COMPACT EATING UTENSIL

Abstract

The present invention comprises of a novel eating utensil that combines the function of impaling and grabbing food in a compact and planar form. The advantageous compact and planar form allows the present invention to be included inside the prepared grab-and-go food, including, but not limited to, fruit bowl, salad, noodle, and sushi. Moreover, the novel utensil has further advantage for food such as, but not limited to, hors d'oeuvre, cut fruits, nuts, and desserts in family or social gatherings. The novel form allows various materials and processes to be used in production providing greater market selections. The compact utensil promotes healthier slow eating habit and environmental conservation. Furthermore the form allows for portability and ease of cleaning, promoting multiple reuse of the present invention.

Claims

1. A compact eating utensil comprising: a. a pair of appendages connected at a connection loop, wherein the pair of appendages and the connection loop have a planar configuration, wherein the pair of appendages includes a right appendage and a left appendage; b. a pair of finger hooks, including a right hook and a left hook, wherein the right hook connects to the right appendage at a right hook joint, and wherein the left hook connects to the left appendage at the left hook joint; c. a pair of appendage ends including a right appendage end and a left appendage end, wherein the pair of appendage ends is pointed to allow both impaling of food and grasping of food without reorientation.

2. The compact eating utensil of claim 1, wherein the pair of appendage ends is configured to simultaneously impale food and change angle.

3. The compact eating utensil of claim 1, wherein the connection loop is formed as a variable width connecting joint having a thin portion.

4. The compact eating utensil of claim 1, wherein the pair of finger hooks are configured to receive finger nails as pressure barriers.

5. The compact eating utensil of claim 1, wherein the compact eating utensil is made by one of the following manufacturing methods including injection molding, press forming, die cut from a sheet, or by extrusion.

6. The compact eating utensil of claim 1, wherein the compact eating utensil is made of polymer, including, PP, PET, PLA, and HDPE materials.

7. The compact eating utensil of claim 1, wherein the compact eating utensil is made of wood pulp, bagasse or edible materials.

8. The compact eating utensil of claim 1, wherein the right hook has a right hook backward bend that bends in an opposite direction of the right hook, and wherein the left hook has a left hook backward bend that bends in an opposite direction of the left hook.

9. The compact eating utensil of claim 8, wherein the right hook backward bend terminates at a right hook backward bend tip, and wherein the left hook terminates at a left hook backward bend tip.

10. The compact eating utensil of claim 9, wherein the pair of appendage ends is configured to simultaneously impale food and change angle.

11. The compact eating utensil of claim 9, wherein the connection loop is formed as a variable width connecting joint having a thin portion.

12. The compact eating utensil of claim 9, wherein the pair of finger hooks are configured to receive finger nails as pressure barriers.

13. The compact eating utensil of claim 9, wherein the compact eating utensil is made by one of the following manufacturing methods including injection molding, press forming, die cut from a sheet, or by extrusion.

14. The compact eating utensil of claim 9, wherein the compact eating utensil is made of polymer, including, PP, PET, PLA, and HDPE materials.

15. The compact eating utensil of claim 9, wherein the compact eating utensil is made of wood pulp, bagasse or edible materials.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] FIG. 1a is a top elevation view of the invention.

[0029] FIG. 1b is a left elevation view of the invention.

[0030] FIG. 1c is a front elevation view of the invention.

[0031] FIG. 1d is a right elevation view of the invention.

[0032] FIG. 1e is a rear elevation view of the invention.

[0033] FIG. 1f is a bottom elevation view of the invention.

[0034] FIG. 2 is the perspective view of the invention.

[0035] FIG. 3 is the view of the invention in a sealed package.

[0036] FIG. 4a is the view of the invention size in relation to an average adult hand.

[0037] FIG. 4b is the view of a hand holding the invention to impale food.

[0038] FIG. 4c is the view of a hand holding the invention to grab food.

[0039] FIG. 5a is the view of a hand holding the invention in an open position to grab food.

[0040] FIG. 5b is the view of a hand holding the invention in a close position to grab food.

[0041] FIG. 6 is the view of a hand holding the invention impaling the food.

[0042] FIG. 7 is the view of a hand holding the invention grabbing the food.

[0043] The following call outs can be a useful guide in referencing the elements of the drawings. [0044] 10 Connection Loop [0045] 11 Hook Radius [0046] 12a First Finger Hook [0047] 12b Second Finger Hook [0048] 13 Two Appendages [0049] 14 Ends Of Appendages [0050] 15 Connection Loop [0051] 16a Food [0052] 16b Food [0053] 20 Front Side [0054] 21 Back Side [0055] 30 Left Side [0056] 31 Right Side [0057] 41 Right Hook Joint [0058] 42 Left Hook Joint [0059] 43 Right Outward Loop Bend [0060] 44 Left Outward Loop Bend [0061] 45 Loop Bridge [0062] 46 Right Bevel Edge [0063] 47 Left Bevel Edge [0064] 51 Right Hook Backward Bend [0065] 52 Left Hook Backward Bend [0066] 53 Right Hook Backward Bend Tip [0067] 54 Left Hook Backward Bend Tip

