COTE, David, Allen (335 Evelyn Street, Belle River, Ontario N0R 1A0, CA)
COTE, David, Allen (335 Evelyn Street, Belle River, Ontario N0R 1A0, CA)
| CLAIMS
1 CLAIM:
1. A fish gripper implement comprising
(a) a gripping portion having a first end, an angled portion and a second end;
(b) a rigid support portion having a first end and a second end;
(c) a flexible handle member adapted to engage around a hand;
wherein the rigid support portion is integral with the gripping portion from the first end of the gripping portion to the angled portion, and the flexible handle member is adapted to engage the first end of the gripping portion and first end of the rigid support portion.
2. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the gripping portion further includes a serrated tip at the second end of the gripping portion.
3. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 2 wherein the angled portion of the gripping portion is angled relative to the rigid support portion at an angle sufficient to allow for the serrated tip to securely engage the fish.
4. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 3 wherein the angle of the angle portion is in a range from 30° to 90°.
5. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 4 wherein the gripping portion is made from stainless steel.
6. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 4 wherein the gripping portion is made from metal.
7. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 4 wherein the gripping portion is made from ceramic.
8. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 4 wherein the gripping portion is made from hard plastic.
9. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 4 wherein the rigid support portion may be further defined as having a first part and a second part, each having a first end and a second end respectively.
10. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 9 wherein the first part and the second part are mirror images of one another.
1 1. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 10 wherein the first and second ends respectively of the first and second parts of the rigid support portion are integral with the gripping portion from the first end of the gripping portion to the angled portion of the gripping portion.
12. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 9 wherein the rigid support portion is made out of hard plastic.
13. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 9 wherein the rigid support portion is made out of metal
14. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 9 wherein the rigid support portion is made out of wood.
15. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 1 1 wherein the first and second parts are securely fastened together thereby sandwiching the gripping portion in between the first and second parts by a fastening means.
16. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 1 1 wherein the flexible handle member is further defined as a loop placed over the hand to provide additional support during use of the fish gripper implement.
17. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 16 wherein the flexible handle member is inserted through an aperture that extends through the first and second parts.
18. A fish gripper implement as claimed in claim 17 wherein the rigid support portion is made in a n ergonomic shape to provide a comfortable grip for the hand. |
Fish Gripper Implement
Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a hand-held implement and more particularly to an implement that securely and effectively grips a fish cleaning, scaling and/or filleting a fish.
Background of the Invention
There are a wide variety of holding or gripping implements that can be used for gripping animals and fish. Typically these have included implements such as pliers or even gloves that allow a user to hold the fish or animal while it is being cleaned or portioned. The majority of these implements however are cumbersome and provide little protection to the user during theses processes.
Prior art fish grippers have been devised to address the noted problems. For example, United States Patent No. 3,727,269 issued on April 17, 1973 to Snead. This patent relates to a fish-shaped mounting base of board or moulded plastic. Near the head of the fish-shaped base, a metal or plastic hook is attached loosely with a metal screw. The hook rotates on the screw to alternate positions. A large hole extends through the mounting base in the eye position of fish and serves as means for storing by hanging and means for anchorage while in use, when a spike or other holding device (ice pick, for instance) is placed through the hole into a stabilizing surface. A series of small holes are arranged in pairs and placed at regular intervals along the central axis of the mounting base. A four prong holding member is placed in the small holes with sharp points upward and exposed for holding the tail of a fish.
United States Patent No. 4,306,336 issued on December 22, 1981 to Kovar relates to a pliers-like head-gripping tool for immobilizing and holding fish for skinning or scaling, or animals for skinning, has a flat-faced mouth-insertable lower jaw and an upper jaw provided with a skull-penetrating sharp-tipped conical point depending from a flat surface roughly parallel to the (preferably serrated) flat face of the upper jaw during normal use. The handle members of the tool are dip-coated with a tough and preferably slightly resilient plastic material. The lower handle member is downwardly and
forwardly curved to partly embrace the hand of the user as an aid to a pulling action. The tool parts are so shaped and proportioned that the sharp tip of the point will be protectedly slightly spaced from the lower jaw surface when the handle members touch.
