UTENSILS WITH INTEGRATED STAND

Abstract

A utensil with an integrated stand includes an elongated angular handle having an endpoint for making contact with food products and the mouth of a user. A downward protrusion located on the handle adjacent to the endpoint includes a lower section for making contact with a foreign surface to prevent the endpoint from making contact with the foreign surface while not in use.

Description

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to kitchen utensils and more particularly to cutlery having a shape for reducing contact with unsanitary surfaces.

Kitchen utensils are an essential part of daily life, and are utilized by consumers in home and restaurant settings. In the past 50 years, the basic design of cutlery/silverware (i.e. forks, knives and spoons and other kitchen utensils) have changed very little owing to the fact that consumers are comfortable with the traditional shape of cutlery. To this end, attempts to introduce radically new designs in the marketplace have been met with limited success. Conventional kitchen utensils typically include an elongated handle having a manipulation instrument (such as tines or a bowl, for example) secured to one end for making contact with food and/or the mouth of a user. This traditional design allows the bottom portion of the manipulation instrument to make direct contact with a tabletop or other surface when the utensil is not in use.

In the past, there have been many systems and methods for properly cleaning kitchen utensils to ensure they are sanitary for successive use. However, it is common for these sanitized utensils to be placed on a tabletop that has not been properly cleaned, thus contaminating the manipulation instrument and fostering the spread of illness and disease.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a kitchen utensil having an integrated stand for maintaining a sanitary endpoint.

Accordingly, there is provided a kitchen utensil having a handle and an endpoint for manipulating food. The handle includes a downward facing protrusion/stand configured to prevent the endpoint from resting on a foreign surface while not in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a fork in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1a is cutout view of an integrated stand according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a fork in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a spoon in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a top view of a spoon in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a fork in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a plurality of utensils with integrated stands in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.

For purposes of this description, the terms “upper,” “bottom,” “right,” “left,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment of a utensil, in this instance a fork 10, that includes an endpoint 11, a neck 12 and a handle 13 having a downward facing protrusion 14 positioned thereon. In one preferred embodiment, fork 10 can be constructed from a single piece of stainless steel that is milled or machined with the aforementioned components forming identifiable sections thereof. Of course, other materials (such as plastic, for example) and construction methodologies are also contemplated.

The endpoint 11 acts as an instrument for manipulating food (i.e. manipulation instrument), and therefore is designed to make direct contact with food products and the mouth of a user. In one embodiment, the endpoint 11 of the fork 10 includes a generally concave shape having a plurality of tines l la merging to form a solid transition shelf 1 lb that is integrally formed with the neck 12 and handle 13.

The neck 12 acts to separate the endpoint 11 from the handle 13. In instances where the endpoint and the handle are constructed from separate materials, the neck acts to secure these elements together through known manufacturing processes.

The handle 13 can include a generally rectangular member having a gentle arch for allowing the handle end 13d to rest on a surface 15 while orienting the tines 11a at an approximate 45 degree angle when not in use. To this end, the overall shape of the handle is slightly convex in relation to the endpoint 11.

In one embodiment illustrated by FIG. 1, the bottom portion of the handle 13a includes a downward facing stand 14 positioned adjacent to the neck 12 and extending toward the handle end. In one embodiment, the stand 14 can include a solid piece of material having a bottom section 14a that extends below the bottom of the endpoint 11c, so as to prevent the endpoint from making contact with a surface 15 such as a tabletop, for example. In one preferred embodiment, stand 14 can comprise a solid block of aluminum or steel material having a generally “U” shape that is integrally formed onto the bottom section of the handle 13a at a time of manufacture, however other shapes and materials are also contemplated. For example, FIG. 1a illustrates an alternate embodiment in which the stand 14 includes a thin strip of steel or other utensil material having an upper end 14b connected to the bottom of the handle 13a and a bottom end 14a extending below the bottom of the endpoint 11c, as described above.

In either instance, the stand 14 can act as an integrated utensil stand for preventing the sanitized endpoint 11 from making contact with a potentially contaminated surface 15. Moreover, by positioning the stand 14 adjacent to the neck 12 of the handle 13, the stand does not affect the traditional and familiar use/handling of the utensil. Although described above as utilizing specific shapes and materials, one of skill in the art will recognize that the stand 14 can include virtually any shape and can be made from any material. For example, in one embodiment, the stand 14 can be constructed from the same material as the utensil, whereas in another embodiment the stand 14 can be constructed from a different material than the utensil.

