Abstract:
An adjustable cake cutter includes an one-piece cutter body that allows adjustment of the cut size, and a bearing bar pivoted to the cutter body and turnable to the bottom side of the space defined within the cutter body to bear the cut piece of cake for enabling the user to carry the cut piece of cake to a dish directly with the adjustable cake cutter.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    (a) Technical Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a cake cutter for cutting a cake into equal pieces and more particularly, to an adjustable cake cutter that allows adjustment of the cut size and also allows the user to carry the cut piece of cake to a dish directly with the adjustable cake cutter. 
         [0003]    (b) Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    Regular cakes generally have a circular shape. When dividing a cake into multiple pieces for different persons, a cutter is used to cut the cake along the diameter or radius and then to cut the cake into slices. 
         [0005]    When purchasing a birthday cake from a cake shop, the shop assistant will attach a disposable cake cutter. A disposable cake cutter is simply a plastic cutting blade. It is difficult to cut a cake into equal slices with a cutting blade or knife. Further, when picking up one slice of cake with the cutting blade or knife directly after cutting, the slice of cake may fall from the cutting blade or knife accidentally. 
         [0006]    Some people may use a clip to pick up the cut slice of cake. However, it is difficult to control the clamping force of the clip when picking up the cut slice of cake. The cut slice of cake may fall from the clip if the clamping force is insufficient, or deformed by the clip if an excessive force is applied to the clip. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide an adjustable cake cutter, which is practical for use to cut a cake into equal cut pieces of cake. It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable cake cutter, which allows the user to pick up the cut piece of cake and to carry the cut piece of cake to a dish with the adjustable cake cutter directly, avoiding falling of the cut piece of cake. It is still another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable cake cutter, which allows the user to adjust the cut size. 
         [0008]    To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, the adjustable cake cutter is comprised of a cutter body made of a metal sheet member through a metal stamping and bending process, a bearing bar, and a lever. The cutter body comprises a first cutter blade, a second cutter blade that is connectable with its one end to one end of the first cutter blade, a V-shaped handle, a first shoulder and a second shoulder respectively connected between the two opposite ends of the V-shaped handle and the other end of the first cutter blade and the other end of the second cutter blade, a connection arm extending from the connection between one end of the V-shaped handle and the first shoulder and selectively connectable to one of a series of locating holes in the second shoulder. The bearing bar is pivoted to the bottom side of the first shoulder for bearing a cut piece of cake being cut from a cake by the first cutter blade and the second cutter blade. The lever is connected to one end of the bearing bar for operation by a person to move the bearing bar in and out of the bottom side of the space surrounded by the first cutter blade, the second cutter blade, the first shoulder and the second shoulder. 
         [0009]    The adjustable cake cutter further comprises a torsional spring connected between the bearing bar and the cutter body to impart a biasing forced to the bearing bar, holding the bearing bar in the non-operative position beyond the space surrounded by the first cutter blade, the second cutter blade, the first shoulder and the second shoulder. 
         [0010]    The foregoing object and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts. 
         [0011]    Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is an oblique elevation of an adjustable cake cutter in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is another elevational view of the present invention, showing the retaining tip disengaged from the retaining hole. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a side plain view of the adjustable cake cutter in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4A  is a schematic top view of the present invention, showing the hook portion of the connection arm fastened to the distal locating hole. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4B  corresponds to  FIG. 4A , showing the hook portion of the connection arm shifted to one next locating hole. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4C  corresponds to  FIG. 4A , showing the hook portion of the connection arm shifted to the proximal locating hole. 
           [0018]      FIG. 5A  is a schematic top plain view of the present invention, showing the bearing member in the non-operative position. 
           [0019]      FIG. 5B  corresponds to  FIG. 5A , showing the bearing member biased. 
           [0020]      FIG. 5C  corresponds to  FIG. 5B , showing the bearing member biased further. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]    The following descriptions are of exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. 
