Post on Eating Utensil

Abstract

The invention consists of the addition of a post to eating utensils where the post raises the working end of the utensil above the surface on which the utensil is placed. This raising helps prevent the working end of the utensil from being contaminated by substances on a table or other planar surface.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of non-provisional application Ser. No. 13/304,341 filed 24 Nov. 2011, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference to the extent that the contents thereof are consistent with the contents of this continuation-in part application.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to eating utensils, and more particularly, relating to eating utensils for restaurant, institutional, or consumer use.

Eating utensils and the parts thereof are commonplace and well-known in the art and to the general public. Thus, it should not be necessary to go into any detail as to the descriptions thereof. The invention consists of improvements to utensils, articles of manufacture, not the utensils themselves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Eating, like breathing, is one of the essentials of life. Eating consists of bringing food to the mouth, chewing the food, if need be, then swallowing the food. One of the most common means in modern society of bringing food to the mouth involves use of utensils such as forks, spoons, and chopsticks.

One common pattern of eating is to sit at a table having eating utensils at the table. The eating utensils are made available for use very often by laying them on the table. Between mouthfuls of food, many eaters lay the eating utensils the table without regard to the cleanliness of the surface of the table.

In the Nineteenth Century, scientists such as Louis Pasteur, Joseph Lister, Robert Koch, and Ignaz Semmelweiss revealed that micro-organisms, often called germs, abound in air, in water, in food, and on surfaces. After resisting change, people came to realize that eliminating these micro-organisms led to substantial improvements in public health. When eating utensils are placed on contaminated surfaces, there exists a substantial likelihood that micro-organisms as well as other substances transfer to the eating utensils. There is an increased risk of surface contamination when the surface is in a restaurant or institutional setting.

People do not want germs, sand, dirt or particles left over from other diners in their food.

Some way is needed to prevent eating utensils from picking up these contaminants. Cleaning the table thoroughly and regularly is a commonly attempted solution. The weakness of this solution is that someone must clean the table almost constantly. Consider the situation in a school cafeteria or fast food restaurant. Diners come and go. At busy times of day, one diner leaves and another comes to the table instantly. In many places, diners themselves must remove their trays, dishes, and the like. No one wipes the table nor applies a disinfectant to the surface. Contaminants from previous diners accumulate on the table. The present invention discloses a simple, inexpensive, and reliable solution to the problem. The solution depends on minor modifications to the eating utensils.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There are two main classes of eating utensils with which the invention is concerned. (Hereinafter, the term “utensil” shall refer to an eating utensil unless the context makes it clear that another meaning shall apply.) One class includes utensils made of three parts—a working end, a neck, and a handle. This class includes forks and spoons, utensils that have been used for hundreds of years. The working end of a fork contains two or more prongs, also known as tines. The working end of a spoon contains a shallow bowl, concave upwards Another utensil in this class is the spork, a combination of fork and spoon. A spork resembles a spoon with short prongs on the end of the bowl furthest from the handle. The spork is popular in schools and fast food restaurants because it eliminates the need for having a supply of both forks and spoons. Sporks have been in use since at least 1874.

The handle of a fork, spoon, spork, or other eating utensil is held in the hand of the eater. The working end is at the end opposite the handle. Between the handle and the working end is a section to be called the neck. There is usually no clear delineation between the handle and the neck or between the neck and the working end. It is conceivable for a eating utensil to have only a handle and a working end. The notion of the neck is, however, helpful in understanding the invention.

The other class of eating utensil includes utensils which are essentially one long piece. This class includes knives and chopsticks. Knives usually contain a blade and a handle and no neck.

To prevent eating utensils from contacting a contaminated surface, the present invention adds a post to conventional eating utensils. In this invention, a post is a solid or hollow addition to a utensil where the addition may be a box, a cone, or other shape. The post may be a separate part joined to the utensil. The post may be the result of molding or other manufacturing process. The post is more fully understood from the drawings. The post is located in the neck section of the eating utensil at a point nearer the working end from the linear center of balance of the eating utensil. When the post is in this location, the working end is raised above the table surface. The distance above the table that the working end is raised is a function of the location and length of the post.

The precise location of the post depends on the utensil to which it is attached. To raise the working end of the utensil from the planar surface, the post is located between the working end of the utensil and the center of balance. There is no specific point at which the post is located because there are no universal specifications for utensils. The bowl of a spoon from one source might be heavier or lighter than the bowl of a spoon from another source. The post must be tall enough to raise the working end from the planar surface. The height of the post will vary with how far the post lies from the center of balance.

