Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to food preparation boards, such as chopping or cutting boards. More particularly, the present invention relates to non-slip chopping or cutting boards.

Background to the Invention

Food preparation boards, on which a variety of foodstuffs are prepared, are well known. In particular, chopping or cutting boards, on which food is chopped, cut or otherwise made into smaller pieces, are routinely used in both domestic and commercial environments. Chopping or cutting boards usually comprise front and back surfaces, both surfaces being suitable for the preparation of food stuffs, and are often rectangular in shape.

The worktop surfaces upon which food preparation boards are usually placed for domestic use are often wooden, laminate or stone. This can create a problems relating to the board slipping during use, which both makes the preparation of foodstuffs more difficult and is a health and safety risk, as a potentially moving board may be used in conjunction with very sharp utensils. To counteract this problem, boards for domestic use are sometimes fitted with non-slip rubber or silicone edges, corners, or feet. In commercial use, food preparation surfaces are often metal, and so the same problem of chopping boards slipping during use is prevalent. The non-slip rubber or silicone edges, corners or feet solution for domestic use chopping boards cannot be used effectively in commercial food preparation as such materials and components may not reach strict hygiene standards and may not be durable enough for commercial use.

Current non-slip solutions for commercial use food preparation boards include very basic techniques such as placing non-slip mats, tea towels or other materials between the worktop surface and the boards, but this can be unhygienic, time-wasting and not cost effective.

Commercial food preparation areas, including hotel and restaurant kitchens, have extremely high hygiene, health and safety requirements, and it would be advantageous to provide food preparation boards which can be securely placed on surfaces in such food preparation areas, whilst complying with all relevant hygiene, health and safety requirements.

It is therefore an aim of embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved food preparation board, which at least partially overcomes and/or alleviates at least one of the above problems. Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a food preparation board comprising front and back surfaces and at least two spaced apart magnets, wherein the magnets are fully enclosed within the board.

Thus there is provided a board in which at least two spaced apart magnets are provided which do not protrude from the board, nor protrude into the face of either surface, as are thus fully enclosed within the board. The board may be of any suitable shape, such as quadrilateral, circular or triangular, for example. The front and back surfaces of the board may comprise the same shape. The front and back surfaces may be substantially planar. The surface may be smooth or may comprise a plurality of surface features such as grooves, rough areas or ridges, for example.

The board may be made from any material suitable for food preparation, such as a wood, bamboo, silicone, glass, ceramic, metal, alloy (including steel) or a plastics material. Suitable plastics materials include polyester, polyvinylchloride, high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene (PE), for example. Each of the at least two magnets may be located equidistant between the front and back surfaces. Alternatively, at least one of the at least two magnets may be located closer to either the front or back surface.

There may be one magnet located at or towards a first side of the board and at least one magnet located at or towards a second side of the board, opposite the first side. There may be a plurality of magnets located at or towards the first and/or second sides of the board. The plurality of magnets located at or towards the first and/or second side of the board may comprise a group of magnets arranged in series, and may be arranged such that the opposite poles of adjacent magnets are adjacent. Each magnet in series may contact any adjacent magnet(s) or may be separated from any adjacent magnet by a spacing element. The spacing elements may comprise non-magnetic material, such as a plastics material. The plastics material may comprise polyethylene, high density polyethylene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride or the like, for example. The spacing elements may comprise the same shape as the magnets and/or may comprise the same cross-sectional shape.

In embodiments comprising a plurality of magnets located at or towards opposite sides of the board, each group of magnets may comprise a single layer, or may comprise multiple layers, each layer being separated by a spacing element. The spacing element between each layer may comprise a sheet of non-magnetic material such as a plastic material, which may be selected from polyethylene, high density polyethylene, polyester or polyvinyl chloride, for example. Alternatively the layer spacing elements may comprise a magnetic material, such as steel or stainless steel for example. In some embodiments, the board comprises at least one magnet located at or towards all sides of the board.

