Patent Publication Number: US-6655032-B2

Title: Pumpkin cutting apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to pumpkin carving devices and, more particularly, to a pumpkin carving apparatus which enables a child to carve a pumpkin while reducing the risk of being cut by a cutting blade. 
     Carving a pumpkin is traditional in the autumn season and especially at Halloween. While children desire to carve their own pumpkins, many parents are reluctant to allow children to use long, sharp knives without considerable assistance. The practical reality is that many children are unable to fulfill their desire to carve their own pumpkin until they are considerably older. 
     Many devices have been proposed in the art for cutting and carving pumpkins. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices do not. satisfy the safety concerns relative to a child operating sharp cutting tools, especially in use with an unstable, irregularly shaped pumpkin. 
     Therefore, it is desirable to have a pumpkin cutting apparatus which encloses a pumpkin and shields a user&#39;s hands from contact with any cutting edge. Further, it is desirable to have an apparatus which retains a cut portion such that the cut portion need not be separately removed from the pumpkin&#39;s interior. In addition, it is desirable to have an apparatus which utilizes rotational shaft actuation of the cutter such that a child is able to easily carve a pumpkin. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A pumpkin cutting apparatus according to the present invention includes a tubular shaft defining opposed first and second open ends and having a handle at the first end. A cutter is releasably coupled to the tubular shaft at the second end. The cutter includes a top wall with an inwardly sloping continuous side wall depending therefrom so as to define an open bottom and an interior cavity. A free edge of the side wall is the cutting edge for contact with the pumpkin. When a portion of the pumpkin has been completely cut, it is retained within the interior cavity of the cutter by the inwardly sloping side wall. 
     The apparatus also includes a plunger assembly for selectively ejecting a cut pumpkin portion from the interior cavity of the cutter, such as after the cutter and cut portion have been removed through the same hole from which it was cut. The plunger assembly includes a plunger shaft that is longer than the tubular shaft and which extends therethrough and through the cutter. Therefore, as the cutter is pressed against a pumpkin surface and a cut pumpkin portion is gradually received into the interior cavity, the plunger shaft is correspondingly moved upwardly through the tubular shaft with a plunger head eventually extending from the first open end of the tubular shaft. Once the cutter is removed back through the cut hole, the plunger head member may be pushed back down so as to eject the cut portion. The plunger shaft may be spring loaded so as to assist in the ejection. 
     The apparatus includes a base assembly having an elastomeric base shell that may be placed around a pumpkin to keep it stable during carving. A transparent dome cover may be releasably coupled to the shell in a tongue and groove arrangement. The dome defines an aperture at its apex through which the tubular shaft may extend. The dome allows a child to clearly view the pumpkin he is carving while protecting his hands from inadvertent contact with the cutter. The aperture and tubular shaft may have complementary threads such that the cutter is pressed deeper into the pumpkin as the shaft is rotated. The cutter is rotatably coupled in the tubular shaft such that the cutter may maintain a stationary cutting position on the pumpkin even during tubular shaft rotation. 
     Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for carving a pumpkin which holds a pumpkin in a stable position while carving it. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus, as aforesaid, having a cutter which retains a portion cut from a pumpkin for post-removal ejection. 
     Still another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus, as aforesaid, which encloses a pumpkin under a transparent cover and separates a user&#39;s hands from the cutter so as to prevent injury. 
     A further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus, as aforesaid, which allows a child to actuate the cutter with an easy rotational action. 
    
    
     Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pumpkin carving apparatus in a ready configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus as in FIG. 1 in a use configuration; 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the apparatus as in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line  4 — 4  of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line  5 — 5  of FIG. 3 with the plunger assembly in an ejection configuration; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a tubular shaft of a pumpkin cutting apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 a  is a perspective view of a first cutter; 
     FIG. 7 b  is a perspective view of a second cutter; 
     FIG. 7 c  is a perspective view of a third cutter; 
     FIG. 7 d  is a perspective view of a fourth cutter; and 
     FIG. 8 is a sectional view as in FIG. 5 with the plunger assembly in a puncture configuration. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A pumpkin cutting apparatus according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 through 8 of the accompanying drawings. A pumpkin cutting apparatus  10  according to one embodiment includes an elongate tubular shaft  12  having first  14  and second  20  opposed ends defining respective first  16  and second  22  openings. Although another embodiment of a tubular shaft is shown in FIG.  6  and which will be described in more detail later, FIG. 6 serves to illustrate the opening in the first end  14  of a tubular shaft. Further, the first end  14  of the tubular shaft  12  forms a handle  18  having a generally narrow configuration that may be gripped by a user (FIGS.  1  and  2 ). A top surface of the handle  18  is perpendicular to the tubular shaft  12  and defines a recess  24  extending between laterally opposed ends thereof (FIGS.  6  and  8 ). 
