Spoon holder and measuring spoon set

• US 4,043,203 A
• Filed: 06/23/1976
• Issued: 08/23/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dart Industries Incorporated (Tupperware Brands Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dart Industries Incorporated (Tupperware Brands Corporation)
• Inventors: Montesi, Edward N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Swisher, S. Clement
• Application Number:
  US05/698,976
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 73/426, 73/427, 30/424, 70/356
• US Class Current: 73/427
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 19/002 Measuring spoons or scoops

Abstract

A plurality of measuring spoons, for measuring liquid or dry materials, each having a bowl and an integral elongated handle. The bowls vary in capacity from each other. The handles of the spoons are releasably affixed to a spoon holding ring by a slot at the end of the handle. Each slot has an arcuate section so that a tubular spoon holding ring can be snapped into the slot due to flecture of the spoon handle portions defining the slot. The slots permit the spoons to be individually pivoted on the spoon holder ring, or individual spoons can be removed from the spoon holder ring. The spoons nest together to form a compact unit. The spoon holder ring is designed to permit the entire assembly to be hung up in the kitchen in a convenient location. Each spoon is clearly marked with an indication as to its bowl capacity. Several of the spoons have a measuring ledge within the bowl and these spoons can be used to measure two different capacities depending on whether the spoon is filled to the ledge or to the top. Also, spilling from these spoons is minimized if the spoon is filled only to the ledge.

Claims

1. A measuring spoon set comprising a connecting rod and a plurality of spoons, each spoon having a handle and an integral bowl at one end thereof, each of said respective bowls having different maximum capacities, an inwardly extending slot at the end of each handle opposite the end to which the bowl is affixed said slot being partly circular in configuration and including an extension therebeyond that is wider than the circular part thereof to permit flexing of the portion of the handle on each side of the slot, and said connecting rod being substantially circular in cross-section and approximately the same diameter as the circular part of the slot so that such can snap into the slot and be removably held therein.

2. A measuring spoon set according to claim 1 wherein said connecting rod is a continuous ring.

3. A measuring spoon set according to claim 1 wherein said connecting rod is a tubular rod in the shape of a ring.

4. A measuring spoon set according to claim 1 wherein said connecting rod is in the shape of a triangle.

5. A measuring spoon set according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the bowls has a line running parallel to and spaced downwardly from the upper edge of the bowl, the capacity of the bowl below the line yielding a first quantity of measured material and the capacity of the bowl to the top edge thereof yielding a second quantity larger than the first quantity of measured material, the first and second quantities being numerically indicated on the handle of the spoon.

6. A spoon comprising a bowl with a depending elongated handle, one end of the handle being attached to the bowl and the other end being free, said free end having a slot therein, a portion of the slot nearest said free end having opposed arcuate edges, said edges being mutually facing concave areas, a second portion of the slot extending beyond said arcuate edges, said second portion having edges extending out to a greater slot width than the maximum width of the slot at the opposed arcuate edges.

7. A spoon according to claim 6 wherein the spoon is fabricated from flexible plastic material, the side walls of said slot being flexible outwardly away from each other, said side walls being so flexed about pivot axes located at the maximum width extremity of said second portion of said slot.

8. A spoon comprising a bowl with a depending elongated handle, one end of the handle being attached to the bowl and the other end being free, said free end having a slot therein, a portion of the slot nearest said free end having at least one arcuate edge forming concave area, a second portion of the slot extending along the handle beyond said at least one arcuate edge, said second portion having opposed axis areas where the distance between the handle outer edges and the axis areas is less than the distance between the handle outer edges and the mutually facing concave areas.

9. A measuring spoon set comprising a connecting rod and a plurality of spoons, each of said spoons including a handle and an integral bowl at one end thereof, each said integral bowl being of a different size than each of the others, a slot at the end of each handle opposite the end at which the integral bowl is positioned, said slot including opposed surface portions that are each of a segmented circular configuration, at least a portion of said connecting rod also is substantially circular in cross-section, which portion mates with said opposed surface portions of the spoon slots to support the spoons in close associated positions, and wherein said substantially circular rod portion includes at least one axially extending flattened surface which when positioned in mating relationship with one of said opposed surface portions frees the spoon from interference with the opposed surface portions, enabling the easy removal of the spoon from the said connecting rod.

10. A measuring spoon set according to claim 12 wherein said substantially circular rod portion includes two opposed axially extending flatened surfaces.