FOOD CUTTING ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A food cutting assembly is described. The food cutting assembly includes a container with an open top configured to receive a food product, a food cutting device configured to fit closely inside of the container and cut the food product, and a lid configured to engage the opening of the container to cover the container. The container and lid are made from a material that is microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe. The lid has a plurality of holes proximate its edge for draining water from the food. The food cutting device includes a peripheral frame structure defining an aperture therein, a plurality of cutting members each having an edge for cutting food, located within the support structure and arranged in a lattice across the aperture to define sections between the cutting members, and one or more handles affixed to the peripheral frame structure. The cutting members are disposed vertically within the aperture, with their edges arranged in a plane proximate the bottom of the food cutting device.

Claims

1. A food cutting assembly comprising: a container having a bottom, a continuous wall coupled at its bottom edge to the container bottom, and a continuous top edge, the bottom and the continuous wall defining a volume, wherein the container is configured to receive a food product within the volume; a food cutting device configured to closely fit inside of the container and cut the food product as downward pressure is applied to the food cutting device, the food cutting device comprising: a peripheral frame structure defining an aperture therein; a plurality of cutting members located within the peripheral frame structure and arranged within the aperture to define sections between the cutting members; and one or more handles affixed to struts extending vertically from the peripheral frame structure; and a lid configured to closely engage the top edge of the container, the lid comprising: at least one handle; at least one opening proximate at least one edge of the lid; and indentations in the edge for receiving the struts extending vertically from the peripheral frame structure of the food cutting device.

2. The food cutting assembly of claim 1: wherein the one or more handles of the food cutting device comprise a first handle and a second handle; wherein the peripheral frame structure has four walls coupled at 90° to each other at respective first and second ends of each wall, to form in the peripheral frame structure first and second ends opposite each other, and two sides opposite each other; wherein the first handle is attached to the first end of the peripheral frame structure via respective top ends of a first strut and a second strut, and the second handle is attached to a second end of the container via respective top ends of a third strut and a fourth strut; wherein the first and second struts are coupled to first and second corners, respectively, at the first end of the peripheral frame structure, and the third and fourth struts are coupled to third and fourth corners, respectively, at the second end of the support structure; whereby the first and second handles are affixed to the peripheral frame structure via their respective struts at respective corners at opposite ends of the frame structure, and wherein the first and second handles are located in a horizontal plane above the top edges of the walls.

3. The food cutting assembly of claim 1, wherein a length of the container is within a range of approximately 11 inches to approximately 14 inches.

4. The food cutting assembly of claim 1, wherein a width of the container is within a range of approximately 8 inches to approximately 11 inches.

5. The food cutting assembly of claim 1, wherein a height of the container is within a range of approximately 2 inches to approximately 5 inches.

6. The food cutting assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one handle of the lid extends vertically from the center of a top surface of the lid.

7. The food cutting assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one handle is defined by a space extending between first and second openings in the lid proximate the lid's center.

8. The food cutting assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one opening proximate at least one edge of the lid includes a plurality of openings proximate each of two side edges of the lid.

9. The food cutting assembly of claim 1, wherein the container comprises a first end and a second end disposed opposite the first end, and a first side and a second side disposed opposite the first side; and wherein a top portion of the container's continuous wall diverges from vertical in a direction away from the volume of the container by at least one angle.

10. The food cutting assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a handle at each end of the container defined by a hole formed in respective ends of the container proximate a top edge of the respective ends.

11. The food cutting assembly of claim 1, wherein the indentations in the edge of the lid include an indentation in each of four corners of the lid, each indentation arranged and configured to receive a strut extending vertically from a corresponding corner of the food cutter device's peripheral frame structure.

12. The food cutting assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cutting members are arranged in a regular lattice within the aperture defining sections not adjacent to the wall of the peripheral frame structure of a uniform size.

13. A method to prepare food for eating, comprising: placing dried spaghetti into a container having a length larger than a length of the spaghetti; filling the container to depth that covers the dried spaghetti; putting on the container a lid configured to fit loosely on the container; placing the covered container in a microwave oven and cooking the spaghetti therein; removing the covered container from the microwave oven when the cooking is completed; holding the lid onto the container as the container is tipped sideways and held over a sink to drain the water from the spaghetti; placing into the container a food cutter configured to fit loosely into the container and comprising a plurality of cutting members, each cutting member having a respective edge; applying a downward pressure to handles extending from a top of the food cutter to cut the spaghetti; adding ingredients to the spaghetti, the ingredients comprising at least one of a gravy, a tomato sauce, a seasoning, grated cheese, and one or more meatballs to the spaghetti in the container; tossing the spaghetti and the added ingredients together in the container; and serving the tossed spaghetti in the container, used as a serving dish.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the pieces of cut spaghetti have a length within a range of approximately 1 inch to approximately 2 inches.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] FIG. 1 is a first perspective view of a first configuration of a first embodiment of a food cutting assembly described in the disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second configuration of the first embodiment of the food cutting assembly.

