A CHOPPING BOARD

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

THIS INVENTION relates to a chopping board and in particular to improvements in the chopping board of the type described in the applicant's US Patent 7,040,611 and Australian Patent Application No 2004218677.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

The cutting board, subject of the above referenced applications, suffers from a number of disadvantages. The board subject to the above referenced patent applications provides an opening through which chopped product may be dispensed through the opening into an underlying container and on the other side of the board there is a dish section for accumulation of waste liquids that may be generated from the product while it is being cut.

It is an object of the present improvements to provide an improved chopping board that provides for greater ease of use when compared to the cutting board of the above referenced applications.

In particular, in the prior art above referred to chopping board the proximity between the cutting portion of the board and the dished drainage section meant that liquid did not always drain into the dish section.

OUTLINE OF THE INVENTION Consequently, the present invention is directed mainly to an improved drainage mechanism and improved drainage well when compared to the prior art while still retaining in a preferred form an opening or cutting aperture by which product may be dispensed from the cutting board into an underlying container.

Preferably the chopping board is equipped with a drainage well rather than a drainage dish and consequently, is deeper and longer. In addition, there are typically two lead-ins into the drainage well on opposite sides of the drainage well. In addition, the board tapers towards the drain with preferably a six millimetre fall in all directions towards the drain.

The draining tracking liquid into the drainage well with upstanding side walls such that the cutting board is equipped with side walls extending substantially around the periphery of the cutting board in a region along the drain lead-ins, across the drainage well, along the back of the board and across and around the cutting aperture. Thus, the drain lead-ins are defined by the surrounding wall and are recessed into the board. Preferably the drainage well is equipped with a spout so that liquid may be poured from the drainage well into a cup or the like. While the surrounding wall is utilised in relation to the drain and in relation to the aperture, there is no wall along that edge of the chopping board that would be located adjacent to the user thus facilitating a chopping action down onto the board.

The board is typically made from lightweight materials, preferably a lightweight plastics material, and is equipped with underside bracing and a plurality of feet typically set as a matrix along the board with at least one foot located centrally or a range of feet located medially along the edge of the board adjacent to the cutting position of a user to inhibit flex along that edge.

Thus in one preferred form the invention comprises a chopping board equipped with a drainage well and a cutting surface having a fall toward the drainage well.

Preferably, the board has a front and a back, the back being located adjacent the drainage well, a drain leading to the drainage well, the drain having upstanding side walls such that the cutting board is equipped with side walls extending substantially around the periphery of the cutting board in a region along the drain, across the drainage well, along the back of the board.

Typically, the cutting aperture enables cut product to pass through the cutting aperture, the chopping board having a front and a back, the back being located adjacent the drainage well, a drain leading to the drainage well, the drain having upstanding side walls such that the cutting board is equipped with side walls extending substantially around the periphery of the cutting board in a region along the drain, across the drainage well, along the back of the board, and across and around the cutting aperture.

Typically, the drainage well has at least one drain lead-in recessed into the board. Preferably, the chopping board has a peripheral edge, a back and a front, an upstanding wall adjacent the back of the board and tapering along the peripheral edge so that there is no wall along the front of the board.

Preferably, the chopping board equipped with underside bracing comprising spaced flanges. Typically a plurality of feet are located at spaced locations on the flanges.

Preferably, the chopping board has an upper surface and an underside, the underside being divided into a plurality of panels of predetermined outline by projections bracing the chopping board.

In another form the chopping board has an upper surface and an underside, the underside being divided into a plurality of panels of predetermined outline by spaced flanges adapted to take load applied to the upper surface. Typically, the underside has a peripheral flange. Typically, the peripheral flange has spaced feet and the spaced flanges have feet and the peripheral flange together with the spaced flanges are adapted to take load applied to the upper surface through the feet.

In a preferred embodiment the chopping board has an upper surface and an underside, the underside having a peripheral projection extending around the underside of the board and further projections inside the peripheral projection, the board being generally rectangular and having a though hole occupying one corner of the board, the through hole being sufficiently large to permit a user to sweep cut product through the hole into an underlying container. Typically a user may sweep cut product through the hole into an underlying container along an imaginary sweep line extending generally from the middle of the board toward the hole, the through hole having an edge nearer to the middle of the board and there being an upstanding wall located opposite the said edge of the hole that is nearer to the middle of the board.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the present invention may be more readily understood and be put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and wherein:-

Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views from above and below of a rectangular cutting board according to the present invention;

Figures 3 to 6 are respective front view, side view, plan view and opposite side views of the cutting board of Figures 1 and 2; and

Figures 7 to 10 are further embodiments illustrating application of the teachings of the present-invention to boards of different shapes. METHOD OF PERFORMANCE

Referring to the drawings and initially to Figures 1 to 6, there is illustrated a rectangular cutting board 10 having a chopping surface 11 , an edge 12 which would normally be located adjacent a user, tapered side wall portions 13 and 14 and side wall portions 15 and 16. It will be appreciated that the side wall portions 13 and 14 taper toward the edge of 12 so that across the region of the edge 12 of the chopping surface 11 a user has complete flexibility for using a knife along the full edge of that surface in applying a chopping or cutting action and that that action is not inhibited by any extension of the walls 13 or 14 toward the edge 12. Thus the user may easily cut on the whole region of the surface of the cutting board surface 11.

The region of the higher wall section at 16 and 17 serves to enable the product chopped to be easily swept across the surface 11 against the inner surface 18 of the walls 16 and 17 through the aperture 19 and into an underlying container.

A relatively deep drainage well 20 is provided on the other corner as shown and this is bounded by a curved wall 21 and walls 13 and 15.

Defined by the tapered section of the wall 13 and the wall 15 are lead-ins 22 and 23 to the drainage well 20. The drainage well 20 is equipped with a spout 24 so the contents of the drainage well 20 may be poured from the drainage well into a cup or the like. The underside of the board is illustrated in Figure 2 whereupon a rim 25 extends around the board 10 and the board is relatively hollow in the underside between the walls defined by the rim 25 and the full depth well bottom at 26. Thus there is provided strengthening ribs 27, 28, 29 and 30 and strategically located feet 31 , 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 providing a non-skid function by reason of the rubberised nature of the feet and due to the relative thinness of the board. The position of the feet provides for support of the board to prevent flex, in particular foot 34 or a number of feet 34 positioned along the edge 12 are used to inhibit flexing particularly in relation to a cutting action which would be predominantly along the region of the surface 11 along the edge 12. In the illustrated embodiment of Figures 1 to 6, the board 10 tapers generally in all directions toward the lead-ins 22, 23 and the well 21 with in this case a six millimetre fall across from the edge 12 around to the wall 13 and wall 14 down to the well so that the liquid flows along the surface 11 as product is being cut, liquid flowing into the lead-ins 22, 23 and directed into the well 20. Thus there is no need for a user to necessarily tip the chopping board so that material flows into the well 20, the direction of fall is shown generally by the arrows shown in phantom in Figurei .

It will be appreciated from the present invention that the aperture 19 is not essential to the invention and this is so depicted in relation to the variations of Figures 7 through 10 where like numerals have been used to illustrate like functional features, those essential features of the invention are depicted again in Figures 7 to 10 as they appear essentially in Figures 1 to 6.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the present invention many variations and modifications thereto will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the broad ambit and scope of the invention as set out in the appended claims.