GB2583481A

GB2583481A - A peeler

Info

Publication number: GB2583481A
Application number: GB1905965.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Anne Adkins Rachael; Andrew Adkins Mark
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-04-29
Filing date: 2019-04-29
Publication date: 2020-11-04
Also published as: GB201905965D0

Abstract

A hand-held peeler 2 suitable for removal of tough outer skin from a fruit or vegetable comprises a housing 4 having a front end 6 and an opposing rear end 8, the housing 4 having an ergonomic outer surface defining an internal cavity (figure 3, 14) which houses an oscillating motor (figure 3, 18). The motor (figure 3, 18) vibrates a blade 16 which is configured to be located at, or adjacent, the front end 6. A power source is in communication with the motor (figure 3, 18). An actuator 22 is in communication with the power source and/or to operate the motor (figure 3, 18). The housing 4 may be an elongate. The power source may be a battery pack which may be rechargeable via an inlet in the housing 4 using a charger. There may be a dock provided. The charger may have means for holding a fruit or vegetable. The charger may comprise an induction charger. There may be a blade cover configured to receive and extend across the blade 16.

Description

A PEELER

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a peeler, in particular a hand-held butternut squash peeler, for example a hand-held electrically operated peeler for removing the tough outer skin or peel of fruit or vegetables such as butternut squash.

Background

Butternut squash is known to be a superfood and can accelerate weight loss if used to replace other carbohydrates. As a result, butternut squash has recently grown in popularity amongst consumers. Butternut squash however has a tough outer skin and has a curved profile which can make it difficult to peel. The shape of a butternut squash and the tough outer skin makes manual peeling laborious when using a knife or a conventional peeler. Furthermore, a significant proportion of the butternut squash can be lost due to inefficient peeling of the outer surface.

There is therefore a need for a device which can easily and efficiently remove the 20 outer surface of vegetables, such as for example butternut squash, which have a tough outer surface and/or awkward shape.

Prior Art

EP1776903 discloses an electric peeler and chopper having a revolving support for receiving an item of fruit and a blade configured to produce vertical cuts (and remove the core of the fruit if necessary).

CA2508543 discloses an electric knife having a blade that is adapted to cut the pulp 30 and shell of pumpkins.

US6785970 discloses an electric cutting utensil adapted for cutting foods into fanciful shapes, said cutting utensil comprising: a housing; an electric motor contained within said housing; means for selectively providing electrical power to said electric motor; a shaft having a first end connected to said electric motor via a coupling; said coupling including means for causing said shaft first end to oscillate radially upon activation of said motor; said shaft having a second end projecting from said housing, said second end adapted for attachment of a cutting head; said cutting head including a mounting stem, and a generally sharp projecting cookie-cutter type edge connected to said mounting stem, said mounting stem sized for attachment to said shaft second end; whereby activation of said motor causes oscillation of said shaft and said attached cutting head.

The present invention arose in order to overcome problems suffered by existing devices.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention there is provided in a first aspect a hand-held peeler for removing tough outer skin from a vegetable or fruit, in which the peeler 15 comprises: a housing having a front end and an opposed rear end, and in which the housing has an ergonomic outer surface and an opposed inner surface defining an internal cavity; a blade configured to be located at or adjacent the front end of the housing and operable to contact an outer skin of a vegetable or fruit; an oscillating motor located within the internal cavity of the housing and in communication with the blade such that the motor is operable in use to vibrate the blade; a power source in communication with the oscillating motor; and an actuator located on the housing and in communication with the power source and/or motor to operate the motor.

The housing may have any suitable shape and/or dimensions. In one embodiment, the housing preferably is elongate in shape and defines a longitudinal axis extending 30 between the front and rear ends of the housing.

The power source is preferably a battery pack, such as for example a rechargeable battery pack. The housing may further comprise a charging inlet in communication with the battery pack, in which the charging inlet is adapted for connection to a 35 charger.

The motor is preferably a brushless motor.

The peeler preferably further comprises a charging station configured to receive and support at least a portion of the peeler, and in which the charging station is 5 configured to recharge the power source.