[0037] FIG. 3 is a top view of the second configuration of the first embodiment of the food cutting assembly.

[0038] FIG. 4 is a side view of parts of the first embodiment of the food cutting assembly.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a food cutting assembly described in the disclosure.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the second embodiment of the food cutting assembly.

[0041] FIG. 7 is a top view of the second embodiment of the food cutting assembly.

[0042] FIG. 8 is a side view of the second embodiment of the food cutting assembly.

[0043] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of disassembled parts of a third embodiment of a food cutting assembly described in the disclosure.

[0044] FIG. 10 is a top view of the disassembled parts of the third embodiment of the food cutting assembly.

[0045] FIG. 11 is a side view of the disassembled parts of the third embodiment of the food cutting device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which identical elements are identified with the same reference numerals.

[0047] Reference will now be made in detail to example embodiments of the present invention. Such embodiments are provided by way of explanation of the present invention, which is not intended to be limited thereto. In fact, those of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate upon reading the present specification and viewing the present drawings that various modifications and variations can be made thereto.

[0048] A first embodiment of a food cutting assembly 300 is depicted in FIGS. 1-4. In some examples, food cutting device 100 is configured to cut a food product 30 (as depicted in FIG. 4) into pieces or portions of approximately equal size. The food product 30 may be a cooked or an uncooked food product. In preferred examples, the food product 30 is a cooked pasta food product. It should be appreciated that other food products are contemplated by the embodiments described herein and the food product 30 is not limited to the products explicitly described.

[0049] The food cutting assembly 300 may comprise one or more of a plastic material, a metal material, a wood material, a composite material, a glass material, and/or a resin material. The food cutting device 100 may comprise a peripheral frame structure 2 defining an aperture therein. In some examples, the peripheral frame structure 2 may have a shape that includes at least one arc and/or at least one straight line. For example, the peripheral frame structure 2 may have a circular shape, an oval shape, a crescent shape, a semicircular shape, or the like. In other examples, the shape of the peripheral frame structure 2 may be or include a polygon, for example, a shape selected from the group consisting of: a triangular shape, a quadrilateral shape, a pentagonal shape, a hexagonal shape, a heptagonal shape, an octagonal shape, a nonagonal shape, a decagonal shape, a hendecagonal shape, a dodecagonal shape, a tridecagonal shape, a tetradecagonal shape, a pentadecagonal shape, a hexadecagonal shape, a heptadecagonal shape, an octadecagonal shape, an enneadecagonal shape, and an icosagonal shape. It should be appreciated that the shape of the peripheral frame structure 2 is not limited to the shapes explicitly described herein and other shapes are contemplated. In examples, length 4 (as depicted in FIG. 4) of the peripheral frame structure 2 may be in a range of approximately 6 inches to approximately 9 inches. A width of the peripheral frame structure 2 may be in a range of approximately 3 inches to approximately 6 inches. These dimensions are examples only; other dimensions may be used.

[0050] The food cutting device 100 also includes cutting members 10, 12, located within the peripheral frame structure 2. The cutting members may be arranged vertically, and may be disposed in orthogonal directions across the aperture to define sections 8 between the cutting members, 10, 12 (as depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3). The cutting members 10, 12 may comprise one or more of a plastic material, a metal material, a wood material, a composite material, a glass material, and/or a resin material. In some examples, the cutting members 10, 12 are arranged in a lattice shape formed by a first portion of the cutting members intersecting with a second portion of the cutting members. The cutting members 10, 12 may be located co-planar with the peripheral frame structure 2 in a first plane and in a second plane orthogonal to the first plane, respectively. In examples, each of the cutting members 10, 12 may comprise a blade 14 (shown in FIG. 4). The blades 14 may face different directions, for example, orthogonal directions, or they be arranged in the same, common direction. The blades 14 may comprise a child-safe material, such as a flexible plastic material, having a cutting edge sharp enough to cut pasta or other easily cut food, but not sharp enough to cut flesh, such as a child's finger. As such, the user who engages with the food cutting device 100 may be either a child or an adult. In examples, each of the sections 8 between the cutting members 10, 12 has an area of approximately 1 inch.

