AU2003266770B8 - Mango eating device - Google Patents

Description

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT MANGO EATING DEVICE The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me: IP Australia Documents received on: 9 DEC 2003 Batch No: MANGO EATING DEVICE This invention relates to kitchen devices for enabling easy and mess free eating and preparing of mangos.

The mango is a very popular and tasty fruit but when the skin has been peeled off, it is very slippery and difficult to hold, slice and serve without messing the hands.

Many people say "I like mangos but I don't buy them very often because they are messy and awkward to eat".

This problem is overcome by the present invention which provides a mango eating device comprising a cylinder handle with an inner retractable, locking shaft with an attached skewer being adapted to impale an un-peeled mango by being penetrated through the stone of the mango via the spot where the corolla used to hold the fruit from the branch, allowing the mango to be held by the handle of the device in any position to be peeled, cut and eaten straight from the device without the slightest mess or restriction. After the mango has been consumed the remaining impaled stone is easily removed from the skewer by un-locking and pulling back the retractable shaft until the skewer retracts inside the cylinder handle, causing the stone to catch on the handle and fall off.

To insert the skewer properly into to mango stone, the un-peeled mango should be held on the flatter side in one hand and the device with the skewer locked in the protruded position in the other hand. The flat side of the skewer should be parallel to the flatter side of the mango and a slight force and wriggle is needed for easier penetration, until the skewer is fully inside the mango stone. (The mango is now ready to be peeled and sliced).

In one form of the invention the mango eating device is comprised of a hollow cylinder (which functions as a handle), the ends are covered with caps that have an opening in the centre, the cap at the top end is lipped and the cap at the bottom end is flat. Pressed firmly Inside the cylinder there are two hollow bushes at each end, the top bush has a wider opening as well as a short female thread. A shaft slides in between these bushes. This shaft consists of a skewer, a wide rod, a narrow rod and a short male thread situated in between these rods. The male thread of the shaft, along with the bushes has two functions, the first is to lock the skewer into position to impale a mango, the second is to act as a stopping device to prevent the entire shaft from coming out of the bottom of the handle. At the end of the narrow rod of the shaft there is a ring-handle used to lock, unlock and slide the shaft to retract the skewer.

The mango eating device may be made of any suitable material such as stainless steel or other metals. The bushes may be made from hard plastic.

In another form of the invention the mango eating device may be comprised of only a handle and a skewer, and no mechanical action. But with this form it has been found that the removal of the stone from the skewer may be unsafe and awkward.

To assist with understanding the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show one example of the invention.

In the drawings: FIGURE 1 shows one example of a mango eating device according to this invention in cross section. FIGURE 2 shows it in three dimension. FIGURE 3 shows a cross section view of the device in the retracted position. FIGURE 4 shows a three dimensional view of the device in the retracted position.

Figure 5 shows the application of such a mango eating device in a three dimensional view of the skewer pointing to the corolla spot which is the entry point to penetrate into the stone of the mango.

Referring to FIGURE 1 it can be seen in cross section view that the mango eating device according to this invention comprises a cylinder handle 1 that has a top cover 2 and a bottom cover 3 with an opening in the centre, welded to the cylinder 1.

Pressed firmly inside the cylinder at the top end there is a bush 4 with an opening and a short female thread 5, and at the bottom end there is a bush 10 with an opening.

Through the centre of the cylinder 1 is a round rod 6 which protrudes through the cover 2. There is a skewer 7 welded to the rod 6. On the bottom of the rod 6 there is a machined short male thread 8. At the bottom end of the thread 8 continues a narrow rod 9 which protrudes through the bush 10 and the cover 3. At the end of the protruded rod 9 there is a welded ring handle 11.

Referring to FIGURE 5 it can be seen in a three dimensional view the mango eating device in the locked position with the mango 12 and the skewer 7 pointing to the corolla spot 13-the only place to penetrate the stone of the mango.

It will be apparent from the above description that varying aspects of the invention include the following features: 1. A skewer that penetrates into the mango to hold the mango on the handle.

2. A shaft that locks firmly into position so it can be penetrated into the stone of the mango.

3. Easy removal of the stone after consuming the mango, by unlocking the shaft (unscrewing the thread two or three times with the ring handle) to retract the skewer into the cylinder handle so the stone of the mango can fall off.

Claims (14)

1. A device comprising: a shaft suitable for impaling the stone of a mango; and, a body retractable relative to the shaft for dislodging the impaled stone.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the shaft is able to move from a first lockable position wherein a skewer at one end thereof extends from the body to a second position where the skewer is retracted towards the body.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the entire skewer retracts into the body.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the skewer is at one end of the shaft and a handle is at the other end of the shaft.

The device of claim 4, wherein a bushing of smaller diameter than the diameter of the skewer prevents the skewer from being detached from the body.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein a screw thread is employed to lock the shaft in the first position.

7. A kitchen device for use in preparing and eating mangos comprising: a main body section; a shaft with a skewer at one end thereof and a handle at the other end; wherein a mango stone impaled on the skewer can be removed by retracting the skewer towards the body section.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the stone impaled on the skewer is removed by the user holding the handle with one hand and advancing the body against the stone with the other.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein prior to removing the impaled stone, the shaft is unlocked from the body.

The device of claim 9, wherein a screw thread is used to lock the shaft to the body.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein a bush in the body prevents the shaft from being separated from the body.

12. The device of claim 6 or 11, wherein the shaft and body have a complementary screw thread.

13. The device of claim 6 or 11, wherein the body is a cylinder through which the shaft passes.

14. A device substantially as herein described with reference to the Drawings. LARISA ZOSKA STANISLAWA ZOSKA 8 JUNE 2005