A multi-tiered fork with cutting-edge comb teeth arranged radially and widely.

Abstract

To make it easy to eat and drink the food served at meals, we offer a state-of-the-art fork with a multi-tiered design featuring widely spaced, radially arranged teeth that allow you to eat with the feel of your fingertips. [Solution] A fork with curved teeth, or a frying pan-shaped fork, consisting of a handle 1 and a fork section 2 with multiple teeth 3. The teeth 3 are arranged in multiple stages, rising radially from top to bottom and widening radially from side to side to create a non-slip shape. The teeth 3e and 3f on both sides are bent outwards at the tips to allow scooping up a large amount of food. The teeth 3 have raised tips, allowing them to scoop like a sieve, making it a fork that is less likely to slip and less likely to fall out.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention is a fork with an improved structure for easy use during daily meals.

Background Art

[0002] Many shapes of eating forks have been proposed. Considering that infants, the elderly, and those with difficult-to-use fingertips may also need to use them, we designed a fork that can be mainly used to pick up various foods such as rice, noodles, meat, salad vegetables, and pickles with chopsticks.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a fork that can easily pick up, insert, or scoop the food provided for eating and drinking, and can scoop up a large amount of food without slipping off or falling out easily.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] We designed two types of forks for this invention: a fork with arcuate chopstick teeth as shown in Figure 1 and a fork in the shape of a frying pan as shown in Figure 2. It consists of a handle and a plurality of chopstick-tooth fork parts. The chopstick teeth 3 are arranged in multiple tiers, raised radially upward and downward as shown in Figure 3, and also widened radially left and right as shown in Figure 4. Additionally, the chopstick teeth 3e and 3f on both sides are bent outward at the tips so that a large amount of food can be scooped up. The chopstick teeth 3 are shaped like a ladle with the tip raised, making it difficult for the food to slip off or fall out.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] This design includes two types of forks: a bow-shaped tine fork 3a and a frying pan-shaped tine fork 3b. The fork with bow-shaped teeth 3a and frying pan-shaped teeth 3b is bent at the handle, the bending part 4a of the support part, and the folded part 6. At the end, multiple teeth 3 are arranged radially at an upward angle. As it goes into the mouth, the teeth on the right 3e are in the upper row and the teeth on the left 3f are in the middle row, and the teeth on the inside are in the middle row 3d and lower row 3c to minimize the height difference. The teeth 5 at the tip are bent upward to prevent food from rolling off. The devised fork is different from a regular fork. It has two types of teeth: curved teeth 3a and frying pan-shaped teeth 3b. As shown in Figure 3, there is a height difference S1 radially from top to bottom, and as shown in Figure 4, the teeth are also spread radially S2 to the left and right. The left and right sides are the upper section, and the middle and lower sections are the middle and lower sections. It is a fork that can scoop up and grasp round objects such as boiled eggs and beans, preventing them from rolling out like in a sieve. The detailed diagrams of the fork in Figures 3, 4, and 5 are the detailed diagrams of the comb teeth, and Figure 7 is the detailed diagram of the comb teeth. The 3e and 3f teeth have widened tips that are angled outwards, allowing them to grip food, scoop, and pierce it, making it less likely for food to slip out. This fork makes it difficult for overlapping slices of ham, etc., to come loose and slip off as the tips of the 3e and 3f teeth make contact. The widened tips of the tines make it less likely for food to spill or slip off. Figure 5 shows that the tines have a three-dimensional W, H, k', and k'' shape, which allows for a significantly larger amount of food to be scooped up. In this design, the fork's teeth 3 in Figure 1 protrude below the support part 4, allowing you to push and cut through food. As shown in Figure 7, the teeth 3e and 3f protrude outwards, allowing you to lift and pick up food from the bottom of a plate, and even when piercing, the teeth 3f and 3c prevent the food from rotating. In Figure 14, you can almost pick up food by pushing and piercing or pinching it with the tips of the teeth. Scooping is also easy, making meals simple and convenient. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Overall view of a fork with a curved, comb-shaped fork section. [Figure 2] Overall view of a fork with a frying pan-shaped tines. [Figure 3] Developed diagram showing the comb teeth opening vertically in a radial pattern like S1. [Figure 4] Developed diagram showing the comb teeth arranged horizontally in a radial pattern S2. [Figure 5] A three-dimensional unfolded view of the comb teeth, showing the width W, K', K'' of the opening from the left and right, and the height difference H between the top and bottom. [Figure 6] Figure 1 shows how a round food item is scooped up with the arched comb teeth 3a. [Figure 7] Detailed view showing comb teeth 3e and 3f bent outwards. [Figure 8] A diagram showing the comb teeth placed on the rim of a container like chopsticks. [Figure 9] A diagram showing how to hold and separate food into smaller portions using two comb teeth. [Figure 10] Figure 2 shows noodles being scooped up with a frying pan-shaped comb. [Figure 11] A diagram showing how to fry food using the barbed teeth of a comb. [Figure 12] A diagram showing the comb teeth scooping at the surface. [Figure 13] Diagram showing the food being separated into smaller pieces by the tips of the comb teeth. [Figure 14] Diagram showing the direction in which the tips of the comb teeth pierce the skin. [Figure 15] Diagram showing how the tips of the comb teeth are less likely to pierce the skin. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] This invention provides two types of forks: a bow-shaped comb fork 3a and a frying pan-shaped comb fork 3b. It consists of a handle 1 and a fork section 2. The handle is bent at section 4a and folded at section 6, forming the comb teeth 3. The comb teeth are arranged radially both vertically and horizontally. The left and right comb teeth 3e are in the upper section, 3f in the middle section, the inner comb teeth 3c in the lower section, and 3d in the middle section, all facing upwards. Additionally, the tips of the comb teeth 3e and 3f are bent outwards to widen them, creating a fork with a structure that prevents food from easily falling out. Figure 6 shows how it can be used to scoop round foods like beans, similar to using a bowl or sieve. The fork designed spreads the comb teeth vertically in a radial pattern as shown in Figure 3 and horizontally in a radial pattern as shown in Figure 4. The gaps between the comb teeth, namely S1, S2, K‘, K’‘, W, and H in Figure 5, are widened to make it easier to pick up food. At the folding part 6 in Figure 1, a height difference k’ is given to the comb teeth 3c and 3f to sandwich or insert foods that are usually difficult to pick up. In Figures 4 and 5, the fork is designed to be easy to use by scooping up with the comb teeth 3c, 3b, and 3e, and using 3f as a support. Also, the tips of the comb teeth 3e and 3f are bent outward as shown in Figure 7, making it easier to sandwich food, less likely to slip off, and increasing the amount that can be scooped up. The designed fork is not for picking up food with the fork tip but for pinching and holding it like chopsticks. The gaps W, H, K‘, K’‘, S1, and S2 between the comb teeth in Figures 3, 4, and 5 are widened. The gap of the height difference H of the comb tooth 3f is made larger than that of the comb tooth 3c in Figure 5, enabling it to pinch noodles or thick udon. The comb teeth 3e and 3f on the left and right in Figure 7 are wide, convenient for pinching and picking up. It can also peel, scoop up, pinch, and portion out stacked sliced ham and other ingredients near the bottom. It is also convenient for using toothpicks alone. Using two toothpicks 3f and 3c makes it easy to pick up food without it rotating. The designed fork can scrape and scoop up the food on the side or bottom of the tableware with the comb teeth 3a and 3b in Figures 11 and 13 and then eat it.

