Patent Grant
10441114
The present invention relates to disposable finger food holder tongs with enhanced grabbing and reduced tearability.
Known prior art is the enclosed U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,928 of Wong which describes finger food tons (“eating utensils”) with texturized surfaces, but they appear to be permanently attached, not attached manually in situ by adhesive stickers.
Disposable paper based finger food tongs are described in the Jones, U.S. Pat. No. 3,407,927. However, Jones merely discloses folding a sheet of paper or plastic material to form opposite pockets with mid-facing pocket openings, which are not sealed for sanitary use, and then heat sealing or adhesive gluing of the left and right ride edges of each pocketed food holder before being cut into separate food holders. Jones also does not disclose adherable textured regions with free ends to permit pivoting.
Kaufman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,331,626, described finger tongs with open sided, unsealed pockets.
Known prior art also includes a loosely suspended ring that a thumb is inserted in, in a boxing glove, as noted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,595 of Alpert. However, the loose thumb ring of Alpert '595 is not a finger stability enhancing element, and does not constrict against the fingers, while still allowing the fingers to manipulate in using the tongs for holding objects, such as food, for example. Alpert required knotted wrist laces to hold the boxing glove on the hand. In contrast, in the absence of Alpert's knotted wrist laces, Albert does not stabilize a finger or thumb in place in a pocket of an object, such as a food grabbing set of tongs. Also, in Alpert, the fingers are not free and independent to manipulate an object.
Known prior art also includes a recent pending European patent application number WO 2012/117248 of Ly from the United Kingdom of Great Britain which describes disposable paper finger tongs which are coated and textured for better gripping. However, Ly does not show the use of a central patch of adhesive on a central portion the back of the textured sticker patch to reduce ripping caused by full surface adhesive pulling against thin paper tong material. Ly also has complicated pleats to compress multiple folds to prevent unfolding of the pockets due to the resilient bias of his materials. However, Ly requires an extra-long axis of the material to accommodate the folded pleats, as is clearly shown in Ly's FIG. 4, which excessively large areas 8 of adhesive, which are not required in the Applicant's present invention. Ly's fold lines are solely for the folding, not for sealing off Ly's pockets prior to use. Also, Ly's perforations are for scoring the edges of the pocketed handling implements, not for sealing off the finger insertion pockets prior to use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,439 of Goldberg describes forming a safety fringe around the edge of paper product sheets in general, but Goldberg does not describe heat or otherwise sealing of folded paper pockets. Goldberg does not describe any custom method of manufacturing fringes, such as heated knurling.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,424,541 B2 of Crawford describes a chewable tobacco or botanical pouch made of porous paper with rounded, non-sharp smooth sealed edges 12 around various polygon or other shapes, but does not describe soft, injury preventive edges with irregular free ends extending beyond a seal parallel to, and in the vicinity of a periphery of a finger(s)/thumb insertion pocket or strap of a set of tongs, to promote tearing. In fact, Crawford seals his tobacco pouch 14 with a continuous, hardy smooth edged seal 12 that does not promote tearing of the pouch 14, because tearing will be detrimental to the contents in the pouch 14.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,842 of Chang describes a set of tongs with soft pads to clean eyeglass lenses, but the arms of the tongs do not contain any finger(s)/thumb insertion pockets or straps that can be used to manipulated an object, such as, for example, a piece of food.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,143,276 of Nichols describes folding paper to form pockets, such as envelopes, with flaps to fold the containers. However, Nichols '276 does not describe forming finger insertion tongs with finger(s)/thumb insertable pockets or straps, with unbonded peripheral free ends of edges, used to make soft, injury preventive edges for tongs.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide disposable finger food holder tongs with enhanced grabbing and reduced tearability.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide disposable finger food holder tongs with optional texturization.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide strong disposable finger food holder tongs with reduced tearing characteristics.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide disposable finger food holder tongs with optional shell cracker accessories.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide disposable finger food holder tongs with optional utensils.
Other objects which become apparent from the following description of the present invention.
The present invention comprises a combination finger food holder tongs set and surface texturizing set, which includes a set of tongs with finger pockets, whereby the pockets are movable towards and away from each other for grasping an article of food; plus a plurality of adhesively adherable or otherwise fastenable sticker substrates having a first texture imparted side and an opposite adhesive bearing side with a release liner, whereby the texture containing sticker is placed upon the food engaging surface for manual grasping of articles of food.
For example, the finger accommodation areas, can be closed ended pockets, open ended pockets, a portion of a pocket, straps that a finger in inserted behind, an in-between finger(s) vertically extending tab wall, an in-between finger(s) vertically extending wall shaped like an beam, an in-between free finger(s) tabs in a pocket; an in-between free finger(s) tab strap, and/or other recessed or dimpled areas, or, combinations thereof.
The disposable finger holding tongs for handling a food product include a strip of disposable flexible coated material having a central folded region. Distal ends of the strip form jaws of the tongs, with each distal end having a pocket to accommodate a finger, thumb or fingers of a user. An optional removable seal covers the disposable finger tongs prior to use; and respective textured surfaces are provided on grabbing surfaces of the jaws to assist in holding the food product. The textured surfaces may be crimped, embossed, coated or formed in the surface of the jaws of the tongs, or may be provided on adherable stickers or substrates attachable to the jaws of the tongs.
Optionally a one side edge of the strip has perforations so that the tongs are separable from an adjoining strip whereby a plurality of the strips are formed from a single sheet of disposable flexible material, the strips being separable by the perforations. The perforations when using a single foldable sheet must be double perforation lines which will extend perpendicular to the axis of the aligned tongs, and located parallel to and close to the pocket mouth. The tong pockets each are sealed for sanitary purposes. When used, the perforation lined regions are pulled to reveal the open pocket from under the sealed portion or pieced to hug around the finger.
Optionally each pocket contains an elastic or stretchable finger contact member, such as a length of elastic or stretchable strap or ring inside and/or outside of the pockets of the tong jaws, for maintaining an opening into each pocket to assist in holding the tongs upon the respective fingers and thumb of the user.
However, it is further noted, that optionally, the set of tongs can have one or more functional connecting tabs for their specific purposes of connecting the finger accommodating pockets or other finger accommodating areas connected by the one or more connecting tabs.
It is noted however, that there are two kinds of straps optionally used in the present invention. First, straps can be open ended finger accommodating strap.
In contrast, the present invention also optionally includes finger stability straps, in contrast to Alpert '595, where the straps hug and/or are connected in part or in full, to an interior wall of the pockets of the set of tongs. Other finger stability elements can be thicker walls, a hole in the tab, a strap, a plurality straps, one or more flexible straps, a pierceable seal in a pocket of a finger(s)/thumb accommodating region, a pierceable seal at a mouth of a pocket of finger(s)/thumb accommodating region, a pierceable perforation around an open mouth area in a pocket of finger(s)/thumb accommodating region, full stability wall with a separate material, a partial stability wall prepped onto an original material, a layered wall, a stretchable wall, a draw-string in a pocket of a jaw, a huggable pocket, a width allowance tab, a clip with a hook/ring ability, and/or combination thereof, or, in the optional absence thereof, none of the above.
The edges of the set of tongs can optionally have injury preventive features, such as soft, less sharp irregular edges including a feathered edge, a perforated edge, a fragmented edge, a frayed edge, a segmented edge, a partially straight edge, a zig-zag edge, a teethed edge, a serrated edge, a jagged edge, a rounded teeth edge, a tearable edge, an edge such as described with reference to botany plants and leaves for edges; or, a combination thereof, or in the absence thereof; none of the above. The purpose of the edge being irregular as noted above is that it reduces the peripheral surface portion touching the skin of the user. For example, with peaks and valleys, only the portion of the peaks and immediate adjacent portions of the peripheral edge contact the skin of the user. A portion is removed in creating the peaks and valleys. The other portions down in the valleys of the irregular edges do not all contact the skin, if at all. The removed portion brings the peripheral edge down to a predetermined seal, to promote tearing at that point, where the valleys meet the seal. Unlike U.S. Pat. No. 8,424,541 B2 of Crawford, the present invention describes a set of tongs made of non-porous paper with soft, irregular, non-smooth sealed edges around the set of tongs, with soft, injury preventive edges with irregular free ends extending beyond a seal parallel to, and in the vicinity of a periphery of a finger(s)/thumb insertion pocket or strap of a set of tongs, to promote tearing.
Optionally, at least one of the jaws has a food handling tool extending from a bottom end or other position place thereof, such as a fork, knife, spoon or chopsticks.
