Interlocking cutlery and related methods

• US 8,839,522 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2011
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Walters, Richard S.
• Primary Examiner(s): MICHALSKI, SEAN M
• Application Number:
  US13/188,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20120036724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 301/42, 303/22, 303/23, 30324-328, 303/29, 301/23
• US Class Current: 30/142
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B25G 1/10 characterised by material or shape B25G1/01, B25G1/02 take precedence ; for hand tools comprising coating rollers B05C17/0205
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49819 with conveying of work or disassembled work part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49822 by applying force

Abstract

A utensil that includes a functional end and a handle associated with the functional end. The handle includes a longitudinal axis, a first surface, and a second surface. The first surface includes at least one protrusion configured to separably couple the utensil to a second utensil. The second surface is configured to receive at least a portion of a third utensil. The at least one protrusion is configured such that the utensil and the second utensil are configured to be at least one of coupled and decoupled with respect to one another via relative movement in a plane parallel to a reference plane that intersects a plane extending between the first and second surfaces.

Claims

1. A cutlery utensil comprising:

a functional end; and

a handle associated with the functional end, the handle having a longitudinal axis,

wherein the handle comprises a first surface, an opposite second surface, a protrusion disposed on the first surface and configured to separably couple the cutlery utensil and a second cutlery utensil, and a channel defined in the second surface and configured to separably couple the cutlery utensil and a third cutlery utensil;

wherein the protrusion comprises a neck portion and a head portion, the head portion having a wider axial cross-section than an axial cross-section of the neck portion; and

wherein the protrusion is configured to couple and decouple the cutlery utensil and the second cutlery utensil via relative movement of the cutlery utensil and the second cutlery utensil in a direction along the longitudinal axis.

2. The cutlery utensil of claim 1, wherein the protrusion is configured to couple the cutlery utensil and the second cutlery utensil via relative movement of the cutlery utensil and the second cutlery utensil in a first direction along the longitudinal axis, and decouple the cutlery utensil and the second cutlery utensil via relative movement of the cutlery utensil and the second cutlery utensil in an opposite second direction along the longitudinal axis.

3. The cutlery utensil of claim 1, wherein the channel is configured to receive at least a portion of a protrusion of the third cutlery utensil.

4. The cutlery utensil of claim 1, wherein the axial cross-section of the head portion comprises one of a rectangular shape, a circular shape, triangular shape, and a star shape.

5. The cutlery utensil of claim 1, wherein the channel has an axial cross-sectional shape configured to receive at least a head portion of a protrusion of the third cutlery utensil.

6. The cutlery utensil of claim 1, wherein the channel extends along at least a portion of the longitudinal axis of the handle.

7. The cutlery utensil of claim 1, wherein a length of the channel is less than half of a length of the handle.

8. The cutlery utensil of claim 1, wherein the protrusion comprises a portion configured to detach from the cutlery utensil.

9. The cutlery utensil of claim 1, wherein the channel extends along the longitudinal axis of the handle to an end of the handle.

10. The cutlery utensil of claim 1, wherein the channel extends along the longitudinal axis of the handle and terminates a distance from an end of the handle.

11. A plurality of cutlery utensils comprising at least two of the cutlery utensils of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of a protrusion of a first one of the plurality of cutlery utensils is received within a channel of a second one of the plurality of cutlery utensils.

12. The plurality of cutlery utensils of claim 11, wherein the protrusion of the first one of the plurality of cutlery utensils and the channel of the second one of the plurality of cutlery utensils are configured such that the first surface of the first one of the plurality of cutlery utensils is spaced apart from the second surface of the second one of the plurality of cutlery utensils.

13. The cutlery utensil of claim 1, wherein the head portion has a longer longitudinal cross-section than a longitudinal cross-section of the neck portion.

14. The cutlery utensil of claim 1, wherein the channel comprises a wider portion configured to receive at least a portion of a protrusion of the third cutlery utensil and a narrower portion configured to retain the protrusion of the third cutlery utensil.

15. The cutlery utensil of claim 14, wherein the channel further comprises a tapered portion positioned between the wider portion and the narrower portion.

16. The cutlery utensil of claim 14, wherein the channel further comprises a shoulder positioned between the wider portion and the narrower portion.

17. The cutlery utensil of claim 1, wherein the handle comprises a plurality of protrusions disposed on the first surface and configured to separably couple the cutlery utensil and the second cutlery utensil.

18. The cutlery utensil of claim 17, wherein the handle comprises a plurality of channels defined in the second surface and configured to separably couple the cutlery utensil and the third cutlery utensil.

19. The cutlery utensil of claim 1, wherein the protrusion is disposed on the first surface near an end of the handle.

20. The cutlery utensil of claim 19, wherein the channel is defined in the second surface near an end of the handle.