EP4079197A1 - Konstruierbares gerät - Google Patents

Konstruierbares gerät Download PDF

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Publication number
EP4079197A1
EP4079197A1 EP22168258.6A EP22168258A EP4079197A1 EP 4079197 A1 EP4079197 A1 EP 4079197A1 EP 22168258 A EP22168258 A EP 22168258A EP 4079197 A1 EP4079197 A1 EP 4079197A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
utensil
handle
jaws
slot
head
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
EP22168258.6A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Harvey Tucker
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP4079197A1 publication Critical patent/EP4079197A1/de
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
    • A47G21/00—Table-ware
    • A47G21/02—Forks; Forks with ejectors; Combined forks and spoons; Salad servers
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47G—HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT
    • A47G21/00—Table-ware
    • A47G2021/002—Table-ware collapsible

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to utensils which are provided as part of food products to allow convenient consumption of the food.
  • the present invention is directed towards providing an improved utensil in terms of its manner of packaging with the food product and also in its utility as a spoon, spork or fork.
  • the invention provides a constructible utensil comprising a handle part and a head part of biodegradable material, said parts being configured to engage each other to form a utensil, wherein:
  • At least one pair of jaws have inner edges which converge towards a mouth, and at least one part comprises a recess for snap-fitting engagement with the jaws of the other part.
  • both of the parts comprise said recess.
  • the recess of the handle part is proximal of the handle part slot, and the recess of the head part is distal of the head part slot.
  • the recess of at least one part is aligned in the longitudinal direction with the slot of the same part.
  • at least one of the recesses comprises a through hole.
  • the slot of at least one part converges with a taper to narrow towards the mouth of the slot.
  • the handle part is planar.
  • a proximal end of the head part is planar.
  • the handle part converge distally to form a taper shape.
  • thickness of material in each part does not exceed 2mm, and optionally thickness of material in each part does not exceed 1mm.
  • the parts comprise wood material.
  • the utensil is selected from a spoon, a fork, and a spork.
  • the utensil is stored in a recess in a base of the container, or in an over-lid cavity.
  • a constructible utensil comprising a handle part and a head part of biodegradable material, the handle part having a slot at its distal end forming a pair of jaws, and the head part having a slot at its proximal end forming a pair of jaws, and said jaws are configured to engage the other part when the handle and the head parts are pushed together at a mutual angle with the proximal end of the head part being received in the slot of the handle part and the distal end of the handle part being received in the slot of the head part.
  • At least one pair of jaws have inner edges which converge towards a mouth.
  • At least one part comprises a recess for snap-fitting engagement with the jaws of the other part.
  • both of the parts comprise said recess.
  • the recess of the handle part is proximal of the handle slot, and the recess of the head part is distal of the slot.
  • the recess of at least one part is aligned in the longitudinal direction with the slot of the same part.
  • the recess comprises a through hole.
  • the handle part is planar.
  • a proximal end of the head part is planar.
  • the side edges of the handle part converge distally to form a taper shape.
  • the thickness of material in each part does not exceed 2mm.
  • the thickness of material in each part does not exceed 1mm.
  • the parts are of wood material, but could be card, paper or moulded fibre.
  • the utensil may be a spoon, a fork, or a spork.
  • a convenience food product comprising a food container and a utensil of any example described herein with the parts separate and one part overlying the other.
  • the utensil may be stored in a recess in a base of the container.
  • a constructible utensil has a handle and a head of biodegradable wood or other biodegradable material.
  • the utensil is of planar configuration.
  • the handle has a slot at its distal end forming a pair of jaws with converge towards a mouth at the distal end of the handle.
  • the head similarly has a corresponding slot at its proximal end forming a pair of jaws and these also converge in a similar manner.
  • the handle is planar and has a central through hole, and the head has a planar part with a central through hole.
  • the user grasps the handle and the head by different hands, mutually rotates the handle and the head about their longitudinal axes, pushes the handle and the head together with the jaws of each engaging opposed surfaces of the other and continues this action until the jaws snap fit in the holes of the other part.
  • the assembled utensil is robust due to the strength of engagement of the handle and the head and due to the fact that they are of wood and the shape and size of the slot and jaws.
  • a constructible utensil is in this example a spoon 1, having a handle part ("handle") 2 and a spoon head part ("head") 3.
  • the handle 2 When packaged on a substrate 5 the handle 2 overlies the head 3 in a compact arrangement with a low profile. This is helped by the fact that the handle and the proximal end of the head are planar, and with the handle overlying the concave spoon surface the packaged height is only about 7.5 mm in this example.
