Cooking knife

Abstract

Even if the operation is repeated for a long time in a gripping state where the belly of the index finger is placed on the blade edge, accurate cooking operations can be maintained. 【Solution means】A cooking knife 100 including a blade 10 and a handle 20, wherein the handle 20 has a finger rest portion 23 formed at a position near the handle 20 on the blade edge 11 of the blade 10 where the belly of the index finger can be placed, a thumb groove portion 21 formed at a position hitting the belly of the thumb in a state of gripping the handle 20, and a middle finger groove portion 22 formed at a position hitting the belly of the middle finger in a state of gripping the handle 20.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking knife used, for example, in cooking work at home.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as described in, for example, Patent Document 1, a knife has been proposed which includes a finger rest for covering a part of the ridge of the blade and pressing the abdomen of the index finger against it. This can avoid the abdomen of the index finger coming into direct contact with the ridge of the blade and reduce the burden on the fingertips.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above prior art, when a specific cooking operation is repeated for a long time with the abdomen of the index finger pressed against the ridge of the blade, the grip on the handle by fingers other than the index finger becomes unstable, and it is likely to be difficult to maintain accurate cooking work by hand.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a cooking knife that can reduce the burden on the fingertips and maintain accurate cooking work even when repeatedly operating for a long time in a gripping state with the abdomen of the index finger pressed against the ridge of the blade.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the cooking knife of the present invention includes a blade and a handle, wherein the handle has a finger rest portion formed at a position on the peak portion of the blade near the handle where the abdomen of the index finger touches, a thumb groove portion formed at a position where the abdomen of the thumb can be inserted in a state of gripping the handle, and a middle finger groove portion formed at a position where the abdomen of the middle finger can be inserted in a state of gripping the handle.

[0007] When the cooking knife of the present invention grips the handle and extends the index finger to press the peak portion side of the blade, even in this case, the finger rest portion receives the abdomen of the index finger to avoid direct contact with the blade, and the burden on the fingertips can be reduced even during long-term work. Further, when gripping the handle with the abdomen of the index finger applied to the finger rest portion in this way, the abdomen of the thumb fits into the thumb groove portion, and the abdomen of the middle finger fits into the middle finger groove portion. In this gripping state, the thumb and the middle finger always sandwich the handle in the left-right direction with an opposing arrangement, and the index finger presses the peak portion of the blade. These three fingers can cooperate to stably support the blade in three directions. This gripping state can stably fix the gripping position in the longitudinal direction and the rotational position around the longitudinal axis more than simply gripping a simple rod-shaped handle with one hand, and can perform delicate operations at the cutting tip and the edge of the blade stably and accurately. It can be said that this is the result of the synergistic cooperative support function of the thumb and the middle finger, which cannot be obtained only by applying the abdomen of the index finger to the peak portion of the blade. As a result, even when repeating cooking operations for a long time, the burden on the fingertips can be reduced and the accuracy of the cooking operations can be maintained.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, even when repeatedly working for a long time in a gripping state with the abdomen of the index finger applied to the peak portion of the blade, the burden on the fingertips can be reduced and accurate cooking operations can be maintained.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

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Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is for explanation purposes and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art can adopt embodiments in which each of the following constituent elements is replaced with an equivalent one, and those are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Further, in the following description, for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the present invention, descriptions of important known technical matters will be appropriately omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0011] FIG. 1 is an external view of the cooking knife in the state gripped by the user as seen obliquely. FIG. 2 is an external view of the cooking knife as seen from the peak side. FIG. 3 is a side view of the cooking knife as seen from arrow III in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a side view of the cooking knife as seen from arrow IV in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is an overall side view of the cooking knife in the gripping state with the index finger placed on the peak portion as seen from arrow III in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is an overall side view of the cooking knife in the gripping state with the index finger placed on the peak portion as seen from arrow IV in FIG. 2. In these FIGS. 1 to 6, the cooking knife 100 of the present embodiment has a blade 10 and a handle 20.

[0012] The blade body 10 is a blade object made of metal or ceramic located at the longitudinal front end of the entire cooking knife 100. The handle 20 is a gripping portion made of resin or metal located at the longitudinal rear end of the entire cooking knife 100. A core (not shown) is formed at the rear end of the blade body 10, and this core is inserted into the interior of the handle 20 so that the blade body 10 and the handle 20 are integrally fixed in a linear arrangement. The user uses the cooking knife 100 by gripping the handle 20 and applying the blade body 10 to cooking ingredients and the like.

[0013] In the example of the present embodiment shown, the blade body 10 applies that of a so-called Santoku knife (household knife), but the blade bodies of other various knives such as deba knives, honesuki knives, vegetable cutting knives, Japanese knives, and Western knives may be applied.

