Pliers for holding a cactus fruit

Abstract

Pliers (1, 1') for holding an object to be peeled, in particular for holding a cactus fruit (2), with a hinge (8, 8') and two lever bodies (10, 10', 12, 12') pivotable over the hinge (8, 8'), wherein each lever body (10, 10', 12, 12') has a handle-side lever arm (14, 14', 18, 18') and an object-side lever arm (16, 16', 20, 20'), and wherein the object-side lever arm (16, 16') of the first lever body (10, 10') carries a first holding device (22, 22') for holding the object at a first end thereof, and the object-side lever arm (20, 20') of the second lever body (12, 12') carries a second holding device (26, 26') for holding the object at a second end thereof, wherein the first holding device (22, 22') is designed as a body with a convex section (24, 24') towards the second holding device (26, 26') and the second holding device (26, 26') is designed towards the first holding device (22,22') is formed as a body with a concave section (28, 28'').

Description

[0001] The invention provides a device with which an object to be peeled can be held.

[0002] In the field of household goods, complex devices for peeling objects such as fruits or vegetable parts are known, which are expensive to purchase.

[0003] A simpler device for cutting fruit is known from DE 10 59 163 B: A clamp has two arms, at the free ends of which gripping cups are formed that can clamp a piece of fruit between them. The gripping cups have openings through which the blades of a cutting device can be guided.

[0004] In the field of fruit picking, for example, it is known from the publications CH 60 253 A and DE 540 106 A to use scissor-like devices.

[0005] For the purpose of picking up and putting down objects such as fruit, a pair of tongs according to US 5 901993 A has a pair of large rectangular gripping plates that are finely structured.

[0006] When peeling fruit, the question often arises in the household of how to handle it. This is especially true for cactus fruit, which has annoying and painful spines.

[0007] It is an object of the invention to provide a device that can be used to assist in peeling objects in the household.

[0008] The problem is solved according to the invention by pliers having the features of the independent claims.

[0009] A pair of tongs for holding an object to be peeled, in particular a cactus fruit, is disclosed. The tongs have a hinge and two lever bodies pivotable via the hinge. Each lever body has a handle-side lever arm and an object-side lever arm. The object-side lever arm of the first lever body carries a holding device for holding the object to be peeled at a first end (e.g., its underside), and the object-side lever arm of the second lever body carries a holding device for holding the object at a second end (which may be opposite the first end, e.g., the upper end). The tongs can, in particular, be configured to hold the object transversely.

[0010] Using pliers, the object to be peeled can be easily and securely held using the familiar lever principle. The pliers can be held in one hand, while the other hand guides a knife to peel the object.

[0011] The first holding device is at least partially convex (in particular, convex towards the object, and thus convex towards the other holding device, and especially designed as a convex body). The second holding device, on the other hand, is at least partially concave (in particular, concave towards the object and thus towards the other, first holding device, and especially designed as a concave body). In this way, the first holding device can engage slightly with the object to be peeled, and the second holding device can then grip the object.

[0012] This is particularly advantageous for cactus fruits. For example, a convex body of the first holding device can be designed as a semi-spherical body to engage in a recess at the lower end of a cactus fruit. Preferably, the second holding device is also rotationally symmetrical, so that the cactus fruit held in the clamp can even be rotated if necessary.

[0013] In one embodiment, the first holding device has a passage for guiding a mandrel, which helps to hold the object. The mandrel, in particular with its tip, only contacts the base surface of the object. The passage can be axial and, in particular, extends perpendicular to one direction of extension of the lever arm on the object side. The mandrel can be provided together with the rest of the pliers and preferably has a handle. Alternatively, the mandrel can also be guided through a passage in the second holding device.

[0014] To reduce the force required by the user to hold the object being peeled, thus increasing comfort, an elastic element, such as a spring, can be provided to push or pull the two lever bodies towards each other. This specifically forces the holding devices against one another. In one embodiment, the elastic element acts as a tension spring, coupling the object-side lever arms. Alternatively, a tension spring can also be arranged between the handle-side lever arms.

[0015] For ease of use, at least one of the lever bodies on the handle-side arm can have a finger loop, similar to that on scissors.

