Electrically-operated hand fruit and vegetable peeler

Details Electrically-operated hand fruit and vegetable peeler Electrically-operated hand fruit and vegetable peeler

1999-05-18

2001-02-13

Hendricks, Keith (Department: 1761)

Foods and beverages: apparatus

Means to treat food

Subdividing into plural products

C451S178000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06186058

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to hand held kitchen appliances, and more particularly, to an electrically operated hand fruit and vegetable peeler.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Modern electrical appliances have made it more convenient to prepare foods in an efficient manner. It is not uncommon to find numerous electrical appliances in a kitchen, including blenders, mixers, food processors, bread makers, can openers and other devices. The list is probably too long to recite. The reason for the popularity of these appliances is that consumers are constantly seeking products that make their lives easier by helping them complete their tasks better and more efficiently. One aspect of cooking that consumes much time is peeling vegetables and fruits. Normally, this task is done manually by using a knife or a standard kitchen peeler. A known kitchen peeler has a metal or plastic handle attached to a long metal head. The metal head has an elongated opening therein. The sides of the opening are sharpened to create a blade. To peel vegetables and fruits, the peeler is lowered to contact the skin surface and is then moved to peel the skin away. There are numerous disadvantages to peeling vegetables in this manner. First, it is time consuming. The individual must painstakingly carve the skin off one row at a time. Depending on the fruit or vegetable, it could take several minutes to peel each item. If a large meal is being prepared, the peeling could take an excessive amount of time. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a device that can peel a variety vegetables and fruits in a time-efficient manner.
The second disadvantage of hand peeling is that it becomes tiresome to the hand and wrist. The person peeling the items must manually put sufficient pressure on the knife or peeler to separate the skin from the fruit or vegetable. The pressure applied must be continuous during the entire period of the peeling. Furthermore, the fingers must be wrapped tightly around the knife or peeler to ensure stable contact between the peeler and the item being peeled. The constant pressure combined with the fingers wrapped tightly around the knife or peeler strains the hand and wrist. A person who has weak or arthritic hands or wrists man be unable to manually peel vegetables or can do so only with discomfort. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a device that does not strain the hand and wrist during the peeling process.
Another disadvantage of using a knife or the known peeler is that the quality of the peeling is less than ideal. When using a manual peeling device, the quality of the peeling depends upon the peeling capabilities of the person performing the task. An experienced peeler will probably be able to peel a fruit or a vegetable leaving little or no skin and with minimal removal of the non-skin part of the vegetable or the fruit. A less experienced peeler, however, would not be as adept in using a knife or manual peeler. Therefore, the less experienced person would probably not be able to achieve a smooth, skinned surface. Rather, the surface would be choppy and chunks of skin can remain on the surface. This detracts from the taste and the aesthetic presentation of the food. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a device that would allow a less experienced person to peel vegetables and fruits leaving a smooth, skinned surface.
Yet another disadvantage of using a knife or the known peeler is that these tools can be unsafe around children. When peeling vegetables and fruits, parents must be aware of their children's access to the knife and their proximity to the peeling area. The sharp edges of the knife and the blade of the hand peeler can cause substantial harm. Additionally, it is possible to cut oneself during the peeling process. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a peeling device that is safer to use for the person using it and safer to have around children.
There have been a few attempts to develop improved fruit and vegetable peelers. One such prior art device is a battery operated peeler that basically combines a battery-powered base unit with features of the known peeler referred to above. The power unit causes the peeler to vibrate. In theory, the vibrating motion peels away the skin of the fruit and vegetable when it comes into contact with it. In reality, the device does not work well. First, the battery-operated power unit is not powerful enough to apply the pressure needed to peel the skin. Second, the vibratory motion does not cut away in a smooth manner. Rather, the vibrating peeler leaves a messy looking surface that has some skin left on it and is not aesthetically pleasing.
Another attempt at an improved device is a machine that has been marketed extensively on television. In this device, the fruit or vegetable is mounted on a stand. A spring-loaded arm having a small scoop at the end, contacts the fruit or vegetable mounted on the stand. The scoop at the end of the spring-loaded arm has a sharp circumference. A hand crank is rotated causing the fruit or vegetable to rotate on the stand. As the fruit or vegetable rotates, the small scoop, takes off the top layer. The problem with this device is two-fold. First, it is bulky. Considering the number of appliances in the modern kitchen today, the consumers have a limited amount of cabinet or counter space available for new products. It is desirable to have a small device that does not take up an excessive amount of room in the kitchen. The second problem with this device is that it scoops out more than just the skin layer. When the peeling is completed, grooves can be observed in the fruit or vegetable. This may not be aesthetically desirable in the food presentation. Also, some of the fruit and vegetable is wasted as it is scooped out along with the skin. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a device that does not leave unsightly grooves in the fruits and vegetables and only peels away the skin.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the needs and deficiencies noted above. It provides a small electrically-powered kitchen appliance or tool which is sufficiently small in size that it can be held easily in one hand in any way which is convenient, comfortable and effective for the user. It preferably does not rely on the use of electric storage batteries, and so can be made both compact and adequately powerful. Its proper and effective use is not dependent upon a high, or even moderate, level of user experience. It operates to effectively remove the skin of a vegetable or a fruit without appreciable removal of the meat or non-skin portion of the vegetable or fruit.
Generally speaking in structural terms, the present invention is a kitchen tool for abrasively peeling vegetables and the like having a rotary electric motor, a housing enclosing the motor, a manually operable switch, and a peeler element detachably connected to the motor. The motor has a rotatable output shaft that is accessible from the exterior of the housing. The peeler element is detachably connected coaxially to the shaft for rotation by the shaft. The head portion of the peeler element has an exterior surface with a non-smooth surface having a selected roughness. The exterior surface is in coaxial alignment with the shaft and defines the surface of revolution. The switch is carried by the housing and is connected to the motor to control the operation of the motor.


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