GB2196237A

GB2196237A - Culinary board assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2196237A
Application number: GB08624902A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard John Poole
Original assignee: Lin Pac Mouldings Ltd
Current assignee: Linpac Mouldings Ltd
Priority date: 1986-10-17
Filing date: 1986-10-17
Publication date: 1988-04-27
Also published as: GB8624902D0

Abstract

A culinary board assembly has four rectangular and flat cutting boards (2 to 5) mounted in an upstanding condition in a holder (1). The holder (1) comprises spaced base blocks (6, 7) on which the boards rest and which are coupled by inverted U-shaped frames (8) between which frames the boards are respectively located in a spaced array to alleviate contamination. Minimal lines of contact are provided between the boards (2 to 5) and the holder (1) so that the assembly permits drainage from, and air flow over, the boards. Points of contact may be provided between the boards and the holder by having small projections on the holder which abut faces or peripheral edges of the boards. An upstanding stop (10) of the holder retains the boards (2 to 5) in the frames (8). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A culinary board assembly TECHNICAL FIELD & BACKGROUND ART The present invention relates to a culinary board assembly. Culinary boards are well known for use in kitchens as providing a portable and storable working surface for the preparation of foodstuffs, such as the chopping or cutting of meat, fish, fruit and vegetables or the preparation of bakery produce. It is considered desirable for hygienic purposes that the same culinary or, as frequently termed, cutting board should not be used for all classes of foodstuffs. More particularly, and by way of example, it is considered that separate boards should be used for the preparation of cooked meats; raw meats; raw fish, and a composite class of bakery, dairy, fruit and vegetable foodstuff.It is also considered desirable that these separate boards are maintained out of contact with each other and, when not in use are stored in a manner whereby they are readily accessible, have minimal contact to alleviate contamination and are retained in a manner which permits drainage from the boards and air flow over the surface of the boards. It is an object of the present invention to provide a culinary board assembly by which the aforementioned desirable objects can be achieved.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION & ADVANTAGES According to the present invention there is provided a culinary board assembly comprising an array of substantially parallel culinary boards removably mounted in a holder, each board having opposed substantially flat and parallel working surfaces; said boards being mounted by the holder in a spaced and substantially parallel array and in an upstanding condition by supports which extend upwardly from base means on which base means peripheral edges of the boards rest and wherein the engagement of the boards with the holder consists of substantially lines or points of contact.

By the present invention it is envisaged that the culinary boards are removably mounted by the holder in an upstanding and spaced array and in a manner which permits an efficient flow of air over the boards and allows for drainage from the boards. The supports of the holder ensure that the boards, when not in use, are mounted out of contact with each other to alleviate contamination and also to permit air flow between, and drainage from, the boards.Furthermore, the engagement of the respective boards with the holder consists of substantially lines or points of contact; by having such minimal contact and avoiding any substantial face-to-face contact between the respective boards and between the boards and the holder, a minimal contact area can be provided, thereby alleviating the likelihood of the boards becoming contaminated and providing a maximum area of the boards over which air can circulate and drainage can occur.

Conveniently, lines of contact are provided between the holder and the respective boards, such lines of contact being formed, for example by edges or faces on the holder abutting the working faces and/or peripheral edges of the boards. Where points of contact are provided these can be achieved, for example, by having small hemispherical or conical projections on the holder which abut the working surfaces and/or peripheral edges of the boards.

Preferably the supports of the holder comprise, a spaced array of upstanding and substantially parallel frames between which the boards are located, these frames providing points or lines of contact with the working surfaces; conveniently the frames are of cylindrical cross section to provide line contact with the flat working surfaces of the boards.

The base means may have two substantially parallel and spaced support edges which are bridged by the boards so that said boards have their peripheral edges resting on the support edges to provide line contact between the base and the boards. Conveniently the base comprises two parallel base blocks of substantially rectangular section and which are spaced to be bridged by the boards; one or both base blocks may have an edge of its generally rectangular form providing a said support edge. By use of two spaced base blocks as aforementioned, air may be freely circulated beneath the boards. In a preferred embodiment the supports are in the form of inverted U-shaped frames, the legs of which extend upwardly from the respective two base blocks.

The culinary boards will usually be generally rectangular and formed as plastics mouldings, of wood or as laminations although it will be appreciated that any required material and shape can be provided for the boards.

Desirably, each culinary board carries means identifying the foodstuff for which that board is intended to be used, such identification means is conveniently located on peripheral edges of the respective boards to be readily visible to the user when the boards are mounted in their spaced array.

