One-handed cutting board

Abstract

The invention relates to a one-handed cutting board, comprising a support element (1) and a retaining element (2). According to the invention, in order to allow for particularly simple handling, the retaining element (2) is angled and can be interlockingly detachably connected to the support element (1) such that food positioned on a surface (5) of the support element (1) is secured against slipping by the retaining element (2) in two directions.

Description

[0001] One-hand cutting board

[0002] The invention relates to a one-handed cutting board comprising a support element and an attachment element. One-handed cutting boards of the type mentioned above are known from the prior art. For example, from the document

[0003] DE 20 2011 003 161 U1 a disabled-friendly work surface has become known in which stops are arranged at right angles to each other on a rectangular work surface.

[0004] Furthermore, a cutting board with a stop has been identified in document US 5,100,115.

[0005] A disadvantage of state-of-the-art one-handed cutting boards is their complicated handling, which is particularly problematic for people with motor impairments.

[0006] The object of the invention is therefore to provide a one-handed cutting board of the type mentioned above, which is particularly easy to handle and yet stable.

[0007] This problem is solved according to the invention by a one-hand cutting board of the type mentioned at the outset, in which the support element is angled and can be detachably connected to the support element in a form-fitting manner, so that a food item positioned on a surface of the support element is secured against slipping in two directions by the support element.

[0008] The one-handed cutting board according to the invention makes it possible, on the one hand, to secure a food item, such as a piece of bread or fruit, against slipping in two directions on the typically flat surface of the support element in a particularly simple way, so that, for example, bread can be cut or sliced ​​bread spread with just one hand without the bread slipping. On the other hand, the one-handed cutting board according to the invention is also easy to disassemble and reassemble, so that after use it can, for example, be easily stored or cleaned in a dishwasher.

[0009] It is understood that the attachment element is usually designed at such an angle that the angle is visible without distortion when viewed from a direction normal to the surface in the assembled state.

[0010] The one-handed cutting board can, of course, have one or more support elements with more than one angle. For example, the support element could also be frame-shaped, i.e., with four angles, and thus connectable to the surface. However, it is particularly advantageous, especially for easy and space-saving storage of the one-handed cutting board, if the support element has exactly one angle.

[0011] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the attachment element has two legs that are shorter than the corresponding sides of the support element.

[0012] The legs of the attachment element are usually arranged in one plane and connected at an angle.

[0013] It is therefore preferably provided that the support element has two legs which are arranged at an angle of 20 degrees to 150 degrees, in particular 80 degrees to 100 degrees, and most preferably about 90 degrees, to each other. The angle at which the legs are arranged to each other thus also defines the directions along which the food item positioned on the surface of the support element is secured against slipping.

[0014] To achieve particularly good force transmission between the attachment element and the support element, it is preferably provided that the attachment element can be positively connected to the support element in such a way that the attachment element rests flat against the surface of the support element. The surface of the support element is usually flat, so that the attachment element preferably has a corresponding flat surface which rests flat against the support element when the attachment element is positively connected to the support element.

[0015] The support element can, in principle, have any shape. However, for space-saving storage, a flat, especially rectangular, support element has proven advantageous. For example, the support element could have the width and height of approximately a sheet of DIN A4 paper. The thickness of the support element could range from 1 mm to 20 mm, depending on the material used.

[0016] A positive-locking connection between the support element and the attachment element can be created in a variety of ways. In this context, it has proven effective for the support element to have at least one bore, in particular a through bore, and for the attachment element to have at least one pin, with the bore and pin corresponding to create a positive-locking connection between the support element and the attachment element.

[0017] It is particularly advantageous if the support element has at least two bores and the attachment element has at least two pins, with the bores and pins corresponding to create a positive-locking connection between the support element and the attachment element. The pins can, for example, be arranged on the legs of the attachment element.

[0018] Preferably, the pins are arranged at the end of the attachment element, in particular on legs.

[0019] This makes it easy to connect the attachment element and the support element even with minor deformations of the attachment element and / or support element, especially since a leverage effect is achieved via the legs, so that unintentional deformations can easily be bent back out, particularly if the attachment element is made of a flexible material such as a metal.

[0020] Typically, a one-handed cutting board is designed for either right-handed or left-handed use and therefore has two holes for attaching the support element, or three holes if the one-handed cutting board is designed for a positive connection with support elements of different leg lengths. The holes are usually through holes to ensure easy cleaning.

