PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 16431470
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2019-06
Publication Date: 2019-12
Patent Classification: ["294", "218000"]

Abstract:
Reusable chopsticks that are foldable into a compact configuration for storage and easily transportable in a storage case. The chopsticks each comprise a rigid external structure and at least one flexible internal member that is foldable to a compact configuration for storage. In a folded configuration, the reusable chopsticks have a significantly reduced length of approximately one-half to one-fourth of their extended length when in use. The external structure of the chopstick is preferably formed of multiple rigid segments connected by the flexible internal member(s) in the extended configuration during use as chopsticks. A storage case is provided to store the chopsticks in the folded configuration in a compact form.

Claim (Index 12):
A system for using eating utensils, the system comprising:\n a reusable chopstick foldable for storage, the chopstick comprising: an external structure formed of a plurality of segments, said external structure having a proximal end, an opposite distal end, and a central longitudinal axis passing through said ends, each of said segments configured to be coupled to at least another one of said segments when adjacent to one another along the central longitudinal axis to form said external structure; and at least a flexible member having a proximal end, and an opposite distal end, said flexible member being formed of an elastic material, said flexible member being positioned within said external structure with said proximal end coupled to one of said segments and said distal end of said flexible member coupled to another one of said segments; and a storage case configured to contain said chopstick, wherein said chopstick is in an extended configuration when at least two of said segments are coupled together to form said rigid external structure with said flexible member therein, said flexible member being under tension within said external structure across the juncture of said at least two segments to maintain said segments coupled together, wherein said chopstick is in a folded configuration when at least two of said segments are uncoupled and moved apart along said flexible member by stretching said flexible member and folding said flexible member between said at least two segments, wherein said storage case contains said chopstick in said folded configuration.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 2.0
- Percentile: 100.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.85938
- Patent Class: 294.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15987681', '12606214', '14323835', '13134242', '14212155']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.7284573322904742
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5029071407849744
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.7059023131399242
- Mean Citation Score: 213.871286
- Max Citation Score: 276.7472
- Similarity Product: 188.01669408531188

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test