Patent Publication Number: US-2023140816-A1

Title: Portable eating utensil

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to Taiwan Application Serial Number 110141018, filed Nov. 3, 2021, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to an eating utensil, and more particularly, to a portable eating utensil. 
     Description of Related Art 
     In recent years, the environmental consciousness of people has increased, many people no longer use disposable eating utensils while eating out and carry reusable and washable eating utensils for own use instead. For convenience of carrying, the industry further developed an eating utensil which can be folded to reduce the volume, in order to place it into a carrying bag or pocket. For instance, the portable tableware disclosed in the utility model patent publication No. M601059 is used as tableware by fixing a spoon or a fork to an outer shell. The spoon and the fork can be removed from the outer shell after using, and be placed in the outer shell for storage. 
     In the aforementioned conventional structure, the outer shell is composed of two half shells docked to each other, and each of the half shells is provided with a fastener. Accordingly, the two half shells are combined and fixed to each other through the fasteners after they closed to prevent unexpected opening. However, there are four fasteners in the aforementioned conventional structure disposed on a left side and a right side of each half shell respectively, and they need to be fastened to each other while using, so the operation is more complicated. Furthermore, the fasteners are revealed on the outer side of the outer shell, so they are easy to be unfastened accidentally or even fractured due to collision with external objects, resulting in the inconvenience of using and easy damage. 
     Accordingly, the primary objective of the present invention is how to improve the aforementioned problems. 
     SUMMARY 
     The main objective of the present invention is to provide a portable eating utensil, which utilizes a movable buckle to instantly lock or unlock a shell, and a structure used to lock the buckle is hided inside to prevent accidental unfastening resulted from collision, thereby improving the convenience of using. 
     Another objective of the present invention is to combine two kinds of eating utensils together and carry them, thereby improving the convenience of storage, and significantly reducing the easy loss of the eating utensils resulted from carrying them separately. 
     To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention provides a portable eating utensil including a first shell and a second shell, wherein they can be docked to enclose an accommodating room, the accommodating room accommodates an eating utensil, wherein the portable eating utensil is characterized in that: 
     the first shell is provided with a first slot and a first protrusion on a side facing the second shell, and the second shell is provided with a buckle which can move between a locked position and an unlocked position, the buckle is provided with a second slot and a second protrusion on a side facing the first shell, and when the first shell and the second shell are docked to each other, and the buckle is moved to the unlocked position, the first protrusion leaves the second slot, the second protrusion leaves the first slot, and the first protrusion leaves the second protrusion at the same time to unlock the first shell and the second shell; and when the buckle is moved to the locked position, the first protrusion is embedded into the second slot, the second protrusion is embedded into the first slot, and the first protrusion and the second protrusion prop against each other at the same time to fix the first shell and the second shell. 
     Preferably, the second shell is provided with a convex chuck on a side facing the first shell, the buckle is provided with a slotted hole put around the convex chuck, the buckle can move relative to the convex chuck, and positions of the buckle when the convex chuck is located at two ends of the slotted hole are defined as the locked position and the unlocked position respectively. 
     Preferably, a stop portion is disposed on a top of the convex chuck and extends above an edge of the slotted hole. 
     Preferably, a pivotal shaft is disposed on a top of the convex chuck, the eating utensil includes a functional end portion for taking food and a connection end portion, and there is a pivoting portion between the functional end portion and the connection end portion and pivotally disposed on the pivotal shaft, and the functional end portion or the connection end portion can be selectively moved out of the accommodating room by pivotally rotating the eating utensil. 
     Preferably, the functional end portion of the eating utensil is a spoon or a fork. 
     Preferably, the portable eating utensil further includes a sheath having a body provided with two combining portions, the eating utensil being detachably combined with one of the combining portions by the connection end portion, a skirt cover which is capable of moving back and forth along the body being disposed on the body, an accommodating room being formed between the skirt cover and the body, and the skirt cover can selectively move to a first position to enable the connection end portion and the combining portions to be stored in the accommodating room, and can selectively move to a second position to enable the connection end portion and the combining portions to leave the accommodating room. 
     Further, each of the combining portions is a pillar standing on the body, a through hole which can be put around the pillar is disposed on the connection end portion of the eating utensil, and a flange used for prohibit the connection end portion from detaching is disposed on an end of the pillar. 
     Further, a locating portion having a flexibility is disposed on the skirt cover, a first locating hole and a second locating hole are disposed on the body, when the skirt cover moves to the first position, the locating portion props against the first locating hole and locates the skirt cover; and when the skirt cover moves to the second position, the locating portion props against the second locating hole and locates the skirt cover. 
