Kitchen utensil for cutting a lobster.

Abstract

The invention relates to the design of a manual kitchen utensil for quickly making a clean and precise cut on a lobster, including in particular the longitudinal cut of the crustacean. [Claim 1] Lobster cutter (1) is formed by a solid or hollow mobile cutting board or table adopting a profile adapted to be arranged to receive the entire removable or fixed manual holding and cutting system (2) in its middle part and which is positioned on a table or work surface. Fig.1 for the abstract.

Description

Title of the invention: Kitchen utensil for cutting a lobster.

[0001] The invention relates to the design of a manual kitchen utensil allowing a clean and precise cut to be made quickly on a lobster, including in particular the longitudinal cut of the crustacean.

[0002] This utensil is easy to use and maintain and is perfectly suited to professionals in the food industry, as well as to individuals.

[0003] The prior art reveals that in the majority of cases, cutting or carving is carried out manually using a knife and a cutting board. To do this, a strong, well-sharpened knife is required, and its length must cover that of the lobster.

[0004] The invention of the lobster cutter in the spirit of its design and its operation can be perfectly adapted by minor modifications to the cutting of other decapod or cephalopod crustaceans or even animals for example of the gallinaceous type such as cockerels which are often served in halves in traditional catering like pigeon.

[0005] However, the longitudinal cutting of the lobster to obtain two identical sides is not as easy. Indeed, the cut requires a certain amount of practice and dexterity to correctly position the crustacean on the cutting board and then to prick and pierce with the tip of the knife at the specific location of the lobster and to finalize a first cut separating the cephalothorax in two, then repositioning the knife at its starting point and making the second cut of the abdomen. These manipulations also require a certain amount of time from the operator which is not negligible especially if the cut must be made on several lobsters or crustaceans in a defined time.

[0006] The invention may also facilitate ideal cutting for people who have reduced grip or no longer have the use of one of their hands.

[0007] In order to better understand what makes it possible to overcome these multiple drawbacks, the invention will be further illustrated, without being in any way limited, by the following description of a particular embodiment, given solely by way of example and shown in the appended drawings in which:

[0008] [Fig. 1] represents a perspective view of the lobster cutter according to the invention.

[0009] [Fig.2]: represents a side view.

[0010] [Fig.3]: represents a top view with the positioning of the lobster for a better understanding.

[0011] [Fig.4] r: represents a front face.

[0012] The invention is defined as a lobster cutter (1) formed by a solid or hollow mobile cutting board adopting a profile adapted to be arranged to receive the whole of a removable or fixed manual holding and cutting system (2) in its middle part and which is positioned on a table or a work surface.

[0013] The cutting board (3) is a structured and profiled element in monomaterials or in an arrangement of several materials whose technical characteristics are compatible with use in the food sector, as well as for ease of cleaning after use. The choice of the single or complex material is also decisive upstream to satisfy a rapid manufacturing process. Thus the element (3) is shaped from natural wood or glued reconstituted wood or by the integration of a resin or Paperstone (registered trademark) or 304 or 316L stainless steel or by non-ferrous steel or even by conventional plastics or plastics entering into biosourced polymers.It should be noted that for the manufacture of the cutting board, depending on the materials used, techniques such as machining, laser cutting, drilling, stamping, folding, gluing and mainly for plastic materials, injection, thermoforming and overmolding will be used.

[0014] According to a variant, it adopts stabilizing and damping feet arranged strategically and preferably at the ends of the four corners. However, it is quite understandable that depending on the dimensions of the cutting board (3) a greater number of feet is necessary. However, these feet are also available as non-slip suction cup feet. Finally, in the context of a more elaborate model, the cutting board (3) is also available as a cutting table with adjustable and / or retractable and removable feet and that if the manufacturing method is a profile (4) it is added with a tray for receiving and recovering the juices specific to the animal and / or the cooking juices sliding between the parts (4a and 4b) and the possibility of positioning a removable end-of-stroke stop pad. The juices flow through the main slot (4d) and / or through additional perforations.It is even possible for the top of the cutting board (4c) to adopt a slight inclination from the external edges towards the middle part in order to ensure total recovery of the juices.

[0015] The cutting board (3) receives on either side systems for holding, correct positioning and centering the animal in order to maximize the median and longitudinal cutting of the latter by the operator. The holding and positioning systems (5) consist of removable supports (5a) - (5b) - (5c) - (5d) which are fixed by screws or clips with lugs on the external lateral parts of the board (3) of tubes (6) allowing to connect and hold pads (7) receiving the animal (8) it is recalled that the entire holding and cutting system is removable and washable.

[0016] According to a variant of the invention, the holding system (5) has at least one of the parts (5a) and (5b) fixed and the other mobile and sliding integrating a spring compression device or a worm screw or manual rack adjustment system.