The peeler may further comprise a blade cover configured to receive and extend across the blade.

The housing may be formed from any suitable material, such as for example plastic, for example injection moulded plastic.

The blade may be composed of stainless steel.

The blade may be releasably engaged to the housing.

According to a second aspect there is provided a kit for a hand-held vegetable peeler as herein described, in which the kit comprises: a housing having a front end and an opposed rear end, and in which the 20 housing has an ergonomic outer surface and an opposed inner surface defining an internal cavity; an oscillating motor located within the internal cavity of the housing; a power source located within the internal cavity of the housing, in which the power source is in communication with the oscillating motor; and an actuator located on the housing and in communication with the power source and/or motor to operate the motor; and at least one blade engageable at or adjacent the front end of the housing and operable to contact an outer skin of a vegetable or fruit, in which the blade is in communication with the motor such that operation of the motor causes vibration of 30 the blade.

The kit may comprise a plurality of interchangeable blades.

According to a further aspect, there is provided a method for forming a hand-held 35 vegetable peeler as herein described, comprising: forming a housing having a front end and an opposed rear end, and in which the housing has an ergonomic outer surface and an opposed inner surface defining an internal cavity; obtaining an oscillating motor and locating the motor within the internal cavity of the housing; obtaining a power source and locating the power source within the internal cavity of the housing, and connecting the power source to the oscillating motor; obtaining an actuator and locating the actuator on the housing, and connecting the actuator to one or each of the power source and/or motor such that actuation of the actuator causes operation of the motor; and obtaining at least one blade and engaging the blade at or adjacent the front end of the housing, connecting the blade to the motor such that operation of the motor causing vibration of the blade.

In some embodiments the device may have a safety collar, for example a scabbard, arranged to act as a guard between the housing and the blade.

In some embodiments the power source may comprise a battery. This battery may be envisaged to be rechargeable, for example wherein the device comprises a universal serial bus (USB) socket and/or is comprised in apparatus comprising a charging dock. Such apparatus may comprise a charging dock that provides induction charging and/or provides a holder for the vegetable or fruit, for example a cradle for the squash during peeling.

In some embodiments the device comprises a releasable blade for cleaning purposes. For example the blade may comprise a grub screw mechanism for attachment to the housing. For example the blade may be mounted on a head that clips into or onto a stalk from the housing connecting the blade to the motor such that operation of the motor causing vibration of the blade.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the Figures in which:

Brief Description of Fiqures

Figure 1 shows a schematic illustration of a perspective view from above of a handheld electric vegetable peeler according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 shows a schematic illustration of a perspective view from below of the handheld electric vegetable peeler of Figure 1; and Figure 3 shows a schematic illustration of an exploded view from above of the handheld electric vegetable peeler of Figure 1.

Detailed Description of Figures

With reference to the Figures, there is provided a hand-held vegetable peeler 2 for removing tough outer skin from a vegetable of fruit, such as for example butternut squash. The peeler 2 comprises: a housing 4 having a front end 6 and an opposed rear end 8. The housing 4 is elongate in shape and defines a longitudinal axis extending between the front and rear ends 6, 8. It is however to be understood that the housing 4 may have any suitable shape and/or dimensions.

The housing 4 has an ergonomic outer surface 10 and an opposed inner surface 12 defining an internal cavity 14. The peeler 2 further comprises a blade 16 configured to be located at or adjacent the front end 6 of the housing 4 and operable to contact an outer skin of a vegetable or fruit. The peeler further comprises an oscillating motor 18 located within the internal cavity 14 of the housing 4 which is in communication with the blade 16 such that the motor 18 is operable in use to vibrate the blade 16. The motor is a small brushless motor 18, however it is to be understood that any suitable motor may be used.

The peeler 2 further comprises a rechargeable batter pack 20 located within the 30 internal cavity 14 of the housing 4. The rechargeable battery pack 20 is in communication with the motor 18.

The peeler 2 further comprises an actuator 22 located on the outer surface 10 of the housing 4. The actuator 22 is in communication with the battery pack 20 to operate 35 the motor 18.

