US57918A

US57918A - Improved combined knife and fork

Info

Publication number: US57918A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1866-09-11
Anticipated expiration: 1883-09-11

Description

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FETE.

JOHN S. JENNINGS, OF BUFFALO, NEV YORK.

IMPROVED COMBINED KNIFE AND FORK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 57,918, dated September 1l, 1866.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. JENNINGS, of the city of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved OneHanded Knife and Fork; and I do hereby declare that the following' is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side view of the same. Fig. 2 is a similar view, representing the knife in the position for cnttin g. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

It is the object of my invention to provide for those who have the use of but one hand an instrument which will perform the functions both of a fork and knife, and thus, in eating, repair to a great extent the inconvenience arising from the want of both hands; and the invention consistsin combining a cutting-blade, which is pivoted to acase or sleeve sliding upon the shank or tines of a fork, and provided with a thumb or finger piece, serving as a handle, whereby a reciprocating motion may be given to the blade for cutting by the use of one tinger, while the handle of the fork is firmly held in the hand and, also, in the employment of a socket or other suitable bearing, whereby the thumb may be employed to give the requisite pressure on the blade and leave the iin ger entirely free to perform the reciprocating strokes for cutting.

As represented in the drawings, A is the handle, and B the tines, of the fork. The

latter, as well as the shank, is preferably lnade straight, or nearly so, and are provided with the slots c and d, for a purpose that will be explained. A sleeve or case, E, is fitted to slide easily over the tines, and pivoted to this by means of the screw f, or other suitable de vice, is the curved shank g of the blade or knife H. Anarm, lr, extends from this pivot upward and is bent outwardly, and provided with a loop or finger-hole, I. rlhe blade forms a segment of a circle, of which the pivot f is the center, and when the fork-handle is grasped by the hand the foretinger in the loop I is capable of giving' a range of motion sufcient to carry the entire cutting-edge of the blade backward and forward by the side of the forktines.

The pivot-screw f enters ya spur or boss on one end of a plate, my, (most clearly shown in Fig. 3,) which boss tits in the slotc of the fork so as to move easilytherein. The opposite end of the plate m has a spur or pin, which projects through the slot d in the shank of the fork, and has riveted or otherwise secured to its end the socket or thumb piece L. lnserted in the slot c, below the spur of m, which moves therein, and bearin g against it, is a spiral spring, 0, which is completely inclosed and concealed by the sleeve E. Its office is to keep the knife raised, as in Fig. l, so that it will not interfere with the fork when that is required to be used alone. The projections on the ends of the plate m, passing through the two slots c and d, form a guide to the mo- Ation of the knife when moving up and down on the fork, and secure its steady action.

It is obvious that the pressure necessary to,

overcome the spring o may be imparted by the finger while working the knife in cutting, and thethumb-piece L thereby dispensed with; but I prefer to employ this appendage, so that that the thumb may be employed to press the knife as it cuts into the food, which will frcquently prove of great convenience, especially to those in a feeble condition.

As represented in the drawings, the instrument constitutes a combined knife and fork for the left hand. To adapt it to the righthand it is only necessary to place the knife on the opposite side ofthe fork-a change easily accomplished.

A little practice will enable those who have had the misfortune to lose a hand to acquire the use of this implement, and overcome,

to a great extent, that helplessness incident to their loss. What I clailn as my invention, and desire to