Kitchen utensil for handling food

Abstract

Kitchen utensil (1) comprising: a handle element (2) for holding the kitchen utensil; a functional element (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f) arranged on the handle element (2) for handling food; and a recess (4) arranged on the handle element (2) for hanging the kitchen utensil; wherein the handle element (2) has a plane of extension (E) which extends from a front (V) of the handle element (2) towards a rear (R) of the handle element (2); characterized in that, when viewed along the plane of extension (E) from the front (V) of the handle element (2), the recess (4) is concealed by the handle element (2).

Description

The invention relates to a kitchen utensil for handling food. Kitchen utensils for handling food that can be hung using hanging elements are generally known. However, kitchen utensils known from the prior art have the disadvantage of being user-unfriendly and often difficult to handle. The invention aims to improve the known state of the art in such a way that a kitchen utensil offers increased user-friendliness and user comfort, and also improves its handling. Additionally, the invention aims to make the kitchen utensil easier and more cost-effective to manufacture. This problem is solved by a kitchen utensil according to claim 1. According to the invention, it was found that a kitchen utensil with a recess concealed by the handle element is particularly advantageous. This increases user comfort, improves the handling of the kitchen utensil, and reduces manufacturing costs. The concealed recess allows the hanging element to be designed with a lateral extension, enabling the kitchen utensil to be hung closer to a wall. In particular, the space required for hanging the kitchen utensil according to the invention is reduced. Furthermore, the concealed recess allows the kitchen utensil to be hung in a different orientation than conventional kitchen utensils. This allows them to be hung either closer to a wall or closer together, thus saving space and increasing user comfort. In addition to allowing for closer mounting to a wall, the concealed recess offers the advantage of reducing the risk of injury to the user when hanging the kitchen utensil. A laterally positioned hanging element does not point towards the user, thus reducing the risk of injury. This improves the handling of the kitchen utensil according to the invention. A further advantage of the kitchen utensil according to the invention lies in the improved handling of the handle. Due to the concealed recess, the front of the handle has a continuous surface uninterrupted by a cutout. Since the palm and / or thumb of the user rests on the front of the handle during normal use, the handle of the kitchen utensil according to the invention can be held more securely and comfortably. In general, the handle is ergonomically designed. This enhances the handling of the kitchen utensil and user comfort. Furthermore, the kitchen utensil according to the invention is simpler and less expensive to manufacture. In the known prior art, the elements for hanging the known kitchen utensil are formed by hooks or loops at the upper end of the handle. These are produced by bending over the upper end of the handle or by attaching an additional loop to the upper end of the handle. This requires additional material, resulting in higher manufacturing costs. The kitchen utensil according to the invention has a recess for hanging. No additional material is required to produce this recess. The manufacturing costs are reduced. Besides reducing manufacturing costs, a recess offers the advantage of making the kitchen utensil according to the invention easier to handle. Since no hooks or loops for hanging are required on the handle of the kitchen utensil, the end of the handle is easier to hold and can be ergonomically designed. The handling of the kitchen utensil is improved. The handle element serves as a gripping element for the user of the kitchen utensil. The handle element can have any shape. In particular, the handle element can have a polygonal horizontal cross-section, especially a square horizontal cross-section, advantageously a triangular horizontal cross-section. According to an alternative embodiment, the horizontal cross-section can be T-shaped or H-shaped. In particular, the handle element is symmetrical along a longitudinal and / or a transverse dimension. The handle element has a length L, a width B, and a depth T. Advantageously, L ≥ B and / or B ≥ T. In particular, the handle element can be elongated, where L = 5 * B. Advantageously, the handle element has a front, a back, a top, and a bottom. Specifically, the front of the handle element is located on the same side of the kitchen utensil as a functional area of ​​the functional element. The functional area is the part of the functional element used for handling food. The back is the side of the handle element opposite the front. Specifically, the back of the handle element is located on the opposite side of the kitchen utensil from the functional area of ​​the functional element. The bottom of the handle element is the side on which the functional element is located. The top is the side of the handle element opposite the bottom. The plane of extension passes at least completely through the handle element. In particular, the plane of extension extends from the front towards and to the rear, and from the top towards and to the bottom. Specifically, the plane of extension is a plane of symmetry of the handle element. The extension plane has a front edge, a rear edge, a top edge, and a bottom edge. The extension plane extends between the respective edges. In particular, the extension plane forms an extension surface that extends between the respective edges of the extension plane. The front edge of the extension plane is located on the front of the handle element. The rear edge of the extension plane is located on the back of the handle element. The bottom edge of the extension plane runs along the underside of the handle element. The top edge of the extension plane runs along the top of the handle element between the front edge and the rear edge. The recess is located on the handle element. Alternatively, the recess can be located on the functional element. The recess serves for hanging the kitchen utensil. According to the invention, the recess is understood to be a free area in the handle element, which serves for hanging the cooking utensil. The recess can, in particular, be a hole, a gap, or a depression. The recess can have any shape. In particular, the recess is designed as a cylinder, an oblong hole, a cuboid, or an n-sided prism. The recess is positioned on the handle element in such a way that it is concealed when viewed along the plane of extension, from the front of the handle element towards the back. In other words, the recess is concealed by the handle element. "Concealed" here means that the recess is not visible to a user from the aforementioned perspective, as material from the kitchen utensil, particularly the handle element, is located between the user and the recess. Specifically, the recess is concealed when viewed along the plane of extension, from the front edge of the plane