FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to the field of food slicers. More particularly, the invention pertains to a watermelon slicer.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Slicers of vegetables and fruit have been used in the past to ease the removal of the edible portion of the vegetable or fruit for consumption by a user. For example, US 4,546,545, entitled, "Pineapple Cutter" by Hirano discloses a pineapple cutter with a cylindrical body having a cutting edge at the surface end of the lower portion, a pair of handles connected to the outer surface of the cylindrical body, a pressing sheet mounted on the inner portion of the cylindrical body slidable in the vertical direction and a pushing member secured to the upper portion of the cylindrical body connected with the pressing sheet. A second pressing sheet with a smaller diameter than the pressing sheet is located within the pressing sheet to core the pineapple. When used to cut the pineapple, the rind is removed at the same time the core of the pineapple is removed. The exposed cutting edges of US 4,546,545 cause user safety risk. US 4,546,545 could even be seen as an ejector assembly to deal with the obvious difficulty of removing pineapple from the cutter device of Hirano's US 4,490,912. US 1,744,422, entitled "Fruit and Vegetable Cutter" by Taylor discloses a handle with detachable cutting head. The detachable cutting head is attached to the handle and a funnel type cylindrical portion with through threads. This cutter dices the entire vegetable or fruit including the outside skin. This cutter could not be used for a watermelon for example, because to push the cutter inside of the watermelon flesh, the screw thread connection would be too thick and additionally the holder around the funnel portion of the cutter would also not be able to be pushed through the watermelon flesh. Furthermore, the cutter can only accommodate items which fit entirely within the cutting circle. US 4,490,912, entitled "Pineapple Cutter" by Hirano discloses a pineapple cutter with handles attached to a cylinder which has a cutter portion. The cylinder of the pineapple cutter is adapted to punch the outer peel and the interior of the pineapple to separate the peel from the interior of the pineapple. The pineapple cutter cuts into the outer peel of the pineapple in order to separate it from the interior of the pineapple. Furthermore, based on the design and the need to "punch" the pineapple cutter through the pineapple in order to slice it, softer flesh, such as the interior of a watermelon would be significantly damaged in the process of removing the flesh from the cutter assembly as described in this patent. Therefore, there is a need for a watermelon slicer that can remove the fleshy interior or meat of the watermelon without cutting into the rind.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, a slicer device for slicing and removing a fleshy part of a watermelon surrounded by a rind, includes a cutter piece, a plurality of cutters and at least one support bar attached to an outer surface of the cutter piece. The cutter piece has an outer surface and an inner surface defining an interior for receiving the fleshy part of the watermelon. The plurality of cutters are within the interior of the cutter piece arranged to form a pattern with a plurality of openings, with each of the openings being defined between cutters or between at least one cutter and the inner surface of the cutter piece, such that the fleshy part of the watermelon within the rind is cut into multiple pieces with geometric shapes.

In another embodiment, the watermelon slicer of the present invention allows a seedless watermelon to be quickly and efficiently sliced into pieces, for example 'log' shaped pieces or other shaped pieces with minimal time and effort. The device will cut watermelon meat into slices with a single motion, with no outside supports or guides, or other moving parts. The device slices the meat of the melon and does not slice or cut into the rind. After pushing the cutter through the meat or fleshy interior of the watermelon, a portion of the meat of the watermelon is cut into pieces by the fixed blades in the slicer device. This device requires no outside alignment, guides or supports. It only slices the fleshy interior or meat of the watermelon. The slicer device has a cutter piece with an outer surface and an inner surface, cutter blades or wires fastened to the inner surface of the cutter piece, arranged to form a pattern with openings, the openings defined by the cutters and the inner surface of the cutter piece for receiving and slicing the fleshy part of the watermelon from the piece, at least one push bar connected to the cutter piece and/or the cutting blades, and an optional cross handle connected to the at least one push bar for easy handling of the device.

Optionally, a separate push plate, external to the slider device, may be aligned with the cutter piece and includes grooves that can receive the cutter blades to ease clearing the inner meat portion of the watermelon from the cutter blades, if necessary. The slicer device may also be incorporated into a larger mechanical device in order to permit faster and/or easier use for production type application. Furthermore, the slicer device may be incorporated into a machine for semi-or automatic operation.

