Foods and beverages: apparatus – Means to treat food – Subdividing into plural products
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-21
2001-06-19
Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Means to treat food
Subdividing into plural products
C099S572000, C099S577000, C099S579000, C099S581000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247396
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a nutcracker, and more particularly to a nutcracker of the type which is capable of adjustment to accommodate nuts of different sizes.
The basic design for adjustable nutcrackers includes an anvil, a hammer, and a mechanism for adjusting the distance between the anvil and hammer. Once this distance is suitably adjusted to securely grip a nut of a particular size between the anvil and hammer, the hammer is forcibly moved toward the anvil to thereby crack the nut. Preferably, the hammer is displaced only a limited, predetermined distance so as to crack the shell of the nut without damaging the kernel therein.
In prior adjustable nutcrackers, the above-mentioned adjusting mechanism is either mechanically complex or requires manual manipulation by the operator that can be tedious and laborious.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a nutcracker which is adjustable to accommodate nuts of different sizes.
It is also an object of the invention that such nutcracker is mechanically simple and minimizes manual intervention by the operator.
The invention is a nutcracker comprising: a frame; an anvil having an axis and opposing first and second ends, the anvil being mounted to the frame so as to be movable along the axis; a hammer substantially coaxial with the anvil and having opposing first and second ends which are positioned so that the second end of the hammer faces the second end of the anvil, the hammer being mounted to the frame so as to be movable along the axis; a wedge ramp in a fixed relationship to the frame and having a substantially planar surface, the surface of the wedge ramp defining an acute angle with respect to a line perpendicular to the axis and being positioned relative to the anvil so that the first end of the anvil faces such surface; a sliding wedge having opposing, substantially planar surfaces of which one surface is in sliding and flush contact with the surface of the wedge ramp, and the other surface is substantially perpendicular to the axis and in contact with the first end of the anvil; a striker movably mounted to the frame for striking the first end of the hammer; and an anvil and hammer control means for moving the sliding wedge along the wedge ramp while in contact with the first end of the anvil so as to move the anvil relative to the hammer from an open position, in which the second ends of the anvil and hammer are at a maximum distance from one another to allow a nut to be received therebetween, to a closed position in which the second ends of the anvil and hammer are closed securely upon the nut, whereupon the control means causes the striker to forcibly strike the first end of the hammer and move such hammer toward the anvil a predetermined distance to thereby crack the nut.
Accordingly, the mechanically simple sliding wedge mechanism of the invention operates to adjust the position of the anvil relative to the hammer so as to close securely upon the nut, regardless of its size. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the anvil and hammer control means employs a rotatable drag bar that can be rotated by a motor in a mode of operation which only requires the operator to place a nut between the anvil and hammer while in the above-mentioned open position. Even if the drag bar is rotated manually, the sliding wedge is moved to automatically adjust the anvil relative to the hammer to accommodate the size of any particular nut, and the striker is further actuated by the control means to strike the hammer and crack the nut, without any intervention by the operator except for rotation of the drag bar and placement of the nut between the anvil and hammer. This requires no significant effort by the operator or any tedious and time consuming manipulation of an adjustment mechanism.
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Sharp William R.
Simone Timothy F.
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