DRAWINGS One embodiment of a culinary board assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the assembly showing four culinary or cutting boards mounted in a holder, and Figure 2 is a further view of the assembly with three of the boards removed to better illustrate the structure of the holder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The culinary board assembly has a holder 1 within which is mounted a parallel array of four culinary boards 2 to 5. Each of the boards 2 to 5 is rectangular and formed as a plastics moulding to have flat opposed parallel working surfaces and straight peripheral edges. The boards are intended for use in the cutting, chopping or other preparation of foodstuffs as is well known in the culinary art, the intention being that each board is used solely with a particular class of foodstuff. In the present example the boards are intended for use with cooked meat; raw meat; raw fish; and bakery, dairy, fruit and vegetables respectively and to avoid confusion the peripheral edges of the boards are embossed or otherwise marked as appropriate to identify the particular foodstuff for which that board is intended to be used this can be particularly seen from Fig.

1.

The holder 1 has two substantially parallel plastics base blocks 6 and 7 of rectangular section on which peripheral edges of the culinary boards rest so that the boards bridge the base blocks. Extending upwardly from the base blocks 6 and 7 is a substantially parallel and spaced array of supports in the form of five inverted U-shaped frames 8. The Ushaped frames 8 are of cylindrical section, conveniently of stainless steel or chromium plated tubing, and have the free ends of their legs firmly mounted in or on the blocks 6 and 7. The boards 2 to 5 are received between the frames 8 as a parallel and spaced array in an upstanding condition.It will be noted from the drawing that, when the holder stands on a horizontal surface, the upper face of the base block 7 is higher than the upper face of the base block 6 so that the boards, in resting on the blocks 6 and 7, will have their edges inclined. Consequently the bottom straight peripheral edges of the boards will rest on a support edge 9 of the block 7 while the lowermost corner edges of the boards rest on the upper face of the block 6. The block 6 carries an upstanding inverted U-shaped retaining frame 10, again of cylindrical section, which provides a stop to prevent the boards from sliding off the base blocks 6 and 7.

It will be apparent from the aforegoing that any contact which is provided between the cylindrically sectioned frames 8 and the respectively adjacent working surfaces of the culinary boards will be line contact; furthermore, line contact only is provided (a) between the support edge 9 of the base block 7 and the peripheral edges of the boards which rest on that support edge, (b) between the upper surface of the base block 6 and the lowermost corner edges of the boards which rest thereon, and (c) between the retaining frame 10 and the peripheral edges of the boards which abut that frame. As a consequence minimal contact is provided between the holder 1 and the culinary boards thereby alleviating the possible transfer of contamination from the holder to the boards and also from one board to another. Furthermore, the open framework nature of the holder and the spaced array of boards permits efficient air flow over the boards for drying and general hygienic purposes. It will also be noted that the boards, being mounted in an inclined manner, permit drainage from all of the peripheral edges as well as from the working surfaces.

Claims

1. A culinary board assembly comprising an array of substantially parallel culinary boards removably mounted in a holder, each board having opposed substantially flat and parallel working surfaces; said boards being mounted by the holder in a spaced and substantially parallel array and in an upstanding condition by supports which extend upwardly from base means on which base means peripheral edges of the boards rest and wherein the engagement of the boards with the holder consists of substantially lines or points of contact.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which lines of contact are provided between the holder and the respective boards formed by edges or faces on the holder abutting the working surfaces and/or peripheral edges of the boards.

3. An assembly as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 in which points of contact are provided between the holder and the respective boards formed by small projections on the holder which abut the working surfaces and/or peripheral edges of the boards.

4. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the supports of the holder comprise a spaced array of upstanding and substantially parallel frames between which the boards are located, said frames providing points or lines of contact with the working surfaces.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 4 in which the frames are of substantially circular cross section to provide lines of contact with the flat working surfaces of the boards.

6. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the base means has two substantially parallel and spaced support edges which are bridged by the boards so that said boards have their peripheral edges resting on the support edges to provide line contact between the base means and the boards.

7. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the base means comprises two substantially parallel base blocks which are spaced and bridged by the boards.

8. An assembly as claimed in claim 7 in which at least one of the base blocks is of substantially rectangular section to provide an edge at a corner of said section on which the boards rest.

9. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the supports comprise a spaced array of substantially parallel inverted U-shaped frames.

10. An assembly as claimed in claim 9 when appendant to claim 7 in which the legs of the U-shaped frames extend upwardly one from each of the respective two base blocks.

11. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which each board carries means indicating the foodstuff for which that board is intended to be used, said identification means being located on peripheral edges of the respective boards to be readily visible to the user when the boards are mounted in the holder.

12. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the base means has upstanding stop means against which peripheral edges of the upstanding boards abut to retain the boards between the supports.

13. An assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the boards are substantially rectangular and are mounted in the holder with their peripheral edges inclined.

14. An culinary board assembly substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings.