JP2002065439A - Cutlery - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cutlery which is light, easy to handle not slipping off from grip and capable of floating on water. SOLUTION: The cutlery (metallic Western tableware) such as with a spoon, a fork, a knife, etc., consisting of an action part 1 (main part of a cutlery) and a grip 2. The action part consists of titanium, etc. The grip 2 made of thermoplastic resin consists of a gripping part 2a and gripping end 2a. The action part 1 and the grip 2 are insertion fabricated, at a joint part 4. A gripping part 2a and a gripping end 2b are adhered at an adhesion part 5 to form a hollow part 3. The cutlery is easy washable because it floats on water surface. Since it does not sink to the bottom of a washing tub, it is sanitary. It does not lose, even if it drops in water in the outdoors. An ornament nature is improved by giving colors, a mark, and an ornament pattern to the grip.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to cutlery (metallic tableware) such as spoons, forks and knives.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a cutlery having a floating function of floating in water.

At present, there are many cutleries commonly used, such as spoons, forks and knives made of SUS (stainless steel), and expensive ones are made of silver. However, the cutlery described above was heavy and unwieldy for infants and the elderly.

When the SUS cutlery is used for cooking using vinegar, mayonnaise, or the like, a small amount of iron ions and the like are liberated from the SUS material. There was a risk of subtly dropping the taste. In addition, silver cutlery has a problem that when its surface comes into contact with water or air, an oxide film is formed, the gloss becomes dull, and the appearance quality is deteriorated.

Therefore, in recent years, materials using titanium or a titanium alloy as a material for cutlery have appeared on the market and have been used. Such cutlery is S
Compared to US and silver products, it is lighter and harder to ionize, but has a low surface hardness and is easily scratched. There was a problem of coming. Recently, as a countermeasure, cutlery of titanium or titanium alloy having a hardened layer formed at a desired depth from the surface of the cutlery of titanium or titanium alloy has been commercialized.

FIGS. 3 to 5 show conventional cutlery, FIG. 3 is a plan view of a spoon, FIG. 4 is a plan view of a fork, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of a knife. In FIGS. 3 to 5, as a material of these cutlery, for example, a metal member such as SUS, silver or titanium or a titanium alloy, and a spoon-shaped, fork-shaped or knife-shaped working portion (cutlery main body)
11a, 11b, 11c and a rod-shaped gripping portion 12
The spoon 13, the fork 14, and the knife 15 are formed by pressing a, 12b, and 12c integrally with each other.

[0006]

However, since the cutlery described above is formed of a metal member such as SUS, silver, titanium, or a titanium alloy, the specific gravity of the member is larger than that of water, so that the cutlery must be immersed in water. Sinks. For this reason, it was difficult to overlap and wash other dishes, and there was a risk that the dishes would come into contact with each other and scratch the surface.

[0007] In particular, in places where a large amount of cutlery is used, such as a school lunch kitchen, a company cafeteria, a restaurant, etc., the washing work efficiency is poor.

Further, since the cutlery sinks to the bottom of the washing tank, the cutlery is very unsanitary due to contact with the precipitated dirt.

[0009] There are also various problems such as the possibility of being accidentally dropped into water and lost when used at the waterside in the outdoors or the like.

A first object of the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and is light in weight, easy to float on water, easy to hold a grip portion, has a good feel, and is rich in decorativeness and inexpensive. Provide cutlery. A second object of the present invention is to make it easy to wash many cutlery by making it easy to float on water.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a cutlery according to the present invention comprises a cutlery (metallic tableware) comprising a working part (cutlery main body) and a gripping part with a spoon, fork, knife or the like. , Wherein a lifting means is provided on the gripping portion.

Further, the floating means provided on the grip portion has a hollow portion formed in a region of the grip portion.

[0013] Further, the hollow portion formed in the grip portion is filled with a member having a specific gravity of <1.

Further, the member filled in the hollow portion formed in the grip portion is a foam.

Further, in a cutlery (metallic tableware) comprising an operating portion (cutlery main body) and a gripping portion with the spoon, fork, knife or the like, the cutlery main body is made of titanium material, and the gripping portion is made of titanium. The working portion is made of a thermoplastic resin having a hollow portion, and the working portion is insert-molded with the thermoplastic resin to be integrally formed.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A cutlery according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 relate to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a spoon viewed from the front, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the spoon of FIG.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes an action portion (cutlery main body) of a spoon for scooping and eating food. The working portion 1 is made of a relatively light metal member such as a titanium material, and has a hardened layer formed at a desired depth from the surface. (The hardened layer is formed by dissolving nitrogen and oxygen in a solid solution.) Reference numeral 2 denotes a gripping portion made of a thermoplastic resin, for example, an elastomer resin “olefin-based special copolymer soft resin” manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation. is there. The grip portion 2 is composed of a grip body 2a and a grip end 2b, and both are joined by an adhesive 5 by means of an adhesive, welding (such as ultrasonic welding) or the like. The grip portion 2 has a hollow portion 3 in the grip region to have a floating function. The action part 1 of the spoon, which is the cutlery main body, and the gripping main body 2a are insert-molded with the thermoplastic resin and are integrally connected at the joint part 4 to constitute the spoon 10.