[0009] Figures 1 and 2 of this design are the overall views of the fork. The tips of the comb teeth are lowered below the extension line E of the handle 1, and the comb teeth 3 are spread widely in a radial pattern. The shape of the comb teeth 3 has the left end in the middle section, the right end in the upper section, the left in the middle side in the lower section, and the right in the middle side in the middle section to enable three-dimensional picking. It is designed to be a fork that is easy to pick up like chopsticks, not slippery, and can be used in a way that feels like gripping with the fingertips of a multi-section fork. The fork is structured by the handle 1 and the fork part 2. The shape of the fork is made into the bow-shaped comb teeth 3a in Figure 1 and the frying pan-shaped comb teeth 3b in Figure 2. Also, a return 5 is attached to the tip of the comb teeth 3 to reduce slipping. The tip width of the comb teeth in Figure 7 is made narrower than the W‘ width as it is for putting into the mouth. The slit grooves S1 and S2 of the comb teeth in Figures 3 and 4 have a height difference radially from top to bottom starting from the fold 6 and also become wider radially from left to right. The fork section consists of a support section 4 and comb teeth 3. The support section is bent downwards at the folding section 4a and the folded-back section 6, and then the comb teeth 3 face upwards at the end. Figures 3, 4, and 5 show two types of forks: one with three-dimensional, W, H, k', and k'' comb teeth that are tapered radially, and another with two types of frying pan-shaped comb teeth 3a. Forks are available in sets of 3 for toddlers, and 4 and 5 for adults, but for now, we will make them in sets of 3 and 4. The fork section 2 becomes the comb teeth 3 at the folded-over section 6 of the support section 4. The comb teeth 3 are processed into the curved comb teeth 3a in Figure 1 and the frying pan-shaped comb teeth 3b in Figure 2. The comb teeth 3e and 3f on both sides are made higher, while the middle sections 3c and 3d are stepped down and then angled upwards. The comb teeth are angled radially to grip food and prevent it from slipping off from both sides, like a colander in Figure 3. A lip is added to the very tip. In Figure 2, the frying pan-shaped comb teeth 3b have their tip 5 bent upwards. In a typical fork, the tip is above the extension of the handle. The devised fork has the tip 5 lowered in height parallel to the line E parallel to the handle 1. The handle and fork are bent slightly at the bending point 4a, and also bent downwards at the folding point 6 of the fork, so that the curved teeth 3a and frying pan-shaped teeth 3b are facing upwards, and the tip 5 does not extend above the extension line E of the handle 1. The tines of the devised fork (Figures 4 and 5) are tapered at the tip and have wide gaps. The tines 3 are widened radially from top to bottom (Figure 3), creating gaps S1, and also widened radially from left to right (Figure 3). By widening the gaps S2, it is possible to pick up and grasp a large amount of food. Food does not slip easily and is easy to pick up, making it easy to eat even for people who are not used to using a fork. The fork I designed is straight like chopsticks, so it can be used to grasp food as if with your hands. It's a fork that allows you to eat without using chopsticks. Considering that young children will be putting it in their mouths, the height H of the barb 5 at the tip (Figures 4 and 5) is reduced. The fork's teeth 3 are processed to radiate from the folded-over section 6, and the teeth 3e and 3f in Figure 7 are wide on the outside, gripping more securely and preventing slippage, allowing you to pick up more food. It grips food and makes it easy to pick up. Fold the fork of the invention downward at 4a and 6, and turn the comb teeth 3a and 3b upward at the tip. The comb teeth are radially arranged vertically and horizontally. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the inner sides 3c and 3d of the comb teeth are stepped down and upward, and the left and right sides 3e and 3f are upward. Overall, it is like a monkey in FIG. 6, making it difficult for food to fall off. The comb teeth 3e and 3f are forks with a structure that prevents slipping out by bending the tip outward. The product can be made of both metal and resin.

