Abstract:
An apparatus and method for crumbling a food product such as a block of cheese into irregularly shaped food particles. One embodiment of the apparatus consists of a chute-shaped housing that contains two opposing plates with a plurality of smooth, rounded, finger-like protrusions on their faces, where the plates are closer together towards the bottom of the chute. When food is inserted into the top of the chute and one of the plates is moved in an up-and-down motion, the protrusions on the opposing plates crumble the food into progressively smaller food particles until the crumbled particles drop through the gap between the bottoms of the plates and out the bottom of the chute. Other embodiments are described and shown.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/122,392, filed 2008 Dec. 14 by the present inventor. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Prior Art 
     The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant: 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 U.S. Patents 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Pat. No. 
                 Kind Code 
                 Issue Date 
                 Patentee 
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 2,692,430 
                 A 
                 1954-10-26 
                 Kraft et al. 
               
               
                   
                 3,187,432 
                 A 
                 1965-06-08 
                 Cuomo 
               
               
                   
                 3,277,574 
                 A 
                 1966-10-11 
                 Giasi 
               
               
                   
                 3,980,235 
                 A 
                 1976-09-14 
                 Kuhlman 
               
               
                   
                 4,599,928 
                 A 
                 1986-07-15 
                 Oker 
               
               
                   
                 4,620,838 
                 A 
                 1986-11-04 
                 Miller et al. 
               
               
                   
                 4,646,602 
                 A 
                 1987-03-03 
                 Bleick 
               
               
                   
                 5,425,307 
                 A 
                 1995-06-20 
                 Rush et al. 
               
               
                   
                 5,723,158 
                 A 
                 1998-03-03 
                 Fager et al. 
               
               
                   
                 5,967,434 
                 A 
                 1999-10-19 
                 Virk 
               
               
                   
                 6,340,490 
                 B1 
                 2002-01-22 
                 Owens 
               
               
                   
                 6,561,067 
                 B2 
                 2003-05-13 
                 Arrasmith 
               
               
                   
                 6,549,823 
                 B1 
                 2003-04-15 
                 Hicks et al. 
               
               
                   
                 D537304 
                 S 
                 2007-02-27 
                 Wong et al. 
               
               
                   
                 7,377,201 
                 B2 
                 2008-05-27 
                 Chen 
               
               
                   
                 7,429,010 
                 B2 
                 2008-09-30 
                 McCormick et al. 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     NONPATENT LITERATURE DOCUMENTS 
     
         
         Viking Machine &amp; Design, Inc., http://www.vikingmachine.com/bluecheese.html, “Blue Cheese→Specialty Blue Cheese Equipment→Cheese Crumbler”. 
         Cabinplant A/S, http://www.cabinplant.com/products_solutions/select_a_processmachine/cutting_and_trimming/cheese_dicer/, “PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS→Cutting and trimming→Cheese dicer”. 
         Urschel Laboratories, Inc., http://www.urschel.com/Model_RAD — 9229bc966a962c135f3b6f.html “Machines→Dicers→Model RA-D Dicer”. 
       
