Abstract:
A Fruit Pitter is disclosed where a plunger and shaft are slidably disposed within a generally cylindrical barrel. The shaft contains a pit engaging end that serves to cut and push a pit through a food item and expel the pit into a pit ejection chamber. The plunger is spring actuated for ease of operation. The food item rests in an opening in the barrel and remains there throughout the pit removal operation until a user removes the food item from the Fruit Pitter. The pit ejection chamber keeps the pit retained until it can be disposed of, and further serves to reduce splattering while the Fruit Pitter is in use.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates generally to food processing devices, and more specifically to a Fruit Pitter. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Many fruits have a stone or a pit that requires removal prior to consumption. For example, cherries, while having a delightful flavor and texture that make them well suited for raw consumption or use in prepared dishes and baked goods, have a small hard pit or stone that must be removed prior to use. Other foods, such as olives, for example, have a similar hard stone or pit that must be removed prior to use. 
         [0005]    There are various ways to remove the pit or stone, including merely eating the food and expelling the pit while chewing the food. While this technique may be effective, it is not a particularly attractive technique, especially in more formal settings. In addition, many foods, cherries included, can be used in prepared dishes, salads, as toppings, in baked goods, and the like. In such applications, it is oftentimes desirable to not only remove the pit or stone but also to retain the basic shape of the food once the pit or stone is removed, keeping the food item basically intact. While devices for removing a pit or stone from a food item such as a fruit are known, many of these devices have shortcomings including the way in which the pit is removed, the way in which the food retains its basic shape after pit removal, the mechanism of the device, the overall shape and ease of storage of the device, and the like. 
         [0006]    What is needed is an improved Fruit Pitter that overcomes many of these shortcomings. 
         [0007]    It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a Fruit Pitter that retains the basic shape of the food after the pit has been removed. It is another object of the present invention to provide a Fruit Pitter with an improved mechanism. It is another object of the present invention to provide a Fruit Pitter with an improved and easy to store shape. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a Fruit Pitter with an improved way to retain a fruit and remove the associated pit. 
         [0008]    These and other objects of the present invention are not to be considered comprehensive or exhaustive, but rather, exemplary of objects that may be ascertained after reading this specification and claims with the accompanying drawings. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a Fruit Pitter for removing a pit from a food item, the Fruit Pitter comprising a generally cylindrical hollow barrel comprising a food receiving aperture and a plunger actuation aperture; a plunger comprising a plunger body, a plunger head attached to the plunger body, and a pit removal shaft retention structure; the plunger slidably disposed within the generally cylindrical hollow barrel; a pit removal shaft comprising a pit engaging end, the pit removal shaft attached to the pit removal shaft retention structure of the plunger; a retention plate affixed within the generally cylindrical hollow barrel, the retention plate comprising a pit removal shaft opening and a spring retention tab; a spring with the pit removal shaft therethrough where the spring is placed between the plunger and the retention plate to provide return force to the plunger after the plunger has been depressed; and a pit ejection chamber attached to the generally cylindrical hollow barrel. 
         [0010]    The foregoing paragraph has been provided by way of introduction, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as described in this specification, claims and the attached drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The invention will be described by reference to the following drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements, and in which: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a Fruit Pitter of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a side plan view of the Fruit Pitter in use; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a side plan view of the Fruit Pitter in use with the plunger partially depressed; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a side plan view of the Fruit Pitter in use with the plunger fully depressed; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a side plan view of the Fruit Pitter; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is top plan view of the Fruit Pitter; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a bottom plan view of the Fruit Pitter; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a rotated side plan view of the Fruit Pitter; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a rotated side plan view of the Fruit Pitter showing the plunger; 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  is a cutaway view of the Fruit Pitter cut along line A-A of  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view of the Fruit Pitter; 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the plunger of the Fruit Pitter; 
           [0024]      FIG. 13  is a rotated perspective view of the plunger of the Fruit Pitter; 
           [0025]      FIG. 14  is a top perspective view of the retention plate of the Fruit Pitter; and 
           [0026]      FIG. 15  is a bottom perspective view of the retention plate of the Fruit Pitter. 
       
    
    
       [0027]    The attached figures depict various views of the Fruit Pitter in sufficient detail to allow one skilled in the art to make and use the present invention. These figures are exemplary, and depict a preferred embodiment; however, it will be understood that there is no intent to limit the invention to the embodiment depicted herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by this specification, claims and drawings. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0028]    A Fruit Pitter is described and depicted by way of this specification and the attached drawings. For a general understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals have been used throughout to designate identical elements. 
         [0029]    The Fruit Pitter may be used to remove a pit or stone from a food item such as a cherry, an olive, or the like. The generally cylindrical shape of the Fruit Pitter makes for an easy to operate kitchen tool that is also convenient to clean and store. The operation is such that the Fruit Pitter may be used with one hand, and a single depression of a plunger removes and ejects a pit or stone from the food item. 
