Abstract:
Devices for removing and/or slicing a meat of fruit are disclosed. In one embodiment, the device has a handle portion and a working portion having an elongated blade and a pair of lateral extensions. The elongated blade has a cross-sectional shape adapted to facilitate movement of the elongated blade through the meat of the fruit. The working portion of the device has a resting configuration in which the elongated blade has a first radius of curvature, and at least one of the lateral extensions is manipulable under a manual force during use to deform the working portion from the resting configuration to a displaced configuration in which the elongated blade has a second radius of curvature, selectively conforming to the curvature of the skin before and as the elongated blade moves through the meat of the fruit.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to devices and methods for removing the skin from a piece of soft fruit, and/or for slicing the meat of the fruit. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Traditionally, the meat of certain soft fruit, such as an avocado, papaya or the like, is removed from the skin by cutting the fruit into two halves, separating the two halves from each other, removing the pit or seeds from one or both halves, and either scooping the meat out of the skin with a spoon or peeling the skin away from the meat. Scooping the meat out of the skin is effective, but tends to result in the meat being removed in misshapen or even mutilated pieces. As a result, although the process suffices for making guacamole or chutney, it isn&#39;t particularly suited for preparing slices for consumption or for use in sandwiches, hamburger, sushi or other dishes where appearance is important. 
   Where appearance is important, the skin is typically peeled from the meat, either before or after the meat is sliced. As a result, the slices of fruit can be presented with a consistent and appetizing appearance. Manually cutting, peeling and slicing fruit, however, can be a messy and time-consuming project. 
   SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed toward devices for removing the meat from a piece of soft fruit, such as an avocado, papaya or the like, and/or for slicing the meat. In one particular embodiment, the device has a handle portion adapted to allow an individual to manually manipulate the device, and a working portion having an elongated blade and a pair of lateral extensions coupling opposing ends of the elongated blade to the handle portion. The elongated blade has a cross-sectional shape adapted to facilitate movement of the elongated blade through the meat of the fruit. The working portion of the device has a resting configuration in which the elongated blade has a first radius of curvature, and at least one of the lateral extensions is manipulable under a manual force during use to deform the working portion from the resting configuration to a displaced configuration in which the elongated blade has a second radius of curvature, to allow the individual to adjust the curvature of the elongated blade to conform it to the curvature or size of the fruit before and as the elongated blade moves through the meat of the fruit. The working portion of the devices comprises a resilient material such that, when the manual force is removed from the at least one lateral extension, the working portion automatically returns to the resting configuration. 
   The present invention is also directed toward methods for removing the meat from a piece of fruit, and/or for slicing the meat. In one particular embodiment, the method incorporates providing a device having a handle portion, a working portion and a coupling portion positioned between the handle portion and the working portion; retaining the handle portion with one hand and the piece of fruit with the other hand; and moving the working portion in a cutting direction through the meat of the piece of fruit proximate the skin while simultaneously squeezing the coupling portion laterally with respect to the cutting direction to deform the working portion to conform to the shape of the skin of the piece of fruit as it moves through the meat. 
   The present invention is also directed toward variants thereof and other embodiments of devices and methods for removing fruit from the skin and/or slicing the fruit equivalent thereto. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a device for removing the meat from a piece of fruit, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a plan view of the device of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the device of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic plan view of the device of  FIG. 1  in a resting configuration, superimposed by a partial plan view of the device of  FIG. 1  in a deformed configuration. 
       FIG. 5  is an isometric view of a device for removing the meat from a piece of fruit, according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   The present detailed description is directed toward devices and methods for removing the meat from a piece of soft fruit, such as avocado, papaya or the like, and/or for slicing the meat. The invention could take on other embodiments, and one of ordinary skill in the art, having reviewed the present disclosure and corresponding drawings in their entireties, would readily appreciate modifications that could be made to the illustrated embodiments without deviating from the spirit of the invention. Thus the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings and described in connection therewith. 
     FIGS. 1–3  illustrate one particular embodiment of a device for scooping the meat from an avocado, and for simultaneously slicing the meat. The device  10  can have a body that is unitary in construction or that is assembled, and generally has a handle portion  12 , a working end  14  and a pair of lateral extensions  16 . The handle portion  12  in the illustrated embodiment has a core  18  with an opening  20  therethrough for storage, and which is partially surrounded by a resilient grip  22 . The handle portion  12  is sized and shaped to facilitate being held and manipulated by an individual using one hand. The portion of the core  18  at the handle portion  12  of the device  10  can be rigid. The opening  20  can be sized and shaped to receive a hook or other structure (not shown) for hanging the device  10  between uses. The grip  22  can be positioned to cover two or more or fewer surfaces of the handle portion  12 , to facilitate gripping of the device  10  by a user. In the illustrated embodiment, the grip  22  extends in a single strip around the edge of the handle portion  12  of the device  10 , from one lateral extension  16  to the opposite lateral extension. 
   The illustrated core  18  is formed along with the working end  14  and the lateral extensions  16  from a single piece of material; however, an individual of ordinary skill in the art, having reviewed this entire disclosure and the corresponding figures, would appreciate that different constructions, including two, three or more assembled parts, could instead be used without deviating from the spirit of the invention. 
   The working end  14  incorporates a blade  24  and several teeth  26 . The blade  24  extends along a generally arcuate path between the lateral extensions  16 . In the illustrated embodiment, the curvature of the blade  24  in the relaxed configuration (i.e., when the device  10  is not being manipulated) is sized and shaped to generally conform to the girth at the waist of a large avocado. The inventors appreciate, however, that the device  10  can be made in different sizes to more closely conform to the different possible sizes of avocados. 
