WO2007106132A2

WO2007106132A2 - Finger tongs

Info

Publication number: WO2007106132A2
Application number: PCT/US2006/035555
Authority: WO
Inventors: Anna Stewart; Stephen Stewart
Original assignee: Anna Stewart; Stephen Stewart
Priority date: 2006-03-11
Filing date: 2006-09-11
Publication date: 2007-09-20
Also published as: WO2007106132A3; US20070210596A1; USD561948S1

Abstract

A kitchen accessory that combines features of tongs and a heat protective oven mitt is disclosed. The kitchen accessory consists of a front tong element flexibly hinged to a rear tong element to form a seamless one piece structure. Additional elements include scooping tips, different sized and shaped gripping and grasping elements, and heat shrink hand protectors.

Description

FINGER TONGS

TECHMCAL FIELD

The disclosed embodiments relate to kitchen utensils, and more particularly to glove like devices for handling hot items.

BACKGROUND

There are many kinds of food serving tongs and food handling gloves in present day use. Among the most familiar tongs is the simple sheet metal tongs composed of two identical opposing arms joined at one end by a pin and biased in the open position by a spring metal member inside the handles. Other well known tongs include the scissors type or those that are molded as one continuous piece of resilient plastic. Serving tongs such as these are often used at salad bars in restaurants and in serving other types of food in self-service food establishments, as well as for serving food in the home. There are many varieties of metal, wood, plastic or silicone tongs on the market. Several inventions use the glove concept of hand protection for removing hot pot and pans or foods from the oven of stove top but none are designed to actually go into a pot or pan, on the stove top or in the oven and actually flip the food similar to using a spatula. The ORCA oven mitt uses the glove concept to allow user to reach deeply into boiling water and pull out a lobster or other submerged hot foods. This is designed for clumsy grabbing of large bulky foods and not small delicate food that require continual turning in a pot or pan. This type of mitt is not designed to easily slide under a chicken breast and flip it without splattering, creating a potential mess or grease fire hazard.

SUMMARY The present invention describes a new finger tongs device that combines the features of food tongs with a food handling glove, e.g. the ability to pick up small food items while being protecting the hand from the heat.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

It is an aspect of the present invention to provide a new device that combines the features of food tongs with a food handling glove, e.g. the ability to pick up small food items while being protecting the hand from the heat. In an exemplary embodiment the present invention pertains to a flexible silicone set of tongs that the user wears on his/her hand for grasping and flipping foods while cooking. The high temperature resistance of the silicone material allows the user to work in the oven or on the stove top and handle foods while cooking. The advantage this gives is maximum control of handling food. Unlike using a single spatula where the flipping motion usually causes splatters and often result in injuries the present invention lets the user gently turn the food thus minimizing mess or dangerous splatters. The present invention gives more control than conventional tongs or double spatulas due to the closeness of the user's hand to the food being cooked. The user wears the present invention instead of holding it. It allows the user to maximize control over turning or moving food while cooking. This present invention protects a hand as if the user is wearing a protective glove.

In one embodiment the elements of the present invention consist of the following;

• two substantially parallel tong elements with edges thin enough to slide underneath small food items • a flexible hinge element joining the two substantially parallel tong elements

• beveled edge elements formed on the top and bottom tong areas for additional protection from heat • Gripping teeth elements for holding small food items, formed on the food contacting portion of the parallel tong elements.

• Gripping bands for increasing the gripping ability for larger or slippery items, formed behind the gripping teeth elements

One aspect of the present invention is that it may be used to protect the hand of the wearer while facilitating the grasping of hot food items.

Another aspect of the present invention is that it may be used in most cooking temperatures.

Another aspect of the present invention is that it may be reused.

Another aspect of the present invention is that is dishwasher safe. Another aspect of the present invention is that is may be manufactured economically.

Another aspect of the present invention is that it may be made from readily available materials.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be presented in more detail in the following specification of the invention and the accompanying figures, which illustrate by way of example the principles of the invention.

There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention, together with further advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a bottom perspective view of a finger tongs device, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 illustrates a top perspective view of a finger tongs device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 illustrates a side perspective view of a finger tongs device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 illustrates a side plan view of a finger tongs device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 illustrates a front plan view of a finger tongs device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 illustrates a rear plan view of a finger tongs device, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 illustrates a top plan view of a finger tongs device, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 illustrates a bottom plan view of a finger tongs device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 illustrates a side sectional plan view of a finger tongs device, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 illustrates a plan view of the internal structure of a finger tongs device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to a few preferred embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known operations have not been described in detail so not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention.

Referring now to Figure 1 through Figure 10 an embodiment of a finger tongs device 100 is comprised of a front tong element 200 flexibly hinged to a rear tong element 300 to form a seamless one piece structure, e.g., by a molding process having an internal cavity 110. In an exemplary embodiment the material of finger tongs device 100 is a flexible material that resists the high temperatures found in most cooking situations, e.g. silicone. Front tong element 200 is further comprised of a front scooping tip 210, a plurality of front small food grasping teeth 220, a plurality of front large food grasping teeth 230, a plurality of front stiffening ribs 240, a plurality of front heat shrink hand protectors 250, and a front hole 260. Rear tong element 300 is further comprised of a rear scooping tip 310, a plurality of rear small food grasping teeth 320, a plurality of rear large food grasping teeth 330, a plurality of rear stiffening ribs 340, a plurality of rear heat shrink hand protectors 350, and a rear hole 260.

Claims

ClaimsWhat is claimed is:

1. A kitchen accessory for the grasping of hot food comprising: a front tong element having an front interior and a front exterior, a rear tong element having a rear interior and a rear exterior, and a flexible hinge element joining the front tong element to the rear tong element to form a seamless one piece structure, wherein the front interior is comprised of a front scooping tip, a plurality of front small food grasping teeth, a plurality of front large food grasping teeth, and a plurality of front stiffening ribs and the front exterior is comprised of a plurality of front heat shrink hand protectors; wherein the rear interior is comprised of a rear scooping tip, a plurality of rear small food grasping teeth, a plurality of rear large food grasping teeth, and a plurality of rear stiffening ribs and the rear exterior is comprised of a plurality of rear heat shrink hand protectors.

2. The kitchen accessory of claim 1 , wherein the front tong element is further Comprised of a front hole.

3. The kitchen accessory of claim 2, wherein the rear tong element is further comprised of a rear hole.