Abstract:
A cutting device, including a receptacle for containing butter; a push mechanism for pushing the butter or margarine down into the receptacle, the push mechanism sitting atop a stick of butter and inside the receptacle, the push mechanism being in mechanical communication with the receptacle such that movement of the receptacle causes the push mechanism to move butter downward in relation to the receptacle, the push mechanism including a retrieval chain; a cutter, the cutter including a mechanism for knocking-off a piece of cut butter, the knocking off mechanism being a tapered piece; a gear mechanism in mechanical communication with the receptacle such that movement of the receptacle causes movement of the gear mechanism, the gear mechanism including at least one upper flat gear joined to the receptacle, a round gear joined to the frame and at least one lower flat gear joined to the cutter, wherein movement of the receptacle causes the upper flat gear to rotate the round gear, which in turn moves the lower flat gear and cutter; and a frame encapsulating the receptacle, gear mechanism, push mechanism and cutter.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 60/198,132, filed Apr. 17, 2000. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates to butter dishes and more particularly to butter dishes that cut slices of butter. 
     BACKGROUND 
     People have used butter dishes for storing butter for a very long time. Obtaining a portion of butter is not necessarily a neat task. Butter may be difficult to slice whether the butter is warm or cold. When the butter is warm, uniform slices cannot easily be produced, producing more of a glob than a slice. When the butter is cold, it is difficult to cut the butter and even more difficult to produce flat, uniform slices. Other problems also exist. 
     Typically, a person will use a knife to cut a slice of butter. The person will then spread the butter onto a slice of bread or toast. This person may then apply peanut butter or jelly to the slice of bread or toast. This person may then wish to cut another slice of butter for a second slice of bread or toast. The knife will likely contain breadcrumbs, peanut butter, jelly, or other particles. When the person cuts the second slice of butter, the breadcrumbs, peanut butter, jelly, or other particles are transferred to the butter. Many people find the transfer of these particles from one person&#39;s food to another&#39;s food distasteful. 
     Another problem with customary butter dishes is that these dishes do not protect the butter from contact with undesirable insects. For example, when the butter dish is left on the counter top or placed on the table for use, the butter is usually unprotected. Flies and insects easily come in contact with the butter. The butter dish will not likely have a barrier by which to prevent these insects from landing on the butter and leaving tracks. 
     Another problem with typical butter dishes is that they are difficult to wash. Many butter dishes may not be placed into dishwashers because of the material of which they are made. Washing butter dishes by hand may be an adventure. Butter is oil-based which creates the difficulty in washing butter dishes. One must use extremely hot water to clean butter dishes. Often water this hot is intolerable for the person washing butter dishes. Moreover, the person&#39;s hands become coated in the oil found in butter. 
    
    
     DRAWING FIGURES 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 2 and 2 a  are plan views of the push mechanism. 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cutting mechanism. 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view of the receptacle mechanism. 
     FIG. 5 is a back view of the receptacle mechanism. 
     FIG. 6 is a plan view of the frame mechanism. 
     FIG. 7 is an expanded view of the push block advancing mechanism  31 . 
    
    
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention includes a receptacle mechanism for storage of a stick of butter or margarine (hereinafter butter). Inside the top portion of the receptacle mechanism is a push mechanism for pushing the butter down into the receptacle mechanism. A cutting mechanism for cutting slices of butter is attached to the lower portion of a frame mechanism. The frame mechanism also contains the receptacle mechanism. 
     The present invention prevents contamination of the butter within the receptacle mechanism. A person is able to obtain several slices of butter without using his/her knife. This prevents the person from needing to cut butter slices with his/her knife that he/she used with other food, which in turn prevents contamination of the butter with bread crumbs, peanut butter, jelly or other food particles and from allowing insects to attack the butter. 
     The present invention provides a method for easily obtaining a slice of butter with the use of only one hand. A person may grip the present invention with one hand by placing the frame adjacent to his/her palm and the receptacle mechanism adjacent to his/her fingers. The person then moves his/her fingers toward his/her palm, and thus, producing a slice of butter using only one hand. 