   The blade  24  is adapted to pass through the meat of an avocado relatively easily. For example, the blade  24  can have a generally wing-shaped cross-section, terminating at the leading and/or trailing edges in an acute wedge and a tapered point. One or both of the edges could be sharpened. Between the edges, one surface of the blade can be generally flat and one of the surfaces can follow a convex curve. Instead, the blade could be wide and flat, with thin but blunt edges. An individual of ordinary skill in the art, having reviewed this entire disclosure and the corresponding figures, will appreciate the variety of shapes and details that can be incorporated into the design of the blade  24  without deviating from the spirit of the invention. 
   The blade  24  is designed to be sufficiently flexible such that the degree of curvature of the blade can be manually increased or decreased, and to be sufficiently resilient such that the blade will return to its original shape when the bending force is removed. Depending on the material used for the blade  24 —be it plastic, nylon, metal, or other suitable materials—the width, thickness and shape of the blade are selected to meet these criteria. 
   The teeth  26  are spaced apart from each other and extend inwardly from an inner surface of the blade  24  along generally radial paths. Similar to the blade  24 , the teeth  26  are sized and shaped to pass easily through the meat of the avocado. In the illustrated embodiment, the teeth  26  are manufactured integrally with the blade  24 , such as through injection molding; however, the teeth could instead be separate pieces attached to the blade by known means. The ends of the illustrated teeth  26  opposite the blade  24  are free, allowing the teeth to move freely towards and away from each other as the device  10  is manipulated. The teeth  26  are sufficiently long to cut the entire thickness of a portion of avocado as the device  10  passes through the meat. 
   In the illustrated embodiment, the device  10  has seven teeth  26 , to cut half an avocado into eight roughly equal sections; however, the number and spacing—and even the existence—of the teeth can be changed as desired. 
   The lateral extensions  16  connect the handle portion  12  and the blade  24 , and are positioned to be manipulated by the user, for example, between the user&#39;s thumb and forefinger. In the illustrated embodiment, the lateral extensions  16  literally are merely extensions of the blade  24 ; however, in other embodiments, the ends of the blade could instead be bonded or otherwise coupled to the lateral extensions. The lateral extensions  16  need not be flexible or resilient; they could instead be pivotally coupled or otherwise attached to the handle portion  12 , so long as manipulation of the lateral extensions resulted in bending of the blade  24 . One of ordinary skill in the art, having reviewed this entire disclosure and the corresponding figures, will appreciate other variations that could be made to the device  10  without deviating from the spirit of the invention. 
   In the illustrated embodiment, the grip  22  covers the portions of the lateral extensions  16  that will be manipulated by the user. In other embodiments, the lateral extensions  16  can instead by formed, machined, coated or otherwise adapted to provide the user with a secure grip of the device  10  for manipulation. Likewise, the device  10  could be made with no grip. 
     FIG. 4  schematically illustrates two possible configurations of the device  10 . The lateral extension  16  and blade  24  shown in solid lines reflect the curvature of this particular device  10  when the user is not manipulating the device. As indicated above, this size, shape and/or curvature can be selected to correspond to a large avocado. The lateral extension  16 ′ and blade  24 ′ shown in broken lines reflect the curvature of this particular device  10  when the user is depressing the lateral extensions. The blade  24 ′ at the extreme working end  14  has a tighter curve—or smaller radius of curvature if it can be assumed to be at least partially arcuate in shape—than the original blade  24 . This shape can correspond to a smaller avocado or to the neck portion of the large avocado. The device  10  may be squeezed harder or softer to create different curvatures. Thus, by merely manipulating the device  10  manually during use, the same device can be used to remove the meat from an entire avocado (from top to bottom) and can be used to remove the meat from avocados of different sizes. Because the material of the invention is resilient, as the size of the avocado increases, the user merely relaxes and the size of the device  10  also increases. 
   Embodiments of the present invention can have many advantages over devices and methods of the prior art. For example, the device can quickly skin and/or neatly slice avocado without making a big mess, leaving sliced avocado that can not only be used in guacamole, but could also be presented for use in sandwiches or other meals. These and other advantages may be appreciated by practicing the present invention. 
     FIG. 5  illustrates one particular embodiment of a device for scooping the meat from a papaya, and for simultaneously slicing the meat. The device  110  has a handle portion  112 , a working end  114  and a pair of lateral extensions  116 , and can be fabricated in a manner similar to the embodiment described above. The handle portion  112  in the illustrated embodiment has at its terminal end a scoop  117  on one or both sides. The scoop  117  is adapted to scrape the seeds from inside the papaya. The handle portion  112  and lateral extensions each have a resilient grip  122  on each outer edge. In this embodiment, the grip  122  does not extend around the terminal end of the handle portion  112 . The handle portion  112  is otherwise the same as that described above. 
   The working end  114  incorporates a blade  124  and several teeth  126 . The blade  124  is adapted to pass through the meat of a papaya relatively easily. The teeth  126  are sufficiently long to cut the entire thickness of a portion of papaya as the device  110  passes through the meat. In the illustrated embodiment, the device  110  has three teeth  126 , to cut half a papaya into four roughly equal sections; however, the number and spacing—and even the existence—of the teeth can be changed as desired. The illustrated working end  114  is otherwise essentially the same as the working end described above in connection with the previous embodiment.