The tongs are formed from a sheet of flexible material, such as, but not limited to, paper, plastic, fabric or combinations thereof, in which strips of the flexible material form respective tongs, in which a side edge of the strip has perforations so that the tongs are separable from an adjoining strip whereby a plurality of the strips are formed from the single sheet of disposable flexible material, the strips being separable at the perforations. Optionally, one of the jaws has separate pockets adapted for individual fingers of a user.
The tongs may also be adapted to be stackable.
The textured substrates or stickers optionally include a textured food engaging side and an opposite tong engaging side, the opposite tong engaging side having a centralized adhesive region surrounded by a non-adhesive peripheral region with pivotable free ends, which are not contacting the opposite tong engaging side, to reduce the possibility of the adhesive pulling and ripping the tongs during use.
In another alternate embodiment, the sticker is attached to an elastic or stretchable ring, the elastic or stretchable ring being insertable over a respective tong of the tongs for engaging the sticker to the tong. Optionally the length of strip or ring (which optionally may be formed from two strips joined at the ends to form a closed ring) is elastic, so that when the finger enters the elastic expands and then tightly retracts upon the finger, whereas if the ring or strip(s) are instead stretchable, they will stretch when the finger is contracted, but will not retract thereafter.
In yet another embodiment, the sticker further comprises a three-dimensional C-side shaped immovable jaw member having a set of overhanging immovable jaws and ridges on the top and bottom inner surfaces thereof. The set of tongs may also have an accessory shell cracker or utensil bearing toy removably attachable to the three-dimensional C-side shaped immovable jaw member.
The disposable tongs may be produced by the method of coating a flat sheet of paper with a pre-perforated top layer, heat sealing the paper and, a) cutting the sheet at peripheral edges to form individual tongs, or b) tearing the sheet at the perforated regions, also at peripheral edges, to form individual tongs, and providing the tongs thus formed with textured food grabbing surfaces.
It is noted, however, that in a preferred optional embodiment, the tongs of the present invention also may have other perforations which are perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of the tongs, at least in the mid connecting tab region where the open mouths of the pockets are located and optionally sanitarily sealed before use, so that a sanitary cover seal can be removed or pierced along these perpendicular perforations, to reveal the openings of the pockets of each jaw of the tongs for finger, thumb or fingers being inserted into previously sanitarily sealed regions, extending at least in the central region between the pocket openings (or optionally, extending along the entire region or portion thereof of the flat tongs before use), or to hug the fingers.
The tongs may be provided in a multiple stacked relationship, the stack of tongs being supported upon a stand having a base, a column and a clip, or on a hook extending from a wall, to hold the plurality of tongs
Optionally, the tongs may comprise conical members formed from a sheet, the sheet wrapped around to form the conical shape at a sealed linearly extending joint, the sealed joint being provided in such an amount to provide a linearly extending textured food grabbing linear portion. The conical tong members may also be formed from a sheet, where the sheet is wrapped around to form the conical shape, the conical members each being provided with respective three dimensional crimped portions forming the textured food grabbing surfaces.
In another alternate embodiment, the disposable finger holding tongs for handling a food product include a strip of disposable flexible coated material having a central folded region; wherein distal ends of the strip form jaws of the tongs, each distal end having a pocket to accommodate a finger of a user. A removable seal may cover the disposable finger tongs prior to use and respective textured surfaces may be provided on grabbing surfaces of the jaws to assist in holding the food product. In this embodiment, the tongs are formed from a folded sheet of flexible material folded over a set of female dies (or at least one female die) pressed by a set of male dies (or by at least one male die) to form crimped open three dimensional finger and thumb portions (and finger joints) with textured surfaces, the folded materials and the dies being provided under a shroud providing a heat sealing of the tongs. The dies can also form crimps to for three dimensional surfaces corresponding to the palm area of the tongs.
In yet another alternate embodiment, a disposable food grabbing accessory includes a flexible substrate having a flat skin contact side and an opposite textured side, the flexible substrate being attached to an elastic or stretchable band placed over a finger. The textured substrate is attachable by the tensile force of the elastic or stretchable band extending over the finger, wherein the elastic or stretchable band directly holds the textured substrate directly on the finger.
In general, the present invention is a dispensable and retrievable container/system with sanitary paper tongs in a package in relation to the dispenser and a transferable sticker in a container, with a silicone release backer. Adherable texturized stickers are provided for handling lobster and shrimp surfaces needing abrasive rubbing thereon, but which do not touch skin. This invention relates to disposable tongs which are more particularly intended for use in handling unwrapped foods, for example, in shops, restaurants, although the tongs may, if desired, be used in suitable other cases where it is desired to avoid touching substances, such as medical or pharmaceutical particles to be picked up by hand.
A common method of handling foods in an unwrapped condition in shops is to use metal/plastic tongs, which may be used a considerable number of times in the course of a day's trading between cleanings. This is a disadvantage from a hygienic point of view, particularly as in the course of such use, the food-gripping surfaces of the tongs may inadvertently be handled or soiled and disposable sanitary paper and tear under moist conditions when pressure is applied to it and in contact with rough, sharp, pointed surfaces. An object of the present invention is therefore to provide tongs suitable for the use in handling food and food surfaces which can be produced at a cost sufficiently low to make it practicable for the user to throw them away after using once only. Preferably, the tongs can be broken up after use into smaller pieces, making them more environmental sound to prevent choking of wildlife. This is accomplished by having tearable peripheral edges, which enable the user to tear the used set of tongs before disposal. The method of disposal motivates the user to dispose of the used tongs in an environmentally and wildlife friendly manner. In this method, it promotes a second finger protection feature, where, in addition to the first feature of protecting the finger(s) or thumb during use from contact with messy food being held by the tongs, but also, as a second finger protecting feature, the tearable edges of the tongs can also protect the fingers when the user puts the two food contact surfaces of both tongs against each other, so that both tongs can be torn while the user's fingers only contact the clear outer side of the tongs.
Therefore, the disposable tongs of the present invention provide a triple protection to the user. First, the soft irregular peripheral edges help prevent paper cuts to the fingers, mouth, tongue and lips of the user. Second, the tongs preferably have a central connecting tab between the two jaw pockets of the tongs, wherein the central tab can be torn to separate the tongs into two tongs, so that the two food contact sides of the respective pockets can be folded against each other, so that the user only holds the outside, clean, non-food contact area when disposing the used tongs. Third, if both the front and back of pockets are messy, the clean central tab can be torn, and folded over the back and/or front of the messy pockets, thereby keeping the hands, fingers and/or thumb of the user clean during the tear down and disposable of the used set of tongs. In this manner, the hand that is using the torn tongs can press the user's thumb and fingers together, concealing the mess on the front and back of the pockets. Then the hand that is not using the tongs can drag and fold the extended torn connecting tab over the messy front or back of pockets, therefore concealing the mess on the front or back of both pockets. With the same hand, the user can drag the set of tongs off the other hand and start the tearing down process to break the used set of tongs into small, disposable pieces.
Another objective of the invention is to overcome the tearing of the cost effective, disposable tongs. When a full glued base sticker is applied to paper tongs, it can grab multiple surfaces well, but paper tongs tear when pressure is applied to any one particular side. It causes the side of sticker with no pressure to lift, therefore pulling on sanitary paper causing tear and tears occur faster as the paper tongs get moist from food. In a preferred embodiment, to overcome the tearing and still provide a cost effective and practical disposable paper tong, the textured sticker has a central glue base only with the glue at the center of the base of sticker. It allows for the maximum grasping of the food surface and when pressure is applied to any one side of the sticker, the central glue adhesive region allows for a pivoting of the free peripheral ends of the sticker, because the outer base of the sticker is free of glue, which does not stick, is not connected it to the paper, which eliminates the pulling and tearing.
Although a fully glued base or a particularly outer perimeter glue (to save on glue) base can be applied to stronger, more expensive coated, plastic, multilayer, disposable, non-disposable tongs. According to the invention, the stickers and tongs can have optional three dimensional multi surfaces with self-locking, press in novelty or shell cracking accessories or more optionally, a zip track, wherein an accessory is pushed in and permanently or temporarily locks for rugged use and safety (not necessary for connecting tab). Locking can be temporary by the user pinching tabs located on the zip tracks. Also, the accessory can be locked in place by fasteners, such as drawer fasteners or jewelry clasps.
According to the invention, stickers can be made in plastic injections, moldings and embossed sheet systems. Disposable tongs are formed, made by a strip of paper or other poly coated or other flexible, disposable material. By folding and heat sealing, gluing and cutting, there are different methods of producing hygienic, disposable tongs, with a high volume label press, leaving a perforated top pocket connecting tab which completely seals pockets and only when the top perforated tab is torn of its, exposes the bottom pockets' connector tab and reveals the mouth of the pocket. A preferred method is a strip of paper or flexible, disposable material, which is provided at each end with a pocket and is folded about its middle so that its pockets' ends form a connecting tab so that each pocket is at the outside of the tongs and has its mouth presented towards the middle of the strip, whereby the tongs can be held in use by the user inserting a finger or fingers into one pocket and a thumb into the other pocket. Also according to the invention, a plurality of disposable tongs can have a perforated connected ability at its ends or sides with or without a perforated hygienic tab (which does not have to be perforated.) Connecting tongs can be provided in a boxlike dispenser that when pulled, a cutter on the dispensing box will cut a perforated connecting tab. Also the tongs thus produced can be stacked where the food touching side is faced down on a convex base, which allows for the pocket mouth to face up and open. Wheel allows the user to easily insert thumb and finger(s) into pockets.
Also according to an alternate embodiment of the invention, a convex, rectangular base, with two posts at each end can hold sets of tongs, which are placed on the convex base with a hygienic tab up with distal pocket tips in between posts. The narrow sides of rectangle are free moving, of whichever sides up and down so that the two narrow corner posts rest upon the distal tips of pocket. The weight holds tongs in place so the tab can be torn off; exposing respective pockets' mouths and connecting pockets' tab, insuring that only that particular user will put their fingers and thumb into that particular tongs, and none others.
The open mouth, disposable tongs can be produced in current methods of using a production press and filling the tongs in a dispenser container. Optionally the tongs are flexible, with at least one textured surface substrate or sticker adhered thereto, and which does not touch the skin. Without limitation to other embodiments foreseen by this disclosure, to recapitulate, the important salient optional features of the textured food or other item handling tongs with in situ applied textured stickers (or in situ applied other textured bearing members) include optionally at least as follows:
The optional textured sticker to start with has a predetermined design so when the user's thumb meets fingers, it mimics a bird beak to pick up pieces of food, such as meat or other food products, to be grabbed and consumed.
The tongs can have more than one sticker with protruding, abrasive textures, and the texture can be of a fanciful but abrasive texture, such as the face of a character, such as a design where two stickers meet to make a character on the tong's surfaces.
A male part on open sticker can insert into another sticker's female part when two stickers become hinged or solid locked, with an ability to become or hold fanciful and/or functional accessories, such as characters which can function as shell crackers, meat tearers, etc.
The textured stickers can be embossed with a product such as known as poly 2301 Pioneer WI54868, 800-319-2477-751-234-9186.
The tong's pockets and respective food touching surface and/or entire back and front can be coated, printed, dipped, etc., in rubber, plastic, acrylic, etc., with or without pieces of crushed nutshell, processed corn bits, etc., to create a gripping surface with a bonding ability, that is sanitary and digestible.
Exterior paper on the bottom of each pocket can be shorter on top or back of each tong pocket so that a finger and thumb can find themselves into the recess of the pocket, because the pockets can be provided with a different size of FDA approved material on each side and top opening of pocket on food touching side where it meets the tab, which may be longer than the back or pocket. This allows for easier finding of the openings of each pocket of each tong. A shorter back side can still be sealed, glued, etc., anywhere on the respective folded edges thereof.
In the coating process, a multicoated paper, such as aluminum is coated with paper, and then the paper is coated with poly wax.
In this process, at least a portion of the product can have textured, coated, multi coat surface.
Although adhesives, glue and heat sealing can be used, a cold seal method can also be used. Additionally joints can be sealed when the flexible FDA approved material forming the tongs is rolled, crimped, sewn, knurled, etc.
Coatings help strengthen the paper tongs, which when used, break down quickly, with use and handling food. A paper water shield can be added from the minimum amount to the maximum amount to get the tong stronger when it is wet. Water strength depends upon the amount of adhesive sprayed on at the time of turning pulp.
Multiple coatings can be applied with or without increased water resistance strength. The more adhesive applied, the more crinkly the paper is, which is undesirable for a napkin use. But in the use of a finger tong, it will add a needed strength to hold up against moisture and to keep the ink print on paper. Without the paper strength, any indicator or decorative ink tends to dissolve into the tissue, which then grossly dissolves into foods, although food-compatible, non-printed, coated FDA approved material and/or edible ink can touch the food.
Tongs can also be made with FDA approved material such as used in making paper towels, i.e., for example, paper of two plys or more, or one ply paper. Although Kraft chemical pulping adds more dry strength by allowing chemical bonds, which can be enhanced with more dry strength additives, such as cationic starch in the form of bleach, bleach pulp of a paper napkin tissue, but it may still need wet strength by the aforementioned coating. Although wet strength and process are still in the experimental stages in the chemical pulp, wet strength additives such as polyamidoamine-epichlorohydrin resins may be added at a point in processing where the pH level is good, such as between 6-9, is then mixed with good negative charged amounts and without excessive positive charge when adding resins. In some cases, cationic wet strength resins can be improved by adding carboxymethykellulose or other negatively charged additives.
Heat or glue sealers can make the tongs of any size, so as to be any size or geometric shape, with a function, for example, the tongs may be sealed in the shape of being rounded around fingers and/or a thumb and in front of, or tips of, fingers or thumbs. This will allow for when fingers and/or a thumb grab an article of food or other item. It allows for the things to be grabbed by the tongs, as the jaws of the tongs are brought together by the fingers and thumb acting cooperatively. This creates a region for food grabbing, which helps hold on to food within a contoured conformational shape around the food article being held therein.
The tongs can be scaled anywhere to create different food nesting shapes and/or finger stability enhancement methods. The jaw pockets can be equal sized, or two different sized pockets or one universal pocket, where the user places the pockets over both the thumb and finger to grab foods. The tongs are coated to form a stronger FDA approved material to hold up against moisture-laden foods, for example, moist fruit salad or chow mein, to prevent the tongs from breaking down and dissolving into foods that are moist.
Each tong's pockets' respective seams can be provided on the outside and/or on the inside of the tong's pockets, which can have a seamless edge, frayed edges and/or edges cut in any shape or shapes, or turned inside out, like socks, and be produced with an air suction method or other methods.
Each set of foldably joined tongs can have multilayer paper and/or poly plastics, with poly or paper in between, and/or poly coated FDA approved material, to stop grease penetrations. With heat, glue or other sealer, the closed end of the pockets are sealed, but the open ends can be opened from a sealed state where the user tears a perforated line of the tongs, either partially or fully around the tongs, to remove a sanitary seal covering the pocket opening of the jaws of the tongs, which the user removes, which reveals the pocket for insertion of the finger, fingers or thumb therein.
If made of paper, the tongs can have wet strength glue that is poly based and other additives that are food compatible, but of synthetic and/or natural FDA approved material, and which may be coated or not coated, such as by being embedded in the paper FDA approved material to be folded and formed into the tongs.
Mylar, which is more flexible than paper, more durable and has an oil resistance feature, can be used as an alternate embodiment for the flexible sheet FDA approved material, from which the tongs are made from.
An example of a machine for processing flexible sheet materials can be a FLEXO® machine, which is rotary-line operational. The optional permanent glue can be NCR ink adhesive. The flexible material may be MYLAR® (film) under the TYVEK®® trade name.
The Mylar material is processed in layers with adhesives, and cut to reveal a second layer.
When the tongs produced has a top connector (tab), the process of making is still the same, except in that the tab is left, then cutter cuts the material and adhesive is added. To insert a drawstring from a reel of string, insertion starts at the beginning of the insertion process, then is placed in between sheets before a needle pulls through a length of the draw string to form a pull string which then can close the mouth of pocket, until opened by the user to reveal the finger insertion recesses in the tongs, or just pre-sewn into the material.
Optional steel dies can start the tong forming process for three dimensionally shaped tong pockets process, which are then optionally crimped or otherwise shaped to provide the textured surface, which can be a pattern, a random accumulation of texturization, or can be contacted with a glob, or squirt of silicone glue placed on the food grabbing side of the tongs, which glob of silicone is formed into shapes, tools, logos, characters, which are then adhered to the surface texturization of the tongs.
In an alternate embodiment, a food handling product is made from suitable materials, and has an important feature to help prevent injury, wherein at least one functional tab connector provides a functional use and/or feature for the user, where in at least one functional finger/thumb accommodation area is presented and at least one finger/thumb stability area is optionally provided. Furthermore, in certain circumstances, at least one additional functional connecting tab can be provided to assist another connecting tab where in at least one functional finger/thumb accommodation area is presented and at least one finger/thumb stability is optionally provided.
As shown in
When grabbing different-shaped foods such as a turkey drumstick, which is wide at the top, meaty part and gets narrower at the bony section and then wider at the cartilage end; or a rib, which is wider at the meaty top and narrower at the bone and wider at the sternum connection or any other cuts or slabs of meat, or when grabbing objects such as pear-shaped fruits and vegetables that are narrow at the top and wide at the bottom and also odd/oblong-shaped fruits like mango and avocados. When grabbing different-sized objects such as a cam shaft, in which the lobes on the shaft are positioned at different points and lobe positions on shaft are apart with wider, then narrower lobes, then back to wider, in series on the shaft. Another example is a painter painting a doll's leg where the doll's calves are wide and the ankle is narrow and then wide again at the feet.
All tabs and tongs can optionally have a logo. Another example of an object to be held are candlestick holders that are hour-glass shaped to narrow, to wider, to narrow, to round or square base. The tongs are optionally made to hold different shapes and sizes of tools, picture frames, Christmas ornaments, dishes, foods, cups, wine glasses, etc., as for examples. For grabbing the varying contour pieces, then individual adjustment, stabilizing, connecting, accommodating features and methods, can be introduced in the tongs for grabbing that particular item, and/or user size, etc. When the usage of a pair of tongs is needed for holding an object requiring particular adjustment, stabilizing, or at least one connecting and accommodating features for the task of users is needed, the FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials forming the tongs can be manufactured by physical and/or mechanical set up and/or use of different raw FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials of liquids, chemicals, acids, glues, solid roll/sheet FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials coated, extruded, brushed, squeezed, layered, textured, sprayed, splattered, mist, loosely felted, spandex, knitted, woven, parchment silicone, laminated, air/gas applied/cured and other known methods in the arts, etc. In addition to paper formation methods described in wwwpaperontheweb.com, Encyclopedia Britannia, Wikipedia and such, the tongs being made are prepped and prepared in a full and/or partial manner, with desired FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials, on any sides and/or just left unworked.
In order to grab the aforementioned varying contoured and dimensioned items being held by the tongs, the single function or multi-function tabs between the two jaws of the tongs can allow, for example, a stretchability feature in the connecting tab, which is presented on the tongs for extra stretch as needed. A second tab, which can be a different size than the other tab, for example, shorter, when combined with the larger tab, will allow smaller hands to have a stable width opening allowance. For example, a wide-open tab can also be presented to accommodate large hands. At least one tab can be presented anywhere on the tong for a specific purpose, size, user, job, feature, task, comfort, etc., so that the aforesaid pair of two tabs can be determined, and also be less sharp to prevent paper cuts.
All tabs as mentioned include a tab selected from the group consisting of a universal entrance wide open connecting tab, a universal extra wide open connecting tab, a width and stability allowance connecting tab, a stretch connecting tab, super stretch connecting tab, a crisscross venting width and stability allowance connecting tab, a crisscross venting stretch connecting tab, a perforated tearable connecting tab, a theme connecting tab, a game connecting tab, a tearable napkin accommodating connecting tab, a tear allowance connecting tab, a perforated bendable connecting tab, an ergonomic connecting tab, a slit stretch connecting tab, etc. The one or more tabs can be any geometric shape and include shapes such as an oval, wings, people, a place, a thing, a character, slit, slits, cuts, diamonds, and/or decorative origami folds.
All tabs can be in or out of the palm area between the thumb and finger jaws, and/or with a full closure, partial closure or no closure between finger accommodating areas. Each manufacturing process of making the respective connecting tabs each can requires its own and unique method and type of different tool design, mold, dies, machine set-up, procedures, etc., and the method of setting up, in addition to uses of mentioned tools, dies, molds, etc., or in combination with each other.
A further option includes a finger accommodating making tab, where a set of tongs is formed from a foldable template, that has one or more insertion tabs (on one or more sides of the template) that connect two parts of the flat template to forma three dimensional pocket or other finger accommodating feature of a set of tongs.
All versions of the tongs can optionally have a breakable seal anywhere in the pocket, which can be heat-sealed or glued, can be at least perforated, heat/glue sealed in/or around the entrance of the pocket and/or inside the pocket. Seals can be provided in singles, doubles, channels so when fingers are inserted into the pocket, it tears the seal, therefore hugging the untorn portion of the seal around fingers. Also, each pocket of the tongs can be fully-sealed at the mouth with a breakable, perforated portion. Therefore, a person can pierce their finger/thumb into the perforation at the mouth and into the pocket, where the untorn perforation hugs around the fingers/thumb and/or a pull string/thread can be pre-glued/sealed in the pocket, with at least a portion protruding out of the pocket in which the string/thread is pulled to reveal the pocket entrance. Any of these versions can be made from a single sheet/roll of FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material.
The tongs can also be provided optionally with a logo or print, be coated, layered and/or textured, shape, cut and feel recognition.
When needed for grasping certain objects, such as pieces of food, the tongs can be presented with connecting tabs, which can function on their own and/or become supplemental assisting tabs, which can assist each other, to improve the life of the tong, by reducing stress on the tong under different sized users doing different functions at the same time. The tong can have tabs between the jaws, which can have perforations, which separate them to be used on individual fingers/thumb. Each individual portion can have a stability method feature, for example, a hole can be provided where a finger is initially inserted into and then into a finger/thumb accommodating area.
Another method of stability can be an entire wall/strip of a different FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material, where at least a portion of that roll/sheet FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material is of a different gauge, thickness, strength, rigidity, flexibility, coated, layered, weight expressed in pounds, etc., and is pre-worked with texture/glue and/or prepped for sealing and is laid on a second sheet of FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material that is of a second gauge or thickness, etc., of FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material. This method will make at least one wall different from the others.
Another stability/control method can be a peelable glue strip at the top of the pockets, where after inserting fingers into pockets of the jaws of the tongs, a user can peel the glue strip and press against the user's fingers and/or hands. Another method of stability is a strap/band that extends from one side of the tong to the other side, which can secure itself on the hand or on the other side of the tong. It is securable by a peelable glue strip and/or sewn through at least one hole and/or locked in grooves/slits. These side-to-side straps/bands can be stretchable or non-stretchable and can wrap around hand/wrist areas and/or fork off to at least two bands which can go around wrist areas.
All tabs as aforesaid mentioned, and including stretch tabs and extra-stretch tabs, super stretch tabs, width allowance tab, wide open tab, extra wide open tab, crisscross allowance tab, tear allowance tab, etc., can be configured in any geometric shape, including, for example, shapes of ovals, people, places, things, characters, and can optionally have slits, cuts, diamond folds, and/or origami folds. All tabs can be a full closure, partial closure or no closure between finger and thumb accommodating areas.
The tongs can be optionally manufactured by hot foil stamping, heat crimping, hot stamping, heat-sealing, gluing, etc., which are some of the procedures useful in making tongs of the present invention. Although it is known of other methods may be used, such as RF, ultra sonic, vibration, etc., the related set up costs, materials, etc., may be different at different costs.
With respect to the tongs, optionally the tongs have at least one finger/thumb accommodating area for finger insertion therein, including the following:
A. pocket;
B. one or more flexible straps;
C. one or more straps;
D. an in-between finger(s) vertically extending tab wall;
E. an in-between finger(s) vertically extending wall I-beam tab;
F. an in-between free finger(s) tabs is a pocket;
G. in-between free finger(s) tab is a strap;
H. free finger(s) being dimples;
I. free finger(s) jaws; or,
J. a combination thereof
In another preferred embodiment, the tongs include at least “one or no” finger stability method, including the following:
A. a hole in the tab;
B. a strap;
C. a plurality of straps;
D. one or more flexible straps
E. a pierceable seal in a pocket of a finger(s)/thumb accommodating region;
F. a pierceable seal at a mouth of a pocket of finger(s)/thumb accommodating region;
G. a pierceable perforation around an open mouth area in a pocket of finger(s)/thumb accommodating region;
H. a full stability wall with a separate material;
I. a partial stability wall prepped onto an original material;
J. a layered wall;
K. a stretchable wall;
L. a draw-string in a pocket of a jaw;
M. a huggable pocket;
N. an allowance tab;
O. a clip with a hook/ring ability;
P. a plurality of finger stability methods;
P. a combination thereof; or,
Q. none of the above.
In another preferred embodiment, the jaws are connected by a tab extending therebetween, including at least one finger-accommodating connecting tab of one or more of the following configurations:
A. a universal entrance wide open connecting tab;
B. an extra wide open connecting tab;
C. a width and stability allowance connecting tab;
D. a stretch connecting tab;
E. a super stretch connecting tab;
F. a crisscross venting with width and stability allowance tab;
G. a crisscross venting stretchable connecting tab;
H. a perforated, tearable tab;
I. a tab that has the configuration of a theme or character,
J. a game tab;
K. a tearable napkin accommodating tab;
L. a perforated, bendable tab
M. an ergonomic tab;
N. a slit stretchable tab;
O. a tear allowance connectors tab;
P. a tearable cut in the connecting tab;
Q. a tearable tab for independent use of a stability pocket;
R. a notch at a hardened pocket sealed to promote tearing from a continuous tearable tab cut in which the cut presents a tearable soft edge in finger accommodating areas;
S. a tab acting as a puppet;
T. a plurality of tabs connecting the finger accommodating areas;
U. at least one perforation in one or more connecting tabs;
V. a combination thereof.
The tongs are disposable, and made of at least one type of material, which may be one of the following:
A. coated;
B. uncoated;
C. layered;
D. textured with a manufactured texturization;
E. textured with an adhesively attachable textured sticker,
F. knitted;
G. woven;
H. fabricated; or,
I. a combination thereof.
When optionally prepared as multiple sets of tongs for one or more sheets of forming material, such as paper, the tongs are each separable from each other by a perforation of at least one type of optionally soft, less sharp, type of cut as follows:
A. a perforated edge;
B. a fragmented edge;
C. a frayed edge;
D. a segmented edge;
E. a straight edge;
F. a zig-zag edge;
Q. a teethed edge;
H. a serrated edge;
I. a jagged edge;
J. a rounded teeth edge;
K. a tearable edge;
L. a reference to botany Plants and leaves for edges; or,
M. a combination thereof.
All versions of the alternate embodiments can accommodate at least one finger/thumb, or a plurality of fingers and a thumb.
To make double or more tabs connecting the pairs of jaws, materials can be folded as many times as needed to make as many tabs as needed, and/or be layered as many times as needed to make multiple tabs.
At least one finger tab accommodating area can have a free finger ability, wherein there is a strap(s) and/or pocket(s) to accommodate at least a finger/thumb and then a free open finger accommodating area for an additional finger to rest against, without being confined.
As noted above, the tabs can be vertically extending walls or I-beam shaped walls.
The in-between Finger(s) at least one tab versions can be curved or can be flat vertical. Another example is an “I” beam structure that is textured to accommodate the side of a finger. This accessory can have a peelable glue or be pre-made on the tongs from a factory. This version can also accommodate dimpled/textured areas.
Slit/cut stretch tab can have slits/cuts at any angles and/or directions and a slit can be part of another slit in another direction ex. Letter I, it also allow for expandability while still having enough protective FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material to protect hands from getting soiled.
The tear allowance connectors tab prevents a tear from traveling because individual finger accommodating area connectors are connected separately side by side from each other so if a stress tear starts on one of the connectors and rips through fully there will always be another to maintain the integrity of the tong.
Another tab can be a puppet tab, wherein die-cut images are not fully cut out, leaving the uncut image still on the tab, so when the tab is stretched or in use, the uncut images become moveable. Images can be printed and/or die-cut.
In an alternate embodiment, the set of tongs can have tight shut mouth stabilizing jaws, such as pockets, each having an optional “stabilizing tight body” with a closed mouth shut finger(s)/thumb insertion opening, preferably with an injury preventive soft cut feature in which the soft cut style in addition adds an identification familiarity recognition visual appearance to the tongs and the soft cut additionally and furthermore, the tongs allow for an easy tearable connecting tab so that each of the pair of the individual tight shut-mouth stabilizing pockets can be independent in use of each other, by tearing apart, in which each individual tight shut-mouth stabilizing pocket can independently stabilize itself on a finger(s)/thumb. In this version the tongs have at least one finger/thumb accommodating area and at least one connecting tab, as well as optionally at least one additional stability feature beyond the tight shut mouth and/or stabilizing body of each pocket of the tongs.
In this embodiment, a deeper or longer soft cut feature can be provided anywhere on the connecting tab and be used to tear the tongs in two pieces. This at least one soft cut can be deeper/longer to emphasize a separation point on the tongs for each tight shut mouthed jaw of the tongs to be used individual freely, and optionally, where one or more of the jaws, preferably pockets, can have tight shut mouth stabilizing features, and at least one pocket can optionally have a front bulge.
The present invention can best be understood in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments shown in drawings, in which:
The present invention has broad applications to many technical fields for a variety of articles. For illustrative purposes only, a preferred mode for carrying out the invention is described herein.
The tongs are formed from a flat folded sheet of flexible heat sealable FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material, such as coated paper, plastic, fabric or combinations thereof, such as cotton/polyester, or fabric strand strengthened paper, such as linen paper, for example. One side of a finger insertable tong can optionally be made of one FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material, such as coated paper, and another side can be made of coated plastic or coated fabric. Each closed finger sleeve 2 and 3 has a closed distal region 6 and an open finger insertion region 4, with an optional draw string for tighter fit around the finger or fingers. The draw string can be pre-sewn, or sewn in during folding, heat sealing and cutting processes of producing the tongs. Die cut perforated holes at the mouth of each pocket can be imparted for improved stability of the tongs holding a finger, thumb or fingers therein. The elastic or stretchable member 5 or 5a can be one or more elastic or stretchable strips 5a inside or outside, or both, of each finger insertion tong, or can be a closed loop ring 5 inside or outside, or both, of each finger insertion tong. Ring 5 can be a pre-formed closed loop ring, which can be an in situ formed ring 5, either formed by joining two linear strips 5a at respective end pairs, to form a closed loop when two laid parallel strips 5a are on a folded portion of a sheet of FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material and the fold line is parallel to each strip, whereby folding over the intermediate fold line causes the one or more strips 5a to lay co-terminus on top of each other, where they are spot sealed or spot/beaded glued at each end to form a closed loop ring 5, or alternatively, ring 5 can be a prefabricated ring 5 which is inserted flattened into each tong pocket recess 2 and/or 3 and sealed or glued in location in situ at opposite ends thereof, within the respective pockets 2 and/or 3. Additionally, the elastic or stretchable member 5, in the form of one or more strips 5a or one or more rings 5, can extend the full width of the jaw tong pocket 2 or 3, or, as shown in
For sanitary reasons the flat folded sheet of coated paper has a release liner covering open regions 4 before use. Alternatively multiple elastic or stretchable straps may be used.
In one embodiment shown in
Figure D is an alternate embodiment for ring hole 310 with serrated or otherwise undulating projections 311 to snugly grab a finger.
Figure E is a cushioned layer 312 for edge 313 of ring 14.
Further with respect to
In another option shown in
The soft, irregular, tearable edges can be bonded or unbonded with layers of materials, such as two pieces of paper, or can be unbonded edges of single sheets of paper, and can apply to any embodiments of the tongs, in
The aforementioned soft, irregular, tearable edges in general can apply to any embodiments of the tongs, in
For example, in addition to the pockets 2, 3 shown in
As shown in
For example, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
It is further noted that the in-between free finger tab accommodating area versions of
The jaws of the tongs can have free finger accommodation “I beam” shaped tab 203 of
As shown in
The inside or outside object/food touching side of each of the jaws of the set of tongs can be in combination so that the entire jaws are configured to be a theme, or to depict a character, person, place, thing, animal, sports, tool, etc., wherein the tabs in-between the finger accommodation areas can be of different size/shapes of each other.
These jaws 210 can be molded, injected, stamped, punched, formed, etc., so that the object/food touching side can be shapes and/or functioning tool, utensils, crushers, meat tearers, etc. (as shown in
The tabs connecting both finger(s) or thumb accommodating areas, such as, for example, the closed ended pockets 2, 3 as in
The universal entrance wide open connecting tab 220 of
As shown in
Width and stable allowance tabs 206 of
The set of tongs, with a tab of
The tab 206 can extend in or out of the finger accommodation area, but optionally which allows for a continuous use of the tongs for a particular size of a customer user, without the disadvantages of being torn and/or stressed with a clumsy fit by the user's hands, and avoids being an unstable, unsuitable fit for another sized user with different sized fingers and hands. The tab 206, whether or not it has the aforementioned changeable and functional FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material characteristics, can optionally have at least one central ventilation hole or stretchable holes, or both, or an area with a hardier finger/thumb accommodation that is connectable and that is less resilient than its other family member, but with more resilience than its other personality, yet having a less hardy connectability than the other personality. The other changeable material characteristics of the tongs' material can be at least one of the changeable characteristics, for example ventilation ability because when the altered embodiment is presented, it physically and literally weakens the strength of the other personality of the material.