In some embodiments the board is quadrilateral and comprises at least one magnet located at or towards all four sides of the quadrilateral. There may be a plurality of magnets located at or towards all four sides of the quadrilateral, and each plurality of magnets may comprise a group of magnets, as described hereinabove. The groups of magnets may comprise a plurality of magnets, which may be in series, and each magnet may be separated from adjacent magnets by spacing elements, as described hereinabove.

There may be multiple layers of magnets located at or towards all sides of the board and each layer of magnets may be separated from each adjacent layer by a spacing element, as described hereinabove.

In some embodiments the board comprises at least one magnet located at or towards at least two corners of the board. There may be a plurality of magnets or groups of magnets located at or towards each corner of the board. The plurality of magnets, or groups of magnets, located at or towards each corner of the board may comprise multiple layers of magnets, as described hereinabove. Each magnet may be spaced apart from any adjacent magnets by a spacing element, as described hereinabove. In some embodiments, the board comprises at least one magnet located at or towards each pair of diametrically or diagonally opposite corners of the board, and may comprise at least one magnet located at or towards all corners of the board. The board is preferably quadrilateral and comprises at least one magnet located at or towards both corners of one or both pairs of diagonally opposite corners of the quadrilateral board. In embodiments comprising at least one magnet located at or towards two corners of the board each magnet or group of magnets may extend along at least one side of the board, and preferably along both sides of the board extending from the corner. Each magnet or group of magnets may form two arms extending along the sides of the board extending from the corner. Each arm may extend at least 5%, 7.5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% or 33% of the length of the side along which it extends.

In a preferred embodiment the board is quadrilateral and comprises a group of magnets located at or towards each of the four corners of the board, the groups of magnets comprising two arms which extend along the sides of the board extending from the corners. Each group of magnets preferably comprises a plurality of magnets in series, and each magnet may be separated from any adjacent magnet by a spacing element as described hereinabove.

The board may be solid or hollow. In embodiments in which the board is solid, the magnets may be embedded within the board during formation of the board, such as during moulding of a plastics board, for example. Alternatively in embodiments in which the board is solid, the board may comprise connectable moulded front and back portions, comprising the front and back surfaces respectively, and wherein the front and/or back portions include cut out portions, cavities or grooves in which are located the at least two magnets.

In embodiments where the board is hollow the magnets may be located within the cavity formed in the hollow board. The hollow board may be formed from connectable front and back portions, or may comprise a board with a cavity formed, bored or drilled therein, for example. In this way a board can be manufactured in which the magnets are fully enclosed within a solid board with no part of the magnet extending into the faces of or protruding into or out of the front and back surfaces.

The thickness of the board may be between 5mm and 100mm, for example, such as between 10mm and 75mm. The board may comprise a handle, which may be connected to the board or integrally formed with the board. The handle may comprise an aperture, which aperture may be formed within the board and extends therethrough.

The board may be opaque, translucent or transparent. In boards that are translucent or transparent the magnets may be visible through the surfaces of the board. According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a food preparation board comprising front and back surfaces and at least one group of magnets, wherein the group(s) of magnets comprise multiple magnets in series. In the board of the second aspect of the invention the magnets may or may not protrude into or out of the surfaces of the board, but preferably do not protrude into the faces of or out of the surfaces of the board.

Each magnet within a group may be positioned in series with respect to adjacent magnets within the same group. The magnets in each group may be separated from one another, or may be in contact. Magnets may be separated by a spacing element, such as a piece of non-magnetic material of any suitable size and shape that is suitable for maintaining the separation of the magnets.

Magnets may be positioned in a plurality of layers within the board. Each layer of magnets may be separated or may be in contact with any adjacent layer. Layers of magnets may be separated by a spacing element, such as a thin sheet of substantially planar material, for example.

There may be one group of magnets located towards or at a first side of the board, and at least one group of magnets located towards or at a second side of the board, opposite the first side.

