Sterilized disposal cap for dinner set

Abstract

A sterilized disposable cap for a dinner set that can be firmly secured to an outer surface at the front end of a chopstick to avoid direct contact of the food includes a tube having an opening end and a closed end; a straight section in same diameter as that of the tube extends from the opening end towards the closed section; a tapered section is formed to the straight section upon approaching the closed end; one or a plurality of flute is axially disposed on and in parallel with a surface of the tube; the flute extends from the opening end of the tube until approaching the closed end.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Field of the Invention

The present invention is related to a sterilized disposal cap for dinner set, and more particularly, to one that is inserted onto one end of a chopstick that contacts food and is recyclable for reuse after sterilization under high pressure and high temperature.

(b) Description of the Prior Art

Competition strength has been emphasized by R&D or service team in coping with advanced science, pursuing innovation by the manufacturing industry, and self-upgrading by individual. As a result, people spent more time at work than at rest. Under the concept of time is money, more people are eating out so to save fuss of doing home cooking while ducking away oil contamination problem inherited in the kitchen. However, eating out is convenient indeed, those disposal dinner sets may be hazardous to human health. Taking the disposal chopsticks for an example, ten million pairs of chopsticks are consumed in each year solely in the Taiwan area, meaning at the expenses of growing 2.9 million trees for two decades. Its impacts upon the ecological environment should never be neglected. The manufacturing process of the disposal chopsticks also presents threaten to human health. Usually, wood is cut into shape of a chopstick, then fumed using sulfur or bleached using hydrogen peroxide. However, the purpose of this process of smoking or bleaching is for the interior of the chopstick to develop fibrosis not for sterilization.

Distribution of micro-holes can be easily seen on a section at where the chopstick is broken up to tell that it is impossible to filter away residual sulfur of hydrogen peroxide. Later the chopstick is dried by natural light or put in an oven. The residual acid sulfur or hydrogen peroxide upon contacting hot meal will release sulfur dioxide, which enters into human's digestion duct with the food. Medical reports have confirmed that the substance released by the disposal chopstick will cause serious discomfort, and lead to development of lymphadenoma in more serious case. Therefore, the disposal chopstick has become a major secret worry to human health, and many countries in the world encourage their citizens to bring along portable chopsticks. However, it takes to wash to clean the portable chopsticks after use otherwise germs may stick to the chopsticks to threat user's health the same as does by the disposal chopsticks. An improvement has been made as taught in a patent application No. 094143986 titled “Chopsticks Separation Health Cap” by inserting the cap onto a tip of a disposable chopstick to prevent direct contact of the chopstick with food. However, the improvement does have significant flaws. When not used, the cap is in coiled and flattened status; and when the use of the cap is needed, the user has to have one end of the chopstick to hold against the cap and uncoil the cap towards the other end of the chopstick until the cap wraps around a front section of the chopstick. During the insertion process, fingers and/or hand would have to contact the cap to run the risk of carrying bacteria on fingers/hand to the cap. Upon completing the meal, the user has to push and roll up the cap towards to one end of the chopstick for returning the cap to its coiled status; accordingly, the fingers of the user will be contaminated by residual oil stains on the surface of the cap. Furthermore, the cap is prevented from being reclaimed for other use or for reuse after sterilization at high temperature and high pressure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a sterilized disposal cap for dinner set to upgrade diet health and maintain one's health by have the cap inserted onto a front section of a disposal chopstick to prevent it from directly contacting the food.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a sterilized disposal cap for dinner set that avoids direct contact of one's fingers/hand when the cap is inserted onto or removed from the disposal chopstick.

Another purpose yet of the present invention is to provide a sterilized disposal cap for dinner set that is allows to be reclaimed for other purpose or for reuse after sterilization at high pressure and high temperatures.

To achieve these purposes, the present invention is comprised of a tube having one opening end and another closed end, a straight section extends from the opening end towards the closed end; a gradually reducing section in diameter is formed to the straight section at where it is approaching the closed end; one or a plurality of flutes is axially disposed on a surface of the tube in parallel with the tube; and the tube extends from the opening end of the tube to where it is approaching the closed end of the tube so to constitute a sterilized cap that can be tightly inserted to an outer surface of the front section of the disposal chopstick.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an operating status of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing another operating status of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing another operation status yet of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1 for a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, a sterilized cap 1 is comprised of a tube 10; a closed end 11 is disposed on one end of the tube 10, and an opening end 12 is disposed on the other end of the tube 10; a straight section h in same diameter with that of the tube 10 extends from the opening end 12 towards the closed end 11 and a tapered section h′ is formed at where the straight section h is approaching the closed end 11 to reach the closed end 11; six flutes 13 equally spaced are axially disposed on a surface of and in parallel with the tube 10; and each flute 13 extends from the opening end 12 of the tube 10 until approaches the closed end 11 of the tube 10.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 for a second and a third preferred embodiments of the present invention, one set of the sterilized cap 1 is packed in a container 2 as illustrated in FIG. 2; and two sterilized caps 1 are packed in a container 2 as illustrated in FIG. 3 to prevent the cap 1 from being contaminated by dust or bacteria when exposed to the air.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 for another preferred embodiment yet of the present invention, an inner surface of the tube 10 of the sterilized cap 1 is finished with an embossment 14.

