JPH09252910A - Fork-shaped chopsticks - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the usability of chopsticks while adjusting to the changes of foods and eating utensils that occur with the passage of time and responding to the needs of aging society by providing chopsticks whose hand-held section is rectangular, oval or otherwise flat in shape in cross-section and whose front end has the shape of a fork, etc. SOLUTION: The hand-held section of the chopsticks is flat, being rectangular or oval in shape in cross-section, and the front end of the clasping section 14 is formed in a fork-like shape. Also, the part between the clasping section 14 which is in the shape of a fork 16 and the hand-held section 20 is helically twisted to a certain degree, thus enabling the chopsticks to function either as such or as a fork, etc., when used, and to be conveniently stowed away in a small space when not in use.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to chopsticks used during meals. More specifically, the present invention relates to chopsticks that are capable of coping with changes in food and tableware due to the current trends and an aging society, and have excellent hygiene and resource protection similar to Western tableware and have improved use functions.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Chopsticks have been a tool used for meals in Japan since ancient times. Chopsticks are a combination of a pair of sticks, and the holding portion is generally slightly thinner than the head so that food can be easily picked. However, for example, foods such as beans and taro that have a spherical shape and have a slippery surface or stickiness depending on the cooking method, when picked using chopsticks, have a pair of chopsticks due to their shape and properties. When picking with, the force of the fingers is dispersed in the gripping part of the chopsticks due to the shape of the food, and the food may slip off the chopsticks because the food slips due to ingredients such as stickiness of the food and does not properly clamp. . This phenomenon is
Although there are differences depending on who uses the chopsticks, especially for infants, the elderly, and others who are not good at applying force to the tip of the finger, it was inconvenient to handle the chopsticks when eating the above foods. . There is also a method of sticking these foods with chopsticks, but when the shape of the food is spherical, it is often difficult to stick properly because the gripping part of the chopsticks slides on the surface of the food and it is possible to stick. However, due to the tapered shape, the food sometimes slipped out before it was delivered to the mouth. Further, due to the shape of the container in which the food is placed, there may be a problem in the process of catching the food with the chopsticks.

Therefore, various chopsticks with a fork have been proposed which can be used as chopsticks or forks by providing a fork on the head of the chopsticks. The applicant of the present invention is also shown in FIG.
I devised the chopsticks with a fork shown in. If such chopsticks are used, the spherical food can be properly pierced by using the fork portion, while the chopstick portion may be used for the food that can be picked. Since the chopsticks and forks are provided at both ends of the chopsticks, when using one, do not use the other.

[0004]

However, the chopsticks have to be changed depending on whether they are used as chopsticks or forks, which is troublesome. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 10, the above chopsticks 70 could not be held stably because the cross section was close to a square, and in fact could not be used as chopsticks. Specifically, referring to FIG. 11, chopsticks 7
Since all the surfaces of 0 that contact the back of the hand are substantially the same shape, one surface does not selectively hit the flat portion 72 of the hand. Therefore, when a pair of chopsticks is randomly held, the flat surface 74 of the fork-shaped holding portion 72 may not face each other. In this case, when the food is actually picked, the food is caught by the side of the fork shape, and the fulcrum is not fixed, which may cause inconvenience such as dropping the food.

Further, when the applicant of the present application consulted with the manufacturer for selling the chopsticks with a fork, it was found that it was difficult to integrally manufacture the fork part and the manufacturing cost was very high. That is, when the cross section is substantially square, it is very difficult to make the holding part of the chopsticks gradually thin and to make the head part like a fork, which is a manual work and is very difficult.

[0006] Therefore, the present inventor has solved the above-mentioned conventional problems, coped with the changing transition of food and tableware due to the current of the time and the age or society, and are excellent in hygiene and resource protection as well as Western tableware. As a result of earnest studies for the purpose of providing chopsticks as a new meal tool having improved functions, the present invention has been achieved.