     It is easy to deeply realize the aforementioned objectives and the advantages of the present invention from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings of the following selected embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic exploded three-dimensional diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG.  2    is an enlarged schematic diagram of an A portion in  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  3    is an enlarged schematic diagram of a B portion in  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  4    is a schematic diagram showing a using state of the first embodiment of the present invention, which shows that the buckle is located at a locked position. 
         FIG.  5    is a schematic cross-sectional view of the present invention in the state as shown in  FIG.  4   . 
         FIG.  6    is a schematic diagram showing a using state of the first embodiment of the present invention, which shows that the buckle is situated at the unlocked position. 
         FIG.  7    is a schematic cross-sectional view of the present invention in the state as shown in  FIG.  6   . 
         FIG.  8    is a schematic diagram of exploded three-dimensional decomposition of a present invention. 
         FIG.  9    is a schematic diagram showing a using state of the second embodiment of the present invention, which shows that the sheath is closed. 
         FIG.  10    is a schematic cross-sectional view of the present invention in the state as shown in  FIG.  9   . 
         FIG.  11    is a schematic diagram showing a using state of the second embodiment of the present invention, which shows that the sheath is opened. 
         FIG.  12    is a schematic cross-sectional view of the present invention in the state as shown in  FIG.  11   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG.  1   , which shows a first embodiment of a portable eating utensil provided by the present invention. The portable eating utensil includes a first shell  1  and a second shell  2  which can be docked to each other to enclose an accommodating room  50 , and the accommodating room  50  may accommodate an eating utensil  3 . The aforementioned first shell  1  and the second shell  2  are connected to each other through one of their ends respectively, in which the connecting ends of the shells may be pivoted by a pivot shaft, or may be connected by a foldable integral structure, such that the first shell  1  and the second shell  2  can be relatively pivoted to be close to and to be engaged with each other. 
     As shown in  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  2   , one end of the first shell  1  away from the connection with the second shell  2  is provided with an opening  11  for the eating utensil  3  to stretch out, and the first shell  1  includes two side blocks  12  respectively disposed on a right side and a left side behind the opening  11 . A top side of each side block  12  protrudes outward, in which a relatively concave is defined as a first slot  121 , and a relatively convex is defined as a first protrusion  122 . Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the aforementioned first slots  121  and the first protrusions  122  are located on a side of the first shell  1  facing the second shell  2 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  3   , a convex chuck  21  is disposed on an end of the second shell  2  away from the connection with the first shell  1  and protruding toward the first shell  1 , and a pivotal shaft  22  disposed is on a top of the convex chuck  21  for connecting the eating utensil  3 . The eating utensil  3  has a functional end portion  31  for taking food (such as a spoon, a fork, or other structure used to take food) and a connection end portion  32 , and a pivot portion  33  is disposed between them. The eating utensil  3  is pivotally disposed on the pivotal shaft  22  through the pivot portion  33 . Accordingly, the functional end portion  31  or the connection end portion  32  may be selected to move out of the accommodating room  50  by pivotally rotating the eating utensil  3 . 
     A movable buckle  4  is connected to the second shell  2 . The buckle  4  has a slotted hole  41  put around the convex chuck  21  so as to make the buckle  4  be able to move forward and backward in a range of the slotted hole  41 , in which the buckle  4  is defined to be at a locked position or an unlocked position as the convex chuck  21  is located at two ends of the slotted hole  41 . In the present embodiment, a stop portion  211  is disposed on a top of the convex chuck  21  and extends above an edge of the slotted hole  41 , thereby preventing the buckle  4  from being separated from the convex chuck  21  to ensure that the buckle  4  works normally. 
     A cover plate  42  is disposed on an end of the buckle  4  away from the slotted hole  41 . A left side and a right side of the cover plate  42  stretch inward respectively, in which the relative concave is defined as a second slot  421 , and the relative convex is defined as a second protrusion  422 . 
     When the first shell  1  and the second shell  2  are relatively pivoted to be close to and to be engaged with each other, the buckle  4  is moved to the locked position as shown in  FIG.  4    and  FIG.  5   , the buckle  4  is embedded into the first slot  121  of the first shell  1  through the second protrusion  422 , and the second slot  421  is embedded by the first protrusion  122  of the first shell  1 , and at the same time, the first protrusion  122  and the second protrusion  422  block each other, such that the first shell  1  and the second shell  2  cannot be pivoted away relative to each other, and the first shell  1  and the second shell  2  are fixed to keep closed. 
     On the other hand, when the first shell  1  and second shell  2  are to be opened, the buckle  4  is moved to the locked position as shown in  FIG.  6    and  FIG.  7   , the second protrusion  422  of the buckle  4  leaves the first slot  121  of the first shell  1 , and the second slot  421  is also away from the first protrusion  122  of the first shell  1  relatively. Accordingly, the second shell  2  obtains a degree of freedom to pivot away from the first shell  1 . 
