Patent Publication Number: US-2022218157-A1

Title: Food article cutting board and related method

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/797,743, filed on Feb. 21, 2020, which claims priority from the U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/837,775 filed Apr. 24, 2019, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for cutting food articles, and more particularly, relates to an apparatus for facilitating cutting off vegetables into parts. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Food is essential for life and the preparation of food involves the step of cutting down raw food, such as vegetables into pieces that can be cooked. Food articles herein refer to both plant and animal products including fruits and vegetables. A knife is a vital and usually used tool for cutting food articles into pieces. Be it home cooking or professional cooking, knives are used to cut food articles into parts. Cutting food articles using a knife is a skill and mishandling a knife can cause injuries. Moreover, the skill of cutting food articles includes cutting the food articles into consistent-sized parts. Consistent-sized parts of food articles have an aesthetic appearance and are convenient to eat, cook or handle. The skill of food cutting using a knife, like any other skill, improves with practice. 
     However, knife-related injuries while cutting food articles are also quite common. Beginners who have just started using the knife for food cutting are more susceptible to getting injured by the knife. Still, it is common that a skilled person may also sometimes mishandles the knife and get injured. This happens when a person losses focus while cutting the food articles or is cutting the food articles in bulk. Aged people with declining fine motor skills usually find it difficult and dangerous to work with knives. The fine motor skills of a person can get affected by age, disease, or disorder. Besides the risk of injury, cutting off the consistent size parts can be a daunting task for people with declining fine motor skills. 
     Thus, a long-felt need is there for an apparatus that may permit cutting down food articles into parts more safely than a knife. In particular, a long-felt need is there for an apparatus that allows people with declining fine motor skills to safely cut the food articles into consistently sized parts. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The principal objective of the present invention is therefore directed to a cutting board for food articles that addresses one or more problems of using knives for cutting food articles. 
     It is an additional objective of the present invention that a novice can safely and efficiently use the cutting board. 
     It is a further objective of the present invention that the cutting board can be safely used by people with declining motor skills. 
     It is another objective of the present invention that the cutting board allows cutting off food articles into consistently sized parts. 
     Yet another objective of the present invention is that the cutting board is economical to manufacture and easier to use. 
     In one aspect, disclosed is a cutting board for cutting food articles into parts, the cutting board having a first short side, a second short side, a first long side, and a second long side defining an area of the board, the area of board differentiated into a first platform, a second platform, and a third platform, the first platform is adjacent to the first short side, the second platform is adjacent to the first platform, and the third platform is adjacent to the second platform, the first platform and the second platform are co-planar, the third platform slopes downwards towards the second short side forming a ramp. The third platform can be removably coupled to the second platform. A lateral groove that extends between the first long side and the second long side, the lateral groove configured between the first platform and the second platform, the lateral groove is having a first end and an opposite second end; and a blade has a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end pivotally coupled to the first end of the lateral groove and the distal end configured with a handle. 
     In another aspect, the cutting board further comprises a finger guard coupled to the first platform adjacent to the lateral groove, the finger guard having a front opening and a rear opening defining a passageway, the passageway configured to permit a food article to pass through. The finger guard can be removably coupled to the first platform, wherein a plurality of male members can be configured at the underside of the finger guard and the cutting board can be configured with corresponding female members, the male members mate with the female members. In one case, the male members are protrusions, and the female members are grooves, the protrusion snaps into the grooves. 
     In another aspect, the cutting board further comprises a food stopper mounted to the second platform adjacent to the lateral groove, the food stopper configured to restrict the movement of a food article being cut off to cut the food article into similar sized parts. The food stopper can be removably coupled to the cutting board, wherein the distance of the food stopper from the lateral groove can be varied. To vary the distance between the lateral groove and the food stopper, a plurality of female attachments spaced apart at distances from the lateral groove can be disposed in the cutting board. The food stopper can be attached to one of the plurality of female attachments. 