[0007]

The gist of the chopsticks according to the present invention is that the grips of the chopsticks have a flat cross section such as a rectangular shape or an elliptical shape, and the gripping portions are formed into a fork shape. And between the fork-shaped tip and the grip,
It lies in the fact that it is twisted at a fixed angle around the axial direction of the chopsticks.

Further, in the fork-shaped chopsticks, the head portion of the grip portion is formed in one shape selected from chopsticks, a knife, a spoon or the like.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A fork-shaped chopstick according to the present invention has a head having a flat surface, and a notch portion is provided in a holding portion to form a fork-like shape. The present invention provides a fork-shaped chopstick that can be used as both a chopstick and a fork at the same time, since the center of the chopstick is a spirally bent shape with a certain angle. In detail, an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, the chopstick 10 is composed of a holding portion 14 for holding food and a holding portion 20 by a human hand. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, the entire cross section is rectangular. Is formed on the tip of the holding portion 14 of the chopstick 10,
The notch 16 is formed in the axial direction of the chopstick 10, and the holding portion 14 is formed in a fork shape and functions as a fork. The depth of the fork-shaped notch 16 is preferably 10 mm to 50 mm, more preferably 2 mm.
0 to 40 mm is suitable for exhibiting the function of a fork and the function of chopsticks.

The flat portion 18 of the fork-shaped holding portion 14 has a shape in which the flat portion 18 of the grip portion 20 of the chopstick 10 is helically bent at a constant angle around the axial direction of the chopstick 10. Has become. The angle of the twisted portion 24 is preferably selected in the range of about 90 degrees with respect to the flat portion. The cross section of the grip 20 of the chopstick 10 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), it may have an oval shape, and is not particularly limited as long as it has various flat shapes such as an elliptical shape, an arc shape, and a spindle shape.

FIG. 3 shows an example of using the fork-shaped chopsticks 10 according to the present invention for picking food. When holding the chopstick 10 according to the present invention in the hand, the grip portion 20 of the chopstick 10 becomes parallel to the flat portion 32 of the hand 30, and the hand 3
The shape conforming to the flat portion 32 of 0 fits in the hand and the operation of the chopsticks can be performed smoothly. In this case, in the sandwiching portion 14, the flat portion 18 of the sandwiching portion having a fork shape inevitably faces each other, and the flat portion 18 is aligned with the flat portion 32 of the hand by an angle of twist about the axial direction of the chopsticks. The positional relationship is inclined with respect to.

When using the function of the fork of the holding portion, only one may be held in the hand to pierce the food,
You can also use the sticking function while holding one pair like chopsticks. Spherical foods such as beans and taro and chestnuts can be stabbed into the mouth using the fork function. Further, when taking out an edible portion from a food having shells such as crab, shrimp, and turban shell, it is possible to use a fork function to pierce and take out. If you use the fork function of sticking while holding it like chopsticks, you can carry multiple foods or relatively large foods to your mouth at once.

The fork-shaped chopsticks according to the present invention, when the chopstick function of the fork portion is used, hold the chopsticks so that the flat portion of the chopstick is parallel to the flat portion of the hand. Will inevitably hit the sides of the food product in parallel. The flat part of the fork part has a larger area than when using the sandwich part of the chopsticks. With the fork part, four or more points of action enable the food to be stably caught. Also, foods that are spherical but relatively small in volume, such as cooked beans, are easier to pick due to the function of chopsticks.

When picking a relatively wide food product such as broth rolls or Takano tofu cut into rectangular parallelepipeds, when using conventional chopsticks, the rectangular parallelepiped food is the tip of the chopsticks. We must support in two ways. When the food is relatively heavy and bulky, if the person who uses the chopsticks has a weak grip, the balance may be lost and the food may be removed.
However, when the chopsticks according to the present invention are used, the flat portion of the fork portion, which is a wider surface than the chopstick portion, can catch the food, so the food is rarely dropped and the above-mentioned relatively. This makes it easier to handle large food items.

For pasta such as spaghetti, it is common to use a fork and first entangle the spaghetti with the fork part and then wrap it up and carry it to the mouth. By using the pair of chopsticks, it is possible to use a pair of fork-shaped gripping portions and carry them into the mouth by rolling them up, thereby proposing a new way of eating pasta.