As shown in
All tabs noted above in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As noted before with respect to
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As noted above and as shown in
All cuts and/or peripheral edges or at least a portion of tongs can optionally have soft, less sharp frayed, zig-zag, uneven, fragmented, torn edges, perforated edges, segmented, straight, ragged, teeth, rounded teeth, ripped, burst, serrated, jaggered, other methods known in the arts, also to include reference to serrated edges of botany plants and leaves for edge configurations. This is to prevent sharp edges when necessary to prevent the user from getting injuries such as paper cuts, it is already known that when materials such as paper brazes, rubs against the skin is can cause painful cuts, so there is an urgent need for the mentioned prevention. Methods such as providing soft, feathered deckled, deckling edges and/or mechanical deckling edges, will accomplish frayed, uneven fragmented, torn, jaggered, zig-zag, etc., edges, whereas known methods in industries such as bindery, steel rule die cutting and such will accomplish straight, segmented, perforated, teeth, straight teeth, rounded teeth, serrated, rip, cross-cut, angled teeth, etc., edges in which all methods can be a whole. The irregular, non-smooth sealed edges around the set of tongs, with soft, injury preventive edges with irregular free ends extend beyond a seal parallel to, and in the vicinity of a periphery of a finger(s)/thumb insertion pocket or strap of a set of tongs, to promote tearing.
These soft, injury preventive edges can be formed by folding edges, such as shown in
From a single sheet of coated uncoated, textured, layered FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material, a stability wall is provided by prepping FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material to accommodate a flexible strip which is bead glued or bead sealed onto the single sheet of FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material.
Then the single sheet of FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material is folded to make pockets. Now there is formed a pocket with a stability wall from single sheet. Although other described methods can apply.
Full stability walls are accomplished by presenting two sheets or rolls of FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material, prepping, working them it to accommodate each other than the FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials of a different gauge, to adhere or seal itself onto each other, which is each a different FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material. When the tongs are cut, stability walls are presented of at least one full different wall of different gauge FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials, then prepping it to accommodate each other the FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials of a different gauge, to adhere or seal itself onto each other's respective FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials. When the tongs are cut, stability walls are presented of at least one different wall FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material, with at least one wall in the tongs.
As noted before, the tongs of the present invention optionally includes finger stability elements, to help keep the jaws of the tongs on the thumb, finger or fingers inserted in the respective jaws. These include additional holes in the connecting tab, as in
Another finger stability element can be a pierceable seal in a pocket. A heat sealer and/or glue can make channels in the pocket, angled, straight or perforated inside the pocket, so a user inserts a finger into the pocket then follows through a channel, thereby bursting the seal on either sides of finger/thumb, which will allow the pocket to hug around the finger.
The pierceable seal is provided at the mouth of pockets in the form of at least one line or dotted, perforated seal/glue located at the mouth of a pocket, so a user can burst the seal by inserting a finger through the unburst seal, which hugs around the finger or fingers.
A pierceable perforation can be provided around the mouth area in the pockets shown in
A full finger stability wall is accomplished by presenting two sheets or rolls of FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material, prepping and working it, to accommodate each other so that the FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials of a different gauge adheres or seals itself onto each other FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material which is a different FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material, and when the tongs are cut, stability walls are presented with an at least one full different wall of a different gauge FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material.
A partial stability wall can be provided onto an original FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material from a single sheet of coated, uncoated, textured, layered FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material, whereby a stability wall is provided by prepping the FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material of the tongs, to accommodate a flexible strip which is bead glued or bead sealed onto the single sheet of FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material. Then the single sheet of FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material is folded to make pockets, with the stability strip is firmly against the wall, and is not a freely suspended, loose ring as in the glove of the Albert patent. As a result, now there is a pocket with a stability wall formed from single sheet, although other described methods can apply to make the pocket interior have a stability strip.
A layered wall of two or more sheets of FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material can be layered/laminated with other FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials to form at least one wall.
A stretchable wall is accomplished by gluing/sealing a poly/rubber spandex FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material with coated/uncoated loosely felted FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials, which are stretchable and which create hugging abilities of the wall of the pocket, in combination with non-stretchable materials.
Also, a draw string/thread can be sealed/glued in or around the pocket during the FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material folding procedure so that a user can wrap the string/thread and secure it. The thread/string can also be sealed/glued into the pocket with a length of it provided out of the pocket, so it can be used to pull across to rip or cut and reveal the finger insertion opening into the pocket. The string can also be used to lock the user's finger into finger accommodation area (such as a jaw or finger accommodating strap).
It is noted that there are two kinds of straps used in the present invention. First, straps can be open ended finger accommodating straps, like straps 309 shown in
On the other hand, straps can be the variable width and stability one or more tabs of
The clips 350 with hook/rings 352 or 353 can secure onto a tab or pocket of a tongs, then can hook and secure to the user's hand, finger/thumb, etc., and/or the ring can insert onto a finger to be combined with at least one clip.
The perforated tab 235 version of
Another accessory to be added to the tongs, as in
In an alternate agricultural embodiment, the set of the tongs can also be made as non-disposable tongs which are tools which are operable by insertion of the fingers and thumb into finger or thumb accommodating jaws, such as pockets or open ended straps. Such tongs can be used in landscape horticulture or other agricultural uses. The accessory can also be a textured surface which sticks onto a connecting tab area of the set of tongs, between the respective jaws, either as one gripping vice or torque force accessory that is bendable and/or individual gripping vice or torque force accessories that accommodate the thumb side and/or finger side of the tab. By attaching these gripping vice or torque force accessories and/or clip/hooks onto the central connecting tab of the jaws of the set of tongs, the user has created an area to establish more pressure per square inch to exert force in tearing food, such as meat or shrimp shells.
In this alternate agricultural embodiment, the gripping vice or torque force accessories allow more pressure per square inch, which can be shaped as shears blades or shaped as a beak shape which is sewn, fused, tacked, housed, etc., onto the jaws or connecting tab of the set of tongs These accessories in the hand apparatus can be mechanically assisted, and can work off a battery pack and/or AC/DC electrical hook up, where in the power can be portable in a backpack, waist belt, body belt, jacket, shoulder straps, and/or in a separate vehicle, etc. The accessory can have a sensor button in beak area and/or trigger elsewhere that, when touched by anything or object, it activates the beak, which can tear at food like a bird's beak. It can also be activated manually and/or have a timer, time clock, counter, communication with a computer, solar panel, etc., to power shears which have the ability to function with thumb and fingers and/or only on, fingers automatically and in between. These beak accessories can be an extension away from palm, hands, fingers, extension and can have a handle. The blades can be continuous, partial, bent, etc., to mimic joints of finger, at least two pairs of beak, at least one curved and/or straight knife, so that blades can be presented at any sides of fingers/thumb anywhere a finger/thumb goes it has the ability to snip, cut, shear, etc., such as for cutting and trimming horticultural bushes. An air pneumatic system can also be presented which consist of housing leather, metals, fabrics, plastics, rubber, etc. It has valves, throttles, drive, grease fitting, bearings, spindles, o rings, gaskets, air hose, compressor, motor, transmission, including known combination in the arts.
All tongs can be made from disposable or non-disposal materials, such as silicone, neoprene, rubber, paper, plastic, fabric, textiles, pulp, wood, textile, petroleum, oil-base, Kevlar®, Nomex, Tyvek. Disposable tongs can be made of crepe paper, Bounty® Paper Towels™, Scotts™, tissues and other existing FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials known in the art and in existence at this current time of the state of the art in paper constructions and can include future formulations, etc., and/or combinations thereof.