The cutter blades may be made out of stainless steel or other strong, easily cleanable material and may be secured in a multitude of alignment patterns. The slicer devices of the present invention can slice the inner, meatier part of the watermelon without the slicer device cutting into the rind. It should be noted that the melon slicer is not a long continuous cylinder, as this would cause the watermelon to be trapped in the cutting device. Instead, only narrow blades or wires are used to slice the melon still within the rind. The design of the supporting bars of the slicer device allows the slicer to 'reach' into the meat of the watermelon being cut, with the issues associated with continuous long slicing knives or shapes, which would trap the meat and make removal of the meat from the slicer device difficult.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the top and bottom crown of the melon are sliced off, resulting in a flat top portion and a flat bottom portion. The watermelon is placed upright to rest on the flat top portion or the flat bottom portion. A user then aligns the cutting piece with the fleshy part or meat of the watermelon. Pushing down on the supporting bar(s) or the handle forces the fleshy part or meat of the watermelon through the cutter piece. If the slicer device has blades or wires within the cutter piece, the openings between the blades or wires, defined the shape of the cut watermelon. The shaped pieces are dependent upon the pattern of wires or blades attached to the inner surface of the cutter piece. It should be noted that the device cannot be rotated once inside of the watermelon, since the cutter blades would otherwise destroy or mush the watermelon meat.

After the slicer device has been pushed through the fleshy part or meat of the watermelon, there may be times in which the meat of the watermelon may be slightly lodged within the slicer device. To easily remove the meat of the watermelon lodged within the slicer device, the blades or cutter piece of the slicer device are aligned with the grooves of the push plate and as the slicer device is pushed down onto the plate, such that the cutters are received by the grooves of the push plate. The downward movement of the slicer device relative to the push plate causes the raised portions to push the fleshy part of the melon out of the openings between the blades and the cutter piece. The raised portions defining the grooves push the meat of the watermelon out of the openings between the cutters and the cutter piece easily and efficiently, without having a user place their fingers near the cutting edges of the slicer device. The optional push plate may or may not be used depending on the construction of the slicer device and the density characteristics of the particular melon being sliced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Fig. 1 shows a slicer device in an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows an isometric bottom view of a device in an embodiment of the present

invention.

Fig. 3 shows an angled view of the push plate.

Fig. 4 shows a top view of the push plate.

Fig. 5 shows the blades being received by the grooves of the push plate.

Fig. 6 shows a close up view of the blades of the slicer device being received by the

grooves of the push plate.

Figs. 7A and 7B show views a scraper in an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8A shows a schematic of a watermelon before the top and bottom crown is removed and the resulting watermelon after the top and bottom crowns have been removed.

Fig. 8B shows a bottom view of the watermelon after the bottom crown has been removed.

Fig. 8C shows a schematic of aligning the slicer device with the watermelon.

Fig. 8D shows a schematic of the slicer device moving through the meat of the

watermelon.

Fig. 8E shows a schematic of the bottom of the slicer device after being pushed through the meat of the watermelon.

Fig. 8F shows a schematic of the watermelon after the slicer device has been used on the meat of the watermelon, and the slicer has been removed.

Fig. 9 shows a scraper being used to remove the fleshy part of the watermelon from the rind after the slicer device has been used if there is any remaining melon to harvest.

Fig. 10 shows another view of the bottom of the slicer device in a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 shows an alternate pattern of cutters attached to the cutter piece.

Fig. 12 shows another pattern of cutters attached to the cutter piece.

Fig. 13-14 shows a scraper of an alternative embodiment.

Fig. 15 shows an alternative embodiment of the scraper of Figures 7A and 7B.

Fig. 16 shows a slicer device an embodiment of the present invention which only has one support bar.

Fig. 17 shows another view of a slicer device of the present invention which only has one support bar. Fig. 18 shows a sheer device of an embodiment of the present invention which uses the cutter piece to remove the meat of the watermelon.

Fig. 19 shows another view of a slicer device of an embodiment of the present invention which uses the cutter piece to remove the meat of the watermelon.

Fig. 20 shows a slicer device with cutters arranged in parallel.

Fig. 21 shows using the slicer device with the cutters arranged in parallel to remove a fleshy part of watermelon by aligning the slicer with the fleshy part of the watermelon.

Fig. 22 shows pushing the slicer device with the cutters arranged in parallel into the fleshy part of the watermelon.

Fig. 23A shows a rotation plate against the slicer device with the cutters arranged in

parallel with the new cuts made in the fleshy part of the watermelon.

Fig 23 B shows the rotation plate flush against the watermelon with the indexer paddle within the watermelon while the slicer device is rotated.

Fig. 24 shows pulling the slicer device with the cutters arranged in parallel being pulled out of the fleshy part of the watermelon and using the rotation plate as a holding device.

Fig. 25 shows the slicer device with cutters arranged in parallel after the fleshy part of the watermelon has been cut.

Fig. 26 shows an example of a slicer device with cutters arranged in a grid.

Fig. 27 shows a close-up of the cutters in a grid.

Fig. 28 shows a front view of a handle coupled to a slicer device.

Fig. 29 shows a side view of a handle coupled to a slicer device.

Figs. 30A-30D shows a sequence of using a slicer with cutters arranged in a grid. Fig. 30A shows using the slicer device with the cutters arranged in a grid to remove a fleshy part of watermelon. Fig. 30B shows pushing the sheer into the fleshy part of the watermelon. Fig. 30C shows rotating the sheer within the fleshy part of the watermelon. Fig. 30D shows removing the fleshy part of the watermelon with removal of the slicer device. Fig. 31 shows a slicer device with a wire tensioning mechanism of a slot.

