Abstract:
A chopsticks assembly includes pivoted chopsticks, spring urged to spread apart position, and otherwise retainable in nested collapsed position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to chopsticks, and more particularly concerns improvements in the construction of same. 
     Chopsticks can be very difficult to use by the untrained diner, as is well known. There is a need for improvements in such implements as will enable even the untrained user to easily manipulate same. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a major object to provide an unusually advantageous construction of chopsticks, to meet the above need. The present invention provides a simple, inexpensive design or construction of an assembly that includes: 
     (a) a pair of elongated chopsticks, 
     (b) pivot means interconnecting the chopsticks to allow scissors pivoting thereof in generally the same plane, and about a pivot axis, 
     (c) a spring biasing the chopsticks to a spread apart position and allowing finger pivoting thereof toward a closed position, and 
     (d) retention means to releasably retain the chopsticks in said closed position. 
     As will appear, the retention means is so located as to release when the lower ends of the chopsticks are impacted against a table surface; the chopsticks have handles that extend in laterally overlapping relation so as to enable relative sliding of adjacent inner surfaces that are recessed to contain torsion spring arms; and the chopsticks interfit in closed position with the handles extending in face to face relation in a first direction parallel to the pivot axis, and with the tongs extending in face to face relation in a second direction normal to said first direction. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings, in which: 
    
    
     DRAWING DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 is a frontal elevation showing the chopsticks in assembled, spread apart position; 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary rear elevation of a portion of the FIG. 1 chopsticks assembly; 
     FIG. 2a is a fragmentary view of the inner side of a stick, near the pivot axis; 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevation showing the top portions of the chopsticks, interconnected by lateral means; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the intermediate and lower portions of one chopstick; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the intermediate portion of the one FIG. 4 chopstick; 
     FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of the chopsticks in collapsed position; and 
     FIGS. 7 and 8 are enlarged sections taken on lines 7--7 and 8--8, respectively, in FIG. 6. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the drawings, the assembly 10 includes two like chopsticks 11 and 12, which are longitudinally elongated. Each chopstick, which may consist of plastic, wood, or other material, includes a handle portion 13, and a tong portion 14, respectively at opposite longitudinal sides of a common pivot axis 15, the lengths of the tong portions typically exceeding the lengths of the handle portions. Pivot means interconnects the two chopsticks to allow scissors pivoting thereof between extended &#34;spring relaxed&#34; position, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, and closed or collapsed &#34;spring tensioned&#34; position, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 6-8. In this regard, a spring biases the two chopsticks to the spread apart position in FIG. 1, and allows ready finger pivoting of the chopsticks lightly forcibly toward closed position. See for example the broken line position 14a of the tongs, in FIG. 1, with a morsal of edible therebetween at 16. 
     More specifically, a fastener 17 extends through bores 18 defined by the handle portion 14, the heads 17a of the fastener being flush with the outer surfaces 14c of the sticks, as is seen in FIG. 8. Such heads are located in counterbores 20, seen in FIG. 8. Counterbore recesses 21 are also sunk in the inner overlapping faces 22 of the two sticks, and are intersected by narrow longitudinal recesses 23. The latter receive the arms 24a of a torsion spring 24, the spring having a turned portion 24b partially received in each of the recesses 21, which are in registration. The construction is such that the torsion spring arms 24a in the recess 23 act to bias the chopsticks toward FIG. 1 position, and also do not interfere with close overlap of the handle portions, at closely facing flat inner surfaces 22. 
     It will be noted that the tongs define a common plane as they pivot toward and away from one another in directions indicated by arrows 25 in FIG. 7. When the assembly is in closed position, as seen in FIG. 6, the tongs extend side by side, with their inner faces 14d directly facing one another. Those faces move perpendicularly toward and away from one another as the tongs are pivoted. As distinct from this, the inner faces 22 of the handle portions move parallel to one another as the tongs are pivoted. In this regard, note the approximately square overall cross sections in FIGS. 7 and 8; also, note in FIG. 4 that the thickness &#34;t 1  &#34; of the handle portion, in the direction of axis 15, is about half the overall thickness t 2  of the tong portion, in that direction. Tapered shoulders 27 and 28 are defined by the tong portion and handle portion, at their juncture, and they extend in an offset V-configuration, in FIG. 1 (see FIG. 5, showing the offset). 
     Also provided is retention means to releasably retain the chopsticks in closed position. As appears in FIGS. 1 and 3, the retention means may advantageously comprise interengageable shoulders on the two sticks, and spaced near the ends of the handles, so as to unsnap or release in response to impact jarring of the closed tong ends on the table surface. Note the protrusion 50 on one stick handle that releasably interfits shallow recess 51 in the inner face of the other stick handle.