Year: 1888

page_text: I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6 Bank Street, Manchuster, both in
the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, 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 :—
The object of the invention herein described, and shown in the accompanying
drawings is to produce a knife or implement having a blade formed in a novel manner,
and with associated parts, the said implement (hereinafter called a knife") being
adapted to the purpose of more readily and conveniently removing the rind, in a strip,
from oranges or similar fruit.
The knives may be of silver, german silver, steel, or other metal plated to correspond
to fruit knives of common use, and other table cutlery.
The knife is made with a handle of the usual form, and the blade is preferably made
straight and flat for only part of its length away from the point thereof toward the
handle, this part being provided with a cutting edge, which may be used as the blades
of an ordinary fruit knife is used.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 3, 5 and 7 show the flat sides
of several forms of the ruit knife made in accordance with the invention. Figures 2,
4, 6, 8 and 12 respectively, show the edges of these several knives, the views being
taken as indicated by the several arrows associated respectively with said Figures 1, 3, 5
and 7; and Figures 9, 10 and 11 show cross sections of the respective blades shown
in Figures 2, 4 and 6, taken as on the respective dotted lines and viewed as indicated
by the arrows pointed on said dotted lines. Figure 13 shows the method of peeling
an orange with the form of knife shown in Figures 1 and 2.

page_text: Referring to the parts of the improved fruit knife as shown in the drawing,
A represents the handle which is of common form, and B the blade, which as shown
in the several forms is constructed with a part b to he urged under the rind to separate
it from the meat of the fruit. This part or separator is made slightly curved to conform
substantially to the convexity of the sphere of the fruit to be pecled. The blade is
also further formed with a short cutting edge or cutter a, which serves to divide the
rind into a strip as it is boing taken from the fruit. The cutter is joined to the
separator b at the end thereof, in each case, the form shown in Figures 5 and 6 having
a cutter at either end of the curved separator b.
The extremo part d of the blade, that is to say, the part near the point is mado flat
and straight, substantially the same in form as the corresponding part of a common
fruit knife, the cutting edge being at f.
g is a part of the blade, substantially circular in form, extending outwards over the
cutter a in the plano of the part d of the blade, serving as a guard to protect the
edge of the cutter a and also acting to prevent the spray of juice of the rind (formed
when the latter is being cut) from being projected upon the hands and clothing of the
person using the knife,
c is a gauge projecting upward from the convex side of the part 6 of the blade,
and substantially parallel with the plane of the cutter a as shown in Figures 1 and 2,
the said gauge serving to regulate the width of the strip of peel to be removed.
In the form shown in Figures 5 and 6, ono cutter a, acts as a gauge, while the other
cutter is dividing the rind into a strip, as above stated, either cutter being used to
divide the rind according to the wish of the person handling the knife, the orange or
other fruit being turned accordingly. In this form of knife there is a guard g, over
each of the cutters, the gauge c being omitted.
The front or "cutting" edge e of the separator is purposely made dull and rounded
as this style of edge rudely separates and raises the rind from the meat of the fruit,
and the edge thus formed is less liable to become injured by use than if it were made
sharp. Besides, if made sharp, there would be danger when using the knife of piercing
the inner tender skin of the fruit lying next the meat, which would allow the inner
juice of the fruit to flow.
This it is designed to avoid in poeling the fruit.
In the form shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cutter a is between the part d, of the
blade and the separator b joining or uniting said parts d and b, while in the form
shown in Figures 3 and 4, the cutter is between the separator and the handle of the
knife. In the form shown in Figures 7 and 8, there are two separators b, offset from
each other, and curved in opposite directions, the cutter a joining them together.
This form of knife may be used either in the right or left hand. In the latter case
the part b nearest the handle is employed to remove the rind. In the forms shown in
Figures 4 and 8 the extreme or straight part d of the blade forms a tangent to the
contiguous part b, the point of tangency being at 1.
Where the knife is designed to be used for the purpose of peeling oranges only, the
straight part d of the blade may be omitted entirely, in manufacturing.
The cutter a in either form shown, may be formed to have its cutting edge in a line
at right angles with the line of its advance when urged through the rind, or the
point (Figure 9) may be in advance, and project under the rind; or, if found
desirable, the upper point k (Figure 10) may be in advance.
As a further safe guard in preventing the thin inner skin next the surface of the
meat of the fruit being pierced in the act of removing the rind, the lower point or
end of the cutter is made slightly above the nether surface of the separator b, that
is to say, above that surface of said part b, which is in contact with said skin or
surface of the fruit.
In using the knife, formed as shown in Figure 2, to peel an orange, the point.
is first forced obliquely through the rind, at the calyx. The orange is then turned by
the left hand in a direction against the separator and cutter, which causes a strip of
peel to be started, which strip is continued unbroken until the whole orange is peeled,
the orange being rolled continually in a direction away from the person, and against.

page_text: the cutter, as stated and as shown in Figure 13. While the orange is being rolled,
during the operation of peeling, it is also gradually turned through a half revolution
in a direction toward the right hand of the operator, the strip of peel being taken off
in a spiral form.
In using the knife in the form shown in Figure 4, the point his urged into the rind,
the operation of peeling being the same as when the form shown in Figure 2,
is used, excepting that the orange is turned through a half revolution in a direction
away from the right hand, the cutter a in this case being at the other end of the
separator b.
ん
In the form shown in Figure 6, either point h may be first entered under the rind
accordingly as it is wished by the person operating to turn the orange toward or from
the right hand, and in the form shown in Figure 8, the lower or upper point h
is first made to enter the rind accordingly as the knife is used in the right or left
hand.
The drawings show the knife in fall size.
Although the forms of knife herein described are provided with a curved separator,
it must not be understood from this that a separator of this shape is essential, as the
knife would also work, though not so well, with a straight separator, and the said.
straight separator could either bo in a line with the blade proper or set off therefrom
as shown in Figure 12, also, the knife may be found applicable for peeling or
separating the rind or skin of other fruit besides oranges, or even of vegetables.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A fruit knife in which there is interposed between the ordinary handle and
terminal straight blade, a curved separator, such as b, with its convex side facing
towards the axis of said handle, and rigidly united to the said blado or handle, or to
both, by either one or two cutters, such as a, the plane of said cutter or cutters
forming approximately a right angle with that of the said separator, and the cutting
edges of said blade and separator being approximately in the same plane, substantially
as and for the purposes described.
2. In a fruit knife, a separator (either straight or curved) such as b, having at one
end a cutter, such as a projecting approximately at right angles from that side thereof
which faces towards the axis of the knife, and having at the opposite end, and on the
same side thereof, a projecting gauge such as c lying approximately parallel to said
cutter, substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. In a fruit knife, a cutter such as a, projecting approximately at right angles from
the rind separator, and having its cutting edge in the same plane as, or projecting at
either end in advance of, the cutting edge of the said separator, the cutting edge of
said cutter being protected, and the rind juice deflected by a guard such as g, attached
to said cutter, substantially as described.
4. In a fruit knife, having a rind separator such as b, a cutter such as a rigidly
united thereto, the projecting cutting edge of which is located at a short distance
above the under surface of the said separator, whereby the meat of the fruit
is not injured during the operation of removing the rind, substantially as described.
5. A fruit knife, such as herein described having two rind separators, such as b,
curved away from each other, rigidly united by a cutter, such as a, and adapted to be
used in either hand, substantially as set forth with reference to figures 7 and 8.
Dated this Twelfth day of March 1988