     In another aspect, the cutting board is rectangular having the first-long side and the second-long side parallel to one another and the first short side and the second short side parallel to one another and perpendicular to the first long side. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the embodiments herein will become readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying figures, which are incorporated herein, form part of the specification and illustrate embodiments of the present invention. Together with the description, the figures further explain the principles of the present invention and to enable a person skilled in the relevant arts to make and use the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a top and right perspective view of a cutting board, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and, 
         FIG. 2  is a top and left perspective view of the cutting board of  FIG. 1 , according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows an exploded view of the cutting board as shown in  FIG. 1 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating a method for cutting the food article, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the cutting board, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of the cutting board of  FIG. 5 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of the cutting board of  FIG. 5 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a front view of the cutting board of  FIG. 5 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a finger guard of the cutting board, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a front view of a finger guard of the cutting board, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a side view of a finger guard of the cutting board, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a top view of the cutting board, showing a layout of the apertures for mounting the food stopper, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Subject matter will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of illustration, specific exemplary embodiments. Subject matter may, however, be embodied in a variety of different forms and, therefore, covered or claimed subject matter is intended to be construed as not being limited to any exemplary embodiments set forth herein; exemplary embodiments are provided merely to be illustrative. Likewise, the reasonably broad scope for claimed or covered subject matter is intended. Among other things, for example, the subject matter may be embodied as methods, devices, components, or systems. The following detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be taken in a limiting sense. 
     The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiments of the present invention” does not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising,”, “includes” and/or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     All the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. 
     The following detailed description includes the best currently contemplated mode or modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention since the scope of the invention will be best defined by the allowed claims of any resulting patent. 
     The present invention is directed to a cutting board for food articles, such as vegetables, fruits, and meat products. More particularly, the disclosed cutting board can be used to cut even-sized pieces of leafy vegetables, such as collard greens and mustard greens. The disclosed cutting board has a finger guard that can protect the fingers of the user while cutting the food articles, more particularly cutting vegetables, and more particularly cutting the leafy vegetables. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , which shows an exemplary embodiment of the cutting board  10 , according to the present invention. The cutting board  10  shown in  FIG. 1  is of a rectangular configuration having a pair of long sides that are parallel to one another and a pair of short sides that are parallel to one another and perpendicular to the longer sides. It will be appreciated that the above rectangular-shaped cutting board  10  is a preferred embodiment, however, the cutting board  10  can be embodied in any other shape without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in one case, the corners of the cutting board  10  can be rounded. In another case, one of the edges of the cutting board  10  can be rounded. The cutting board  10  can be made of any food-compatible rigid material, known to a skilled person for use in kitchen utensils and articles. In a preferred embodiment, the cutting board  10  can be made of wood or plastic that allows the disclosed cutting board to be washed. The material of the cutting board can be durable that can at least withstand repeated blunt forces applied thereto without cracking or splintering. 
     The cutting board  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , can be differentiated into three distinct portions, first platform  12 , second platform  14   a,  and third platform  14   b.  The first platform  12  is adjacent to a short side and has a planar upper surface. The first platform  12  can act as a feed platform, wherein the food article to be cut can be placed. For example, the vegetables can be placed on the first platform  12  for cutting. The second platform  14   a  is adjacent to the first platform  12  and the upper surface of the second platform  14   a  is also planar. Perhaps, the first platform and the second platform can be integral forming a single unit with a flat surface and a lateral groove  19  differentiate it into the first platform  12  and the second platform  14   a.  The second platform  14   a  can be the receiver platform upon which the pieces of the food article be collected. The third platform  14   b  is adjacent to the second platform  14   a  and is adjacent to the short side. While the first platform  12  and the second platform  14   a  are co-planar, the second platform  14   a  and the third platform are not co-planar, but the third platform  14   b  slopes downward starting from the side adjacent to the second platform  14   a  towards the short side of the cutting board  10  forming a ramp. The third platform  14   b  can be removably coupled to the second platform  14   a.    