     The pumpkin cutting apparatus  10  further includes a cutter  30  having a planar top wall  32  defining a continuous peripheral edge thereabout (FIG.  1 ). A continuous side wall  34  depends from the peripheral edge and terminates at a continuous free edge  36 . Therefore, the cutter  30  includes an open bottom, the top and side walls defining an interior cavity. The side wall  34  is inwardly sloped between the peripheral edge of the top wall  32  and the free edge  36  of the side wall  34 . This draft angle enables a cut portion of a pumpkin or other gourd to be retained within the interior cavity, as to be described more fully below. The top  32  and side  34  walls may be formed in various configurations, such as a triangle  38   a , silly face  38   b , scary face  38   c , or happy face  38   d , shown as first through fourth cutters in FIGS. 7 a - 7   d , respectively. Cutters having various configurations may be included with the present invention as a kit. 
     The tubular shaft  12  defines a tubular channel  40  extending between the open shaft ends (FIG.  4 ). A retaining ledge  42  extends peripherally about the inner surface of the tubular channel  40  although the ledge  42  does not present a blockage or enclosure (FIG.  4 ). The ledge  42  is spaced from the second open end  22  of the tubular shaft  12  and is situated within a lower portion  44  of the channel  40 , the lower portion  44  having a diameter greater than a diameter of the remainder of the tubular channel  40 . The cutter  30  includes a pair of arms  46  fixedly attached to and extending upwardly from the top wall  32  thereof. Each arm  46  includes a free end having a retaining lip  48  having an elbow configured to releasably engage the retaining ledge  42  in a snap-fit relationship. The arms  46  are constructed of a resilient plastic material such that the arms  46  may be released from a snappable engagement with the ledge  42  when squeezed together by a user. Of course, the arms  46  could have a thin metal or other suitable construction. It should be appreciated that when the retaining lips  48  are engaged/retained upon the retaining ledge  42 , they are free to rotate atop the ledge  42  as the cutter  30 , to which the arms  46  are fixedly attached, is rotated. Thus, the cutter  30  is both releasably and rotatably coupled to the tubular shaft  12  such that the cutter  30  may be held stationary while the tubular shaft  12  is rotated in a cutting operation, as to be described in further detail below. 
     The pumpkin cutting apparatus  10  further includes a plunger assembly such that a cut portion of a pumpkin may be selectively expelled from the interior cavity of the cutter  30 . More particularly, an elongate-plunger shaft  52  extends through the channel  40  of the tubular shaft  12  and through the cutter  30  (when the cutter is coupled to the tubular shaft). Thus, the plunger shaft  52  presents a length that is greater than a length of the tubular shaft  12 . The plunger shaft  52  includes opposed upper  54  and lower  56  ends, the upper end having a plunger head  58  that may be selectively depressed by a user (FIG.  8 ). The plunger head  58  presents a configuration complementary to that of the recess  24  of the tubular shaft handle  18 . The plunger shaft  52  is slidably movable between an ejection configuration and a puncture configuration. In the puncture configuration, the lower end  56  of the plunger shaft  52  is flush with the top wall  32  of the cutter  30  and the upper end  54  and plunger head  58  are upwardly displaced from the first opening  16  of the tubular shaft  12 . The puncture configuration exists where the cutter  30  has been pressed into a pumpkin. As the cut portion incrementally fills the interior cavity, the plunger shaft  52  is pushed slidably thereby such that the plunger head  58  extends upwardly above the tubular shaft  12  (FIG.  8 ). 
     The plunger head  58 , once extended by the cutter&#39;s retention of a cut portion, may be pushed down until it rests flush within the recess  24  of the tubular shaft handle  18  (FIG.  5 ). The lower end  56  of the plunger shaft  52  is downwardly displaced from the top wall  32  of the cutter  30  in this configuration, this downward movement ejecting a cut portion from retention within the interior cavity. 