         [0030]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the Fruit Pitter that shows the general overall appearance and features that a user would interact with. The Fruit Pitter has a generally cylindrical hollow barrel  101  comprising a food receiving aperture  103  and a plunger actuation aperture  105 . While the generally cylindrical hollow barrel  101  is depicted in the exemplary figures as cylindrical, other geometric variations may also employed, such as various polyhedra. Cylindrical, as used herein, applies to any elliptical cylinder, including, but not limited to, circular. The food receiving aperture  103  may be formed of any convenient shape that will receive a food item. The example depicted in the figures is that of an opening having a squared off bottom and a rounded and angled top with generally vertical sides. Other shapes may be envisioned after reading this specification and viewing the accompanying drawings and are to be considered within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The plunger actuation aperture  105  is a cutaway portion of the generally cylindrical hollow barrel  101  that allows a user to fully and easily depress the plunger  107 . While the plunger actuation aperture  105  is depicted on the right side of the barrel  101  as shown in  FIG. 1 , it can also be placed on the left side of the barrel  101  (rotated 180 degrees from that depicted in  FIG. 1 ), or rotated 90 degrees in either direction of that shown in  FIG. 1 , or moved in any convenient position. The barrel  101  may be made from a material such as a rigid material, for example a plastic or a metal. Examples of suitable plastics include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN), polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polytetrafluoroethylene, and the like. Bioplastics may also be used in some embodiments of the present invention. In addition, reinforced plastics, metals, and other materials that may be suitably formed may also be used. The barrel  101  may be made by injection molding, blow molding, machining, or the like. 
         [0031]    Slidably disposed within the generally cylindrical hollow barrel  101  is a plunger  107 . The plunger can be seen in further detail in  FIGS. 12 and 13 . The plunger  107  comprises a plunger body, a plunger head attached to the plunger body, and a pit removal shaft retention structure. The plunger  107  may be made from a material such as a rigid material, for example a plastic or a metal. Examples of suitable plastics include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN), polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polytetrafluoroethylene, and the like. Bioplastics may also be used in some embodiments of the present invention. In addition, reinforced plastics, metals, and other materials that may be suitably formed may also be used. The plunger  107  may be made by injection molding, blow molding, machining, or the like. 
         [0032]    Attached to, or molded with, the barrel  101  is a pit ejection chamber  109 . The pit ejection chamber  109  may be clearly seen detached from the barrel  101  in  FIG. 11 . The pit ejection chamber may have a circumferential edge to assist in joining the pit ejection chamber  109  to the barrel  101  should the two parts not be molded as one piece. The pit ejection chamber  109  may be made from a material such as a rigid material, for example a plastic or a metal. Examples of suitable plastics include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN), polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polytetrafluoroethylene, and the like. Bioplastics may also be used in some embodiments of the present invention. In addition, reinforced plastics, metals, and other materials that may be suitably formed may also be used. The pit ejection chamber  109  may be made by injection molding, blow molding, machining, or the like. In one embodiment, the pit ejection chamber  109  is made from Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN), an optically clear or transparent plastic that allows a user to confirm that a pit has been ejected from a food item. The pit ejection chamber  109 , in one embodiment of the present invention, is generally cylindrical to align with a generally cylindrical barrel  101 . As with the barrel  101 , other geometric variations of the pit ejection chamber  109  may also employed, such as various polyhedra. Cylindrical, as used herein, applies to any elliptical cylinder, including, but not limited to, circular. The pit ejection chamber  109 , in one embodiment of the present invention, is open on the bottom to allow an ejected pit to be removed. In addition, an open top area of the pit ejection chamber  109  allows the pit removal shaft  115  to travel through the food item completely. In some embodiments of the present invention, the pit ejection chamber  109  has a depression or otherwise concave upper surface where the food item would rest to more securely retain the food item during a pit removal operation. This depression can be seen, for example, in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , and can be seen in use in  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4 . 
