JPS6227184Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial field of application] The invention relates to eating utensils such as spoons and forks attached to food containers such as yogurt, pudding, and cutlet ramen, and particularly relates to the main body and the food containers connected to the main body. The present invention relates to a foldable eating and drinking utensil comprising a short handle and a long handle connected to the short handle via a thin hinge.

[Prior Art] Various eating utensils such as small synthetic resin spoons of this type have been proposed so far. for example,
It has been proposed that the main body and the handle of a spoon etc. are formed separately and connected with a hinge so that they can be bent (see Utility Model Application Publication No. 55-16619); Since it is made up of parts, the molding process is expensive, and it requires an assembly process for the two parts. In addition, it has been proposed that a notch is provided in the handle of a spoon, etc., so that the handle can be curved only in one direction (Utility Model Publication No. 49-12087).
According to this, since there is no means for locking the handle in the folded and extended states, the handle may bend inadvertently during use, or the handle may be bent due to its elasticity when the container is stored. There was an inconvenience that it stretched and was difficult to store. moreover,
The end of the handle of a spoon, etc. is divided in the axial direction to form a pair of handle pieces, and these handle pieces and the tip of the handle are formed thin so that they can be bent freely, so that the pair of handle pieces can be used when stored in a container. There has also been a proposal that allows the handle to be folded while being spread out (see Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 52-25425).
Since it is bulky in the lateral direction and tends to return to its original shape due to elasticity, it is difficult to store it depending on the shape of the container.

Furthermore, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-169184 proposes a device that is stored in a container in a bent state that is engaged with an engaging piece, and when in use, a fitting pin engages with a fitting groove to maintain the extended state. ing. However, in this technique, the handle is weak because it is composed of a simple plate-like body, and in order to hold the handle in a bent state, the end of the handle is engaged with a rib formed on the handle near the spoon. As a result, the ribs touch the mouth when eating or drinking, making it uncomfortable, and food remains near the ribs. Furthermore, since the fitting pin engages with the narrow fitting groove in the extended state, the fitting easily comes out of the fitting and bends when an opposing force is generated.

[Purpose of the invention] Therefore, the purpose of the invention is to create a durable foldable eating utensil that feels good when the spoon body is put in the mouth and is unlikely to bend even when a force is applied in the opposite direction. It is on offer.

[Structure of the invention] According to the invention, the folding device includes a main body, a short handle connected to the main body, and a long handle connected to the short handle via a thin hinge part. The type eating and drinking utensil includes ribs formed on both sides of the back surfaces of the short handle portion and the long handle portion, and further includes a U-shaped notch in the handle portion such that both ends are located at the hinge portion; Step portions that engage with each other when the two handle portions are extended are formed on the end wall of the tongue located at the shaped notch and on the inner wall of the U-shaped notch opposite to the end wall of the tongue. and a stopper protruding from the long handle portion of the portion where the tip end of the main body abuts when both handle portions are bent.

[Operation and effect of the invention] Therefore, even if the short and long handle parts are thin, they are sufficiently strong due to the ribs on both sides of the back surface, and the hinge part is also thin, so it does not bend. No unreasonable force is generated during the hinge action. When folded, the stopper at the tip of the long handle engages with the tip of the spoon body, so the spoon body can have a normal shape, and ribs are provided on the back side of both edges, so when you put it in your mouth. Does not affect the feel of the product. Furthermore, when both handles are extended, the tongue pieces are inserted into the U-shaped notches, and a step part that engages with each other is formed, so even if an acting force is applied in the opposite direction (bending direction), , the engaged state is reliable, and unless a very large force is applied, the engagement will not be disengaged and the product will not bend. Therefore, for example, when eating hard ice cream while beating it, it will not bend.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain eating utensils that have good hinge action and are durable due to the ribs. Furthermore, it has a holding power in the folded and stretched states, and can withstand use even after being bent and stretched several times. Therefore, it is extremely suitable as this type of foldable eating utensil.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this spoon 1 includes a spoon main body 2, a short handle 3a connected thereto, and a long handle 3b connected to the short handle via a hinge 5. These are relatively thin and integrally molded from synthetic resin such as polypropylene or polyethylene. Ribs 4 are formed on both sides of the back surface and on the rear edge of the handle 3, which consists of a short handle 3a and a long handle 3b, and a notch 4a is formed in the opposing portion of the rib 4 located in the middle of the handle 3. The hinge portions 5, 5 are formed by being inserted. Therefore, the long handle portion 3b and the short handle portion 3a connected to the main body 2 are connected via thin hinge portions 5, 5. The handle portion 3 is provided with a U-shaped notch 6 whose ends are located at the hinge portions 5, 5.

A U-shaped notch 6 is formed in the handle 3, with both ends located at the hinge parts 5, 5, and a tongue piece 7 is formed by this. In the case of this embodiment, the tip of the tongue piece 7 is formed so as to face the rear end of the handle 3, but the tip of the tongue piece 7 may be formed so as to face the spoon body 2.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the hinge portion 5
has a thin wall of approximately 0.2 to 0.5 mm, and the handle portion 3 is bendable in the surface direction at the hinge portion 5. In this case, if the material is polypropylene or the like, it will have enough strength to withstand bending a considerable number of times.