Unless modified, posts would interfere with stacking of utensils. In order to make utensils stackable, posts in the preferred embodiment are tapered and hollow so that the post of one utensil will fit inside the post of another utensil. This will be more easily understood from the drawings.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Some of the descriptions refer to the “linear axis of a utensil”. This linear axis is an imaginary line extending from the working end to the handle end of a utensil and located equidistant from the sides of the utensil, that is, it runs down the center of the utensil.

“Oversquare rectangle” or “oversquare rectangular” shall refer to a parallelogram where all four corners are right angles and where one pair of opposite sides is longer than the other pair of opposite sides. Note that a square is a special case of a rectangle in which all sides are of equal length.

In the case of posts, terms such as “rectangular”, “circular”, and the like refer to the shape of the post when viewed from above or below, “Conical” refers to the shape of the post when viewed from any side. See, for example, FIGS. 2 and 3. These posts are rectangular even though when viewed from the side, as in FIG. 1, the post is tapered.

When referring to utensils of the same type, “same type” means forks and forks, spoons and spoons, sporks and sporks, etc. Forks and spoons are not of the same type.

Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

As a preliminary matter, it should be noted that in this document (including the claims), directional terms, such as, “above”, “below”, “upper”, “lower”, etc., are used for convenience in referring to the accompanying drawings. Additionally, it is to be understood that the various embodiment of the invention described herein may be utilized in various orientation, such as, inclined, inverted, horizontal, vertical, etc., without departing from the principles of the invention.

In this description, reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” mean that the feature being referred to is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Moreover, separate references to “one embodiment” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Illustrated embodiments are not mutually exclusive, unless so stated and except as will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the invention may include any variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

FIG. 1 shows a phantom view of a rectangular post from the side.

FIG. 2 shows a view of a rectangular post from below.

FIG. 3 shows a view of a rectangular post from directly above.

FIG. 4 shows a phantom view of a stacked pair of rectangular posts from the side.

FIG. 5 shows an orthogonal view of the upper side of fork with post.

FIG. 6 shows an orthogonal view of the underside of a fork with post.

FIG. 7 shows a side view of a fork with post.

FIG. 8 shows a bottom view of a fork with post.

FIG. 9 shows an orthogonal view of the upper side of a spoon with post.

FIG. 10 shows a side view of a spoon with post.

FIG. 11 shows a top view of a knife with post.

FIG. 12 shows a side view of a knife with post.

FIG. 13 shows a side view of a spork with post.

FIG. 14 shows an orthogonal view of the upper side of a spork with post.

FIG. 15 shows a side view of a chopstick with a post.

FIG. 16 shows a top view of a chopstick with an oversquare rectangular post.

FIG. 17 shows a detail view of an alternate embodiment of a utensil with a transverse cylindrical post.

FIG. 18 shows an oversquare rectangular post with the long edge of the rectangle perpendicular to the linear axis of the utensil.

FIG. 19 shows an oversquare rectangular post with the long edge of the rectangle parallel to the linear axis of the utensil.

FIG. 20 shows a fork with post extending from the upper side of the fork such that the fork can be placed on a planar surface with the curve of the tines concave downward.

FIG. 21 shows a detail view of a utensil with a post that is oval shaped.

FIG. 22 shows the top view of the oval shape in FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 shows a detail view of a utensil with a post that is circular shaped.

FIG. 24 shows the top view of the circular shape in FIG. 23.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention consists of the addition of a post to eating utensils where the post raises the working end of the utensil above the surface on which the utensil is placed. This raising helps prevent the working end of the utensil from being contaminated by substances on a table or other planar surface. As the various drawings show, the particular utensil can vary but the inclusion of a post as described accomplishes the raising by preventing the working end of the utensil from contacting the planar surface.

The preferred embodiment is shown in FIGS. 1 through 14. Alternate embodiments are shown in FIGS. 16 through 21. In FIGS. 1 though 15, the post is rectangular, but, as shown in FIG. 17 and following, the post may take any of a variety of shapes. The post could be round, cylindrical, star-shaped, oval, conical, triangular, heart-shaped, diamond-shaped, irregular, or any other shape.

In the preferred embodiment, posts extend from the utensil approximately one-quarter of an inch but this length may vary depending on the particular utensil. The size of the post wilt be in direct proportion to the size of the utensil.

Posts extend from the neck of utensils substantially perpendicularly but there is a great deal of tolerance resulting from the variety of utensils which may have posts and the great variety of types of posts. In the preferred embodiment, the post extends from the utensil perpendicularly from the utensil with a tolerance of 15 degrees plus or minus from perpendicular. In alternate embodiments, the tolerance can run as high as 30 degrees plus or minus from perpendicular.

In the preferred embodiment, posts extend from the utensil approximately one-quarter of an inch but this length may vary depending on the particular utensil. The size of the post will be in direct proportion to the size of the utensil.

