Patent ID: 8555513

Claim:
A hand held rotary cutting device comprising a housing and an annular cutting blade having an internal diameter entirely protectively enclosed by the housing, and having a sharpened periphery that is only partially protectively enclosed by the housing leaving a C-shaped reach of the sharpened periphery exposed for engaging and severing foods, wherein the housing 1) includes front and rear components that are movable between a closed position wherein the housing rotatably supports the cutting blade and an open position that permits removal of the cutting blade for cleaning, and 2) includes a releasable retainer to retain the front and rear components in the closed position, with the front and rear components cooperating, when in the closed position, to provide C-shaped lower portions that extend along opposite sides of the internal diameter of a portion of the cutting blade that defines the C-shaped reach of the sharpened periphery of the cutting blade that is exposed to engage and sever thin foods, the C-shaped reach of the sharpened periphery that is exposed forming a majority of the sharpened periphery.