Upon fetching a disposable chopstick 3 for use as illustrated in FIG. 5, tear off the container 2 at the opening end 12 of the sterilized cap 1 to make a gap for exposing the opening end of the sterilized cap 1; insert the tip of the disposable chopstick 3 into the opening end 12 of the sterilized cap 1 until the tip of the disposable chopstick 3 holds against the closed end 11 of the sterilized cap; then remove the disposable chopstick 3 already inserted with the sterilized cap 1 out of the container 2 as illustrated in FIG. 6. After the meal, remove the sterilized cap and insert the gap on the container 2 onto the sterilized cap for pulling out the disposable chopstick 3 as illustrated in FIG. 7. The present invention by preventing the user's fingers/hand from directly contacting the sterilized cap 1 when fetching it for use avoids possible contamination or carrying bacteria to the surface of the sterilized cap 1 on one hand and avoids direct contact of the disposable chopstick 3 with the food on the other hand, thus to promote diet health and eliminate possible hazards to human health.

The sterilized cap 1 may be made of metallic material. According to the operating status respectively illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, a common difference is provided between a minimum inner diameter of the opening end 12 of the sterilized cap 1 and the maximal outer diameter of the disposable chopstick 3 and those multiple flutes 13 recessed in the peripheral of the tube 10 of the sterilized cap 1 create comparatively greater friction coefficient to the surface of the disposable chopstick 3 to be inserted on help firmly secure the sterilized cap 1 onto the disposable chopstick 3. The sterilized cap 1 may be reclaimed for reuse after having been sterilized at high pressure and high temperature.

The sterilized cap 1 may be made of food grade plastic material, e.g., Polyethylene Terephthalate, High Density Polyethylene, Polyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, Low Density Polyethylene, Polypropylene, or Polystyrene. Whereas the plastic material is inherited with proper resilience and the minimum inner diameter of the opening end of the sterilized cap 1 may be made slightly smaller than the maximal outer diameter of the disposable chopstick 3, those flutes 13 recessed in the peripheral of the tube 10 of the sterilized cap 1 forces the tube 10 of the sterilized cap 1 to expand following the insertion of the disposable chopstick 3 for the inner surface of each flute 13 to create comparatively greater friction coefficient against the disposable chopstick 3 during the use of the sterilized cap as illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7; meanwhile, a resilience is reserved to prevent breakage of the sterilized cap 1 when it is forced to expand. The embossment 14 disposed on the inner surface of the tube 10 of the sterilized cap 1 as illustrated in FIG. 3 helps upgrade the friction coefficient by increasing contact area between the inner surface of the sterilized cap 1 and the disposable chopstick 3 thus to firmly secure the sterilized cap 1 onto the disposable chopstick 3 and to allow the sterilized disposable cap 1 to be reclaimed for other uses.

The prevent invention provides an improved structure of a sterilized disposable cap for a dinner set, and the application for a utility patent is duly filed accordingly. However, it is to be noted that the preferred embodiments disclosed in the specification and the accompanying drawings are not limiting the present invention; and that any construction, installation, or characteristics that is same or similar to that of the present invention should fall within the scope of the purposes and claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sterilized disposable cap for a dinner set comprising a tube; the tube having an opening end and a closed end; a straight section in same diameter as that of the cap extending from the opening end heading for the closed end; a tapered section being formed to the straight section upon approaching the closed end; one or a plurality of flute being axially disposed on and in parallel with a surface of the tube; and the flute extending from the opening end until approaching the closed end to constitute a sterilized cap that is tightly inserted onto a disposable dinner set.

2. The sterilized disposable cap for a dinner set as claimed in claim 1, wherein the disposable dinner set is related to a disposable chopstick or a chopstick or other dinner set made of any other type of material.

3. The sterilized disposable cap for a dinner set as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sterilized disposable cap is made of a metallic material.

4. The sterilized disposable cap for a dinner set as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sterilized disposable cap is made of thermally resisting, food grade plastic material.

5. The sterilized disposable cap for a dinner set as claimed in claim 4, wherein the thermally resisting, food grade plastic material is related to Polyethylene Terephthalate, High Density Polyethylene, Polyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, Low Density Polyethylene, Polypropylene, or Polystyrene.

6. The sterilized disposable cap for a dinner set as claimed in claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the sterilized disposable cap is embossed.

7. The sterilized disposable cap for a dinner set as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the sterilized disposable cap is sealed in a container.