In all embodiments, the invention relies on the fundamental principle that for an object to be stable on a planar surface, such as, a table, there must be at least three coplanar points of contact with the flat surface. The three coplanar points form a planar triangle. The longer the sides of the triangle are, the more stable the object will be. In the preferred embodiment, the triangle is isosceles with the apex at the post and the two other points at the handle end of the utensil. Following the general rule, the further apart the two points on the handle end, the wider the angle of the other end of the triangle thus the more stable the object will be. In use, the extreme end of the handle end might provide an infinite number of collinear points of contact with the plane of the surface because most utensils are designed with the extreme end of the handle end planar. However, there are designs in which the extreme end of the handle end is other than planar. The invention depends only on the extreme end of the handle end providing at least two points of contact with the planar surface.

Further, there may be surfaces that are not planar but are so nearly planar that the plane of the contact triangle will make contact with the plane of the surface at three or more coplanar points.

In one alternate embodiment the apex of the contact triangle lies at the end of the handle distal from the working end. To provide the two other points of contact, the post is made wider than in the preferred embodiment. The two points of contact on the wider post form the base of the triangle.

In the preferred embodiment, the post, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, is made hollow. The post tapers both inside and out so that utensils of the same type may stack with the outside of the post of one utensil rating inside the post of a second utensil below the first utensil when the posts are aligned. FIG. 1 shows that the post tapers both inside and out. Part 9, the opening at the top of the post, is larger than part 2, the bottom of the post.

In an alternate embodiment, not shown, the post is solid. In this embodiment, the utensils will not stack.

The dimensions of the post will vary with the size of the utensil. Further, the thickness of the wall of the post will vary with the size of the utensil. For larger utensils, the posts can be larger and have thicker sides or walls. For smaller utensils, the posts can be smaller and have thinner walls.

In addition, dimensions of the post can vary depending on whether the utensil is intended for single or for multiple uses. A utensil intended for multiple uses must be washed or sanitized between uses thus must be sturdier so that the utensil can be washed by machine. To be sturdier, the posts can be made larger and can have thicker walls.

Utensils can be made of plastic, metal, wood, or other solid substance. In the preferred embodiment, the post is made of the same substance as the utensil but it would be conceptually possible to have the post of a different substance. Posts made of the same substance as the utensil are simpler to manufacture, thus are the preferred embodiment.

Getting back to FIG. 1, part 2 is the outside edge of the bottom of the post. Part 3 is the bottom edge of the utensil itself. Part 4 is the inside bottom of the post. Part 5 is the outside edge of the post, FIG. 2 is the bottom of a square post where part 2 is as in FIG. 1. Part 6 is another side of a square post. Parts 2 and 6 are separately numbered even though on a square they would be the same length. Because a post may be rectangular and not square, parts 2 and 6 are separately numbered. FIG. 3 shows a square post seen from above. As in FIG. 1, part 4 is one edge of the inside bottom of the post. If the post is square, parts 4 and 7 are the same dimension. Part 7 is shown in case the post is not square. Parts 8 and 9 are the top inside edges of the post. If the post is square, parts 8 and 9 are the same dimension.

In FIG. 4, two posts are stacked, one inside the other. Part numbers are as in FIG. 1. Part 5, the outer edge of the post of one utensil, fits inside the inner edge of another utensil.

In FIG. 5, the tines or prongs of the fork are marked as 10. 20 is the lower curve of working end of the fork, 30 is the post, 40 is that part of the neck of the fork nearest to the working end, 45 is the part of the neck of the fork nearest the handle, 50 is the handle, and 55 is that part of the handle furthest from the working end. When placed on a flat surface, parts 30 and 55 make contact with the surface. Depending on the surface itself, parts 30 and 55 may make contact with the surface.

FIG. 6 shows the same parts as FIG. 5 while additionally showing the taper of the post 30. The narrow end 30 of the post fits into the opening 35 of the post on a utensil of the same type.

FIG. 7 shows a side view of a fork with post. The tips of the tines are at 10. The bottom of the curve of the working end is at 20. The post is at 30. Part 35 indicates the location of the opening in the top of the post. The neck begins at 40 and ends at 45. The handle is at 50. The extreme end of the handle is at 55. The planar surface on which the utensil rests is at 60. The planar surface is not a part of the invention but is a part of the environment in which the invention is used.

FIG. 8 shows a top view of a fork with post when, as in FIG. 7, part 10 is tip of the tines, 40 is one end of the neck, 35 is the opening in the top of the post. Part 50 is the handle and part 55 is the extreme end of the handle.

In FIG. 9, the bowl of a spoon is at 110 and the extreme end of the handle is at 155. it can be seen that, because the extreme end of the handle 155 of a spoon is wide and not a single point, such as on a chopstick, it contains at least two points which will contact the plane of the table or other surface. Part 130 is the outside of the post and 135 is the opening in the post into which the outside of the post of another utensil of the same type can be inserted for stacking.

