Abstract:
A manual tool for removing the rind from a piece of fruit, the tool having an ovoid, whole fruit-shaped handle, a radially extending, arcuate blade and a radially extending finger rest located intermediate the handle and blade. The finger rest includes oppositely disposed, concave sides to fit the contours a user&#39;s fingers, and can be used by both left and right-handed users.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates generally to kitchen tools and specifically to a manual tool for peeling fruits having thick rinds, such as lemons.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    It is often desirable to remove the rind or zest of citrus fruits, such as lemons, for use by itself. For example, lemon zest is often required in the preparation of cocktails. However, it is relatively difficult to efficiently and quickly remove tough citrus zest in one piece. Furthermore, in the commercial food preparation industry, such as bartending, a single night of cocktail preparation may require the zest of dozens of lemons. Much time is needed to prepare the food and beverage before it is actually served. Many drinks require a twist, which is made from the rind of a citrus fruit. Thus, an efficient way of removing the rind from the fruit is needed.  
           [0005]    Many specialty tools have been developed, but they have not sufficiently addressed the problem for removing the rind from a citrus fruit. For instance, Lovato et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,226, and Polk, U.S. Pat. No. 1,452,930, show citrus cutters with curved blades. However, the shape of the blade is orientated to fit the contour of a round fruit, and is not as efficient for oblong shaped fruit like lemons and limes. Also, the handle is not as easy to grip as the current invention. Likewise, the previous inventions have been concerned with the interior of the fruit and not necessarily with preserving the rind.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention offers a solution to expedite the removal of rind or zest from fruits, such as lemons, by way of a novel tool. The tool of the present invention includes a handle portion adapted for comfortable manual grip and a rinding surface or blade portion extending therefrom. The handle portion may take the form of the whole fruit to be peeled, for example a lemon, lime, or any other feasible shape. The blade portion extends from the handle and is uniquely configured to mimic the arcuate contour of the fruit to be peeled. The blade is also preferably beveled along its length to better loosen the rind from the fruit. The distal end of the blade is relatively pointed and is adapted to puncture the fruit to thereby gain access to the area of the fruit between the rind and the meat. Preferably, the ends of the fruit to be peeled are initially cut off to allow better insertion of the blade tip portion.  
           [0007]    With the blade in place between the rind and meat, relative rotational motion between the fruit and the blade member is supplied, and the blade portion circumscribes the fruit. This action pulls the peel from the fruit body. After the peel is loosened from the fruit, the loosely surrounding rind may be removed by cutting longitudinally to cause the peel to fall away from the fruit. The removed peel may be used for zest or garnish, or may be stored for later use.  
           [0008]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a citrus peeler including a handle that is comfortable and easy to use. The generally ovoid or fruit-shaped handle of the present invention allows the user to easily grasp and use the peeler. Further, the present invention includes a finger rest that assists the user in derinding a citrus fruit, by providing protection means to minimize finger abrasion during use.  
           [0009]    These and other features of the present invention will be further described in the following detailed description. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the citrus peeler of the present invention.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the peeler in FIG. 1.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2A is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, but showing the handle and finger grip as one piece construction.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIGS. 3, 4 and  5  are perspective views of the citrus peeler illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 in use during derinding of a citrus fruit.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention and showing a lime shaped handle.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention and showing an orange shaped handle. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]    Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention that may be embodied in other specific structures. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 shows a side view of an embodiment of the citrus peeler  10  of the present invention. The citrus peeler  10  preferably includes a handle member  12 , a finger rest  14 , and a laterally extending rinding surface, seen as a blade member  16 . As shown, the handle member  12  is of generally ovoid, fruit shape, having a distal end  18  and a proximal end  20 . The distal end  18  forms a nipple shape, similar to the end of a citrus fruit, such as a lemon or a lime. A blade member  16  extends from the proximal end  20  of handle member  12 . As seen particularly in FIG. 1, the handle member  12  further includes a flattened bottom surface portion  22 . Flattened bottom surface portion  22  aids in preventing rollover of the peeler  10  while at rest on a flat surface, such as a table (not shown). Further, flattened bottom portion  22  may be engraved with a company logo or other personalization, if desired. The shape of the handle  12  not only facilitates a good grip on the peeler  10  during use, but also provides an aesthetic appeal as it is preferably designed to resemble a fruit, seen as a whole lemon in the views of FIGS.  1 - 5 , a lime in FIG. 6 and an orange in FIG. 7.  
         [0018]    Still referring to FIG. 1, the finger rest  14  may be seen. The finger rest  14  includes a first end  24  connected to the proximal end  20  of the handle  12 , and a second end  26  arranged for engagement with blade member  16 . As seen, the finger rest  14  preferably longitudinally extends from the proximal end  20  of handle member  12  and extends a predetermined distance from the proximal end  20 . The finger rest  14  and the handle member  12  may be fabricated from separate components as in FIGS. 1 and 2, and assembled using conventional means, or, alternatively, may be formed in a one-piece construction (seen in FIG. 2A). The handle  12  and the finger rest  14  are preferably made in a plastic injection molding process. However, any suitable process or material for forming 3-dimensional objects would suffice in forming the handle and finger rest.  
         [0019]    As seen in FIGS.  1 - 2 A, the second end  26  of the finger rest  14  is adapted to receive adjoining end  28  of blade member  16 . The blade member  16  is preferably arcuately shaped, approximately the contour of a citrus fruit. The blade member  16  is preferably shaped to continuously arc away from its adjoining end  28 , reaching a maximum arcuate height at approximately intermediate point  30  (seen in FIG. 1), and thereafter continuously arc away from point  30  to tip  32 . The blade member  16  is preferably formed from stainless steel or similar metal suitable for use in the food industry, however it is to be understood that any sufficiently rigid material suitable for use in the food preparation industry may be used for blade  16  construction.  
         [0020]    Referring now to FIG. 2, a top plan view of the novel citrus peeler  10  is shown. As mentioned above, the handle member  12  is preferably of an ovoid shape and includes opposed sides  34  and  36 . As seen particularly in the view of FIG. 2, opposed sides  34  and  36  are spaced apart at a width somewhat greater than the width of finger rest  14  and the blade member  16 . As may be seen, the finger rest  14  extends longitudinally from the proximal end  20  of the handle member  12  in the same plane as the blade member  16 . The ovoid, generally fruit-shaped dimensions of the handle  12  and the relationship of the handle  12  to the finger rest  14  allow for facile grasping of the citrus peeler  10 .  
         [0021]    Still referring to FIG. 2, the finger rest  14  is seen as preferably including a pair of opposed, concave sides,  38  and  40 . The concavity of the sides  38  and  40  is preferred to thereby conform to the contour of a user&#39;s fingers (not seen in this view) when the citrus peeler  10  is in use. The concave feature of sides  38  and  40  provides comfort to the user, as well as support for both left or right handed users, as the finger rest  14  provides the user with finger support and protection from abrasion by the blade member  16  during use.  
         [0022]    As further shown in FIG. 2, the blade  16  preferably includes at least one longitudinally extending beveled edge  42  and  44 . The edges  42  and  44  are honed to a suitable edge sharpness as desired, to facilitate removal of a fruit rind  46  from the meat  48  of a piece of fruit  50  (seen in FIGS. 3, 4, and  5 ). The edges  42  and  44  converge at a tip  32  portion of the blade  16 . The tip  32  is preferably somewhat rounded and may be used to pierce the rind  46  of a piece of fruit  50  to thereby initiate the peeling process. Alternatively, and as seen in FIGS.  3 - 5 , inclusive, an end  52  of the fruit  50  may be removed first, and the tip  32  inserted between the rind  46  and the meat  48  of the fruit  50  and the sliced end  52 . The tip  32  of the blade  16 , along with the edges  42  and  44 , provide the ability to enter a piece of fruit  50  and remove the rind  46  from the meat  48 . The unique shape of the blade  16  is designed to allow rind removal without necessitating an overly sharp edge. This feature helps to minimize user injury due to undue blade sharpness. Further, since the blade  16  functions with minimal sharpness, the rind  46  may be removed with little or no damage, thus allowing various uses of an intact rind.  
         [0023]    FIGS.  3 - 5 , inclusive, show the citrus peeler  10  in use in conjunction with a fruit  50 . As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the blade member  16  is shown by means of a broken line, and positioned within the fruit  50 . With the blade member  16  in place between the rind  46  and meat  48 , the fruit  50  or tool  10  is rotated, and the blade member  16  circumscribes the fruit  50 , thereby pulling the peel or rind  46  from the fruit meat  48 . After the peel or rind  46  is loosened from the meat  48 , the loosely surrounding rind  46  may be removed, as seen in FIG. 5, by lifting the blade member  16  to thereby form a longitudinal cut  54  in rind  46 . The peel  46  is then easily removed from the fruit meat  48 . The removed peel  46  may be used for zest or garnish or may be stored for later use.  
         [0024]    As shown particularly in FIG. 3, an end  52  of the fruit  50  may be removed to ease the entrance of the blade  16 . However, as seen in the previous Figures, the tip  32  of the blade  16  is sufficiently tapered to pierce the rind  46  without removal of an end  52 , if necessary. A person&#39;s hand  60  is shown easily gripping the handle  12 . Also, as seen in the views of FIGS.  3 - 5 , a user&#39;s finger  62  comfortably rests against the finger rest  14  without having the finger  62  come into contact with the blade member  16 .  
         [0025]    The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.