     A lateral groove  19  extends between the pair of long sides. A blade  16  can be pivotally coupled to one end of the lateral groove  19 , such that the sharp edge of blade  16  lands into the lateral groove  19 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the blade  16  can have a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end of the blade  16  can be pivotally coupled to the first end of the lateral groove  19 . The first end of the lateral groove  19  is on the left side of the cutting board  10  considering third platform  14   b  as the front and the first platform  12  as the rear of the cutting board  10 . The pivot joint  17  shown in  FIG. 2  permits blade  16  to pivot vertically. It will be appreciated by a skilled person that the pivot joint can be provided in one of the different known ways for pivotally mounting a blade to a stationary platform known in the art. For example, a bracket can be coupled to the long side of the cutting board at the first end of the lateral groove  19  to couple the blade  16 . The distal end of the blade  16  is provided with an ergonomic handle  15 . The handle  15  can be grasped by a hand of a user to pivot the blade against the lateral groove  19 . The handle  15  can be made of any suitable material that is both durable and comfortable in the hands of the user. For example, the handle can be made of wood or plastic material. The ergonomic shape of the handle  15  can be configured to provide a better grip and prevent slipping of the hand towards the sharp edge of the blade  16 . Further, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the length of the blade between the pivot joint  17  and the handle  15  is equal to or more than the width of the cutting board  10 . Additional alternate embodiments may provide for the cutting board  10  to employ a safety bar or locking mechanism to positively lock the blade  16  fully within the lateral groove  19 , while the cutting board is not in use or for storage of the cutting board  10 . 
     Further, it is shown in  FIG. 1  is a finger guard  20  is mounted on the first platform  12  adjacent to the lateral groove  19 . In a preferred embodiment, the finger guard  20  can be positioned centrally, but it is within the scope of the present invention to position the finger guard  20  closer to the left or right long sides of the cutting board  10 . The finger guard  20  shown in  FIG. 1  is dome-shaped having a curvilinear upper side. The front end and the rear end of the finger guard  20  are open and define a passageway. It can be seen in the drawing that the finger guard is of a substantial frustum conical shape tube, wherein the rear opening can be of a size larger than the front opening. In one case, the rear opening can almost be double the size of the front opening. For example, the front opening can be about 2-4 inches in width and about 1-3 inches in height, and the rear opening can be about 4-6 inches in width and about 3-5 inches in height. For example, the front opening can be about 3 inches in width and about 2 inches in height, and the rear opening can be about 5 inches in width and about 4 inches in height. The larger rear opening may be particularly advantageous for leafy vegetables that allow passing the vegetables through the passageway easier. 
       FIG. 1  shows the front opening  22  in front of the finger guard  20 . The front opening  22  of the finger guard  20  faces the lateral groove  19 . The passageway defined in the finger guard  20  permits a food article to pass through towards the lateral groove  19  but restricts or safeguards a hand/finger from reaching the lateral groove  19 . The food article can be inserted from the rear opening  24  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) and through the passageway of the finger guard  20  towards the blade  16 , wherein the inserted food article can be cut by the blade  16 , while the fingers of the user are safeguarded by the finger guard  20 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, the finger guard  20  can be removably mounted to the cutting board  10 , wherein the user can remove the finger guard  20  when not desired. To removably mount the finger guard  20  to the cutting board  10 , a coupling mechanism can be provided.  FIG. 2  shows an exemplary embodiment of the coupling mechanism, which is a male member  26  (shown in  FIG. 3 ), on the underside of the finger guard  20 . Corresponding female member  21  shown in  FIG. 2  can be provided on the first platform  12 , wherein the male member  26  can releasably couple to the female member  21 . In one case, the male member  26  can be pegs and the female member  21  can be apertures. The finger guard can have three such pegs extending downwards from the base of the finger guard and the first platform can have three apertures, wherein the three pegs can insert into the three apertures by friction fit or snap-fit mechanism for securing the finger guard on the first platform of the cutting board. It is understood, however, that two or more pegs in the finger guard and corresponding two or more apertures in the first platform are within the scope of the present invention. 