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 7 together, the end wall of the tongue 7 is formed with a step 8 that protrudes in the direction of the front side of the spoon 1. A step 9 is formed on the inner wall of the letter-shaped notch 6 and projects toward the back side of the spoon 1, and the step 8 and the step 9 engage with each other when the handle 3 is extended. ing.

Also, when the handle 3 is bent, the spoon body 2
The tip of the spoon 1 is set so as to come into contact with the rear end of the handle 3, and a stopper 10 is formed at the rear end of the handle 3, which projects toward the front side of the spoon 1. As shown in FIG. 8, this stopper 10 has a protrusion 10a that is provided in the direction of the spoon body 2 from the tip and protrudes in an L-shape, and the tip of the spoon body 2 engages with this protrusion 10a. I'm starting to do that.

In the above structure, how to use this spoon 1 is explained. When storing the spoon 1 in a container, as shown in FIG. By engaging with the stopper 10, the spoon 1 can be folded in half and made smaller.
Therefore, it can be easily stored in small containers for yogurt, pudding, ice cream, and the like. Also, when using spoon 1, the 10th
As shown in the figure, the handle 3 is extended, and the stepped portion 8 of the tongue piece 7 and the stepped portion 9 of the inner wall of the U-shaped notch 6 are engaged. As a result, bending of the handle 3 toward the back side of the spoon 1 is prevented by contacting the cut walls of the ribs 4, and bending of the handle 3 toward the front side of the spoon 1 is prevented by the step portions 8 and 9. As a result, the handle 3 is locked in a substantially linearly extended state. Therefore, the handle 3 has a sufficient length and will not be inadvertently bent during use.
However, the engagement between the stepped portions 8 and 9 is made with appropriate elasticity, and if the handle portion 3 is strongly bent toward the front side of the spoon 1, the engagement between the stepped portions 8 and 9 is achieved. The handle 3 can be folded up again.

In addition, in the embodiment described above, the stopper 1
The position 0 is not limited to the rear end of the handle 3, but may be formed at a portion where the tip of the spoon body 2 comes into contact.

[Summary] As explained above, according to the present invention, ribs are formed on both sides of the back side of the handle connected to the main body, and a notch is made in the ribs to form a thin hinge part. There is a U-shaped cutout in the hinge part so that both ends are located at the hinge part.
The handle can be bent at the hinge. Furthermore, the end wall of the tongue formed by the U-shaped notch and the inner wall of the U-shaped notch opposing this end wall engage with each other when the handle is extended. Since the stepped portion is provided, the handle can be locked in an extended state, and the handle will not be inadvertently bent during use. Furthermore, when the handle is folded, a stopper is provided protruding from the part where the tip of the main body comes into contact, so by engaging the tip of the main body with the stopper, the handle is locked in the folded state. It can be made into an extremely compact shape that can be easily stored in a small container or the like. Furthermore, since it is integrally molded from synthetic resin and does not require an assembly process, it can be manufactured at low cost.

Therefore, the present invention provides yogurt, pudding,
It is suitable for spoons, knives, forks, etc. attached to small food containers such as ice cream, jam, cutlet ramen, etc.

In addition, when manufacturing the eating utensils according to the present invention, the fifth
As shown in the figure, it is preferable that the main body 2 and the handle 3 be integrally molded by injection molding in a state of being bent about 90 degrees. By doing so, no excessive force is applied to the hinge portion during bending and assembly, so there is no need to cut the hinge portion, and manufacturing can be performed only by injection molding.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a plan view of the spoon according to the invention, Figure 2 is a plan view of the spoon according to the present invention;
The figure is a back view of the spoon, Figure 3 is a side view of the spoon with the handle bent, Figure 4 is an enlarged view of section A in Figure 3, and Figure 5 is the handle bent. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of section B in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of section C in FIG. 5, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of section D in FIG. 5. , FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the spoon in a state where the handle is folded, and FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the spoon in a state where the handle is extended. 1...spoon, 2...spoon body, 3...
Handle part, 3a...Short handle part, 3b...Long handle part, 4...
Rib, 5... Hinge part, 6... U-shaped notch part,
7... Tongue piece, 8, 9... Step part, 10... Stopper, 10a... Projection part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A foldable eating utensil comprising a main body, a short handle connected to the main body, and a long handle connected to the short handle through a thin hinge, the short handle and the long handle being ribs formed on both sides of the back surface of the handle, and a U-shaped notch provided in the handle so that both ends are located at the hinge, and a tongue piece located at the U-shaped notch. and an inner wall of the U-shaped notch opposite to the end wall of the tongue piece are formed with stepped portions that engage with each other when the both handles are extended, and when the both handles are bent, A foldable eating/drinking utensil characterized by comprising a stopper protruding from the long handle portion of the portion that the tip of the main body comes into contact with.