Device and method for slicing large cakes and other baked goods

A configurable cutting device for large cakes and other baked items that provides varied shapes and dimensions of cut pieces using a single cutting motion. The handles are ergonomically designed, decorative and provide control of the blades, and the ability to apply increased downward pressure for increased cutting force without direct contact with the blades. The device can be folded down and/or disassembled for easy cleaning and storage.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to systems and methods for slicing large baked goods in general and large cakes more specifically.

BACKGROUND

Cutting a large sheet cake can be a time consuming and somewhat arduous task. Making countless individual slices with a cake knife and cleaning off the accumulated cake from the knife after each cut can make the process seem endless.

In the prior art, many disclosed devices for reducing the number of cuts to be made employ rigidly affixed components to slice bakery cuisine into single fixedly prescribed sizes and shapes. Although effective in reducing the amount of time necessary to make uniform slices, they are ineffective in providing the ability to provide a variety of sizes and shapes in addition to the time savings relative to cutting individual pieces with a knife.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,463,941 to Philip Cusimano provides a cutting device with a plurality of knives for cutting vegetables or other foods into bodies of uniform size. Cusimano further discloses one or more adjusting screws for increasing the amount of space between the knives other than the medial line knife which is not adjustable.

U.S. Pat. No. D632,130 to Claudio Burstein provides the ornamental design for a more portable folding cake slicer.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,975,396 to Jeffrey Mastroianni discloses a pan and template for cutting baked goods into a plurality of diamond or rectangular shaped portions.

SUMMARY

In one exemplary modular embodiment, one or more sets of horizontal and vertical cutting blades interconnect to form an appropriate slicing configuration for the sheet cake or other baked good to be cut. The width and length of the slices can be adjusted by the removal of individual blades while maintaining the integrity of the remaining blades for use in the cutting process. Because of the interconnected configuration of the horizontal and vertical blades, it can be folded down for easy storage.

In a non-modular embodiment, a multitude of equidistant vertical and horizontal cutting blades are provided with handles at opposite ends to enable the user to place the device on top of a cake or other baked good to be served. The handles allow the user to slice down into the cake and remove the device from one section to slice additional sections as necessary.

Certain advantages of the device and methods include: adjustability to accommodate a variety of shapes and sizes of slices, ease of assembly and disassembly, improved durability, and ease of storage, among others. The device is also safe, cost effective and useful for all segments of the population, including both consumer and commercial applications.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of any described embodiment, suitable methods and materials are described below. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. In case of conflict with terms used in the art, the present specification, including definitions, will control.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1shows a top perspective view of the non-modular cake or baked goods slicing device,10having handles,50for improved gripping and increased downward cutting force. The unrestricted borders of the device have protruding blades that allow variations in size and configuration of the pieces cut.

FIG. 2shows a top perspective view of the modular device10where the sides of the horizontal blades,20and vertical blades,30and handles50are seen.

FIG. 3shows an embodiment of the modular device configured to have 11 vertical blades,30and 8 horizontal blades,20for a large number of cuts and small pieces.

FIG. 4shows an embodiment of the modular device configured to have 6 vertical blades,30and 4 horizontal blades,20for a decreased number of cuts and larger pieces, relative toFIG. 3.

FIG. 5shows an embodiment of the modular device configured to have 5 vertical blades,30and 2 horizontal blades,20for a decreased number of cuts and larger pieces, relative toFIG. 4.

FIG. 6shows a top view of the top restraint,40of the modular device.

FIG. 7shows the direction of movement of the blades of the modular device to afford an angled position of the blades for storage.

FIG. 8shows the blades angled to a folded position for easy cleaning and storage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The modular and non-modular embodiments of the device provide a wide range of configurations for slicing large items or baked goods with a variety of shape geometries for the slices. The unrestricted borders of the device have protruding blades that allow variations in cake and baked goods size and configuration.

The modular embodiments are selectively configurable to the shape and size of the item being cut, in addition to being configurable to the shape and size of pieces desired by the user. The configuration ofFIG. 3provides a large number of smaller pieces in the center and some larger pieces around the perimeter. The configuration ofFIG. 4provides a relatively smaller number of larger pieces thanFIG. 3. The configuration ofFIG. 5provides a smaller number of larger pieces thanFIGS. 3 and 4.

Each of the configurations shown inFIGS. 3 through 5is achieved by adjusting the number of cutting blades provided in the device. Once the desired number of blades is achieved, the configuration of the blades is secured by the top restraint,40shown inFIG. 6. The top restraint,40is a rectangular frame-like element that is placed above the removable horizontal and vertical blades and provides a means for evenly transferring the downward pressure applied throughout the entirety of the intersecting vertical and horizontal blades during the slicing process.

The device may be configured to provide a variety of cut shapes through the blade angle adjustments afforded by the angled movement of the blades as seen inFIG. 7andFIG. 8. The slices can be provided in a multitude of shapes, including but not limited to parallelograms, and diamond shapes.

When not in use, the cutting blades of the modular embodiments may be angled to be closer together to provide a stacked or layered effect to reduce the amount of space required for storage. The interconnection of the vertical blades and the horizontal blades allow for easy disassembly for cleaning, storage and portability.

Both the modular and non-modular embodiments are dishwasher safe.

A number of illustrative embodiments have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the various embodiments presented herein. For example, modular or non-modular embodiments in a circular or oval shape are contemplated within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.