[0016] In one embodiment, at least one of the holding devices and / or at least one of the lever bodies (and in particular both) is made of plastic. The plastic is sufficiently strong, easy to clean, and the pliers can be manufactured inexpensively.

[0017] In one embodiment, the first lever body is between 8 and 20 cm long, preferably between 10 and 15 cm, and the second lever body is also between 8 and 20 cm long, preferably between 10 and 15 cm, with both lever bodies preferably being of the same length. The holding device is preferably spaced between 6 and 12 cm from the hinge at its lower, hinge-side end. In particular, the object-side lever arm is between 6 and 12 cm long, either on one or preferably on both lever bodies. As an alternative to the embodiment with lever bodies of equal length, one of the handle-side levers is significantly longer. This is particularly advantageous when a spring is provided.

[0018] According to an alternative, only one-sided levers are used, so that a pair of tongs for holding an object to be peeled, in particular a cactus fruit, has a first lever body carrying a first holding device and a second lever body carrying a second holding device. Here, the first holding device is convex, at least partially, towards the second holding device, in particular as a convex body, and the second holding device is concave, at least partially, towards the first holding device, in particular as a concave body. A hinge may be formed at the point where the two lever bodies meet, but a form-elastic coupling may also be present.

[0019] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of pliers for holding a cactus fruit, Fig. Figure 2 illustrates in a cross-sectional view how a cactus fruit can be held using such pliers. Fig. Figure 3 shows another embodiment of the tongs for holding a cactus fruit, in which a spring is additionally provided, Fig. Figure 4 shows a simplified embodiment of pliers for holding a cactus fruit and Fig. 5 a modified form of the simplified embodiment from Fig. 5 shows.

[0020] Fig. Figure 1 shows a pair of tongs, designated as a whole, for holding a cactus fruit. Two lever bodies 10 and 12 are coupled to each other via a hinge 8. The first lever body 10 has a handle-side lever arm 14 and an object-side (i.e., cactus-fruit-side) lever arm 16. Similarly, the second lever body 12 has a handle-side lever arm 18 and an object-side lever arm 20. The object-side lever arm 16 of the first lever body 10 carries a first holding device 22 for a cactus fruit, and the object-side lever arm 20 of the second lever body 12 carries a second holding device 26 for a cactus fruit. A convex section 24 is formed on the first holding device 22. This can be described as a ridge and has, in particular, the shape of a partial sphere. A concave section 28, i.e., a recess, is provided on the second holding device 26. The second holding device is therefore bowl-shaped.The handle-side lever arms 14, 18 have a finger eyelet 30 and 32 respectively.

[0021] Fig. Figure 2 shows the interaction of the holding device 22 and 26 with a cactus fruit 2. The convex, semi-spherical section 24 engages in particular with the base region 2-1 of a cactus fruit. This region of the cactus fruit 2 is correspondingly concave. The cactus fruit was picked from the rest of the plant body (stem) at this point. The tip 2-2 of the cactus fruit engages with the concave section 28 and is held there. The elongated middle section 2-3 of the cactus fruit is exposed between these sections, allowing the cactus fruit to be peeled while held in the clamp 1.

[0022] During a Fig. In the further embodiment 1' of the pliers for holding a cactus fruit shown in 3, a (tension) spring 40 is arranged between the object-side lever arm 16' of the first lever body 12' and the object-side lever arm 20' of the second lever body 12'. Fig. Figure 3 shows the rest position, in which the spring (40) pulls the object-side lever arms 16', 20' towards each other. The holding devices are also pulled against each other in this position. To pick up a cactus fruit, the handle-side lever arms 14', 18' must be pushed away from each other against the force of the spring 40, then the cactus fruit inserted, and finally the handle-side lever arms 14', 18' released so that the cactus fruit is held by the spring. To prevent accidental opening of the clamp, the handle-side lever arms 14', 18' are of different lengths in this example. With the cactus fruit clamped, the user can peel the fruit using only the longer lever. For stability and, if necessary, for the use of a spike as described above, it may be preferable if the longer lever arm 18' is formed on the lever body 12' with the concave holding device 26' for the tip of the cactus fruit.The version with the longer lever (14') is also possible. The spring can also be used in pliers with equally long handle-side lever arms.

