Patent ID: 7444909

Claim:
A device for cutting fruits and vegetables, comprising: a cutter member ( 3 ) including a plurality of blades ( 2 ), a counterpart element ( 4 ) against which the cutter member ( 3 ) is pressed for cutting the material to be cut, wherein the counterpart element ( 4 ) has a punch ( 5 ) which presses the material to be cut through the blades ( 2 ) of the cutter member ( 3 ), said cutter member ( 3 ) and said counterpart element ( 4 ) comprising boardlike members which are pivotally connected at one end thereof, said counterpart element ( 4 ) having a base ( 9 ) which rests on a work surface during the cutting action of the device, said cutter member ( 3 ) and said counterpart element ( 4 ) being supported for pivotal movement relative to one another to allow the blades to pivot downward against the punch ( 5 ) to cut a fruit or vegetable placed on the punch ( 5 ), a container ( 6 ) mounted upside down on the top of the cutter member ( 3 ) remote from the counterpart element ( 4 ) for receiving the cut material pressed by the punch ( 5 ) through the blades ( 2 ) of the cutter member ( 3 ) with the container ( 6 ) upside down and for collecting the cut material when the device is turned over to orient the container ( 6 ) upright, said container ( 6 ) having an open top mounted adjacent to the blades of the cutter member ( 3 ) and a closed bottom ( 11 ) projecting upward from the cutter member ( 3 ) during the cutting action of the device, a pair of upright walls on the top of the cutter member ( 3 ) which form a recessed area in the cutter member ( 3 ) extending around the blades for receiving the top of the container ( 6 ), a pair of locking flanges projecting outward from the top of the container ( 6 ), a pair of slots formed in the upright walls for receiving the locking flanges to secure the top of the container ( 6 ) to the cutter member ( 3 ), said container ( 6 ) being substantially cylindrical and said recessed area formed by the upright walls being substantially circular to allow the container ( 6 ) to be fastened to and released from the cutter member ( 3 ) by a turning motion about the axis of the container, and said upright walls being arranged to provide gaps along opposite lateral sides of the cutter member ( 3 ) for receiving the locking flanges when the top of the container ( 6 ) is placed into the recessed area.