     Further is shown in  FIG. 1  is a food stopper  30 , which is a rectangular shape prism positioned adjacent to the lateral groove  19  and colinear with the finger guard  20 . The food stopper  30  provides a barrier to the food article being cut off in order to get consistently sized parts. For example, a user can place the food article against the food stopper  30  and the blade is struck over the food article to divide it into parts. The size of the parts will be proportional to the distance between the lateral groove and the food stopper  30 . The food stopper  30  can be used with or without the finger guard  20 . The food articles can be inserted from the rear opening of the finger guard  20  towards the food stopper  30  to cut consistently sized food article parts. To further cut off the food article, the remaining portion of the food article can be pushed again towards the food stopper  30 , wherein the remaining portion of the food article can push the cut parts to topple over the food stopper  30  and collected behind the food stopper  30 . To vary the size of food article parts being cut-off, the position of the food stopper  30  can be varied. As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , multiple pairs of slots are provided in the second platform  14   a.  Each pair has two apertures arranged side-by-side and spaced apart from each other. Three pairs of apertures are arranged in a row, wherein adjacent pairs of apertures are spaced apart from each other. The food stopper  30  can be mounted to any of these pairs to increase or decrease the distance of the food stopper  30  from the lateral groove  19  and thus, increase or decrease the size of food article parts being cut off. Additional embodiments may provide for having indicia printed or labeled or otherwise located on the surface of the cutting board  10  adjacent to or aligned with the food stopper  30  to show the exact sizes that the food article can be cut to. The food article parts collected on the second platform  14   a  can be moved to the third platform  14   b  for subsequent collection or cooking thereof. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  further show a plurality of feet  11  attached, either removably or fixedly, to the underside of the cutting board  10 . The cutting board  10  can be placed over a rigid surface, such as kitchen countertops. The feet  11  can be made from a material that is non-slippery and provides stability to the cutting board while cutting the food articles. Preferably four feet can be placed at four corners of the cutting board  10  to ensure even weight distribution and steadiness on the rigid surface when in use. The feet  11  can preferably be made of rubber that is capable of minimal compression and conformity to provide a non-slipping and force absorbing placement on the rigid surface. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3  which shows an exploded view of the cutting board  10 . The finger guard  20  can be seen having the rear opening  24 , wherein the front opening  22  and the rear opening  24  forms the passageway. The third platform  14   b  can also be seen removably coupled to the second platform  14   a.  On the underside of the finger guard  20  can be seen a male mating member  206  that engages with a female mating member, also referred to herein as female member  21 . Similarly, the food stopper  30  can have mating members  32  that can engage to the attachment points  31  in the second platform  14   a.  Also, a measurement scale  36  is shown running along the row of apertures of the food stopper. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4  which shows a method for cutting the food articles. The food article, such as a vegetable can be inserted through the rear opening  24  of the finger guard  20 , wherein the food article passes through the passageway and protrudes through the front opening, at step  42 . The food article can be further pushed up to the food support, at step  44 . Finally, the blade can be struck, and the process can be repeated to collect the same size parts of the food article. Further pushing of the remaining food article may cause the same size part cut-off from the foot article to topple over the food support, at step  48  and collect behind the food stopper. The collected same size parts of the food articles can slide to the third platform, at step  49 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5-8  which show another embodiment of the cutting board  100  and  FIGS. 9-11  which show different views of the finger guard. The cutting board  100  shown in  FIG. 9  can be similar to the cutting board  10  shown in  FIG. 1 , except for the third platform, and hence not described in detail to avoid repetition. Also, it is to be noted that the drawings in  FIGS. 5-8  do not show the blade for illustration purposes only, however, the cutting board  100  has a blade similar to the blade  16  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The cutting board  100  can include a first platform  105 , a second platform  110 , and a third platform  115 . A traversing lateral groove  120  can be between the first platform and the second platform.  