FIG. 10 shows the same spoon as in FIG. 9 but from a side view. This view shows the bottom end of the post 130 making contact with the planar surface 160 (not apart of the invention). Further, this view adds part 145, the neck section of the utensil.

FIG. 11 shows a top view of a knife with post. Part 210 is the blade of the knife, 230 is the opening in the top of the post, and 255 is the extreme end of the handle. The bottom view of a knife with post is not illustrated.

FIG. 12 shows a side view of a knife with post. Again, 210 is the blade of the knife, 230 is the post, and 255 is the extreme end of the knife. Part 260 is the planar surface (not a part of the invention.).

FIG. 13 shows a side view of a spork with post. The bowl of the spork is at 810, the post is at 820, and the extreme end of the spork is at 830.

FIG. 14 shows an orthogonal view of a spork. This view shows that a spork is a spoon with tines formed into the extreme end of the spoon. As in FIG. 13, part 810 is the bowl of the spork, 820 is the post, and 830 is the extreme end of the spork.

FIG. 15 shows a side view of a chopstick with post. Part 910 is the tip of the chopstick, 920 is the post, and 930 is the extreme end of the handle of the chopstick.

FIG. 16, a top view of a chopstick, shows the same parts as does FIG. 15, that is, part 910 is the tip of the chopstick, 920 is the post, and 930 is the extreme end of the handle of the chopstick. As explained above, to be stable on a planar surface, an object, such as a utensil, must have at least three coplanar points in contact with the planar surface. Because the extreme end of the handle 930 of a chopstick is narrow, it will usually have only one point of contact with the planar surface. To provide the other two points of contact, the post is made wider in this alternate embodiment than in the other embodiments described herein.

FIG. 17 shows an alternate embodiment in which 1710 is a post which is cylindrical and displaced with the center line of the cylindrical post perpendicular to the utensil. Part 1720 is a groove in the neck of the utensil such that the cylindrical post fits into the groove when utensils of the same type are stacked.

FIG. 18 shows an alternate embodiment in which the post is an oversquare rectangle in which the tong side of the rectangle is perpendicular to the linear axis of the utensil. Here the post is part 1810 and 1820 is the opening in the post.

FIG. 19 shows an alternate embodiment in which the post is an oversquare rectangle in which the long side of the rectangle is parallel to the linear axis of the utensil. Here, 1910 is the post and 1920 is the opening in the post.

FIG. 20 shows another alternate embodiment in which the post 2010 is attached to what would be the top of the utensil ere the utensil placed on the planar surface with the tines concave upwards. Part 2020 is the opening in the post. This alternate embodiment is shown because in some countries, utensils are held and placed on planar surfaces in this position. In FIG. 20, the utensil is a fork. This inverted location could be applied to a spoon or spork as well.

FIG. 21 shows the details of an alternate embodiment in which the opening 2110 and post 2120 are oval shaped with the major axis of the oval perpendicular to the linear axis of the utensil.

FIG. 22 shows the oval opening 2110 of FIG. 21 in detail.

FIG. 23 shows the details of an alternate embodiment with circular opening 2310. The post 2320 is conical.

FIG. 24 shows the circular opening 2310 of FIG. 23 in detail.

A number of embodiments of the present invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. I claim addition of a post to a eating utensil:

the post located between a working end of the utensil and a center of balance along the linear axis of the utensil;

the post serving to contact any planar surface on which the eating utensil is placed such that the post raises the working end of the eating utensil above the in order that the working end does not come into contact with the planar surface; and

the post being sized proportional to the eating utensil.

2. The post of Claim I where the post is round, conical, square, rectangular, cubic, triangular, heart-shaped, diamond-shaped, or irregular.

3. The post of claim 1 where the post is attached to the underside or top side of the eating utensil.

4. The post of claim 1 where the post is about one-quarter inch from tip to the eating utensil.

5. The post of claim 1 where the post is perpendicular to the eating utensil.

6. The post of claim 1 where the post is within 30 degrees of perpendicular to the eating utensil.

7. The post of claim 1 where the eating utensil is one from the list of fork, spoon, knife, spork, and chopstick.

8. The post of claim 1 where the post is hollow and can be stacked such that the tip of the post of a first eating utensil fits inside the post of a second eating utensil underneath the first eating utensil.

9. The post of claim 1 where the post is cylindrical and attaches to the underside of the eating utensil with the center line of the cylinder lying across the eating utensil.

10. The eating utensil of claim 9 where the eating utensil has a depression across the eating utensil such that the cylindrical post of a first eating utensil fits into the depression of a second eating utensil.