Food utensil

• US 8,191,949 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2009
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Diana A. Spaulding, Ronald E. Spaulding
• Original Assignee: Diana A. Spaulding, Ronald E. Spaulding
• Inventors: Spaulding, Diana A., Spaulding, Ronald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Saul
• Assistant Examiner(s): PUIG, GABRIELA M
• Application Number:
  US12/585,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20100050441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 294/118, 294/16, 294/50.8, 294/99.2, 30142-149, D76/86, D76/87, D76/44
• US Class Current: 294/118
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/283 Tongs; Devices for picking, holding or rotating food
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 13/06 characterised by the shape of the blades
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 13/22 combined with auxiliary implements, e.g. with cigar cutter, with manicure instrument cigar cutters per se A24F13/24

Abstract

The food utensil is a scissor-like eating utensil that permits a user to retrieve snack foods from a container. The utensil comprises a pair of blades pivoted to each other. The blades have respective handles at one end and terminate with respective planar-configured forks at the other end. The dimensions of the blades, handles and forks are designed to enhance retrieval of snack foods from containers in a sanitary manner.

Claims

1. A food utensil, consisting of:

a pair of elongated, continuous blade members pivotally attached to each other, each of the blade members having a proximal end and a distal end, the pair of blade members being pivotally attached approximately midway between the distal end and the proximal end, each of the blade members having a distal portion located from the pivot to the distal end, wherein substantially the entire distal portion has a flat inner edge, each of the blade members being configured to criss-cross at the pivotal attachment whereby overlapping is prevented;

a handle member disposed at the proximal end of each of the blade members, each of the handle members defining a finger hole therein; and

a fork member disposed at the distal end of each of the blade members, the fork members having opposing flat, planar surfaces, wherein the planar surfaces define the entire fork member and are coplanar with the flat inner edge of the distal portion of each blade member.

2. The food utensil according to claim 1, wherein the utensil has a length of approximately seven inches.

3. The food utensil according to claim 1, wherein each said fork member has a length of about two inches and a width of about one inch.