WO2004047557A1 - Spoon for stirring drinks with sugar substitute - Google Patents

Abstract

The spoon for stirring drinks with sugar substitute can be applied for both stirring and sweetening a beverage. An artificial sweetener is inserted in the part used for stirring (3) so that it can come into contact with the beverage, which is thus stirred and sweetened at the same time. The spoon neck (2) is used to secure a protective plastic sheet wrapped around the part used for stirring (3) with the inserted sweetener. The protective plastic sheet is necessary to protect the part used for stirring (3) with the inserted sweetener from any exterior damage and it can be removed by simply pulling the plastic sheet in the direction opposite to the spoon handle (1).

Description

SPOON FOR STIRRING DRINKS WITH SUGAR SUBSTITUTE

Tehnical Field

This invention refers to a disposable spoon for stirring drinks with sugar substitute (such as black coffee, cappuccino, tea etc.) which has a sugar substitute tablet inserted in the part used for stirring.

Background Art

When serving drinks with an artificial sweetener, the catering establishments usually offer large packages of sugar substitute tablets containing 100 or more tablets. The other standard type of serving sugar substitute tablets refers to small packaging where each tablet is packed separately (similarly to the sugar for the espresso coffee).

Disclosure of the Invention

This invention is created in order to improve the level of serving drinks with an artificial sweetener, by joining the sugar substitute tablet and the spoon into one entity.

This invention refers to a disposable spoon made of plastic material. The artificial sweetener is inserted in the part used for stirring. While stirring the beverage, the sugar substitute tablet dissolves and thus sweetens the beverage. The part used for stirring, with the inserted sugar substitute tablet, is wrapped up in a plastic sheet, which can be removed before usage. The protective plastic sheet keeps the part of the spoon used for stirring intact and clean. It can be removed by simply pulling the plastic sheet in the direction opposite to the spoon handle.

Only the part used for stirring and the spoon neck are wrapped up in the plastic sheet. This protects the part of the spoon that comes into contact with the beverage from any exterior damage. Such type of wrapping cuts down the expanses of the plastic sheet, since the spoon parts that do not come into contact with the beverage remain unwrapped.

The other possible packaging type would be wrapping up the entire spoon in the plastic sheet.

Brief description of the drawings:

Figure 1 -front view, side view and plan of the spoon described above

Figure 2-spoon plan and conical tool for widening the slit

Part 1- slit

Part 2- conical tool for widening the slit Figure 3 -plan of the spoon and of the protective plastic sheet wrapped around the part used for stirring and the spoon neck

Part 1 - protective plastic sheet (cross-hatched areas refer to the welded spots) Part 2 - part of the plastic sheet designed to be seized during removal process Figure 4- plan of whole spoon wrapped in a protective plastic sheet Figure 5- isometric spoon drawing

Part 1 - spoon handle

Part 2 - spoon neck

Part 3 - part used for stirring

Part 4 - area for inserting the sugar substitute tablet

Part 5 - slit Figure 5, shows the isometric spoon drawing, Part 1, 2, and 3 represent a separate entity produced out of plastic material. Sugar substitute tablet is inserted in the spoon produced in this manner.The dimensions of the area in which the sugar substitute tablet is inserted are equal to the dimensions of the sugar substitute tablet (Figure 5, Part 4) with one exception - the diameter of the sugar substitute tablet is 0.1 mm greater than the diameter of the area in which the sugar substitute tablet is inserted. During the process of inserting the sugar substitute tablet into the area in which the sugar substitute tablet should be inserted, the slit (Figure 5, Part 5) has to be widened to prevent the damaging of the sugar substitute tablet. Once the sugar substitute tablet is inserted in the desired area, the slit is reduced and the sides of the part used for stirring (Figure 5, part 3) have the effect of a spring on the sugar substitute tablet securing it in the abovementioned area. The widening and reducing of the slit is achieved by pulling the conical tool in and out (Figure 2, part 2) of a slit, as shown in Figure 2.

The plastic sheet is wrapped around the part used for stirring with the inserted sugar substitute tablet and around the spoon neck (Figure 5, part 3 and part 2). The process of packaging is performed by means of a plastic sheet welding, i.e. two plastic sheets of the approximately same size, covering the upper and the lower side, are welded. The welding process is conducted with the heaters shaped to weld the plastic sheet as seen in Figure 3, which represents the welded spot (Part 1) and the spot designed to be seized during removal process (Part 2).

The other possible packaging type would be wrapping up the entire spoon in the plastic sheet, so that the welded plastic sheet has the form shown in Figure 4.

The spoon designed according to this invention can take on different shapes, sizes and colours, dependable on the type of a desired drink (black coffee, cappuccino, tea etc.).

Claims

1. The spoon consisting of a handle, a spoon neck and a part used for stirring, characterized by the part used for stirring consisting of a sugar substitute tablet.

2. The spoon as in claim 1, characterized by a slit on the surface of the part used for stirring, which forms a spring from the two halves of the surface and secures the sugar substitute tablet.

3. The spoon as in claim 1, characterized by the part used for stirring and the spoon neck wrapped up in the plastic sheet.

4. The spoon as in claim 1, characterized by the entire spoon wrapped up in the plastic sheet.