Further, the fork-shaped holding portion can simultaneously perform the piercing function and the picking function. That is,
With the original function of the fork part to pierce, the function of chopping the chopsticks can also be exerted while piercing, for example, in the case of beans, it is possible to stab more than one bean while grasping, and as described above. It is also possible to squeeze a relatively large food item while sandwiching it.

Further, the difficulty of operating the chopsticks due to the shape of the container can be eliminated. That is, in a bowl-shaped container that is deeper than the front of the container, it is difficult to capture the food at the bottom of the container because it is not possible to secure a space for enlarging the holding portion of the chopsticks. In this case, by using the chopsticks according to the present invention, it is possible to easily catch food that is difficult to catch at the bottom of the deep bowl by simultaneously using the fork function of the holding part and the chopstick function. You can also use chopsticks by holding the container in your left hand for unwieldy containers or slippery foods, but in the case of a heavy container or a heavier, larger container, use the left hand. Since it is not possible to support it with, it is necessary to extend the hand to operate the chopsticks, it is difficult to grasp the food with the tip of the chopsticks, and the food is dropped while carrying it to the mouth. There may be cases. However, by using the fork function and chopstick function of the fork-shaped holding part, it is possible to easily and reliably catch the food in a container relatively distant from the person who eats it and accurately convey the food to the mouth. You can

Further, if the container has a certain depth, the side surface of the container can be used to hold the food with the chopsticks while holding the food securely, but in the case of a shallow container such as a plate, the chopsticks can be used. When catching foods using, you have to catch the foods only by operating the chopsticks, which is difficult for those who are not good at operating the chopsticks as described above. If the fork function and the chopstick function of the fork-shaped chopstick holding portion according to the invention are used at the same time, the food can be easily and reliably caught.

Further, since the fork-shaped chopsticks according to the present invention have a main body whose cross section is flat and the angle of the twisted portion is constant, they can be stacked upon storage as shown in FIG. As a result, the storage area is reduced, so that a large number of chopsticks of the same form can be stored in a small storage area.

In the shape of the fork portion of the chopstick according to the present invention, the shape of the fork portion shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and it is not limited as long as it can be used for the purpose of the fork. Further, the number of cuts forming the fork portion may be one or two or more. Further, the shape of the cut is not limited, and the cut may have a curved shape or a zigzag shape. For example, FIG.
In (a), the shape of the notch and the shape of the fork are
It is curved. Further, FIG. 5B is an example in which the number of cuts is two.

In the embodiment of the chopsticks according to the present invention, both of the chopsticks have the fork-shaped holding portion having the shape of a fork. However, the shape of the head of the gripping portion is different. It may be in the shape of a chopstick, a knife or a spoon or a hook.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the head portion of the grip portion may have a chopstick shape. Even if the fork function of the fork-shaped sandwiching portion is not used, a chopstick-shaped portion may be used as the sandwiching portion in food that can be easily picked.

Further, in the chopstick 50 shown in FIG. 7, the shape of the head portion 52 of the grip portion is formed into a knife shape. This knife part should not be sharp, since the chopsticks directly enter the mouth of the person who eats and are tools used near the face. When this chopstick is used, a pair of chopsticks having a grip-shaped head portion formed into a knife shape and the fork-shaped chopsticks according to the present invention are used as a pair, and they are held in both hands like a knife and fork of Western dishes. However, for example, it is possible to separate meat and fish dishes that are difficult to separate with the tip of chopsticks. It can also be used when cutting desserts such as citrus fruits, apples, and melons into pieces of a size and shape that are easy to eat. Further, it can be used as a pair with the chopsticks having the above-mentioned fork part to be used for the picking function of the chopsticks. Further, the twist angle of the twist portion 54 is preferably the same as that of the chopsticks having the fork portion. If the angle of twist is constant, it is functional because it can be stacked neatly when stored. The shape of the knife portion shown in FIG. 7 is an example, and is not limited as long as it can be used for a knife.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the head portion 62 of the grip portion of the chopstick 60 may be formed in a spoon shape. The angle of twist of the twisted portion 64 with respect to the flat portion of the chopsticks is preferably the same as that of the chopsticks having the fork portion so that they can be stacked even when stored. The shape of the spoon portion shown in FIG. 8 is an example, and is not limited as long as it can be used for a spoon.

