JP4610921B2 - Kitchen knife - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a kitchen knife, particularly a kitchen knife that is easy to use even when sitting in a chair.

  In recent years, with the aging of the population and the independence of disabled people, there are increasing opportunities for elderly people and wheelchair users to use knives themselves. A conventional kitchen knife generally includes an elliptical columnar handle 100 as shown in FIG. However, these conventional knives are intended to be used in a standing position, and are not considered at all to be used while sitting on a chair. That is, when the knife is used in the chair sitting position, the position where the blade of the knife hits the cutting board and the shoulder of the user are close to each other, and it is difficult to apply force to the knife compared to the case where the knife is used in the standing position. For example, when a force is applied to the blade edge or a fine knife operation is performed, (1) a gripping finger or middle finger placed on the handle 102 of the blade 101 and an index finger (index finger) placed on the peak of the blade 101 (2) Holding the thumb and middle finger against the handle 102 of the blade 101 and holding the PIP joint (second joint counted from the fingertip) of the finger on the peak of the blade 101 is taken. In these gripping methods, the fingertip, index finger, and middle finger are hooked on the handle 102 of the blade 101 to stabilize the cutting edge, and the portion close to the handle 103 is gripped by the palm, so the knife is in the hand. It becomes difficult to move and fulfills the function of effectively applying force.

  However, in order to use the cutting edge in the kitchen knife operation in the chair sitting position, bending of the wrist joint (palm flexion) is required, and the burden on the wrist joint and the upper limb is further increased. In addition, there is a problem that sufficient bending cannot be performed while sitting on a chair. If the grips (1) and (2) are held in order to apply a force to the blade edge, the range that can be used as the blade is shortened by the index finger or the thumb. For this reason, there is a problem that it becomes difficult to cut large diameter vegetables such as radish and cabbage.

  In order to solve these problems, if the blade span is increased, the flexion of the wrist joint (palm flexion) must be further increased, which increases the burden on the wrist joint and the upper limb. In addition, a large and heavy knife is a negative factor that makes it difficult to perform detailed operations and is not an effective method.

On the other hand, as a kitchen knife that is easy to hold and easy to use, for example, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-170372. The kitchen knife is formed in a curved shape so that the peak of the handle is substantially along the surface of the palm when the handle is gripped, and a recess is provided in the vicinity of the handle for the middle finger holding the handle. This knife requires less flexion of the wrist joint (palm flexion) than the knife shown in FIG. 6 and is relatively easy to apply force to the cutting edge, but the handle is flat like the conventional knife. However, it cannot be said that it is easy to hold and is not sufficiently suitable for use in a chair sitting position.
JP 2001-170372 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional technology, and an object of the present invention is to use a wheelchair user or an elderly person sitting in a chair without disturbing use in a standing position. The purpose is to provide a universal kitchen knife.

  The kitchen knife of the present invention is a kitchen knife provided with a handle having a substantially oval cross section with an arcuate upper edge, and the handle has a protruding portion having a tongue shape in a front view and a substantially triangular shape in a side view. When the handle is gripped by placing the finger on the upper edge of the handle or the peak of the blade, the protruding portion hangs from the front end of the middle finger to the middle abdomen and from the front to one side. There is a bulge where the IP joint abdomen of the thumb hits from the distal abdomen of the thumb, and a bulge where the PIP joint abdomen hits from the middle abdomen of the middle finger from the front side to the other side, It is characterized in that it has a roundness located in the vicinity of the carpal skull part in the depression to be formed.

  In other words, the kitchen knife of the present invention is a kitchen knife having a handle whose upper edge is arcuate, and the handle has a tongue shape in front view and a substantially inverted triangular shape in side view, and the front surface is configured by a curved surface. A protruding portion, a base for providing a blade in front of the protruding portion, and a dolphin body-like gripping portion that narrows from the base toward the handle buttocks. An elliptical arc-shaped ridge line that rises from the approximate center of the side surface to the side surface of the grip part is formed on the left and right side surfaces, and a roundness that fits in a recess formed by the thumb ball and the little finger ball is provided at the tip of the grip part, The protrusion is provided at a position where the handle can be gripped by being hung on the base end of the base or the handle base of the blade.

  More specifically, the radius of the arc forming the upper edge of the grip portion is 90 to 110 mm, the base end length of the projection is 15 to 20 mm, and the cutting edge on the cutting board when the cutting edge is applied to the cutting board. It is preferable that the distance from the protrusion to the tip of the protrusion is 35 to 45 mm, the distance from the protrusion to the handle bottom is 60 to 80 mm, and the distance between the protrusion and the cutting board is 15 ± 3 mm.

