Patent Application
20230008750
The present invention relates generally to cleaning devices, and more particularly to cleaning wipes for utensils.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Utensils such as knives, spoons and forks are among the most commonly reused items we encounter every day. In a commercial setting such as a restaurant, for example, these items are quickly washed prior to being reused by a different guest. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for one or more utensils to be inadequately washed, thus leaving residue or germs from the previous user.
Although some utensils such as knives and spoons have broad flat surfaces which make it easy to see residue denoting the instrument has not been properly cleaned, forks are much harder to inspect owing to the small spaces between the tines. To this end, many diners are shocked to discover they have likely eaten from a dirty fork at least once when visiting a restaurant or even a home environment. Although this thought is quite uncomfortable to fathom, the fact is that eating from dirty utensils can be quite serious if the user is immunocompromised and/or the utensil passes highly contagious germs or diseases between users.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a utensil cleaning wipe that can be used to quickly and easily sanitize any type of utensil, and that includes functionality for specifically accessing and cleaning between the tines of a fork, so as to overcome the drawbacks described above.
The present invention is directed to utensil cleaning wipes. One embodiment of the present invention can include a main body having a top surface and a smooth bottom surface. A plurality of protrusions can extend upward from the top surface in a spaced apart orientation. A cleaning solution that is specifically formulated for use with metallic utensils can be provided along the main body and the protrusions and can function to clean and sanitize a utensil without tarnishing the object.
In one embodiment, each of the protrusions can be aligned parallel to each other and can include a shape and size that is complementary to the shape and size of the slots between the tines of a fork. In one embodiment, a plurality of scrubbers can be positioned along the length of each of the plurality of protrusions. Each of the scrubbers can be constructed from a rough abrasive material that is configured to scrub and remove debris from a utensil. When positioned between the tines of a fork, the protrusions and scrubbers can act to clean the entire inside surfaces of each tine.
This summary is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter.
Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.
As described throughout this document, the term “about” “approximately” “substantially” and “generally” shall be used interchangeably to describe a feature, shape or measurement of a component within a tolerance such as, for example, manufacturing tolerances, measurement tolerances or the like.
As described throughout this document, the term “complementary shape,” and “complementary dimension,” shall be used to describe a shape and size of a component that is identical to, or substantially identical to the shape and size of another identified component within a tolerance such as, for example, manufacturing tolerances, measurement tolerances or the like.
As shown in the drawings, the cleaning wipe 10 can include a main body having a top surface 11a, a bottom surface 11b, a first end 11c, a second end 11d, and a pair of opposing sides 11e-11f. A plurality of elongated protrusions 12 can extend upward from the top surface of the main body.
As will be described below, each of the protrusions can include a shape and a width that is complementary to the shape and width of the slots located between the tines of a fork. Each of the protrusions can preferably be positioned parallel to each other so as to extend between the first and second ends of the main body.
In the preferred embodiment, each wipe will be constructed so as to be pre-moistened with a cleaning solution so as to be ready for use when accessed by an end user. To this end, the main body will preferably be constructed primarily from nonwoven webs of cellulose wood pulp fibers, typically with an added amount of textile fibers such as rayon, cotton, wool, acetate, or Tencel fibers, for example, to enhance wet and dry strength. In one embodiment, the wood pulp fibers can comprise about 75% and the textile fibers about 25% of the overall makeup of the main body. Such materials being preferred as the resulting wipe is biodegradable. Of course, other materials and/or material combinations are also contemplated.
In one embodiment, each of the protrusions 12 can include a series of abrasive scrubbers 13 that are designed to actively scour and scrub utensils so as to remove debris therefrom. In various embodiments, these abrasive scrubbers can be constructed from polyethylene mesh, wool, polyester, or rayon, for example, having a rough, textured and non-smooth surface. Of course, any number of other abrasive materials are also contemplated.
In the preferred embodiment, the main body and protrusions can be pre-impregnated with a cleaning solution that is suitable for disinfecting and cleaning metallic utensils without spotting or tarnishing the finish of the same. Moreover, because the wipes are intended to clean utensils shortly before the utensil is used to engage food items, it is preferred that the cleaning solution be constructed from a formulation that is not harmful to a user if trace amounts remain on the utensil and are ingested by the user.
In the preferred embodiment, the cleaning solution can include about 97% water (still or distilled) that is mixed with 3% of one or more of hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, alkyl, dimethyl, benzyl, ammonium chloride, and/or benzalkonium chloride, among many others, for example. Additionally, any number of scented materials such as various citrus and/or essential oils can be included within the solution to provide a desired aroma.
In various embodiments, the multiple wipes can be provided within a single plastic container having a cap and dispenser that is capable of dispensing individual wipes while preserving the moisture of the wipes remaining inside. Alternatively, wipes can be individually packaged and sealed within lightweight malleable plastic paper that can be easily ripped open to permit access to the moistened wipe stored inside.
Additionally, the user can fold (see arrow b) the wipe so as to be able to simultaneously scrub and sanitize the top and bottom surfaces of the fork, including the outer edges of the tines, the points of the tines, and the neck area.
Although described above as utilizing the top surface and protrusions to engage the fork, the smooth bottom surface 11b may also be utilized to clean and sanitize the utensil. As such, the device can be used to clean and sanitize any type of eating utensil in order to ensure the diner is utilizing clean silverware for their meal.
As noted above, the arrangement and spacing of the protrusions is important to ensure proper placement between the tines of a fork. As such, in the preferred embodiment, each wipe can include a width (e.g., distance between sides 11e and 110 of about 5 inches, and a length (e.g., distance between ends 11c and 11d) of about 6 inches. Such dimensions being suitable for engaging the entire top surface, bottom surface and both sides of the tine, neck, root slot and back sections of an industry standard fork having a length of 3 inches and a width of 1 inch.
Likewise, it is preferred that each wipe include a plurality of spaced apart protrusions extending along the length of the wipe. In the preferred embodiment, each of the protrusions can include a height (e.g., distance extending upward from the top surface 11a) of 1/16 inch, a width (e.g., extending toward sides 11e and 11f) of 5, and a separation distance of 6. Such dimensions being suitable for positioning within the slots while engaging the respective sides of two tines of the industry standard fork.
Of course, other dimensions are contemplated for use with different types of forks such as salad forks or specialty forks such as oyster, crab or shellfish forks, for example.
As described herein, one or more elements of the utensil cleaning wipes 10 can be secured together utilizing any number of known attachment means such as, for example, screws, glue, compression fittings and welds, among others. Moreover, although the above embodiments have been described as including separate individual elements, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are not so limiting. To this end, one of skill in the art will recognize that one or more individually identified elements may be formed together as one or more continuous elements, either through manufacturing processes, such as welding, casting, or molding, or through the use of a singular piece of material milled or machined with the aforementioned components forming identifiable sections thereof.
As to a further description of the manner and use of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Likewise, the term “consisting” shall be used to describe only those components identified. In each instance where a device comprises certain elements, it will inherently consist of each of those identified elements as well.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application Ser. No. 63/219,645 filed on Jul. 8, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63219645 | Jul 2021 | US |
