Abrading – Tool support for flexible-member tool – Manually manipulated
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-21
2002-04-16
Hail, III, Joseph J. (Department: 3723)
Abrading
Tool support for flexible-member tool
Manually manipulated
C451S524000, C451S552000, C451S556000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06371841
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a combination device having both burnishing and honing elements and more specifically to a hand held “steel” device having a knife guide structure which establishes the required angle at which the blade of a culinary knife is to be burnished and/or honed.
2. Background Art
The conventional “steel” came to the United States in the 19th century. The manufacturer was I. Wilson Company from Sheffield, England. The F. Dick Company began exporting “steels” to the United States from Germany about a century ago and is the most respected maker today.
An example of a conventional “steel”, such as existed for more than one hundred years is illustrated in the Lucas U.S. Pat. No. 678,301 that issued in 1901. Only minor improvements were made to the “steel” in the next twenty years. The Hawks U.S. Pat. No. 1,158,048 issued in 1915 and taught the use of a threaded rod to attach the handle to the “steel”. In 1920 a U.S. Pat. No. 1,352,888 issued to Gallagher for a “steel” having abrasive material bonded in longitudinally extending grooves on the outer surface of the hone. Almost twenty-five years later the Miller U.S. Pat. No. 2,380,539 issued in 1945 showing a different “steel” structure with abrasive material bonded in grooves of an elongated member having a cross section like a plus (+) sign. None of these attempts to improve the basic chef's “steel” have changed the configuration of the traditional tool which is more than 100 years old.
In order to keep a chef's premium knife in slicing and carving condition, the edge of its blade should be burnished (rubbed and straightened) with a few strokes on a chef's “steel” before each use and several times during extended use. The proper technique of using the traditional “steel” is difficult and requires practice. It is difficult to orient the burnishing and/or honing device at the correct angle to the centerline of the knife while drawing the cutting edge across and down the length of the “steel”. 22.5 degrees is the approximate half angle of the bottom edge or cutting edge of the knife blade. Culinary knives periodically require professional sharpening and reshaping by grinding to restore the cutting edge to the condition as manufactured. Home kitchen knives may require professional sharpening every one to five years. Restaurant knives require professional sharpening monthly. The convention for user maintenance of the cutting edge between professional sharpening is burnishing with a “steel”. The chef's “steel” is a device with an elongated narrow rod of steel and a concentric handle at the top end with a symbolic guard between the handle and the burnishing rod to provide some protection so that users do not accidentally cut themselves with the knife during the “steeling” process. The guard is small (probably for storage reasons) and does not overcome the fear in a person drawing an intimidating kitchen knife towards one's wrist.
The chef's “steel” has been used primarily with the cutting edge moving towards the user's hand.
The inventor's novel “steel” is designed to be used with the cutting edge moving away from the user's hand which holds the “steel”.
A quality culinary knife has a very fine cutting edge which curls. It curls when you cut with it and it curls when moisture is introduced. It curls at random on the left or the right side of the blade. The chef's “steel” is used to restore the straightness of the cutting edge by rubbing or burnishing at the same or slightly greater angle as the cutting edge. Five to seven strokes on each side was commonly recommended to straighten the edge due to the user's inability to align the cutting edge at the proper angle to the “steel”.
To burnish high carbon steel knives with this “chef's steel”, one of the cutting edges of the knife is drawn over one edge of the “chef's steel” at approximately a 22.5 degree angle on one side and then the other edge of the blade is drawn over the other side of the “chefs steel” at approximately a 22.5 degree angle. No means other than that which the operator conceives to be a 22.5 degree angle was provided. Therefore, the effectiveness of the burnishing and straightening process was inconsistent. A chef would not allow an apprentice to sharpen his knives because it would affect the efficiency of the knives if “steeled” at an angle other than the correct 22.5 degree angle.
To overcome the deficiencies in the prior art, sharpeners such as that of the Graves U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,677 were designed in 1976 with guide-guards attached to the opposite ends of an elongated cylindrical sharpening rod made of material. A handle extends outwardly from one of the guide-guards. This blade sharpener has been designed to be used in a horizontal manner.
Another “chefs steel” is disclosed in the Harris U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,106. This honing device was designed in 1976 to be used in a vertical position and it has a conical blade guide adjacent the top end of the “steel” to establish an appropriate angle at which to hold the knife blade for sharpening. The palm of the hand holding the honing device is oriented in the manner of a handshake.
The prior art sharpening “steels” still have problems that annoy their users. The horizontal sharpener of Graves has not been well received. The “chef's steel” when used in a vertical position requires the use of a handshake grip which obstructs vision and crowds the heel of the hand when burnishing wider blades. The bottom end of the “steel” has a tendency to slip or shoot outwardly at times during use. The great majority of the prior art chef's “steels” which reach the marketplace are quite heavy because they are made of solid steel. No meaningful improvements in the “chef's steel” have been made in the last twenty plus years.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel combination culinary knife maintenance and sharpening “steel” that has both burnishing and honing structures in the same tool.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel “steel” that has a handle assembly that encourages its user to cup the palm of his hand over the top of this handle and which discourages the conventional handshake grip.
It is another object of the invention to utilize a burnishing stroke which has the cutting edge of the knife moving away from the user's hand. The conventional method has the cutting edge moving toward the user's hand.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel “steel” that has the burnishing element made of aluminum tubing that is hard anodized.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a novel “steel” that has structure on the bottom end that prevents it from slipping or shooting outwardly during its use.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel “steel” whose weight is approximately half that of the prior art sharpening “steels”.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel “steel” made of several parts that are easily assembled.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a novel “steel” that has an outer surface that is sufficiently hard to burnish or rub and straighten high carbon stainless steel knife blades.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The novel “steel” for culinary knives is extremely lightweight due to the use in a preferred embodiment of tubular stock such as aluminum whose outer surface has been hard anodized. The surface has a hardness equal to Rockwell C Scale 60 to 70. It is best measured by the Taber Abrasion Test per MIL-A-8625 F (or later) type Ill. The process for anodizing the tubular aluminum member results in a cross section showing that the anodizing process penetrates half its thickness into the aluminum and also grows outwardly an equal amount. The wall thickness of the tubular member would be in the range of 0.010-0.125 inches.
The Culinary Institute of America teaches several methods of “steeling” culinary knives. All methods show a “handshake” grip for the h
Berry Jr. Willie
Hail III Joseph J.
Tachner Leonard
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