  More preferably, the base portion is swelled in a thick shape from the base end of the substantially plate-shaped handle toward the bottom of the handle, and the blade and the side surfaces of both sides are smoothly joined. It is preferable to join the upper edge of the base part in a circular arc shape that is concave downward.

  The kitchen knife of the present invention is a kitchen knife provided with a handle having a substantially oval cross section with an arcuate upper edge, and the handle has a protruding portion having a tongue shape in a front view and a substantially triangular shape in a side view. When the handle is held on the upper edge of the handle or the peak of the blade and the handle is gripped, the projection is hung from the curved front to the one side from the front to the middle abdomen. There is a bulge where the IP joint abdomen of the thumb hits from the distal abdomen of the thumb, and a bulge where the PIP joint abdomen hits from the middle abdomen of the middle finger from the front side to the other side, Because it has a roundness that is placed in the dent that forms and is located near the carpal skull, the handle is supported by the thumb, middle finger, and palm. Can be reduced. Further, if the handle is gripped as described above, a force can be applied to the blade edge without narrowing the effective function range of the blade span, and the burden on the wrist joint is reduced. Therefore, a sufficient force can be applied to the kitchen knife even in a sitting state, and the cutting edge can be freely manipulated with a small bending of the wrist joint. In particular, since the protrusion has the shape as described above, it is very easy to grip.

  If it explains as a more specific shape, it is a tongue shape in front view and a substantially inverted triangular shape in side view, and a front portion formed of a curved surface, and a base for providing a blade in front of the protrusion portion, The handle is composed of a dolphin body-like grip portion that narrows from the base portion toward the handle bottom. Then, the elliptical arc-shaped ridge line that rises from the tip of the protruding portion to the center of the side surface of the protruding portion and extends to the side surface of the gripping portion, and the roundness that fits in the recess formed by the thumb ball and the little finger ball The protrusion is formed at a position where the handle can be gripped by placing the index finger on the base end of the base or the base of the blade. Therefore, the handle can be gripped by placing the middle joint abdomen from the last node of the middle finger on the front surface of the projection and positioning the vicinity of the PIP joint of the middle finger forward of the ridge line on the side of the projection. On the other hand, on the opposite side surface of the protrusion, the thumb IP joint can be gripped in the vicinity of the ridge line of the protrusion, and the distal node abdomen can be held in front of the ridge line. In this gripping method, since the portion from the protrusion to the base is pinched by the thumb and the middle finger, it is easy to suppress the knife from swinging left and right. In addition, the grip part fits snugly from the middle finger baseball to the recess formed by the thumb ball and the little finger ball, and the tip of the grip part (the bottom of the handle) is rounded in the recess formed by the thumb ball and the little finger ball. Since it is formed, the back and forth movement is reliably suppressed. If such a knife is used, it will not be an unreasonable gripping posture, and it will be easy to use in a sitting position.

  More specifically, the radius of the arc that forms the upper edge of the grip portion is 90 to 110 mm, the base end width of the protrusion is 15 to 20 mm, and when the blade base is applied to the cutting board, It is preferable that the distance to the tip of the projection is 35 to 45 mm, the distance from the tip of the projection to the handle bottom is 60 to 80 mm, and the distance between the tip of the projection and the cutting board is 12 to 18 mm. This size is such that the average person can take the above gripping method, and if each dimension is slightly larger or smaller within the above range, so-called Santoku knives, cow blade knives, petty knives and other blades It can be applied to most types of kitchen knives regardless of size.

  In addition, the base is inflated thickly from the base end of the handle to the bottom of the handle, and the blade and the side of the base are joined smoothly, providing excellent design and sufficient bonding strength. Can be finished into a kitchen knife. Then, by joining the edge of the blade and the upper edge of the base in a circular arc that is concave downward, the abdomen of the index finger fits the edge of the blade or handle when gripping, and the edge of the blade is more shaken. Can be small.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a knife of the present invention, FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C are a top view, a side view, and a bottom view of the knife, respectively, and FIGS. 3A and 3B are front views of the knife, respectively. 4A is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2A, FIG. 4B is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2B, and FIG. It is.