[0010] Chopsticks can be mainly used during daily meals. However, it is difficult for infants, the disabled, the elderly, those with difficulty in grasping, and those with difficulty in holding to have meals. There are also people who cannot use chopsticks. The forks shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designed for easy use by everyone. The fork of the invention has comb teeth 3c, 3d, 3e, and 3f arranged radially vertically and horizontally. The tips 5 of the comb teeth hit the food separately. It is used by pressing and pinching, so it is not easy to slip and is difficult to drop. By being easy to pinch and grasp, it can pick up rice, noodles, grilled innards, grilled meat, etc. Soft ingredients such as tofu can also be stabbed three-dimensionally, so they can be picked up without being cut or torn and can be eaten. For ordinary forks, the comb teeth 5 are at a higher position than the handle 1. For the fork of the invention, the comb part 5 is lower than the extension line E of the handle 1, so there is a reverse of the comb teeth 5 in a straight line like using chopsticks, and meals can be taken by scooping up the food. When having meals, less movement of the arm is required. The fork of the invention is designed so that the fork can be used as if it were one's own fingertips during meals, and it is easy for infants, the elderly, those with weak strength, and those with difficulty in holding chopsticks to have meals with foods such as rice, spaghetti, yakisoba, vegetables, desserts, etc. The comb teeth 5 spread wider radially from the fold 6 than ordinary forks, and the food can be picked up as if grasping it with the fingertips. It is not easy to tear or crush when scooping up and pinching, and it can also be portioned. It is a fork designed to be easy for anyone to use and have a comfortable meal. When eating rice, you either pick it up or scoop it up. Using the specially designed fork with its curved tines 3a, you can hold the rice against the side of the container (Figure 13) and scoop it up by gripping it, or you can use it to tear it off. It's easier to use than chopsticks and makes eating easier. (Figure 5) Even soft foods like tofu can be picked up in three dimensions without cutting or crumbling. With the frying pan-shaped comb teeth 3b in Figure 10, when eating noodles, ramen, spaghetti, or yakisoba, the tip 5 is raised higher than the handle, allowing you to loosen the noodles. You can scoop up food from the side like chopsticks without raising your arm from the table, and you can eat most foods such as oden, lettuce, boiled eggs, and soup ingredients by placing them on the comb teeth of the fork (Figure 3), twirling them, scooping, piercing, and stirring them.