After the insert molding as described above, the grip main body 2a and the grip end 2b are integrated by a fixing means such as an adhesive or welding.

The above-mentioned elastomer resin has a low specific gravity, can reduce the weight of the product, has heat resistance and flexibility, and is widely used in the fields of medical containers, foods, daily necessities and the like. Therefore, the spoon gripper has many advantages such as being light and easy to hold and the grip portion not slipping.

In addition, the grip portion 2 can enhance the decorativeness by coloring the elastomer resin with a desired color or applying marks and various decorative patterns at the time of molding the resin. Is what makes it fun.

The operation and effect of the above configuration will be described. In the present embodiment, by providing a hollow portion in the grip portion as a floating means, even if the spoon is put in water, the portion of the grip portion has a floating function, and the spoon does not sink in water. Further, the grip portion is insert-molded with a resin and is surely integrated. Furthermore, since it is lightweight and easy to hold, it is easy to use for infants and the elderly. Further, by adding a color, a mark, a decorative pattern, or the like to the resin, the decorativeness is increased, and the pleasure of using the spoon for children, school lunches, and the like is doubled. Further, it is possible to produce a spoon at low cost.

Although a hollow portion is formed in the grip portion as a means for floating the grip portion, it is needless to say that the hollow portion is not limited to the hollow portion and may be filled with a member having a specific gravity lower than that of water, such as a foam. No.

In this embodiment, a spoon has been described. However, by replacing the cutlery main body, which is the action portion of the cutlery, with another one such as a fork or a knife, the range of use can be expanded to the entire cutlery.

Although the material of the working portion of the spoon has been described as a titanium material as the most preferred embodiment, the material is not limited to the titanium material but may be other metal members such as titanium alloy, SUS, silver, and silver alloy. . In the above embodiment, the hardened layer is provided inside the titanium material of the spoon action portion, but a hard thin film such as TiN or TiC may be provided on the surface of the titanium material. Also, without providing a hardened layer on titanium material,
It goes without saying that the titanium material may be used as it is.

Further, since the cutlery of the present embodiment floats in the water of the cleaning tank, the cutlery flows by the water flow, and for example, the lower surface of the cutlery in the first cleaning tank (preliminary washing) is generated by ultrasonic waves, air bubbles, or the like. To remove dirt, rotate the roller at the other end of the tank, put the cutlery on this roller and move it to the next tank, and install the device in stages, such as a second washing tank (finish washing) and a drying tank As in the case of automatic washing and automatic drying, it is hygienic and can save labor.

[0026]

As described above, the cutlery of the present invention is characterized in that it is floating on water, so that the cutlery has less contact with each other, and is therefore less likely to be scratched. Particularly, in a place where a lot of cutlery is used, such as a school lunch kitchen, a company cafeteria, a restaurant, etc., the cleaning work efficiency is improved.

Further, the cutlery is light in weight and easy to handle, and the gripping portion is made of resin so that it is not slippery and easy to hold.

Further, by coloring the grip portion or providing a mark or a decorative pattern, the decorativeness of the tableware can be improved and the enjoyment of using the tableware can be increased.

In addition, since it does not sink to the bottom of the washing tank, it is sanitary.

In addition, there is no risk of loss if the device is accidentally dropped into water when used on the waterside in the outdoors or the like. There are various effects such as.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a spoon according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the spoon of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a conventional spoon.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a conventional fork.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a conventional knife.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Working part (cutlery main body part) 2 Grasping part 2a Grasping main body part 2b Grasping end part 3 Hollow part 4 Joining part 5 Adhesive part 10 Spoon

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A cutlery (metallic Western tableware) comprising a working portion (cutlery main body) and a gripping portion with a spoon, fork, knife or the like, wherein the gripping portion is provided with a floating means. . 2. The cutlery according to claim 1, wherein the floating means provided on the grip portion has a hollow portion formed in the area of the grip portion. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a specific gravity <
3. The cutlery according to claim 2, wherein one member is filled. 4. The cutlery according to claim 3, wherein the member filling the hollow portion formed in the grip portion is a foam. 5. A cutlery (metallic tableware) comprising an action portion (cutlery main body) and a gripping portion with the spoon, fork, knife or the like, wherein the cutlery main body is made of a titanium material, and the gripping portion is made of titanium. A cutlery made of a thermoplastic resin having a hollow portion, wherein the working portion is integrally formed by insert molding with the thermoplastic resin.