Abstract:
A kitchen utensil for food preparation which utensil includes an elongate body of uniform width having a top portion, a bottom portion, at least two sides, and a first end and a second end. The first end has a tapered straight edge. The second end has a rounded edge or a rounded tapered edge. The kitchen utensil is a multifunctional tool for ergonomic stirring, scraping, pounding, flipping, and other like process for preparing food.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    This invention relates generally to a kitchen utensil which is normally used in the preparation of food. 
         [0002]    A type of kitchen utensil, commonly referred to as “kitchenware,” includes such items as spatulas and spoons of various configurations. Kitchenware is used to scrape and stir the bottom and edges of containers. Additionally, these utensils are also used to flip, pound, cut, and separate food. 
         [0003]    Current kitchenware, while helpful in food preparation, can be ineffective in stirring and scraping the sides and bottoms of containers by leaving portions of food behind. Furthermore, kitchenware, due to its shape and size, can be difficult to hold and maneuver. This problematic handling of the kitchenware can lead to joint and body strain. 
         [0004]    For the foregoing reasons, there is the need for a new kitchen utensil that is both ergonomic and multifunctional in its use and handling. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    A kitchen utensil is provided, comprising an elongate body of uniform width having an elongate exterior top, an elongate exterior bottom, at least two sides each having an exterior surface, a first end and a second end. The top has a surface which is substantially planar substantially throughout the elongate longitudinal length and transverse width of the elongate body. The bottom has a surface which is substantially planar substantially throughout the elongate longitudinal length and transverse width of the elongate body. The sides have a planar exterior surface extending generally longitudinally along and substantially perpendicular to the top and bottom. The first end has a tapered straight edge and the second end has a rounded edge. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference should now be made to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings and described below. In the drawings: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a kitchen utensil. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the kitchen utensil shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is an end view of the kitchen utensil shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is another end view of the kitchen utensil shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a side view of the kitchen utensil shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a bottom view of the kitchen utensil shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the invention. For example, words such as “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “upward,” and “downward” merely describe the configuration shown in the FIGs. Indeed, the components may be oriented in any direction and the terminology, therefore, should be understood as encompassing such variations unless specified otherwise. 
         [0014]    Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding or similar elements throughout the several views,  FIGS. 1-6  show an embodiment of a kitchen utensil, generally designated at  10 . The kitchen utensil  10  comprises an elongate body  12 , an elongate exterior bottom  22 , an elongate exterior top  14 , and exterior sides  16 . The elongate body  12  is preferably about 6 to about 18 inches in length, but may vary to accommodate use, such as stirring in deep containers. At a length of less than about six inches, the utensil barely extends beyond the hand of the user when gripped in the entire palm. At lengths temperatures greater than about 18 inches, the utensil becomes unwieldy and the user loses leverage, especially in highly viscous materials. 
         [0015]    The elongate body is uniform in width throughout its length. The body  12  is preferably 1-3″ in width, but may vary according to the user&#39;s hand size. For example, a person with smaller than average hands would preferably use the kitchen utensil  10  with the elongate body  12  of about 1″ to ensure minimum strain to the fingers and wrist. At a width of less than about one inch, the utensil becomes difficult to grip, particularly for larger hands. Moreover, because the utensil has a uniform width along its length, a utensil having a width of about one inch will not provide a large surface for moving material. Widths greater than about three inches are also difficult to grip because they tend to be too large even for a person with large hands. 
         [0016]    The kitchen utensil  10  is formed from wood. The preferred material of construction is maple wood, which provides both strength and flexibility to the kitchen utensil  10 . However, the present invention is not limited to maple wood, and other materials such as cherry wood, plastic, metal, or other suitable materials may be appropriate. The scope of the invention is not intended to be limited by the materials listed here, but may be carried out using any material which allows the construction and use of the kitchen utensil  10  described herein. 
         [0017]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  6 , the top  14  and bottom  22  surfaces have a smooth and generally flat, or planar surface, that extends over substantially the entire top and bottom area, respectively, of the elongate body  12 . The top  14  is generally parallel to the bottom  22  and generally perpendicular to the sides  16 . 
         [0018]    With reference now to  FIG. 3 , the sides  16  of the kitchen utensil are straight and substantially perpendicular to the top and bottom surfaces, which intersect with the sides  16  to form edges  24 . The edges  24  may be rounded or straight. The sides extend along the length of the elongate body  12  and merge with a tapered first end  18  and a rounded second end  20 . In one embodiment, the sides  16  have the same thickness along the length. The sides  16  are preferably about ⅛ inches to about 5/16 inches thick. A utensil at the lower end of the range has some flexibility depending on the material of the stick. Above about 5/16 inches, the utensil loses its flexibility and becomes more difficult to grip 
         [0019]    As shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , the first end of the elongate body  12  gradually thins or tapers into a straight edge  26 . The first end  18  may be singly or doubly tapered, as shown. As shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  5 , the second end  20  of the elongate body  12  gradually thins or tapers into a rounded edge  28 . The second end  20  may be singly tapered, as shown, or doubly tapered. Furthermore, in another embodiment the second end  20  may have no taper. 
         [0020]    The kitchen utensil  10  is a multifunctional utensil that may be used for pounding, shaping, scraping, stirring, flipping, or other like process. The tapered first end  18  can be used to scrape food particles off of cookware and does not mar non-stick surfaces when the kitchen utensil is made of wood, Teflon, or the like. The second rounded end  20  can be used for flipping food. The rounded second end  20  is particularly useful in separating substances that are hard to break apart such as frozen vegetables by pushing through the frozen vegetables with the second end  20  without having to resort to twisting motions. This allows the frozen materials to become separated while minimizing wrist strain. Either end can be used to pound or jab food. 
         [0021]    The flat top  14  and bottom  22  surfaces of the utensil make the kitchen utensil  10  particularly useful in handling (e.g. stirring, scraping, and flipping) solid or semi-sold substances such as macaroni and cheese because the food does not tend to cling to the flat surfaces. Moreover, the flat surface of the top  14 , bottom  22 , and the sides  16  are easy to clean as there are no crevices, slots, or indentations to trap particles. Also, the straight edges  24  of sides  16  make it particularly useful for scraping the side of a circular container without leaving particles or other material on the sides. The uniform width of the kitchen utensil  10  provides the user with a large gripping surface so that the utensil remains firmly within the user&#39;s hand. The uniform width of the elongate body  12  allows the user to grip the utensil between the thumb and all four fingers with the body resting in the heel of the hand. This uniform width of the elongate  12  body allows the kitchen utensil  10  to be used for stirring with little or no movement of the wrist while minimizing the gripping strain of the fingers. The width of the elongate body  12  is also particularly useful in moving a large volume of liquid when the kitchen utensil is used for stirring. 
         [0022]    Moreover, the uniform width of the elongate body  12  and the flat surfaces of the top  14 , the bottom  22 , and the sides  16  leads to efficient production of the kitchen utensils as it allows the utensil to be constructed with minimal waste. 
         [0023]    Although the present invention has been shown and described in considerable detail with respect to only a few exemplary embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that I do not intend to limit the invention to the embodiments since various modifications, omissions and additions may be made to the disclosed embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the invention, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. For example, the kitchen utensil may be used in a number of applications where stirring, scraping, jabbing, and like processes are used. Accordingly, I intend to cover all such modifications, omission, additions and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Thus, although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together, whereas a screw employs a helical surface, in the environment of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw may be equivalent structures.