[0051] The first embodiment of the food cutting device 100 may also include a first handle 6A extending from the peripheral frame structure 2 at a first location, and a second handle 6B extending from the peripheral frame structure 2 at a second location opposite the first location (as depicted in FIGS. 1-4). The first and second handles 6A and 6B respectively may be located in a plane above the top edge of the peripheral frame structure 2 to provide leverage for a user to push the food cutting device 100 into the food product 30 to cut the food product 30 into pieces of approximately equal size.

[0052] It should be appreciated that the material(s) comprising the food cutting device 100, the cutting members 10, 12, and the blade 14 are not limited to the materials explicitly described herein, and other appropriate materials may be used.

[0053] A second embodiment of the food cutting assembly 300 is depicted in FIGS. 5-8. It should be appreciated that the second embodiment of the food cutting device 100 is similar to the first embodiment of the food cutting device 100. As disclosed previously, the food cutting device 100 comprises a peripheral frame structure 2 defining an aperture therein. The food cutting device 100 also includes cutting members 10, 12 located within the peripheral frame structure 2, and may be arranged in a lattice configuration across the aperture defining sections 8 as the spaces between the cutting members 10, 12. In embodiments, the peripheral frame structure 2 is in the shape of a quadrilateral with straight sides, such as a square or rectangle. The cutting members 10, 12 may be arranged co-planar with the sides of the peripheral frame structure 2 in a first plane and a second plane perpendicular to the first plane, for example, a first plane parallel to the front/back sides, and a second plane parallel the left/right sides.

[0054] As shown in FIGS. 5, a second embodiment of the food cutting device 100 may include a first component 34A extending vertically from a side of the peripheral frame structure 2 at a first location 36A, and a second component 34B extending vertically from an opposite side of the peripheral frame structure at a second location 36B. Furthermore, the second embodiment of the food cutting device 100 also includes a handle 32 disposed horizontally between the first and second components 34A and 34B, respectively. For example, the handle 32 may be coupled at one end proximate the top of the first component 34A at location 38A, and the other end may be coupled proximate the top of the second component 34B, at location 38B. The handle 32 may have a substantially circular cross section, but it is contemplated other cross sectional shapes may be used.

[0055] In an exemplary scenario, the user may place the food product 30, such as a cooked pasta product (as depicted in FIG. 11) on a plate (not shown), preferably placed on a horizontal surface. If the food cutting device 100 is of the first embodiment, the user may place their hands on the first handle 6A and the second handle 6B, respectively. Alternatively, if the food cutting device 100 is of the second embodiment, the user may place their hands on the handle 32. The user may then push the food cutting device 100 down into the food product 30 such that the cutting members 10, 12 cut the food product 30 into pieces. The size of the pieces of the food product 30 is defined by the size of the sections 8 between the cutting members 10, 12.

[0056] In an example where each section of the sections 8 between the cutting members 10, 12 has an area of approximately 1 inch, the pieces of the food product 30 may be approximately 1 square inch in area. In another example where each section of the sections 8 between the cutting members 10, 12 has an area of approximately 2 inches, the pieces of the food product 30 may be approximately 4 square inches in area (2 inches by 2 inches).

[0057] In example embodiments, the cutting members 10, 12 may be disposed in orthogonal directions within the peripheral frame structure 2, and may be arranged in a lattice configuration across the aperture to define sections 8 between the cutting members 10, 12, such that each of the sections 8 is in the shape of a quadrilateral, such as a square or rectangle. In this example, if the food product consists of flat thin sheets such as lasagna noodles, the shape of the pieces of the food product 30 will be defined by the shapes of the sections 8. In another example, the cutting members 10, 12 located within the peripheral frame structure 2 may be arranged in a configuration across the aperture to define sections 8 between the cutting members 10, 12 such that each of the sections 8 is triangular in shape. In this example, the shape of each of the pieces of the food product 30 is also triangular, and of a size similar to a corresponding section 8. In a further example, the cutting members 10, 12 located within the peripheral frame structure 2 may be arranged in a configuration across the aperture to define sections 8 between the cutting members 10, 12 such that each of the sections 8 is circular in shape. In this example, the shape of the pieces of the food product 30 are circular. It should be appreciated that the size and shape of each of the sections 8, as well as the size and shape of the pieces of the food product 30, is not limited to the examples explicitly described herein. In embodiments, the sections may define a regular or irregular tessellation of any desired configuration.

[0058] A third embodiment of a food cutting assembly 300 is depicted in FIGS. 9-11. This embodiment can be used to cook food in a microwave oven, and to cut and serve the cooked food using a single container, such as a dish or container. Accordingly, the container 18 and lid 16 are made of a microwave safe material, such as plastic, glass, ceramic, pyroceram, or the like. In example embodiments, the container and lid may be heat resistant and oven safe, and as such are made of a heat resistant material such as glass, ceramic, or pyroceram or the like. The food cutter device 100 would not be used during cooking, and as such need not be made of a microwave- or conventional oven-safe material. After use, all of the parts of the food cutter assembly 300 may be washed by hand or in a dishwasher. As such, the parts are preferably made of a dishwasher safe material such as plastic, glass, ceramic, pyroceram, or the like.