Fig. 32 shows a close-up of the slot wire tensioning mechanism.

Fig. 33 shows a slicer device with a wire tensioning mechanism of a screw tightener.

Fig. 34 shows a close-up of the screw tightener wire tensioning mechanism.

Fig. 35 shows a close-up of a wing nut wire tensioning mechanism. Fig. 36 shows a schematic of a rotation plate and indexer paddle.

Figs. 37A-37L shows a sequence of using a slicer with cutters arranged in parallel with a rotation plate including an indexer. Fig. 37A shows aligning the slicer above the fleshy part of the watermelon. Fig. 37B shows pushing the slicer into the fleshy part of the watermelon. Fig. 37C shows aligning the indexer paddle with the middle slot of the fleshy part of the watermelon created in Fig. 37B. Fig. 37D shows pushing indexer paddle within the fleshy part of the watermelon until the rotation plate is touching the watermelon. Fig. 37E shows rotating the slicer, for example a quarter turn, while holding the rotation plate stationary. Fig. 37F shows lifting the indexer paddle up one level, and then lifting the slicer up one level, while holding the rotation plate stationary. Fig. 37G shows rotating the slicer back a half turn, while holding the rotation plate stationary. Fig. 37H shows lifting the indexer paddle relative to the rotation plate so that the slicer can then be lifted to a second level below the rotation plate. Fig. 371 shows rotating the slicer at the second level, while holding the rotation plate stationary. Fig. 37J shows lifting the indexer paddle relative to the rotation plate, so that the slicer can be lifted to a third level below the rotation plate. Fig. 37K shows rotating at a third level, while holding the rotation plate stationary at the third level. Fig. 37L shows removing the slicer and the rotation plate with an indexer paddle from the cubed fleshy part of the watermelon.

Figs. 38A-38B show a slicer wrench accessory. Fig. 38A shows a schematic of a slicer wrench. Figure 38B shows using the slicer wrench with a watermelon and slicer.

Figs. 39A-39B show a slicer strap accessory. Fig. 39A shows a schematic of a slicer strap.

Fig. 20B shows using the slicer strap to mobilize a watermelon.

Figs. 40A-40B show melon holder accessory. Fig. 40A shows a schematic of a melon holder. Fig. 40B shows using the melon holder to mobilize a watermelon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figures 1-2 and 10 show a slicer device 10 in an embodiment of the present invention. The slicer device 10 has a cutter piece 16 with an outer surface 18 and an inner surface 20. The cutter piece 16 has a height H. Attached to the inner surface 20 of the cutter piece 16 is a series of cutter blades 22. In an alternate embodiment, the cutter blades 22 may be replaced with wires 222 attached to the inner surface 20 of the cutter piece 16 as shown in Figures 20-35 described below.

The series of cutter blades 22 are placed relative to each other within the inner surface 20 of the cutter piece to define openings 24 between the individual cutter blades 22. The cutter blades 22 are connected to each other and the inner surface of the cutter piece 16. The pattern of openings 24 and cutter blades 22 is not limited to the patterns shown. Examples of alternate patterns are shown in Figures 1 1 and 12. It should be noted that the shape of the openings 24 defines the shape into which the watermelon meat or flesh will be sliced. In addition to geometric shape symbols, decorative shapes (e.g.

animals, logos, or figures) could be formed. The cutter blades 22 have a cutting edge 26 and a height h that is equal to the height H of the cutter piece 16. It should be noted that the cutter piece may 16 also have a cutting edge 17. The cutter blades 22 also have a thickness.

In one embodiment, at least one of the cutter blades 22 is attached to support bar(s) 14 that extend axially from the cutter piece 16. In another embodiment, the support bar(s) 14 are attached to the inner surface 20 of the cutter piece 16 and at least one of the cutter blades 22. The support bar(s) 14 have a thickness that is the same or less than the thickness of the cutter blades 22 or the cutter piece 16 itself. At least one cross handle 12 may attach to the support bars 14 to provide an increased surface area in which to push the sheer device 10 through the meat of the watermelon and ease the overall use of the sheer device. An example of the slicer device 102 with one support bar 14 attached to a cross handle 12 is shown in Figures 16-17.

In another embodiment, the cutter piece 16 does not have any cutter blades attached to the inner surface 20 and only the edge 17 of the cutter piece 16 itself cuts the meat of the watermelon as shown in Figures 18-19. As shown in Figures 18-19 of an alternative slicer device 104, the support bar 114 is formed integrally with the cutter piece 16 and a handle 112. The edge 17 of the cutter piece 16 cuts the meat 7 of the watermelon 2.

