GB2179238A - Disposable chopsticks - Google Patents

Abstract

A pair of disposable or "use-and- throw-away" chopsticks 2, 3 is combined with a pad 6 having a recess 7 on one side thereof. From the point 4 to the neck of the chopsticks 2, 3 is separate but the parts at the neck are interconnected to the pad 6 at the tail end. To use the chopsticks, they are separated from the pad 6 at their necks 5, and during use the smaller ends can be temporarily placed on the pad 6 in recess 7 so as to keep their points clear of the table surface. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Disposable chopsticks This invention relates to disposable (that is to say "use-and-th row-away") chopsticks particularly suitable for use, for example, in Chinese restaurants, e.g. in Britain and or use by people who eat rice and use chopsticks, for instance in the former British colonies in south east Asia, including Singapore and Hong Kong.

In areas where the staple food is rice, since people are accustomed to being frugal and are ignorant of the incidence of infectious diseases, such as hepatitis B, it is customary to wash used chopsticks, made of plastics, bamboo or wood, and then use them once again. Since these conventional chopsticks are often not well cleaned, infectious bacteria, such as hepatitis B can quite frequently be left on them. Particularly in large restaurants and hotels or even cafeterias and snackbars, where there are a great number of customers, each pair of chopsticks may be used repeatedly by different people. In addition, often they are not thoroughly cleaned, so those who frequently eat out are more susceptible to infectious diseases such as hepatitis B contracted from dirty chopsticks or other dining utensils.

In recent years, medical circles have discovered that saliva is an effective medium for infectious heptatitis B and often is left on used dining utensils or dishes, during or after dining. If an eater is a hepatitis B carrier, those who eat after him and use the utensils used by him, even if they have been washed, or those who eat at the same table with him, are susceptible to suffer infectious heptatitis B.

In view of the above, the medical circles and competent health authorities have done their best to encourage people to use throw-away utensils including chopsticks, so as to maintain their health.

As one form of disposable utensils, it is known to provide disposable chopsticks made of bamboo or wood and packed after sterilisation. In each pair, the chopsticks have their tail parts (hand-holding parts) interconnected at one side and can be separated by splitting their interconnected tail parts so as to be available for use by an eater. The chopsticks are thrown away after use, thereby avoiding the possibility of others using the same again and minimizing the risk of contracting infectious disease. When the chopsticks of a pair are separate, their lack of interconnection indicates that perhaps someone else has used the same. Therefore, these disposable chopsticks have the primary advantage by that the user can tell from their tail part interconnection whether or not the chopsticks have aiready been used.Diners can eat out without worry and safeguard their health, and restaurants in general are willing to offer such disposable or "useand-throw-away" chopsticks to demonstrate that they pay attention to the health of their customers.

As a result, these disposable chopsticks are very popular in the restaurants in general.

In the normal use of chopsticks, the user seldom needs to hold the chopsticks all of the time, except in the case where one is eating in a hurry. For instance, during a meal involving drinking of wine or eating soup, the diner may have to put his chopsticks down onto the table surface a number of times, which poses the problem as the where to put the chopsticks down, and be correct? This problem is often overlooked by a majority of diners. Even if attention is paid to this problem, there is, in fact, no right place to put the chopsticks down. Eaters often put chopsticks down on the table, at random, as they like, so the table becomes a mess. In some cases, somewone may even mistakenly take someone else's chopsticks. Furthermore, the front ends of used chopsticks are often tainted with oil stains, dish residue and the user's saliva.To put these chopsticks on dishes for common use is a danger to health, gives an unsatisfactory appearance and is not good etiquette; to put the chopsticks down obliquely on one's own dishes is also ugly; to put them down on a napkin is not suitable because the napkin itself may not necessarily be clean; particularly in the course of a banquet, one's napkin can often become polluted by wine, condiment or food.

In view of the above, Japanese people make extensive use of chopsticks pads made of china or ceramic for resting chopsticks thereon. When these pads are used, everyone can usually put his own chopsticks down on his own chopsticks pad, in ordered disposition, e.g. with the points of chopsticks directed toward the centre of the table and held up above the table surface. As a result the chopsticks are put down in an orderly manner. They are not polluted by the tablecloth or napkin, the problem of suitably putting the chopsticks down is solved, and the necessity for the existence of chopsticks pads is affirmed.