[0023] Fig. Figure 4 shows a simplified embodiment 1'' of pliers. Here, single-sided lever arms 10'' and 12'' are provided; thus, there is no handle side. The first lever arm 10'' carries the first, convex holding device 22'', and the second lever arm 12'' carries the second, concave holding device 26''.

[0024] While Fig. Figure 4 shows an embodiment in which a return to a rest position occurs through shape elasticity (which is possible when made of elastic plastic or metal), illustrates Fig.5 a modified form of the pliers 1'', which is designated as 1''', and in which a hinge 8''' is additionally formed at the point where the lever arms 10''' and 12''' meet, where a torsion spring is preferably provided.

[0025] The described embodiments have in common that the cactus fruit is held horizontally. Other embodiments are conceivable in which the cactus fruit is held at an angle or even vertically. Reference symbol list 1, 1', 1'', 1''' Pliers 2 cactus fruits 2-1 Base of the cactus fruit 2-2 Tip of the cactus fruit 2-3 middle section of the cactus fruit 8, 8', 8''' hinge 10, 10', 10'', 10''' first lever body 12, 12', 12'', 12''' second lever body 14, 14' handle-side lever arm 16, 16' object-side lever arm 18, 18' handle-side lever arm 20, 20' object-side lever arm 22, 22', 22'', 22'' first stopping device 24, 24', 24'', 24'' convex section 26, 26', 26'', 26'''' second holding device 28, 28', 28'''' concave section 30 finger loop 32 finger loop 40 springs

Claims

[1] Pliers (1, 1') for holding an object to be peeled, in particular for holding a cactus fruit (2), with a hinge (8, 8') and two lever bodies (10, 10', 12, 12') pivotable over the hinge (8, 8'), wherein each lever body (10, 10', 12, 12') has a handle-side lever arm (14, 14', 18, 18') and an object-side lever arm (16, 16', 20, 20'), and wherein the object-side lever arm (16, 16') of the first lever body (10, 10') carries a first holding device (22, 22') for holding the object at a first end thereof, and the object-side lever arm (20, 20') of the second lever body (12, 12') carries a second holding device (26, 26') for holding the object at a second end thereof, wherein the first holding device (22, 22') is designed as a body with a convex section (24, 24') towards the second holding device (26, 26') and the second holding device (26, 26') is designed towards the first holding device (22,22') is formed as a body with a concave section (28, 28''). [2] Pliers (1, 1') according to claim 1, wherein the body with a convex section (24, 24') of the first holding device (22, 22') is designed as a semi-spherical body for engaging in a recess on a lower base area (2-1) of the cactus fruit (2). [3] Pliers (1') according to one of the preceding claims 1 or 2, wherein an elastic element is provided which pushes the two lever bodies (10', 12') towards each other. [4] Pliers (1') according to claim 3, wherein the elastic element is a spring (40) provided between the object-side lever arm (16') of the first lever body (10') and the object-side lever arm (20') of the second lever body (12'). [5] Pliers (1) according to one of the preceding claims 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the lever bodies has a finger loop (30, 32) formed on the handle-side lever arm (14, 18). [6] Pliers (1, 1') according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, wherein at least one holding device (22, 22', 26, 26') and / or at least one of the lever bodies (10, 10', 12, 12') is formed using plastic. [7] Pliers (1) according to claim 6, wherein each lever body (10, 12) is between 10 and 15 cm long, preferably both lever bodies (10, 12) being of the same length, and / or wherein the object-side lever arm (16, 20) is between 6 and 12 cm long. [8] Pliers (1') according to claim 6, wherein the two handle-side lever arms (14', 18') are of different lengths. [9] Pliers (1'', 1'''') for holding an object to be peeled, in particular a cactus fruit (2), comprising a first lever body (10'', 10'''') which carries a first holding device (22'', 22'''') and a second lever body (12'', 12'''') which carries a second holding device (26'', 26'''), wherein the first holding device (22'', 22''') is designed as a body with a convex section (24'', 24''') towards the second holding device (26'', 26''') and the second holding device (26'', 26''') is designed as a body with a concave section (28''') towards the first holding device (22'', 22''').

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