In an alternate embodiment, an additional, larger cutter piece in diameter or width than cutter piece 16 may be removably attached to the cutter piece 16 for removing meat 7 of larger diameter watermelons. The larger cutter piece may include additional cutter blades.

Figures 3-4 show a separate push plate 30, external to the slicer device 10, 102 that may be aligned for receiving the cutter blades 22 of the slicer device after the slicer device has been pushed through the fleshy part of the watermelon. The push plate 30 has a base portion 36 with an outer surface that is larger, smaller or equal to the outer surface of the cutter piece 16. A series of grooves 32 and raised portions 34 axially extend out from the base portion 36. The raised portions 34 have a height H2. The raised portions 34 aid in clearing the fleshy interior or the meat of the watermelon from the cutter piece 16 and cutter blades 22. The pattern of openings 24 and placement of the cutter blades 22 of the cutter piece of the slicer correspond to the pattern of grooves 32 and raised portions 34 of the push plate 30.

Figures 5-6 show the slicer device 10 aligned with the separate push plate 30. When the cutter piece 16 is aligned with the slicer device 10, the series of grooves 32 of the push plate 30 receive the cutter blades 22 and the raised portions 34 of the push plate 30 are received by the openings 24 formed by the cutter blades 22. It should be noted that the height H2 of the raised portions 34 of the push plate 30 are preferably less than the height H of the cutter piece 16 or the height h of the cutter blades 22. Alternatively, the height of the raised portions 34 of the push plate may have a height H2 equal to the height H of the cutter piece 16 and the height h of the cutter blades 22.

The grooves 32 and the raised portions 34 of the push plate 30 may be arranged in patterns other than the pattern shown in the drawings within the scope of the invention.

Figures 8a-8f shows steps of using the slicer device 10 to remove the fleshy interior or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 from the rind or outer portion 8 of the watermelon 2. In a first step, a user removes a top and bottom crown 3, 4, of the watermelon 2, resulting in a flat top portion 5, and a flat bottom portion 6 as shown in Figure 8a. A bottom view of the watermelon is shown in Figure 8b.

The watermelon 2 is placed upright to rest on the flat top portion 5 or the flat bottom portion 6 as shown in Figure 8c. A user then aligns the cutting piece 16 of the slicer device 10 with the fleshy part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 and pushes, shown in Figure 8d, using the supporting bar(s) 14 or the handle(s) 12 to push the fleshy part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 through the openings 24 between the cutter blades 22 or wires, or the opening defined by the inner surface 20 of the cutter piece 16 itself, cutting the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 into shaped pieces shown in Figure 8e. The shaped pieces are dependent upon the pattern of wires or blades attached to the inner surface of the cutter piece. It should be noted that the pushing of the slicer device through the meat 7 of the watermelon is a straight, linear action without simultaneous rotation of the slicer device 10. The watermelon that is left behind is a hollowed out ring of rind 8 with a small amount of fleshy part or meat 7 attached to the rind 8 as shown in Figure 8f. The rind 8 is never cut into by the slicer device 10.

A similar method may be used to remove the fleshy interior or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 from the rind or outer portion 8 of the watermelon using the slicer devices 102, 104 of alternative embodiments shown in Figures 16-19.

Should the user desire to consume the fleshy interior 7 of the watermelon 2 at another time, alternatively, the user removes a top crown 3 of the watermelon 2, resulting in a flat top portion 5 and the user aligns the cutting piece 16 of the slicer device 10, 102, 104 with the fleshy part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 and pushes, using the supporting bar(s) 14, 114 or the handle(s) 12, 1 12 to push the fleshy part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 through the openings 24 between the cutter blades 22 or wires, or the opening defined by the inner surface 20 of the cutter piece 16 itself, cutting the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 from the rind 8. It should be noted that the pushing of the slicer device through the meat 7 of the watermelon is a straight, linear action without simultaneous rotation of the slicer device 10. Then, the user would pull back and remove the slicer 10, 102, 104 from the watermelon 2 only. When the user is ready to consume the watermelon 2, the user removes the bottom crown 4 of the watermelon 2, releasing the sliced interior flesh 7.

Figures 7a, 7b and 9 show a scraper 50 of a first embodiment that may be used after the slicer device 10, 102, 104 has been pushed through the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 and the pieces removed from the slicer device 10, 102, 104, for example from the watermelon 2 shown in Figure 8d. The scraper 50 has a handle 51 which is integrally formed with a bent scraping portion 52. The bent scraping portion 52 has a bottom surface 54, a top surface 58 with an edge 53, and opposing wall surfaces 56, 57. In an alternate embodiment, the handle 51 may be bent 59 at an angle relative to the bent scraping portion 52 to permit the user to more easily follow the contour of the watermelon 2 while scraping the fleshy interior 7 of the watermelon 2 as shown in Figure 15. To remove the remaining fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 after the slicer device

10, 102, 104 has been used, a user aligns an edge 53 of the bent scraping portion 52 with the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 and pulls the scraper 50, such that the edge 53 cuts through the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 from the rind 8 as shown in Figure 9. The fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 that is cut or scraped off, slides across the top surface 58 of the bent scraping portion 52 and is cut into shaped pieces based on the placement of the opposing wall surfaces 56, 57 relative to the top surface 52 of the bent scraping portion 52.

