Patent Publication Number: US-2018042416-A1

Title: Sanitary Utensil

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/373,404 filed on Aug. 11, 2016. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to food utensils. More specifically, the present invention provides a sanitary utensil configured to elevate the tool end of the utensil above a support surface, such as a table or counter, when the utensil is placed thereon. 
     Many individuals utilize utensils such as forks, spoons, and knives in order to manipulate food. These utensils are typically placed on a support surface, such as a table or counter when not in use. Typical utensils include a body portion, a handle portion, and a tool portion that manipulates food, such as a spoon, fork, knife, spatula, or the like. When a typical utensil is placed on a surface, the tool end contacts the surface and supports the utensil thereon. If the support surface has contaminates such as bacteria, food material, or the like, the contaminates may be transferred to the tool portion of the utensil. This unwanted contamination of the tool portion of the utensil can cause the user to become sick. In order to address these concerns, the present invention provides a sanitary utensil that elevates the tool end of the utensil above a support surface, so that the tool end does not contact the support surface, thereby preventing contamination of the sanitary utensil. 
     In light of the food utensils disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing food utensils. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills these needs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of food utensils now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a sanitary utensil wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when maintaining the tool end of the utensil in a sanitary state. 
     In one example of the present invention, the sanitary utensil includes a body having a first end and a second end, wherein each of the first end and the second end are disposed along a common first horizontal plane. A first contact point disposed on the first end of the body and a second contact point disposed on the second end of the body are each configured to contact a surface when the body is placed thereon. A middle portion disposed between the first end and the second end of the body includes an arcuate member having an apex disposed in a second horizontal plane, wherein the second horizontal plane is elevated above the first horizontal plane. A tool disposed on the second end of the body extends upwardly in a direction opposing the first end of the body. The tool is configured to be elevated above a surface when the body is supported thereon. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, a front portion and a rear portion disposed on opposing sides of the first contact point of the body extend upwardly from the first contact point. The front portion tapers inwardly from the first contact point towards the tool and the rear portion tapers inwardly from the first contact point towards the second end of the body. This in conjunction with the arcuate member allows multiple sanitary utensils to be easily stacked on one another for storage purposes. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a sanitary utensil that elevates the tool end above its supporting surface such that the tool end does not contact the supporting surface, which prevents any germs or other particles from contaminating the tool portion of the sanitary utensil. 
     Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout. 
         FIG. 1  shows a top plan view of a first embodiment of the sanitary utensil. 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of the sanitary utensil. 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the sanitary utensil. 
         FIG. 4  shows a side view of a second embodiment of the sanitary utensil. 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of a third embodiment of the sanitary utensil. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the sanitary utensil. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for manipulating food articles. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown a top plan view of a first embodiment of the sanitary utensil and a perspective view of a first embodiment of the sanitary utensil, respectively. The sanitary utensil  10  includes a body  11  having a first end  12 , a second end  13 , and a middle portion  14  therebetween, the middle portion  14  defining an arcuate portion having an apex  17  disposed in a first horizontal plane. A tool portion  18  extends outwardly from the first end  12  of the body  11 . In the shown embodiment, the body  11  tapers inwardly from the second end  13  toward the first end  12  thereof. Further, in the shown embodiment, the tool portion  18  comprises a spoon. However, in alternate embodiments, the tool end  18  may comprise a fork, a knife, or any other typical food manipulating tool. 
     The first end  12  of the body  11  comprises a first contact point  15  and the second end  13  of the body  11  comprises a second contact point  16 . The first contact point  15  and the second contact point  16  are configured to contact a surface, such as a table or countertop, when the sanitary utensil  10  is placed thereon, so that the tool portion  18  is elevated above the surface, preventing contamination thereof. In the shown embodiment, the second end  13  of the body  11  curves upwardly from the second contact point  16  in a direction opposing the first end  12  of the body  11 , so that the portion of the sanitary utensil  10  that is grasped by a user does not contact the surface upon which the sanitary utensil  10  is supported. 
     The first end  12  of the body  11  is shaped to facilitate stacking of multiple sanitary utensils  10  for storage purposes. The first end  12  of the body  11  includes a front portion  19  adjacent the tool portion  18  and a rear portion  20  adjacent the second end  13  of the body  11 . The front portion  19  tapers inwardly from the first contact point  15  towards the tool portion  18 , and the rear portion  20  tapers inwardly from the first contact point  15  toward the second end  13  of the body  11 , such that the first end  12  of the body  11  is widest at the contact point  15 . In this way, the first end  12  of the body  11  provides a stable and widened surface upon which another sanitary utensil  10  may be stacked. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , there is shown a perspective view of a second embodiment of the sanitary utensil and a side view of a second embodiment of the sanitary utensil, respectively. In the shown embodiment, the tool portion  18  comprises a fork. The front portion  19  of the first end  12  of the body  11  extends upwardly from the first contact point  15  toward the tool portion  18 , while the rear portion  20  of the first end  12  of the body  11  extends upwardly from the first contact point  15  towards the second end  13  of the body  11 . In the shown embodiment, the front portion  19  extends upwardly from the first contact point  15  at an angle greater than that of the rear portion  20 , so that the tool portion  18  is further elevated above a surface  22  upon which the sanitary utensil  10  is supported. The apex  17  of the middle portion  14  is disposed in a first horizontal plane, and the first and second contact points  15 ,  16  are both disposed in a second horizontal plane, wherein the first horizontal plane is elevated above the second horizontal plane, as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , there is shown a perspective view of a third embodiment of the sanitary utensil. In addition to eating tools such as forks, spoons, and knives, the sanitary utensil  10  may also include a larger tool portion  18  generally used for preparing or serving food, such as a spatula. In the shown embodiment, the first contact point  15  comprises a curved outer edge which further facilitates stacking of multiple sanitary utensils  10 . Further, in the shown embodiment, the tool portion  18  is elevated above the first contact point  15  and the second contact point  16 , and the apex  17  of the middle portion  14  of the body  11  is elevated above the tool portion  18 . In some embodiments, the second end  13  of the body includes an aperture  25  thereon. The aperture  25  may be utilized to hang the sanitary utensil  10  from a support surface such as a hook when the sanitary utensil  10  is not in use. 
     The sanitary utensil  10  may be composed of any suitably durable material, such as, for example, plastic, metal, or wood. Further, in one embodiment, the sanitary utensil  10  is machine washable and maintains its structural integrity so that the sanitary utensil  10  may be cleaned using a high-heat dishwashing machine. In an alternate embodiment, the sanitary utensil  10  is disposable and meant for a single use. 
     It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.