GB2333691A - Chopsticks - Google Patents

Abstract

An eating implement eg chopsticks comprises two arms 2 connected together at a hinge 3, the two arms being further coupled at one end by a spring means 7 such that the opposite end of the arms are biassed apart from one another. The free ends may include gripping portions 4 and raised ridges 6. The implement can be formed in a one piece plastics moulding operation. A method for constructing said eating implement in a plastics moulding operation is also disclosed. The implement attempts to provide simple and positive means for gripping food pieces.

Description

EATING IMPLEMENT This invention relates to an eating implement. It relates particularly to an implement that can be used for picking up small pieces of food being similar in use to a pair of chopsticks.

The use of chopsticks for eating requires a certain amount of manual dexterity and practice. This is because the user's hand has to hold both chopsticks of a pair to provide the opening and closing action and additionally the alignment has to be kept correct so that a hinging action is achieved. Non Asian adults can thus have some difficulty in operating the chopsticks to pick up food and children of both Asian and non-Asian origin also find this difficult.

There is a growing interest in eating Asian food and in using the correct tableware and implements in order to fully appreciate the experience. Enjoying the meal in a relaxed environment is also beneficial and it would be helpful if the operation of a pair of chopsticks could be facilitated. There have been attempts to provide a chopstick arrangement where the two sticks are partially supported together at a fulcrum and one example is disclosed in the specification accompanying Patent Ap)lication No. GB22C2426A. The construction shown in the published specification does not have any very positive means for enabling the sticks to hold food pieces and the action of using the chopsticks still does not give a positive and simple means for gripping the food pieces.

The present invention was devised to help in overcoming this problem.

According to the invention, there is provided an eating implemnt having two arms connected together at a hinge, the two arms at one end being coupled by spring means such that at an opposite end the two arms will be biassed apart from one another whereby when gripped by a user's hand they will be able to pick up small food pieces. The two arms may be formed in a single moulding operation from a synthetic plastics composition. The two arms may be formed simultaneously with one or both of the hinge and the spring means.

At the arm end intended for grasping a food piece, one or both arms may be provided with a planar gripper platform.

Preferably, the gripper platform includes a series of raised ridges.

A method of constructing an eating implement having two arms, a hinge and a spring means comprises forming the implement in a plastics moulding operation where the arms are formed simultaneously with one or both of the hinge and the spring means. Conveniently, the two arms, the hinge and the spring means are formed in a single moulding operation.

By way of example, a particular embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a front elevation, Figure 2 depicts a side elevation, Figure 3 is a detail of a gripper platform at the end of one arm, Figure 4 is a view from above on an enlarged scale as compared with Figure 1, Figure 5 shows the implement upper part on an enlarged scale, and, Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line VI-VI on Figure 5.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the eating implement 1 has two long arms 2 which are linked by a hinge 3. At a lower end, the arms 2 carry a gripper platform 4 which includes raised ridges 6. At an upper end, the arms 2 are connected by a circular spring means 7 which serves to hold the two upper ends biassed towards one another.

The construction can be seen in greater detail in Figures 4, 5 and 6. Figure 5 shows the upper ends of the arms 2 with the spring means 7 holding the ends in a stable position relative to the hinge 3. In this position, the lower ends with the gripper platforms 4 are spaced a predetermined distance apart from one another and this is a stable state to which the arms will tend to return after having been squeezed together during usage of the implement.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken at the location of the hinge 3 joining the arms 2.

In operation of the eating implement, the arms 2 are gripped by the user's hand in the region between the hinge 3 and the gripper platform 4. In this position, the implement is supported comfortably in the hand without needing any special manipulation of the fingers. The arms 2 are lying in a stable open attitude and the platforms 4 may be placed on either side of a food piece in a bowl and the piece then grasped by pushing the arms 2 together. The food piece is thus lightly gripped and the implement may then be raised to the mouth and the pressure on the arms released. This causes the arms 2 to reopen since the hinge and spring cooperate to always return the implement arms to the open condition.

The opening is thus effected without requiring any unusual manipulation of the fingers. The action of lifting a food piece may then be repeated and the user is unlikely to experience any feeling of tiredness through using unfamiliar muscles in the hand. The gripper platforms 4 with the raised ridges 6 serve to give a firm grip on the food pieces that are lifted and the general enjoyment of the meal will be considerably enhanced.

The construction of the eating implement can be achieved very effectively as a one-piece moulding from a synthetic plastics composition. In this way, the moulding of the arms 2 the hinge 3 and the spring means 7 is done in a single moulding operation and the implement is then produced in one piece without any additional assembly operation being needed.

This technique can thus enable the implement to be provided at a minimum manufacturing cost. One suitable moulding material that has been proposed is a Food Grade ABS polymer composition.

It is envisaged that the eating implement will be made available in different sizes intended to meet the needs of different groups of user. The measurement from the hinge 3 to the lower end of the gripper platform, for example, can be a distance of 220 millimetres for a Standard model, 150 millimetres for a Medium model and 70 millimetres for a Small model. The Small model is thus perfectly suitable for being used by a child and since the gripper platform is considerably wider that is usually provided with traditional chopsticks, this enables even small items such as rice grains to be readily delivered to the mouth. The design has smooth radiused edges on all sides of the implement to facilitate cleaning.

Whilst the implement design is particularly suited to an article intended for repeated usage, it would alternatively be possible to make a version that could be disposed of after the first use.

In use of the eating implement, it has been found to be very easy to operate and it can help to increase the pleasure obtainable from eating an Asian meal.

The foregoing description of an embodiment of the invention has been given by way of example only and a number of modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For instance, the spring means 7 does not have to be circular in shape. In an alternative embodiment, the spring could be U-shaped. Similarly, the gripper platforms 4 do not have to be provided with the ridges 6 of raised form and tie platforms in different embodiments may be left smooth or provided with some alternative means for retaining hold on the food pieces.

Although the device of the present invention has been described as an 'eating' implement, it is clear that the tong-like construction will enable the implement to be used for many other purposes such as handling food pieces during a cooking operation or for handling non food items.

Claims (9)

1. CLAIMS 1 An eating implement having two arms connected together at a hinge, the two arms at one end being coupled by spring means such that at an opposite end the two arms will be biassed apart from one another whereby when held in a user's hand they will be able to pick up small food pieces.
2. 2 An implement as claimed in Claim 1, in which one or both arms at the said opposite end include a gripper platform.
3. 3 An implement as claimed in Claim 2, in which the said gripper platform includes raised ridges.
4. 4 An implement as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which the two arms are formed in a one piece construction with an integral hinge.
5. 5 An implement as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, in which the two arms arc formed in a one piece construction with the said spring means.
6. 6 A method of constructing an eating implement as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, the method comprising the step of forming the two arms and one of the hinge and spring means in a plastics moulding operation.
7. 7 A method as claimed in Claim 6, in which the arms, the hinge and the spring means are formed simultaneously in a plastics moulding operation.
8. 8 An eating implement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any -oae, of the accompanying drawings.
9. 9 A method of constructing an eating implement subslantially as hereinbefore described.