[0021] To reduce the number of holes and because the cutting board is usually only used by one person, the support element is typically designed either for connecting a right-handed user (with the angle at the bottom left) or a left-handed user (with the angle at the bottom right). Therefore, the support element usually has holes on a bottom edge and a left side edge (for a right-handed user) or holes on the bottom edge and a right side edge (for a left-handed user).

[0022] Accordingly, it is preferably provided that the one-handed cutting board is designed so that the support element can be connected to the base element in such a way that an angle of the support element is positioned in a lower left corner of the base element to allow use with a right arm. For this purpose, holes are usually provided on the lower edge and the left side edge.

[0023] However, it is also possible for the one-handed cutting board to be designed so that the support element can be connected to the base element in such a way that an angle of the support element is positioned in a lower right corner of the base element, thus enabling use with a left arm. For this purpose, holes are usually provided on the lower edge and the right side edge.

[0024] In principle, it is of course also possible that the one-handed cutting board is designed for use by both a right-handed and a left-handed person, for example if the one-handed cutting board is used in facilities where several people use the cutting board.

[0025] Preferably, the support element has at least one groove. An additional positioning element, in particular a flat plate, can be provided, which can be positively connected to the support element. Preferably, the additional positioning element can be positively fixed in the groove. The additional positioning element, which, for example, can be made of stainless steel like the support element, can be plate-shaped and approximately rectangular, with its thickness corresponding to the width of the groove, so that the additional positioning element can be securely fixed in the groove. For example, the additional positioning element can have a length of 160 mm to 270 mm and a height of 20 mm to 50 mm to securely prevent different food items from slipping. The thickness of the additional positioning element or the groove can, for example, be 2 mm to 10 mm.

[0026] The groove can generally be arranged at only one position on the support element, for example, along and parallel to a side edge. However, it is preferred that the groove be arranged around the entire circumference of the support element, particularly near the edge. This makes it possible, on the one hand, to attach an additional support element near the edge of the support element at any position, for example, to secure food items against slipping. On the other hand, the groove can then also simply serve as a channel to collect any spillage, preventing it from running off the cutting board. The groove can, for example, be located one centimeter from an edge of the support element. It is preferred that the groove be located less than 5 cm, and particularly less than 2 cm, from an edge of the support element.

[0027] The support element and the attachment element are preferably made of food-grade materials and are suitable for both dishwasher and dry cleaning. It is particularly preferred that the attachment element is made of plastic, especially polyethylene, or a metal, especially a food-grade metal, preferably stainless steel.

[0028] To prevent the one-handed cutting board from slipping on a surface such as a table, the back of the board can be designed to be non-slip, in particular with rubber feet. The support element and the base element can be manufactured in a variety of ways. A particularly simple method of manufacture is achieved when the angle in the support element is formed by bending. It is especially preferred that the support element be made of a food-grade metal such as stainless steel and from a sheet-shaped component produced by laser cutting and bending. This method allows for mass production at low cost.

[0029] Preferably, one or more additional support elements are provided, which can be detachably connected to the support element in a form-fitting manner, wherein the at least one additional support element is, in particular, designed to be flat and without angles. The additional support element can thus, for example, be plate-shaped and inserted into a groove to form a support surface. At the same time, by attaching support elements and / or additional support elements to the circumferential groove, the risk of food or other items unintentionally falling from the cutting board or the support element, especially during snack time, can be minimized.

[0030] To enable the one-handed cutting board to be used for both slicing and spreading bread, it is preferably provided with support elements of different heights, in particular support elements with a height of 5 mm to 10 mm and support elements with a height of 20 mm to 50 mm. The height of the support elements is understood to be the amount by which the support element extends beyond the support element when the support element is positively and correctly connected to the support element. A height of, for example, 5 mm is therefore particularly suitable for spreading butter on a slice of bread placed on the board without the butter knife touching the support element, while a height of, for example, 20 mm to 50 mm is well suited for securing a loaf of bread so that it can be sliced.

[0031] Preferably, the legs of the support element are shorter than the corresponding side edges of the base element, so that the legs do not extend beyond the base element when the support element is positioned on the base element as intended. A one-handed cutting board set can thus, for example, comprise one base element and four support elements, each detachably and positively interlocking with the base element. The support elements have two different heights and two different leg lengths, allowing for the convenient processing of a wide variety of foods with the set.

[0032] It may be provided that support elements with legs of different lengths are used, with the support element having bores for the detachable, form-fitting fixing of all support elements. For example, the support element may have three bores to accommodate both a support element with legs of equal length and a support element with legs of different lengths.