    
     There are a number of popular cheeses that are typically served in crumbled form. Several examples are feta cheese, blue cheese, and Gorgonzola cheese. These cheeses are typically crumbled by hand, a process which can be messy as well as difficult to control. This is especially inconvenient at the serving table, since the person crumbling the cheese has to leave the table to clean their hands, both before and after doing the crumbling. 
     There are no products currently available which can be used in a kitchen or serving table environment which produce irregularly shaped cheese crumbles such as those that would be produced by hand crumbling. The existing products for processing cheese in a kitchen or at a serving table employ either a grating or slicing action. Cheese graters or shredders, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,434 (1999), U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,838 (1986), and D537,304 (2007), even when used with the largest available holes, will produce long, thin slices of cheese as opposed to crumbles. Portable cheese cutters employing wires or blades, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,277,574 (1966), U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,928 (1986), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,602 (1987), produce uniform slices or cubes of cheese. Many of these portable devices must be placed on a surface for proper operation, preventing the disbursement of the crumbled cheese particles directly onto a dining plate or into a food container. 
     There are a number of patents on cheese processing devices and machines that are designed for use in a commercial food processing and manufacturing setting. These devices are not portable for use at a serving table or a typical home or restaurant kitchen, and usually require electric motors in their operation. Many of these devices, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,692,430 (1954), U.S. Pat. No. 3,187,432 (1965), U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,235 (1976), U.S. Pat. No. 5,723,158 (1998), U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,490 (2002), U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,067 (2003), U.S. Pat. No. 6,549,823 (2003), and U.S. Pat. No. 7,377,201 (2008), employ blades, wires, or shredders to process the cheese in such a way that they are not capable of producing irregularly shaped cheese particles. U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,307 (1995) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,429,010 (2008) present devices which can produce irregularly shaped cheese particles. However, in addition to not being portable for use at serving tables and typical home or restaurant kitchens, these devices employ a series of knife assemblies which do not perform a hand-crumbling type of action. 
     There are several commercially available products that feature the ability to dice or crumble cheeses that are normally served in a crumbled form, such as the Cheese Crumbler from Viking Machine, the Cheese Dicer from Cabinplant, and the Model RA-D Dicer from Urschel Laboratories. All of these products are large, non-portable, motor-driven machines designed for use in a commercial setting, and all of them use cutting blades or screens which do not perform a hand crumbling type of action. 
     Another drawback of the commercial food processing devices is that many of them contain numerous moving parts, are large in size, and contain electric motors that are required in their operation. This combination of attributes make the devices difficult to clean, inconvenient to store, and expensive to manufacture, maintain, and ship. 
     As I have described, the patented and/or commercially available devices for reducing cheese to small particles suffer from some or all of the following disadvantages:
         (a) The processing of the cheese is performed using wires, knife assemblies, or grating surfaces which cut the cheese into uniformly sized and regularly shaped particles that do not match the irregularly shaped particles produced by a hand crumbling action.   (b) The devices require an electric motor or other type of powered actuator in their operation.   (c) The devices are large, complex machines designed for use in a commercial food processing setting and are not easily portable.   (d) The devices have many moving parts and are complicated and expensive to manufacture, clean, maintain, and ship.   (e) The devices must be placed on a surface for proper operation, preventing the disbursement of the cheese directly onto a plate or other container of food.   (f) The employment of motors or other powered actuators, as well as cutting blades or wires can make the devices dangerous to operate if proper safety procedures are not followed.       

     SUMMARY 
     In accordance with one embodiment a cheese crumbling device consists of a tapered chute, with a larger opening on the top and a smaller opening on the bottom, containing two opposing plates with smooth, rounded, finger-like protrusions on the inside of the chute, one stationary and one that is moved up and down in the chute by the user of the device. Cheese or other food that is placed into the top of the chute is processed into progressively smaller particles until it falls out the bottom of the chute. 
     ADVANTAGES 
     Accordingly several advantages of one or more aspects are as follows: cheese is processed into crumbles that are similar in consistency to hand-crumbled cheese, the device is safe and easy to operate, the device is easily portable for use at a serving table or typical home or restaurant kitchen, the operator&#39;s hands are kept clean while crumbling cheese, crumbled cheese particles can be dispensed directly onto dining plates or into food containers, and the device is easy to clean. Other advantages of one or more aspects will be apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       Figures 
       In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes. 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a cheese crumbling device, in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 2A  shows a side view of a cheese crumbling device with the side panel of the chute removed so that the plates with protrusions are visible inside the chute, in accordance with the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 2B  shows the same view and embodiment as in  FIG. 2A , with one of the plates moved upwards relative to the other plate. 
         FIG. 2C  shows the same view and embodiment as in  FIG. 2A , with the spacing between the plates increased. 
         FIGS. 3A-3E  show a perspective view of one of the plates, with features located on the surface of the plate selected from the group consisting of protrusions, recesses, ridges, grooves, and mixtures thereof, all having smooth, rounded, finger-like shapes, in accordance with the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4A  shows a front view of a cheese crumbling device that is operated by sliding the moving handle in an up-and-down motion, in accordance with the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4B  shows a front view of a cheese crumbling device that is operated by sliding the moving handle in a side-to-side motion, in accordance with a second embodiment. 
         FIG. 4C  shows a front view of a cheese crumbling device that is operated by sliding the moving handle in a diagonal motion, in accordance with a third embodiment. 
         FIG. 5A  shows a perspective view of a cheese crumbling device where the moving plate is integrated into the chute structure and in the down position, in accordance with a fourth embodiment. 
         FIG. 5B  shows the same view and embodiment as in  FIG. 5A , with the moving plate in the up position. 
         FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of a cheese crumbling device where both plates are integrated into the chute structure, in accordance with a fifth embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  shows a front view of a cheese crumbling device that is operated by turning the moving handle in a circular motion, in accordance with a sixth embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of one of the plates having a circular shape, in accordance with the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  shows a perspective view of a cheese crumbling device that is operated by using a motor, in accordance with a seventh embodiment. 
         FIG. 10  shows a side view of a cheese crumbling device mounted on a stand, in accordance with the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 10 
                 Chute 
                 20 
                 Input 
               