United States Patent No. 4,682,803 issued on July 28, 1987 to Andrews relates to a hand-held, pincer-like device for providing a secure grip upon a fish comprises substantially identical rigid panels which are hingedly connected to one another to permit facile opening and secure closing, and which have friction-enhancing interior surfaces thereon.
United States Patent No. 4,821,378 issued on April 18, 1989 to Streit et al relates to a frusto-conical thimble-like element, open at both ends, is provided with plural teeth and in use is positioned onto one's thumb, thumb pressure being applied to a fish to cause the teeth to project into and secure the fish during processing.
Thus a fish gripper implement which allows the user to safely hold the fish with one hand, while allowing the user to use the other hand to scale, clean and/or fillet the fish in the other hand, avoids having the user to touch the fish at any point during the cleaning process allowing users who are allergic to fish to effectively and efficiently clean the fish, allows the user to securely hold the fish in place so that there the fish does not slip around, is easy to clean, is economical to manufacture and has a comfortable handle portion is desirable.
Summary of the Invention
An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved fish gripper implement that securely and safely grips or holds the fish in place without the user having to hold the fish during scaling, cleaning and/or filleting the fish.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a fish gripper implement including a gripping portion having a first end, an angled portion and a second end. The fish gripper implement further includes a rigid support portion having a first end and a second end and a flexible handle member adapted to engage around a hand of a user. The rigid support portion is integral with the gripping portion from the first end of the gripping portion to the angled portion, and the flexible handle member is
adapted to engage the first end of the gripping portion and first end of the rigid support portion.
Conveniently, the second end of the gripping portion further includes a serrated tip to facilitate the gripping of the fish while the fish is being handled. The angled portion of the gripping portion can have a variety of angles that ensure that the fish is effectively secured while allowing the user to be able to visually see the fish, during the cleaning and/or filleting operations that utilize a knife.
Preferably, the gripping portion is made from metal to provide sufficient strength when pressure is applied to the serrated tip to hold the fish securely in place. The rigid support member may be made from a number of materials, such as wood, metal, or rigid plastic. The rigid support member may be a number of shapes to allow for easy and comfortable grasping of the rigid support member by user, and to allow for prolonged use without causing discomfort. The flexible handle member is adapted to engage around the user's hand to that the user has a firm grip on the fish gripper implement. Preferably the flexible handle member is a loop of sufficient size to accommodate the user's hand as well and being securely mounted to the rigid support member and the gripping portion.
Advantages of the present invention are the ability to effectively and efficiently grip a fish during the cleaning and/or scaling and filleting, allows a user to clean, scale or fillet a fish without requiring the user to have to touch the fish at any time, can be used by users with allergies to fish, easy to clean, simplified design and efficient to manufacture.
Brief Description of the Drawings
A detailed description of the preferred embodiment is provided herein below by way of example only and with reference to the following drawings, in which:
Figure 1 in a perspective view, illustrates a fish gripper implement in use in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 in a back perspective view, illustrates the fish gripper implement of Figure I .
Figure 3 in a front perspective view illustrates the fish gripper implement of Figure 1.
In the drawings, preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example only. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Referring to Figures 1, 2, and 3, there are illustrated in perspective views, a fish gripper implement 10 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The fish gripper implement 10 includes a gripping portion 12 having a first end 14, an angled portion 16 and a second end 18.
The fish gripper implement 10 further includes a rigid support portion 20 having a first end 22 and a second end 24 and a flexible handle member 26 adapted to engage around a hand of a user. The rigid support portion 20 is integral with the gripping portion 12 from the first end 14 of the gripping portion 12 to the angled portion 16, and the flexible handle member 26 is adapted to engage the first end 14 of the gripping portion 12 and first end 22 of the rigid support portion 20.