  In the kitchen knife shown in each figure, the blade 10 and the handle 20 are integrally manufactured. The blade 10 is made in a shape substantially similar to that of a conventional knife, and has a jaw 12 that rises substantially perpendicular to the cutting board when the main blade 11 is applied to the cutting board. Further, the blade base end 25 of the handle 20 and the handle base 14 of the blade 10 are joined above the jaw 12. The handle 20 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel or chrome steel so that it can be joined to the blade 10 by, for example, welding.

  The knife handle 20 of the present invention has a shape that reduces the burden on the wrist joint by reducing the flexion (palm flexion) of the wrist joint without reducing the effective function range of the blade span. That is, when the handle 20 is gripped by applying the index finger from the upper edge 21 of the handle 20 (base portion 22) to the peak 13 of the blade 10, the gripper is gripped by the thumb and middle finger and the depression formed by the thumb ball and the little finger ball. The handle 20 is prevented from moving back and forth in the left and right hands so that force can be applied without placing a burden on the wrist joint or upper limb.

  More specifically, the handle 20 provided in the knife of the present invention has a base portion 22 joined to the handle base 14 of the blade 10 and a grip portion 23 gripped by the palm, and the base portion 22 and the grip portion 23 substantially. A projection 24 is formed at the boundary position and is held between the thumb and middle finger. The entire handle 20 is made symmetrically when viewed from the front. The base portion 22 is gradually made thicker from the blade end 25 that is substantially plate-shaped toward the protrusion 24. The blade 10 and the handle 20 are smoothly joined without causing a step between the side surface of the blade base end 25 and the side surface of the handle base 14 of the blade 10. The upper edge 21 of the base portion 22 has an upwardly convex arc that is continuous with the upper edge 29 of the grip portion 23, but is convex downward continuously in the vicinity of the blade end 25. An arc is drawn and smoothly continues to the peak 13 near the blade base 25 of the blade 10. For this reason, the terminal node abdomen of the grasped index finger fits in the vicinity of the inflection point, and the blurring at the tip of the knife is reduced. For this purpose, it is necessary to produce the base 24 to such a length that the grasped index finger can be hung on the base end of the base or the handle base of the blade, and this length is indicated by a specific numerical value. When the main blade 11 is in contact with the cutting board, the length (L1) from the jaw 12 to the tip of the protrusion 24 is preferably 35 to 45 mm on the cutting board.

  The grip portion 23 is formed in the shape of a dolphin body that becomes continuous toward the handle butt 26 continuously from the thickened base portion 22. Here, the dolphin trunk shape is an image of the trunk when the dolphin rolls its back and zips from the sea surface. That is, the upper edge 29 of the grip portion 2 is rounded in an arc shape that is convex upward, and the lower edge of the grip portion 23 is rounded in an arc shape having a smaller curvature than the upper edge 29. The thickness of the handle 20 is not uniform, and gradually decreases toward the handle bottom 26. Further, the upper edge 29 of the grip portion 23 has a shape substantially along the arch formed by the palm when the handle 20 is gripped. Thus, the grip part 23 has a shape that is very easy to grip, and is easy to fit between the ring finger abdomen, the little finger abdomen, and the palm. As a result, the cutting edge can be sufficiently moved with less bending of the wrist joint (palm flexion) compared to a straight handle. The radius of the arc formed by the upper edge 29 of the grip portion 23 is 100 ± 10 mm in terms of specific numerical values, and this range is a size suitable for the majority of people's hands. The handle bottom 26 is rounded so that it fits in a recess formed by the thumb ball and the little finger ball, and the handle bottom 26 is preferably located in the vicinity of the carpal skull, preferably the carpal skull. Therefore, the length of the grip portion 23 is expressed by a specific numerical value, and the length (L2) from the tip of the projection 24 to the tip of the handle 26 is on the cutting board in a state where the main blade 11 is applied to the cutting board. The length is 65 to 75 mm.

  In the kitchen knife of the present invention, a projecting portion 24 that protrudes downward is formed near the boundary between the base portion 22 and the grip portion 23 of the handle 20. When the handle 24 is gripped by placing the index finger on the blade base end 25 of the base portion 22 or the handle base 14 of the blade body 10, the projection 24 is connected to the terminal joint and the IP joint of the thumb, the terminal joint and the middle joint of the middle finger, and the PIP. This is for three-dimensionally engaging the joint. The protrusion 24 has a tongue-like shape when viewed from the front (blade edge side), that is, its base end bulges to the left and right, and its tip is substantially pointed, and the front of the protrusion 24 is a curved surface slightly bulging to the front. . And it is preferable to have such a curvature that the ridge line 27 is formed in the vertical direction at the front center of the curved surface. When such a ridge line 27 is formed, as will be described later, the DIP joint (first joint counted from the fingertip) of the middle finger that holds the handle 20 is preferably located at this position. Further, the protrusion 24 has a substantially inverted triangular shape in a side view, and is formed so that the base end width (L3) of the protrusion 24 is about 15 to 20 mm. The base end width is the distance on the cutting board between the apex of the arc formed by the inner edge of the base 22 and the apex of the arc formed by the inner edge of the grip part 23 in a state where the main blade 11 is applied to the cutting board. Say. This size is suitable for hanging the last and middle nodes of the middle finger when grasped.

