EP0614340A1

EP0614340A1 - A metal cutlery article with the part to be inserted in the mouth made to be disposable

Info

Publication number: EP0614340A1
Application number: EP92916586A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sauro Brandi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-07-09
Filing date: 1992-07-07
Publication date: 1994-09-14
Also published as: IE922154A1; WO1993000848A1; PT8551T; ITFI910077U1; ZA925041B; AU2369892A; ITFI910077V0; PT8551U

Abstract

Article de coutellerie constitué d'un manche (1) utilisable à plusieurs reprises dont l'une des extrémités sert de raccord (1A), et d'une partie (3) apte à s'introduire dans la bouche, c'est-à-dire la partie en forme de fourchette ou de cuillère, et destinée à être stérilisée et sous emballage hermétique jusqu'au moment de l'utilisation, et à pouvoir être reliée au manche pour compléter ledit article de coutellerie, cette partie étant jetable.Cutlery item consisting of a handle (1) which can be used several times, one end of which serves as a connector (1A), and of a part (3) capable of being introduced into the mouth, that is to say say the part in the form of a fork or a spoon, and intended to be sterilized and in hermetic packaging until the moment of use, and to be able to be connected to the handle to complete said cutlery article, this part being disposable.

Description

DESCRIPTION

"A METAL CUTLERY ARTICLE WITH THE PART TO BE INSERTED IN THE MOUTH MADE TO BE DISPOSABLE"

Technical Field

The invention relates to a cutlery article which has been designed to resolve the problems of a hygienic and functional nature arising with cutlery articles of the type concerned.

Background Art

A cutlery article must advantageously provide a high standard of hygiene, particularly for those articles which are inserted into the mouth during use, and may act as carriers of infection, especially in the case of use by more than one person. Problems of hygiene are present, for example, in public premises, cafeterias, hospital buildings, and the like. In these cases the hygiene of the cutlery is particularly important for the purposes of preventing contagion by infectious diseases. One solution which has been adopted hitherto is that of using disposable cutlery, made of plastic, to limit its cost and permit a single use thereof. However, this type of cutlery has two disadvantages. In the first place, the mechanical strength is relatively very low, and therefore this cutlery frequently breaks in use and is troublesome; to this is added the poor contribution of plastic cutlery to the esthetics of the table and the concept of excessive frugality. A further disadvantage of plastic cutlery is that it is not very resistant to high temperatures, at which it tends to become deformed or to break even more easily.

Disposable metal cutlery is excessively expensive for the particularly large public refreshment sector, which cannot bear the cost of disposable metal cutlery.

The invention is designed to resolve the problem both by providing sufficient economy and by providing a particularly reassuring standard of hygiene.

Disclosure of Invention

To this end, a cutlery article consists of a handle which may be used repeatedly, with one connectable end, and having a part to be used by carrying it to the mouth - such as the fork- or spoon-shaped part - to be provided sterilized and to be unsealed from a protective cover at the time of use and capable of connection to the handle to complete the cutlery article, only said part to be used being disposable and being intended to be discarded after use, while it may be offered to the user in the sealed state and consequently with the maximum assurance of hygiene.

The connection may be made by an extension, with a housing for said extension and with an elastic retaining system with an elastic peg and an indentation, the whole designed to provide a stable coupling and having a retaining effect sufficient to prevent disconnection during use, but also sufficient to permit easy connection and release. The extension may be attached to the handle and form the indentation (or the peg) ; the housing may be formed by folding a sheet from which the part to be used may economically be made; and from which sheet an elastic extension forming the peg (or the indentation) may be formed by cutting.

Description of Preferred Embodiment

The drawing shows a possible embodiment of the invention, and, in particular,

Figs. 1 and 2 show the two components of a cutlery article from the two opposite sides and with said components detached from each other;

Figs. 3 and 4 show enlarged partial. sections along III-III and IV-IV in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 shows the part to be used in a different version from that of Figs. 1 and 2 and with a possible sealing covering. According to the illustrations in the attached drawing. Figs. 1 and 2 show the whole of the components of a cutlery article according to the invention in the form of a fork, while Fig. 5 illustrates the component forming the part to be used, which is made in the shape of a spoon.