The gripping portion 12 further includes a serrated tip 28 at the second end 18 of the gripping portion 12 which facilitates the gripping of the fish while the fish is being handled. Specifically the serrated tip 28 allows for the fish to be gripped in a secure and efficient manner while the fish is either being cleaned, scaled and/or filleted. The angled portion 16 of the gripping portion 12 is angled to allow for the serrated tip 28 to securely engage the fish. The angel has to be sufficient so that when the user applies pressure on the fish gripping implement 10 the fish is securely held while allowing the user to have a clear view of the cleaning or filleting operations. By having a clear view of the fish, the user can safely utilize a knife during these varied operations without risk to their hands.
Furthermore the angled portion allows the user to have their hand at a comfortable position during the cleaning or filleting operation. Typically the angle of the angle portion 16 is in a range from 30° to 90° by way of example only. The absence of the angled portion 16 would not allow for an effective use of the serrated tip 28 in holding the fish and would force the user to awkwardly angle their hand to be able to securely hold the fish with the serrated tip 28. The gripping portion 12 may be made from a variety of materials such as stainless steel, metal, ceramic, or hard plastic by way of example only.
The rigid support portion 20 may be further defined as having a first part 30 and a second part 32, each having a first end 34 and second end 36 respectively. The first part
30 and the second part 32 may be mirror images of one another. Furthermore the rigid support portion 20 and more specifically the first and second ends 34 and 36 respectively of the first and second parts 30 and 32 of the rigid support portion 20, are integral with the gripping portion 12 from the first end 22 of the gripping portion 12 to the angled portion 16 of the gripping portion 12.
In the instant embodiment the length of the gripping portion 12 from the first end 22 to the angled portion 16 is sandwiched in between the first part 30 and the second part 32. The positioning of the first and second parts 30 and 32 integrally with the gripping portion 12, provides support to the gripping portion 12 when the user applies pressure on the gripping portion 12 during its use to securely hold the fish. Without the rigid support portion 20 the user would not be able to apply sufficient pressure on the gripping portion 12 and therefore the serrated tip 28 to securely hold the fish therefore allowing the fish to slip out from under the hold of the fish gripper implement 10. The rigid support portion 20 may also be made out a variety of materials such as hard plastic, metal or wood and in a variety of shapes to provide a comfortable grip for the user.
The first and second parts 30 and 32 may be securely fastened together thereby sandwiching the gripping portion 12 in between the first and second parts 30 and 32. A fastening means 38 such as rivet, glue or other mechanism, by way of example only, may be used to secure the gripping portion 12 to the rigid support member.
The flexible handle member 26 is adapted to engage the first end 14 of the gripping portion 12 and first end 22 of the rigid support portion 20. Specifically the flexible handle member 26 may be a loop 40 that the user can put over their hand and can engage the user's wrist to provide additional support during use of the fish gripper implement 10. Preferably the flexible handle member 26 may be inserted through an aperture 42 that extends through the first and second parts 30 and 32 so that the flexible handle member 26 is securely fashioned to the fish gripper implement 10.
In operation, the user slips the flexible handle member 26 of the fish gripper implement 10 over their wrist and securely grips the rigid support portion 20. When ready to scale, clean or fillet a fish, the user positions the serrated tip 28 of the gripping portion 12 on a point of the fish. The user then applies sufficient pressure down on the serrated tip 28 via the rigid support portion 20 and the gripping portion 12 so that the serrated tip 28 engages the fish securely. The user now has a clear line of sight to view the entire fish and complete the desired task such as scaling the fish in a safe and efficient manner without having to have contact with the fish directly during the scaling, cleaning or filleting of the fish. In this way the user does not have to contact the fish directly which may be critical if the user has an allergy to raw fish. Furthermore the streamlined design and easy assembly and manufacture allows for efficient cleaning and manufacture of the fish gripper implement.
Other variations and modifications of the invention are possible. All such modifications or variations are believed to be within the sphere and scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.