The material of the chopsticks according to the present invention may be any material such as metal such as iron, stainless steel and silver, or laminated wood, bamboo, resin, etc., so long as the function of the chopsticks can be exhibited. good. The fork-shaped chopsticks according to the present invention made of metal are manufactured by cutting a metal flat plate into strips at regular intervals, twisting the tip end, and molding it into a fork-shaped shape.
By this method, the cost is low and it is economical, and the chopsticks made of other materials can be thrown away after being used only once.
In addition, it can be used semipermanently while it is consumed and unusable after being used for a certain period of time, which is particularly preferable from the viewpoint of resource protection.

Further, the fork portion of the chopstick-shaped chopstick according to the present invention, or the gripping portion on which the fingers of the hand hang, or the like, is provided with a protruding portion or an uneven pattern or a ring-shaped horizontal stripe pattern which serves as a slip stopper, Alternatively, other non-slip surface treatment may be applied. FIG. 5C shows an example in which a fork portion is provided with a ring-shaped horizontal striped slip stopper around the fork portion. In addition, slip stoppers may be provided on the front and back of the tip of the fork.

Although the embodiments of the chopsticks according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention will be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the invention. Based on the above, various improvements, changes and modifications can be made.

[0029]

EFFECT OF THE INVENTION In the chopsticks according to the present invention, the grip portion has a flat cross section such as a rectangular shape or an elliptical shape, and a notch portion is provided in the grip portion to form a fork-shaped grip. Characterized by the fact that the part between the gripping part and the gripping part is twisted at a certain angle around the axial direction of the chopsticks, it can be used for changes in food and tableware due to the current and the aging society
It can be used as both chopsticks and forks at the same time, and the metal ones are superior to Western chopsticks in hygiene and resource protection as compared to conventional tableware, and some of the tips can be twisted. It is a chopstick as a new eating tool with improved function that can reduce the manufacturing cost. Further, the chopsticks can be functionally stored with a small storage area during storage.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a fork-shaped chopstick according to the present invention.

2A and 2B are cross-sectional views of a fork-shaped chopstick according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a use example of a fork-shaped chopstick according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an example of storing fork-shaped chopsticks according to the present invention.

5 (a) to 5 (c) are other embodiments of the fork-shaped chopsticks according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is another embodiment of the fork-shaped chopsticks according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is still another storage example of the fork-shaped chopsticks according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is still another embodiment of the fork-shaped chopsticks according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a conventionally used chopstick.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a conventional chopstick.

FIG. 11 is an example of use of conventionally used chopsticks.

[Explanation of symbols]

10; Chopsticks according to the present invention 14; Chopstick holding part 16; Notch part 18; Fork part flat part 20; Chopstick grip part 22; Grip part flat part 30; User's hand 32; User Flat part of hand 50; chopsticks 52 according to another embodiment of the present invention; knife-shaped head 54 of chopsticks according to another embodiment of chopsticks according to the present invention; twisted portion 60; according to the present invention Chopsticks 62 which is another embodiment of the chopsticks; spoon-shaped head 64 of the chopsticks which is another embodiment of the chopsticks according to the present invention; twisted portion 70; conventional chopsticks 72; flat portion of the hand of the user. 74; the flat portion of the conventional chopstick holding portion

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A chopstick gripping portion has a flat cross section such as a rectangular shape or an elliptical shape, the gripping portion is formed in a fork shape, and the fork-shaped tip portion and the gripping portion have a chopstick shape. A fork-shaped chopstick characterized by being twisted at a fixed angle around the axial direction of. 2. The fork-shaped chopsticks according to claim 1, wherein the head portion of the grip portion is formed in one shape selected from chopsticks, knives, spoons and the like.