         [0022]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an adjustable cake cutter in accordance with the present invention is shown comprised of a cutter body  1 , a bearing member  2 , a lever  21 , and a torsional spring  22 . The cutter body  1  is a one-piece metal member made of a metal sheet material, for example, stainless steel sheet, through a metal stamping and bending process. The cutter body  1  comprises a first cutter blade  11 , a retaining tip  111  extending from one end of the first cutter blade  11 , a second cutter blade  12 , a retaining hole  121  formed in one end of the second cutter blade  12  for securing the retaining tip  111 , a substantially V-shaped handle  15  extending in direction reversed to the first cutter blade  11  and the second cutter blade  12 , a first shoulder  13  connected between the other end of the first cutter blade  11  and one end of the V-shaped handle  15 , a second shoulder  14  connected between the other end of the second cutter blade  12  and the other end of the V-shaped handle  15 , a connection arm  16  extending from the connection between the first shoulder  13  and one end of the V-shaped handle  15  and terminating in a backwardly curved hook portion  161  and a forwardly curved finger strip  162 , and a plurality of locating holes  141  formed in the second shoulder  14  and arranged in a line in direction from one end of the second shoulder  14  adjacent to the second cutter blade  12  toward the other end of the second shoulder  14  remote from the second cutter blade  12  for receiving the hook portion  161  of the connection arm  16 . Further, the size of each locating hole  141  is sufficient for allowing movement of the hook portion  161  therein in direction between the first cutter blade  11  and the second cutter blade  12 . 
         [0023]    The bearing member  2  is a narrow elongated bar pivotally connected with its one end to the bottom side of the first shoulder  13 . The lever  21  is fixedly connected to the pivoted end of the bearing member  2 . A person can operate the lever  21  to bias the bearing member  2  relative to the cutter body  1 , moving the bearing member  2  in and out of the bottom side of the space surrounded by the first cutter blade  11 , the second cutter blade  12 , the first shoulder  13  and the second shoulder  14 . The torsional spring  22  is connected between the cutter body  1  and the bearing member  2  to impart a force to the bearing member  2 , keeping the bearing member  2  in a non-operative position outside the space surrounded by the first cutter blade  11 , the second cutter blade  12 , the first shoulder  13  and the second shoulder  14 , i.e., in alignment with the first shoulder  13  and the second shoulder  14 . 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIGS. 4A˜4C  and  FIG. 1  again, when in use, the retaining tip  111  is engaged into the retaining hole  121  to secure the free end of the first cutter blade  11  and the free end of the second cutter blade  12  together, and then the finger strip  162  is pulled by hand to move the hook portion  161  into engagement with one of the locating holes  141 . At this time, the cutter blades  11  and  12  and the shoulders  13  and  14  define a sector space for picking up one sector part of a cake (not shown). By means of shifting the engagement between the hook portion  161  and the locating holes  141 , the area of the sector space is relatively changed. When hooked the hook portion  161  in the distal locating hole  141  far from the second cutter blade  12 , the area of the sector space surrounded by the cutter blades  11  and  12  and the shoulders  13  and  14  is the maximum (see  FIG. 4A ). When shifted the hook portion  161  to one next locating hole  141 , the area of the sector space surrounded by the cutter blades  11  and  12  and the shoulders  13  and  14  is relatively reduced (see  FIG. 4B ). When shifted the hook portion  161  to the proximal locating hole  141  adjacent to the second cutter blade  12 , the e area of the sector space surrounded by the cutter blades  11  and  12  and the shoulders  13  and  14  is the minimum (see FIG  4 C). Therefore, a user can conveniently shift the engagement between the he hook portion  161  to the proximal locating hole  141  to adjust cut size. 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIGS. 5A˜5C  and  FIG. 1  again, after adjustment of cut size, insert the point of the adjustable cake cutter (the connected free ends of the first cutter blade  11  and second cutter blade  12  of the cutter body  1 ) into the center of the cake in a vertical (or oblique) direction, and then lower the substantially V-shaped handle  15  of the cutter body  1  to force the bottom cutting edges of the first cutter blade  11  and second cutter blade  12  of the cutter body  1  into the cake, and then operate the lever  21  to bias the bearing blade  2  toward the bottom side of the cut piece of cake (see  FIGS. 5B and 5C ), and then lift the adjustable cake cutter from the cake, picking up the cut piece of cake. When lifting the adjustable cake cutter to pick up the cut piece of cake, the user can compress the V-shaped handle  15  to force the first cutter blade  11  and the second cutter blade  12  against the two opposite lateral sides of the cut piece of cake, so that the adjustable cake cutter positively picks up the cut piece of cake. When removed the adjustable cake cutter with the cut piece of cake to a dish, release the pressure from the V-shaped handle  15  and the lever  21 . At this time, the bearing member  2  is returned to its former position by the torsional spring  22 , allowing the cut piece of cake to fall from the adjustable cake cutter to the dish. 
         [0026]    It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above. 
         [0027]    While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.