Abstract:
A feeding utensil such as a spoon or fork having a pry for dislodging a tightly fit closure from a receptacle such as a jar. The utensil has a flat, broad handle, with a spoon or fork projecting from one end and a curved arm serving as the pry projecting from the handle. Preferably, the handle is blunt and extends beyond the pry. The pry is located on the handle and configured such that the closure is dislodged by applying a squeezing motion wherein the user&#39;s hands are urged towards one another. The utensil may bear any of the group including indicia, non-metallic coloring, metallic coloring, and a temperature indicating material thereon, and any combination of these.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a utensil for eating food, adapted to have a pry for dislodging a closure of a receptacle such as a jar.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    Feeding of infants, babies, and small children demands a care giver&#39;s full attention and deft handling of food related apparatus. In modern households, food is frequently purchased prepared or partially prepared in jars with tightly fitting caps. When a youngster is hungry, he or she is apt to cry or otherwise cause a commotion until the need is addressed by the care giver. Such commotion is a disturbance to the care giver and others in the vicinity of the hungry youngster. Therefore, it becomes very desirable to commence feeding as expeditiously as possible.  
           [0005]    Tightly fit caps can be removed with suitable apparatus adapted to engage the cap and pry it free, such as a bottle opener. Frequently, such apparatus is necessary since vacuum packed products cause their respective closures to be so tightly sealed to the associated receptacle that they cannot readily be opened by hand. When access to the food is obtained, the youngster may then be spoon fed.  
           [0006]    However, uncomplicated although it may seem, this procedure is subject to delays and annoyance if both required utensils, i.e., the opener and the spoon, are not immediately at hand. This is especially true where the youngster and care giver are away from a household. For example, the youngster may be accompanying the care giver in activities such as shopping, attending restaurants, attending recreation facilities, paying social calls on people located remotely from the youngster&#39;s house, among others. Under these circumstances, apparatus which is usually available in known or predictable locations may not be immediately available.  
           [0007]    Thus there exists a need for a combined feeding utensil and closure removing tool. The prior art has suggested such combinations. However, the prior art devices lack the practicality and safety features of the combined feeding utensil and closure removing tool of the present invention.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The present invention improves on prior art combined implements in several ways. The free, typically pointed end of the pry element is configured to minimize hazards due to casual contact should a youngster gain control thereof. The handle is configured to suit the grasp of an adult. The novel implement optionally bears indicia, such as the name or contact information or both of the manufacturer, instructions for use, or for amusement. The novel implement optionally incorporates temperature responsive material for indicating the temperature of substances into which the food retaining element, such as a spoon or fork, is immersed.  
           [0009]    Accordingly, it is one object of the invention to provide a combined eating utensil and closure removing tool.  
           [0010]    It is another object of the invention to improve safety and practicality of a combined device.  
           [0011]    These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    Various other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is an environmental, side elevational view of one embodiment of the invention, wherein the novel implement incorporates a spoon.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the invention, wherein the novel implement incorporates a fork.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]    FIGS.  1 - 3  of the drawings show one embodiment of a novel implement  10  which is a combined eating utensil for engaging and retaining solids and a container closure pry for dislodging a closure which is friction fit to an associated container. Implement  10  includes an elongated handle  12 , a food retaining element in the form of a spoon having a bowl  14 , and a pry  16  shown engaging the closure of the container. It is anticipated that in most cases the container will be a jar  2  and that the closure will be a cap  4  which is press fit or friction fit to jar  2 . Foodstuffs are frequently vacuum packed, and prior the first opening, vacuum resists removal of cap  4  from jar  2 . For this reason, pry  16  uses leverage to urge cap  4  upwardly, as depicted in FIG. 1.  
         [0019]    Bowl  14  is located at the proximal end  18  of handle  12 . Pry  16  projects from handle  12 . Handle  12  has sufficient thickness to resist forces imposed on implement  10  when implement  10  is subjected to use as a lever as depicted in FIG. 1. The embodiment of FIG. 1 is preferably formed from a single base section  20  of a metal or metallic alloy, such as stainless steel. Handle  12  also has additional handle sections  22 ,  24  formed by molding from a synthetic polymer or any other suitable material, which could include metals and their alloys. Of course, sections  22 ,  24  could be formed as a single component (not shown) encircling base section  20 . It is anticipated that polymeric handle sections  22 ,  24  display at least one non-metallic color, such as, for example, a bright primary color including at least one of the group including red, blue, yellow, orange, yellow, purple, green, or a non-chromatic color such as white, gray, or black. Bowl  14  and pry  16  could be a metallic color, such as that of native stainless steel, chromium, aluminum, copper or brass, a metallic compound such as a nitride of a metal, or an anodized metal. Of course, it would be possible to render bowl  14  in a more conspicuous color than an unadorned metallic color to encourage children to focus on the spoon rather than on a potentially more hazardous component such as pry  16 .  
         [0020]    Looking particularly at FIG. 3, handle  12  is seen to have a facial surface  24  which in the embodiment of FIG. 3 has width of magnitude greater than that of the thickness of handle  12 . Facial surface  24  defines a facial plane  26  (see FIG. 2) located along and occupied by facial surface  24 . It will be appreciated that the relative width of facial surface  24  is not critical to the invention, as handle  12  could be cylindrical for example, but rather is presented for semantic purposes in describing structural characteristics. Handle  12  has a blunt distal end  28  located along a longitudinal axis  30 . Proximal end  18  of handle  12  is also located along longitudinal axis  30 .  