FIG. 5  shows a sliding dovetail joint between the third platform and the second platform. However, joints other than the sliding dovetail joint for releasably coupling the third platform to the second platform are within the scope of the present invention. As described for cutting board  10 , the third platform  115  shown in  FIG. 5  is also sloped downward but includes a cavity  130 . Parts of food articles can be collected in cavity  130 , wherein cavity  130  can provide a larger volume of holding the pieces of the food article as well as prevent the pieces from dropping off the third platform. A finger guard  135  and a food stopper  140  are also shown in  FIG. 5 . In one implementation, the cutting board can be about 24 inches in length, and 12 inches in width. The third platform can be about 8 inches in length and about 12 inches in width. The thickness or height of the first platform and the second platform can be about 2 inches. The third platform can be of a right triangle shape, as shown in  FIG. 7 , wherein an end of the third platform can be pointed. The height of the third platform can be more than the height of the second platform, for example, the height of the third platform can be about 2.5 inches while that of the second platform can be about 2 inches. The larger height of the third platform may provide a larger size cavity and thus more volume for holding the vegetable pieces. To compensate for the gap between the heights of the second platform and the third platform, feet of suitable height can be provided at bottom of the first platform and the second platform.  FIG. 7  shows the feet  145  extending downwards from the first platform and the second platform. Four such feet can provide stability to the cutting board while using the cutting board, however, two or more of such feet are within the scope of the present invention. For example, using 0.5 inches feet can make an effective height of the first platform and the second platform of about 2.5 inches which is similar to the height of the third platform. 
     For use, the user can insert a bunch of leafy vegetables, referred to hereinafter as a bunch, through the rear opening of the finger guard, wherein a tip of the bunch can protrude from the front opening. The bunch can be pushed further toward the food stopper, and when the tip of the bunch touches the food stopper, the blade of the cutting board can be struck to cut a portion of the bunch in pieces. Thereafter, the remaining portion of the bunch can be pushed further towards the food stopper and the steps can be repeated for cutting the bunch into pieces. 
     An exemplary embodiment of the finger guard  135  is shown in  FIGS. 9-11 . The finger guard  135  has a front opening  150  and a rear opening  160 . The rear opening is of a larger size than the front opening. Also, three pegs  155  are also shown in the drawings that allow mounting the finger guard to the first platform. For example, the apertures  21  shown in  FIG. 2  can be used to mount the finger guard, wherein the three pegs can be inserted into the three apertures. The three pegs extend from a base  170  of the finger guard. A cylindrical wall  175  extends upwards from the base to form a tunnel, wherein the passageway of the finger guard passes through the tunnel. 
     The food stopper  140  can be mounted to the second platform, as shown in  FIG. 5 . The food stopper and the second platform can have an interlocking mechanism to mount the food stopper to the second platform. The interlocking mechanism can include a male mating member and a female mating member that can interlock, for example, by friction fit or snap-fit mechanism. In one implementation, the food stopper can also have pegs like the food guard as the male mating member, and the second platform can have apertures as the female mating member, the pegs can be inserted into the apertures for locking the food stopper on the second platform, by friction fit or snap fit or like fastening mechanism. While the drawing shows the food stopper having the pegs and the second platform having the apertures, however, it is within the scope of the present invention that the second platform can have the male mating member and the food stopper can have the female mating member of the interlocking mechanism. Referring to  FIG. 12 , which shows the female mating member  170  in the second platform  110 . Each female mating member for the food stopper can have two apertures that correspond to the two pegs of the food stopper. To allow for increasing or decreasing the distance of the food stopper from the lateral groove  120 , multiple female mating members can be provided at increasing distances from the lateral groove  120 . For example,  FIG. 12  shows the four female mating members arranged in a row that extends perpendicular to the lateral groove  120 . Also, the distance between two adjacent female mating members can be the same or different in the row. 
     While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above-described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.