[0033] Further features, advantages, and effects of the invention will become apparent from the exemplary embodiment described below. The drawings referenced therein show:

[0034] Figs. 1 and 2 show a support element of a one-hand cutting board according to the invention;

[0035] Fig. 3 shows a high attachment element;

[0036] Fig. 4 a low attachment element;

[0037] Fig. 5 four different attachment elements;

[0038] Figs. 6 to 8 show the support element from Figs. 1 and 2 with different attachment elements; Fig. 9 shows the support element with one attachment element and two additional attachment elements.

[0039] Figures 1 and 2 show a support element 1 of a one-handed cutting board, made of a food-grade plastic such as polyethylene, designed for left-handed use. As can be seen, the support element 1 has three bores 6, allowing attachment elements 2 with legs 4 of different lengths to be inserted into the bores 6, resulting in an angled attachment element in a lower right corner of the one-handed cutting board. Furthermore, a circumferential groove 8 is arranged within the bores 6, which can serve, for example, as a juice groove or for attaching flat or angular additional attachment elements 10. Accordingly, the groove 8 is located a short distance 9 from an edge of the one-handed cutting board, for example, 1 cm. As shown in Figure 1,2. Rubber feet are positioned on the back of the support element 1, which easily prevent the support element 1 from slipping on a surface such as a table.

[0040] Fig. 3 shows an attachment element 2 for the support element 1 shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The attachment element has two legs 4 arranged at an angle α of 90 degrees to each other. The attachment element 2 is made of food-grade stainless steel, preferably 1.4307 or ALSI 304L, and is formed from a plate-shaped metal element by bending and cutting. As can be seen, the legs 4 have pins 7 at their ends, which can be inserted into the bores 6 of the support element 1 to connect the attachment element 2 to the support element 1 in a positive-locking and detachable manner. The pins 7 extend in a direction parallel to which there is a bending axis about which the legs 4 are bent relative to each other.Accordingly, the angle a is shown in true size when the attachment element 2 is attached to the support element 1, and an axis of curvature normal to the surface 5 of the support element 1, on which a foodstuff is intended to be arranged in order to be able to handle it with only one hand, for example to cut or spread.

[0041] Fig. 4 shows another support element 2, which is designed with a lower height than the support element 2 shown in Fig. 3. This support element 2, with a height of, for example, 5 mm, is particularly suitable for spreading butter on bread that is positioned on the support element 1 in a corner of the support element 2, without touching the support element 2 with a butter knife.

[0042] Fig. 5 shows four support elements 2 for the support element 1 from Figs. 1 and 2. As can be seen, the individual support elements 2, which can all be connected to the support element 1 via the bores 6 and pins 7, not only have different heights but also different leg lengths 4. This allows, for example, loaves of bread of different sizes to be positioned on the one-hand cutting board in such a way that they can be cut optimally. In addition, the support element 1 could of course also be designed with bores 6 on the other two side edges, so that stops could be formed on four side surfaces by the support elements 2. Figs. 6 to 8 show the support element 1 with the correspondingly positively connected support elements 2 from Fig. 5.

[0043] Fig. 9 shows the support element 1 with an angled support element 2 inserted at the lower right corner on one side and two plate-shaped additional support elements 10 positively positioned in the circumferential groove 8 on the other. As can be seen, the additional support elements 10 provide an additional contact surface to secure food items against slipping or falling off all four sides of the support element 1.

[0044] The plate-shaped additional support elements 10 are made of the same material as the support elements 2 and have a thickness corresponding to the groove 8, so that the additional support elements 10 are securely fixed in the groove 8, but can also be moved along the groove 8. The height of the additional support elements 10 can be, for example, 20 mm to 50 mm and the length 150 mm to 300 mm. The additional support elements 10 shown have a height of 33 mm and lengths of 160 mm and 270 mm.

[0045] The one-handed cutting board can be available in different formats, for example in a large format with a length of 420 mm and a width of 300 mm and a small format which is easier to transport, with a length of 300 mm and a width of 200 mm.

[0046] The one-handed cutting board according to the invention is particularly well suited for processing food with just one hand, and the disassemblable design also makes cleaning easy.

[0047] The various support elements 2 can serve as stops to prevent food from slipping or falling off the board. They can also act as resistance to help move items off the board or as a guide. This makes the one-handed cutting board suitable for people with impaired vision, as they can use the angled support elements 2 to orient themselves. For example, the one-handed cutting board shown in Fig. 7, which has a support element 2 approximately 7 mm high, can be used to spread butter on bread. The bread is placed in the corresponding corner of the support element 2 and can then be spread with just one hand.