[0011] The forks devised in Figures 1 and 2 come in two shapes: a bow-shaped comb tooth fork 3a and a frying pan-shaped comb tooth fork 3b. The bow-shaped comb tooth fork 3a has bow-shaped teeth; the teeth 3e and 3f on both sides are angled upwards, while the teeth 3c and 3d in the middle are angled upwards after a step, allowing it to scoop, gather, and scoop like a sieve. In Figure 10, the tip of the fork, the barb 5, can be used to hook and lift the food. In Figure 6, beans can also be scooped with the teeth 3c, 3d, 3e, and 3f. The teeth 3e and 3f have a structure that prevents them from slipping out by bending the tips outwards. Normally, meals are served with two chopsticks and a knife and fork set. It's nearly impossible to eat all the food on the table with just one fork. Using two of these forks makes eating convenient, easy, simple, and hassle-free, solving all the problems you previously had with picking up, scooping, holding, and portioning food. Using two forks expands their usability by 2 to 4 times. Figure 9 shows a meal using two forks. "Two chopsticks, a knife and fork set." Some foods cannot be eaten without holding them down. With the two forks in this invention, you can hold the food down and tear or slice it off, allowing you to eat things like grilled fish collars. You can pick up food 2 to 4 times better than with chopsticks without having to hold it down with your fingers. Using two forks is efficient and easy, eliminating the need for chopsticks. The frying pan-shaped comb fork 3b has comb teeth that are shaped like a frying pan with strip-shaped plates. Comb teeth 3e and 3f are angled upwards, while the inner teeth 3c and 3f are angled downwards. Furthermore, the comb teeth 5 of the fork in Figures 1 and 2 are bent upwards to resemble a sieve in Figure 3. The tips of the comb teeth 3e and 3f are bent outwards to prevent them from slipping off. The two types of forks I designed, 3a and 3b, have multiple comb-like teeth 3 arranged in staggered upper, middle, and lower rows. They have barbs 5 at the tips, allowing ramen and other noodles to entangle like a basket (Figure 7), making them wide and less likely to slip off. (Figure 13) They allow you to hold and grasp rice (Figure 6), and even hard-boiled eggs won't slip off. The handle and fork are straight, making chopsticks unnecessary. The fork has three teeth and five teeth, allowing you to separate food into smaller pieces. Also, the teeth of the fork (Figures 11, 12, and 13) can be used to fry ingredients near the bottom of the dish. Using two of the forks (Figure 9) allows you to eat like you would with a knife and fork, and it can also be used as a toothpick, making it very convenient. The tines of the fork designed for this purpose come in two shapes: the curved tines 3a (Figure 1) and the pan-shaped tines 3b (Figure 2). The barb 5 (Figure 14) allows you to press down and pierce the food, preventing it from sliding out of the container. The curved barb 5 of the tines also provides safety for young children (Figure 15). The fork has five barbs at the tip, allowing you to pick up, pinch, gather, and scoop food with just this one fork. As shown in Figure 13, you can lift small items like black beans from the bottom of deep dishes or cups to the surface, reducing spills. It's also great for scooping and lifting food, something that's difficult to do with chopsticks. Legumes, pickles, solid foods, etc. (Figure 9) can be portioned out by pressing and cutting with the rounded teeth (3) or the flipper (5) of the comb. (Figure 6) Rounded items like takoyaki can also be scooped and eaten. With this specially designed fork, you can use it to entwine and grasp noodles like chopsticks (Figure 10), or to stab them downwards (Figure 14). Because the handle and fork head E are straight, you can pick up food without having to stretch your arm too much. The devised fork has a wide height difference H between the teeth 3c and 3f (Figure 5), and the left and right teeth 3e and 3f are also wide, allowing you to pick up small amounts of condiments such as wasabi, mustard, and ginger like chopsticks, making meals more convenient. It is also easy to use as a toothpick, and if you use two toothpicks, you can pick up food without it spinning. Unlike ordinary forks, the curved teeth 3a of the devised fork can be used to scrape out food that has fallen into grooves in plastic containers, etc. The fork's teeth (5 in Figure 6) are shaped like a basket, allowing you to scoop up only the ingredients such as boiled eggs, black beans, and tofu without picking up the broth. It can also be used to scoop up semi-liquid foods like pudding and jelly, as well as semi-frozen foods like sashimi, without them falling apart, by piercing them in a three-dimensional way. The fork's curved tines 3a have a rounded shape (Figure 3), which allows you to easily scoop up, pick up, pierce, or cut food from the bottom of a hot pot or oden dish (Figures 11 and 12). You can gather food to the sides or corners of the dish and scoop it up to eat, which is easier than using chopsticks. When the fork is placed on the dish, the tip of the tines (Figure 8) is fixed to the edge of the dish, and even when it is inverted, the curved part of the tines is fixed to the edge of the container. The tip of the barb (5) is raised, so it can be used hygienically as a chopstick rest. The fork shown in Figures 1 and 2 has teeth 3 protruding from the folded-over section 6, allowing for quick and thorough cleaning.