     In detailed operation, the person places a stick of butter into the receptacle mechanism. The push mechanism is next placed into the receptacle mechanism atop the butter. Pressured is applied to the receptacle mechanism by pulling the receptacle mechanism towards the back of the frame mechanism. This causes the push mechanism to move the butter into position for cutting. The pressure on the receptacle also causes a straight gear firmly secured to the receptacle to turn a round gear, which in turn moves a straight gear in a direction opposite the receptacle. The second straight gear is secured to a blade which slices through the butter extending below the receptacle. Release of the receptacle, allows the push mechanism to readjust relative to the receptacle; ready for the next slice. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present inventive device  10 , shown in FIGS. 1 through 7, includes a receptacle mechanism  12  for containing butter or margarine, a push mechanism  14  for pushing the butter or margarine down into the receptacle mechanism  12 , a cutting mechanism  16  for cutting slices of the butter or margarine, and a frame mechanism  18  for encapsulating mechanisms  12 ,  14 , and  16 . These mechanisms  12 ,  14 ,  16 , and  18  will be described in more detail below. 
     As seen in FIG. 4, the receptacle mechanism  12  may include an adjustment mechanism  20 , a pivot mechanism  22 , a gear sheet  24 , a view mechanism  26 , a pin box  28 , a plurality of strait gears  30 , and a cutting surface  32 . As seen in FIG. 5, the receptacle mechanism  12  also includes a gear sheet control mechanism  33 , a gear sheet return spring  35 , and an anchoring mechanism  37 . These will be described in more detail below. 
     The receptacle mechanism  12  may be of a variety of sizes, shapes, and materials. The preferred size is large enough to contain an entire typical stick of butter or margarine (hereinafter butter) as well as the push mechanism  14 . The receptacle mechanism  12  will preferably be a hollow rectangle. The receptacle mechanism  12  includes an upper rectangular opening (not shown) and a lower rectangular opening (not shown). The receptacle mechanism  12  preferably will be constructed of lightweight glass or plastic. Most preferably, the receptacle mechanism  12  will be non-breakable, clear plastic. 
     The adjustment mechanism  20  adjusts the thickness of the slice of butter. The adjustment mechanism  20  may be a rotatable oblong-shaped disc held with a screw or any other suitable mechanism for adjusting the thickness of the slice. The adjustment mechanism  20  works in conjunction with the gear sheet  24  and the gear sheet control mechanism  33 . The rotation of the adjustment mechanism  20  controls the distance the control mechanism  33  moves, e.g., the distance between the control mechanism  20  and the anchor mechanism  37 , thereby controlling the distance traveled by the push block  14 . The distance the push block  14  moves controls the thickness of the slice of butter. 
     The pivot mechanism  22  may be a plurality of pivot holes and pivot pins that enable the receptacle mechanism  12  to pivot within the frame  18  to an angle for improved cutting of a slice of butter or margarine. The pivot mechanism  22  works in conjunction with the frame mechanism  18 . The plurality of pivot holes works in conjunction with the pivot pins and the frame mechanism  18  to allow the receptacle mechanism  12  to pivot within the frame mechanism  18 . 
     The gear sheet  24  is located at the rearward wall within the receptacle mechanism  12 . A gear sheet channel  24   a  is created prior to the gear sheet  24  being positioned within the receptacle mechanism  12 . A pair of first blocks  24   b  is attached to the rearward inside corners of the receptacle mechanism  12 . A pair of second blocks  24   c  is then attached, perhaps homogeneously, to the pair first blocks  24   b.  The pair of second blocks  24   c  are slightly wider than the pair of first blocks  24   b;  this creates a small channel beneath the second blocks  24   c  and above the back of the receptacle mechanism  12  through which the teeth of the gear sheet  24  are exposed to the push mechanism  14 . The teeth of the gear sheet  24  are recessed beneath the second block  24   c,  which prevents the butter from coming into contact with the teeth of gear sheet  24 . 
     As described below, the gear sheet  24 , being drawn by the pin box  28 , moves downward during the beginning of the cutting stroke. The gear sheet  24  returns to the up position during the cutting process. As stated above, the adjustment mechanism  20  may be set to limit the control mechanism  33  from returning to the top position and thereby reduce the amount of movement of the gear sheet  24  which, in the end, results in thinner slices. 
