US20230031341A1

US20230031341A1 - Snack-like food utensil - chooon

Info

Publication number: US20230031341A1
Application number: US17/443,868
Authority: US
Inventors: Taylor Marquia Barnes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-07-28
Filing date: 2021-07-28
Publication date: 2023-02-02

Abstract

The present invention comprises A food consumption utensil with an oblong, oval-shaped shallow bowl region having a flat bottom, a curved side, and ridges along the tip. The unique aspects of said utensil create an advent experience for the snack food consumer, obviating the need to touch said food directly with hands. The ridges on the tip of said utensil assist in guiding snack-like foods into the oblong, oval-shaped shallow bowl that allows for the holding of said food. The curve on the right side of the utensil encourages ease of deliverance of said snacks into the mouth of the consumer.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Applicants' prior provisional application number [63/031,540] filed on [May 28, 2021].

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the general field of Household or Table Equipment and has certain specific applications to [spoons] [A47G 21/04]. Said invention can also relate to the general field of Kitchen Equipment with specific applications to [Other culinary hand implements, e.g., spatulas, pincers, forks or like food holders, ladles, skimming ladles, cooking spoons; Spoon-holders attached to cooking pots] [A47J 43/28].

BACKGROUND

Cutleries are hand implements, primarily used in preparing, serving, and eating food, especially in Western culture. When used, one doesn’t have to have direct hand contact with the items being consumed or their mouths, creating a safer consumption experience.
In the case of snack-like foods, many of which are categorized as finger foods, there is a lack of inclusivity in the cutlery world. This leaves many consumers left to choose between their snacks, and risking sanitation issues.
According to the CDC, one of the three most important actions to take when reducing the spread of germs is to wash one’s hands. Many consumers opt to use hand sanitizer to consume food in public, but hand sanitizing is not as effective as handwashing, especially when not correctly done. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of microbes on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs. The presence of water, food, fatty materials, feces, and blood on hands can significantly reduce the effectiveness of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Snack-like foods in particular, are notoriously known for leaving food residue on the hand. They can make cleaning hands before & after consumption challenging if there is no sink nearby.
Therefore, a need exists for a tool that eliminates the hand-to-mouth consumption of snack-like foods. There is also a need for this tool to be portable, easy to wash, and convenient to use. Finally, there is a need for the advent of a utensil specifically designated for the consumption of snack-like foods.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally consists of a food consumption utensil with an oblong, oval-shaped shallow bowl region having a flat bottom, a curved side, and ridges along the tip. The unique aspects of said utensil create an advent experience for the snack food consumer, obviating the need to touch said food directly with hands.
The ridges on the tip of said utensil assist in guiding snack foods into the oblong, oval-shaped shallow bowl that allows for the holding of said food. The curve on the right side of the utensil encourages ease of deliverance of said snacks into the mouth of the consumer. The handle on the utensil promotes ease of insertion and removal of the present invention from most snack-sized containers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 - FIG. 1 depicts an example of a substantially side view of the present invention according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 2 - FIG. 2 illustrates a side perspective view of one example of the present invention according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 3 - FIG. 3 illustrates a side perspective view of one example of the present invention according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 4 -FIG. 4 illustrates an aerial view of one example of the present invention according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 5 - FIG. 5 illustrates an aerial view of one example of the present invention according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 6 - FIG. 6 illustrates a front view of one example of the present invention according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 7 - FIG. 7 illustrates a back view of one example of the present invention according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 8 - FIG. 8 illustrates a worm’s-eye view of one example of the present invention according to various embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary knowledge in the field to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant field and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
In describing the invention, it will be understood that several views of the invention are disclosed. Each of these serves to display the aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible aspect in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that each view is entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.
The advent of snack-like food utensils is discussed herein. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be evident to one knowledgeable in the field that the present invention may be used without this specific purpose.
The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below. The present invention will now be described by referencing the appended FIG. 1 .
FIG. 1 comprises a food consumption utensil with an oblong, oval-shaped shallow bowl region having a flat bottom, a long handle, a curved side, and ridges along the tip. The unique aspects of said utensil create an advent experience for the snack food consumer, obviating the need to touch said food directly with hands.
The handle is slanted and 165.1 mm long, specifically calculated for distancing in avoiding hand-to-mouth contact. The ridges on the tip of said utensil assist in guiding snack-like foods into the oblong, oval-shaped shallow bowl of the utensil, despite the snack-like foods possibly being broken into minuscule pieces.
The curve on the right side of the utensil measures at approximately 38 mm, in between the average smile-span of an adult and a child, encouraging ease of deliverance of the snack-like foods into the mouth of the consumer.
Although the present invention has been illustrated and described herein with reference to the preferred figure thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary knowledge in the field that the other figures and views may show similar functions and/or achieve like results. All such equivalent figures and views are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, are contemplated thereby, and are intended to be covered by the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A food consumption utensil comprising an oblong, oval-shaped shallow bowl region having a flat bottom, said flat bottom being the lowest point of said utensil and said oval shape comprising a circumferential ellipse defining a sidewall around said entire oval, said sidewall rising upwards at an obtuse angle sufficient to encompass an optimal food portion without spillage.

2. A food consumption utensil comprising a bowl region comprising ridges along at least a portion of the top to facilitate optimal scooping and grabbing of food portion.

3. A food consumption utensil comprising a handle attached to said bowl region at an angle, said angle optimized to enable consumption with minimal effort and having a length corresponding to conventional snack food bag and/or container sizes, wherein usage of said utensil obviates the need to touch said food directly with hands.