SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HOLDING CUTLERY TOGETHER

• US 20110296693A1
• Filed: 06/08/2011
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Oakes, Shawn A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,924,816 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 30/142
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 2001/103 for cutlery
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 21/06 Combined or separable sets of table-service utensils; Oyster knives with openers; Fish servers with means for removing bones kitchen equipment A47J

Abstract

A module of cutlery may include a plurality of utensils that include a formable material, wherein at least two of the utensils are separably coupled to one another via at least one of an adhesive and a common portion of the formable material.

Claims

1. A module of cutlery, the module comprising:

a plurality of utensils comprising a formable material,

wherein at least two of the utensils are separably coupled to one another via at least one of an adhesive and a common portion of the formable material.

2. The module of claim 1, wherein the plurality of utensils are stacked.

3. The module of claim 1, wherein the plurality of utensils comprises at least one of a fork, a spoon, a knife, and a spork.

4. The module of claim 1, wherein the adhesive comprises at least one continuous adhesive strip coupling adjacent utensils to one another.

5. The module of claim 1, wherein the adhesive comprises a plurality of adhesive deposits coupling adjacent utensils to one another.

6. The module of claim 1, wherein the adhesive comprises at least one adhesive selected from the group comprising hot melt adhesive, epoxy, glue, resin, and cement.

7. The module of claim 1, wherein the formable material comprises at least one material selected from the group comprising polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene.

8. The module of claim 1, wherein the common portion can be formed by at least one of softening and melting the formable material of at least one utensil.

9. The module of claim 1, wherein the common portion is formed from at least one of hot melting, soldering, spot welding, and ultrasonic welding.

10. The module of claim 1, wherein at least two utensils are coupled by the common portion.

11. The module of claim 1, wherein at least one of the two utensils comprises at least one protrusion, wherein the at least one protrusion forms the common portion of the formable material.

12. The module of claim 11, wherein the at least one protrusion is configured to at least partially detach from at least one of the two utensils.

13. The module of claim 1, wherein the at least two utensils are separably coupled to one another via a plurality of coupling locations.

14. The module of claim 1, further comprising a band configured to assist retaining the plurality of utensils to one another to form the module.

21. A method for dispensing a utensil from the module of claim 1, the method comprising:

decoupling at least one utensil from the module by overcoming an adhesive bond when the utensils are coupled to one another via adhesive, or breaking a common portion when the utensils are coupled to one another via the common portion; and

dispensing the at least one decoupled utensil.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein decoupling comprises inserting at least one element between at least two utensils at a location that decouples at least one utensil from the module.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein decoupling comprises applying a shear force to at least one utensil sufficient to decouple the utensil from the module.

15. A method of securing a plurality of utensils to one another to form a module of cutlery, at least two of the utensils comprising a formable material, the method comprising:

arranging the plurality of utensils such that the utensils are positioned adjacent one another; and

separably coupling at least two of the utensils to one another via at least one of applying an adhesive to at least one of the two utensils and providing a common portion of the formable material that couples the two utensils to one another.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein applying an adhesive comprises at least one of applying at least one continuous strip of adhesive to at least two of the utensils and applying a plurality of adhesive deposits to at least two of the utensils.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein providing a common portion of the formable material comprises at least one of hot melting, soldering, spot welding, and ultrasonic welding.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein providing a common portion of the formable material comprises providing a protrusion configured to join at least two of the utensils to one another.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein providing the protrusion comprises providing portions of the protrusion configured to at least partially detach from at least one of the two utensils.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein separably coupling comprises coupling the utensils to one another at a plurality of locations on the utensils.