         [0033]    A retention plate  111  can also be seen in  FIG. 1  affixed within the generally cylindrical hollow barrel  101 . The retention plate  111  comprises a pit removal shaft opening  115  and a spring retention tab (not seen in  FIG. 1 , refer to  FIG. 14 ). The retention plate  111  serves not only to stop travel of the plunger  107  and provide stability, but also serves as a backer to remove the food item from the pit removal shaft  115 . The retention plate  111  may be made from a material such as a rigid material, for example a plastic or a metal. Examples of suitable plastics include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN), polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polytetrafluoroethylene, and the like. Bioplastics may also be used in some embodiments of the present invention. In addition, reinforced plastics, metals, and other materials that may be suitably formed may also be used. The retention plate  111  may be made by injection molding, blow molding, machining, or the like. The retention plate  111  should preferably be of the same or similar geometry as the barrel  101 . The pit removal shaft opening  113  may be any opening that accommodates travel of the pit removal shaft  115  therethrough. In one example, the pit removal shaft opening  113  is generally circular with four radial slots. The pit removal shaft  115  may be made of any rigid material, for example, stainless steel. The pit removal shaft comprises a pit engaging end that may, in some embodiments of the present invention, have additional structural features such as, for example, prongs to assist with the operation of pushing the pit through the food item and expelling the pit. The pit removal shaft  115  can be seen in use in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , and can be clearly seen in  FIG. 11 . The pit removal shaft  115  is attached to the plunger  107  by way of a pit removal shaft retention structure (not seen in  FIG. 1 , see  FIG. 10 . Not seen in  FIG. 1  (see  FIGS. 10 and 11 ) is a spring with the pit removal shaft  115  therethrough where the spring is placed between the plunger  107  and the retention plate  111  to provide return force to the plunger  107  after the plunger  107  has been depressed. 
         [0034]    Turning now to  FIG. 2 , a side plan view of the Fruit Pitter in use is depicted. A food item  201  such as a fruit is shown in the food receiving aperture  103 . To use the Fruit Pitter, a food item  201  is placed in the food receiving aperture  103  and oriented in such a way that the pit is generally centered below the pit removal shaft  115 .  FIG. 3  is a side plan view of the Fruit Pitter in use with the plunger partially depressed. The food item  201  can be seen properly oriented in the food receiving aperture  103  and below the pit removal shaft  115 . The pit engaging end  303  can also be seen in  FIG. 3 . The direction of travel  301  of the plunger  107  can be seen in  FIG. 3 , as indicated by an arrow. As the plunger  107  is depressed by the user using a thumb or finger, the pit removal shaft  115  travels downward toward the food item  201 , enters the food item  201 , and pushes the pit through the food item  201  and out of the food item  201  into the pit ejection chamber  109 .  FIG. 4  is a side plan view of the Fruit Pitter in use with the plunger  107  fully depressed and the direction of travel  401  of the plunger  107  indicated by an arrow. The pit  403  can be seen ejected from the food item  201  and falling through the pit ejection chamber  109 . The pit removal shaft  115  can also be seen penetrating through the food item  201 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 5  is a side plan view of the Fruit Pitter that shows the plunger  107  exposed in the plunger actuation aperture  105 . The general internal outline of the pit ejection chamber  109  can also be seen in dotted line form. 
         [0036]      FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the Fruit Pitter that depicts the generally cylindrical hollow barrel  101  and the plunger  107  slidably disposed within. In some embodiments of the present invention, a depression  605  serves to provide more secure finger or thumb placement. The top edge of the barrel  101  in  FIG. 1  is at two different elevations, the lower being to the right side of the drawing as a result of the plunger actuation aperture  105 . A first guide rail  601  and a second guide rail  603  can be seen axially disposed adjacent to the plunger actuation aperture  105 .  FIG. 9  shows the first guide rail  601  and the second guide rail  603  and their axial orientation with respect to the axis of the barrel  101 . In some embodiments of the present invention, the first guide rail  601  and the second guide rail  603  are rectangular protrusions from the inner circumferential wall of the barrel  101 . The plunger  107  has a first upper slot  607  and a second upper slot  609  each of which is circumferentially located on the plunger head ( 1201  in  FIG. 12 ) and tend to align with their respective guide rails; the first upper slot  607  aligned with and capable of traveling along the first guide rail  601 , and the second upper slot  609  aligned with and capable of traveling along the second guide rail  603 . This guiding arrangement serves to retain the plunger  107  within the barrel  101  and also reduces or eliminates unnecessary radial travel of the plunger  107 , which would be detrimental to the pitting operation. 
         [0037]    Now turning to  FIG. 7 , a bottom plan view of the Fruit Pitter is shown. The bottom edge of the pit ejection chamber  109  can be seen along with the retention plate  111 . The example depicted in  FIG. 7  shows that the pit removal shaft opening of the retention plate is generally circular with four radial slots. The pit removal shaft opening  113  may also be any opening that accommodates travel of the pit removal shaft  115  therethrough. The pit engaging end  303  of the pit removal shaft  115  can be seen as well. 
         [0038]      FIG. 8  is a rotated side plan view of the Fruit Pitter that shows the general internal outline of the pit ejection chamber  109  in dotted line form.  FIG. 9  is a rotated side plan view of the Fruit Pitter showing the plunger  107  as well as the first guide rail  601  and the second guide rail  603 . 
