US2231402A - Spoon - Google Patents

Description

K. WHITMAN Feb. 11, 1941.

SPOON Filed Feb. 9, 1940 .afi

.5. Epal' Invenof'. Kani Wman,

Patented Feb. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates primarily to cooking utensils, and more especially to spoons, and it aims to provide an improved form of spoon, particularly for cooking use, having means for tem- 5 porarily supporting it substantially or entirely away from the contents of a container, and in a position where it will not be an obstruction to the cook at his work, and will not laterally overhang a heated stove top or gas or oil flame, thus becoming too hot to handle,

In the drawing of one embodiment of my invention selected for disclosure and' description herein:

Fig. 1 is a front view;

Fig. 2, an edge view, showing the spoon supported within the container; i l

Fig. 3, an edge view, showing the spoon supported upon the edge of and outside of a conventional container;

Figs. 4 and 5, broken front and broken longitudinal section views, respectively. of a modied form of the supporting hook or lug on the handle;

Figs. 6, 7, front and edge views, respectively, of a third modied `form; and.

Figs. 8, 9, like edge views, showing the lug bent `in opposite directions, to support the spoon on the inside and outside of a container.

All who have had experience in cooking realize Ahow generally the spoon is used, and how frequently the use of it is momentary, and temporarily discontinued. If the spoon, usually longhandled, on such occasions is left in the container where it has been used, normally in a lateral position, it frequently becomes too hot to handle,

and is in the way of the cook, and, if it is accidentally hit, usually results in knocking the spoon from the container and spilling some of the contents of the container on the table or floor. l

It is, therefore, desirable' to have some means n40 for temporarily and conveniently supporting the spoon in a position Where it will be out of the way, and still not become too hot to handle. To that end, in my novel spoon, Figs. 1, 2, I provide the spoon handle I, and preferably as low down thereon as possible, with a suitably-shaped, preferably pliable, lug or hook-like member 2, which will support the spoon upon the container edge 5, with its bowl 3 against the inside ofthe wall l of the container, shown partly broken away for convenience, and with the handle I in an upright position.

Thus supported, the handle does not project laterally over the top -of the container, so as to 56 be in the way, or hang subjected to the heat (Cl. SIL-327) that rises from the stove or burners, and thus become too hot to handle.

If the container is reasonably deep, shown herein partly broken away, the bowl of the spoon thus supported' will be well above the .hot bot- 5 tom of the container, and in many cases above the contents of the container; in the latter case, it also drains thoroughly. The spoon is more conveniently manipulated oy the hand when the hook is low on the handle. 10

In Fig. 3, the spoon is shown similarly support- Aed, but on the outside of the container.

Obviously, the hook 2 may be provided for the handle in any desired manner, to become an integral part of the spoon, as by spot welding, or 15 solderingl it thereon, Fig.- l, and is preferably somewhat pliable, so that the outer end or point ofthe hook 2 may be bent a little, if desired, to more satisfactorily and conveniently engage the edge 5 of the container, especially if the latter 2 is unusual in its shape. As shown in Fig. 4, the handle may be provided with a flat, strap-like member 'I, which may be struck up from the handle itself, and, Fig. 5, bent as desired, to form a"hook on the front of 5 the spoon, to cooperate with the edge of the particular container in use.

Or, if preferred, Figs. .6 to 9, the handle I may have an opening 8 provided therein, as by stamping it out, and a strap-like member 9 secured at one end, as by being soldered, welded, or otherwise secured on the upper face of the handle, and overlying the opening. When it is desired to use the spoon, one may easily bend the free end of the strap outwardly, as in Fig. 8, or in- 35 wardly as in Fig. 9, by the point of a jack-knife blade, or tine of a fork, the strap thus fashioned to conform to the size and shape of the upper edge 5 of the container 6, particularly if the latter is rolled, so that the spoon will be supported 40 in an upright position, as in Fig. 8, at the inside, and as in Fig. 9, at the outside of the container.

This type of hook has the advantage that, while the spoon is new, and packed in a box with others, the spoon will nest more closely with 45 them than if the hook were of the beak-like form, as in Figs. 1, 2.

I am aware that a spoon has heretofore been supplied with a hook, but it has not possessed the advantages above 'pointed out of mine, name- 50 ly, that the hook is preferablygclose to the bowl, to support the spoon in an upright position, which prevents the handle from becoming too hot, because of the heat rising from underneath the utensil containing the spoon, or from heat adjacent to it, which is a denite departure f rom previous designs.-and a decided advantage and improvement over other models.

My invention is not limited to the precise construction shown herein. but may be modified in many details, without departing from the spirit of the'claim, and within the scope thereof.

I claim:

A spoon comprising'a bowl and a. handle, the

lower end of the handle being provided with a bend, a container-engaging, spoon-supporting. hook-like member on the upper face of said bend, the hook-like member being of such configura.- tion as to support the spoon in an upright position on the edge of a container and with its bowl upper edge substantially parallel to and adjacent the container wall.

KENT WHITMAN.

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