Figure 13 shows a scraper 60 of an alternative embodiment. The scraper 60 may be used after the slicer device 10 has been pushed through the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 and the slicer 10, 102, 104 with melon pieces has been removed from the melon, for example from the watermelon 2 shown in Figure 8d. The scraper 60 has a handle 62 which is coupled to a scraper head 64 through a connecting portion 72. The scraper head 64 has a scraping portion 66 with a top surface 69, a bottom surface 63 and opposing wall surfaces 68, 70. The scraping portion 66 has an edge 67. The scraper head 64 may be attached to the handle 62 or the handle 62 may be bent at an angle to permit the user to more easily follow the contour of the watermelon 2 while scraping the fleshy interior 7 of the watermelon 2.

To remove the remaining fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 after the slicer device 10, 102, 104 has been used, a user aligns the edge 67 of the scraper head 64 with the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 and pulls the scraper 60, such that the edge 67 cuts through the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 from the rind 8 in a manner similar to Figure 9. The fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 that is cut or scraped off, slides across the top surface 69 of the scraper head 64 and is cut into shaped pieces based on the placement of the opposing wall surfaces 68, 70 and the connecting portion 72 relative to the top surface 69 of the scraper head 64. The bend in the handle 62 allows the user to move easily follow the contour of the rind 8 to remove what fleshy interior 7 of the melon 2 is desired. After the slicer device 10 has been pushed through the fleshy part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2, the meat 7 of the watermelon 2 may be lodged within the slicer device 10. To easily remove the meat 7 of the watermelon lodged within the slicer device 10, the blades 22 or cutter piece 16 of the slicer device 10 are aligned with the grooves 32 of the push plate 30 and as the slicer device is pushed down onto the plate 30, such that the cutters 22 are received by the grooves 32 of the push plate. The downward movement of the slicer device 10 relative to the push plate causes the raised portions 34 to push the fleshy part of the melon out of the openings 24 between the blades 22 and the cutter piece 16. The raised portions 34 defining the grooves 32 push the meat 7 of the watermelon out of the openings 24 between the cutters 22 and the cutter piece 16 without having a user place their fingers near the cutting edges of the slicer device.

The scraper 50 and the slicer device 10 are preferably made of stainless steel, although other materials may also be used. The push plate is preferably made of plastic, stainless steel, or other non-porous metals.

Figures 20-30D and 37A-37L show a slicer device of a second embodiment. The slicer device 210 has a cutter piece 216 with an outer surface 218 and an inner surface 220. The cutter piece has a height H. Attached to the inner surface 220 of the cutter piece 216 is at least one cutter. The cutter may be at least one wire 222 with a cutting edge 217 of itself or at least one cutter blade 22 with a cutting edge as described above.

As shown in Figure 20, the at least one wire 222 is arranged within the inner surface 220 of the cutter piece 216 to define openings 224 between the wires 222. The pattern of openings 224 and the at least one wire 222 is not limited to the patterns shown. The at least one wire 222 may be threaded through holes 221 or slots in the cutter piece 216 and may be arranged in parallel as shown in Figures 20-25 and 37A-37L or in a grid as shown in Figures 26-27 and 30. The ends of the at least one wire may be secured to the cutter piece 216 or the support bar 214 and/or tensioned through a tensioning and attachment mechanism 233 discussed below. It should be noted that the shape of the openings 224 defines the shape into which the watermelon meat or fleshy part 7 will be sliced into.

