US20170007053A1

US20170007053A1 - Selectable Length Cutlery with Perforated Handle Detachments

Info

Publication number: US20170007053A1
Application number: US15/186,192
Authority: US
Inventors: Sairam Snehal Challa
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-07-10
Filing date: 2016-06-17
Publication date: 2017-01-12

Abstract

A cost effective solution to choose cutlery length in order to fit into jars of varying heights. Invention consists of standard cutlery made from a breakable material such as plastic, wood or any other suitable polymer whose desired length could be chosen by easily snapping off pieces of the handle. The cutlery handle consists of multiple perforations which are easier to break towards the front of the spoon and harder (more resistance) to break towards the back which prevents inadvertent breaking during normal spoon use.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Application number: 62/190,733
Filing Date: Jul. 10, 2015
Inventor name: Sairam Snehal Challa

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A lot of retail products such as peanut butter, salsa, pickles, sugar, dough etc. come in varying heights of jars. Most consumers use spoons or knives to take content out of the jars. After usage they either have to wash the spoons or dispose the cutlery, wasting resources in either case. The reason for this is because there is no easy solution to change the length of the cutlery to leave them in the jars to be reused.
In view of the above what is needed is an easy and affordable solution to choose the length or height of the cutlery handles.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for a selectable-length cutlery. More specifically, the present invention comprises of standard cutlery made from a breakable material such as plastic or wood whose desired length could be chosen by easily snapping off pieces of the handle.
The handle for each of the cutlery consists of mechanically designed perforations at the back of the cutlery that could be easily snapped of in one direction. There are 4-6 perforations depending on the length of the handle at a distance of approximately 10-15 mm between each. The consumer can snap off the appropriate piece to choose desired height of the handle so that the spoon or knife or fork will fit in the appropriate jar. The perforations are designed so that they will snap only in one direction so as to not break during normal usage of the cutlery. This is further explained in detail with the attached diagrams.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is the front view of the cutlery showing the 4-5 demarcations

FIG. 2 shows the angular top view of a spoon with directions in which the disposable piece will and won't snap

FIG. 3 shows the angular top view of the spoon with the direction in which to snap the handle piece

FIG. 4 shows the angular top view of the spoon with a snapped handle piece

FIG. 5 shows a further length reduced spoon

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
As referred to FIG. 1 the cutlery looks like and functions like standard disposable cutlery made of a breakable material such as plastic, wood or any other suitable polymer. Consumers can however see the demarcations on the handle to indicate where they can break.
FIG. 2 shows the angular top view of a cutlery with front of the spoon facing the top. The spoon consists of a handle (1), demarcation (2) (in the front of the spoon) and a perforation (3) (at the back of the spoon).
There are 4-6 perforations depending on the length of the handle at a distance of approximately 10-15 mm between each. The length between the perforations and the total number of perforations could vary depending on the particular cutlery height.
FIG. 2 also shows the directions in which the handle will snap and will be harder to snap under normal usage. The angular perforations (3) are designed so as to snap only when snapped with the fingers towards the direction of the front of the spoon. This is designed so that the handle does not snap during regular use of the spoon where the force is primarily to the back of the spoon.
The handle could use many designs to produce such a functionality. One design being where the handle has a concave shape which makes it easier to break from one direction but harder from the other. However this is one of many designs and the invention is not limited to the scope of such a design but pertains to the idea of a breakable functionality.
Consumers can choose the appropriate height by snapping at their chosen length and use the cutlery at their desired height thereof. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 the snapped pieces come off the handle without leaving any sharp edges. Once a piece is snapped, the demarcation in the front of the spoon will remain on the handle as shown in FIG. 4 (4) to give a finished look to the remaining spoon. The snapped pieces can then be disposed.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that changes and modifications may be made to these arrangements without departing from the true scope and spirit of the present invention, which is defined by the claims.

Claims

1. Standard cutlery made from a breakable material such as plastic, wood or any other suitable polymer whose desired length could be chosen by easily snapping off pieces of the handle. This provides a cost effective solution to select the length of the spoon.

2. Cutlery Handle(1) according to claim 1 consists of multiple perforations(3) which are easier to break towards the front of the spoon and harder (more resistance) to break towards the back which prevents inadvertent breaking during normal spoon use.