(19) TZZ ¥949 _T (11) EP 2 399 492 B1 (12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION (45) Date of publication and mention (51) Int Cl.: of the grant of the patent: A47J 17/02 (2006.01) A47J 43/25 (2006.01) 05.06.2013 Bulletin 2013/23 (21) Application number: 11462007.3 (22) Date of filing: 02.05.2011 (54) Multiple kitchen utensil Vielseitiges Küchen-Utensil Ustensile de cuisine multiple (84) Designated Contracting States: (72) Inventor: Erdei, József Tibor AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB 4002 Debrecen (HU) GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR (74) Representative: Jakabné Molnar, Judit S.B.G. & K. Patent and Law Offices (43) Date of publication of application: Andrassy ut 113. 28.12.2011 Bulletin 2011/52 1062 Budapest (HU) (73) Proprietor: Erdei, József Tibor (56) References cited: 4002 Debrecen (HU) DE-U1-202004 017 095 DE-U1-202007 006 111 US-B1- 6 619 194 Note: Within nine months of the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent in the European Patent Bulletin, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to that patent, in accordance with the Implementing Regulations. Notice of opposition shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). EP 2 399 492 B1 Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR) 1 EP 2 399 492 B1 2 Description [0006] The objective of the present invention is to de- velop a multiple kitchen utensil that may be widely used [0001] The invention relates to a multiple kitchen uten- and may be assembled easily. Another objective of the sil primarily for peeling, slicing, or cutting fruits and veg- invention is that the holding element may have substan- etables, comprising a cutting unit and a holding element. 5 tially the same width as the knife blade of the peeler or The cutting unit has a knife mount and an elongated grip slicer unit. A still further objective is that the device may connected to the knife mount. The knife mount is imple- be used comfortably and, if possible, may be durable. mented as a U-shaped frame, with the stems thereof ex- [0007] During the development of the solution accord- tending outward from the grip being terminated in parallel ing to the present invention we recognised that by pro- prongs, and with at least one knife blade being arranged 10 viding an arrangement where the knife is snapped in un- between the prongs perpendicular to the longitudinal axis der the holding element such that only the knife blade of the grip, the knife blade being rotatably mounted be- extends from the upper surface of the holding element, tween stops attached to the prongs. a stronger, more robust device can be obtained that is [0002] The prior art contains many different types of also easier to assemble. peelers and slicing or cutting devices used as household 15 [0008] The objectives of the invention are fulfilled by kitchen tools. The patent specification EP 1,417,913 dis- the features specified in Claim 1. Other non-restrictive closesa peelerfor cleaning fruitsor vegetables.The peel- preferred embodiments are described in the dependent er has an elongated grip and a fork- like mounting where claims. a knife blade is rotatably mounted between stops. The [0009] The multiple kitchen utensil according to the in- knife blade is disposed in the mounting perpendicular to 20 vention may be used to peel, cut and slice different fruits the grip, and has a middle groove comprising cutting edg- and vegetables. The requested scope of protection is es. A further device, for instance s a gouger, is connected not, however, limited to fruits and vegetables as the in- to the other end of the mounting opposite the knife blade. vention is capable of slicing and cutting other foodstuff [0003] The patent specification US 6,619,194 disclos- or other materials found in a household. For instance, es a multiple peeler. The peeler according to the docu- 25 the device may be advantageously applied for slicing ment has an elongated handle and a knife holder at- cheese or even for producing soap flakes. tached tothe handle, withtwo knife blades being rotatably [0010] In a manner similar to conventional solutions, mounted in the knife holder. Both knife blades are ar- the cutting unit of the multiple utensil is capable of peeling ranged differently, one blade being suitable for peeling, e.g. cucumbers or pumpkins. The gougers disposed on and the other for cutting vegetables into small pieces. 30 the knife mount of the cutting unit may be applied for [0004] Other multipurpose kitchen devices, capable of removing smaller damaged parts of fruits and vegeta- both peeling and slicing, have also become known by bles. use. These devices have a peeler unit known per se that [0011] When the cutting unit is snapped in the holding has a fork-like knife mount through which a holding ele- element, the device may be applied for easily slicing fruits ment may be introduced between the grip and the knife 35 and vegetables having harder flesh. The device is espe- blade such that in the use position the knife blade is po- cially suited for slicing and cutting potatoes and carrots. sitioned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hold- By selecting a suitable knife blade, the device may also ing element, above an opening formed therein. This so- be easily applied for the so-called "julienne cutting" of lution has a number of disadvantages. First, the holding vegetables. element should be relatively narrow (or be narrowed to 40 [0012] The invention is described in more detail below a great extent) in order to fit between the prongs of the referring to the accompanying drawings, where fork-like knife mount of the peeler. A further drawback is that in the use position the fork-like knife mount of the Fig. 1 shows an embodiment known per se of the peeler extends over the holding element and in that po- cutting unit, sition it hinders the peeling and slicing operation. Yet45 Fig. 2 shows another embodiment known per se of another disadvantage is that it is relatively difficult to as- the cutting unit, semble the peeler and the holding element to bring the Fig. 3 is the axonometric top view of a preferred em- device into use position, and thus housewives often have bodiment of the holding element according to the to resort to multiple trial- and-error attempts. In the known invention, device only a single-blade peeler may be applied, which 50 Fig. 4 shows the axonometric underside view of the limits the field of possible use. Because of the above holding element shown in mentioned drawbacks the known kitchen devices are Fig. 3, usually not used any more by housewives after a brief Fig. 5 is the front view of the holding element shown initial period, and are quietly put on the shelf. It may also in Fig. 3, happen that the devices get broken after a period of con- 55 Fig. 6 is the axonometric top view of a preferred em- tinuous use or under heavier load. bodiment of the assembled kitchen device according [0005] Document DE-U-20 2007 006111 discloses a to the invention, showing the device in the use posi- multiple kitchen utensil. tion, 2 3 EP 2 399 492 B1 4 Fig. 7 is the axonometric underside view of a pre- through groove comprising cutting edges, the through ferred embodiment of the kitchen device according groove being arranged parallel with the longer side of the to the invention, showing the device in the use posi- rectangle. In this embodiment cutting edges arranged in tion, and the through groove perpendicular to the knife blade 107 Fig. 8 is the axonometric top view of another pre- 5 at a predetermined distance to one another. This knife ferred embodiment of the holding element according blade arrangement is known per se, and is suitable for to the invention. cutting vegetables to thin strips, which is also called "ju- lienne cutting". In another preferred embodiment of the [0013] Fig. 1 shows an embodiment known per se of invention the device has multiple knife blades. With the the cutting unit of the multiple kitchen utensil according 10 exceptionof theknife bladesthe cuttingunit may be made to the present invention. The cutting unit 1 has a knife entirely of plastic. In another conceivable embodiment mount 3 and an elongated grip 4. In the embodiment the cutting unit may be made from metal, for instance shown in the drawing the grip 4 has a circular cross-sec- from stainless steel. tional shape, but it may have oval or other similar cross [0016] Figs. 3-5 illustrate the holding element of the section. In the embodiment of Fig. 1 the size of the cross 15 present invention, shown in an axonometric front view. section is the same along the full length of the grip 4. The holding element 2 is a body shaped as a rectangu- According to another embodiment the grip may have a lar-base block having an upper surface 12 and a bottom variable-size cross section along its length, and may surface 13, with the upper surface 12 thereof being have a curved, reduced or increased cross section to bounded by lengthwise extending edges 16. The bottom fulfil ergonomic requirements. The length of the grip 4 is 20 surface 13 also has edges 15.