     The view mechanism  26  may be a plurality of openings defined within the receptacle mechanism  12 . The view mechanism  26  allows the user of the present invention  10  to determine if the receptacle mechanism  12  needs to be refilled with butter or margarine. The present invention  10  may not include the view mechanism  26  particularly if the receptacle mechanism  12  is constructed of a transparent material. 
     The gear sheet control mechanism  33  may be any mechanism that will control the movement of the gear sheet  24 . The gear sheet control mechanism  33  may be a control block. The control block  33  is attached to the backside of the gear sheet  24  through the upper rectangular opening on the receptacle mechanism  12 . The control block  33  moves upward and downward with the gear sheet  24 . The adjustment mechanism  20  controls how far the control block  33  will move upward and thus controls the thickness of the slices of butter. 
     The anchoring mechanism  37  may be any mechanism that provides the gear sheet spring  35  with an anchor. The anchoring mechanism  37  may be an anchor block. The anchor block  37  is attached to the outside of the receptacle mechanism  12  beneath the upper rectangular opening. The anchor block  37  does not move with the gear sheet  24 . The anchor block  37  is stationary. 
     The gear sheet spring  35  is attached at one end to the control block  33  and attached to the anchor block  37  at the opposing end. The gear sheet spring  35  is forced down onto the anchor block  37  by the control block  33  as the gear sheet  24  moves downward. The gear sheet spring  35  re-extends at the end of the cutting stroke forcing the control block  33  to move upwards. The gear sheet  24  is forced upwards as the control block  33  moves upward, which causes the gear sheet  24  to return to its original starting position. 
     The pin box  28  may include a spring  34  and a plurality of control pins  36 . The pin box  28  is attached through the lower rectangular opening of the receptacle mechanism  12  to the back of the gear sheet  24 , forming the push block advancing mechanism  31 . When the receptacle mechanism  12  is moved back toward the frame mechanism  18 , the control pins  36  move downward ( 1 ) along the angled edge  39   a  of the pin box rotator  39  as shown in FIG.  7 . This movement causes the gear sheet  24  to move downward. The control pins  36  then move up the ramp  39   b  of the pin box rotator  39  ( 2 ), pushing the pins  36  into the pin box  28 . Once atop the ramp  39   b,  the gear sheet spring  35  forces the control block  33  to move upwards in the direction of the adjustment mechanism  20 , drawing the gear sheet  24  and pin box  28  upward. The compressed control pins  36  slide along the major surface  39   c  of the pin box rotator  39  as indicated at ( 3 ). The return stroke ( 4 ), caused by a main spring  64  (discussed below), pushes the frame  18 , secured to the pin box  28  back into their original positions, where the control pins  36  extend and are brought to rest against the angled edge  39   a.  The rotation of the pin box  28  completed, the device  10  is ready for the operation. 
     The plurality of strait gears  30 , shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, may be any typical strait gears. The strait gears  30  may be permanently attached to or integral with outside surface of the sides of the receptacle mechanism  12 . The strait gears  30  may be located near the lower portion of the receptacle mechanism  12 . The strait gears  30  interact with a pair of round gears  66 . 
     The receptacle mechanism  12  may have a cutting surface  32 . The cutting surface  32  is shown in FIGS. 1,  4  and  5 . The cutting surface  32  is the lower front edge of the receptacle mechanism  12 . The cutting surface  32  may be slightly longer than the remaining three lower edges of the receptacle mechanism  12 . The butter is cut against the cutting surface  32 . 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the push mechanism  14  may include a retrieval chain  38 , a storage area  40 , a guide bar  42 , a spring  44 , a plurality of pins  46 , a joggle plate  48 , a latch  50  and a latch pivot rod  51 . The retrieval chain  38 , the storage area  40 , the guide bar  42 , the spring  44 , the plurality of pins  46 , the joggle plate  48 , the latch  50  and the latch pivot rod  51  will be described in more detail below. 
     The push mechanism  14  is placed into the top of the receptacle mechanism  12  and then connected to the gear sheet  24  as explained below. The push mechanism  14  should be slightly smaller than the receptacle mechanism  12  so that the push mechanism  14  may be inserted into the receptacle mechanism  12 . The push mechanism  14  may be approximately 1 ⅔ inches by 1 ¼ inch by 1 ¼ inch. 