There may be one group of magnets located at or towards a corner of the board, and in some embodiments there are groups of magnets located at each corner of the board.

The or each group of magnets may be located at or towards a corner of the board and comprise two arms extending along the direction of the edges of the corner. The arms may extend independently along the sides of the board to at least 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% or 33% of the length of each side. The board may be hollow or solid, as described from the first aspect of the invention, and may comprise a handle as described for the first aspect of the invention.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a food preparation board comprising front and back surfaces and having at least three corners, further comprising at least one magnet or group of magnets located at or towards at least one corner, wherein the magnet or group of magnets comprises two arms extending along the direction of both edges of the or each corner.

In the third aspect of the invention the magnets may or may not protrude into or out of the front and/or back surfaces of the boards and may or may not be visible in the surfaces of the board.

The board and magnets may be as described for the first or second aspect of the invention. The board may be solid or hollow, and may comprise a handle.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a kit comprising a food preparation board of any one of the first to third aspects of the invention and a plurality of separate magnets or magnetically attractive members.

The kit of the fourth aspect of the invention is particularly suitable for applications in which the board of the invention is placed on a non-magnetically attractive material or surface. In such applications the plurality of magnets or magnetically attractive members may be placed underneath the surface or material on which the board is placed, and the mutual magnetic attraction of the magnets within the board and the magnets/magnetically attractive members beneath the surface or material ensure that the board remains fixed to the surface or material. The magnetically attractive members may comprise a ferromagnetic material, ferrimagnetic material or paramagnetic material for example. Ferromagnetic materials include, for example, iron, nickel, cobalt, gadolinium, dysprosium and alloys thereof, such as steel. Paramagnetic materials that may be used include magnesium, molybdenum and tantalum, for example.

There may be as many separate magnets or magnetically attractive members as there are magnets, or groups of magnets, within the board, for example. In other embodiments there may be fewer or more seperate magnets or magnetically attractive members than there are magnets or groups of magnets in the board. The separate magnets or magnetically attractive members may comprise any suitable shape, but may for example be substantially planar, such as disc shaped, rectangular, square, oval, circular or the like.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of securing a food preparation board of any one of the first, second or third aspects of the invention to a non-magnetic surface, the method comprising the steps of: a) Providing a kit of the fourth aspect of the invention;

b) Placing the food preparation board of the kit on one side of the non-magnetic surface; and

c) Placing at least one of the plurality of magnets or magnetically attractive members on the opposite side of the surface to the board, underneath at least one of the magnets within the board. The method may comprise placing a magnet or magnetically attractive member on the opposite side of the surface to the board beneath each of the magnets or groups of magnets within the board.

Detailed Description of the Invention In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view from above of a first embodiment of a food preparation board of the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view from above of a second embodiment of a food preparation board of the invention;

Figure 3 is a perspective view from above of a third embodiment of a food preparation board of the invention;

Figure 4 is a perspective view from above of a fourth embodiment of a food preparation board of the invention;

Figure 5 is a top down view of the food preparation board of the invention of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a side cross sectional view into a corner of the food preparation board of the embodiment shown in Figure 1 and Figure 5; Figure 7 is a perspective view from above of a fifth embodiment of a food preparation board of the invention; Figure 8 is a side perspective view of the food preparation board of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 9 shows a side view of a kit of the invention connected to a non-magnetic surface, the kit comprising the board of Figure 1 and a plurality of magnetically attractive plates.

