Knives are commonly used for cutting in food preparation and may be of a variety of types, such as chef's knife, cook's knife, butcher's knife, kitchen knife, bread knife, paring knife, carving knife, and the like. A chef's knife is an all-purpose knife used in the kitchen for cutting any type of food and some knife designs have some degree of curve to allow the cook to rock the knife on the cutting board for a more precise cut. The broad and heavy blade of the chef's knife also serves for chopping bone instead of the cleaver making it an all-purpose knife for food preparation. Chefs knives are most commonly available between 6 and 12 inches, although 8 inches is the most common size.
A common problem experienced when cutting food with a knife is that debris from the food being cut sticks to the side surfaces of the knife blade. Recipes typically require food to be cut to a particular size and dimension, therefore if food debris remains stuck to the sides of the knife blade during cutting or chopping, it needs to be removed so that the user can continue to accurately achieve the desired cut dimensions. When cutting, chopping, slicing or mincing food, it is also a commonly experienced problem that debris from the cut food adheres to the blade and slows the food preparation process because the food preparer must manually remove the food debris from each side of the blade. Manually pushing off the cut food debris from the blade is typically done by carefully sliding a finger across the blade side to knock off the food pieces adhering to the blade, then perform the same action on the opposite blade side. This procedure must be done slowly and cautiously as it can be dangerous for the food preparer.
Knife designers and manufacturers have understood the need for knife designs that can reduce or prevent cut food adhesion to the side surface areas of a knife blade. Knife manufacturers have incorporated surface features into a knife blade with the intent of making it easier for cut food to release from the blade and to prevent food adhesion. Knife blade designs intended to reduce food adhesion to the blade all revolve around the same principal of reducing surface tension between the blade and the cut food and or attempting to push the cut food away from the blade. Three common blade design features that are used for reducing cut food adhesion include: (1) small smooth indentations ground into the blade surface; (2) blade holes that are complete holes through the blade; and (3) protruding ridges that span nearly the entire length of the blade to reduce adhesion of cut food from the blade.
Some devices have been described in the prior art to address the need to safely remove cut food material from adhering to a knife blade. U.S. Published Application US 2010/0307008 A1 to Eric S. Zeitlin teaches a knife accessory that is an attachable knife wiper that is used by sliding the device lengthwise along the blade of a knife to remove food remnants stuck to the knife blade. The Zeitlin device, however, will get in the way of slicing and chopping of food when cutting or slicing at angles, because the device employs a bulky design that attaches itself to the knife blade by pinching the blade. This device is also potentially dangerous to the user as its oversized shape can interfere with the users line of sight when cutting, preventing the user from clearly seeing their hand placement in relation to the food being cut. It has been found that making a connection to the knife blade by creating a pinching effect causes binding and makes it difficult to slide the device along the knife blade to remove food. Furthermore, this design alters the normal operation of a knife, changing how the knife lays when it is set down and potentially alters how the users grips the knife.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,584,365 to Eric S. Zeitlin teaches a knife accessory that attaches magnetically to a knife and is used by sliding the device to remove food remnants stuck to the knife blade. This device, however, will get in the way of slicing and chopping of food because it extends beneath the knife blade cutting edge. When attached to a knife, this device does not allow for normal cutting with a knife as the entire length of the cutting edge of the knife can no longer make continuous contact with the cutting surface or material being cut due to the device extending below the knife's cutting edge. A secondary problem caused by attaching the device to the cutting edge of the knife blade is that an extra strong magnetic force is required to hold the device in place so that the device does not unintentionally fall off from the bottom edge during chopping when strong forces are exerted. The use of extra strong magnets will hinder the ability to slide the device along the knife blade to remove food, and excessive force may be required for the sliding movement that can become both dangerous and troublesome for users. Another danger that the device presents to the user is that its oversized shape can interfere with the user's line of sight when cutting, preventing the user from clearly seeing their hand placement in relation to the food being cut. Furthermore, this design alters the normal operation of a knife, changing how the knife lays when it is set down and potentially alters how the user grips the knife.
Despite these prior efforts to resolve the problem of clearing food debris from the sides of a knife blade, the problem still persists and there is a need for a more effective solution that can quickly and safely remove food debris from the sides of a knife blade.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds