EP2459034A1

EP2459034A1 - Extendable utensils and methods of manufacture

Info

Publication number: EP2459034A1
Application number: EP10804803A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Weng Cheong Toh; Edison
Original assignee: Nanyang Technological University
Current assignee: Nanyang Technological University
Priority date: 2009-07-31
Filing date: 2010-07-30
Publication date: 2012-06-06
Also published as: JP2013500762A; WO2011014130A8; SG178140A1; EP2459034A4; US20120222318A1; TW201117756A; WO2011014130A1; KR20120098998A

Abstract

An extendable utensil comprises a base part and a body formed from sheet material having a first surface and a second surface, wherein the body is arranged in a wrap around the base part in successive turns, and a point on the first surface at an end of a turn is fixed to a point on the second surface at a beginning of the turn. A method of manufacturing an extendable utensil is also disclosed.

Description

EXTENDABLE UTENSILS AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE

Field of Invention

The invention relates to extendable utensils and methods of manufacturing extendable utensils. An extendable utensil may be, for example, an extendable chopstick which may be used with another chopstick, as is normal, in a pair.

However, an extendable utensil may be another type of extendable utensil such as, for example, a knife, fork or spoon. Various eating utensils are available in the present day and have been around for many centuries. For instance, commonplace eating utensils include knives, forks, spoons and chopsticks. Eating utensils are available in both reusable and disposable format. Chopsticks are most commonly made of bamboo or plastic but also made of metal, bone, ivory and various types of wood. Wood and plastics, in particular, are a commonplace choice for disposable chopsticks such as one might be given with takeaway food and the like. Bamboo and wood chopsticks are relatively cheap but they present environmental issues because of the source material. Similar concerns apply with plastic chopsticks and the drain they impose on the environment and recycling issues they present.

Because of the length usually required for such utensils, these are may be

considered by some users to be something of an inconvenience for, say, carrying or transporting around. The invention is defined in the independent claims. Some optional features of the invention are defined by the dependent claims.

Implementation of the techniques disclosed herein provided for an extendable utensil which can be considered to be "pocket-size" to allow users to transport the extendable utensils significantly greater convenience than has been hitherto possible. For example, travellers may store these particularly easily in, say, a back pack for easy transportation. Being so compact, they can also be carried around by a user in, say, the user's pocket, either loosely in the user's pocket or inside a small container.

Brief Summary of the Drawings

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a layout view of an extendable utensil;

Figure 2 is representative view of an extendable utensil in closed, partially extended and extended positions;

Figure 3 is a representative view illustrating arrangements for the end of a body (or tape part) of the extendable utensil;

Figure 4 is a representative view illustrating use of the extendable utensil with a first cap;

Figure 5 is a layout view of the first cap of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a layout view illustrating an injection moulded chopstick which is one technique for forming an extendable utensil;

Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating a second chopstick;

Figure 8 is a layout diagram illustrating the technique for attachment of a restraint to an extendable utensil; and

Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating a manner in which the restraint of Figure 8 is housed within the extendable utensil.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

Turning first to Figure 1, an extendable utensil referred generally to by 100 is illustrated. In this Figure, the utensil 100 is a chopstick shown in non-final form.

Figure 1 illustrates an extendable utensil (chopstick) 100 comprising a base part 102 and a body 104 if formed from sheet material having a first surface 106 (the surface 106 viewable in Figure 1) and a second surface 108 ("behind" first surface 106 in the view of Figure Ia). Figure Ib illustrates a view in the direction of arrow "A" in Figure Ia. Figures Ia and Ib illustrate the extendable chopstick in "unwrapped form". Figure Ic schematically illustrates extendable utensil 100 in "wrapped form", as will be described in further detail below. To wrap the extendable utensil 100 into a form where it is usable by a user, the body 104 of extendable utensil 100 is arranged in a wrap around the base part 102 in successive turns and a point 110 on the first surface 106 at an end of a turn is fixed to a point 112 on the second surface 108 at the beginning of the turn. A turn is defined as a complete revolution of 360° around base part 102. It will be appreciated that, in the view of Figure Ib, the spacing between the successive turns of the body 104 around the base part 102 has been exaggerated for ease of understanding. As will become apparent from the following discussion, it is desirable that the successive turns of the body 104 around the base part 102 are wound tightly upon one another so that there is no or substantially no gap 114 between the turns.

In the example of Figure 1, a tip 116 of the chopstick 100 is the part of the chopstick a user might use to hold a piece of food, when the chopstick is used in tandem with another chopstick (not shown). In the example, tip 116 is formed of an elongate body generally referred to by 118 having a circular cross-section (as viewed in Figure Ib and Figure Ic), thereby providing a generally cylindrical form for facilitation of the wrapping of body 104 in successive turns around base part 102. However, base part 102 may be of any other generally elongate form including, say, of generally rectangular, triangular, square or elliptical cross-section. In the example of Figure 1, base part 102 has a length i20 of 3.7cm and has a cross section at a first end 122 (the lower part of base part 102 when viewed in Figure 1) of the tip of 0.4 cm in diameter, tapering to the end 123 of the tip 116 of 0.3cm diameter. Of course, other dimensions are contemplated. Tip 116 extends beyond the width 124 of the body part 104. So, as can be seen, a length 120 of the base part 102 is greater than a width 124 of the body 104 and the body 104 is arranged in a wrap around the base part 102 with a first end 122 of the base part 102 (the lower end of the tip) being aligned with a first side (the lower edge 126a) of the tape/ body 104, which is now discussed. In some implementations, base part 102 is provided with a hole for accommodating an end of a restraint, discussed in more detail with respect to Figure 8.

In Figure Ia, base part 102 is shown adjacent body 104 of the chopstick 100, the body 104 being formed from sheet material. In the example of Figure 1, the body comprises of an elongate strip of tape of generally rectangular shape defined by sides 126a, 126b, 126c, and 126d. In the example of Figure 1, the length 128 of the tape is 60cm and the width 124 is 2.5 cm, with a thickness of 0.05 to 0.1cm. The tape has first and second principal surfaces 106, 108. In the view of Figure Ib, the

"topside" surface in view is a first surface 106 and the "underside" surface is the second surface 108. The base part 102 is of elongate form, having a first base portion 125 around which the body 104 is arranged in a wrap, and a second base portion (tip) 116 extending beyond the wrapped base part 125. In the example of Figure Ia, the second base portion has at least a part 132 which is tapered.

Alternatively, the tip 116 may be provided without a tapered portion.

Base part 102 and body 104 may be provided integral with one another and formed, for example, by an injection moulding process which will be discussed in more detail with respect to Figure 6. Alternatively, they may be provided as separate parts to be assembled together as discussed with reference to Figures 6 and 7.

In one implementation, one or both of base part 102 and body 104 are comprised of an environmentally-friendly product such as corn and/or yam, including corn starch/yam starch which makes the material of the parts both very cheap to make and facilitates making of the parts in an injection moulding process. In some implementations, the materials used are re-cycled materials. With use of cheap materials and/or manufacturing processes, an extendable utensil can even be considered to be disposable, thereby making it amendable for giving away with take- away food and/or with packs of, say, quick noodles or other fast food. Alternatively, the extendable utensils may be made from other plant matter and/or polymers - thermoplastic polymers (e.g. polyethylene, polypropylene) - which do not leach toxic chemicals. As a further alternative, metals such as stainless steel, aluminium or any metal alloy may also be used. However, it should be appreciated that base part 102 and/or body 104 can also be made from any other suitable material, including, for example, paper/card, PVC and acrylic.

The extendable utensils as disclosed herein may be reusable or disposable. For instance, a reusable extendable utensil may comprise of plastic material, with or without restraints and with our without caps, such as silicon caps. The use of restraints and caps are discussed below.

As mentioned above, with reference to Figure Ic, to form the extendable chopstick 100, body 104 is wrapped around base part 102 so that the first surface 106 (or "upper" surface as seen in the lower view of Figure Ib) is wrapped around the external (circumferential) curved surface 102a of the cylindrical base part 102. Once body 104 has been wrapped around the base part 102 for one complete turn and the curved surface 102a of base portion 125 of base part 102 is adjacent/aligned with the body 104, the base portion 125 of base part 102 is completely covered by body 104, then the first surface 106 of body 104 comes into contact with the second surface 108 of body 104 of the first turn around base part 102. The wrapping process continues until the entire length 128 of body 104 is wrapped around base part 102, at which point an end 130 of the body 104 is fixed, as illustrated in Figure Ic. In this, a point 110 on the first surface 106 at the end 130 of the body 104 (which will be, actually, an end of the last turn) is fixed to a point 112 on the second surface 108 directly beneath it; i.e. at the beginning of the last turn of body 104. It may be that body 104 is fixed across its entire width 124 at end 130 for added security, but at the very least, a single point 110, 112 is fixed to retain the wrap in place. The tape may be secured by any suitable means, such as an adhesive (preferably approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration) or by any other suitable fixing means. It will be appreciated that other types of extendable utensils— such as knives, forks and spoons - may be provided where the tip part 116 of base part 102 of the extendable chopstick 100 may be replaced with a suitable knife part, fork part or spoon part. Additionally or alternatively, the respective knife, fork or spoon parts may be arranged to be added on to tip 116.

Turning now to Figure 2, this figure shows in assembled form -- that is, a form which is usable by a user an extendable chopstick 200 in three states. Starting from the left-hand side of Figure 2 and moving to the right-hand side, the three views (a), (b) and (c) illustrate, respectively, the chopstick in a closed (or non-extended) form ("position 1", the original position), the chopstick in a partially extended form

("position 2", the midway position) and the chopstick in extended form ("position 3" the maximum extension position).

As shown in the left-most view (a), body 104 has been wrapped fully around base part 102, the tapered top 116 of which projects from the wrapped body 104. To extend the chopstick 200 from its closed form in view (a) to its extended form in view (c), a user (not shown) may hold the extendable chopstick 200 in both hands. Holding the lower part 202 of the chopstick 200 (as shown in Figure 2), the user takes the upper part of the chopstick 200 -- for example, tip 116 - and pulls it away from the lower part 202. In doing so, the user will bring the extendable chopstick to "position 2" in view (b) of Figure 2, the partially extended (or intermediate) position. (Of course it will be appreciated that the user might hold the upper part 116 stationary and pull on the lower part 202 to achieve the same effect; as long as relative motion between, say, tip 116 and lower part 202 is effected.) As can be seen from "position 2" in view (b) the length of the chopstick 200 has been extended under the force of pulling by the user. As the end of the body part 104 has been fixed as discussed above with respect to Figure 1, the other turns of the wrap are free to move relative one another, effecting a "twist" motion, so that the turns move into, effectively, a spiral or helical wrap, as shown in position 2 illustrated in view (b), extending the chopstick along a central axis 201 of base part 102. The user may also effect a "twist" motion of his (or her) own to facilitate the extension and assist the natural twisting of the tape caused by the extension by the user. For example, the user might twist his or her hand holding part 116 in one rotational direction about axis 201 and the hand holding lower part 202 in the opposite rotational direction about axis 201 to facilitate or assist the natural twisting of the tape. To reach "position 3" the fully extended position as illustrated in view (c), the user simply continues pulling on the tip to extend the chopstick to a length which is comfortable for the user such as, say, 15 to 20cm in length or as otherwise limited by the length of body part 104 or as otherwise restricted, as will be discussed in greater detail below.

As the extendable chopstick is progressively extended in the views of Figure 2, a hollow 208 will be formed inside of the volume defined by the helical wrap as relative motion is effected between the base part 102 and the lower part 202 of body 204.

Chopstick 200 may be provided with an indicator 204 which indicates to the user that a maximum "safe" extension length has been reached. If the user was to extend the chopstick beyond that length, the spiral of the spiral wrap illustrated in Figure 2 would have no overlap between successive turns, and mechanical integrity would be lost, with the chopstick simply unravelling, tending back to a disorderly unwrapped or semi-wrapped tape form. The indicator 204 may be provided in any of a number of ways such as, for example, having a printed part on second (outer) surface 108 of the body part 104 which is hidden from a user's view when the chopstick is in "position 1" in view (a) and comes into view as the chopstick is extended towards "position 3". Thus, the extendable utensil is extendable in a direction of an axis 201 of the base part 102, the extendable utensil comprising an indicator 204 for indicating to a user a pre-determined maximum length of extension of the extendable utensil. This provides a visual indicator that the user should refrain from extending the chopstick further, beyond what would be a "safe" extension length. That is, the indicator 204 comprises an indicator on the second surface 108 of the body 104 at a position on the second surface 108 such that, when the extendable utensil is extended in the direction of the axis 201 of the base part 102, the indicator 204 is exposed for viewing by a user

Looking at Figure 3, various alternative arrangements for the end 300 of the body 104 distal the base part 102 are considered. In the chopstick of Figure 1, the body 104 is of generally rectangular form, having four sides 126a, 126b, 126c, 126d adjoining, as appropriate, one another at right angles (90 degrees) defining the rectangle. The ends 130 of the body 104 in Figure 3 (and also viewable in "position 1" for the chopstick of Figure 2, although not discussed in relation to that Figure) all have a "tapered" form, meaning there is a cut-away part where the end of the body 104 does not form a right-angled corner of a rectangle. In its simplest form, such as in the first three views (a), (b) and (c) of Figure 3, the taper is simply a triangular cut- off 302 from the end 130, thereby giving the taper, and defining the tapered edges 300a, 300b, 300c. An advantage of this is that, when the end portion 130 of body 104 is wrapped around the turn immediately preceding it, increased strength may be provided when the entire length of the tapered end 300a, 300b, 300c is affixed to the inner first side 106 of body 104. In providing this arrangement, then the retention force provided is applied around a rotation of the curved outer surface of the chopstick, there being an increased fixed area around the circumference of the chopstick' s generally cylindrical form. This provides increased mechanical strength.

In the example of view (a), the cut of the cut away portion is simply a straight cut defining a straight line 300a. The In the examples of views (a) and (b) of Figure 3, the detail 300b and 300c on the "cut-off" edge may provide an increased aesthetic and functional experience for the user.

In view (d) of Figure 3, the taper is, effectively, a double taper with a "V" shape 30Od having been cut out of the end of the tape. This design provides increased strength and, thereby meaning chopsticks not provided with the cap - which will be discussed in more detail with reference to Figures 4 and 5 - have increased mechanical strength. The additional mechanical strength is because additional grip is provided; the grip is on upper surface and bottom surface, the grip is equal. For the other details, the gripping surface is emphasised on the bottom edge.

As viewed in all the views of Figure 3, the end view of the extendable chopstick is unchanged regardless of the "finish" to the edges 300. Looking now at Figure 4, an extendable chopstick 400 is shown both with and without a cap (the right hand and left hand views (b) and (a) respectively). The cap 402 sits over the lower part 404 of the extendable chopstick 400 in the views of Figure 4. That is, cap 402 is provided to cover an outer surface 405 of the body 104 when arranged in the wrap around the base part 102. The provision of a cap 402 assists in at least one of two ways. In a first beneficial arrangement, the cap 402 provides additional mechanical strength. The form of the cylinder in the extended position - that is, when the upper part of the chopstick is moved with respect to the lower part of the chopstick (the end nearest the user's hand in use) - is retained more securely, because the "hollow" -- discussed above with reference to Figure 2 - in the lower part of the chopstick formed by moving of the tip is less prone to collapse with the cap 402 in place. Additionally, if the user wishes to retract the chopstick back to "position 1" of Figure 2 by pushing the tip 116 back towards the first cap (with or without a twist in the opposite direction), the provision of the cap 402 prevents a user from over-retracting the chopstick 400 so that the base part 102 would not be pushed out through the base 406 of chopstick 400 in the other direction 408.

The cap can be made in different materials, including silicon, metal, rubber and plastic.

Stainless steel version of the extendable utensil can use a silicon or metal cap to slip on. Turning now to Figure 5, the cap 402 of Figure 4 is illustrated in greater detail in elevation and plan views. The 402 cap is formed of a hollow 410 body of generally cylindrical shape. Of course, the body need only be partially hollow 410 for receiving the assembled and wrapped base part 102 and the body 104. The cap of Figure 5 has a diameter of 1.0cm, but, naturally, the dimensions of cap 402 should be selected to complement the dimensions of the extendable utensil. The cap can aid retraction -- or to put it conversely, to restrict over-retraction -- of the chopstick back in direction 408 beyond the closed "position 1" of Figure 2 as discussed above.

Although not illustrated in the drawings, the chopstick may be provided with a second cap to cover the portion of the base part (i.e. tip 116) which extends beyond the width 124 of the tape 104 in fully wrapped form (e.g. in view (a) of Figure 2). In some examples, the second cap can be designed to interface with the first cap, thereby to encapsulate or otherwise cover the chopstick in closed form ("position 1" of Figure 2, view (b)).

Figure 6 illustrates the manner in which the base part 602 and the body 604 shown in layout in view (c) may be joined together, either being formed integrally with one another as part of an injection moulding process, or being formed separately and then fixed together. In the injection moulding process, the body 604 may be joined to base part 602 at, effectively, a tangent 606 of the curved surface 608 of the generally cylindrical shape of base part 602. This is best viewed in the uppermost sectional view (a) of Figure 6. Alternatively, the body 604 may be joined to base part 602 at any other angle deemed suitable. For instance, in the alternative view shown in sectional view (b), the body 604 is joined to the base 602 at an angle which is co- planar with a radius 610 of the generally cylindrical base part 602.

Of these two, the tangential arrangement of the view (a) may facilitate smooth wrapping of body 604 around base part 602, since, at the point 612 where body 604 joins base part 602, the angle of turn of the body 604 at the commencement of the wrapping process is less abrupt in this arrangement; the tape can therefore be wrapped more smoothly around the tip, with less disturbance in the wrapping caused by an abrupt angle change. Use of a generally cylindrical tip or tips having a curved shape allows for smoother wrapping. In the injection moulding process, the mould is injected with a corn and/or yam

(starch) liquid and then subjected to typical injection moulding processes to produce the base part 602 and body 604 as described above.

Alternatively, the body 604, having been formed separately from base part 602, is joined to base part 602 at any suitable point, for example, at point 614 shown in view (d) which defines an entry into slot 616 of the base part 602. In this

arrangement, slot 616 is made in base part 602 for receiving an edge 618 of body 604. Body 604 is then mechanically fixed in the slot using, for example, a FDA- approved adhesive, pivots or dowels. In the alternative view of figure 6 (e), the base part 602 is arranged to provide a clipping function for clipping or retaining the body 604 in place. As before, body 602 comprises an entry point 614 in the form of slot 616 to receive an edge 618 of body 604 therethrough. In this example, body part 602 has a c-type shape having a resiliency deformable part 620 to provide a clamping function on body 604; that is, the C-shape may be provided to perform a biasing function to clamp on to body part 604. Other types of clipping arrangement are also contemplated, including the likes of dowels and other mechanical fixing

arrangements. Of course, adhesives may also be used.

Another illustrative example of an extendable chopstick where the tip and the tape are formed separately is shown in Figure 7. As shown, the tape 704 in the chopstick of Figure 7 is made from a 50cm length of transparent PVC sheet. The width 706 at one end (the left-most end in Figure 7) is 2.5cm and on the bottom side 708 of the tape (when viewed in Figure 7), the tape has a step 710, so that, at about three- quarters of the way along the length of the tape, the tape width 712 is increased to 2.8cm. Of course, the precise arrangement of widening of Figure 7 is only illustrative and other widening arrangements such as tapering out or flaring out are also contemplated.

Base part 702 is comprised of an acrylic tube of 4mm diameter and 3.5 cm length, and this example. Two holes 714 a, 714 b, are made in the tube 702, such as by drilling, punching or otherwise, or the holes are made during, say, a moulding process.

Prior to assembly of the chopstick of Figure 7, the PVC tape can, optionally, be coloured or otherwise finished, such as by painting/spray painting. Preferably, the end result is that the chopstick is coated in a way which is sufficient to satisfy FDA standards. The tape is fixed to the tip by any suitable means. In the example of Figure 7, holes 716 are made in the tape as shown, and the tape is fixed to the tip with string (not shown). The tape is rolled around the tip and fixed, as described above with reference to, in particular, Figures 1, 2 and 3.

Turning now to Figure 8, another method of manufacturing an extendable chopstick 800 is discussed. As before, extendable chopstick 800 comprises a base part 102 and the body 104. As before, base part 102 has a tip 116 extending beyond the width of the base part 104. To prevent over-extension of extendable chopstick 800, chopstick 800 comprises a restraint 802 attached to a first part of the extendable utensil and to a second part of the extendable utensil. In the example of Figure 8, the first part of the extendable utensil is the base part 102 and the second part of the extendable utensil is the body 104 to restrain the extendable utensil from extension beyond a pre-determined maximum length of extension. Restraint 802 is attached to base part 102 at 804 by means such as stitching or gluing. Point 804 is provided in a "middle section" 807 along a length of the body 104. It is not essential that the point 804 be at the exact mid-point along the length of body 104, but it is preferable that point 804 be somewhere in the middle section 807 for acceptable results to be achieved. Thus, restraint 802 being affixed in the manner described restrains excessive relative movement between base part 102 and the point 806 of body 104. Optionally, restraint 802 may also be fixed to an end section along a length of the body 104. That is, restraint 802 is fixed to body 104 at a second point 808 for improved mechanical integrity. It will be appreciated that restraint 802 is displayed in schematic only and the parts in this (or any other) figure are not to be considered to be drawn to scale.

In alternative configurations, both of the first part and the second part of the extendable utensil are on the body 104, preferably on different sections such as a section adjacent base part 102 and either of the middle section 807 or end section 809 of body 104. If restraint 802 is not fixed to base part 102, it is preferable that base part 102 is affixed to, or formed with, body 104. Additionally, the restraint may be attached to cap 810. In a further alternative configuration, the cap 810 may be the second part of the extendable utensil, and the first part is either the base part 102 or body part 104. If at the body part 104, then the restraint is preferably fixed at a section adjacent the base part. For the fixing of the restraint 802 to extendable chopstick 800, restraint 802 is first affixed to base part 102 at point 804, as discussed above. The, the body 104 is partially wrapped around base part 102 with the trailing part (trailing from point 804) restraint 802 held free away from the wraps. When the wrapping process reaches or comes near to point 806, wrapping is paused for the restraint 802 to be fixed to body 104 in mid-section 807 - e.g. at point 806 - prior to continuation of the wrapping and subsequent fixing of restraint 802 at end-section 809, for example at point 808.

In an alternative arrangement shown in Figure 8 (b) restraint 802 is attached to a cap 810 at point 808. As discussed above with reference to Figure 4, cap 810 is provided for covering an outer surface of the body when arranged in the wrap around the base part, again for increased mechanical integrity and user confidence.

Of course, other numbers of fixings to the extendable utensil parts may be allowed. Restraint 802 may be made of any suitable material such as cotton, or industrial materials like nylon or steel wire for easy cleaning. The restraint may be arranged to run along inside walls of the hollow shell of the extendable utensil when extended. When housed within the hollow shell, the restraint may be arranged, or lie, in a coiled fashion.

Figure 9 illustrates the manner in which restraint 802 may be housed within the hollow 804 of chopstick 800 when relative movement is effected between the tip 116 and the base part 202 or the cap 808. Again, this figure is provided for

illustrative purposes only and are not to be considered limiting in suggesting that the restraint 802 is of a length which is longer than a length of extendable chopstick 800 when in the fully extended position.

It will be appreciated that the utensil (chopstick) has been described by way of example only and various modifications may be made to the techniques described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Features presented in relation to one aspect may also be combined with features relating to another aspect. If the utensil is not a chopstick - say a fork, knife or spoon -then it will be appreciated that, additionally, a utensil head having, say, fork prongs, a spoon body or a knife blade will also be provided to the extendable part of the utensil.

