Improved Means or Device for Cutting, Dividing, or Reducing Viands at Table.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 30.h Apr., 1891-Accepted, 6th June, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means or Device for Cutting, Dividing, or Reducing
Viands at Table.
We, EDWARD SMALLWOOD LANE of 19 Warstone Lane, Birmingham, Manager
and THOMAS EVERARD CLARE of 63 Chancery Lane, London Merchant, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
This invention relates to improved means or device for cutting, dividing or
reducing viands at table the same being an attachment that can be applied to an
ordinary table fork, the same consisting of a sheath, and cutter edges which will
be placed upon the prongs of the fork, and which will project outward at the back
of the fork and sheath so that when pressed down upon the viands, the same will
be cut divided, or reduced in size for convenience of persons having defective teeth
or weak digestion, as an adjunct to the ordinary knife and fork.
In the drawings annexed hereto
Fig. 1 represents the device applied to a fork and looking upon the inside of
such fork.
Fig. 2 represents same in side view looking from left hand of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3. represents the sheath or cutter holder detached showing its inside face.
Fig. 4. shows the cutter in side view detached.
Fig. 5. shows the blank from which the cutter will be struck up.
The sheath or cutter holder is struck up from the flat; a¹, being perforations
for the cutters corresponding to the openings between the prongs of the fork;
a², are turned over flanges, under the side portions of which the side prongs of the
fork are received, and the points of the fork are received under top portion of said
flange. a³, is a tail piece of the shenth (which is capable of "springing" somewhat
and the said tail piece a³, terminates in a clip, which will clip with a spring action
upon the fork under the shoulders b, thereof. c, are die cutter edges shown serrated
in the drawings. The cutter plate is of steel and when hardened and finished is
set to the curvature approximately such as shown at Fig. 4. which is greater than
that of the prongs of the fork, and it is capable of springing. When applying the
device to the ordinary table fork the cutter Fig. 4. is to be placed into the sheath
the
Fig. 3. with the cutters c, extending out through the perforations a¹,
of
prongs
the fork are then pressed down on to the cutter plate so as to overcome the spring
action thereof and slid forward until the prongs take up position under the flange a²
of the sheath. The tail piece a³, of the sheath, with its clip, will now be pressed
up to the fork-handle and the clip will "spring" on to the handle below the
shoulder b, so holding all together, but leaving the cutters interchangeable or
removable.
As a modification of this construction the cutter piece may be made of a piece
with the fork by being brazed on or attached and finished as of a piece with the
fork. Again in the case of steel forks the "fin" stamped out between the prongs
may be finished off to form cutters such as is illustrated by c, in Fig. 2. but
dispensing with the sheath.
Again in some cases the prongs of the fork might extend beyond the sheath a.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is :-
First. The improved cutting device applied to and extending from the back of
a table article such as the fork illustrated as and for the purpose herein specified.

page_text: Secondly. The combination of parts consisting of the sheath a, a¹, a², and spring
tail piece a, a, together with the cutter piece and cutters c, forming with the fork
an accessory for table use as herein described and shown.
Dated 20th April 1891
E. S. LANE and
THOS. E. CLARE.
Per Walter A. Barlow,
46, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.