Referring firstly to Figures 1, 5 and 6, a first embodiment of a food preparation board of the first, second and third aspects of the invention comprises a solid quadrilateral board 2 having a front surface 4 and rear surface 6. Embedded within the board 2 are four groups of magnets 8, 10, 12, 14. The groups of magnets 8, 10, 12, 14 are located at the four corners, 5, 5', 5", 5" ' of the quadrilateral board 2. Each of the groups of magnets 8, 10, 12, 14 consists of two layers of magnets, a lower magnet layer 16 and an upper magnet layer 18, as shown in Figure 6. The lower magnet layer 16 and upper magnet layer 18 are separated by a steel spacing element in the form of a steel spacing sheet 20. The lower magnet layer consists of four lower magnets 22, 22', 22", 22" ', in series, with opposing poles of adjacent magnets adjacent to each other. The four lower magnets, 22, 22', 22" and 22" ' are separated by high density polyethylene (FIDPE) spacing elements 26, 26' and 26" . The upper magnet layer 18 similarly consists of four upper magnets, 24, 24', 24", 24" ' separated by spacing elements in the form of FIDPE spacing elements 28, 28', 28" . The steel spacing element 20 is L- shaped, extending along the edges of each corner 5, 5', 5" and 5"' of the board 2. Each of the lower magnet layer 16 and upper magnet layer 18 is similarly formed in an L- shape below and above the steel spacing element 20. In particular, the lower magnets 22, 22' and the upper magnets 24, 24' form one arm of the L-shape, and the lower magnets 22", 22" ' and the upper magnets 24", 24" ' form the other arm of the L- shape. Thus, in this way the lower magnet layer 16 and upper magnet layer 18 form arms consisting of groups of magnets extending along the edges of the corners 5, 5', 5" and 5" ' of the board 2, as shown in Figures 1 and 5.

The board 2 is formed by moulding high density polyethylene in a quadrilateral sheet about the magnet groups 8, 10, 12, 14. Magnet groups 8, 10, 12, 14 are fully enclosed within the board and do not extend into the faces of, or protrude through either the front surface 4 or rear surface 6 of the board 2. In this way, the magnet groups 8, 10, 12, 14 are not accessible to micro-organisms which may otherwise render the board 2 unhygienic and/or unsafe for food preparation use. As can be seen in Figure 8, the lower magnet layer 16 extends to within a short distance from the back surface 6, while the upper magnet layer 18 extends to within a short distance from the front surface 4. The steel spacing element extends approximately equidistant between the front surface 4 and back surface 6. In this way, the magnets extend almost to the front surface 4 and rear surface 6, enabling the magnet field produced by the magnet groups 8, 10, 12, 14 to extend to a maximum extent outside of the board 2. In addition, as illustrated in Figure 6, the lower magnets 22, 22', 22", 22" ' and the upper magnets 24, 24', 24", 24"' are in series, but spaced apart by spacer elements 26, 26', 26", 28, 28', 28". The series of magnets separated by spacing elements is believed to enhance the magnetic field so that, in use, when the board 2 is placed on a magnetic surface such as a steel table or food preparation surface, the attraction between the board 2 and the magnetic preparation surface is maximised, and slippage of the board 2 is avoided or significantly mitigated. The magnet groups 8 and 14 are in diagonally opposite corners 5, 5" of the board 2, whilst the magnet groups 10, 12 are located at the other diagonally opposite corners 5', 5"' . The location of the magnet groups 8, 10, 12, 14 in all four corners 5, 5', 5", 5"' ensures maximum magnetic adhesion of the board to any suitable magnetic surface. On the other hand, as the magnets are located entirely within the board at the corners only, steel chopping or cutting implements being used in or around the centre of the board should not be affected significantly by the magnetic attraction of any of the magnet groups 8, 10, 12, 14.

Similarly, the arrangement of each of magnet groups 8, 10, 12, 14 having two arms 30, 32, with each arm extending along a side of the board 2 ensures that there are magnets located at all sides of the board 2, again enhancing the magnetic strength of the board and its ability to clamp to a magnetic surface without slipping.

Figure 8 illustrates a side perspective view of the food preparation board 2 of Figure 1. As illustrated by Figure 8, the magnets of the upper magnet layer 18 do not extend up to, or protrude above, the front surface of the board 4. Similarly, the magnets of the lower magnet layer 16 do extend up to, or protrude from, the rear surface 6. Figure 8 further illustrates that magnets from neither magnet layer, nor the steel spacing sheet 20, protrude from any surface of the board 2.