A support bar 214 is attached to an outer surface 218 of the cutter piece 216. The support bar 214 is preferably curved within an inner surface 215 and an outer surface 213. The curve of the inner and outer surface 215, 213 follow the curve the outer surface 218 of the cutter piece 216. The support bar 214 may also serve as a handle for a user and a scoop after the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 has been removed for example as shown in Figure 30D. A handle 219 may be coupled to the outer surface 213 of the support bar 214 of the slicer device 210. The handle 219 may be coupled to the support bar 214 through welding or through fasteners, such as screw or rivets. While the handle 219 is shown as being parallel to the support bar 214, the handle 219 may be placed in any position relative to the support bar 214. Figure 36 shows a device 240 that may be used with the slicer device 210. The device 240 includes an indexer plate 242 with a first side 241 and a second side 243, with the second side 243 opposite the first side 241. The first and second sides 241, 243 each have two channels 246 on either side of a set of spaced apart holes 244 along at least a portion of the length of the indexer paddle 242. The two channels 246 and the spaced apart holes 244 between the two channels 246 extend from the first side 241 to the second side 243. Attached to the first and second sides 241, 243 of the indexer paddle 242 are identical L-shaped brackets 248, indicated by reference numbers 248a and 248b and form the rotation plate 260 of the device 240. Each L-shaped bracket 248a, 248b has a semicircular portion 249a, 249b connected to a wall portion 252a, 252b at a right angle. The semi-circular portion 249a, 249b has a top surface 25 la, 25 lb and a bottom surface 250a, 250b which would contact the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2. The wall portion 252a, 252b has an outer surface 253a, 253b and an inner surface 254a, 254b. The inner surface 254a, 254b contacts the first and second sides 241, 243 of the indexer paddle 242. The wall portion 252a, 252b also has holes 259 for receiving fasteners 255 and a spring biased pin 256. The L-shaped brackets 248a, 248b are attached to the indexer paddle 242 through fasteners 255 received by the wall portions 252a, 252b of both L-shaped brackets that pass through the channels 246 of the indexer paddle 242. In other words, fasteners 255 pass through the holes 259 in the wall portion 252a of a first bracket 248a, through the channel 246 of the indexer paddle 242 and are received by the holes 259 of the wall portion 252b of the second bracket 248b. The fasteners 255 may be held in place by nuts 258. Also received within one of the wall portions 252a, 252b is a spring biased pin 256. The spring biased pin 256 engages the central set of spaced apart holes 244. The spring biased pin 256 ratchets with the holes 244 to allow the L-shaped brackets 248a, 248b which form the rotation plate 260 to be moved up and down relative to the indexer paddle 242 or conversely the indexer paddle 242 moved up and down relative to the L-shaped brackets 248a, 248b.

Figures 21-25 show steps of using the slicer device 210 with wires or cutters 222 arranged in parallel to remove the fleshy interior part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 from the rind or outer portion 8 of the watermelon. In a first step, the user removes a top crown portion from the watermelon 2. As shown in Figure 21, the crown of the watermelon has already been removed. The user then aligns the cutter piece 216 of the slicer device 210 with the fleshy part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 as shown in Figure 21. The user then pushes the slicer device 210 down into the fleshy part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 using the support bar 214 or additional handle 219 as shown in Figure 22 until the cutter piece 216 reaches a bottom or end of the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 and the user can feel resistance against the firmer internal part of the watermelon rind 8. In Figure 23 A, the user prepares to insert the indexer paddle 242 of the device 240 in the middle slot made in the meat 7 of the watermelon 2 by the sheer device 210.

In Figure 23B, the indexer paddle 242 is in place to prevent the core rotation of the fleshy part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 when the sheer 210 is rotated. The user then rotates the slicer device 210 approximately 90 degrees to separate the fleshy part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 from the rind 8. The user then retracts the indexer paddle 242, but continues to hold the rotation plate 260 against the surface of the fleshy part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2. The slicer device 210 is then pulled outwards from the fleshy part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 while the rotation plate 260 is held against the fleshy part or meat 7 until the slicer grid 222 makes contact with the bottom of the rotation plate 260 as shown in Figure 24. The slicer device 210 with the device 240 including the rotation plate 260 and indexer paddle 242 is now removed completely from the watermelon 2, while the meat 7 of the watermelon 2 remains within the watermelon 2 as shown in Figure 25.

Figures 37A-37L show another method of using the device 240 with a slicer device 210 with wires or cutters 222 arranged in parallel of Figures 20-25 to remove the fleshy interior part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 from the rind or outer portion 8 of the watermelon 2 and cutting the meat 7 into cubes, rather than logs as in Figures 30A-30D.

In a first step, the user removes a top crown of the watermelon. The user then aligns the cutter piece 216 of the slicer device 210 with the fleshy part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 as shown in Figure 37A. The user then pushes the slicer device 210 down into the watermelon 2 using the support bar 214 or handle 219 as shown in Figure 37B until the cutter piece 216 reaches a bottom or end of the fleshy part of the watermelon or the user can feel resistance against the firmer internal part of the watermelon rind 8. This action is a straight linear action. The user then aligns the device 240 above the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 as shown in Figure 37C. It should be noted that the indexer paddle 242 needs to be placed such that it will not interfere with the wire cutters 222 of the slicer device 210. The device 240 is preferably placed within the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 in a position in which the spring biased pin 256 is engaged with one of the central holes 244 close to one end of the indexer paddle 242, for example as shown in Figure 35. The user then inserts or pushes the indexer paddle 242 into the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 as shown in Figure 37D such that the bottom surface 250a, 250b of the rotation plate 260 engages the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2.