  • the packaged thickness does not exceed 10mm, and it is preferred that the thickness of the material in each part does not exceed 2mm, preferably less than 1mm.
  • the spoon head 3 is c. 66 mm in length and the handle is c. 60 mm in length. In another example these dimensions are 67.5 mm and 65.5mm, respectively.
  • the lengths can be as desired and as space allows.
  • Fig. 2 shows an alternative constructible utensil, in this case a fork 100 packaged into a substrate 105.
  • This has the handle 2 and a fork head 103 having an overall configuration which differs from the spoon 1 only at the distal end of the head.
  • Both utensils are entirely of wood material, in this case birch wood.
  • the material may be different, such as bamboo, card, paper, or moulded fibre.
  • they are completely biodegradable.
  • they have the major benefits of being compact when packaged because they are in two parts overlying each other with a low profile, and being long enough for convenient use when constructed, and also being strong because they are of wood material and the manner of inter-engagement of the handle and head, as described in more detail below.
  • a utensil of the invention may be of any type, including a knife or chopstick for example.
  • the handle 2 is of planar wood configuration, having a planar body 10 with a proximal end 13 and a distal end 14 and the longitudinal direction is defined as that extending between the proximal and distal ends.
  • the proximal end 13 end has a convex curved edge.
  • Side edges 11 and 12 of the handle converge with a narrowing taper towards the distal end 14.
  • the latter has a cut-out slot 17 extending in the longitudinal direction so that the planar body 10 forms a pair of jaws 15 and 16. Due to the shape of the slot 17 these jaws converge distally to form a narrow mouth of the slot 17.
  • the handle 2 also has a central through-hole 20 proximally of the jaws 15 and 16 and on the longitudinal axis, aligned with the slot 17.
  • the spoon head 3 has a proximal portion 30 which is planar, having the same thickness as the handle 2. Its proximal end 30 has a cut-out slot 34 forming opposed jaws 32 and 33, which converge proximally with a similar taper angle as the jaws 15 and 16 of the handle.
  • the slot 34 has the same dimensions as the slot 17 of the handle.
  • the head proximal portion 30 also has a through-hole 35 which is distal from the jaws 32 and 33 and spaced from them on the longitudinal axis of the head 3 by the same extent as the hole 20 is from the jaws 15 and 16 of the handle.
  • the distal end 31 of the head 3 is of conventional spoon shape having a concave portion 40.
  • Fig. 4 shows that, in use after removal from the packaging substrate 5, the handle and the head are orientated at a mutual angle of 90° about the longitudinal axes and pushed together so that the slots 17 and 34 engage each other.
  • This pushing action is continued against the friction resistance of the ends of the jaws 15/16 and 32/33 rubbing against the planar surfaces of the other part.
  • This resistance continues until the leading ends of the jaws snap-fit into the hole 20/35 of the other part.
  • the inner edges of the jaws engage the planar surfaces of the opposed part, and this together with the snap-fitting engagements provides sufficient strength of engagement for the two parts to form a unitary spoon suitable for use with the food of the package.
  • Fig. 5 there is a considerable degree of overlap and the 90° mutual angle helps to provide anti-bending strength in use.
  • the fork 100 parts 2 and 103 are similar to the parts 2 and 3, except for the fork head 104 of the head part 103. Like parts are given the same reference numerals, and assembly of the fork 100 is the same as that of the spoon 1.
  • the utensil of the invention may take any suitable form, the distal end of the head being shaped as desired to suit the use.
  • a utensil of the invention is compact when packaged, can be easily assembled, and has excellent strength due to the manner of engagement of the parts. It is particularly preferred that the material is of wood due to its biodegradable nature and strength and suitability for snap-fitting engagement as described.
  • the overall length of the assembled utensil is nearly double that of the parts.
  • the jaws and the cut-out slots give the utensil particular strength whereby the handle remains firmly attached to the head while in use.
  • the two corresponding slots also ensure strong vertical and horizontal strength
  • the invention is not limited to the embodiments described but may be varied in construction and detail as would be readily understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art.
  • the distal ends of the jaws may have features which extend laterally more prominently for snap-fitting into the aperture of the other part.
  • the jaws may have protruding spigots for snap-fitting engagement with the recess or through hole of the other part.
  • the slots narrow gradually towards their mouths because this gives a large extent of surface contact for firm inter-engagement.
  • At least one part may have material which extends beyond the end of the mouth of the slot, possibly to provide additional stability.
  • the recesses which are engaged by the jaws may be blind recesses instead of through holes.
  • through holes are preferred because they provide maximum extent of jaw snap-fitting movement and are easier to manufacture.
  • the jaws of any one pair may be of different length so that they engage the other part at different longitudinal positions.
  • Other variations are material and overall length shape of the cutlery item.
  • the material may comprise any one or more of wood, card, paper or in some cases recyclable or bio-degradable plastics.
  • the composition may be fibre moulded pulp made from wood or bagasse.

