System and method for holding cutlery together

• US 9,924,816 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2011
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Oakes, Shawn A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Laura M
• Application Number:
  US13/156,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20110296693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,484 Days
• Field of Search: 30123, 30137, 30142, 30143, 30147, 30148, 30149, 30150, 7110-113, 206541, 206553, 156290-292
• 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:

more than two utensils comprising a formable material, each of the utensils comprising a handle with a top face, a bottom face, and pair of sides,

wherein the more than two utensils are separably coupled to one another via a unitary coupler in the form of a common portion of the formable material formed along a length of the utensils by softening or melting and by allowing the softened or melted portion to cool so as to stack the top face of a utensil below the bottom face of an adjacent utensil in a substantially parallel configuration.

2. The module of claim 1, wherein the more than two utensils are stacked.

3. The module of claim 1, wherein the more than two utensils comprise at least one of a fork, a spoon, a knife, and a spork.

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

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

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

7. The module of claim 6, wherein the at least one protrusion is configured to at least partially detach from at least one of each pair of utensils.

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

9. The module of claim 1, further comprising a band configured to assist retaining the more than two utensils to one another to form the module.

10. A module of cutlery, the module comprising:

more than two utensils comprising a formable material, each of the utensils comprising a handle with a top face, a bottom face, and pair of sides,

wherein the more than two utensils are separably coupled to one another via a bonding coupler in the form of a common portion of the formable material formed along a length of the utensil by softening or melting and by allowing the softened or melted portion to cool so as to stack the top face of a utensil below the bottom face of an adjacent utensil in a substantially parallel configuration.