Food cutting utensil

Details Food cutting utensil Food cutting utensil

2001-03-15

2002-11-26

Payer, Hwei-Siu (Department: 3724)

Cutlery

Cutting tools

Traveling roller blade

C030S307000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06484407

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a food cutting utensil. More specifically, the present invention relates to a food cutting utensil, such as a rotary pizza cutter, that is formed of a handle and a disc that are selectively snapped together.
b. Discussion of the Related Art
A manual rotary pizza cutter is a well known and common household utensil. These utensils have the cutting disc permanently rotatably connected to a handle, for example, by a rivet connection. However, these relatively expensive, non-disposable tools are not always readily available at every residence, office or place where a pizza is being consumed. Thus, there is a need for an inexpensive, disposable rotary pizza cutter that may be included with each pizza that is delivered to a consumer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,031 to Maultasch et al. discloses a combined pizza box lid support and cutter. In Maultasch's tool, the cutting disc also serves as a “pizza saver”, which is used to prevent the lid of the box from contacting a pizza contained within a pizza box. Once the pizza arrives at its destination, the “pizza saver” is removed from the box and a handle is snapped about a shaft of the cutting disc. This connection is relatively insecure, flimsy and is inherently unstable. Thus, during use, the device is ineffective as a cutting utensil because the cutting disc may wobble with respect to the shaft. In some instances, the shaft may separate from the cutting disc. Additionally, while this device is disposable, it is relatively expensive to manufacture because the cutting disc is made unitary with the pizza saver. Further, storing the utensil requires a relatively large amount of room because the pizza saver is rather bulky.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an inexpensive, disposable rotary pizza cutter that has a reliable and secure rotatable connection between the handle and the disc.
There is a further need for a rotary pizza cutter that can be stored in minimal amount of space.
Currently, there are no rotary pizza cutters that satisfy these needs. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a food cutting utensil that satisfies these needs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of the present invention that demonstrates various features, objects and advantages thereof, is directed toward a food cutting utensil that includes a disc and a handle that are selectively connectable together. The disc has a first side, a second side and a central through bore that is substantially aligned with an axis of the disc. A rim projects from the first side of the disc about the through bore. The handle has a first portion for being gripped by a hand while being used as a cutting utensil, and a second portion for rotatably supporting the disc. The second portion has a first arm and a second arm. The first arm has an axially projecting hub that is received in the through bore when the handle is connected to the disc.
In accordance with the present invention, the food cutting utensil is assembled by connecting the disc to the handle by sliding the disc between the first arm and the second arm until the hub is received within the central through bore.


REFERENCES:
patent: 900300 (1908-10-01), Nicolas
patent: 3262205 (1966-07-01), Arden
patent: 5428898 (1995-07-01), Hawkins
patent: 5555625 (1996-09-01), Scheminger
patent: D397001 (1998-08-01), Antista et al.

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