[0012] The following foods are easy to eat with the fork of this invention: Rice dishes, gratin, okonomiyaki, stew Ramen, yakisoba, pasta Yakitori, sweet and sour pork, dumplings Mapo tofu, sashimi, Lettuce, blanched vegetables You can portion out beans, pickles, solid foods, and even food condiments that go on plates. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0013] 0 Diagram of the entire fork 1. Diagram of the handle 2. Diagram of the fork section 3. Diagram of the comb teeth. 3a Diagram of a fork with curved teeth. 3b Diagram of a frying pan-shaped fork with tines 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f Diagrams of bow-shaped and frying pan-shaped comb teeth 4. Diagram of the support structure 4a Diagram of the bent parts of the handle and fork. 5. Diagram of the barb of a state-of-the-art comb. 6. Diagram of the support section and the folded-over section of the comb teeth at the tip. E. Diagram of parallel lines in the handle 1. Diagram of the step difference at the tip of k', k'' S1, S2 Radial unfolded diagram of the cutting edge 5 H, W, w', w'': Developed view of the cutting edge height and width.

Claims

1. The bow-shaped fork consists of a handle and a fork section. The support section of the fork section is bent in multiple stages, and multiple comb teeth are curved in a bow shape, spreading out radially both vertically and horizontally. The comb teeth on the right are in the upper section, the ones on the left are in the middle section, and the comb teeth on the middle side are in the middle and lower sections to minimize the height difference, resulting in a fork that resembles a rising sieve at the front.

2. The frying pan-shaped comb-tooth fork is composed of a handle and a fork section. The fork section has a multi-stage support that is bent, and multiple comb teeth are bent in two places like a frying pan, spreading out vertically and horizontally. The comb teeth on the right are in the upper section, the ones on the left are in the middle section, and the comb teeth on the middle and lower sections are arranged in the middle and lower sections to minimize the height difference, and the front is raised like a sieve.

3. The aforementioned curved-toothed fork or frying pan-shaped-toothed fork is characterized in that the toe portion is spread radially in both vertical and horizontal directions, and the bent portion protrudes downward, and the left and right toe portions are bent outward at the very tips to prevent food from falling out and to allow a large amount of food to be placed on it, as described in claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned fork with curved teeth or frying pan-shaped teeth is characterized by having the height difference of the teeth minimized so that they do not come into contact with the teeth when placed in the mouth, with the left end being the middle row and the right end the upper row, the middle left being the lower row and the middle right being the middle row.

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