Abstract:
A dicing and cutting device comprising a male top housing slideably co-operatively engaging with a female bottom housing, wherein the top housing including downwardly projecting top blades, and the bottom housing including upwardly projecting bottom blades, such that food stuffs located with a cavity defined within the housings are sliced and diced upon rotation of the top housing relative the bottom housing.

Description:
[0001]    The application claims priority from previously filed U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/767,063, titled “DICING AND CUTTING DEVICE” on Mar. 1, 2006 by Mike Livie. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to devices used for dicing and cutting primarily fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices and particularly relates to a kitchen utensil which is a dicing and cutting device. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]    The present invention will be described by way of example only with reference to the following drawings: 
           [0004]      FIG. 1  is a top plan view of the bottom housing. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the bottom housing. 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is a bottom plan view of the bottom housing. 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of the bottom housing. 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view taken along lines  5 - 5  in  FIG. 1  of the bottom housing. 
           [0009]      FIG. 6  is a bottom perspective view of the bottom housing. 
           [0010]      FIG. 7  is a top perspective view of the bottom housing. 
           [0011]      FIG. 8  is a top perspective view of the bottom blade holder. 
           [0012]      FIG. 9  is an assembly drawing showing the bottom blade holder being position into the bottom housing. 
           [0013]      FIG. 10  is a top plan view of the top housing. 
           [0014]      FIG. 11  is a side elevational view of the top housing. 
           [0015]      FIG. 12  is a bottom plan view of the top housing. 
           [0016]      FIG. 13  is a side elevational view of the top housing. 
           [0017]      FIG. 14  is a bottom perspective view of the top housing. 
           [0018]      FIG. 15  is a top perspective view of the bottom housing. 
           [0019]      FIG. 16  is a top plan view of the dicing and cutting device. 
           [0020]      FIG. 17  is a side elevational view of the dicing and cutting device in a partial open position. 
           [0021]      FIG. 18  is a side elevational view of the dicing and cutting device in the closed position. 
           [0022]      FIG. 19  is a cross sectional view of the dicing and cutting device taken along lines  19 - 19  and  FIG. 16 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 20  is a top perspective view of the dicing and cutting device in the open position. 
           [0024]      FIG. 21  is a front side plan view of a single blade. 
           [0025]      FIG. 22  is a top plan view of a single blade showing the radius of the blade. 
           [0026]      FIG. 23  is a backside plan view of a single blade. 
           [0027]      FIG. 24  is an end plan view of a single blade. 
           [0028]      FIG. 25  is a top plan view of a three plan oriented and spaced apart as they would be in the blade holder. 
           [0029]      FIG. 26  is a front side top perspective view of a single blade. 
           [0030]      FIG. 27  is a back side top perspective view of a single blade. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0031]    The present invention a dicing and cutting device shown generally as  100  includes the following major components, namely male top housing  102 , which cooperatively engage with female bottom housing  104 . Cutting device  100  further includes top blade  106  and bottom blades  108 , the top locating tube  110  slideably engaging with a bottom pin  111 . Bottom housing  104  includes a bottom rim  114  and top housing  102 , includes a top rim  112 . Bottom rim  114  and top rim  112  are used to engage with the hand for rotating the top housing  102  relative to the bottom housing  104 . Top blades  106  are held in position by top blade holder  118  and bottom blades  108  are held in position with bottom blade holder  120 . Bottom housing  104  defines cavity  130  within tubular walls  16  and bottom rim  114 . Food stuffs such as fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices are placed within cavity  130  and top housing  102  is slideably engaged into bottom housing  104  and is positively located with a bottom pin  111 , slideably engaging with a top locating tube  110  such that it rotatably pivots about pivot axis  191 . Other pivoting arrangements having the same function may also be used in place of the arrangement depicted. In the closed or engaged position as shown in  FIGS. 18 and 19 , the top housing  102  is rotated relative to bottom housing  104  by applying twisting action with left and right hand. Top blades  106  and bottom blades  108  interpenetrate, but do not make contact with each other. 
         [0032]    With food stuffs such as vegetables, fruits, herbs and/or spices and/or any other items positioned within cavity  130  are sliced and diced as top housing  102  is rotated relative to bottom housing  104 . Top blades  106  and bottom blades  108 , sheer, cut, slice and dice any material within cavity  130  which makes contact with the blades. 