     As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the plunger assembly may also include a compression spring  60  situated within the tubular channel  40  of the tubular shaft  12 . Preferably, the compression spring  60  is positioned adjacent the first opening  16  at the first end  14  of the tubular shaft  12 . The spring  60  presents a diameter greater than a diameter of the first opening  16  such that the spring is retained in the channel  40 . Of course, other conventional retention means may also be employed. The plunger shaft  52  includes a configuration adapted to compress the spring  60  as the plunger shaft  52  is moved upwardly, i.e. from an ejection configuration (FIG. 5) to a puncture configuration (FIG.  8 ). Accordingly, the plunger shaft  52  is urged by the spring  60  toward the ejection configuration and thus assists a user in ejecting a cut portion from the interior cavity of the cutter  30 . 
     The pumpkin cutting apparatus  10  further includes a base assembly  62  having a shell  64  and a cover  70 . More particularly, the shell  64  includes a generally cylindrical configuration defining an open top and open bottom and being constructed of an elastomeric material. This construction enables the shell  64  to be positioned over a pumpkin having an irregular shape, the resilient material allowing the shell to conform to shape irregularities and to hold the pumpkin stationary during operation of the cutting components. The shell  64  includes a top surface defining a groove  66  peripherally thereabout (FIG.  2 ). The cover  60  includes a dome or hemispherical configuration having a free edge defining an open bottom (FIG.  3 ). Preferably, the cover  70  is constructed of a transparent material, such as clear plastic, so that a user may view what is held within the shell  64 . A continuous tongue member  72  depends from the free edge of the cover and includes a configuration complementary to that of the groove  66  such that the cover  70  may be selectively retained atop the shell  64  in a tongue and groove engagement. 
     The cover  70  defines a circular aperture  74  at its apex, the aperture  74  having a diameter complementary to a diameter of the tubular shaft  12  so as to selectively receive the tubular shaft therethrough. In this embodiment, the tubular shaft  12  includes a plurality of threads  26  extending spirally thereabout between the first  14  and second  20  ends. The cover  70  includes a plurality of threads (not shown) about the aperture  74  that are complementary to threads  26  of the tubular shaft  12  such that the tubular shaft  12  may be moved downwardly or upwardly relative to the cover  70  upon a respective clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the tubular shaft  12 . 
     In use, the shell  64  may be placed over a pumpkin or other gourd to be carved. The shell  64  may stretch to accommodate pumpkins of irregular shape and size so as to hold a pumpkin in a stable position during use. The cover  70  may then be placed atop the shell  64  in tongue and groove engagement so as to enclose the pumpkin there under. The tubular shaft  12 , with cutter  30  released therefrom, may be inserted through the cover aperture  74  (FIG.  1 ). The cutter  30 , when rotatably coupled to the tubular shaft  12 , may be positioned so as to bear against the pumpkin at a desired location to be carved. An appropriate rotation of the tubular shaft  12  applies downward pressure upon the cutter  30 , thus causing the free edge  36  of the cutter side wall  34  to cut into the pumpkin. The cutter  30  itself remains stationary at the desired cutting position due to the rotatable coupling of the arms  46  within the tubular shaft  12  (FIG.  4 ). 
     As the cutter  30  is incrementally pushed deeper in a cutting operation, the cut portion of the pumpkin bears against the lower end  56  of the plunger shaft  52 , causing the plunger shaft  52  to move slidably upwardly through the channel  40  of the tubular shaft  12 . When the cutting operation is complete, the plunger head  58  will be extended in a FIG. 8 configuration (the puncture configuration). The tubular shaft  12  may then be rotated in an opposite direction whereby to remove the cutter  30  from the carved hole. Then, the plunger head  58  may be pushed back down by a user, aided by the spring  60 , to the FIG. 5 configuration (the ejection configuration). This action ejects the cut portion from the interior cavity of the cutter  30 . This process may be repeated in order to carve multiple holes. The cutter  30  may be removed and replaced with other of the FIGS. 7 a-   7   d  cutters, as desired. 
     In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a tubular shaft  80  having no threads may be utilized with the previously described apparatus. Otherwise, the alternative tubular shaft  80  includes a construction substantially similar to the construction of the tubular shaft  12  described previously. This tubular shaft  80  is shown in FIG. 6 with the plunger shaft removed. In this embodiment, the aperture of the cover is also unthreaded (not shown). Therefore, this tubular shaft  80  must be manually pressed in a downward direction to push a cutter into a pumpkin or other gourd. 
     It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable functional equivalents thereof.