Expandable surface modular cutting board system

• US 9,271,609 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2012
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brad John Karalius
• Original Assignee: Brad John Karalius
• Inventors: Karalius, Brad John
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Lee D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nejad, Mahdi H
• Application Number:
  US13/356,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20120193858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• Field of Search: 269/311, 269/276, 269/171, 294/28, 452/192
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 47/00 Kitchen containers, stands or the like, not provided for in other groups of this subclass; Cutting-boards, e.g. for bread bowls for food processors A47J43/0727
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 47/005 Cutting boards
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A modular cutting board system comprised of a plurality of cutting boards is disclosed. In this invention, individual cutting boards can be retentively conjoined to other cutting boards of the same or similar make through magnetic holding force, provided by magnets disposed in the non-working surface sides of the cutting boards, to produce a larger working surface. This invention allows for the optional use of magnetic assemblies in place of magnets alone to increase holding force and prevent magnetic interference with steel utensils. Other optional embodiments include rubber gaskets to produce watertight seals and complementary protrusions and recessions to aid in alignment at the conjoining sides. Importantly, this plurality of cutting boards can be easily detached from a conjoined state and into individual cutting boards. This quality of the present invention improves sanitation through easier cleaning and also facilitates storage, compared to large and unwieldy cutting boards.

Claims

1. A method for conjoining a plurality of cutting boards for culinary purposes at non-working surface sides, comprising:

a. providing a first cutting board having a non-metallic and having at least one non-working surface side in which one or more magnetic assemblies, characterized by a magnet fastened to ferromagnetic material that redirects said magnet'"'"'s flux to yield a more concentrated magnetic field and thereby more holding force compared to said magnet alone, are disposed and oriented with their exposed magnet faces facing perpendicular to and away from the sides in which they are disposed,

b. providing at least one additional cutting board having a non-metallic material and having at least one substantially similarly dimensioned non-working surface side in which one or more magnetically attractive members selected from a group consisting of an iron object, a steel object, or an oppositely magnetized magnetic assembly, are disposed,

whereby a human can create a single larger working surface having an area equal to the sum of the individual working surface areas of said plurality of cutting boards through the retentive conjoining of said plurality of cutting boards using the action of said magnetic assemblies that provide sufficiently strong holding force, comparable to that of larger magnets alone, to maintain retentive connection of said cutting boards under typical food preparation use and steel utensils operated in the proximity above the conjoined edges of said plurality of cutting boards shall be substantially uninfluenced by the magnetic fields produced from said magnetic assemblies due to the quality of magnetic assemblies to concentrate magnetic fields on their surfaces,

compared to said larger magnets alone that risk dangerous interaction with said steel utensils due to their more dispersed magnetic fields, wherein said each magnetically attractive means comprising magnets having both north and south poles being combined together forming said each structure and being detachable and attachable with a second said magnetically attractive means comprising a second structure having an inverse polarity being oriented in a direction in which each said magnetic structure thereby forms a holding force.

2. The method of claim 1, further including gaskets made of material selected from a group consisting of rubber, silicone, neoprene, nitrile, or elastic polymer mounted on at least one of each of the non-working surface sides of said cutting boards that are to be conjoined to non-working surface sides of other said cutting boards,

whereby a potentially watertight seal may be achieved at this gasketed interface when said cutting boards are retentively conjoined.

3. The method of claim 1, further including at least one protrusion from at least one of said non-working surface sides of said first cutting board in which one or more said magnetic assemblies are disposed and at least one recession, complementary to said protrusion, in at least one of said non-working surface sides of said additional cutting board in which one or more magnetically attractive members are disposed, whereby said protrusion and said recession aid in the horizontal and vertical alignment of said cutting boards upon conjoining.

4. The method of claim 2, further including at least one protrusion from at least one of said non-working surface sides of said first cutting board in which one or more said magnetic assemblies are disposed and at least one recession, complementary to said protrusion, in at least one of said non-working surface sides of said additional cutting board in which one or more magnetically attractive members are disposed, whereby said protrusion and said recession aid in the horizontal and vertical alignment of said cutting boards upon conjoining.