Claims

1. An extendable utensil comprising a base part and a body formed from sheet material having a first surface and a second surface, wherein the body is arranged in a wrap around the base part in successive turns, and a point on the first surface at an end of a turn is fixed to a point on the second surface at a beginning of the turn.

2. The extendable utensil of claim 1, wherein a length of the base part is greater than a width of the body and the body is arranged in a wrap around the base part with a first end of the base part aligned with a first side of the body.

3. The extendable utensil of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the base part is of elongate form, having a first base portion around which the body is arranged in a wrap, and a second base portion extending beyond the wrapped base part.

4. The extendable utensil of claim 3, the second base portion having at least a part which is tapered.

5. The extendable utensil of any preceding claim, wherein the extendable utensil is extendable in a direction of an axis of the base part, the extendable utensil comprising an indicator for indicating to a user a pre-determined maximum length of extension of the extendable utensil.

6. The extendable utensil of claim 5, wherein the indicator comprises an indicator on the second surface of the body at a position on the second surface such that, when the extendable utensil is extended in the direction of the axis of the base part, the indicator is exposed for viewing by a user.

7. The extendable utensil of any preceding claim, wherein the extendable utensil comprises a restraint attached to a first part of the extendable utensil and to a second part of the extendable utensil to restrain the extendable utensil from extension beyond a pre-determined maximum length of extension.

8. The extendable utensil of claim 7, wherein the first part of the extendable utensil is the base part and the second part of the extendable utensil is the body.

9. The extendable utensil of claim 8, wherein the second part is a middle section along a length of the body.

10. The extendable utensil of any of claims 7 to 9, wherein the restraint is attached to an end section along a length of the body.

11. The extendable utensil of any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the restraint is attached to a cap, the cap being for covering an outer surface of the body when arranged in the wrap around the base part.

12. The extendable utensil of any of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a cap for covering an outer surface of the body when arranged in the wrap around the base part.

13. The extendable utensil of any preceding claim, wherein the base part comprises a clip for clipping to the body.

14. The extendable utensil of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the base part and the body are integrally formed with one another in an injection moulding process.

15. The extendable utensil of any preceding claim, wherein the base part is of generally cylindrical form.

16. The extendable utensil of any preceding claim, wherein at least part of the utensil comprises of corn or yam.

17. A method of manufacturing an extendable utensil, the method comprising wrapping a body formed from sheet material around a base part to form successive turns, the body having a first surface and a second surface, and affixing a point on the first surface at an end of a turn to a point on the second surface at a beginning of the turn.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a length of the base part is greater than a width of the body and the method comprises wrapping the body around the base part with a first end of the base part aligned with a first side of the body.

19. The method of claim 17 or claim 18, further comprising covering an outer surface of the body wrapped around the base part with a cap.

20. The method of any of claims 17 to 19, wherein the extendable utensil is extendable in a direction of an axis of the base part, and the method further comprises providing the extendable utensil with an indicator for indicating to a user a pre-determined maximum length of extension of the extendable utensil.

21. The method of any of claims 17 to 20, wherein the method comprises providing the indicator on the second surface of the body at a position on the second surface such that, when the extendable utensil is extended in the direction of the axis of the base part, the indicator is exposed for viewing by a user.

22. The method of any of claims 17 to 21, further comprising attaching a restraint to a first part of the extendable utensil and attaching the restraint to a second part of the extendable utensil, the restraint being for restraining the extendable utensil from extension beyond a pre-determined maximum length of extension.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first part of the extendable utensil is the base part and the second part of the extendable utensil is the body.

24. The method of claim 22 or claim 23, wherein the second part is a middle section along the length of the body.

25. The method of any of claims 22 to 24, comprising attaching the restraint to an end section along the length of the body.

26. The method of any of claims 22 to 25, further comprising attaching the restraint to a cap for covering an outer surface of the body when arranged in a wrap around the base part.

27. The method of any of claims 17 to 26, further comprising covering an outer surface of the body arranged in a wrap around the base part with a cap.