Patent Publication Number: US-9408486-B2

Title: Food serving assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Field of the Disclosure 
     The disclosure relates to serving devices and more particularly pertains to a new serving device for removing the first slice of a pie without breaking the crust of the slice of pie. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a handle. A blade is coupled to the handle. The blade is segmented. The blade is positionable in a deflected position to be slid beneath a slice of pie without breaking a crust of the pie. The blade is positionable in a locked position to lift the slice of pie. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a food serving assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2  of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a back end view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a left side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is an in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 6  thereof, a new serving device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 6 , the food serving assembly  10  generally comprises a handle  12  that has a front end  14 , a rear end  16  and a perimeter wall  18  extending between the front  14  and rear  16  ends. The front end  14  slopes forwardly from a top side  20  to a bottom side  22  of the perimeter wall  18 . A stop  24  is provided. The stop  24  has a front surface  26 , a rear surface  28  and an outer edge  30  extending between the front  26  and rear  28  surfaces. The outer edge  30  has an upper side  32  and a lower side  33 . 
     The front  26  and rear  28  surfaces are curvilinear such that the stop  24  has a concave shape. The rear surface  28  is coupled to the front end  14  of the handle  12  such that the stop  24  extends downwardly from the handle  12 . The upper side  32  of the outer edge  30  is positioned adjacent to the top side  20  of the perimeter wall  18  of the handle  12 . The stop  24  is planar and lies on a plane oriented parallel to the front end  14 . 
     A blade  32  has an upper surface  34 , a lower surface  36  and an exterior edge  38  extending between the upper  34  and lower surfaces  36 . The exterior edge  38  has a back side  40 , a first lateral side  42  and a second lateral side  44 . The first  42  and second  44  lateral sides taper to a point at a distal end  45  of the blade  32  with respect to the back side  40 , giving the blade  32  a triangular shape. The back side  40  of the exterior edge  38  is coupled to the front surface  26  of the stop  24  such that the blade  32  extends forwardly from the stop  24 . The back side  40  is positioned adjacent to the lower side  33  of the outer edge  30  of the stop  24 . 
     The blade  32  has a pair of breaks  46  extending between the first  42  and second  44  lateral sides. The breaks  46  are spaced apart and distributed between the back side  40  and the distal end  45  to define a forward movable section  48 , a middle movable section  50  and a fixed section  52 . Each of the fixed section  52  and the middle movable sections  50  has a leading edge  54 . Each of the forward movable  48  and the middle movable  50  sections has a rearmost edge  56 . Each of the fixed section  52  and the middle movable section  50  has a tab  58  coupled to and extending forwardly from the leading edge  54 . Each of the tabs  58  is centrally positioned on the leading edge  54 . 
     The middle movable section  50  is hingedly coupled to the fixed section  52 . The lower surface  36  corresponding to the middle movable section  50  abuts the tab  58  on the fixed section  52  when the middle movable section  50  is positioned in a locked position. The upper surface  34  corresponding to the middle movable section  50  is co-planar with the upper surface  34  corresponding to the fixed section  52 . 
     The forward movable section  48  is hingedly coupled to the middle movable section  50 . The lower surface  36  corresponding to the forward movable section  48  abuts the tab  58  on the middle movable section  50  when the forward movable section  48  is positioned in a locked position. The upper surface  34  corresponding to the forward movable section  48  lies on a plane that is co-planar with the upper surface  34  corresponding to the middle movable section  50 . The blade  32  may lift a slice of pie  60  when the forward  48  and middle  50  movable sections are in the locked position. 
     The upper surface  34  corresponding to each of the forward  48  and middle  50  movable sections is positionable at a selected angle with respect to the upper surface  34  corresponding to the fixed section  52  when each of the forward  48  and middle  50  movable sections is positioned in a deflected position. The blade  12  may be slid beneath the slice of pie  60  without breaking a crust  62  of the pie  60  when the forward  48  and middle  50  movable sections are in the deflected position. 
     In use, the distal end  45  of the blade  32  is inserted beneath the slice of pie  60 . The forward movable section  48  is positioned in the deflected position as the middle movable section  50  is urged toward the slice of pie  60 . The middle movable section  50  is positioned in the deflected position as the middle movable section  50  is inserted beneath the slice of pie  60 . The forward movable section  48  is placed in the locked position as the middle movable section  50  is positioned inserted beneath the slice of pie  60 . The middle movable section  50  is positioned in the locked position as the fixed section  52  is slid beneath the slice of pie  60 . The slice of pie  60  is lifted after the blade  32  is fully inserted beneath the slice of pie  60 . 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, 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 an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure 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 disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.