[0017] That through the total median slot (4d) of the board (3) a knife (10) comes to pass, to be positioned and fixed by its front point on a receiving base (9) present under the lower part of the board and to be secured to the latter by a removable pivoting axis carrying out the vertical cutting movement by the operator and a movement guide (11) of the knife (10) and end of travel to ensure that the blade stops at the bottom level of the slot (4d) and thus to ensure a total cutting of the animal.

[0018] The knife (10) has an ergonomic handle and a blade whose length and height are specially designed to ensure an optimal total longitudinal cut of the animal and that the penetration force is ensured by a serrated cutting edge. As the replacement of the knife is possible it may be appropriate to replace it with a knife whose cutting edge of the blade is different if the animal to be cut is other than a lobster.

[0019] According to another preference, the blade of the knife is made of stainless steel or a material such as: carbon steel, titanium, Damascus steel, ceramic, Paperstone (registered trademark), plastic.

[0020] According to a preference of the invention, all of the parts are designed to be easily disassembled to satisfy a thorough washing and the replacement of a defective part.

[0021] The lobster cutter is available for at least one of its component elements by the natural color of the material and / or by a color applied to the material by pigments or on the material by a treatment in liquid paint or by cataphoresis or powder according to the application of thermo-lacquering or coating by dipping or projection constituting one of the parts in order to give a colored appearance, but also to differentiate for example the application for the individual and the professional of the named sector and that all of the parts are engraved by the color laser engraving technique.

[0022] These provisions are common to all the variants.

[0023] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments or to the fields of activity previously described.

Claims

Claims

1. Lobster cutter (1) is formed by a solid or hollow mobile cutting board or table adopting a profile adapted to be arranged to receive the whole of a removable or fixed manual holding and cutting system (2) in its middle part and which is positioned on a table or a work surface.

2. Lobster cutter according to claim 1 characterized in that the cutting board (3) is a structured and profiled element in mono-materials or in an arrangement of several materials whose technical characteristics are compatible with use in the food sector, as well as for ease of cleaning after use, thus the element (3) is shaped from natural wood or glued reconstituted wood or by the integration of a resin or Paperstone (registered trademark) or 304 or 316L stainless steel or by a non-ferrous steel or even by conventional plastics or plastics entering into biosourced polymers and that depending on the materials used, techniques such as machining, laser cutting, drilling, stamping, folding, gluing and mainly for plastics injection and thermoforming and overmolding are used.

3. Lobster cutter according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that the cutting board (3) adopts stabilizing and damping feet arranged strategically and preferably at the ends of the four corners and that depending on the dimensions of the cutting board a greater number of feet is necessary also available as non-slip suction cup feet and in the context of a more elaborate model the cutting board is also available as a cutting table with adjustable and / or retractable and removable feet.

4. Lobster cutter according to claims 1- 2 and 3 characterized in that the cutting board (3) by its manufacturing method is a profile (4) added to a receiving and recovery tray sliding between the parts (4a and 4b) and the possibility of positioning a removable end-of-travel stop pad and the juice drain made possible by the main slot (4d) and / or by additional perforations on the top of the cutting board (4c) as well as a slight tilting the outer edges towards the middle part to ensure total recovery of the juices.

5. Lobster cutter according to claim 1 characterized in that the holding and positioning systems (5) consist of removable supports (5a) - (5b) - (5c) - (5d) which are fixed by screws or clips with lugs on the external lateral parts of the board (3), tubes (6) allowing the skates (7) to be connected and held by the tube (6) to the receiving support (5) of the animal (8) and that the entire holding and cutting system is removable and washable.

6. Lobster cutter according to claims 1 and 5 characterized in that the holding system (5) has at least on one of the fixed parts (5a) and (5b) and the other mobile and sliding part a spring compression device or an adjustment system by worm screw or a manual rack.

7. Lobster cutter according to claim 1 characterized in that the cutting board (3) has a total median slot (4d) allowing the knife (10) by its front point to pass through said slot and to be fixed on a receiving base (9) present under the lower part of the board and to be secured to it by a removable pivoting axis carrying out the vertical cutting movement by the operator and a movement guide (11) of the knife (10) and end of travel to ensure that the blade stops at the bottom level of the slot (4d).

8. Lobster cutter according to claim 8 characterized in that the knife (10) has an ergonomic handle and a blade whose penetration force is ensured by a serrated or micro-serrated cutting edge.

9. Lobster cutter according to claims 1 and 8 characterized in that the blade of the knife (10) is made of stainless steel or another material such as: carbon steel, titanium, Damascus steel, ceramic, Paperstone (registered trademark), plastic.

10. Lobster cutter according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lobster cutter is available for at least one of its component elements by the natural color of the material or by a color applied to the material by pigments or on the material by a treatment in liquid paint or by cataphoresis or in powder, the application of which is thermo-lacquering or coating by dipping or projection constituting one of the parts in order to give a colorful appearance and that all the parts are engraved by the color laser engraving technique.

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