EP0902638B1

EP0902638B1 - Implement for grasping and eating food

Info

Publication number: EP0902638B1
Application number: EP97918291A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Stuart Charles Aiken
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-05-03
Filing date: 1997-05-01
Publication date: 2003-01-29
Anticipated expiration: 2017-05-01
Also published as: AU2647397A; WO1997041762A1; DE69718783D1; EP0902638A1

Description

This invention relates to an implement for eating food.
Particularly in the light of the seemingly ever-increasing expansion of fast food outlets, including takeaway outlets, a need is perceived for a simple, inexpensive yet practical means by which the items of food may be consumed, i.e. by which relatively small portions of a serving of food may be selected and transferred to the mouth to be eaten. Currently available means, e.g. plastics cutlery or throw away wooden forks are far from ideal and are either relatively expensive or not very efficient for the purpose intended.
Also unsuitable are various known types of relatively large food serving implements. These include salad servers made up of a spoon and fork with the handles joined by a coupling so that they can be used in the manner of tongs or which can be de-coupled so as to be usable separately.
US Patent US-A-3596965 discloses a food handling implement comprising two separate elongate members made of plastics material coupleable together by a tongue at the end of one member being engaged in a rectangular hole in the end of the other member, these ends of the members comprising shaped thickened portions able to ride one on another in a hinge action.
Meanwhile, US patent US-A-3957298 discloses tongs made up of two spaced parallel strips of wood permanently joined by a wooden dowel at one end and usable for picking toast out of an electric toaster.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved implement for eating food which is primarily (but not exclusively) intended to be disposable and intended for eating fast food, i.e. as a replacement for the currently used throw-away wooden or plastic forks.
According to the invention there is provided a food eating implement comprising two separate elongate members each able to flex longitudinally and coupling means for connecting the ends of the members so that they extend alongside one another and so that food can be grasped between the other ends of the members characterised in that said members comprise respective flat strips, and in that said coupling means comprises a hole and interconnected slot in an end region of one strip and a narrowed width portion in an end region of the other strip, for the two strips to be interengaged at said end regions with the strips extending along opposed sides of a V-shape, and the open end of the 'V' may be closed by finger pressure on the outside of the strips.
Preferably, the strips are of elongated, generally rectangular shape, ideally with rounded ends.
Advantageously, said one strip has a round hole towards one of its ends with two linear slots extending from opposite sides of the hole in the longitudinal direction of the strip for the two slots to accommodate the width and thickness of the other strip, the narrowed width portion of the other strip being defined by two arcuate slots, one in each longitudinal edge towards one end of the strip and corresponding to the positioning of the hole for enabling the strips to be rotated relative to each other to form said V-shape.
The strips are preferably of identical external dimensions, i.e. length, width and thickness. They may be of any suitably flexible material, e.g. plastics, metal, wood or rigid card. They may, if desired, be coloured and/or carry a logo or other decoration but it may be preferred for many intended uses that they are plain, simple and inexpensive for throwaway use.
The invention enables a practical inexpensive means of providing a utensil for the eating of food which can be picked up by the tongs - or tweezer-like action of the device. It has widespread applicability, e.g. as indicated above, in takeaways and other fast food outlets and cafeteria, for picnics and buffets and the like.
The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a first arm for use in an eating implement according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a similar view of a second arm to co-operate with the first arm, and
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the implement formed by coupling together the arms of Figures 1 and 2.

In Figure 1 a flat arm is of elongated rectangular shape with longitudinal edges 10A, 10B and rounded short ends 10C, 10D. Towards end 10D is a centrally-disposed hole 11 with linear slots 12A and 12B extending in the longitudinal direction of the arm from opposite sides of the hole 11. Slots 12A, 12B are of sufficient width to accept the thickness of arm 20 (see Figure 2) and of sufficient overall length together with the diameter of hole 11 to accept the width of arm 20.
In Figure 2 arm 20 is of similar elongated rectangular shape with longitudinal edges 20A, 20B and rounded short ends 20C, 20D. A pair of opposed hemispherical slots 21A, 21B is formed in edges 20A, 20B respectively at a position along arm 20 corresponding to the position of hole 11 in arm 10.
Arms 10 and 20 are then releasably coupled together to form a device for the consumption of food as shown in Figure 3. End 20D of arm 20 has been passed through hole 11 and slots 12A, 12B of arm 10 until edge slots 21A, 21B are received inside hole 11. The arms are then rotated through 90° relative to each other so that arm 20 is captured inside hole 11 of arm 10 and the arms face each other to form the 'V' shape shown in Figure 3. The flexibility of arms 10 and 20 allows them to be pressed towards each other so that their ends 10C and 20C come together. Thus the tongs-like device may be held between the fingers and the thumb of one hand and the arms pressed together to pick up an item of food positioned between the arms.
The arms may be e.g. of wood, plastics material or rigid card.

Claims

A food eating implement comprising two separate elongate members (10, 20) each able to flex longitudinally and coupling means for connecting the ends (10D, 20D) of the members (10, 20) so that they extend alongside one another and so that food can be grasped between the other ends (10C, 20C) of the members, characterised in that said members comprise respective flat strips (10, 20) and in that said coupling means comprises a hole (11) and interconnected slot (12A, 12B) in an end region (10D) of one strip (10) and a narrowed width portion (21A, 21B) in an end region (20D) of the other strip (20), for the two strips (10, 20) to be interengaged at said end regions (10D, 20D) with the strips (10, 20) extending along opposed sides of a V-shape, and the open end of the 'V' may be closed by finger pressure on the outside of the strips (10, 20).
An implement according to Claim 1, characterised in that the strips (10, 20) are of elongated generally rectangular shape.
An implement according to Claim 2, characterised in that the short sides (10C, 10D, 20C, 20D) of the rectangle are rounded.
An implement according to any preceding Claim, characterised in that said one strip (10) has a round hole (11) towards one of its ends (10D) with two slots (12A, 12B) extending from the opposite sides of said hole (11) in the longitudinal direction of the strip (10) for the two slots (12A, 12B) to accommodate the width and thickness of the other strip (20), the narrowed width portion of the other strip (20) being defined by two arcuate slots (21A, 21B), one in each longitudinal edge (20A, 20B) towards one end (20D) of the strip (20) and corresponding to the positioning of said hole (11) for enabling the strips (10, 20) to be rotated relative to each other to form said V-shape.
An implement according to any preceding Claim, in which the strips (10, 20) are of identical length, width and thickness.
An implement according to any preceding Claim, in which each strip (10, 20) is from 100 to 150 mm in length, 10 to 20 mm in width and 1 to 2 mm in thickness.
An implement according to any preceding Claim, wherein the strips (10, 20) are made of wood or plastics material.