Patent Application
20110113634
The present invention is in the fields of eating utensils and oral cleaning devices, more particularly the invention relates to an eating utensil that incorporates a dental flosser. Additionally other oral hygienic devices may be incorporated.
Eating activity often involves the use of disposable eating utensils, such as plastic forks, spoons and/or knives, typically at away-from-home locations where facilities for oral cleaning after eating are unavailable. Such eating activity may include planned picnics, picnics-on-the-go, fast food, takeout, lunch boxes, bagged lunches at work, eating-on-the-go, delivered specialties, catered food engagements, entertainment events, birthdays, cocktail-parties, weddings and other parties.
U.S. design Pat. D254,239 to Julius shows the ornamental design for a COMBINED FORK AND SEPARATABLE TOOTHPICK.
U.S. design Pat. D463,221 to Sanders for EATING UTENSIL WITH TOOTHPICK INCORPORATED THEREIN shows a fork, spoon and knife each with a presumably removable toothpick located on the front side near the handle end.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,877,547 for COMBINATION TOOTHPICK AND STIRRING OR EATING IMPLEMENT to Feaster discloses wooden spoons, forks and stirring sticks configured with knockout-removable toothpicks.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,072,777 to Takahashi for CUTLERY shows a spoon and a fork each with a pair of toothpicks removably attached on the rear side.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,020 to Hammond et al for COMBINATION SPOON AND TOOTHPICK shows and discloses a toothpick and spoon combination including a handle portion with a separable toothpick member for use after eating. The combination utilizes support members from which the toothpick may be broken away.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide disposable plastic utensil embodiments incorporating a dental flosser with one or more optional additional oral hygienic devices, e.g. a dental tongue cleaner and/oral brush, for maintaining good oral hygiene and health at eating events where oral hygienic devices may not be otherwise available.
It is a further object to provide snap-off embodiments wherein an dental flosser, initially formed attached to the utensil handle, can be user-displaced in a snap-off manner and removed for separate usage, and further, to provide bend-away embodiments wherein said dental flosser, permanently attached to utensil handle, can be user-displaced in a bend-away manner presenting dental flosser in different orientations, ready for use.
The foregoing objects have been met in the present invention wherein a plastic eating utensil is combined with a dental flosser that can be molded integrally with the utensil handle, initially attached to the handle. Preferably dental flosser is permanently attached with the utensil handle, but can also be user-displaceable in different embodiments as either non-separation bend-away or snap-off separation, depending on design choice of plastic material for resilience, and of score line configuration.
The above and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken with the accompanying drawings.
NOTE: It is to be understood that the invention can be practiced with any one of the four alternatives [fork (
In
Alternatively, an eating utensil handle portion configured with a dental flosser and/or at least one other hygienic device could also be configured with at least one permanent bend and/or contoured surface to position said hygienic device in such a way so as to aid a user in reaching various regions/areas of the tongue, teeth and mouth.
While the invention is directed primarily to an unfulfilled need and expected demand in conjunction with disposable plastic eating utensils which are likely to be popular at picnics and other social or public eating events where regular dental cleaning facilities are unavailable, the invention could be practiced in conjunction with more permanent type eating utensils intended for more general use. The material in the eating utensil can be metal or any material that can provide the desired break-away or bend-back embodiment. As an alternative to the generally one-piece construction shown for the eating utensil, it could be made from a plurality of parts joined by fastenings such as mechanical fasteners, welding or adhesives. In consideration of the environment plastics of a biodegradable type could be used.
Standard fork or spoon designs could include, but are not limited to, such features as ribbed-supports and similar structural/cosmetic elements.
To deploy a dental flosser where displacement from the initial location is required. Such displacement can be implemented as one of two basic approaches: snap-off or bend-away displacement, depending on design selection of handle material for resilience and the characteristics of special displacement-related configurations known as score lines in the handle material, i.e. lines in which the basic handle strength is reduced locally e.g. by slots, V-grooves, perforations, embossing, etc., configured on one or both sides of the handle and having the effect of reduced material thickness and thus reduced strength along the score line(s). In the design of snap-off embodiments, the material is selected to be relatively brittle and the score line depth is made to enable a user to break the material at the score line. Generally the depth of the score line is chosen to make snap-off easy and convenient, however in special embodiments that require initial stiffness, the score line is made shallower, requiring greater force for snap-off separation. Bend-away embodiments could also implement a score line configured as a living hinge, allowing for flexion of the flosser head. The living hinge and integrated handle portion areas could be construction using multiple parts and/or types of plastics.
As alternatives to the dental cleaning devices being attached to the eating utensil in a permanent or break-away manner with score lines as shown, the invention could be practiced with such attachment made by other fasteners such as temporary glue, magnets, snap-fits, Velcro or the like. It could be arranged for break-away parts to be re-attached.
The eating utensil handle could incorporated at least one other hygienic device selected from interdental pick-brushes, interdental picks, oral brushes and tongue cleaners, integrated into the eating utensil by attachment means such as mold-integration, adhesive or welding, or alternatively bundled in an eating-kit package including one or more eating utensils and/or related items such as a napkin.
As an alternative to floss where a flosser is shown, a rigid, semi-rigid or flexible thin fin or blade could be provided to clean between and around the teeth.
As an alternative to the flosser with a piece of floss suspended between two prongs as shown, the floss could be provided stored in the eating utensil body, attached loose thereto or bundle-wrapped. Flossers could contain to floss portions and/or multiple floss segments.
As an alternative to incorporating the dental cleaning device within or directly attached to the eating utensil, one or more cleaning device and/or one or more eating utensil could be included separately side-by-side in sheet of plastic made and arranged to enable break-away removal for use.
Supplemental items such as dental floss, tissue paper or mouth wash could be provided either separately, stored within or attached to the eating utensil body in some manner, optionally bundle-wrapped and/or hygienic eating utensils could be individually wrapped.
The invention may be embodied and practiced in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description; and all variations, substitutions and changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
The present application is a division of application Ser. No. 12/231,274, filed Sep. 2, 2008, claiming priority from provisional application 61/133,106, filed Jun. 25, 2008.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61133106 | Jun 2008 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12231274 | Sep 2008 | US |
| Child | 12693913 | US |