         [0039]      FIG. 10  is a cutaway view of the Fruit Pitter cut along line A-A of  FIG. 5  that clearly shows the spring  1001  with the pit removal shaft  115  therethrough where the spring  1001  is placed between the plunger  107  and the retention plate  111 . Within the plunger  107  is a pit removal shaft retention structure  1003  that has a recess to accommodate the pit removal shaft  115  and also has a built up annular retainer that serves to retain the spring  1001  within the plunger  107 . The spring  1001  is preferably made from a food grade material that possesses spring like qualities. A stainless steel spring, for example, would be suitable. The spring is held by the pit removal shaft retention structure  1003  on one end and retention tabs attached to, or formed with, the retention plate  111 . Details of the pit ejection chamber  109  can also be seen. Within the hollow inner surface of the barrel  101  a transition feature  1005  can be seen. The transition feature  1005  is a ridge, bump, ring, notch, or other such structure that acts as a stop for the plunger  107  and also serves to assist with the assembly and manufacture of the Fruit Pitter, as will be later described herein. The transition feature  1005  may also be a transition or change in inner radius of the barrel  101 , and may be molded or otherwise integrated with the barrel  101 . 
         [0040]      FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view of the Fruit Pitter of the present invention. Each of the components of the Fruit Pitter can be clearly seen along with their relative locations with respect to each other. 
         [0041]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the plunger of the Fruit Pitter. In addition to a first upper slot  607  and a second upper slot  609 , in some embodiments of the present invention a first lower slot  1211  and a second lower slot  1303  (see  FIG. 13 ) are also present on the plunger  107 . The first lower slot  1211  and the second lower slot  1303  are each circumferentially located on the plunger body  1203 , the first lower slot  1211  being slidably engaged with the first guide rail  601  of the barrel  101  and the second lower slot  1303  being slidably engaged with the second guide rail  603  of the barrel  101 . The plunger  107  comprises a plunger body  1203  and a plunger head  1201  attached to the plunger body  1203 . The plunger body  1203  has a first flex opening  1209  and a second flex opening  1301  (see  FIG. 13 ). The flex opening may be a rectangular, square, oval, or other geometric opening in the plunger body  1203  that allows the plunger body to deform during assembly. The deformation may serve to reduce the radius of the plunger body  1203  so that it can be inserted into the barrel  101  and past the transition feature  1005 , after which it returns to it&#39;s pre-deformation shape and is held in place. A first flange half  1207  and a second flange half  1205  are formed between the first flex opening  1209  and the second flex opening  1301  and serve to stop the travel of the plunger  107  at the transition feature  1005  and also to guide the plunger  107  within the barrel  101 . 
         [0042]      FIG. 13  is a rotated perspective view of the plunger of the Fruit Pitter showing the second flex opening  1301  and the second lower slot  1303 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 14  is a top perspective view of the retention plate  111  of the Fruit Pitter showing the first spring retention tab  1401 , the second spring retention tab  1403 , the third spring retention tab  1405  and the fourth spring retention tab  1407 . In some embodiments of the present invention, more or less retention tabs may be used. The retention tabs may have a curvature to more positively engage the spring  1001 . 
         [0044]    Lastly,  FIG. 15  is a bottom perspective view of the retention plate of the Fruit Pitter showing the pit removal shaft opening  113 . The pit removal shaft opening  113  may be any opening that accommodates travel of the pit removal shaft  115  therethrough. In one example, and as depicted in  FIG. 15 , the pit removal shaft opening  113  is generally circular with four radial slots. 
         [0045]    To manufacture the Fruit Pitter once each of the individual parts described herein have been fabricated, a pit removal shaft  115  is affixed to the plunger  107  by press fitting, gluing, threading, or the like. A spring  1001  is then placed around the pit removal shaft  115 . A pit ejection chamber  109  is then joined or formed with a generally cylindrical hollow barrel  101 . A retention plate  111  is joined to an inner surface of the generally cylindrical hollow barrel  101  by press fitting, gluing, welding, or the like. The plunger  107  is then pushed inside the generally cylindrical hollow barrel  101  such that the plunger  107  deforms slightly through a reduction in radius caused by a flex opening in the plunger  107  and is retained by a transition feature  1005  inside the generally cylindrical hollow barrel  101 . 
         [0046]    To use the Fruit Pitter, a food item is placed in the food receiving aperture  103  and oriented in such a way that the pit is generally centered below the pit removal shaft  115 . As the plunger  107  is depressed by the user using a thumb or finger, the pit removal shaft  115  travels downward toward the food item, enters the food item, and pushes the pit through the food item and out of the food item into the pit ejection chamber  109 . Once the pit is removed, the user relieves pressure on the plunger  107 , and the plunger  107  returns to its upward position by way of a spring  1001 , and in doing so the pit removal shaft  115  is removed from the food item. The food item can then be removed from the food receiving aperture  103  for consumption or further processing. 
         [0047]    It is, therefore, apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the various objects of the present invention, a Fruit Pitter. While the various objects of this invention have been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of this specification, claims and the attached drawings.