In use, the peeler 2 is placed on a charging station to provide power to the rechargeable batter pack 20. Once charged, a blade 16 may be releasably engaged to the front end 6 of the housing 4. The user switches the actuator 22, in the form of a push button, to the "on" position which causes the motor 18 to be switched on resulting in vibration of the blade 16.

The user contacts the blade 16 with the outer surface or skin of the vegetable or fruit to be peeled, such as for example butternut squash. Although the embodiment is described in relation to use with butternut squash it is to be understood that the 10 peeler may be used with other vegetables or fruits such as for example pumpkins.

The blade 16 can be moved easily and effortlessly across the vegetable or fruit to efficiently remove the outer surface or skin whilst minimising loss of vegetable or fruit during the peeling process.

The peeler of the present invention may be used to efficiently and effortlessly peel a vegetable or fruit with reduced food wastage and with reduced risk of injury to a user.

The invention has been described by way of examples only and it will be appreciated 20 that variation may be made to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the scope of invention as defined by the claims, in particular but not solely combination of features of described embodiments.

Claims

Claims 1. A hand-held peeler for removing tough outer skin from a vegetable of fruit, in which the peeler comprises: a housing having a front end and an opposed rear end, and in which the housing has an ergonomic outer surface and an opposed inner surface defining an internal cavity; a blade configured to be located at or adjacent the front end of the housing and operable to contact an outer skin of a vegetable or fruit; an oscillating motor located within the internal cavity of the housing and in communication with the blade such that the motor is operable in use to vibrate the blade; a power source in communication with the oscillating motor; and an actuator located on the housing and in communication with the power source and/or motor to operate the motor.
2. A peeler as claimed in claim 1, in which the housing is an elongate housing defining a longitudinal axis extending between the front and rear ends of the housing.
3. A peeler as claimed in either of claims 1 or 2, in which the power source is a battery pack.
4. A peeler as claimed in claim 3, in which the battery pack is a rechargeable battery pack, and the housing further comprising a charging inlet in communication with the battery pack, in which the charging inlet is adapted for connection to a charger.
5. A peeler as claimed in claim 4 wherein the charger comprises a dock.
6. A peeler as claimed in claim 4 or 5 wherein the charger comprises a means of holding the vegetable or fruit.
7. A peeler as claimed in claim 4, 5 or 6 wherein the charger comprises induction charging.
8. A peeler as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the motor is a brushless motor.
9. A peeler as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a charging station configured to receive and support at least a portion of the peeler, and in which the charging station is configured to recharge the power source.
10. A peeler as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a blade cover configured to receive and extend across the blade.
11. A peeler as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the housing is formed from injection moulded plastic.
12. A peeler as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the blade is composed of stainless steel.
13. A peeler as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the blade is releasably engaged to the housing.
14. A kit for a hand-held vegetable peeler as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the kit comprises: a housing having a front end and an opposed rear end, and in which the housing has an ergonomic outer surface and an opposed inner surface defining an internal cavity; an oscillating motor located within the internal cavity of the housing; a power source located within the internal cavity of the housing, in which the power source is in communication with the oscillating motor; and an actuator located on the housing and in communication with the power source and/or motor to operate the motor; and at least one blade engageable at or adjacent the front end of the housing and operable to contact an outer skin of a vegetable or fruit, in which the blade is in communication with the motor such that operation of the motor causes vibration of the blade.
15. A kit as claimed in claim 14, comprising a plurality of interchangeable blades.
16. A method for forming a hand-held vegetable peeler as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, comprising: forming a housing having a front end and an opposed rear end, and in which the housing has an ergonomic outer surface and an opposed inner surface defining an internal cavity; obtaining an oscillating motor and locating the motor within the internal cavity of the housing; obtaining a power source and locating the power source within the internal cavity of the housing, and connecting the power source to the oscillating motor; obtaining an actuator and locating the actuator on the housing, and connecting the actuator to one or each of the power source and/or motor such that actuation of the actuator causes operation of the motor; and obtaining at least one blade and engaging the blade at or adjacent the front end of the housing, connecting the blade to the motor such that operation of the motor causing vibration of the blade.