GB2413298A - Spreading knives - Google Patents

Abstract

Spreading knives are provided with a handle (10) and a spreading blade (15) extending from each end of the handle (10). One blade may be used for a first spreading operation, e.g. of butter or low fat spread on to bread or toast, and then the other end used for the second spreadable material. This prevents contamination of the spreadable material in one container, for example a jar or tub to occur in the quantity of other spreadable material in such a jar or tub.

Description

24 1 3298 - 1

SPREADING KNIVES

This invention relates to spreading knives, particularly for domestic use, for example for spreading butter or butter substitute spreads.

There has long been a realisation that, for efficient spreading, the shape of the knife is important. A wide variety of spreading knives is known, most of which have a rounded end blade. They do not generally have a cerrated or sharp cutting edge, but rather one which is sufficiently sharp to enable material to be spread to be gathered up on one side of the blade and then spread across the desired location, for example a slice of bread or toast.

Very often, consumers wish to spread more than one item on a single piece of bread or toast. Most commonly, butter or some form of butter type spread, for example a so-called low fat spread, is spread first on to bread or toast followed by the application over the layer of butter or the like of further material, for example jam, marmalade or peanut butter.

Because of the nature of both spreadable materials, residues remain on the spreading implement. Accordingly, if the same implement is used for two sequential spreading operations, there is a probability that some material from the first spreading operation will contaminate the container from which material is removed in the second spreading operation. This can be unpleasant in the case of butter because it tends to turn rancid and thus adulterate e.g. a pot of jam. This can occur over a period of time, for example a week or two, between that particular pot of jam being chosen by the user.

A further disadvantage particularly when the material on to which the spread is applied is toast is that, in addition to the butter or like spread, the spreader, when inserted into the jam, marmalade or the like carries with it (/ - 2 particles of toast which can then be transferred on to the jam or the like in the second container.

According to the present invention, there is provided apparatus for spreading edible materials consisting of an elongate handle portion adapted to be held in the hand and, extending from each end, a spreader blade, both spreader blades being fixed to the handle portion in a fashion enabling no relative movement between either blade and the handle portion.

Double-ended knives are known, for example for use as combat weapons (for example as disclosed in US-A-5054200) or as throwing knives (for example as disclosed in US-A-4608757) but, in such cases, the blades themselves are not particularly adapted for spreading, i.e. they are sharp and intended to cause injury or to allow penetration of the knife into material such as wood. In particular, the knives disclosed in the specifications just referred to have pointed ends, while the preferred shape for a spreader blade is to have a rounded end.

Using the apparatus of the present invention is simple and straightforward and it avoids the contamination problem noted above. The user uses one blade to apply the first spread, for example butter, low fat spread, margarine or the like and then turns the apparatus around to use the other blade for applying the second spreadable material, for example jam, honey, peanut butter, marmalade, fish paste.

Working in this way, there is no contamination and if it is desired to spread e.g. a second slice of toast, it is easy to see which end has been used for the butter or the like and which for the second applied material.

The design materials of construction and other features of the apparatus according to the invention may vary widely. In particular, the handle portion To - 3 may be integrally formed with the spreader blades, or it may be separate.

The easiest integral approach is when the material of manufacture is plastics since apparatus of the present invention may then be manufactured simply and extremely inexpensively by injection moulding. If, however, for example the blades are made of metal, then a preferred construction is to provide a handle usually of non-metallic material between the two blades. The two blades may be connected together via a metal elongate section joining them or alternatively the blades may be separately fitted and fixed into an elongate handle.

When the spreader blades are of metal, this may be any metal conveniently used for cutlery, for example stainless steel, plated base metal, or other appropriate alloy. The handle may be made of any convenient material, for example wood, plastics, bone or a different metal. A particularly preferred construction is to form the handle of a slightly resilient rubbery material. This should clearly be of a grade which is not degraded by placing the apparatus in a washing up machine where it will be exposed to high temperatures and aggressive cleaners, but "dishwasher-proof" plastics, both hard and slightly resilient, are widely available commercially.

The present invention however lends itself particularly also to the production of simple one-piece moulded plastics items which may indeed be produced to a quality level and at a cost which renders them essentially disposable.

Such a device could be of value in the case of pre-packaged meal products designed for use outside, e.g. for consumption essentially "from the packet".

The invention is illustrated by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows pictorially but diagrammatically the problems associated with the conventional use of a single blade knife for spreading. \ - 4

Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are perspective views of different embodiments of the apparatus according to the present invention, and Figure 6 shows the sequence of operations undertaken when using the apparatus of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows the prior art approach where a knife 1 is manipulated by the user's hand 2 to extract a quantity of low fat spread 3 from a plastics tub 4. The spreadable material is carried on the blade of the knife and spread across a slice of bread 5. The knife 1 is then used (as shown in the lower illustration) to extract a quantity of jam from a body of jam 7 contained in a jar 8. The jam carried to the toast 5 may then be spread on it, to provide the "jam on toast" desired by the consumer.

As will be clear, after the knife is first used, e.g. when the spread 3 is applied to toast 5, knife 1 will pick up toast crumbs 9 and these can become deposited in the body of jam or the like 7, along with residues of the spread.

This is unsightly and can reduce the ability of the jam 7 to keep fresh.

Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 show apparatus according to the present invention. As can be seen, each consists of a central handle portion 10 to 13 carrying at either end blades 15 to 18 respectively.

Figure 2 shows an integrally formed version made entirely of stainless steel with finished blade ends and the central handle portion 10 ornamented with three bands.

Figure 3 shows an embodiment where a central handle portion 11 is located between the two blades 16, and fixed by a rivet 20. The handle portion 11 is of a dishwasher-safe grade of silicone rubber and has a moulded depression 21 for improved grip. / - 5

Figure 4 shows an alternative construction in which a handle 12 of hard plastics material and of desired colour is rivetted on to a bar which runs between blades 17.

Figure 5 shows an alternative version where the material of the handle is blank. This may be made of steel, other cutlery metal, or moulded of plastics as a disposable item.

The use of apparatus according to the invention is shown in Figure 6. As can be seen, in the first stage, one blade of the apparatus is used to extract the relevant quantity of spread from tub 4. The spread is then applied to the toast 5 and thereafter the apparatus is turned round and the other spreader blade inserted into the body of jam 7. The jam may then be applied on top of the spread already on toast 5 in the customary way. It is clear once this procedure has been carried out which end is the "buttery" one and which the "jammy" one, and these may be used subsequently for the respective purposes of dipping into the spread and jam and spreading the material extracted from the body of spread or jam appropriately. Contamination of either of the containers by content from the other is avoided.

It will be seen from Figure 6, bottom right portion, that if, as in the apparatus shown in Figure 6, the blades are oppositely directed, there is a risk of the residues of spread 3 contacting the user's wrist or a garment cuff. For this reason, the blades in the apparatus are preferably directed the same way, as shown in Figures 2 to 5. - 6

Claims (4)

1. Apparatus for spreading edible materials consisting of an elongate handle portion adapted to be held in the hand and, extending from each end, a spreader blade, both spreader blades being fixed to the handle portion in a fashion enabling no relative movement between either blade and the handle portion.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1 wherein the spreader blades do not have sharp cutting edges and have a rounded end contour remote from the handle.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the handle portion is moulded on to an integral double-bladed central member.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the spreader blades and handle portion are formed integrally from plastics material.