UTENSIL HOLDING DEVICES

Abstract

An eating utensil (1) having a holding device (5, 7, 8, 10) integrally or removably attachable to a distal end (2) of the utensil in a form of a loop (5), ring (7) or U-shape (8) are disclosed to provide a finger aperture (6) or insert (9) for a user to help prevent dropping of a utensil and assisting an elderly user or a user who may have arthritis or gripping impairment in holding and manipulating a utensil during use.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to eating utensils and more particularly to a utensil having integral or attachable holders on a proximal holding end for ease of use and prevention of dropping by elderly persons or persons with arthritis or other gripping impairment.

Conventional eating utensils, such as spoons, forks and knives may be made of metal or hard plastic having a distal food securing end and a proximal handle end which is generally held between the thumb and index finger during use. Unfortunately, such conventional utensils require pressure be applied by the fingers during use, especially when holding food, and thus can be easily dropped by users, particularly users who have arthritis or other physical impairment.

Thus, a need exists for a utensil holding device that enables utensils to be held more easily and prevents dropping, particularly by the elderly and persons with arthritis or other gripping impairment.

Attempts to meet this need include the following references, but none are like the present invention:

	Patent/App. No	Inventor	Issue/Pub. Date
1.	WO2011/10937U	Matari	Sep. 9, 2011
2.	CN 201899280		Jul. 20, 2011
3.	2016/0066723	Prommel et al.	Mar. 10, 2016
4.	2017/0290451	Flesher	Oct. 12, 2017
5.	9,161,643	Prokop, III et al.	Oct. 20, 2015

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the present invention is to provide devices to make eating utensils easier to hold and manipulate during use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such devices that prevent dropping of eating utensils during use.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such devices for eating utensils that enable elderly persons and persons with arthritis or other physical impairment to utilize such eating utensils.

An even additional object of the present invention is to provide such utensil holding devices that can be adapted and utilized with conventional utensils.

The present invention fulfills the above and other objects by providing devices for holding eating utensil having a distal food securing end and a proximal handle having a finger hold on the proximal end of the utensil for placement of a user's finger. The finger hold may be circular, horseshoe-shaped, U-shaped and either integrated into the proximal handle end of the utensil or a removably attachable elastomeric slip-on device for use with conventional utensils.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become even more readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a utensil holding device of the present invention integrated under the proximal handle end of the utensil;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a utensil holding device of FIG. 1 integrated under the proximal handle end of the utensil;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a holding utensil device of the present invention integrated in the proximal handle end of the utensil in a form of a ring-shaped loop;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a holding utensil device of the present invention integrated in the proximal handle end of the utensil in a form of a U-shaped holding device; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of a holding utensil device of the present invention removably attachable to the proximal handle end of a conventional utensil.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For purposes of describing the preferred embodiment, the terminology used in reference to the numbered items in the drawings is as follows:

• • 1. utensil, generally
  • 2. proximal end
  • 3. distal end
  • 4. utensil handle
  • 5. under-handle loop holding device
  • 6. finger aperture
  • 7. ring-shaped holding device
  • 8. U-shaped holding device
  • 9. finger insert
  • 10. removably attachable slip-on holder
  • 11. conventional utensil

Referring now to the drawing figures, in FIGS. 1 and 2 perspective and side views, respectively, of a utensil 1 with a horseshoe shaped holding device 5 of the present invention are illustrated. Like conventional utensils, this utensil 1 shown as a fork has a proximal end 2 with handle 4 and a distal end 3 for securing food. However, unlike conventional utensils, the utensil 1 of the present invention has a holding device 5 integrally attached under the distal end 2 that forms an aperture 6 for inserting a user's finger to assist the user in retaining and guiding the utensil during use while eating.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the utensil 1 of the present invention with a ring-shaped holder 7 integrally attached to a distal end 2 of the handle 4 to provide a finger aperture 6 to retain the utensil from being dropped by a user during use.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a utensil 1 of the present invention with a U-shaped holder 8 integrally attached to a distal end 2 of the handle 4. The U-shaped holder 8 is attached perpendicularly to a plane defined by the utensil 1 so as to form a horizontal insert 9 for a user to insert a finger, preferably an index or middle finger, to assist in retaining and guiding the utensil during use.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a utensil 1 of the present invention with a removably attachable holding device 10 of the form illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 to a distal end of the handle 4. The holder 10 could be made of elastomeric rubber material to slip onto a conventional utensil so as to convert any conventional spoon, fork or knife similar to the present invention. Although illustrated in FIG. 5 as having an under-handle slip on holder in the form of FIGS. 1 and 2, the holder could be in the form of a ring or U-shaped device as previously discussed and illustrated or any shape for that matter, just so long as a finger aperture or insert is provided for insertion of a user's finger during use.

It is to be understood that while a preferred embodiment of the invention is described, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and/or drawings.

Claims

1. A device for holding an eating utensil having a distal food securing end and a proximal end, said device comprising: a finger hold on the proximal end of the utensil for placement of a user's finger.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the finger hold is generally circular and integrated into the proximal end of the utensil.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the finger hold is horseshoe-shaped and integrated to a bottom of the proximal end of the utensil.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the finger hold is U-shaped and integrated into a tip of the proximal end of the utensil.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the finger hold is removably attachable to the proximal end of the utensil.

6. The device of claim 2 wherein the finger hold is removably attachable to the proximal end of the utensil.

7. The device of claim 3 wherein the finger hold is removably attachable to the proximal end of the utensil.

8. The device of claim 4 wherein the finger hold is removably attachable to the proximal end of the utensil.

9. A method for stabilizing a utensil while eating comprising: (a) selecting a utensil;(b) attaching a removeably attachable slip-on holder to the utensil;(c) inserting a user's finger into an aperture of the removeably attachable slip-on holder; and(d) using the utensil to eat.