towards the rear edge. According to a further aspect of the invention, the recess extends completely through the handle element along its width B, making the kitchen utensil particularly easy to hang. All end faces of the recess are free of material from the kitchen utensil, allowing a hook for hanging the kitchen utensil to pass completely through the recess. The end faces of the recesses are defined as those surfaces whose normals run parallel to a direction of extension of the recess. According to a further aspect of the invention, the recess has a lateral surface that is completely encased by material from the kitchen utensil, thus enabling particularly secure hanging of the kitchen utensil. The lateral surface includes every surface of the recess that is not an end face. The lateral surface is the entirety of the surfaces that extend along the direction of the recess. In particular, the normals of the surfaces of the recess belonging to the lateral surface run parallel to the plane of extension. According to another aspect of the invention, the functional element is a pair of tongs, a ladle, a cooking spoon, a serving spoon, a serving spoon, a strainer, a spaghetti spoon, a skimmer, a serving spoon, a sauce ladle, a pointed spoon, a spatula, or a whisk. In particular, several functional areas can be designed identically or differently. According to a further aspect of the invention, the handle element and / or the functional element consists of a plastic and / or a metal and / or a ceramic and / or a composite material and / or an organic material, in particular wood. The handle element and / or the functional element can also consist of a combination of several materials. This increases user comfort and improves handling. The handle and the functional element can be made of the same materials. This allows for simple and cost-effective manufacturing. Alternatively, the handle and the functional element can be made of different materials. This allows for user comfort through the use of a suitable material for the handle and long-lasting durability for the functional element through the use of a different material. According to a further aspect of the invention, the handle element and the functional element are formed in one piece, thus simplifying manufacturing. The kitchen utensil is made from a single part. In particular, the kitchen utensil can be made from multiple parts, wherein the handle element and the functional element are irreversibly connected to each other. According to a further aspect of the invention, the functional element is reversibly arranged on the handle element. This ensures a high degree of user-friendliness. The functional element can be coupled to the handle element by means of a force-fit and / or a form-fit connection. The handle element can have a connecting element for this purpose. The connecting element serves to couple or connect the handle element and the functional element. In particular, the connecting element is designed as an independent module. Alternatively, the connecting element can be formed integrally with the functional element or the handle element. The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures. The figures show: Fig. 1 a front view of a kitchen utensil according to the invention in the form of a spatula, Fig. 2 a side view of the kitchen utensil from Fig. 1, Fig. 3 a perspective view of the kitchen utensil from Fig. 1, Fig. 4 a section of the handle element of the kitchen utensil from Fig. 1, Fig. 5 a perspective view of a kitchen utensil according to the invention in the form of a ladle, Fig. 6 a perspective view of a kitchen utensil according to the invention in the form of a pointed spoon, Fig. 7 a perspective view of a kitchen utensil according to the invention in the form of a slotted spoon, Fig. 8 a perspective view of a kitchen utensil according to the invention in the form of tongs. Figures 1, 2 to 3 show a kitchen utensil 1 in the form of a spatula. The kitchen utensil 1 comprises a handle 2, a spatula head 3a, and an elongated hole 4 drilled into the handle 2. The spatula head 3a is the functional element for handling food. The handle 2 has a front side V, a back side R, a top side O, and a bottom side U (shown in Fig. 4). The front side V is shown in a frontal view in Fig. 1. It is located on the same side of the kitchen utensil 1 as the functional area F of the spatula attachment 3a, which is used to handle the food. The back side R is located on the side of the handle 2 opposite the front side. The underside U is located on the side of the handle 2 that is connected to the spatula attachment 3a. The top side O is located on the side of the handle 2 opposite the underside U. Furthermore, the handle 2 has a plane of extension E, shown in Figures 2 and 3. This plane extends from the front V towards and to the rear R, and from the top O towards and to the bottom U. The plane of extension E is a plane of symmetry of the handle 2. Figure 4 shows a section of the handle 2 in the plane of extension E. For clarity, the plane of extension E is shown in the figures projecting beyond the handle 2. The kitchen utensil 1 can be hung on a suspension element (not shown) by means of the hole 4 shown in Fig. 2. The hole 4 is arranged such that, when viewing the kitchen utensil 1 from the front V along the plane E, it is concealed by the handle 2. In a front view, the hole 4 runs laterally through the handle 2. In the front view shown in Fig. 1, the hole 4 runs from left to right or from right to left. In this view, the hole 4 is not visible because it is covered by the handle 2. In the side view shown in Fig. 2, the hole 4 runs perpendicular to the plane of view and is visible to the viewer. The hole 4 runs completely through the handle 2. Fig. 4 shows a section through the handle 2 of the kitchen utensil 1 from Fig. 1, Fig. 2 to Fig. 3. The section runs along the extension plane E. The underside U of the handle 2 lies on the side of the handle 2 which is connected to the spatula attachment 3a. The hole 4 has a lateral surface M, which represents the totality of all surfaces whose normals are parallel to the extension plane E. The lateral surface M is completely enclosed by the handle 2. Figures 5, 6 to 7 show alternative embodiments of kitchen utensil 1. The unchanged elements of the kitchen utensil continue to be designated with the same reference numerals. The embodiments shown in Figures 5, 6 to 7 differ from the embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 to 4 only in that the functional element 3b, 3c, 3d is designed differently. In principle, the functional element can be any conceivable tool for handling food. Fig. 8 shows an alternative embodiment of the kitchen utensil 1 in the form of tongs. The unchanged elements of the kitchen utensil continue to be designated with the same reference numerals. Two arms 3e of tongs are arranged on the handle 2. The tongs are made in one piece. Each jaw arm 3e has a functional area F. The functional areas F are arranged in an alignment with each other on the jaw arms 3e. The extension plane E runs along the length and depth of the handle 2. The extension between the front V and the back R is the depth of the handle 2, i.e., its smallest extension.

