assembly 18 is used to cut a circular cut around the root end 32, the utensil 10 being rotated through 90° to 1000 so that each blade 19 cuts a quarter-circle cut. This circular cut in the root end 32 isolates the acid in that end to limit the acid fumes released when the outer and second shells of the onion are removed, and to replace the shells from the root end as they are lifted by the utensil.

Referring to FIG 5, the third blade 14 is inserted through the score 30 in the skin and outer shell 33 and they are lifted and removed as the blade 14 is advanced around the onion. NB: In FIG 5, the utensil is shown erntering the onion 31 from one endthis is permissible but it is preferred to advance the 20 blade 14 around the circumference of the onion as shown in FIG 5A. An inner shell(s) can be peeled or shelled from the onion in the same manner.

For citrus fruits, eg. oranges, the peel will be scored by the first blade 15, the peel at the ends cut by the blades 19 of the circular blade. assembly 18, and the peel removed from the flesh by the third blade I 14.

In the modified embodiment 110 of FIG 6, the handle 111, first blade 115 and circular blade assembly 118 are substantially as hereinbefore described. The neck 113 is more tapered and elongated and the third blade 114 is slimmer in plan view (ie. the leading edge 120 is more pointed at its forward extremity) and the side wings 122 are longer and are upwardly inclined to lift the peel/layer/shell from the flesh of the J, .B fruit/vegetable. A hole 123 through the handle 110 enables the utensil to be hung from a hook.

Referring now to FIGS 7 to 9, the utensil 400 is similar to that utensil 10 shown in FIGS 1 to 5A. It further incorporates a potato peeler blade 460 under the handle 461 and a potato "eye" remover 470 is provided at the end of the handle 411.

A paring knife blade 480 is hingedly mounted in a compartment 481 in the lower portion of the handle 411 and can be swung to an extended position, as shown in the drawings, or to a retracted position, within the compartment 481, when not required.

It will be noted that. the shell can be removed without cutting off the stalk end of the onion.

Various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described and illustrated without departing from the present invention.

a a

Claims (9)

1. A fruit or vegetable peeler or sheller including: a handle having a portion to be gripped; a neck portion extending from the handle; a first blade extending laterally from the neck portion to score or cut the peel or skin of a fruit or vegetable; a second blade on the neck portion to form a circular cut or core around a core or end of the fruit or vegetable; and a third blade at the distal end of the neck portion, spaced from the handle portion to be gripped, engageable under the peel or layer or shell of the fruit or vegetable to lift and remove the peel, layer or shell as the third blade is advanced, wherein the second blade incorporates a cutting blade assembly having four cutting edges arranged in a circle to form a circular cut when the handle is rotated through at least 900 and 20 said cutting blade assembly extends upwardly from the neck portion which connects the third blade to the handle.

2. A peeler or sheller according to Claim 1, 2 wherein: the neck portion connecting the third blade to the handle is downwardly curved in side view and is of circular, or spoon shape in plan view.

3. A peeler or sheller according to Claim 2, wherein: the third blade has rearwardly-directed, upwardly-inclined wings, to lift the peel/layer/shell from the fruit or vegetable.

4. A peeler or sheller according to Claim 1, wherein: a potato "eye" remover is provided on the 8 handle.

A peeler or sheller according to Claim 1, wherein: a paring knife blade is pivotally mounted on the handle and is movable from a cutting position extending from the handle to a storage position retracted into a compartment in the handle.

6. A fruit or vk, able peeler or sheller substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to FIGS 1 to 5 and

7. A fruit or vegetable peeler or sheller substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to FIG 6.

8. A fruit or vegetable peeler or sheller substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to either FIGS 1 to 5 and 5A or FIG 6 in combination with FIGS 7 to

9. DATED this twenty-third day of March 1995. i NIGHTINGALE KENNY INTERNATIONAL PTY LTD, S 20 By its Patent Attorneys, GRANT ADAMS COMPANY. i I A 4 I i 7\ t Q* of C-1 Title: "FRUIT OR VEGETABLE PEELER OR SHELLER" ABSTRACT A peeler or sheller for fruit or vegetable has a handle with a first blade to score the fruit/vegetable, a second blade to form a circular cut around a core or end of the fruit/vegetable, and a third blade to peel a layer of peel or shell from the fruit/vegetable. The peeler or sheller may be provided with a "potato peeler", a "potato eye" remover and/or a retractable paring knife blade. I AFr"