AU596151B2 - Kitchen utensil - Google Patents

Description

'~1 I .i L 59615"g This document contains the amendments made under Section 49 and is correct for printing.

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA The Patents Act 1952-1969 0000 0 0 00 0000 0 0 0 00 o C 00 0 000 0 0 odo 0 0Q 00, o oo 0 000 o o e 0 00 0 00 o 0 Name of Applicant: CHRISTOPHER ROBERT MARSHALL Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for service: Lot 5, Wootha Road, Maleny, Qld. 4552 CHRISTOPHER ROBERT MARSHALL G.R. CULLEN COMPANY Medibank Building 82 Anh Street BRISBANE. Qld. Australia.

COMPLETE PATENT SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: Kitchen Utensil The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to us: I r -2- The invention relates to a utensil for kitchen and other uses.

The invention will be described by way of example with reference to kitchen utensils but it should be appreciated that this is by way of example only and the utensil of the invention may be used in applications other than in kitchens and for cooking.

Kitchen utensils such as spoons, spatulas, scrapers and forks are known. These have been made 0000 from a wide range of materials. Such utensils have 0000 10 been used for stirring and mixing operations. Large 00 wooden mixing spoons are not able to readily reach into 000 the region of a container defined between upstanding S 44 walls and base. Thus a build-up of relatively unmixed material in the mixing container occurred. In addition 0I 15 to this problem the concave portion of the spoon was St.

difficult to clean. This was either done by the user with his finger which was unhygienic or alternatively the spoon was drawn across a lip or upper edge of the a container. In the latter case only excess material was 20 removed and any material remaining in the concavity was 2O subsequently washed off and wasted.

p Spatulas were easier to clean than spoons but were not ideally suited for stirring operations. In addition spatulas also could not readily extend into the region of the container between the walls and the Forks were unsuitable for stirring and also base. Forks were unsuitable for stirring and also r proved difficult to clean.

In it an object of the present invention to provide a utensil which at least minimises the difficulties referred to above.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a utensil having a head including a generally curved outer face, a generally concave inner face, a leading edge and a trailing edge, said edges meeting at a distal end portion and forming an included angle less o than 90 degrees wherein a straight edge of a surface may 10 form a line contact with the inner face and remains in 00 0o. line contact as the head is drawn over the straight edge 00and progressively~tilted to one side.

0 o 0 The leading edge is formed by the intersection, meeting or merging of the inner and outer faces.

oo Preferably the leading edge is a feathered or tapered edge along a major part of its length. The leading 00, 00 o0 edge preferably has a curved face portion adjacent the distal end portion which extend substantially at right 000w 0-4 angles to or along a radius to the outer face. The curved face portion preferably extends along a minor part of the length of the leading edge and preferably progressively becomes narrower in width and gradually merges with the tapered edge which forms a major part of the leading edge.

The curved face portion is contoured such that when placed against a flat surface, the flat surface 1L.- (-?rr.je.

00 o o D o 0 11 Q1 0 0 00 0 0000 o o o 9 09 0 04 00 00 0 04 0 DDo forms a tangent to and is in line contact with it.

This line contact is preferably on a line extending across the curved face portion and forming a radius to the outer face. The curved face portion may be used for crushing objects between it and the adjacent surface.

The leading edge preferably forms part of a three dimensional parabolic curve whereby, when the head is placed in contact with a planar surface and tilted a portion of the leading edge forms a line of 10 contact with the surface. Preferably the line of contact is curved. The. line of contact may extend from the distal end portion through about 30 to 50 mm.

Preferably a line of contact like that described is formed when the head is inclined at about 60 degrees to the vertical.

!S

The outer face preferably forms part of a cylindrical surface. The leading edge may be a complex curve extending along a cylinder of which the outer face forms part.

The inner face may define part of an internal wall of a cylinder with one edge portion of the face tapering towards the leading edge.

The trailing edge may be substantially rounded or contoured whereby the inner and outer faces meet to form a substantially rounded trailing edge. The trailing edge may be thought of as forming part of a

L

helix extending along the cylinderical face of which the outer face may form a part.

The utensil may have a handle portion depending from the head. The handle portion may have a heel portion against which the heel of the hand of a user may abut. The heel portion preferably extends angularly outwardly from the handle portion and is directed to the side of the utensil along which the leading edge extends. The handle portion may be o formed as a separate item to the head. Preferably the o 0 1. handle portion is formed integrally with the head.

10 0. Similarly, the heel portion may be formed separate from 000~* o the handle portion but preferably is formed integrally therewith.

A particular preferred embodiment of the 0o S invention will be described with reference to the drawings in which: 0 0 Figure 1 is a perspective view from one side of the utensil according to one embodiment of the Sinvention; Figure 2 is a perspective view from another side of the utensil of figure 1; Figure 3 is an end view of the utensil of figure 2; Figure 4 shows detail of an end of the utensil of figures. 1 and 2; Figure 5 is a view of the utensil like that of -6figure 1; Figure 6 is sectional view taken along lines VI-VI of figure 5; and, Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along lines VII-VII of figure The utensil 10 has a head 11 and a handle portion 12. The head 11 has an inner concave face 13 and an outer convex face 14. These faces meet at a leading edge 16. Edge 16 is feathered or tapered o° o between locations A and B and from location B gradually 4444 o ~a D10 broadens out to provide a curved face portion 17.

o Portion 17 may be pressed against an adjacent surface 0400 C° for crushing objects between it and the surface.