It is further noted that optionally the tongs can be made of edible paper or other edible FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material. For example, all additional FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials can be at least one layer and edible and/or coated with sugar, flour, doughy liquids, chocolate, wafer, oils, waxes, additives, Rubber, gums, synthetic and/or natural, etc., can be provided to make air moisture proof barrier. The edible tongs can have any flavors, scents, smells, food, air, nature, spices, meats, fruits, veggies, candy, floral, cheese, wine, liquor, etc. It is already known that edible paper such as rice paper, sugar paper and others like it already exist. These FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials can be layered and coated with digestible and/or nutritious coatings such as sugar, salts, syrup, oils, gums, waxes, etc. which can also be used to create textures on food touching sides and/or hand touching sided and these coatings can work as an method of sealing, making finger accommodating areas of tong. The set of edible tongs can be made of a combination of edible and non-edible FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials and coatings, layers, etc., wherein only the edible portion is consumed. For example, any release liner that is removed can be made of non-edible FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials, as long as the final set of tongs to be used is completely edible. Then heat, pressure and other method are applied, the application, it reactivates edible coatings which can cook, heat, press, bond, etc. FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials which will assist in making tongs. The trademark Wikipearl™ is edible layer, coating, wrapper FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used material which is described as being held together by calcium ions and can include particles of chocolate, nuts, seeds, etc. The edible paper can be coated with electro static gel formed by harnessing interaction between natural food particles, nutritive ions, and a poly saccharin. This skin is water and oxygen impenetrable and is inspired by nature itself as inventor and professor David Edwards explain although used in refrigerated imagine the possibilities for burger wrappers, packaging, etc. Companies like Wikicells and Monosol are introducing edible packaging which can make litter a thing of the past such as mixing of starch or co-processing of more than 50% starches with synthetic polymers, thermoplastic extruded starch, etc. Base FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials and/or layer(s) can be bamboo card, rice paper, starch paper, sugar paper, frosting sheet, plastic, paper, etc., and at least one layer can be not edible this layer can be a protective combination so when peeled away edible portions can be consumed. Other starches, such as rice, etc., can be provided in layers, which can be of high to low density FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials and can activate at cooler temps and/or hotter temps. Because the edible layers, such as starch, rice, etc., can get slippery when moisture contacts the edible layers, then other granular, textures surfaces can be introduced and/or imbedded in FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials, layers, etc., such as nuts, shells, seeds, corn, rice, hard candy, etc. The aforesaid FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials can be used as grip, textures, etc., to prevent slippery surfaces. At least a layer/portion can be a flavored chewing gum such as mints, spearmints, cherry, etc., and at least a portion of the tong can be peeled and/or broken and given to a friend as a gum, candy, mints, suckers. FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials can be colander to breakdown at hotter or cooler temps. All parts, layers, texture, FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials coatings, etc., can be natural and/or synthetic. Edible coating and/or FDA approved and/or food service culinary customarily used materials can become an edible adhesive to assist in making of the set of tongs by manufacturing steps such as by cooking, pressing, heating, folding, application of radio frequency, vibrations, etc. All tongs and all parts or food accommodating accessories (such as chop sticks, for example, the crab shell cracker or meat tearer, can be edible and can be made of various specific lengths, width for universal fit and/or particular size fit. The set of tongs can be combined with commercial displays, offers, prizes, menu pictures, or produced as edible bowl/bucket food, sea food, with thematic packaging, in sealed container, bag, box, etc., with/without non and nutritional and/or digestive materials, in accordance with FDA label printing regulations. The edible set of tongs can also have displays printed with food safe digestible edible ink printing logos, etc.
While the aforementioned describes single tabs, each version can have at least one additional length/layer of tab in between and/or edges of the finger accommodating area.
The tong's stability clip of
A rigid/semi-rigid tongs can be provided, where at least one side has a finger accommodating area and other side is a free finger in which the tongs have a reopening memory.
Moldable sealers allow for manipulation of finger accommodating areas to become contouring rest areas for holding foods. Sealers can be molded towards the top, having an inner pocket ability to seal inside the pocket. Sealers can do a full length seal, perforated seal and/or segmented seal anywhere in or out of the pocket.
A stationary and/or swiveling finger rest area as in
Other versions of the tong can be made with at least portion/layers which are made with heat resistance coating, and/or materials, etc., such as, for example, parchment silicone paper, Kevlar, Nomex, etc. Also in all versions a temperature thermometer sticker can be stuck on and/or presented in at least a portion of the tong to test the temperature of food items to be held by the tongs.
All tongs can have a stability seal at the mouth and/or into the pocket, and burstable seals can be single spaced or provided with doubled angles, etc.
This allows for fingers to enter the pockets of the tongs while bursting through the seal or glue in which the unbursted seals hug around/against the user's fingers/thumb.
A breathable finger accommodating areas are provided, to prevent sweating fingers, by using a breathable material and/or punching holes in materials before/during making tongs. Punched holes can be any size, pattern, shape, character, people, place, thing, etc.
An automatic dispenser which can make and dispense the tongs or just dispense pre made tongs, is powered by AC/DC to accommodate at least one roll material and/or sheet, motor, rollers, spindles, gears, rewind, unwind, guided features, vacuums, mother board, computer, programmer, kickers, puller, printer, jet, hot stamp, coin acceptance, credit card acceptance, tensioned(s), wheels, heating system, molds, rotary dies, timer, on/off button, knife cutting system, glue stamp, steel rule application, dies, clicker, hydraulic, air, pistons, transmissions, can be a part of known machineries in the arts of binary, printing, etc.
A sheet of disposable flexible material can be physically coated/laminated/splattered/texturized/layered heat/air dried extruded and then winded into rolls, sheets, etc. On that finished flexible material a length and width of flexible or non-flexible material, such as straps, bands, etc., can be presented to form straps in the pockets. It can be bead glued and/or fully glued, heat sealed, etc., to at least one pocket wall to make that pocket wall more firm, rigid, stable, sturdy, etc., so that the wall or strap can press against fingers/thumb. Uncoated/coated textured material is prepped worked, folded to make the pockets of the tongs while leaving at least one other wall to be the original flexible material and free of straps allowing the flexible material, to bend contour, form, etc., around foods, things. Also the splattered portions of the tong can have different decomposition features, to assist in landfill breakdown.
Optional holes in the central tab can be added during cutting. To make open strap(s) finger accommodating regions at least one length and width of material is used optionally to make tongs with internally mounted flexible straps, bands, straps, etc., which are laid in the finger accommodating areas of a sheet of uncoated, coated, textured material pre glued and/or ready to be heat sealed. Tongs which have in combination pockets and straps can be made of a sheet of material as described, which is pre glued and folded on one side and/or (heat sealed) to make pocket and a separate length(s) of flexible/non flexible material is sealed/glued onto the other side of the sheet in the finger accommodating area, to make a combination of a pocket on one side and finger accommodated straps on the other side, as shown in Figure A.
In an optional embodiment, the pockets are connected by a tab outside the palm area to allow universal size accessibility into pockets, which are coated or uncoated. Pocket adjustment can be made by pulling back on the connecting tab connecting the two finger accommodating areas.
If the tab is located inside the palm area, the palm is optionally coated with texturization of a non-permanent adhesive type of material, to allow a more snug custom fit to a particular finger size, and where the tab also adds a pocket adjustment ability for that custom size, by allowing pockets to pull back snug on the user's fingers by spreading thumb and fingers away from each other.
Each version of the tongs can have at least one additional length of a connector tab in between and/or on the edges of the pockets and/or anywhere in or on the finger accommodating area.
At least a portion of the peripheral edge of the tongs or on all pocket sides, can be made in any shape, cut, design, size, etc., both internal and/or external.
In addition, the aforementioned sets of tongs can optionally be provided in combination with other items. For example, as shown in
In this embodiment shown in
Slits can be any length and/or angles and accommodate other silts at other lengths and/or angle. Locking seam sealer tabs can be optional. Foldable stability features can be perforated, slits, die cuts can take the shape of fingers and/or just bend hug against fingers. Anywhere on tong can have scores, bends, etc., that when in use it mimics the bending joints of fingers/thumb, these bending joints can be at any angles to each other which can contour, hinge around foods, objects and enhance the firm grasp of hands. Entire tongs can be in individual parts and then assembled by someone.
For example,
Although the tongs 402 or 403 on the box 401 shows glue or other sealing methods in an L-shape and pocket folds top to bottom, it can also seal bottom to top and the sealing or gluing can be parallel to each other, and also, the pockets can fold left side to right side or vice versa. A shortened pocket can be an open strap or straps.
Accommodating areas on either sides of the tongs 402 or 403 (front, back, left, right, etc.) and/or an accessory accommodating area can hold a toy, prize, food item, etc.
