GB2379596A - Safety cutlery - Google Patents

Abstract

An item of cutlery comprises an operative portion 2 at the end of a handle 1. The operative portion is made from a soft and preferably flexible plastics material of a consistency similar to rubber whereas the handle is made from a stronger and more rigid plastics material than the operative portion and is moulded thereto to become integral therewith and inseparable therefrom unless deliberately cut apart with a tool. The operative portion may be made from a thermoplastic elastomer and the handle from polypropylene. The handle may be comparatively short so as not to protrude from an adult's fist sufficiently to wield as a harmful weapon. The item may be a spoon, a fork, a knife or a spoon terminating in prongs to also serve as a fork. The handle 1 contains internal channels into which an extension 3 of the operative portion 2 is co-moulded.

Description

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Safety cutlery The invention relates to cutlery for use by persons who are liable to cause damage to themselves or to others, for example by using an item of the cutlery as a weapon.

Because the operative portion of cutlery is usually sharp (as in the case of a knife) or pointed (as are the prongs of a fork), some persons are a decided danger to themselves and/or to others if the cutlery is made from metal. The kinds of persons under consideration are prisoners, geriatrics, mental patients and disabled persons, all of whom are liable to wound themselves or others, whether deliberately, or by accident. The same danger exists with currently used plastics cutlery which can easily be broken into dangerously sharp pieces or used as a harmful weapon as a whole.

The invention aims to provide cutlery, especially knives andforks, which are potentiality less dangerous but nevertheless useful for their intended purpose.

According to the invention, an item of cutlery such as a knife or fork has its operative portion made from a soft and preferably flexible plastics material of a somewhat similar consistency to rubber and is moulded to a stronger and therefore more rigid plastics handle to be come integral

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therewith and inseparable therefrom without being deliberately cut apart with a tool. Preferably, the handle is comparatively short so that, even if it were to be severed from the operative portion, it would hardly be long y enough to protrude from the fist of an adult hand and therefore difficult to wield as a harmful weapon. Desirably, the handle length, that is to say the length of the substantially rigid material, does not exceed 8cm.

Examples of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are front q//'e respectively a spoon, fork and knife according to the invention ; Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are corresponding rear elevations ; and Figs 7 and 8 are respectively a front and side elevation of a combination fork and spoon according to the invention.

The cutlery illustrated in all the figures of the drawings consists of a comparatively short handle 1, desirably not longer than 8cm, and an operative portion 2 or 2a or 2b or 2c. Each operative portion is made from a relatively soft andflexible plastics material of a somewhat similar

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consistency to rubber, for example a thermoplastic elastomer such as styrene ethylene, propylene styrene or styrene ethylene butadiene. A suitable material is one that is a rubber-like plastics.

The preferred material for the handle I is a stronger and therefore harder and more rigid plastics such as polypropylene, preferably a polypropylene homopolymer.

The handle i contains internal channels (not visible) into which an

extension 3 of the operative portion of the cutlery can be moulded. The operative portion and handle become integral (form one piece) by socalled co-moulding, which is not a difficult technique for bonding certain

stiff and soft plastics materials to each other. Such co-moulding provides an intense interconnection and it is impossible to separate the two materialsftom each other with o tit a suitable tool. Co-mouldin ofcertain 9 materials therefore does away with special means such as anchoring formations on the handle but it is within the scope of this invention to provide anchoring formations or other connecting means. it will now be evident that the cutlery of the invention can be readily grasped at the handle I by the fingers or in the fist of a prisoner or an infirmordisabledpersonbuttheintegraloperativeportion2or2aor2b

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or 2c, being flexible and soft, is less likely to cause injury if mishandled or handled clumsily, for example, by being poked into the face.

In the combination fork and spoon of Figs. 7 and 8, the operative portion 2c is shaped to be concave to serve as a spoon and exhibits soft prongs to serve as a fork.

It has been that, although cutlery according to the invention is safer for invalids and children and unsuitable for use as a weapon, it is nevertheless eminently suitable to serve its purpose as an eating utensil in restaurants, on aircraft and so on.