Claims

Kitchen utensil (1) comprising: a handle element (2) for holding the kitchen utensil; a functional element (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f) arranged on the handle element (2) for handling food; and a recess (4) arranged on the handle element (2) for hanging the kitchen utensil; wherein the handle element (2) has a plane of extension (E) which extends from a front (V) of the handle element (2) towards a rear (R) of the handle element (2); characterized in that, when viewed along the plane of extension (E) from the front (V) of the handle element (2), the recess (4) is concealed by the handle element (2). Kitchen utensil (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the recess (4) extends completely through the handle element (2). Kitchen utensil (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the recess (4) is designed as a cylinder, as an oblong hole, as a cuboid or as an n-sided prism. kitchen utensil (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the recess (4) has a lateral surface (M), wherein the lateral surface (M) of the recess (4) is completely enclosed by the handle element. kitchen utensil (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the extension plane (E) is a plane of symmetry of the handle element (2). Kitchen utensil (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the functional element (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f) is a tong, a ladle, a cooking spoon, a serving spoon, a serving spoon, a straining spoon, a spaghetti spoon, a skimmer, a serving spoon, a sauce spoon, a pointed spoon, a spatula or a whisk. Kitchen utensil (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the handle element (2) consists of a plastic and / or a metal and / or a ceramic and / or a composite material and / or an organic material, in particular wood. Kitchen utensil (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the functional element (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f) consists of a plastic and / or a metal and / or a ceramic and / or a composite material and / or an organic material, in particular wood. Kitchen utensil (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the handle element (2) and the functional element (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f) are formed in one piece. Kitchen utensil (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the functional element (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f) is arranged reversibly separably on the handle element (2). Kitchen utensil (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the handle element (2) has a connecting element for connecting, in particular for positive or force-fit connection, the handle element (2) with the functional element (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f).

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