Once the indexer paddle 242 of the device 240 and the slicer device 210 have been inserted into the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2, the user rotates the slicer device 210 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction between 90 degrees, while holding the rotation plate stationary 260 as shown in Figure 37E. Next, the slicer device 210 and the indexer paddle 242 are slightly lifted a specific distance to a first level from the bottom of the watermelon 2 outwards from the watermelon 2. This distance may be equivalent to the spring biased pin 256 engaging another hole or two holes 244 on the indexer paddle 242. It should be noted that the rotation plate 260 is not moved during movement of the indexer plate 242 as shown in Figure 37F. The user then rotates the slicer device 210 in a direction opposite of Figure 37E (either counterclockwise or clockwise) approximately 180 degrees or in the same direction of Figure 37E, while holding the rotation plate 260 stationary as shown in Figure 37G. The user can continue to lift the slicer device 210 and the indexer paddle 242 slightly by ratcheting the indexer paddle 242 outwards from the watermelon through the engagement and disengagement of the spring biased pin 256 as shown in Figure 37H to another level and rotating the slicer device 210 in a first direction as shown in Figures 371 and 37E, raise the slicer device 210 and the indexer paddle 242 slightly by ratcheting the indexer paddle 242 outwards from the watermelon 2, while keeping the rotation plate 260 stationary as shown in Figures 37F, 37H, and 37J and rotate the slicer device 210 in a direction either the same as shown in Figures 37G and 37K or an opposite direction as shown in Figures 37G and 37K. Finally, the slicer device 210 and the device 240 are removed from the watermelon 2 completely, leaving the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 sliced horizontally and vertically within the rind 8. The spacing of the horizontal slices is equivalent in length to the distance the indexer 242 travels before the slicer device 210 is rotated and the size of the openings 224 made by the cutters 222 of the slicer device 210. The watermelon 2 may be served this way within the rind 8 as shown in Figure 37L or the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 removed by turning the watermelon 2 upside down or scooping out the contents. Figures 30A-30D show alternate steps of using the slicer device 210 with the cutters or wires 222 arranged in a grid to remove the fleshy interior part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 from the rind or outer portion 8 of the watermelon 2. In a first step, the user removes a top crown portion from the watermelon 2. The user then aligns the cutter piece 216 of the slicer device 210 with the fleshy part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 as shown in Figure 30A. The user then pushes the slicer device 210 down into the watermelon 2 using the support bar 214 or additional handle 219 as shown in Figure 30B until the cutter piece 216 reaches a bottom or end of the fleshy part of the watermelon 2 and the user can feel resistance against the firmer internal part of the watermelon rind 8. This action is a straight linear action. The user then rotates the slicer device 210 between approximately 90 degrees to 180 degrees to separate the fleshy part or meat 7 of the watermelon 2 from the rind 8 as shown in Figure 30C. The slicer device 10 is then pulled outwards from the watermelon 2 with the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon 2 as shown in Figure 30D cut into logs. The inner surface 215 of the support bar 214 is curved and may be used to transfer the removed fleshy part of the meat 7 of the watermelon to another bowl, tray etc...

Figures 31-35 show an alternate slicer device 300 of a third embodiment with at least one end of at least one wire cutter engaged with a wire tensioning and attachment mechanism. The slicer device 300 has a cutter piece 216 with an outer surface 218 and an inner surface 220. The cutter piece 216 has a height H. Attached to the inner surface 220 of the cutter piece 216 is at least one cutter, for example at least one wire 222 with a cutting edge 217.

As shown in Figure 32, the at least one wire 222 is arranged within the inner surface 220 of the cutter piece 216 to define openings 224 between the wires 222. The pattern of openings 224 and the at least one wire 222 is not limited to the patterns shown. The at least one wire 222 may be threaded through holes 221 or slots in the cutter piece 216 and may be arranged in parallel as shown in Figures 20-25 or in a grid as shown in Figures 27 and 31. It should be noted that the shape of the openings 224 defines the shape into which the watermelon meat or flesh 7 will be sliced. The at least one wire 222 may also be arranged into geometric shape symbols, or decorative shapes (e.g. animals, logos, or figures). At least one support bar 230 is attached to an outer surface 218 of the cutter piece 216. At least one cross handle 212 may attach to the support bars 230 to provide an increased surface area in which to push the slicer device 300 through the meat 7 of the watermelon 2 and ease the overall use of the slicer device 300. The at least one wire 222 of the slicer device 300 is threaded through the slots or holes 221 or slots within the cutter piece 216 with at least one of the ends of the wire 222 engaged with a wire tensioning and attachment mechanism 233. While the wire tensioning and attachment mechanism 233 is shown with the slicer device 300, the wire tensioning and attachment mechanism 233 may be used with the slicer device 210 of Figures 20-30D. The wire tensioning and attachment mechanism 233 may be attached to inner or outer surfaces 213, 215 of the support bar 214.