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0068] Glossary

[0069] PP stands for Polypropylene

[0070] PET stands for Polyethylene Terephthalate

[0071] PLA stands for Polylactic Acid

[0072] HDPE stands for High Density Polyethylene

[0073] Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows the elevation views of the novel compact utensil in the preferred embodiment. The front side 20 and back side 21 of the elevation views are the same and can be flat. The left side 30 and right side 31 as seen from the elevation views are the same and can be flat. The connection loop 10 has multiple functions. The primary function of the connection loop 10 is to connect and flex the two appendages 13 in a reciprocating motion when handling food articles. Additionally, the connection loop 10 functions as a handle to impale and grab food. Moreover, the loop 10 also function as a hanger resting on, but not limited to, rim of bowls, rim of cups, or arrangement on a display. The thick and thin width of the connection loop 10 allows extra flexibility at the top of connection loop 15, which is also the narrowest part of the connection loop 10. The variable width of the connection loop 10 can be thin and function as a live hinge, depending on production material. The connection loop 10 is attached to appendage 13 on both sides. The appendage 13 has finger-hook 12 on both sides. The finger-hook 12 also function as a hanger resting on, but not limited to, the rim of bowls, the rim of cups, or arrangement on a display. The hook-radius 11 guides the finger into the finger-hook 12. The ends of the appendages 14 are used to impale or grab the food. The elevation views in FIG. 1 illustrate the planar characteristic of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates the perspective view of the said descriptions.

[0074] The planar form shown in FIG. 1 allows the invention to be packaged in a sealed film if desired or required. FIG. 3 illustrates the present invention in the film packaging. The package outer dimensions are close to the commonly used condiment packaging sizes, such as ketchup, mayonnaise, and soy sauce pouches. The utensil can be provided individually, sold in bulk, or be included along with other condiment for prepared grab-and-go eating or snacking convenience.

[0075] FIG. 4a shows the preferred compact size compare to an average adult hand. The planar and compact form allows for portability and ease of cleaning, promoting multiple reuse of the present invention. FIG. 1 and FIG. 4a illustrate the compact planar form which allows the invention to be produced in injection molding, press formed, cut from sheet, or extrusion, with little or no secondary process. Recyclable polymers, including, but not limited to, PP, PET, PLA, and HDPE, could be produced in injection molding or by extrusion. Organic materials, including, but not limited to, wood pulp, bagasse, or edible materials, could be cut from sheet, press formed, or extruded. The novel form allows various materials to be developed and maintain the embodied function.

[0076] FIG. 4b illustrates holding the connection loop 10 of the present invention as a handle, in use to impale food. After impaling the food, squeeze or bring the appendages together creates additional tensions between the appendages to further secure the food.

[0077] FIG. 4c illustrates the preferred holding of the present invention to grab food. To hold the present invention and grab food, first orient the invention vertically, shown in FIG. 4c, aligning the finger-hooks 12a and 12b on top of one and another. Keep the invention in vertical orientation, pinch the lower finger-hook 12b between the thumb and middle finger. The thumb and middle finger that are pinching finger-hook 12b remains stationary. Slide the index finger into the upper finger-hook 12a. To open the appendages 14, move the index finger which is wedge in the upper finger-hook 12a away to separate as in FIG. 5A illustration. The finger nail on the index finger shields the pressure from finger-hook 12a. To close the appendages 14, while keeping the index finger in the upper finger-hook 12a, squeeze or move the index finger inward to grab the food between the appendage ends 14 as shown in FIG. 5B illustration. This function is a benefit for small objects that is difficult to impale, such as peas, bean, and nuts. Another example to hold the invention and grab the food is to slide the thumb and index finger into the finger-hooks 12 on each side of the appendages, spread the thumb and index finger apart to open up the appendages 13, and squeeze the fingers to grab the food between the appendage ends 14.

[0078] FIG. 6 illustrates the connection loop 10 used as a handle, impaling food and grabbing food 16a. FIG. 7 illustrates the preferred holding of the present invention and grabbing the food 16b between the appendage ends 14.

[0079] The connection loop 15 changes the angle of the appendages 13. The appendages 13 have an open and closed position. Appendage ends 14 extend outwardly from the appendages 13. The appendage ends 14 can be tapered to a chisel tip shape. The appendages 13 have a neutral position that is parallel to each other. A user can bias the appendages 13 between an open position and a closed position. The open position provides an open angle between the appendages 13, and a closed position provides a closed angle between the appendages 13. Therefore, the pair of appendages is mounted in a swivel relationship with each other similar to a scissor joint.

[0080] The right hook connects to the appendage 13 at a right hook joint 41. Similarly, the left took connects to the appendage 13 at and left hook joint 42. The right outward loop bend 43 bends outward from the appendage 13 and the left outward loop bend 44 joint at a loop bridge 45. The loop bridge 45 is a thinner and more flexible portion of the connection loop 15. The appendage 13 has a right bevel edge 46 and a left bevel edge 47 where the appendage tapers to a pair of appendage tips.

[0081] The hook has an initial radius bending toward the loop bridge 45 and then the hook has a backward bend. The right hook has a right hook backward bend 51 that terminates at a right hook backward bend tip 53. Similarly, the left hook has a left hook backward bend 52 that terminates at a left hook backward bend tip 54.

[0082] While the present invention has been described in terms of particular embodiment and applications, in both summarized and detailed descriptions, it is not intended that these descriptions in any way limit its scope to any such embodiment and applications, and it will be understood that many substitutions, modifications, and variations in the described embodiment, applications, materials, and production processes illustrated herein can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of present invention.