The integrated protrusion/stand 14 can be utilized with any number of different utensils, such as the spoon 30 that is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. In these examples, the spoon 30 includes an endpoint 31 having a concave bowl section 31a for retaining food and liquids, and a neck 32 and handle 33 that are substantially identical to the neck 12 and handle 13 described above. As shown, the stand 14 of this example includes a bottom portion 14a for resting on a surface 15, and a first and second end points 14b and 14c connected to the bottom of the handle 13a, thus forming an open shape having an empty section H.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate an alternate embodiment of a utensil with an integrated stand 10 in which the top portion of the handle includes an opening 50 through which the bottom of the stand 14a can be placed. As shown, such a feature can allow utensils with integrated stands to be neatly stacked in much the same way as conventional silverware.

Although described above as for use on particular eating utensils, one of skill in the art will recognize that the inventive concepts disclosed herein can be equally applied to eating utensils of all types such as knives and serving instruments, for example, without deviating from the scope and spirit of the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

As to a further description of the manner and use of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.

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 singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, 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, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Claims

1. A kitchen utensil comprising:

a handle having a first end, a second end, a middle portion, a top and a bottom, said middle porting including a convex shape to permit grasping by a user; and

a manipulation instrument configured to make contact with food and a mouth of a user, said manipulation instrument including a concave shape having a top and bottom section extending outward from the first end of the handle,

wherein said handle further includes a stand comprising a downward protrusion having a depth that is greater than a depth of the manipulation instrument, said stand being configured to position the endpoint in a manner preventing contact with a foreign surface while not in use.

2. The kitchen utensil of claim 1, wherein each of the handle and the manipulation instrument are integrally formed from a single piece of material.

3. The kitchen utensil of claim 1, further comprising a neck interposed between the manipulation instrument and the handle.

4. The kitchen utensil of claim 3, wherein each of said neck and manipulation instrument are constructed from different materials and the neck is a means for securing these elements together.

5. The kitchen utensil of claim 1, wherein said manipulation unit includes a plurality of tines and a transition shelf.

6. The kitchen utensil of claim 1, wherein said manipulation unit includes a generally circular cross-sectional shape with a generally elliptical side elevational shape, forming a bowl configured to retain a food product.

7. The kitchen utensil of claim 1, wherein said stand includes a first end, a second end and a middle section, said first and second ends being connected to the bottom of the handle, and said middle section extending away from the handle in a direction opposite to the convex shape.

8. The kitchen utensil of claim 1, wherein said stand includes a first end and a second end, said first end being connected to the bottom of the handle at a location adjacent to the first end, and said second end extending away from the handle in a direction opposite to the convex shape.

9. The kitchen utensil of claim 1, wherein the top of the handle further includes an opening configured to receive a stand, said opening being further configured to allow a plurality of utensils to be stacked in a vertical manner.

10. A fork comprising:

a handle having a first end, a second end, a middle portion, a top and a bottom, said middle porting including a convex shape to permit grasping by a user; and

a plurality of tines and a transition shelf configured to make contact with food and a mouth of a user, each of said tines and transition shelf including a concave shape having a top and bottom section extending outward from the first end of the handle,

wherein said handle further includes a stand comprising a downward protrusion having a bottom section located beneath the bottom end of the transition shelf in a vertical direction, said stand being configured to position the endpoint in a manner preventing contact with a foreign surface while not in use.

11. The fork of claim 10, wherein each of the handle, the tines and the transition shelf are integrally formed from a single piece of material.

12. The fork of claim 10, wherein said stand includes a first end, a second end and a middle section, said first and second ends being connected to the bottom of the handle, and said middle section extending away from the handle in a direction opposite to the convex shape.

13. The fork of claim 10, wherein said stand includes a first end and a second end, said first end being connected to the bottom of the handle at a location adjacent to the first end, and said second end extending away from the handle in a direction opposite to the convex shape.

14. The fork of claim 10, wherein the top of the handle further includes an opening configured to receive a stand, said opening being further configured to allow a plurality of utensils to be stacked in a vertical manner.

15. A spoon comprising:

a handle having a first end, a second end, a middle portion, a top and a bottom, said middle porting including a convex shape to permit grasping by a user; and

a manipulation unit including a generally circular cross-sectional shape with a generally elliptical side elevational shape extending outward from the first end of the handle,

wherein said handle further includes a stand comprising a downward protrusion having a bottom section located beneath the bottom end of the manipulation unit in a vertical direction, said stand being configured to position the endpoint in a manner preventing contact with a foreign surface while not in use.

16. The spoon of claim 15, wherein each of the handle and the manipulation unit are integrally formed from a single piece of material.

17. The spoon of claim 15, wherein said stand includes a first end, a second end and a middle section, said first and second ends being connected to the bottom of the handle, and said middle section extending away from the handle in a direction opposite to the convex shape.

18. The spoon of claim 15, wherein said stand includes a first end and a second end, said first end being connected to the bottom of the handle at a location adjacent to the first end, and said second end extending away from the handle in a direction opposite to the convex shape.

19. The spoon of claim 15, wherein the top of the handle further includes an opening configured to receive a stand, said opening being further configured to allow a plurality of utensils to be stacked in a vertical manner.