               
                 30 
                 Output 
                 40 
                 Stationary handle 
               
               
                 50 
                 Moving handle 
                 60 
                 Stationary plate 
               
               
                 70 
                 Moving plate 
                 80 
                 Protrusion 
               
               
                 81 
                 Recess 
                 82 
                 Ridge 
               
               
                 83 
                 Groove 
                 90 
                 Slot 
               
               
                 100 
                 Gap control screw 
                 110 
                 Hinge 
               
               
                 120 
                 Stand 
                 125 
                 Connector 
               
               
                 130 
                 Motor 
                 140 
                 Switch 
               
               
                 150 
                 Three-sided housing 
                 155 
                 Track 
               
               
                 160 
                 Two-sided housing 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIGS.  1 ,  2 A-C,  3 A-E,  4 A,  10 —First Embodiment 
     One embodiment of the device is illustrated in  FIGS. 1  (perspective view),  2 A-C (side view), and  4 A (front view). A chute  10  has a larger opening that is used as the input  20  at the top and a smaller opening that is used as the output  30  at the bottom. A stationary plate  60  is covered with a plurality of features selected from the group consisting of protrusions  80 , recesses  81 , ridges  82 , grooves  83 , and mixtures thereof, all having smooth, rounded, finger-like shapes ( FIGS. 3A-E ). Stationary plate  60  is attached to one side of the inside of chute  10 , and completely covers the width and mostly covers the height of that side. A stationary handle  40  is attached to the outside of chute  10 , on the same side as stationary plate  60 . A moving plate  70  is covered with a plurality of features selected from the group consisting of protrusions  80 , recesses  81 , ridges  82 , grooves  83 , and mixtures thereof, all having smooth, rounded, finger-like shapes. Moving plate  70  moves up ( FIG. 2B ) and down ( FIG. 2A ) on the inside of chute  10  on the opposing side from stationary plate  60 , and completely covers the width and mostly covers the height of that side. A moving handle  50  on the outside of chute  10  is attached to moving plate  70  through slot  90 . A gap control screw  100  adjusts the distance between moving plate  70  and stationary plate  60  ( FIGS. 2A and 2C ) at the bottom of chute  10 . A set of hinges  110  connect moving handle  50  to moving plate  70  and allow the angle between moving plate  70  and the side of chute  10  to change when gap control screw  100  is turned. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the device can be attached to an optional stand  120  using one or more connectors  125 . Stand  120  is weighted sufficiently to hold the device in place when moving handle  50  is moved up and down. 
     Operation—FIGS.  2 A-C,  4 A,  10   
     A typical mode of operation of this embodiment of the device is as follows: a chunk of cheese or other food is placed into input  20  of chute  10 . The user holds stationary handle  40  with one hand and moves moving handle  50  up and down in slot  90  ( FIG. 4A ) with the other hand.  FIG. 2A  shows moving handle  50  in the down position and  FIG. 2B  shows moving handle  50  in the up position. The cheese is rubbed by protrusions  80  on stationary plate  60  and moving plate  70 . Protrusions  80  break down the cheese into progressively smaller particles as the cheese moves down chute  10 . Once the crumbled cheese particles are small enough to fit through the gap between stationary plate  60  and moving plate  70  at the bottom of chute  10  the particles drop through output  30 . 
     By turning gap control screw  100 , which changes the size of the gap between stationary plate  60  and moving plate  70 , the user can control the size of the particles that are produced by the device.  FIG. 2C  shows moving plate  70  moved further away from stationary plate  60  than in FIG.  2 A. 
     The device is sized appropriately to allow it to be held and used by a person at a serving table or in a home or restaurant kitchen, and easily cleaned in a kitchen sink or a dishwasher. 
     When the device is attached to stand  120  with connectors  125  ( FIG. 10 ), chute  10  is held in place by stand  120  while the user moves moving handle  50  up and down in slot  90 . The device is operated with one hand in this mode of operation. 
     FIG.  4 B—Second Embodiment 
     An additional embodiment is shown in  FIG. 4B . In this embodiment slots  90  have a horizontal orientation, allowing the device to be operated by sliding moving handle  50  in a side-to-side motion. 
     FIG.  4 C—Third Embodiment 
     An additional embodiment is shown in  FIG. 4C . In this embodiment slots  90  have a diagonal orientation, allowing the device to be operated by sliding moving handle  50  in a diagonal motion. 
     FIGS.  5 A,  5 B—Fourth Embodiment 
     An additional embodiment is shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B . In this embodiment moving plate  70  is attached to three-sided housing  150  to form a structure with a chute shape. Moving plate  70  is attached using tracks  155  which allow moving plate  70  to slide up and down for proper operation of the device.  FIG. 5A  shows moving plate  70  in the down position and  FIG. 5B  shows moving plate  70  in the up position. 
     FIG.  6 —Fifth Embodiment 
     An additional embodiment is shown in  FIG. 6 . In this embodiment moving plate  70  and stationary plate  60  are attached to two-sided housing  160  to form a structure with a chute shape. Moving plate  70  is attached using tracks  155  which allow moving plate  70  to slide up and down for proper operation of the device. 
     FIGS.  7 ,  8 —Sixth Embodiment 
     An additional embodiment is shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . In this embodiment the lower portion of chute  10  has a semicircular shape and moving plate  70  and slot  90  have a circular shape. The device is operated by turning moving handle  50  in a circular motion. 
     FIG.  9 —Seventh Embodiment 
     An additional embodiment is shown in  FIG. 9 . In this embodiment a motor  130  is attached to chute  10  on the side with moving handle  50 . When turned on with switch  140 , motor  130  moves moving handle  50  up and down, replacing the manual motion provided by the user in the other embodiments described here. Motor  130  can be detached from chute  10 , allowing the device to be submerged in water or placed in a dishwasher for cleaning. 
     When this embodiment is used with stand  120 , the user does not have to hold the device at all, freeing their hands for other activities such as feeding cheese into input  20  or holding dining plates or food containers under output  30 . 
     Advantages 
     From the description above, a number of advantages of some embodiments of my cheese crumbling device become evident:
         (a) The size and operating method of the device allow it to be used to efficiently crumble cheese in a home or restaurant kitchen during food preparation.   (b) The crumbled food particles can be dispensed directly onto dining plates or food containers in the kitchen or at the serving table.   (c) The user of the device can keep their hands clean while crumbling cheese.   (d) The protrusions on the opposing plates provide a similar crumbling action to a person crumbling cheese with their fingers, resulting in a crumble consistency similar to hand-crumbled cheese.   (e) The desired crumbled food particle size is selectable by the user.   (f) The device is safe and easy to operate, with no knife assemblies, wires, shredding cutters, or grating cutters that can injure the user.   (g) The device can be used by multiple people to dispense crumbled food particles directly onto their dining plates, without any of the users touching the cheese, preventing the spread of germs.   (h) The user can stop crumbling once they have a sufficient amount of cheese on their dining plate, then invert the device to remove the uncrumbled cheese, preserving it for later use.   (i) The device can be placed on a stand or used with a motor for easy one-handed operation, or can be placed on a stand and used with a motor for hands-free operation.   (j) The compact size and light weight of the device allow it to be easily stored and conveniently used in a kitchen or at a serving or eating table, as well as easily packed and shipped.   (k) The device is easy to clean, durable, and dishwasher-safe.       

     CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE 
     As shown in the various embodiments of the cheese crumbling device described here, the device allows the user to quickly and efficiently crumble popular cheeses such as blue cheese, feta cheese, and Gorgonzola cheese while keeping their hands clean. The crumbles are produced with a motion and surfaces that simulate hand-crumbling. The surfaces used to crumble the cheese are safe for the user, as they do not perform any type of cutting action. The compact size and simple construction of the device allow it to be easily manufactured, shipped, cleaned, maintained, and stored. The compact size also allows the device to be easily used at a serving table or in a typical home or restaurant kitchen. 
     The size of the crumbled cheese particles produced by the device is easily selectable by the user by turning a conveniently located gap control screw. The device can be place on an optional stand for easy one-handed operation, and a motor can be used in place of manual operation to actuate the crumbling action. When the stand and motor are used in combination, the device does not need to be held at all by the user while it is operating. 
     Although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments but as merely providing illustrations of some of several embodiments. For example, the specific motions of the moving plate that are described can be used in various combinations to achieve a similar crumbling action; the rounded protrusions, recesses, ridges, and grooves shown in the figures can be replaced with a variety of alternately shaped protrusions, recesses, ridges, and grooves, as long as the smooth, rounded surfaces of the features, required to provide a hand crumbling action, are maintained; the gap control screw can be replaced with other mechanisms for controlling the spacing between the plates such as an adjustable lever arm, positionable bearings, or swappable spacers which vary in size; the handles can be attached in different orientations; different patterns of protrusions, recesses, ridges, and grooves can be used on the opposing plates; the device can be used to crumble other types of foods or materials with similar consistency as the cheeses mentioned above. 
     Thus the scope of the embodiments should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.