Claims (1)

1. Claims 1. / ! 0/'C//C/'CO/M/'m r/ C'/'O/A' 0/'//0/ ! < :// < ? C/ 0/r/A/ ? < ://, 7/'e'/ // ? ( ? 0'C/'//\' < ?/76''//0 'y/'Oi < 3/P W7'/''/Y/}'7/ & //7/// < : M/'f/'i'/ 0/' < T6) . y//' J//wAr//'/- < 56/', 7 M7/'//7/7 ? C c7/C 'MV/'O . S'/yO/Tg' f//' ///7/'/'/C 7/'////M f ? 0/7/'//t'g/ ? 0/'//'0/ ? r ? 0////'C/0 < '0 & CO/M/g7Y7//Af/'U'/7/ ! //'7//Ar//'0/M !// //'//)'C !// /7'/ it-ith a too/.

   2 Cutlery as claimed in Claim 1,'"wherein the handle is comparatively short so as not licie7tlj, to it'ield as a harnifztl to protrlide front the fist of'cin adiilt hand stif 'eapon.

   3. C'/ltle/' cro/'ing to Cl < ri 7 o Cl// 2, t/'i/ ? e'//// ! o/'// ; / ! e7f//f ;e clo. s not excee cnz -/. C' !////' < r/CCC'/''/ ? /6' !)'/,'/C'CY/// ? f/ < r/// ?/,-H'A < ..'/// ? < ? 0/ ? < ?/'/h'/70/'//0/ ?/. S' < ? from a thermop ! astic e ! astomt ! r.

   J. Ch'c'CLC/'f. 7// < / (/ < .' < //e'cc' (.' cJ, U7 ? c'/ ol /C/T//n'e ?/ ; < 3/'/l i '/W/e pot from 7/7 P/'/ ?} 7 < ?//f ? / ?/'0/ ?). 7 < ? P. S'/} 7't ? 0/'/. 7'C C// ! 7 < ? ( ? & / < r//.

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   6. Cy/cyy cco/' < . o'/ ?/' < ? cc < g' c/ < / !,'n'A ( :'/' < /' !// : < < r// 'w < : y/'o/M polyprop ; lene.

   7. Clitlct-j ac-coi-iii ?,, to 6, it-lict-eii the ha ? zlle i. ci polypropylene oqpor.

   8 Cutlery according to (7J1J preceding claim, whert ? Ìn thc operative portion is of COC'C /7 0 t ? V tr/0 < 9/ ! < < 'C/'C'. S' ? /'0/7 0 C/' (j'70.

   9. An c/ ? i c)/c ! /' //y c/'/' < ?/b/'p cr/'c t'/'c/erc/7C < ? o yAe < r/ccof ! '/ m/n

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   Claims 1. ' !/ o/'c : / cCMpr/y ope/'a'veo/'n'o c e e/ ? q/'/ ? // < ?, w/vc//y ? die operath'e portion is made FOI7l ( ! S (ft Clnd pn : fèrably j ? exible plastics muterial of CC''nsistency. i/7 !/'//'/ < /'bC, an '/7'/' < ?i/ ?//7 /M//ij'/P < \/ ('7- < 9 < ;//'ent / ? ? /'M/ '/7/c/ ! 'oei''a'/ ? ; < ')'' < ?/'/g'V// ? / ! /q/' ;'/ ; e < '7 ( :'//h' ( ?/ ? o/'//' < 9 fM W0/,// < ? // ! 6'//0 C < 9-H ? C' ! < Mg- M eCOg !'n/L'g'ra///rCW/ ? OJ//Mf ?/ ;'/Y/ < ? thereFom unless dclihcTate ! y ellt apart Ii, th a { () ol, the handle containing inteJï1ul cannc 70 t'A' < r7 < :'x/7. svo/7 c ?// < ? o/ ;'g/Yi'/'n-'/ ? o/'//r.'M M cc.'-/'.

   . ?. Cz//le/y as clai/77 ///7 CA'7//77/, H'/ ? 6'/'''.' f/ ; / l Cr ? ! p ;'/ ! Vf.''. Or/ so '. Y/7not to pi- () trtide fi-o,,) i the fit of cii ? adz (lt hand ! o cis c weapon.

   3. C' 'le/y accordi/'. to Claim 1 6'/'C7c'//7m 2, c'/'ein7 len/A qh o/ ; / ? < /p oes not exceed 8cm -/. Ctlery accordi' on'py'eccding claim, wh ? 'i ? he o'c/' < i'h''/ ? o/' < i/ i nz ?cle FOIn a thermoplastic elastomer.

   5. Cutlery a'p/c'Tg'c//'n7 ? < ?/'/'/ oerc/n''or//c' /7 ? /' < 9/ ? 7 '7'6y ? < ? ei'/ ! /ee orro/ ? y/f ? e /'eMe o'/7'ce g7s6 a/6.