In one embodiment shown in Figure 31, the wire tensioning and attachment mechanism 233 is a tab 232 defining a slot 231 on a surface of the at least one support bar 230. A first end 222a of the wire 222 is threaded through the slots or holes 221 of the cutter piece 216 and is pulled tight, so no slack is present, and the first end 222a of the wire 222 is received within the slot 231 formed by the tab 232 on the support bar 230 and wrapped around the tab 232 and secured to itself as shown in Figure 32. The second end 222b (not shown) of the wire 222 may be anchored to the cutter piece 216 or received within another slot 231 and wrapped around a tab 232 on the other support bar 230. The wire 222 may be replaced by removing the wire 222 from the slot and wrapped around the tab 232 and rewrapping the wire around the tab or retightened by rewrapping the wire 222 if it were to gain slack.

Alternatively, the wire tensioning and attachment mechanism 233 is a threaded screw 235 and a coupling nut 234 as shown in Figures 33-34. The threaded screw 235 is received within a handle 212 of the slicer device 300 adjacent a support bar 230. The first end 222a of the wire 222 is threaded through the slots or holes 221 of the cutter piece 216 and is pulled tight, so no slack is present, and the first end 222a of the wire 222 is received in a first end 234a of a coupling nut 234 and a threaded screw 235 is received within the second end 234b of the coupling nut 234. The tightening of the screw 235 holds the wire 222 in place and maintains the tautness of the wire 222. The wire 222 may be replaced by loosening the threaded screw 235 and removing it from the coupling nut 234. The wire 222 may be further tightened during as necessary by further tightening the screw 235 to remove any slack from the wire 222. The second end 222b (not shown) of the wire 222 may be anchored to the cutter piece 216 or received within another coupling nut 234 and threaded screw 235 on the other support bar 230. In another alternate embodiment, the wire tensioning and attachment mechanism

233 is a threaded shaft 238, a nut or washer 237, and a wingnut 236 as shown in Figure 35. The threaded shaft 238 is received within a hole 230a of the support bar 30 of the slicer device 300. The first end 222a of the wire 222 is threaded through the slots or holes 221 of the cutter piece 216 and is pulled tight, so no slack is present, and the first end 222a of the wire 222 is received wrapped around the threaded shaft 238. A wingnut 236 is then received by the threaded shaft 238 and is screwed down to compress and stabilize the wire 222 around the threaded shaft 238. A nut or washer 237 may be placed between the wingnut 236 and the support bar 230. The tightening of the wingnut 236 holds the wire in place and maintains the tautness of the wire 222. The wire 222 may be replaced by loosening the wingnut 236 and/or removing the wingnut 236 from the threaded shaft 238. The wire 222 may be further tightened as necessary by further tightening the wingnut 236 to remove any slack from the wire 222. The second end 222b (not shown) of the wire 222 may be anchored to the cutter piece 216 or wrapped around another threaded shaft 238 and secured by the wingnut 236 on the other support bar 230. Figures 38A and 38B show a slicer wrench 261 that may be used with the slicer device 210 of the present invention. The slicer wrench 261 has a body with a first side 264 and a second side 265 with a first semi-circular cutout 262 that extends from the first side 264 to the second side 265 and a second semi-circular cutout 263 that extends from the first side 264 to the second side 265. The second semi-circular cutout 263 is positioned 90 degrees from the position of the first semi-circular cutout 262. The slicer wrench also has a handle portion 266, which is contoured to conform with the inner surface curve of the support bar 214 of the slice device 210. The first or second semi-circular cutouts 262, 263 may receive the support bar 214 of the slicer device 210 when the slicer device is in the fleshy part 7 of the watermelon as shown in Figure 38B and may be used to aid the user in rotating the slicer device 210 within the watermelon 2. Figures 39A and 39B show a slicer strap 270 that may be used with the slicer devices 210, 300 of the present invention. The slicer strap 270 includes a first strap 271 and a second strap 273 attached to an anchor 272. The slicer strap would be placed around an outer circumference of the watermelon 2 and the first and second strap 271, 273 secured to each other through a fastener, for example hook and loop fastener, buckle, etc... The slicer strap 270 can then be used to secure the watermelon 2 in place, so it will not roll or slip for a user to use the slicer devices 210, 300 of the present invention.

Figures 40A and 40B shows a melon holder for use with the slicer devices 210, 300 of the present invention. The melon holder 280 has four plates 281a, 281b, 281c, 281d that are fastened to each other at right angles. Each of the four plates 281a, 281b, 281c, 28 Id has a curved portion 282a, 282b, 282c, 282d with pegs 283 extending outward therefrom. A watermelon 2 can be placed on the pegs 283 of the curved portions of the four plates 281a, 281b, 281c, 28 Id to secure the watermelon 2 into place and prevent it from rolling when be used with a slicer device 210, 300. The pegs 283 may have a sharpened end and may be made of metal or plastic. When the watermelon 2 is placed on the pegs 283, the pegs 283 may puncture the outer rind 8 of the watermelon 2.

Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features regarded as essential to the invention.