44 0 0049 As is evident in figures 4 and 6, portion 17 is such that when the utensil is held against a surface o4 4 a 4 15 line contact between an edge of portion 17 and the 1.5 So surface 20 is established for a short length. This is useful for scrapping operations. Figure 4 also shown that an angle of less than 90 degrees is formed at end °44 21 where the leading edge and trailing edge 22 meet.

Surface 20 and the plane represented by line 23 could be the base and upstanding side wall of a saucepan.

Thus the utensil, because of its shape can readily reach into the corner formed by the junction between plane 23 and surface 20 and because there is line contact between an edge of face 17 and surface scrapping action at that junction is possible.

I 1 0000 S J 0 001 0 o isO 0 0 0-00 00 0 00 o 03( 0 0 0 006 0 0 00B 0 0 0s 0 The trailing edge 22 may be rounded as shown in figure 1 and extends from end 21 to the distal end 24 of the handle 12. The handle 12 is waisted at 25 and has a heel portion 26.

As shown in figures 5, 6 and 7 sections along lines VI-VI and VII-VII result in straight lines 30, 31 across curved inner face 13. Straight line contact along lines 30, 31 with a straight or curved edge is possible continuously along the face 13. This can be achieved by placing face 13 in contact with such an 10 edge, drawing the face across the edge whilst tilting the utensil.

As shown in figure 3 outer face 14 in fact forms part of a circle and the utensil may be fashioned from part of a cylinder or moulded in the shape shown. In any event the portion of trailing edge 22 extending 13 along the head may be considered as describing a helical path on an imaginery cylinder from which the utensil may be fashioned. Similarly edge 16 describes a complex curve which may best be called a three dimensional parabola.

0 The utensil of the invention because of its shape may be used as a spoon, scraper and stirrer and the inner face may readily be cleaned by running it over the lip of a bowl or straight edge. Since the leading and trailing edges form an included angle less than 90 degrees the utensil can be used for reaching 0000 0a.o r.,i r ;ri. i. -r material at the junction of two surfaces.

The shape of the utensil is such that by suitably orientating it the leading edge may substantially mate with a curved inner surface of a bowl or wok. It is possible in this way to scrape a substantial portion of the curved surface of the bowl or wok. The outer face can also readily be cleaned on the lip of a bowl or wok by tilting the head until the curvature of the outer face conforms to the contour of 0ao 9 the lip and then running the head over the lip.

00 o ooDoo o0 o *o 0 00 04 9 00 a 0 0, 0 t 000 A a000 06 II

Claims (9)

1. An utensil having a head including a generally curved outer face, a generally concave inner face, a leading edge and a trailing edge, said edges meeting at a distal end portion and forming an included angle less than 90 degrees wherein a straight edge of a surface may form a line contact with the inner face and remains in line contact as the head is drawn over the straight edge and progressively tilted to one side.

2. The utensil of claim 1 wherein the leading edge is feathered or tapered along a major part of its length.

3. The utensil of claim 1 or 2 wherein .said leading edge includes a curved face portion adjacent the distal end portion and which extends substantially at right angles\the outer face, said curved face portion extends along a minor part of the length of the leading edge.

4. The utensil of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the leading edge describes part of a three dimensional parabolic curve whereby, when said leading edge is placed in contact with a planar surface and said utensil is held at an angle less than 90 degrees to the planar surface the leading edge forms a line of contact with the planar surface which extends from the distal end portion through about 30 to 50 mm. 0000 p. 4 0 o oo 0 4 00 S 7 X\I C9 ____~-_lllilllLII F-~-IIIXI- FI I I The utensil of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said outer face forms part of an imaginery O 4l 0f 0 00# o t 9444 00 90 o o) 4 '4 cylindrical surface.

6. The utensil of claim 5 wherein said inner face defines part of an internal wall of the imaginery cylindrical surface with one edge portion of the inner face tapering towards the leading edge.

7. The utensil of any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein said trailing edge is s;ubstantially roun.dcd or contoured whereby said inner face and said outer face meet to form said rz4e trailing edge.

8. The utensil of any one of claims 1 to 7 including a handle portion depending from the head.

9. The utensil of claim 8 including a heel portion against which the heel of the hand of a user may abut during use, said heel portion extending angularly outwardly from the handle portion and to one side of the utensil, said one side being a side of the utensil along which said leading edge extends. The utensil of claim 8 or 9 wherein said handle is integral with the head.

11. An utensil substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings. DATED this fourth day of March 1987. CHRISTOPHER ROBERT MARSHALL I by his Patent Attorneys G.R. CULLEN COMPANY k6.? Ohl