         [0021]    Pry  16  comprises a curved arm displaying concavity, when viewed in side elevation. As indicated by arrow  32 , this concavity faces only towards facial plane  24 . The curvature of pry  16  causes the distal or free end  33  of pry  16  to project in a direction which if sufficiently extended would intersect facial plane  26  of handle  12 .  
         [0022]    Bowl  14  also has concavity, indicated by arrow  34 . Concavity of both bowl  14  and pry  16  face in similar directions with regards to facial plane  26 . Alternatively stated, the concavity of bowl  14  and of pry  16  face upwardly, as depicted in FIG. 2. It will be appreciated that the significance of facial plane  26  is only to represent a location on implement  10  for purposes of describing orientation of curvature. Obviously, it will be apparent that section  22  (FIG. 1), could be substituted for facial plane  24  for the purposes of describing orientation of curvature of pry  16  and of bowl  14 . Similarly, it will be appreciated that facial plane  26  need not literally be planar. The outer surface which is planar in the embodiment of FIG. 1 could alternatively be convex, concave, or otherwise configured.  
         [0023]    Curvature of pry  16  is of configuration and dimensions as to establish a fulcrum located at  36  when pry  16  bears against jar  2  and engages cap  4  in a position to pry cap  4  from tight engagement with jar  2 . The entirety of the fulcrum is contained on the arm of pry  16 . The proximal end  37  of pry  16 , which is that affixed to handle  12 . Free distal end  33  of pry  16  faces away from bowl  14 . Optionally, pry  16  terminates in a hook  40  for engaging a lip (not separately shown) of cap  4 .  
         [0024]    In the embodiment of FIG. 1, and as clearly seen in FIG. 2, handle  12  extends at its distal end  28  entirely beyond pry  16 . This characteristic protects distal end  33  of pry  16  from casual contact by a child who might injure himself or herself, especially in those embodiments wherein hook  40  is present, by overlying pry  16 . Pry  16  is also visually shielded to a certain extent by handle  12 , so that pry  16  is less conspicuous and less likely to become the object of unwanted attention by a youngster.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 3 shows a further optional feature, wherein indicia  42  is disposed upon handle  12 . In the example of FIG. 3, indicia  42  spells out a possible trademark identifying implement  10  as a proprietary product. Other examples of indicia could include manufacturer or distributor advertising, contact information (not shown), such as a web site, or instructions pertaining to use of implement  10 . It will be recognized that the specific indicia forms no part of the instant invention.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 5 shows an implement  110  of another embodiment of the invention wherein the food retaining element is a fork  114 . Implement  110  has a handle  112  and a pry (not visible in the top plan view of FIG. 5), handle  112  and pry being essentially similar to those of the embodiment of FIG. 1. Fork  114  preferably exhibits curvature corresponding to that of bowl  14  of the embodiment of FIG. 1.  
         [0027]    Another optional feature is shown in FIG. 5. A portion of stem  111  of fork  114  bears a temperature indicating material  113  thereon. Temperature indicating material  113  is of any known type of material which changes its visual characteristics in a predetermined manner with variations in temperature to which it is exposed. It would be possible to locate material  113  on the tines of fork  114 , or on bowl  14  of the embodiment of FIG. 1 or the stem thereof, or even upon the handle of any embodiment.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 1 shows a method of using implement  10 . With pry  16  engaging cap  4  of jar  2  as shown, and with fulcrum  36  bearing against jar  2 , manual force is exerted in the direction indicated by arrow  44 . This is an ergonomically more comfortable and natural situation for prying cap  4  loose, since it is not necessary to grasp jar  2  securely when removing cap  4 . By contrast, many prior art cap removing devices (none shown) locate the fulcrum above a dog which engages cap  4 , thereby requiring the user to move the device in a direction opposite that required by the present invention. Such action tends to pull jar  2  in the same direction, which action requires the user to resist such motion of jar  2 , typically requiring encircling grasp of the container.  
         [0029]    By contrast, in the present invention, there is no necessity for wrapping the hand or fingers around jar  2 , as is required with prior art devices operating in the opposite direction. Alternatively stated, a moment exerted by grasping jar  2  in one hand, with cap  4  facing upwardly, is countered by an opposed moment exerted by grasping handle  12  in the other hand, and urging handle  12  to rotate as indicated by arrow  44 . This occurs because implement  10  is configured to engage cap  4  by pry  16  wherein fulcrum  36  is located between the free end  33  which engages cap  4  and proximal end fixed to handle  12 , with curvature of pry  16  facing facial plane  26 .  
         [0030]    Orientation of curvature of pry  16  and of bowl  14  (or of corresponding curvature of fork  114 ) in a similar direction does not affect the counter-oriented moments, but results in locating pry  16  on the opposite side of handle  12  from the receptacle of bowl  14 . This helps divert a youngster&#39;s attention away from pry  16 , which further promotes safety.  
         [0031]    It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.