For packing and sheet arrangement to fit more tongs 402, 403 with insertable tabs/pockets or other finger accommodating areas, such as open ended lockable straps, can be provided separate or all together. The tongs 402 or 403 can be made of multiple layers and materials, to accommodate packaging features, where the tongs are associated with food containers. Also, the sheets of tongs can be used to make larger food containers and covers from the multiply attached tongs 402, 403. For example the insertable tab has locking T base and locking zip head so the individual tab/pocket can be incorporated with hole/slit to secure. All edges can have securing slits at any angle, or at any location, to accommodate a securing/biting point on tong. Insertable tabs can be wider or narrow at top and/or bottom to adjust lopsided fitting. Insertable tabs/pockets can be sewn through set of slits/holes where either end or at least one end ends up on top of finger accommodating area and not the food touching side although an end can end up anywhere inside tong, sides, up, down, etc. To avoid printing on both sides of material knurling, embossing, stamping, etc., can give a texture and/or provide a logo, etc., on any side. Accommodation areas, and/or areas located anywhere on tong 402, 403, can have bends, creases, scores, seams, beaks, etc., to assist in fitting, graspability, a contour forming ability around objects, foods, etc., in any angles and/or patterns. The insertable tabs can also have slit/holes in which it can be given as a toy, ring with/without a diamond shape. The tab portions can be a theme or depiction of fanciful characters. Tongs 402, 403 can have peel away layers to reveal images, change texture, surfaces, feel usage, etc. As mentioned, the entire tongs 402 or 403 can be provided in parts, which can be assembled to become a functioning tong 402, 403. Furthermore, extensions, tools, features, themes, toys, etc., can be assembled as accessories to the tongs 402 or 403.
As shown in the alternate embodiment of
In this embodiment of
The jaws 511 of the tight, shut mouthed tongs 510 be made from a single sheet of material in which the folded material is placed over a set of convex or flat dies 500, 501 that have the shape of the jaw's pocket 511, in which the respective peripheral edges of the dies have a female concave valley 501a, which accommodates a male convex foot 500a on the shroud 502 associated with the dies 500, 501, which can also have multiple feet. Male die 500 can be attached by fastener 506 (such as a screw, bolt or nut) to shroud 502.
So, as shown in
The tensile pull on the material transfers to the inserted finger 515, which forces the material to constrict back on the finger(s)/thumb 515, therefore stabilizing itself on the finger(s)/thumb 515. The peripheral edges 513 of the female concave valley 501a can have ledges 501b in any direction, length, section, angles, etc. Furthermore, the ledges 501b can have deeper valleys to further stretch the paper material of the tongs 510. The male convex foot 500a on the shroud 502 can have a corresponding shape an opposite side of the female die 501, so that when the dies 500, 501 come together they lock into each other. Furthermore, the male die 500 can have additional ridges, crests or peaks 500b which can go further into the deeper female valleys 501b. The male and female dies 500, 501 can be manipulated to pull more or less, therefore they can produce pockets 511 with multiple mouth accessibility.
The convex male feet 500a can be continuous or in pieces and can be changeable and/or interchangeable on slidable tracks consisting of different size, height, placement, etc. The male peaks, crest, ridges, 500a, 500b which accommodate female ledge accommodating valleys 501a, 501b and can go further into the female deeper valleys 501a, 501b. Different size, width, depth of the pocket mouth opening 512 and the tensile pull is determined by the valleys, depth, ledges, deeper valleys, ridges, peaks, and/or their placement. The female die 501 can be continuous or in pieces and can be changeable and/or interchangeable on slidable tracks 503 consisting of depths, valleys, deeper valleys, ledges, etc.
A very important features of the ridges, peaks, etc., of the soft, irregular edges 513 is whether they are single, continuous, wavy, etc., and that they have the ability to make many different sized pocket openings 512, and therefore also can make the aforementioned tight shut mouthed entrance 512 of the tongs' pocket 511, for stability with deeper valleys, and be less tight along the length of each pocket 511, with a valley, which gives the finger(s) a free feeling insertion into the pocket 511. This free insertion movement of the finger(s) is in contrast to an entirely tight pocket 511 which is designed to tightly traps the whole finger 511. The formation of the tongs between the dies 500, 501 can also make the pocket 511 less tight on one side of pocket 511 and conversely, being pulled tight on the other side of pocket for a custom deformed pocket, for use when necessary such as with twisted knuckles, bent fingers, illness, birth features, or other physical finger or hand deformities, etc. The pockets 511 can also optionally have an hour glass stability shape.
Another important feature of the female die 501 is that it can make tongs have a frontal bulge for enlarged or meaty finger(s) to nest in. Optionally there can be provided at any strategic area(s), such as sharp particles 504, air suction area 505, sticky surfaces, micro particles, metal shaving, pins, etc., which can be permanently glued, welded (as weld attachment 507) compounded, screwed, imbedded, etc., and/or temporarily imbedded in wax into any surface of the tongs to enhance food graspability. Optionally, these sharp particles 504/air suction members 505 bite the food touching side of the jaw of the tongs, preventing this side from moving or being pulled by the aforementioned peaks. Therefore, as also shown in
The open strap finger tong 700 therefore includes a finger accommodating area with optional pockets/strap(s) 702. Open straps 702 can be secured anywhere on the tong 700 and can be an extension of the tong 700, where the strap 702 can have stability features as noted previously which are preferably on the opposite side and locatable into a locking slit (this can be locking or non-locked feature). The strap 702 is inserted through slits at any angle and can lock in place. Strap 702 can comprise zip locks or tab locks, which can be used for securing bolt type cut. where the strap 702 can be expandable. in another version of the straps of
The rod on plate 732 of
As in
As noted above, in
For example, the tong pocket 700 can be of equal height for the finger accommodating area, can accommodate all fingers or separate finger stalls therein, which can be at least a portion separated from each other from tip, to bottom and anywhere in-between those points accommodating any combination of finger(s). Optionally, this finger stall version can also be made to have the natural shape of hand/fingers, and/or can have at least one free finger.
These tongs 790 with a connecting tab can be paired to be used around the household, home garage and/or office or even used to grab dumb bells, curling bars, and numerous workout equipment's at the gum. These tongs 790 can be made of paper, plastic, biodegradable and can be made of flushable ecofriendly materials and/or other methods, techniques and materials and can accommodate accessories as noted previously. The pockets can optionally be void of material in the finger tip area. The pair comes in a right/left pair or the conventional tong which automatically accommodate the right or left hand in a dispensing box like container (similar to napkins or glove like dispensing boxes). The dispensing box can reveal at least a portion of the tong to be dispensed and/or allow the user to insert hand(s) into the dispensing container (not shown) and into tongs 790. Tongs 790 can have at least one finger portion 792 or 794, which can be partly or fully separated from the others. Separated tons 790 can be the shape of the user's fingers or can be of the same height at distal tips, or can be contoured rounded like mittens. The connecting area of tongs 790 can be in or out of palm area of the user, and can accommodate any texture or stickers. Optionally, tongs 790 can have any cut or finger stability features and can allow for fingers to move independently from each other and/or in combination while being protected. The separate tongs 790 can have attachment accessories to hold and accommodate over the counter products such as Swiffer® dusting pads, Brillo® pads, Soap pads, Clorox® wipes, 3M® sponges, or other products made of leather, natural, synthetic materials, etc. An example is that the bendable accessories 730 of
In the foregoing description, certain terms and visual depictions are used to illustrate the preferred embodiment. However, no unnecessary limitations are to be construed by the terms used or illustrations depicted, beyond what is shown in the prior art, since the terms and illustrations are exemplary only, and are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention.
It is further known that other modifications may be made to the present invention, without departing the scope of the invention, as noted in the appended Claims.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2016/031045 | 5/5/2016 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2016/179427 | 11/10/2016 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1235199 | Gavin | Jul 1917 | A |
| 2069449 | Jensen | Feb 1937 | A |
| 2244072 | Ledbetter | Jun 1941 | A |
| 3407927 | Jones | Oct 1968 | A |
| 3975043 | Miles | Aug 1976 | A |
| 5706520 | Thornton | Jan 1998 | A |
| 6145128 | Suzuki | Nov 2000 | A |
| 6394516 | Zhuraysky | May 2002 | B1 |
| 7165270 | DeYoung | Jan 2007 | B2 |
| 20090315349 | Black | Dec 2009 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2016031045 | Nov 2017 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20180271330 A1 | Sep 2018 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61848579 | Jan 2013 | US | |
| 61796556 | Nov 2012 | US | |
| 61741657 | Jul 2012 | US | |
| 61741052 | Jul 2012 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14706426 | May 2015 | US |
| Child | 15571242 | US | |
| Parent | 13939070 | Jul 2013 | US |
| Child | 14706426 | US |