  On the side surface of the grip portion 23 from the protrusion 24, an elliptical arc-shaped ridge line 28 extending from the tip of the protrusion 24 toward the rising handle 26 is formed. The position of the ridge line 28 is the position where the protrusion 24 is thickest in the grip 23, and the rising part of the ridge line 28 on the side surface of the protrusion 24 is the thickest position throughout the handle 20.

  The tip of the protrusion 24 is formed such that the distance (height H) between the protrusion 24 and the cutting board is about 15 mm and 12 to 18 mm when the main blade 11 is applied to the cutting board. By doing so, it is avoided that the finger or the protrusion 24 gripped during the knife operation hits the cutting board.

  As described above, in the kitchen knife of the present invention, the presence of the protruding portion 24 having the above-described shape and the grip portion 23 having the above-described shape enables easy gripping in the chair sitting position. As a result, even when sitting on a chair, it is easy to apply force to the blade edge, and fine knife operation can be easily performed.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the index finger is placed on the ridge 13 of the blade 10 and the handle 20 is gripped, the terminal node of the thumb is located approximately at the bulge ahead of the ridge line 28 on the side surface of the protrusion 24, The thumb IP joint (the first joint counted from the fingertip) is positioned so as to hang over the ridge 28 on the side surface of the protrusion 24. In addition, a portion from the abdomen of the middle finger ending node to the PIP joint is positioned almost in front of the protrusion 24, and a portion of the middle finger from the PIP joint to the DIP joint (second joint counted from the fingertip) hits the thumb. It is located in the bulge ahead of the ridge line 28 on the side surface opposite to the side surface of the protrusion 24. Then, the portion of the middle finger that extends from the DIP joint to the abdomen of the terminal node is located approximately at the bulge in the vicinity of the ridge 28 on the side surface of the projection 24. The handle hip 26 is located in the vicinity of the carpal skull, and the grip 23 is firmly fitted between the ring finger, the little finger, and the palm so that the vicinity of the handle hip 26 fits into the depression formed by the thumb ball and the little finger ball. And gripped. As a result, the middle finger placed on the front surface of the protrusion 24 works so as to press the handle bottom 26 against the carpal skull, and the shake of the handle 20 in the front-rear direction is suppressed. And the shake of the left-right direction is suppressed between the thumb and middle finger which pinch | interpose the projection part 24. FIG. Further, since the protrusion 24 swells in the width direction and the front surface thereof is a curved surface, it is easy to apply force to the middle finger, and the base end of the protrusion 24 (in the vicinity of the portion where the curvature of the ridge line 28 is the largest) is in other locations. Since it is thicker than the above, it is easy to hold it between the thumb abdomen and the middle finger PIP joint. Then, the ridge line 28 on the side surface of the protrusion 24 becomes a catch between the thumb IP joint and the middle finger PIP joint, and the displacement of the finger is also suppressed.

  Alternatively, the handle 20 can be gripped by placing the abdomen of the thumb on the upper edge 21 of the base 22. In this case, the middle abdominal part of the index finger is located at the bulge of the front surface of the projection part 24 so that the PIP joint of the index finger is caught on the ridge line 27 of the projection part 24, and the terminal and abdominal abdomen parts of the index finger are from the ridge line 28. It is located on the bulge on both sides of the protrusion 24 at the front. Further, the middle finger is applied to the back surface of the protrusion 24. The vicinity of the handle bottom 26 of the handle 20 is housed in a recess formed by the little finger ball and the little finger abdomen, and the grip 23 is held in the middle finger, the ring finger, the little finger, and the palm. As a result, the projecting portion 24 is held between the index finger and the middle finger, and blurring in the front-rear direction is suppressed. Further, the shake in the left-right direction is suppressed by the thumb applied to the upper edge 21 of the base 22 and the index finger and the middle finger that sandwich the protrusion 24. And the base end part of the projection part 24 which an index finger and a middle finger hold | grip becomes thick compared with another part, and since the grip part 23 has a dolphin body shape, the upper edge 29 of the grip part 23 is palm. The grip 23 is firmly gripped by the entire lower end of the grip 23 and the lower edge of the grip 23 fits to the base of the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger.