[0059] In an example embodiment, the shape of the container 18 may be configured to accommodate uncooked dry spaghetti, having a bottom at least 10″ wide. The container 18 with lid 16 may further configured to fit into most medium sized microwave ovens, and as such is no more than 13″ wide including the lid. The container 18 has handles 7A, 7B, which may be disposed proximate the top edge of the container as shown in FIG. 9, or may extend horizontally from the ends at the top edge of the container (not shown). The lid 16 has a handle 20, which may be molded into the lid or may extend upward from the top center of the lid 16. The lid 16 may also have holes 21 proximate the sides, and/or slits disposed in the center of the edges (not shown) for straining water after cooking.

[0060] In an example use case, dry spaghetti is placed in the container 18. The container 18 is filled with water over the top of the spaghetti, the lid 16 is placed on the container, and the container 18 is placed in the microwave oven to cook with the lid 16 covering the food in the container 18 to prevent splattering. When cooking is complete, the container 18 is removed from the microwave oven, and the cooked spaghetti may be drained through holes 21 in the lid 16 by holding the lid 16 in place with the thumbs as the container 18 is held sideways over a sink. Alternatively or in addition, a locking mechanism of any suitable type may be included in the container 18 and/or lid 16 to hold them together while draining. After draining, the lid 16 is removed, and the cutting device 100 is inserted into the container 18, and a downward force is applied to the food cutting device 100 to cut the spaghetti. Finally, tomato sauce, cheese, meatballs, etc., are added to the container 18 and tossed. The container 18 can then be used as a serving dish to serve the cooked food.

[0061] In some examples, food cutting device 100 is configured to cut a food product 30 (as depicted in FIG. 11) into pieces or portions of approximately equal size. Alternatively, the cutting members 10, 12 may be placed within the frame structure 2 with varying spacing between them to provide portions of different sizes. The food product 30 may be a cooked or an uncooked food product. As depicted in FIG. 11, the food product 30 may a cooked pasta food product. It should be appreciated that other food products are contemplated by the embodiments described herein and the food product 30 is not limited to the products explicitly described.

[0062] In general, it should be appreciated that the size and shape of the peripheral frame structure 2 is not limited to the sizes and shapes explicitly described herein, and other sizes and shapes are contemplated. In examples, length 4 (as depicted in FIG. 4) of the peripheral frame structure 2 may be in a range of approximately 6 inches to approximately 9 inches. A width of the peripheral frame structure 2 may be in a range of approximately 3 inches to approximately 6 inches. These dimensions are examples only; other dimensions may be used.

[0063] In general as shown in the various figures, the food cutting assembly 300 may include a container 18 such as a container, a cover unit 16 such as a lid, and the food cutting device 100 comprises a plurality of cutting members 10,12 having blades 14. The lid 16 is sized and configured to fit closely on the container 18 so that the lid 16 covers the container 18. The food cutting device 100 is sized and configured to fit closely within the container 18, such that the food cutting device may be inserted into and fit closely within the container 18. The container 18 may further be configured to contain a food product 30, such as a cooked pasta product as depicted in FIGS. 4 and 11.

[0064] As depicted in FIG. 2, a longest dimension 24 of the container 18 is within a range of approximately 11 inches to approximately 14 inches. In other examples, a longest dimension 24 of the container 18 is within a range of approximately 8 inches to approximately 11 inches. In further examples, a depth 26 of the container 18 is within a range of approximately 2 inches to approximately 5 inches.

[0065] In examples, the user may place the container 18 on a horizontal surface. The user may then place a food product 30 into the container 18. Assuming that the food cutting device 100 is of the first embodiment, the user may place his/her hands on the first handle 6A and the second handle 6B, respectively. Or, if the food cutting device 100 is of the second embodiment, the user may place one or both of his/her hands on the handle 32. The user may then push the food cutting device 100 into the food product 30 such that the cutting members 10, 12 cut the food product 30 into pieces. The size and shape of the cut pieces of the food product 30 are defined by the size and shape of the sections 8 between the cutting members 10, 12.

[0066] When introducing elements of the present disclosure or the embodiments thereof, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. Similarly, the adjective “another,” when used to introduce an element, is intended to mean one or more elements. The terms “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive such that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.

[0067] Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of illustration and that numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.