Extracts From United States Patent # 4,828,114 for pumpkin carving kits issued to John P. Bardeen on May 9, 1989.
The present invention is directed to a pumpkin carving kit useful for carving decorative designs in the fleshy shell of a pumpkin. The kit includes a combination of tools, decorative patterns and an instruction book containing instructions that correlate design features of the pattern to the cutting tools.Carving pumpkins has long been one of the several ways in which Halloween is celebrated. Traditionally, carving involves the removal of a portion of the pumpkin shell surrounding the stem, removal of the seeds and fibers contained in the pumpkin and carving humorous, grotesque or other decorative features in the pumpkin shell by removing fleshy portions of the shell to obtain the desired appearance. Internal illumination is then provided by a candle or by a battery operated light. This illumination results in a glowing decorative pattern.
In the past, carving pumpkins was typically accomplished using pocket knives, paring knives and the like. Due to the size of these cutting instruments, though, the typical carver was only able to obtain crude decorative features. Since the cutting knives used in pumpkin carving are difficult to control, any attempt at carving detailed, intricate design features usually met with failure since the carver often unintentionally removed portions of the pumpkin shell, which destroyed the design.
The development of intricately carved pumpkin designs is believed to originated with Paul John Bardeen, the father of the inventor of the present pumpkin carving kit. His innovation used small hand-held saws and spiral drill bits to produce intricately and exotically carved pumpkins. The present invention is directed to an improvement over this early system, and the presentation of improved cutting tools and materials in a kit form for carving pumpkins.