  As described above, the kitchen knife of the present invention includes the grip portion 23 having a shape that is easy to grip, and the protrusion 24 that can hang the end and middle joints of the index finger and the middle finger, so that it hardly moves back and forth and right and left naturally. The blade can be gripped and the blade edge can be moved by bending a small wrist joint. For this reason, the burden on the wrist joint is reduced, and the knife operation can be performed very easily even when sitting in a chair. In addition, because it is easy to apply force, even large diameter vegetables such as radishes and cabbages can be easily cut.

  In the above description, the state of gripping with the right hand has been described. However, since the handle 20 is made symmetrically, the same effect can be obtained even when gripping with the left hand. In the drawings, the boundary between the blade 10 and the handle 20 is drawn with a solid line for convenience of explanation, but in reality, the joint between the blade base end 25 and the handle base 14 is subjected to a polishing process or the like. Therefore, it cannot usually be visually observed. Further, the connection position between the upper edge 21 of the base portion 22 and the ridge 13 may slightly move back and forth, or the inclination angle and position of the joint between the blade 10 and the handle 20 may be moved. In the kitchen knife of the present invention, the shape of the protruding portion 24 and the grip portion 23 fulfills a central function. When the handle 20 is gripped so that the protruding portion 24 is sandwiched between the thumb and the middle finger, the handle 20 (base portion 22). The protrusion 24 may be formed so that the upper finger 21 or the peak 13 of the blade 10 can be hooked. That is, it is only necessary to have the protrusion 24 at a position where the finger is applied to the peak 13 of the blade 10 when gripped, and the joining position of the blade 10 and the handle 20 is not a problem. Moreover, the joining method of the blade 10 and the handle 20 and the shape of the blade 10 are not limited at all. Therefore, the handle 20 may be made of reinforced wood impregnated with a plastic material or resin. Further, it is not necessary to smoothly join the handle 20 and the side surface of the blade 10, and a pattern base extended to the handle side from the chin like the conventional knife shown in FIG. May be integrated with the handle 20. Of course, considering the design and bonding strength, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the handle base 14 end surface of the blade 10 and the blade base 25 end surface of the handle 20 are joined and gradually expanded from the handle base 14 to the blade base 25. Needless to say, it is a preferred embodiment that both side surfaces are smoothly continuous.

It is a perspective view of the knife which is one Embodiment of this invention. (A) (b) (c) is a top view, a side view, and a bottom view of the knife as above. (A) and (b) are the front views and back views of a kitchen knife same as the above respectively. (A) is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG.2 (b), (b) is the sectional view on the BB line of FIG.2 (b). It is use explanatory drawing of a kitchen knife same as the above. It is a side view of the kitchen knife of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Blade 20 Handle 23 Grip part 24 Projection part 26 Handle bottom part 28 The ridgeline formed in the side surface of a projection part

Claims (3)

A kitchen knife with a handle whose upper edge is arcuate,
The handle has a tongue-like shape in a front view and a substantially inverted triangular shape in a side view, and a front surface formed with a curved surface, a base for providing a blade in front of the protrusion, and an upper edge on the upper side A projection having a round shape in a convex arc shape, a lower edge of which is rounded in an arc shape having a smaller curvature than the upper edge, and a grip portion that gradually becomes thinner from the base toward the handle bottom, and the protrusion An elliptical arc-shaped ridge line that rises from the tip of the protrusion to the center of the side surface of the protrusion and extends to the side of the grip portion, and a roundness that fits in a recess formed by the thumb ball and the little finger ball is provided at the tip of the grip portion. ,
The radius of the arc forming the upper edge of the grip portion is 90 to 110 mm, the base end length of the projection is 15 to 20 mm, and the tip of the projection from the blade base to the tip when the blade base is applied to the cutting board A knife having a length of 35 to 45 mm, a distance from the tip of the projection to the bottom of the handle of 60 to 80 mm, and a distance between the tip of the projection and the cutting board of 15 ± 3 mm .

The knife according to claim 1 , wherein the base portion swells in a thick shape from a substantially plate-shaped handle base end toward the handle bottom, and the blade and the side surface of the base portion are smoothly joined. The knife according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the blade ridge and the upper edge of the base are joined in a circular arc shape having a concave downward.

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