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  • Table Equipment (AREA)
EP22168258.6A 2021-04-22 2022-04-13 Konstruierbares gerät Pending EP4079197A1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP21169995 2021-04-22

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP4079197A1 true EP4079197A1 (de) 2022-10-26

Family

ID=75659816

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP22168258.6A Pending EP4079197A1 (de) 2021-04-22 2022-04-13 Konstruierbares gerät

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP4079197A1 (de)

Citations (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1521768A (en) 1923-03-06 1925-01-06 Mono Service Company Paper spoon
US3624787A (en) * 1970-06-03 1971-11-30 Yetty Newman Utensil carrying closure member
US3931925A (en) 1974-04-05 1976-01-13 Ruff Stanley L Paperboard container lid convertible into a spoon
JPH0434971U (de) * 1990-07-18 1992-03-24
DE4316657A1 (de) * 1993-05-11 1994-11-17 Holzwarenfabrik Deutscheinsied Besteckteile aus Schälholz, insbesondere in Form einer Gabel, eines Messers oder eines Löffels
GB2281689A (en) 1993-09-09 1995-03-15 Mertapa Com Sl Disposable spoon
WO2010135740A2 (en) * 2009-05-22 2010-11-25 Suncirc, Llc Food packaging system with separable food utensils
US9869575B2 (en) 2012-10-11 2018-01-16 Ecotensil Inc. Constructible utensils
DK201900050U3 (da) * 2019-06-18 2019-07-04 Plant2Plast A/S Bestik
US20190380519A1 (en) * 2018-06-18 2019-12-19 Savorware, LLC Edible eating device and method of making

Patent Citations (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1521768A (en) 1923-03-06 1925-01-06 Mono Service Company Paper spoon
US3624787A (en) * 1970-06-03 1971-11-30 Yetty Newman Utensil carrying closure member
US3931925A (en) 1974-04-05 1976-01-13 Ruff Stanley L Paperboard container lid convertible into a spoon
JPH0434971U (de) * 1990-07-18 1992-03-24
DE4316657A1 (de) * 1993-05-11 1994-11-17 Holzwarenfabrik Deutscheinsied Besteckteile aus Schälholz, insbesondere in Form einer Gabel, eines Messers oder eines Löffels
GB2281689A (en) 1993-09-09 1995-03-15 Mertapa Com Sl Disposable spoon
WO2010135740A2 (en) * 2009-05-22 2010-11-25 Suncirc, Llc Food packaging system with separable food utensils
US9869575B2 (en) 2012-10-11 2018-01-16 Ecotensil Inc. Constructible utensils
US20190380519A1 (en) * 2018-06-18 2019-12-19 Savorware, LLC Edible eating device and method of making
DK201900050U3 (da) * 2019-06-18 2019-07-04 Plant2Plast A/S Bestik

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