     The retrieval chain  38  is stored inside of the storage area  40 . The storage area  40  is located within the push mechanism  14 . The retrieval chain  38  is a thin chain attached to the latch  50 , which has a stop  53  disposed thereon to contain the chain within the areas as shown and described. When the butter needs to be refilled, a person tips the present invention  10  upside down and the retrieval chain  38  falls from the storage area  40 . The person pulls the retrieval chain  38 , which retracts the latch  50 . The person is then able to remove the push mechanism  14  and refill the butter. 
     The guide bar  42  is inserted into and attached to the push mechanism  14 . The retrieval chain  38  is placed beneath the guide bar  42  to change the angle/direction of pull to enable the retrieval chain  38  to pull back the latch  50 . 
     The spring  44  is attached to the inside of the push mechanism  14 . The spring  44  allows the latch  50  to generally remain in an extended position so that the latch  50  may lock into the teeth of the gear sheet  24 , during the downward stroke. The spring  44  allows the latch  50  to retract when the gear sheet  24  is sliding upward into its starting position. This allows the push mechanism  14  to only move downward and not move upward during the cutting process. 
     One end of the plurality of pins  46  attaches to the lower portion of the push mechanism  14 . The opposing end of plurality of pins  46  attaches to the joggle plate  48 . Butter tends to be sticky and, therefore, may stick to the joggle plate  48 . The plurality of pins  46  allows the joggle plate  48  to move downward, if attached to the butter, without moving the push mechanism  14  downward at the same time. This prevents extra thick slices of butter from being cut. 
     The latch  50  is attached to the latch pivot rod  51 . The latch  50  is releasably locked into the teeth of the gear sheet  24 . This causes the push mechanism  14  to move downward when the gear sheet  24  is moving downward. The latch pivot rod  51  allows the latch  50  to pivot during the movement of the gear sheet  24 , which allows the push mechanism  14  to move downward with the gear sheet  24  and, yet, not upward with the gear sheet  24 . 
     The cutting mechanism  16 , shown in FIG. 3, may include a blade  52 , a pair of blade-guide mechanisms  54 , a knock-off mechanism  56 , and a pair of blade gears  58 . The blade  52 , the blade-guide mechanisms  54 , the knock-off mechanism  56 , and the blade gears  58  will be described in more detail below. 
     The blade  52  may be any typical blade such as a razor blade or other similar type of blade. The blade  52  should be approximately the same width, or slightly wider than, the width of a stick of butter to ensure a complete cut through the butter. The blade  52  may be approximately ½ inch in width and the length of the blade  52  is approximately 2 and ½ inches. The blade  52  is attached to the pair of blade-guide mechanisms at each end. 
     The pair of blade-guide mechanisms  54  may be any mechanism that will guide the blade  52  forward and backward during the cutting process. The blade-guide mechanisms  54  may be oval-shaped or rectangular-shaped rings or slats. The pair of blade-guide mechanisms  54  may be approximately one and ¾ inches in length. One blade-guide  54  may be inserted onto the blade  52  at each end adjacent to the cutting edge. 
     The knock-off mechanism  56  may be any mechanism that separates the butter from the blade  52 . The knock-off mechanism  56  may be a long narrow strip that is attached at each end to the top of the pair of blade-guide mechanisms  54 . The knock-off mechanism  56  may be wedge-shaped. As the blade  52  slides forward through the butter, the knock-off mechanism  56  slides between the butter and the blade  52 . 
     The blade gears  58  may be any straight lined gear mechanism that meshes with the round gears  66 . The blade gears  58  may be approximately 1 and ¾ inch in the length. The blade gears  58  may be attached to the pair of blade-guide mechanisms  54  along their lengths. 
     The frame mechanism  18  is shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. The frame mechanism  18  may include a cover  60 , a frame  62 , a main spring  64 , a pair of round gears  66 , a track  68 , and a butter stop  70 . The cover  60 , the frame  62 , the main spring  64 , the pair of round gears  66 , the track  68 , and the butter stop  70  will be described in more detail below. 
     The cover  60  may be approximately three inches by approximately two inches by approximately ⅛ inch in dimension. The cover  60  may be placed over a top portion  62   a  of the frame mechanism  18 . The cover  60  may be removed to insert or remove a stick of butter. The cover  60  may also be removed to insert or remove the receptacle mechanism  12  from the frame mechanism  18 . 