Figure 2 illustrates a second embodiment of a food preparation board 102 of the first and second aspects of the invention. The board 102 includes a front surface 104 and a back surface 106. The board 102 is quadrilateral in shape and includes four corners 5, 5', 5", 5" ' . In the board 102 of Figure 2, two groups of magnets 112 and 114 are located extending along opposite sides of the board 102. The two groups of magnets 112 and 114 consist of two layers of four magnets in series, each magnet in each layer being separated by a FIDPE spacing element identical to that between each magnet of the board 2 of Figure 1. Similarly, each layer of the groups of magnets 1 12 and 114 is separated from the other layer by a steel spacing element similar to the steel spacing element 20 of the board 2 of Figure 1. In this embodiment the groups of magnets 112, 114 extend from the centre point of opposite sides of the board 102 towards the corners of the board. In this configuration, the groups of magnets 112, 114 enable strong clamping of the board 102 to any suitable magnetic surface with minimal slippage. As with the board 2 of Figure 1, as each magnet in the groups of magnets 112, 114 are in series, it is believed that this enhances the magnetic field increasing the magnetic strength of the groups of magnets 112, 114. Figure 3 illustrates a third embodiment of a food preparation board 202 of the first and third aspects of the invention. The board 202 includes a front surface 204 and a rear surface 206 in a quadrilateral shape, having four corners 5, 5', 5" and 5" ' . Located in each of the corners 5, 5', 5", 5" ' is a single magnet 208, 210, 212 and 214 respectively. Each of these magnets 208, 210, 212 and 214 are entirely enclosed within the board 202, and do not protrude into or out of the front surface 204 or back surface 206.

Figure 4 illustrates a fourth embodiment of a food preparation board 304 of the first aspect of the invention. The board 304 is identical to the board 206 of Figure 3, save that it includes four cuboid corner magnets 308, 310, 312, 314, rather than cylindrical corner magnets of Figure 3.

Each of the boards 2, 102, 202, 302 are shown as transparent in the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 6, but may also be opaque, or translucent. Figure 7 illustrates a fifth embodiment of a food preparation board 404 of the first, second and third aspects of the invention. The board 404 includes a front surface 404 and a rear surface 406 in a quadrilateral shape, having four corners 5, 5', 5" and 5"' . Located in each of the corners 5, 5', 5", 5"' is a group of magnets 408, 410, 412 and 414 respectively. The four magnet groups 408, 410, 412 and 414 comprise two layers of four magnets in series. Each of the four groups of magnets 408, 410, 412 and 414 is arranged to have two arms extending along edges of the board 402.

Figure 9 illustrates an embodiment of a kit of the invention comprising the food preparation board 2 of Figures 1, 5 and 6 and a plurality of magnetically attractive members in the form of steel plates 62, 62' .

Figure 9 illustrates an embodiment in which the board 2 is placed on a nonmagnetic surface 60 (such as a plastic food preparation surface of a table, for example). The board 2, surface 60 and plates 62, 62' are shown in side view and thus only two plates 62, 62' are shown, but there are four plates 62, 62', one for each of the groups of magnets 8, 10, 12, 14 of the board 2 of Figure 1.

In use the board 2 is placed on one side of the food preparation surface 60, in a desired position. The plates 62, 62' are then placed against the opposite side of the surface 60, in the areas corresponding to the group of magnets 8, 10, 12, 14. As the plates 62, 62' are made from steel (or other magnetically attractive materials or magnets) they attract the groups of magnets 8, 10, 12, 14 clamping them securely to the surface 60, thereby locking the board 2 and plates 62, 62' to the surface 60 such that it does not move about the surface during normal use. The above embodiments are described by way of example only. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.