HRP20020927A2 - Spoon for stirring drinks with sugar substitute - Google Patents

Description

The field to which the invention relates

This invention relates to a disposable spoon for drinks with sugar substitute (black coffee, cappuccino, tea or the like) which has an artificial sweetener built into the mixing part.

Technical problem

How to resolve the serving of beverages with artificial sweeteners in catering?

State of the art

When serving beverages with artificial sweeteners, restaurants usually offer a large package of sweeteners with coffee, usually containing 100 or more tablets. Another well-known way of serving artificial sweeteners is in small packages where each tablet of sweetener is individually packaged (similar to sugar for espresso coffee).

Presentation of the essence of the invention

The aim of this invention is to raise the offer of serving drinks with artificial sweetener to a higher level, combining the sweetener and the spoon into one unit.

This invention represents a single-use spoon for simultaneously mixing and sweetening drinks, made of plastic, which has an artificial sweetener insert in the mixing part. When mixing the drink, the sweetener dissolves, and thus sweetens it. The mixing part with a built-in sweetener is packed in foil that can be removed before use. The protective film ensures the cleanliness of the part of the mixing spoon until use, and it can be removed by simply pulling it in the direction opposite to the handle of the spoon. Only the part for mixing with sweetener and the neck part are packed with foil. In this way, it is ensured that the part of the spoon that comes into contact with the coffee is protected from external influences until use. This type of packaging uses less packaging film, since we do not pack parts that do not come into contact with the beverage. Another way of packaging is to wrap the entire spoon in foil.

Brief description of the drawing

Figure 1 shows a plan, side plan and floor plan of the spoon described by the invention

Figure 2 shows a plan view of the bucket and cone tool for expanding the air gap

Figure 3 shows the floor plan of the bucket and the protective film around the mixing surface and the neck

Figure 4 shows the floor plan of the bucket and the protective film around the entire bucket

Figure 5 shows a spatial view of the bucket

A detailed description of at least one way of realizing the invention

The subject of this invention consists of three functional elements: spoon handle 1, neck constriction 2 and mixing surface 3, which form a whole shape that is visible in the spatial view in Figure 5.

Spoon handle 1, serves to hold the spoon during use. The neck narrowing 2 is narrower than the mixing surface 3, and such a construction ensures safe fixing of the protective film 7, which surrounds the neck narrowing and the mixing surface. The mixing surface 3 is divided into two symmetrical parts by the air gap 5 and the space for inserting the sweetener 4 and thus forms two springs that press the tablet of sweetener inside the space for inserting the sweetener 4.

When making this invention, a material is used that meets the acceptance criteria for food product packaging and has sufficient elasticity so that the springs press the sweetener tablet with adequate force inside the space for inserting the sweetener 4.

The shape of the space for inserting the sweetener, before inserting the sweetener, is smaller than the sweetener itself. In order to allow the insertion of the sweetener, within the space for inserting the sweetener, it is necessary to separate the symmetrical halves of the mixing surface 3 by inserting the conical tool 6 into the air gap 5 as shown in Figure 2. By inserting the conical tool into the air gap, the space is increased for inserting the sweetener and it is possible to insert a tablet of sweetener into the space for inserting the sweetener, and at the same time the springs that form the symmetrical halves of the mixing surface are activated. After pulling out the air gap expansion tool 6, the symmetrical halves of the mixing surface 3 try to return to the position they were in before the air gap expansion, but the inserted sweetener tablet does not allow them to do so and they press it inside the space for inserting the sweetener.

The mixing surface 3 with inserted sweetener and the neck constriction 2 are packed in plastic film. The packaging is carried out using the technique of welding plastic foil, so that two foils of identical size are welded, with one covering the upper and the other the lower part of the mixing surface. Welding is performed with heaters of such a shape that the welded film forms a shape as shown in Figure 3, where we see the welded part of the protective film 7 and the part of the protective film designed to catch the film during removal 8.

Another way of packaging is to pack a whole spoon in foil, and the welded foil forms the form shown in Figure 4.

The spoon made according to this invention can be of various sizes and shapes, depending on what we want to sweeten (black coffee, cappuccino, tea or the like).

Method of application of the invention

This invention finds application when serving beverages that need to be sweetened with an artificial sweetener and mixed at the same time.

List of used call signs and symbols

1- spoon handle

2- neck narrowing

3- mixing surface

4- space for inserting sweetener, with a sweetener tablet

5- air gap

6- air gap expansion tool

7- protective film (welding places are marked with hatches)

8- the part of the foil intended for catching when removing the foil

Claims (4)

1. A spoon comprising a handle, a neck taper and a mixing surface, characterized in that the mixing surface has a built-in sweetener insert. 2. A spoon according to claim 1, characterized in that it has an air gap on the mixing surface, which forms a spring from the two halves of the mixing surface and thus fixes the sweetener insert. 3. A spoon according to claim 1, characterized in that the mixing part and neck narrowing are packed in foil. 4. A spoon according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the whole is packed in foil.