Patent Publication Number: US-2021187762-A1

Title: Crust cutter having extendable blade

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Fields of the Invention 
     This invention has been made by the members of MIMURA Seminar, College of Law, Nihon Univ. as a team. This invention relates to a crust cutter having an extendable blade, which can adjust its size to any kinds of a plain bread. 
     2. Background of Invention 
     Traditionally, in the case that crusts are removed a large specialized device in a bread plant is used, or an ordinary bread knife is used at home. Such a large device is too much large to be placed in a typical home, and since these machines used in the bread plant is specialized for bread companies, it could be used only for bread of predetermined size. In addition, a conventional household crust cutter is not adjustable in length, so it can be used for a particular size of bread. Therefore, in order to enjoy the white bread without crusts, it is necessary to buy some white breads having no crust at a supermarket, but otherwise the crusts should be removed with a regular bread knife. This method was costly and time-consuming because the crust must be cut off one by one with a bread knife. 
     According to the present invention, the crust of any size bread can be cut off at home by changing the length of the knife for each bread, so it is possible to resolve the problems described above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to solved the above problem, and to provide an crust cutter having an extendable blade including a top plate having a groove at its outer periphery, and having a recess formed in the back surface of the top plate, a handle attached to the top surface of the top plate, a blade insertable to the groove wherein the shape of the blade is the same as that of the top plate, and an extendable blade being stored in the blade, the extendable blade being able to pull out from the blade. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be more described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a crust cutter with an extended blade, according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows a lower view of the crust cutter, according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of an extendable blade of a the crust cutter when an extendable blade is stored, according to the present invention of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of an extendable blade when the extendable blade-is extended, according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of a mold having convex that can be attached to a recess formed in the crust cutter, according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6  shows an enlarged a cross-sectional view of the extendable blade taken along the line A-A′ shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below together with the drawings. In each drawing, the same reference numbers indicate the same or similar components that pass through all embodiments. 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a crust cutter  100  with an extendable blade. The crust cutter  100  includes a handle  10 , a top plate  20 , a blade  30 , and an extendable blade that is stored within the blade  30 . In  FIG. 1 , since the extendable blade  60  is stored in the blade  30 , it is not illustrated, and is illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     The invention relates to the cutter specialized for cutting crusts, and is possible to quickly remove only the crusts with the extendable blade whose length is adjustable. For ease of use, the handle  10  is placed in the approximate center of the top plate  20 . The blade  30  is vertically coupled to the periphery of the top plate  20 , and is detachable to the top plate  20 . The lengths of the top plate  20  and the blade  30  is 3.15 inches respectively, and the height of the blade  30  is 1.18 inches. 
       FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3  are views of the top panel  20  and the blade  30 , respectively, which are disassembled from the crust cutter  100  shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , a recess  40  is formed approximately in the center of the back side of the top plate  20 . A mold  115  shown in  FIG. 5  can be attached to the recess  40  by inserting the convex  110  into the recess  40  in order to cut the bread into the shape of the mold  115 . 
     The attached mold  115  can be of any shape, but a child will be pleased if it is, for example, shaped like a famous character. The sharp edge of the mold  115  also allows the bread to be die-cut out. The recessed  40  is a square shaped whose one side is 0.79 inches. The outer periphery of the top panel  20  is formed with a groove  50  for the blade  30 , and the blade  30  can be installed in the top panel  20  by inserting it into groove  50 . 
     The blade  30  can be easily detached from the groove  50  in the top panel  20  when the blade  30  is extended or when the mold  115  is attached to the recess  40 .  FIG. 3  shows the blade  30  being detached. For the safety reasons, while the crust cutter is used in the state that the blade  30  is stored in the top plate  20 , it is not necessary. Since the height of the blade  30  is set at 1.18 inches, the blade  30  can be used for cutting the crusts independently. While one end of the blade  30 , which is in direct contact with the crust, is formed at an acute angle, the other end, which is stored in the groove  50 , is formed at an obtuse angle and will not cut when touched by hand. The blade  30  includes an extendable blade, which is not illustrated in  FIG. 3  but explained by using  FIG. 4 , an adjustment screw  70  and through holes  90 , which are explained later using with  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 6 . 
     The relationship between the blade  30  and the extendable blade  60  is explained as follows with using  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 6 . As shown in  FIG. 4  the extended blade  60  stored in the blade  30  can be pulled out of the blade  30 .  FIG. 6  shows an enlarged a cross-sectional view of the extendable blade taken along the line A-A′ shown in  FIG. 4 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the blade  30  includes slit  80  inside, and the extendable blade  60  is stored in the slit  80  of the blade  30 . The extendable blade  60  can be extended from and retracted in slit  80 , so that a maximum movable area of the extendable blade  60  of 5.07 inches per side. The adjustment screw  70  is formed on the outer surface of the extendable blade  60 . A part of the adjustment screw  70  protrudes into the slit  80 . Therefore, the adjustment screw  70  can be moved from outside the slit  80 . Since the extension blade  60  is lower in height than that of the blade  30 , the adjustment screw  70  may be enough to move up and down in the through holes  90 . The adjustment screw  70  may be gotten stuck at predetermined locations. In this preferred embodiment, there are five locations. Each location is spaced with 0.39 inch. As described, the adjustment screw  70  could be moved in the through holes  90 . The blade  30  does not fit the size of the top panel  20  when the extendable blade is used, it is necessary to remove the blade  30  from the top panel  20  before using the extendable blade  60 . 
     According to the present invention, the standard setting is adjusted to the minimum size of the average while bread so that it can be used for any size of bread. Further, the extendable blade  60 , which can be extended and retracted, is installed so that it can be used for the maximum size of the while bread. Therefore, it can remove the crusts of the bread without being limited to the size of the bread, and can be used for both square and rectangular breads. 
     The bread crust cutter  100  with the extendable blade of the present invention is used as follows. In order to cut the crust, it is performed by grasping the handle  10 , placing the bread on a flat surface and pressing the top plate  20  from the above. The initial length is set at 3.15 inches long and square, namely the size of the blade  30 . In order to apply it to the large breads, the extendable blade  60  stored in the blade  30  is pulled out from the slit  80  of the blade  30 . As described above, one side can be adjusted up to 5.07 inch. Since four though holes  90 , each of which is the same shape and is formed at the same location, are formed in each side of the blade  30  and four adjustment screws  70 , each of which is formed at the same location, are formed in each side of the extendable blade  30  respectively, the crush cutter can be formed in square shape, or rectangular shape. In each through hole, a plurality of stopper regions, in which the adjustment screw  70  stays, is formed. In addition, all components of the crust cutter of the invention are mode of plastics. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Thus, shapes, size and physical relationship of each component are roughly illustrated so the scope of the invention should not be construed to be limited to them. Further, to clarify the components of the invention, hatching is partially omitted in the cross-sectional views. Moreover, the numerical description in the embodiment described above is one of the preferred examples in the preferred embodiment so that the scope of the invention should not be construed to limit to them. 
     Various other modifications of the illustrated embodiment will be apparent to those skilled in the art on reference to this description. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to cover any such modifications or embodiments as fall within the true scope of the invention.