US 5,403,230 AGranted

Shellfish claw cutter

OwnerAnthony Capriglione, Sr.inventor

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Abstract

A device for opening the shells of crustaceans has an inner portion and an outer portion extending from a handle section at one end to a cutting section at the other end. In the cutting section, the inner portion has a sharpened end at the start of a cutting or fracturing edge that tapers upward toward the handle. The cutting section of the outer portion has sides that taper downward on each side of the cutting edge toward the handle, overlapping the cutting edge about halfway down. The outer portion fits loosely over the inner portion, to be removable for cleaning etc. The inner portion cutting edge thickens as it tapers upward for increased strength in cutting harder shells, and the sides of the outer portion cutting section become fulcrums when the handle is raised to lever the cutting edge of the inner portion through the crustacean's shell to expose the shellfish meat.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A shell opener for crustaceans has an outer portion surrounding an inner portion;

said shell opener having a handle end and a cutting end;
a central portion extending from said handle end to said cutting end;
said cutting end of said inner portion having a sharp point adjoining an upward-tapering edge, through said central portion, toward said handle end;
said cutting, end of said outer portion having a flattened end, spaced from and opposing said sharp point of said inner portion;
said cutting end of said outer portion having downward-tapering sides along said central portion toward said handle end;
said downward-tapering sides overlapping each side of said upward-tapering edge of said inner portion before said handle portion, whereby said sharp end of said inner portion can be pushed under a shell, and said sides of said outer portion can engage the outside of said shell to act as a fulcrum when said handle is raised for said edge of said cutting end of said inner portion to fracture said shell.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.