5. A plurality of cutting boards for culinary purposes, comprising:

a. a first cutting board having a non-metallic material and having at least one non-working surface side in which one or more magnetic assemblies, characterized by a magnet fastened to ferromagnetic material that redirects said magnet'"'"'s flux to yield a more concentrated magnetic field and thereby more holding force compared to said magnet alone, are disposed and oriented with their exposed magnet faces facing perpendicular to and away from the sides in which they are disposed,

b. at least one additional cutting board having a non-metallic material and having a non-metallic material and having at least one substantially similarly dimensioned non-working surface side,

c. magnetically attractive means disposed in said side of said additional cutting board for conjoining said additional cutting board to said first cutting board,

whereby a human can create a single larger working surface having an area equal to the sum of the individual working surface areas of said plurality of cutting boards through the retentive conjoining of said plurality of cutting boards using the action of said magnetic assemblies that provide sufficiently strong holding force, comparable to that of larger magnets alone, to maintain retentive connection of said cutting boards under typical food preparation use and steel utensils operated in the proximity above the conjoined edges of said plurality of cutting boards shall be substantially uninfluenced by the magnetic fields produced from said magnetic assemblies due to the quality of magnetic assemblies to concentrate magnetic fields on their surfaces,

compared to said larger magnets alone that risk dangerous interaction with said steel utensils due to their more dispersed magnetic fields, wherein said each magnetically attractive means comprising magnets having both north and south poles being combined together forming said each structure and being detachable and attachable with a second said magnetically attractive means comprising a second structure having an inverse polarity being oriented in a direction in which each said magnetic structure thereby forms a holding force.

6. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 5, further including gaskets made of material selected from a group consisting of rubber, silicone, neoprene, nitrile, or elastic polymer mounted on at least one of each of the non-working surface sides of said cutting boards that are to be conjoined to non-working surface sides of other said cutting boards,

whereby a potentially watertight seal may be achieved at this gasketed interface when said cutting boards are retentively conjoined.

7. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 5, further including at least one protrusion from at least one of said non-working surface sides of said first cutting board in which one or more said magnetic assemblies are disposed and at least one recession, complementary to said protrusion, in at least one of said non-working surface sides of said additional cutting board in which one or more magnetically attractive members are disposed, whereby said protrusion and said recession aid in the horizontal and vertical alignment of said cutting boards upon conjoining.

8. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 6, further including at least one protrusion from at least one of said non-working surface sides of said first cutting board in which one or more said magnetic assemblies are disposed and at least one recession, complementary to said protrusion, in at least one of said non-working surface sides of said additional cutting board in which one or more magnetically attractive members are disposed, whereby said protrusion and said recession aid in the horizontal and vertical alignment of said cutting boards upon conjoining.

9. A plurality of cutting boards for culinary purposes, comprising:

a. a first cutting board having a non-metallic material and having at least one non-working surface side in which one or more magnetic assemblies, characterized by a magnet fastened to ferromagnetic material that redirects said magnet'"'"'s flux to yield a more concentrated magnetic field and thereby more holding force compared to said magnet alone, are disposed,

b. at least one additional cutting board having a non-metallic material and having at least one substantially similarly dimensioned non-working surface side in which one or more magnetically attractive members selected from a group consisting of an iron object, a steel object, or an oppositely magnetized magnetic assembly are disposed,

whereby a human can create a single larger working surface having an area equal to the sum of the individual working surface areas of said plurality of cutting boards through the retentive conjoining of said plurality of cutting boards using the action of said magnetic assemblies that provide sufficiently strong holding force, comparable to that of larger magnets alone, to maintain retentive connection of said cutting boards under typical food preparation use and steel utensils operated in the proximity above the conjoined edges of said plurality of cutting boards shall be substantially uninfluenced by the magnetic fields produced from said magnetic assemblies due to the quality of magnetic assemblies to concentrate magnetic fields on their surfaces,

compared to said larger magnets alone that risk dangerous interaction with said steel utensils due to their more dispersed magnetic fields, wherein said each magnetically attractive means comprising magnets having both north and south poles being combined together forming said each structure and being detachable and attachable with a second said magnetically attractive means comprising a second structure having an inverse polarity being oriented in a direction in which each said magnetic structure thereby forms a holding force.

10. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 9, further including gaskets made of material selected from a group consisting of rubber, silicone, neoprene, nitrile, or elastic polymer mounted on at least one of each of the non-working surface sides of said cutting boards that are to be conjoined to non-working surface sides of other said cutting boards,

whereby a potentially watertight seal may be achieved at this gasketed interface when said cutting boards are retentively conjoined.

11. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 9, further including at least one protrusion from at least one of said non-working surface sides of said first cutting board in which one or more said magnetic assemblies are disposed and at least one recession, complementary to said protrusion, in at least one of said non-working surface sides of said additional cutting board in which one or more magnetically attractive members are disposed, whereby said protrusion and said recession aid in the horizontal and vertical alignment of said cutting boards upon conjoining.

12. The plurality of cutting boards of claim 10, further including at least one protrusion from at least one of said non-working surface sides of said first cutting board in which one or more said magnetic assemblies are disposed and at least one recession, complementary to said protrusion, in at least one of said non-working surface sides of said additional cutting board in which one or more magnetically attractive members are disposed, whereby said protrusion and said recession aid in the horizontal and vertical alignment of said cutting boards upon conjoining.