     The frame  62  may be slightly taller than eight inches. The frame  62  may include the top portion  62   a,  a base portion  62   b,  and an opening  62   c.  The top portion  62   a  may be approximately one and ⅔ inch in height. The base portion  62   b  may be approximately two and ⅓ inch in height. The frame  62  is approximately three inches in depth and two inches in width. 
     The frame  62  may be enclosed at the top portion  62   a  using the cover  60 . The base portion  62   b  may be separate from, though attached to, the frame  62 . The base portion  62   b  may include a butter retrieval opening  62   d  so as to allow the user of the present invention  10  to obtain the recently cut slice of butter, which falls from the butter retrieval opening  62   d  by the force of gravity. The opening  62   c  is defined in between the top portion  62   a  and the base portion  62   b.  The opening  62   c  allows the user to squeeze the receptacle mechanism  12  into a vertical position for cutting a butter slice. 
     The main spring  64  returns the receptacle mechanism  12  to its original starting position after cutting a slice of butter as stated above. The main spring  64  is a conical spring. The main spring  64  is attached at one end to the outside of the receptacle mechanism  12  and to the inside of the frame mechanism  18  at the opposing end. When force is applied to the receptacle mechanism  12  to move it back towards the frame mechanism  18 , the main spring  64  is forced against the frame mechanism  18 . The main spring  64  becomes flattened by this action. When the force on the receptacle mechanism  12  is released, the main spring  64  expands to its original shape and thus partially rotates the receptacle mechanism  12  about the pivot mechanism  22  and back to its original position. 
     The round gears  66  may be attached to the opposing inside walls of the base portion  62   b  as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. The round gears  66  should be attached to the base portion  62   b  in such a manner as to allow the round gears  66  to turn when activated by the strait gears  30 . The round gears  66  are pinned to the inside of the base portion  62   b  of the frame  62 . The round gears  66  have an opening defined in the center. A pin, with a cap, is inserted through the round gears  66 . The pin is attached to an opening in the base portion  62   b.    
     The track  68  is located in the base portion  62   b  beneath the round gears  66 . The cutting mechanism  16  is inserted into the track  68 . When the receptacle mechanism  12  is pulled towards the back of the frame  62 , the cutting mechanism  16  will be moved forward to cut the butter. 
     The butter stop  70  prevents the butter from sliding out of the present invention  10 . The butter stop  70  may be any mechanism that prevents the butter from sliding out of the present invention  10 . The butter stop  70  is shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. 
     The present invention  10  is easy to use. The cutting mechanism  16  is inserted into the track  68  of the frame mechanism  18 . The receptacle mechanism  12  is inserted into the frame mechanism  18  if it is not currently within the frame mechanism  18 . Typically, the receptacle mechanism  12  will stay within the frame mechanism  18 . A stick of butter or margarine is inserted into the receptacle mechanism  12 . The push mechanism  14  is inserted into the top of the receptacle mechanism  12  lining up the teeth of the gear sheet  24  with latch  50 . The cover  60  is placed onto the top portion  62   a.    
     The user holds the present invention  10  with the opening  62   c  adjacent to the user&#39;s fingers and the back of the frame  62  adjacent to the user&#39;s palm. The user then pulls the receptacle mechanism  12  towards the back of the frame  62 . A slice of butter will be cut by the cutting mechanism  16  and released at the bottom of the base portion  62   b.    
     The strait gears  30  mesh with the top of the round gears  66 . The blade gears  58  mesh with the bottom of the round gears  66 . When the receptacle mechanism  12  is pulled towards the back of the frame  62 , the round gears  66  turn. The turning of the round gears  66  pushes the blade gears  58  forward. Because the blade gears  58  are attached to the cutting mechanism  16 , the blade  52  moves forward with the blade gears  58 . As the blade  52  is moving forward, the receptacle mechanism  12  moves the butter backward. This reduces the stroke length in half. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the blade  52  is formed such that the knock-off mechanism  56  is integral with the blade  52 . The blade  52  may be wedge-shaped. The wedge-shaped blade  52  is thicker which prevents bending of the blade  52 . The wedge-shaped blade  52  also provides the knock-off mechanism  56  to cause the butter to be knocked off the blade  52 . 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.