[0014] In the example of the present embodiment shown, the handle 20 has a shape for being gripped with the right hand for right-handed use, and is formed in an asymmetrical shape in the left-right direction (the thickness direction of the blade body 10) orthogonal to the longitudinal axis CL as shown in FIG. 2. Among these, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a groove-shaped thumb groove portion 21 is formed at a position where the abdomen of the thumb can be fitted in a state where the handle 20 is gripped. This thumb groove portion 21 has an inclined portion formed in a direction inclined so as to approach the blade body 10 from the back side 20a to the belly side 20b of the handle 20 (in this example, the entire thumb groove portion 21 is the inclined portion). Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a groove-shaped middle finger groove portion 22 is formed at a position where the abdomen of the middle finger can be fitted in a state where the handle 20 is gripped. This middle finger groove portion 22 has an orthogonal portion formed so as to cross in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the handle 20 between the back side 20a and the belly side 20b of the handle 20 (in this example, the entire middle finger groove portion 22 is the orthogonal portion).

[0015] Also, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, on the back side 20a of the handle 20, at the position where the abdomen of the index finger in the extended state hits in the vicinity of the handle 20 among the ridge portions 11 (the edge portions on the side opposite to the blade tip 12) of the blade body 10, a finger rest portion 23 is formed as a part of the handle 20. This finger rest portion 23 has a dish-shaped portion with a depression having a width dimension approximately the same as that of the index finger in the thickness direction of the blade body 10 (in this example, the entire finger rest portion 23 is the dish-shaped portion). The entire handle 20 as described above may be formed by molding with a so-called mold or by using a 3D printer or the like. In the illustrated example, the shape of the handle 20 is formed for right-handed use, but it may be formed in a shape symmetric in the left-right direction for left-handed use.

[0016] The cooking knife 100 of the present embodiment provided with the handle 20 having the above shape can be gripped by wrapping the back side 20a of the handle 20 with the palm and arranging the three fingers of the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger and the thumb on the opposite side of the left and right of the handle 20 to grip. Then, as shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, the index finger may be extended and gripped with its abdomen against the finger rest portion 23. Alternatively, although not particularly shown, the index finger may be curled to the same side as the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger and gripped so as to normally hold the entire handle 20.

[0017] Here, in the cooking knife 100 of the present embodiment, by using it in a state where the index finger is extended and its abdomen is pressed against the finger rest portion 23, for example, the following effects can be exhibited. That is, as shown in FIG. 7(a), in the overlapping range A (so-called blade root) in the longitudinal direction of the extended index finger and the blade body 10, since the force for cutting can be directly applied with the index finger, for example, even root vegetables 30 can be cut stably and strongly. Also, as shown in FIG. 7(b), in the work of peeling daikon radish 40, for example, the extended index finger can stably and finely control the movement of the blade tip 12. Further, as shown in FIG. 7(c), when, for example, handling a fish 50 in the form of filleting it into three pieces, the operation that requires detecting the feeling of moving the tip 13 (so-called cutting edge) of the blade body 10 along the backbone of the fish while probing the inside of the fish 50 can also be stably and finely controlled.

[0018] Even when operations that require the above-described cutting force, operations that require delicate movement control, operations that require sensitive touch detection, etc. are repeated for a long time, in the cooking knife 100 of the present embodiment, the positional relationship among the index finger, thumb, and middle finger is stably maintained. As a result, the gripping position in the longitudinal direction and the rotational position around the longitudinal axis CL of the entire cooking knife 100 can be stably fixed. For this reason, as a user, the frequency of re-grasping can be significantly reduced, and thus the efficiency can be improved even when performing repetitive operations over a long period of time.

[0019] <Effects of the Embodiment> As described above, in the cooking knife 100 of the present embodiment, even when the index finger is extended and the peak portion 11 side of the blade 10 is pressed while gripping the handle 20, the finger pad of the index finger is received by the finger contact portion 23, avoiding direct contact with the blade 10 made of hard and thin metal or the like. As a result, even when repeating operations for a long time, the burden on the fingertips is reduced and pain is not caused.

