Poultry Deboning Knife with Lower Penetration Tip

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing poultry deboning knives with flesh penetration tips adjacent the upper edge of the blade often puncture protective gloves and the user's flesh, leading to injuries, fatigue, and reduced productivity, as they are designed for limited penetration and leverage, necessitating the use of metal gloves that impair hand and wrist function.

Innovation Solution

A deboning knife with a flesh penetration tip distally disposed adjacent the lower cutting edge and an angularly disposed planar edge subtending an acute angle of less than 45°, allowing safe and effective poultry deboning without puncturing the user, enabling the use of lightweight gloves and maintaining high-volume deboning operations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a flesh penetration tip is disposed adjacent the upper edge of the blade for limited penetration and leverage, then the deboning operation can be performed, but the protective glove and user's flesh are punctured causing injury and fatigue

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeboning operationVSAvoidglove puncture and flesh injury

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the conventional blade design by moving the flesh penetration tip from the upper edge to the lower cutting edge. This reversal changes the penetration mechanics: instead of the tip penetrating first and requiring leverage that causes puncture, the lower tip penetrates and the upper edge then performs the cutting action, eliminating the puncture hazard while maintaining deboning effectiveness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the geometric parameters of the blade, specifically the position of the penetration tip relative to the cutting edge and the angle of the distal edge (less than 45°). These parameter changes modify the penetration and cutting mechanics to achieve safe penetration without glove puncture while maintaining effective deboning operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If metal chain-linked gloves are used to prevent puncture injuries, then safety is improved, but hand and wrist function is impaired and productivity is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepuncture injury preventionVSAvoidhand and wrist function

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the potential harm of penetration into a beneficial cutting action. By redesigning the blade so the penetration tip is at the lower edge rather than upper edge, the penetration action itself becomes the first step of the cutting process rather than a hazardous puncture, allowing lightweight gloves to provide adequate protection without impairing hand function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the blade geometry parameters, specifically positioning the penetration tip at the lower cutting edge and setting the distal edge angle to less than 45°, which modifies the penetration mechanics to be safe for use with lightweight gloves while maintaining effective deboning capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS8758098B2Poultry deboning knife

Publication Date: 2014.06.24 DEXTER-RUSSELL

AI summary

A safety use deboning knife includes a blade having a distally disposed carcass flesh penetration tip disposed immediately adjacent the blade curved cutting edge and spacedly disposed from the blade non-cutting upper edge by a planar distal edge, which distal edge subtends an acute angle of less than about 45° and preferably in less than about 25° with entire cutting portion disposed below the blade center line.