Chopsticks pads are often used repeatedly after cleaning or washing. However, although nowadays public health is becoming more important and the disposable or "use-and-throw-away" set has been popular, the use of chopsticks pads made of china, pottery or plastics effectively spoils the function and value of the disposable chopsticks, since this pad is also able to taint the dinner set with the user's saliva, from the front ends of chopsticks, and can very easily become a carrier of infectious disease, such as heptatitis B, if not properly cleaned or washed.

In order to obviate the above-discussed difficulties and disadvantages, the present invention provides a novel and practical construction of disposable chopsticks, with a pad, which is particularly adapted to the requirements of public health. The chopsticks of the invention are characterised by these features: a certain length from the point to the neck (about 25 cm, corresponding to the length of same part of chopsticks used in general) of each chopstick is kept separate from the other but the parts thereof at the neck are connected to a pad at the tail end, and there is a recess on one side of the pad.To use this pair of chopsticks, one separates them from their pad at their necks, and their smaller sections can be temporarily placed on the pad so as to support their points above the table surface which is therefor kept neat and unspoilt, the points of the chopsticks are kept free from pollution by contact with napkin or tablecloth.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment ofthe chopsticks ofthis invention; Fig. 2 is a comparable view of another embodiment of the invention; Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line A-A' of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line & ' of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view illustrating a modification of the embodiment of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing a modification of the embodiment of Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the practical use of the example of Fig. 1; and Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the use of the example of Fig. 2.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, each pair of chopsticks 1 is made as a unit. A certain length (about 25 cm, corresponding to the length of usual chopsticks in general) from point 4 to the neck 5 on each chopstick body 2,3 is kept separate, the one from the other, but the neck parts 5 thereof are interconnected to pad 6 at their tail ends, and there is a respective recess 7 formed on one side of the pad 6 (either on the left or right as shown in Fig. 1, or on the front or back as shown in Fig. 2).

To use the chopsticks of this invention, all one has to do is to separate the individual chopsticks 2, 3 from their pad 6 at their necks 5 so that the pair of chopsticks can then be used in traditional manner to pick up food. The pad 6 can be put down on the table surface with the recess 7 upward. In the course of dining, the chopsticks can be put down temporarily with their smaller ends in the recess (as shown in Figs. 7 and 8) so as to keep their points 4 raised from the table surface and this safeguards against tablecloth or napkin pollution. In addition, because each pair of chopsticks comes with its own pad 6, everyone at a table can readily put his own chopsticks on his own chopsticks pad 6 in ordered disposition with the points of the chopsticks directed, e.g. towards the centre of the table, so as to keep the whole table neat and tidy.

The said neck 5 in the chopsticks of this invention is much smaller than any other part of chopsticks body 2,3 so that it is very easy to separate the originally-interconnected chopsticks 2,3 and pad 6 from one another for use. The chopsticks and pad, as a whole, are intended to be thrown away after use and never to be used again so that the chance of any diner contracting an infectious disease, such as hepatitis B, is considerably minimized.

Furthermore, if desired, a toothpick 10 (Figs. 7 and 8) may be together with each pair of the chopsticks of the invention, since people in Hong Kong, Singapore, and other countries still customarily use toothpicks which are often offered as a batch in a holder by the restaurant. With the arrangement of the invention, when a toothpick is provided, when the disposable chopsticks are unpacked for use, the toothpick might be put down on the table surface at random if no suitable position for its placement is available. Therefore, a small groove 9 (as shown in Figs. 1 and 2), provided on the same side 8 as the recess 7 on the pad 6, is designed to accept one end of the toothpick 10, (as shown in Fig. 7 and 8) and thereby keep it neat and clean. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, a small recess 11 on the corner of the side 8, on the same side as said recess 7 on the pad 6 may be provided for placing the toothpick 10.

Claims (4)

1. A pair of disposable chopsticks in combination with a pad wherein a certain length from the point to the neck of each chopstick is separate from the other chopstick, but parts thereof at their necks are connected to the pad at the tail end, there being a recess on one side of the pad, the chopsticks being separable at their necks from the pad which can be used to support the chopsticks with the points of the chopsticks placed in the recess, so as to keep these points away from the table surface.

2. A pair of disposable chopsticks as claimed in Claim 1 wherein a groove is provided on the side of the pad adjacent the recess.

3. A pair of disposable chopsticks as claimed in Claim 1 wherein a recess is provided in a corner of the pad adjacent the recess.

4. A pair of disposable chopsticks in combination with a pad, substantiaily as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1,3,4 and 7, or in Figs. 2 and 8 or in Figs. 5 or in Fig. 6 of the accompanying drawings.