Foods and beverages: apparatus – Means to treat food – Subdividing into plural products
Reexamination Certificate
2003-01-14
2003-07-15
Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Means to treat food
Subdividing into plural products
C099S584000, C099S590000, C099S591000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06591742
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a kitchen appliance for use in connection with peeling plantains. The plantain peeler has particular utility in connection with easily and efficiently removing the rough exterior from plantains.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Plantains are a highly nutritious vegetable and are used as a staple food in many tropical countries. The vegetable is used similarly to the way potatoes are used as a staple in some diets and can be substituted in recipes calling for starchy vegetables like potatoes. Plantains can be added to soups and stews, boiled and mashed, baked with meat, or added to sweet desserts. The plantain can also be used at all stages of ripeness, making it a highly versatile and cost efficient addition to the dietary intake.
In order to reach the meat of the plantain, the user typically cuts off the top and bottom ends with a sharp knife. With the tip of the knife, the user then makes a slit in the skin of the plantain from top to bottom and works the peel away from the inner substance. Less ripe plantains have tough skins that must be cut with a sharp knife in order to peel the fruit. The banana shape of the plantain is awkward to peel with a knife and can be time consuming and lead to cuts on the fingers or hands if the knife slips. Additionally, if excessive pressure is applied to the plantain while holding it steady for peeling, the edible portion can become bruised. Therefore, a device which would remove the peel from the plantain without bruising its edible portion would represent a more efficient and safer method for peeling plantains. In establishments where large numbers of plantains are peeled, this type of device could also lead to a more cost efficient use of labor.
The use of vegetable and fruit peelers is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,670 B1 to Michael Gingras discloses an apparatus for peeling and optionally cutting vegetables such a cucumbers, turnips, carrots, or potatoes. The apparatus has a frame defining a hole sized to receive and let pass the vegetable to be peeled and a given number of knives mounted in such a manner as to be radially slideable toward the center of the hole. Springs are provided which apply a radial force toward the center and hold the knives in a desired position for peeling all sides of the vegetables at once. However, the Gingras '670 B1 patent does not provide a refuse tray for collection and easy disposal of peels, thus the peels would be free to fall on the countertop, table, or floor, causing additional cleanup for the user. Furthermore, the Gingras '670 B1 device requires the user to manually push the vegetable through the opening and retrieve it from the back of the device. Many vegetables are slippery, especially as they are peeled, and would require a tight grip for this process to be accomplished. The user could inadvertently cut his fingers or severely bruise the vegetable while retrieving it from the back of the Gingras '670 B1 device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,735 to Jose P. Gonzalvo discloses a machine for peeling oranges and similar fruits that consists of a chassis with arms for holding and turning the fruit and a cutting mechanism for peeling the fruit. The fruit is positioned on the arms and is subsequently rotated against the cutting mechanism. However, the Gonzalvo '735 patent is only useful for globular fruits and vegetables, and would not be suitable for elongated varieties due to the positioning of the blades and the arms of the device. Furthermore, the spikes with which the Gonzalvo '735 device secures the fruit would damage the pulp of softer fruits like bananas. Finally, the Gonzalvo '735 patent does not provide a container in which peels are collected, resulting in additional clean up time for the user.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,195 to James A. Berube and W. Garrett Howard discloses a fruit peeling machine that cuts strips of peel from citrus fruits, particularly for the purpose of producing twists from such fruits as lemons and limes. Cutting edges are arrayed such that the fruit can be forced downward by a plunger and the lower hemisphere of the fruit is peeled. However, the Berube, et al. '195 device requires the user to pass the fruit through the cutting array twice before it is fully peeled. Additionally, the plunger of the Berube, et al. '195 device places pressure upon the fruit to force it through the cutting edges and would mash fruits or vegetables having a soft pulp, such as bananas or avocadoes. Finally, the Berube, et al. '195 device would not cut the ends of the rind from fruits and vegetables, requiring manual intervention by the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,396,444 to Henry Singer discloses a device for peeling citrus fruit wherein the blade and knife elements function to slice and then peel away the rind of the fruit. The ends of the fruit are first sliced off to provide a level surface, the fruit is then impaled on a post, and the knives subsequently slice and peel the fruit. However, the Singer '444 device still requires the user to manually slice off the ends of the fruit. Given the globular nature of citrus fruit, this presents a safety hazard to the user. Additionally, since the fruit must be impaled on a rod, the Singer '444 device would not be useful for arcuate items, such as plantains, since the rod would not successfully pierce both ends. Finally, the Singer '444 device would not be useful for peeling fruits that are easily malleable since impaling them on a rod would cause them to break into two or more pieces.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. Des.435, 404 to Michel Gingras and Mario Primeau discloses the ornamental design for a vegetable peeling apparatus. The apparatus has a frame defining a hole sized to receive and let pass the vegetable to be peeled and a given number of knives mounted in a horizontal fashion above and below the opening through which the vegetable passes and by which the peel of the vegetable will be scraped away. However, the Gingras, et al. '404 patent fails to provide a refuse tray for collection and easy disposal of peels, thus the peels would be free to fall on the countertop, table, or floor, causing additional cleanup for the user. Furthermore, the Gingras, et al. '404 device requires the user to manually push the vegetable through the opening and retrieve it from the back of the device. Many vegetables are slippery, especially as they are peeled, and would require a tight grip for this process to be accomplished. The user could inadvertently cut his fingers or severely bruise the vegetable while retrieving it from the back of the Gingras, et al. '404 device.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,782 to Leslie Black discloses a banana peeling machine in which the skin of a banana is engaged by impinging spikes on the periphery of three resiliently supported rotatable wheels with separating and cutting means to assist in the skin being pulled away from the banana. However, the Black '782 patent fails to provide any type of housing or covering for the spikes and blades employed by the device. This creates a safety hazard for the user who could cut his hand, finger, or arm during operation of the device. Storing the Black '782 device on the countertop might tempt children to play with it, possibly leading to subsequent injuries, and storing the device in a cabinet could result in cuts on the hand or fingers when the user reached for the device or any item near it. Finally, the Black '782 patent fails to provide a refuse collection container, leaving the banana peels free to fall on the floor, the table, or the cabinet and causing an excessive amount of cleaning for the user.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a plantain peeler that allows the user to easily and safely remove the rough exterior from a plantain. The Gingras '670 B1, Gonzalvo '735, Gingras, et al.
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