     By using the aforementioned structure, the present invention implements locking and unlocking between the first shell  1  and the second shell  2  by simply pushing the buckle  4 , which is very convenient in operation. Furthermore, in the present invention, the structures used for locking the shells are all hidden inside the buckle  4  and is not exposed, hence the structures are not struck by external objects and unlock accidentally, and the appearance is kept simple and complete simultaneously. 
       FIG.  8    shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The aforementioned entire structure of the first embodiment is defined as one eating utensil set  5 , and the present embodiment is a convenient structure for assembling two eating utensil sets  5 . The present embodiment includes two eating utensil sets  5  and a sheath  6 , in which the eating utensils  3  in the two eating utensil sets  5  may be of the same type or different types, such as spoons, forks, or other structures used for taking food, and a through hole  321  is disposed on the connection end portion  32 . 
     The sheath  6  includes a body  61  and a skirt cover  62 . The body  61  is formed as a long plate, where a pillar  63  protrudes from each of two sides of one end of the body  61 , and an end of the pillar  63  has a flange  631 . The other end of the body  61  is provided with a hang hole for hanging, and the body  61  is provided with a first locating hole  65  and a second locating hole  66  between the hang hole  64  and the pillar  63 . The skirt cover  62  is formed in a ring shape and is sleeved outside the body  61 , and an accommodating space  67  is formed between the skirt cover  62  and the body  61 . A flexible locating portion  68  protrudes from a side of the skirt cover  62  facing the body  61  toward the body  61  (referring to  FIG.  10   ), and props against the body  61 . The skirt cover  62  can slide forward along the body  61  to a first position as shown in  FIG.  9   , such that the pillar  63  is received into the accommodating space  67  and covered by the skirt cover  62  at this moment, and the locating portion  68  is propped in the first locating hole  65  to locate the skirt cover  62 . The skirt cover  62  can slide backward along the body  61  to a second position as shown in  FIG.  11   , such that the pillar  63  leaves the accommodating space  67  and is exposed at this moment, and the locating portion  68  may be propped in the second locating hole  66  to locate the skirt cover  62 . 
     With the aforementioned structure, the present embodiment can assemble the two portable eating utensil sets  5  together, and can achieve the effects of easy taking and loss reducing by centralized storage. Specifically, as shown in  FIG.  8   , after the functional end portion  31  of the eating utensil  3  of each eating utensil set  5  is included into the accommodating room  50 , the connection end portions  32  protrude outside the accommodating room  50 , and hence the through holes  321  of the connection end portions  32  can be put around the pillars  63  of the body  61  of the sheath  6  to combine the two eating utensil sets  5  on the sheath  6 . Next, the skirt cover  62  is pushed along the body  61  to the first position as shown in  FIG.  9    and  FIG.  10   , the locating portion  68  is locked in the first locating hole  65  for positioning, and hence the connection end portions  32  of the eating utensils  3  are included into the accommodating place  67  at this moment. In other words, the connection end portions  32  of the eating utensils  3  are covered by the skirt cover  62  to block the eating utensil sets  5  from leaving the pillars  63 . Accordingly, the two eating utensil sets  5  are fixed and connected to the sheath  6  to generate the effect of centralized storage. 
     When using the present invention to have food, as shown in  FIG.  11    and  FIG.  12   , the skirt cover  62  is pushed along the body  61  to the second position, the locating portion  68  is locked in the second locating hole  66  for locating, and hence the connection end portions  32  of the eating utensils  3  leave the accommodating space  67  at this moment. In other words, the connection end portions  32  of the eating utensils  3  are exposed outside the skirt cover  62 , and the two eating utensil sets  5  can be removed from the sheath  6 . Next, referring to  FIG.  6   , after extracting the buckle  4  to unlock the first shell  1  and the second shell  2 , the first shell  1  can be opened, the eating utensil  3  can be rotated to rotate out the functional end portion  31 , the second shell  2  is covered with the first shell  1 , the connection end portion  32  is clamped after inserting the buckle  4  to fix the eating utensil  3 , and then the eating utensil  3  can be used to take food. 
     Comparing with the conventional structure, the feature of the present invention is that the two portable eating utensil sets  5  are assembled together to achieve the objective of centralized storage and generate the effect that is not easy to loss. When in use, it can be taken out and used according to the desired type of the eating utensil  3 , and it is very easy and convenient in operation. 
     Nevertheless, the disclosure of the aforementioned embodiments is only used to illustrate the present invention, is not used to limit the present invention, and s the replacement of equivalent components should still within the scope of the present invention. 
     Based on the description above, it is apparent to those who skilled in the art that the present invention can clearly achieve the aforementioned objectives, and the present invention has already complied with the regulations of the patent law, therefore an application is filed in accordance with the law.