In the drawing, 1 indicates a handle made for the most part of metal, having an extension 1A shaped with a limited taper and a transverse section which is for the most part trapezoidal, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4. At an intermediate point the extension 1A has an indentation IB which may for example be a superficial indentation having a spherical segment of relatively limited depth for the purposes indicated below.

3 indicates the part to be used, shaped as a fork, and 5 indicates the part to be used shaped as a spoon, these being the two types of cutlery which are inserted into the mouth or at least between the lips when in use, and which therefore require reliable sterility for the safety of the user, a particularly important consideration in the case of cutlery to be used on public premises.

Each of these parts to be used 3 and 5 has a connecting continuation 7 which is formed as a sheet as in the part 3 or 5 and may therefore be produced in practice by cutting, stamping or drawing. The continuation 7 has two folds 7A which define a joint recess capable of being coupled to the extension lA, said recess having an internal section corresponding to that of the extension 1A and a taper also corresponding to that of the latter to ensure a simple and substantially stable joint. On the principal front of the continuation 7, a U-shaped cut delimits a tag 7B which has sufficient bending elasticity and in which is formed a peg' 7C having its profile corresponding to that of the indentation IB.

The component such as 3. or 5 may be treated to ensure sterility and protected with a sealed wrapping such as that indicated in a general way by 9 in Fig. 5, which may easily be torn but which is such as to ensure that sterility is maintained, both as a result of the nature of the film from which this protective wrapping 9 is formed and as a result of its sealing which can be produced in one of the conventional ways made available by the art.

With this arrangement, it is clear that a component such as 3 or 5 may be expediently removed from the protective cover which has kept it sterile and be easily connected to the handle 1, directly by the user who is to use the cutlery article thus formed. The connection is made by pushing the recess formed by the continuation 7 on to the extension 1A, in such a way that these two parts are also stabilized against each other by the gentle taper with which they are formed. The elastic tag 7B becomes slightly deformed and clicks into place when the peg 7C reaches the indentation 7B, keeping the whole safe from accidental detachment of part 3 or 5 from the handle during use. Moreover, both the operation of insertion, in other words of connection, and the operation of release are relatively easy and therefore may be expediently performed, directly by the user as regards the connection operation.

The component 3 or 5 may be made from a metal sheet which may be of low grade, thus permitting the provision of the sheet material to be inexpensive, since the component 3 or 5 is to be used once only. The whole thus becomes sufficiently economical, in addition to conforming to the requirements mentioned above, and consequently this is a particularly suitable solution for use in public premises, cafeterias, hospitals, and the like.

Since only the handle of the cutlery has to be washed, the washing operation is facilitated and made more economical as a result of the limited dimensions of the handle, so that a much greater number of handles may be placed in the dishwasher than in the case of conventional cutlery.

Claims

1. A cutlery article consisting of a handle which may be used repeatedly, with one connectable end, and having a part to be used by carrying it to the mouth - such as the fork- or spoon-shaped part - to be provided sterilized and to be unsealed at the time of use and capable of connection to the handle to complete the cutlery article, said part being disposable.

2. The cutlery article as claimed in the preceding claim, wherein the connection is made by an extension, with a housing for said extension, and with an elastic retaining system with a peg and an indentation.

3. The cutlery article as claimed in the preceding claims, wherein the extension is formed from the handle and includes the indentation (or the peg), the housing is formed by folding a sheet from which the part to be used is made, from which sheet an elastic extension forming the peg (or the indentation) is formed by cutting.

4. A handle or grip for a cutlery article, comprising, at one of its ends, a means of connection for expediently coupling to a part designed to be carried to the mouth.

5. A portion of a cutlery article designed to be carried to the mouth, such as the spoon- or fork-shaped part, comprising means of connection to a handle or grip.