GB2518350A - Cutlery forceps - Google Patents

Abstract

Cutlery forceps comprise pivotally-connected first and second members, the first member having a finger grip portion 2 at one end and a curved, serrated 9 jaw portion 5 at the other and the second member having a thumbstall 1 at one end and a curved, serrated 8 channel portion 6 at the other. The forceps are intended for use at the dining table, or at barbeque parties. They are used at meals where the food items are served very hot and consist of meat-on-the-bone such as spare ribs, marinated ribs, lobsters, crabs, chops or poultry legs or thighs. In use the diner grips the handle 2 and places rhe thumb into the thumb-stall 1 so that movement of the thumb in relation to the fingers produce a mechanical grip between the curved serrated jaws. The cutlery forceps allows the user to lift and firmly grip and hold the hot meat pieces without ending-up with sticky, greasy, discoloured, or burnt fingers. The forceps are equally suited to left or right handed users. The forceps can be made from stainless steel or heat-resistant polymers.

Description

Cutlery forceps An improved Cutlery Forceps has been devised.

This invention relates to a device for use, as part of the cutlery use, at a table when there is a request to eat meat off the bone, especially when the menu includes sticky or very hot types of meat on the bone.

In recent times, the open air barbeque, which North America has pioneered, has added various roasts into the menus of hotel, restaurants, and cafes as well as into the home. This involved meat on slender bones such as in pork ribs, poultry legs, thighs, lamb chops, lobsters, crabs and other types of meats on the bone. Such meat parts can be marinated and some variations can take on a deep red colour like the Chinese style. Often all the meats are eaten at barbeques and at parties, when normal roast chicken and grilled meats are eaten as part of the standard table menu.

At the barbeque and at the table, often the hand-picking mode of eating, gives rise to greasy, sticky, burnt and sometimes discoloured fingers and there is a obvious need for some sort of implement which can firmly grip and hold onto the hot meat bone and allow the partying person or diner to enjoy the meat without the unpleasant feel of burnt, sticky, greasy and coloured fingers.

To overcome these problems the present invention proposes cutlery forceps which can be manipulated by the thumb and gripping the power of the finger or fingers on a shaped hand grasp.

The invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanied drawings in which: FIGURE 1 shows the cutlery forceps in the open position with the curved serrated jaws edges in the grasping mode to clutch the meat bone.

FIGURE 2 shows the same cutlery forceps in the closed position with the curved serrated jaws in contact or intermitting and cut away section on the thumb stall.

In Figure 1 a cutlery forceps consists of a pivot pin 3 which is the pivoted point for finger grip 2 and a thumb-stall 1 (which is trunk shaped to fit different sizes of thumbs) so that when the thumb occupies its thumb-stall and the fingers array along the handle grip 2 the movement of the thumb can affect either the opening or closing of the cutlery forceps jaw 4 and jaw 6 on hole 7 ofjaw 4.

Pivot pin 3 goes through hole 12 in thumb-stall 1, through pivot hole 7 in the jaw 4, through hole 11 in thumb-stall 1 and welded or riveted at both ends of pivot pin3 to thumb-stall 1.

Both curved serrated jaws 4 and 6 are joined and fulcrum on the pivot pin 3 by the movement of thumb-stall 1 and finger grip 2.

The cutlery forceps jaw 4 is serrated along 9 and jaws 6 is serrated along 8 to bite into both sides of the meat bone for a secure and safety grip, when holding a bone between jaw 4 and jaws 6 when eating the meat.

Jaw 6 is trough shaped and curved along the serrated 8 and jaw 4 is curved at the end 5 so that when the meat bone is gripped between serrated jaw 4 and serrated jaws 6. The meat bone will not slip between the curved serrated jaw 4 and the curved serrated jaw 6 when holding the bone, while eating the meat.

Jaw 4 goes through slot 10 in the thumb-stall 1 and jaw 4 is joined on to the thumb-stall I by the pivot pin 3. Slot 10 is a guide for handle 2 and thumb-stailL Curved serrated jaw 4 is intermitting with curved toughed serrated jaws 6 in curved opposed to help the user get a better grip on the bone and also when not in use the cutlery forceps can lie closed on the dinner table or barbeque benelt Jaw 6 has a curved fang end 15, so that the jaws 6 will slip under the meat bone much easily that is on the plate.

The thumb-stall 1 is of the trunk shaped required, that the user can get more pressure, get a better grip and feel more secure, when eating the meat on the meat bone and to fit the thumb no matter how big or small.

Curved serrated jaws 6 is a continuation of thumb-stall 1.

Figure 2 illustrates the cutlery forceps in the closed intermitting position where the fingers grip 2 and the thumb-stall elements 1 lies parallel in a packet in a position for laying at a dinner table or at a barbeque bench.

Tongue 13 on the thumb stall 1 is required that the users thumb will be comfortable when more pressure is required to hold a meat bone When in use, the cutlery forceps in the hand and in the open position of Figure 1, grasps by the thumb in the thumb stall 1 and fingers on the finger grip 2 movements. The meat bone is between the curved serrations jaws 6 and the curved serrations jaw 4.

Curved serrated jaw 4 is a continuation of finger grip 2.

The knuckle tail 14 that is a continuation of handle 2 so that the user can have his/her fingers between handle 2 and knuckle tail 14 for the help of opening the jaw 4 andjaws 6 on the cutlery forceps.

The handle 2 and thumb stall 1 are ergonomically designed for easy handling, irrespective of whether the diner is left or right handed.

The cutlery forceps is designed so that food will be easily washed from all the parts, for hygienic purposes.

Finally, the cutlery forceps can be manufactured from stainless steel in order to blend into other metal cutlery sets or the thumb-stall can be multi-perforated to reduce metal weight and to cut-down the effect of metal heat conductivity. In addition the fmger grip 2 can be surfaced notched to aid a non-slip grip and alternatively the unit can be produced from high melting point polyaniides, polycarbonates or in urea-melamine polymers to cater for barbeque requirements.

Claims (11)

1. CLAIMS1. Cutlery forceps which can be manipulated by the use of the thumb in the tnink shaped thumb-stall 1 and by the power of the fmgers on the shaped hand grasp 2 in order to effect the opening or closing of the forceps jaws on a meat bone whose upper member is curved and serrated and lower members is trough shaped, curved and serrated so that the meat bone will be firmly griped and not slip when eating the meat without the risk of greasy and sticky fingers and both jaws are joined and fulcrums on a pivot pin 12 that when both] aws are closed are intermitting.
2. 2. Cutlery forceps as in Claim 1 wherein manipulation of the thumb opens the forceps into a mode ready to safely grip hot meat which has been served on the hone
3. 3. Cutlery forceps according to any of the above claims wherein the safety nature of the clasp on both sides of the bone is assured by the curved 5 on serration of upper jaw 4 and by curved Son serration lower trough shaped jaw 6 of the cutlery forceps.
4. 4. Cutlery forceps according to any of the above claims wherein the forceps in the closed position orientate in a parallel and intermitting mode to aid the setting out of a dinner table or the lay-out of benches at barbeques.
5. 5. Cutlery forceps according to any of the above claims where the tong 13 on thethumb-stall 1, provided so that the user can get more pressure on the meat bone and is. more comfortable on the users thumb as. well as fit.different...sizes of thumbs.
6. 6. Cutlery forceps according to any of the above claims where the trunk shape of the thumb-stall 1 is provided to affect the opening of the cutlery forceps and put pressure on the meat bone when eating the meat on the bone and comfort on the users thumbs no matter how big or small the thumb may be.
7. 7. Cutlery forceps according to any of the above claims where the shape of the handle 2 and the thumb-stall 1,is provided for use by either left or right hand with out any strain on the hand.
8. 8. Cutlery forceps according to any of the above claims where the handle 2 is provided for the fingers to hold the Cutlery forceps with one to four fingers with according to the size of the users hand.
9. 9. Cutlery forceps according to any of the above claims where the fangs 15 on the end ofjaw 6 is provided to slip under the meat bone much more easily on the plate.
10. 10. Cutlery forceps according to any of the above claims wherein the device can be made of stainless steel, for dinner table setting or from high melting point polyamides, polycarbonates for the mundane use or in urea-melamine polymers to cater for barbeqpes.
11. 11. Cutlery forceps substantially as described herein with reference to Figure 1 and 2 of the accompanied drawings.