[0048] The 7 mm high support element 2 can also be used to cut pastries. The pastry is then placed in the lower left corner and can be cut with a knife. Only light pressure is required, as the support element 2 prevents the pastry from slipping.

[0049] The one-handed cutting board can also be used to eat canned goods with one hand. For this purpose, the taller support elements (2) are preferably used. For example, an open can of fish can be placed in the corresponding corner formed by support element 2 and then eaten with just one hand.

[0050] The one-handed cutting board can also be used for cutting onions, peppers, cucumbers, or similar items. For this purpose, the tall support element 2 is preferably used, and the cut food is pushed into the corresponding corner formed by the support element 2. The cut food can then be pushed off the board, for example, with a dough scraper. All of this can be done with just one hand.

[0051] For snacks, the corresponding support element 2 is preferably used, and two additional straight support elements 10 can be inserted into the straight side grooves 8, thus minimizing the risk of food falling off the board. This situation is shown in Fig. 9.

[0052] The one-handed cutting board according to the invention thus enables the handling of food by people with corresponding motor impairments in a particularly simple way.

Claims

Patent claims 1. One-handed cutting board comprising a support element (1) and an attachment element (2), characterized in that the attachment element (2) is angled and can be detachably connected to the support element (1) in a form-fitting manner, so that a food item positioned on a surface (5) of the support element (1) is secured against slipping in two directions by the attachment element (2).

2. One-hand cutting board according to claim 1, characterized in that the support element (2) has two legs (4) which are arranged at an angle (a) of 20 degrees to 150 degrees, in particular 80 degrees to 100 degrees, particularly preferably about 90 degrees, to each other.

3. One-hand cutting board according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the support element (2) can be connected to the support element (1) in such a form-fitting manner that the support element (2) rests flat on the surface (5) of the support element (1).

4. One-hand cutting board according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the support element (1) is designed in a plate-like form, in particular as an approximately rectangular plate.

5. One-hand cutting board according to claim 4, characterized in that the support element (1) has at least one bore (6), in particular a through bore, and the attachment element (2) has at least one pin (7), wherein bore (6) and pin (7) correspond in order to be able to establish a positive locking connection between the support element (1) and the attachment element (2).

6. One-hand cutting board according to claim 5, characterized in that the support element (1) has at least two bores (6) and the attachment element (2) has at least two pins (7), wherein bores (6) and pins (7) correspond in order to create a positive locking connection between the support element (1) and the attachment element (2).

7. One-hand cutting board according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the pins (7) are arranged at the end of the support element (2).

8. One-handed cutting board according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the one-handed cutting board is designed such that the support element (2) can be connected to the support element in such a way that an angle of the support element is positioned in a lower left corner of the support element to enable use with a right arm.

9. One-handed cutting board according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the one-handed cutting board is designed such that the support element (2) can be connected to the support element in such a way that an angle of the support element is positioned in a lower right corner of the support element to enable use with a left arm.

10. One-hand cutting board according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the support element (1) has at least one groove (8).

11. One-hand cutting board according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the groove (8) is arranged around the perimeter, in particular near the edge, on the support element (1).

12. One-hand cutting board according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the groove (8) has a distance (9) to an edge of the support element (1) which is less than 5 cm, in particular less than 2 cm.

13. One-hand cutting board according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the support element (1) is made of plastic.

14. One-hand cutting board according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the support element (2) is made of plastic, in particular polyethylene, or of a metal, in particular a food-grade metal, preferably stainless steel.

15. One-hand cutting board according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the angle (a) in the support element (2) is formed by bending.

16. One-hand cutting board according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that one or more additional support elements (10) are provided which can be detachably connected to the support element (1) in a form-fitting manner, wherein the at least one additional support element (IO) is in particular designed to be flat and without angles.

17. One-hand cutting board according to claim 16, characterized in that the additional support element (10) can be fixed in a groove in a form-fitting manner.

18. One-hand cutting board according to one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that support elements (2) of different heights are provided, in particular support elements (2) with a height of 5 mm to 10 mm and support elements (2) with a height of 20 mm to 50 mm.

19. One-hand cutting board according to one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that support elements (2) with legs (4) of different lengths are provided, wherein the support element (1) has bores (6) for releasably form-fitting fixing of all support elements (2).

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