Serving Utensil Scraper Arm for One-Handed Food Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing serving utensils are awkward to use when trying to remove stuck food from the receptacle, as they require altering the grip or using additional utensils, leading to inefficiency and discomfort.
Innovation Solution
A serving utensil design featuring a handle with a resilient arm that extends forwardly from the gripping portion, allowing for easy operation of a scraping end without compromising the user's grip, utilizing a bowed shape that is resiliently deformable to push food off the receptacle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If vertical arms are squeezed in the horizontal direction to push food off, then food ejection is achieved, but the device size increases and requires two hands or hand repositioning
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient arm is configured to extend forwardly from the handle in a direction that allows activation with minimal hand motion. This dimensional arrangement eliminates the need for horizontal squeezing or hand repositioning, reducing the device's effective operating volume.
2Ease of operation
If the resilient arm extends forwardly from the gripping portion, then hand motion is minimized and grip is maintained, but the overall device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient arm is nested within or integrated into the handle structure, allowing it to extend forwardly without significantly increasing the overall device volume. The arm can be contained within the handle's profile when not in use.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables easy and efficient food removal from the utensil without altering the grip, minimizing hand motion and overall size, while being simple to manufacture and use.
Implementation Method 1
The resilient arm is resiliently deformable downwardly and forwardly to cause the resilient arm adjacent the scraping end to push food off of the food receptacle
Data Source
AI summary
A serving utensil comprises a handle having a gripping portion that is gripped by the user, A serving receptacle is operatively connected to the handle. There is mounted to the serving utensil a serving scraper having a resilient arm with a bowed shape. The resilient arm has a scraping end and a mounting end. A mounting means at the mounting end is for mounting the resilient arm to the serving utensil forwardly of the gripping portion of the utensil used to grip the utensil and rearwardly of the serving-receptacle. A scraper-remover is disposed at the scraper end of the resilient arm so that food can be scraped off of the food receptacle of the utensil when the serving scraper is actuated by the user.