[0020] Furthermore, when gripping the handle 20 with the finger pad of the index finger applied to the finger contact portion 23 in this way, the finger pad of the thumb fits into the thumb groove portion 21, and the finger pad of the middle finger fits into the middle finger groove portion 22. In this gripping state, the thumb and the middle finger are always arranged so as to face each other reliably, sandwiching the handle 20 in the left-right direction, and the index finger presses the peak portion 11 of the blade 10. These three fingers can cooperate to stably support the blade 10 in three directions. This gripping state can stably fix the gripping position in the longitudinal direction and the rotational position around the longitudinal axis CL compared to simply gripping a simple rod-shaped handle (not shown) with one hand, and enables stable and delicate operations at the blade tip 12 and the cutting edge 13 of the blade 10. It can be said that this is particularly due to the synergistic cooperative support function by the thumb and the middle finger, which cannot be obtained simply by merely placing the finger pad of the index finger on the peak portion 11 of the blade 10. As a result, even when repeating cooking operations over a long period of time, the burden on the fingertips can be reduced and the accuracy of the cooking operations can be maintained.

[0021] In particular, in the present embodiment, the thumb groove portion 21 is formed in a direction that inclines from the back side 20a to the front side 20b of the handle 20 so as to approach the blade 10. As a result, when the handle 20 is gripped, the thumb can be fitted into the inside of the thumb groove portion 21 in a natural and close contact posture, enabling more stable fixation when gripping.

[0022] In particular, in the present embodiment, the middle finger groove portion 22 is formed in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the handle 20 between the back side 20a and the front side 20b of the handle 20. As a result, when the handle 20 is gripped, the middle finger can be fitted into the inside of the middle finger groove portion 22 in a natural and close contact posture, enabling more stable fixation when gripping.

[0023] In particular, in the present embodiment, the finger rest portion 23 is formed to have a width dimension approximately the same as that of the index finger in the thickness direction of the blade 10. As a result, the finger rest portion 23 can contact the entire abdomen of the index finger to minimize the burden, and prevent interference with other parts during cooking due to an excessive width dimension.

[0024] In particular, in the present embodiment, the finger rest portion 23 is formed in a dish shape with a depression. As a result, since the finger rest portion 23 closely contacts and touches the entire abdomen of the index finger, delicate force adjustment can be transmitted, enabling more delicate work.

[0025] Note that the finger rest portion 23 may be configured only to avoid the abdomen of the index finger from directly contacting the peak portion 11 of the blade 10. For example, although not particularly shown, the burden on the index finger can be reduced by simply covering the surface of the peak portion 11 of the blade 10 with a thin film.

[0026] In the above embodiment, the blade 10 and the handle 20 are prepared as separate bodies made of different materials, and the cooking knife 100 is configured as a structure combining them. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the blade 10 and the handle 20 may be made of the same material, or the entire cooking knife 100 may be integrally cut or cast from metal or the like to form the whole.

[0027] In the above description, when there are descriptions such as "identical", "equal", or "different" regarding the dimensions and sizes in appearance, these descriptions do not have a strict meaning. That is, the "identical", "equal", and "different" mean "substantially identical", "substantially equal", and "substantially different" in the sense that tolerances and errors in design and manufacturing are allowed.

[0028] Similarly, in descriptions including angular components and directions such as "vertical", "horizontal", "right angle", and "uniform", these descriptions do not indicate a strict meaning. They are due to tolerances, errors in design and manufacturing, or artificial / visual methods (procedures), etc., and mean "substantially vertical", "substantially horizontal", "substantially right angle", and "substantially uniform".

[0029] In addition, other than what has been described above, the methods according to the above embodiments and each modification example may be appropriately combined and used.

[0030] Although not exemplified one by one, the present invention can be implemented with various changes made within the scope not departing from its gist.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0031] 10 Blade 11 Crest 12 Blade Tip 13 Tip, Cutting Edge 20 Handle 20a Back Side 20b Belly Side 21 Thumb Groove 22 Middle Finger Groove 23 Finger Rest 100 Cooking Knife A Overlap Range, Blade Root CL Longitudinal Axis

Claims

1. A cooking knife having a blade and a handle, wherein the handle has: a finger rest formed at a position on the blade edge near the handle where the belly of the index finger touches; a thumb groove formed at a position where the belly of the thumb can be inserted while holding the handle; a middle finger groove formed at a position where the belly of the middle finger can be inserted while holding the handle; and characterized in that it is a cooking knife having the above features.

2. The thumb groove of the cooking knife according to Claim 1, characterized in that it has an inclined portion formed in a direction inclined so as to approach the blade from the back side to the belly side of the handle.

3. The middle finger groove of the cooking knife according to Claim 1, characterized in that it has an orthogonal portion formed in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the handle between the back side and the belly side of the handle.

4. The finger rest of the cooking knife according to Claim 1, characterized in that it has a width dimension approximately the same as that of the index finger in the thickness direction of the blade.

5. The finger rest of the cooking knife according to Claim 4, characterized in that it has a dish-shaped portion formed in a dish shape with a depression. ​ ​ ​

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