         [0033]    Top blades  106  and bottom blades  108  are preferably dimensionally the same and depicted as blades  200 . Details of blade  200  are shown in  FIGS. 21 through 27  inclusively. Blade  200  includes the following major features namely, blade  200  has a width shown as W  202  and a height shown as H  204 , the blade has a curvature to it or a radius as shown as R  206  in  FIG. 22 . The blade also has a thickness shown as T  208  and a cutting angle A  210  related to each cutting edge  218 . The opening shown as O is the space between the front side and the back side of two adjacent blades  200  and is shown as opening O  212  in  FIG. 25 . The distance between the blades D as shown in  FIG. 25  is the distance from the cutting edge  218  of one blade to the adjacent blade cutting edge  218  and is shown as distance D  214 . 
         [0034]    Each blade  200  has a chamfered portion  216  related to each cutting edge  218 . 
         [0035]    Referring now to  FIG. 19  in particular, the space between the inner diameter  230  of tubular wall  1116  and the outer most top blade  106  is shown as space S  220  in  FIG. 19 . 
         [0036]    The inner diameter of bottom housing  104  is shown as ID  230  in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0037]    The dimensions of blade  200  and other important dimensions of dicing and cutting device  100  are summarized below as follows: 
       Dimension of Blade  200   
       230  ID=Inner Diameter=3″ 
       202  W=Width=0.375″+/−0.125″ 
       204  H=Height=0.75+/−0.25″ 
       206  R=Radius=1.5″+/−0.5″=ID/2+/−0.5″ 
       208  T=Thickness=0.035″+/−0.025″ 
       210  A=Cutting Angle=31° (Range=21° to 55°) 
       212  O=Opening=0.165″ 
       214  D=Distance=0.20+/−0.07 
       220  S=Space=0.18″ (Range=0.10″+0.22″) 
       [0038]    The inventor has determined through trial and error testing that radius R  206  of blades  200  is preferably equal to ½ inner diameter ID  230  of tubular walls  116  of bottom housing  104 . Therefore, as inner diameter ID  230  of tubular walls  116  of bottom housing  104  becomes smaller and/or larger, Radius R  206  is adjusted accordingly to maintain radius R  206  of approximately ID÷2+/−0.5″. 
         [0039]    Therefore for the example given above, for a 3″ inner diameter ID  230 , the preferable radius R  206  is 1.5″. 
         [0040]    Preferably for a inner diameter ID  230 =3″, the cutting angle A  210  is preferably 31° and the space S  220  between tubular wall  116  and outer most top blade  106  is preferably 0.18″ and the distance  214  between blades is preferably 0.20″ when the width W  202  of blade  200  is 0.375″. 
         [0041]    A person skilled in the art will note that there is a relationship between the distance D  214  and the width W  202  and the radius R  206  of the dicing and cutting device  100 . Certain minimum distances are adhered to prevent the blades  200  from contacting each other. 
         [0042]    The inventor has also observed that deviating substantially from the preferred dimensions renders the unit inoperable and/or very difficult to use. 
         [0043]    Referring to  FIG. 19  with top housing  102  co-operatively engaged with bottom housing  104  in an engaged position  141 , the reader will note that the top and bottom blades interpenetrate, such that the opening O  212  defined by the bottom blades  108  receives a top blade  106  there between the space approximately equally distant between the two bottom blades  108 . 
         [0044]    In this manner the top housing  102  can be rotated relative to the bottom housing  104  by manually spinning and/or turning top housing  102  relative to bottom housing  104  in the engaged position  141 . In this manner any food stuff such as garlic  151  as depicted in  FIG. 19  will be engaged between the top blades  106  and the bottom blades  108  as the top housing  102  is turned relative to the bottom housing  104 , thereby cutting and dicing garlic  151  due to rotationally passing top blades  106  between bottom blades  108 . 
         [0045]    A person skilled in the art will note that blade  200  is a planar curved section having a thickness T  208  and a radius R  206 . The curvature or the radius R  206  of blade  200  is required in order to produce a smooth operation of the dicing and cutting device  100 . 
         [0046]    It should be apparent to persons skilled in the arts that various modifications and adaptation of this structure described above are possible without departure from the spirit of the invention the scope of which defined in the appended claim.