Eating utensil system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A combination fork and spoon system, comprising:
- a fork including a fork head and a fork handle, the fork head end including a plurality of tines, the fork handle having a pair of spaced apart fork catch features and a guide portion, wherein a first one of the fork catch features is closer to a proximal end of the fork handle than a second one of the fork catch features; and
a spoon including a spoon head and a spoon handle, the spoon head including a bowl portion and the spoon handle including a spoon catch feature, wherein the spoon handle is configured to interlock with the fork handle in two distinct orientations with the spoon handle inserted into the guide portion of the fork in two different ways, the two distinct orientations including a nested orientation and an extended orientation, wherein,in the nested orientation, the fork head and the spoon head are nested together, with the spoon catch feature engaging the first one of the fork catch features and the fork guide portion receiving the spoon handle to help hold the spoon and fork in the nested orientation, andin an extended orientation, the fork head and the spoon head extend in opposite directions with the spoon catch feature engaging the second one of the fork catch features and the fork guide portion receiving the spoon handle to help hold the spoon and fork in the extended orientation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A combination spoon and fork system capable of being stored in a nested configuration or used as a combination eating utensil with the spoon and fork connected end to end. An interlocking mechanism can interlock the spoon and fork in either the nested position or in the end to end configuration. The interlocking system allows the handle of the spoon to slide between rails on the handle of the fork and to snap and lock the spoon in place either nested with the fork or end to end with the fork to form an elongated combination eating utensil. The spoon and fork of the system can also be used separately from one another.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A combination fork and spoon system, comprising:
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a fork including a fork head and a fork handle, the fork head end including a plurality of tines, the fork handle having a pair of spaced apart fork catch features and a guide portion, wherein a first one of the fork catch features is closer to a proximal end of the fork handle than a second one of the fork catch features; and a spoon including a spoon head and a spoon handle, the spoon head including a bowl portion and the spoon handle including a spoon catch feature, wherein the spoon handle is configured to interlock with the fork handle in two distinct orientations with the spoon handle inserted into the guide portion of the fork in two different ways, the two distinct orientations including a nested orientation and an extended orientation, wherein, in the nested orientation, the fork head and the spoon head are nested together, with the spoon catch feature engaging the first one of the fork catch features and the fork guide portion receiving the spoon handle to help hold the spoon and fork in the nested orientation, and in an extended orientation, the fork head and the spoon head extend in opposite directions with the spoon catch feature engaging the second one of the fork catch features and the fork guide portion receiving the spoon handle to help hold the spoon and fork in the extended orientation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A combination fork and spoon system, comprising:
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a fork including a fork head and a fork handle, the fork head end including a concave bowl portion, and a plurality of tines that include a pair of outer tines, each tine having a proximal base and a distal tip, wherein outer edge portions of the fork head are curved longitudinally wherein each outer edge portion of the fork head comprises an outer edge of a respective one of the outer tines such that the outer tines get progressively narrower towards their respective distal tips, the fork handle having a pair of spaced apart fork catch features and a guide portion, wherein a first one of the fork catch features is closer to a proximal end of the fork handle than a second one of the fork catch features; and a spoon including a spoon head and a spoon handle, the spoon head including a concave bowl portion and the spoon handle including a spoon catch feature, wherein the spoon is configured to interlock with the fork in a nested orientation by sliding the spoon handle into the guide portion of the fork in a first direction, and wherein the spoon is configured to interlock with the fork in an extended orientation by sliding the spoon handle into the guide portion of the fork in a second direction, wherein the nested orientation and the extended orientation are two distinct orientations, wherein, (i) in the nested orientation, the fork head and the spoon head are nested together, with the spoon catch feature engaging the first one of the fork catch features and the fork guide portion receiving the spoon handle to help hold the spoon and fork in the nested orientation, and (ii) in the extended orientation, the fork head and the spoon head extend in opposite directions with the spoon catch feature engaging the second one of the fork catch features and the fork guide portion receiving the spoon handle to help hold the spoon and fork in the extended orientation; and wherein the spoon catch feature is configured to engage one of the fork catch features to help align the spoon and fork in a selected one of the orientations; and wherein the fork and spoon are formed from a glass reinforced thermoplastic material. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification