CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

01) This application is a continuation of United States patent application serial number 13,653,346, filed 16 October 2012, which is a continuation-in-part of non- provisional application serial number 13,304,341 filed 24-Nov-201 1 , the entirety of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

02) The present invention relates generally to eating utensils, and more particularly, relating to eating utensils for restaurant, institutional, or consumer use.

03) Eating utensils and the parts thereof are commonplace and well-known in the art and to the general public. Thus, it should not be necessary to go into any detail as to the descriptions thereof. The invention consists of improvements to utensils, articles of manufacture, not the utensils themselves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

04) Eating, like breathing, is one of the essentials of life. Eating consists of bringing food to the mouth, chewing the food, if need be, then swallowing the food. One of the most common means in modern society of bringing food to the mouth involves use of utensils such as forks, spoons, and chopsticks..

05) One common pattern of eating is to sit at a table having eating utensils at the table. The eating utensils are made available for use very often by laying them on the table. Between mouthfuls of food, many eaters lay the eating utensils on the table without regard to the cleanliness of the surface of the table.

06) In the Nineteenth Century, scientists such as Louis Pasteur, Joseph Lister, Robert Koch, and Ignaz Semmelweiss revealed that micro-organisms, often called germs, abound in air, in water, in food, and on surfaces. After resisting change, people came to realize that eliminating these micro-organisms led to substantial improvements in public health. When eating utensils are placed on contaminated surfaces, there exists a substantial likelihood that micro-organisms as well as other substances transfer to the eating utensils. There is an increased risk of surface contamination when the surface is in a restaurant or institutional setting. 07) People do not want germs, sand, dirt or particles left over from other diners in their food.

08) Some way is needed to prevent eating utensils from picking up these contaminants. Cleaning the table thoroughly and regularly is a commonly attempted solution. The weakness of this solution is that someone must clean the table almost constantly. Consider the situation in a school cafeteria or fast food restaurant. Diners come and go. At busy times of day, one diner leaves and another comes to the table instantly. In many places, diners themselves must remove their trays, dishes, and the like. No one wipes the table nor applies a disinfectant to the surface. Contaminants from previous diners accumulate on the table. The present invention discloses a simple, inexpensive, and reliable solution to the problem. The solution depends on minor modifications to the eating utensils.

09)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

010) There are two main classes of eating utensils with which the invention is concerned. (Hereinafter, the term "utensil" shall refer to an eating utensil unless the context makes it clear that another meaning shall apply.) One class includes utensils made of three parts - a working end, a neck, and a handle. This class includes forks and spoons, utensils that have been used for hundreds of years. The working end of a fork contains two or more prongs, also known as tines. The working end of a spoon contains a shallow bowl, concave upwards. Another utensil in this class is the spork, a combination of fork and spoon. A spork resembles a spoon with short prongs on the end of the bowl furthest from the handle. The spork is popular in schools and fast food restaurants because it eliminates the need for having a supply of both forks and spoons. Sporks have been in use since at least 1874.

011) The handle of a fork, spoon, spork, or other eating utensil is held in the hand of the eater. The working end is at the end opposite the handle. Between the handle and the working end is a section to be called the neck. There is usually no clear delineation between the handle and the neck or between the neck and the working end. It is conceivable for a eating utensil to have only a handle and a working end. The notion of the neck is, however, helpful in understanding the invention.

012) The other class of eating utensil includes utensils which are essentially one long piece. This class includes knives and chopsticks. Knives usually contain a blade and a handle and no neck. 013) To prevent eating utensils from contacting a contaminated surface, the present invention adds a post to conventional eating utensils. In this invention, a post is a solid or hollow addition to a utensil where the addition may be a box, a cone, or other shape. The post may be a separate part joined to the utensil. The post may be the result of molding or other manufacturing process. The post is more fully understood from the drawings. The post is located in the neck section of the eating utensil at a point nearer the working end from the linear center of balance of the eating utensil. When the post is in this location, the working end is raised above the table surface. The distance above the table that the working end is raised is a function of the location and length of the post.

014) The precise location of the post depends on the utensil to which it is attached. To raise the working end of the utensil from the planar surface, the post is located between the working end of the utensil and the center of balance. There is no specific point at which the post is located because there are no universal specifications for utensils. The bowl of a spoon from one source might be heavier or lighter than the bowl of a spoon from another source. The post must be tall enough to raise the working end from the planar surface. The height of the post will vary with how far the post lies from the center of balance.

015) Unless modified, posts would interfere with stacking of utensils. In order to make utensils stackable, posts in the preferred embodiment are tapered and hollow so that the post of one utensil will fit inside the post of another utensil. This will be more easily understood from the drawings.

016) In one non-limiting example, an eating utensil of the disclosed technology has a working end, a curvilinear handle, and a neck between the curvilinear handle and the working end. A post extends from the neck substantially (within a 15 degree tolerance level) perpendicularly to the working end of the utensil. A bottom side of the utensil may be defined by a convex side of the working end. As such, when the utensil is resting on a flat surface on the bottom side, the working end is raised above the flat surface. Still further, an extreme end of the curvilinear handle opposite the working end may rest on a surface; when doing so, the base of the post rests on the surface, while the working end remains elevated. The angle of the post may be perpendicular to the angle of resting of the working end of the utensil and parallel to the base of the utensil.

017) In another non-limiting example, a utensil has a handle with a first end and oppositely disposed second end, the second end forming a unitary structure with a neck region. The neck region has a post. A working end is adapted for contact with food and is connected unitarily to the neck. The first end of the handle and the post are beneath the working end, such that the first end of the handle and the post touch a flat surface, and the rest of the utensil, including the working end and neck, is held above the surface.

018) The post may have a hollow interior adapted to engage an exterior of a post of a second similar or exact replica of the utensil, such that the utensils may stack, one atop another, held in place by the stacked posts. The utensil(s) may be a fork, knife, or spoon, or even a chop stick.

019) A utensil of one or more embodiments of the disclosed technology has a curvilinear neck having a top and bottom side, a handle extending from the curvilinear neck, a working end adapted for placement within a mouth (of a person), the handle connected to the curvilinear neck and having a bottom side extending downwards past the bottom side of the curvilinear neck, a handle extending from the neck, and a post. A top of the post is connected to the bottom of the neck, and a bottom of the post, opposite the top of the post, extends downwards past the entire bottom side of the working end, such that an imaginary line drawn from an end of the handle (the end opposite the curvilinear neck) to a bottom of the post passes below the entire bottom side of the working end. This "imaginary line" may be a surface on which the utensil rests.

020) There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

021) Some of the descriptions refer to the "linear axis of a utensil". This linear axis is an imaginary line extending from the working end to the handle end of a utensil and located equidistant from the sides of the utensil, that is, it runs down the center of the utensil.

022) "Oversquare rectangle" or "oversquare rectangular" shall refer to a

parallelogram where all four corners are right angles and where one pair of opposite sides is longer than the other pair of opposite sides. Note that a square is a special case of a rectangle in which all sides are of equal length. 023) In the case of posts, terms such as "rectangular", "circular", and the like refer to the shape of the post when viewed from above or below. "Conical" refers to the shape of the post when viewed from any side. See, for example, Figures 2 and 3. These posts are rectangular even though when viewed from the side, as in Figure 1 , the post is tapered.

024) When referring to utensils of the same type, "same type" means forks and forks, spoons and spoons, sporks and sporks, etc. Forks and spoons are not of the same type.

025) Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying 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 descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.

026) As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

027) For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

028) As a preliminary matter, it should be noted that in this document (including the claims), directional terms, such as, "above", "below", "upper", "lower", etc., are used for convenience in referring to the accompanying drawings. Additionally, it is to be understood that the various embodiment of the invention described herein may be utilized in various orientation, such as, inclined, inverted, horizontal, vertical, etc., without departing from the principles of the invention.

029) In this description, reference to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that the feature being referred to is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Moreover, separate references to "one embodiment" in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Illustrated embodiments are not mutually exclusive, unless so stated and except as will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the invention may include any variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

030) Figure 1 shows a phantom view of a rectangular post from the side.

031) Figure 2 shows a view of a rectangular post from below.

032) Figure 3 shows a view of a rectangular post from directly above.

033) Figure 4 shows a phantom view of a stacked pair of rectangular posts from the side.

034) Figure 5 shows an orthogonal view of the upper side of fork with post.

035) Figure 6 shows an orthogonal view of the underside of a fork with post.

036) Figure 7 shows a side view of a fork with post.

037) Figure 8 shows a bottom view of a fork with post.

038) Figure 9 shows an orthogonal view of the upper side of a spoon with post.

039) Figure 10 shows a side view of a spoon with post.

040) Figure 1 1 shows a top view of a knife with post.

041) Figure 12 shows a side view of a knife with post.

042) Figure 13 shows a side view of a spork with post.

043) Figure 14 shows an orthogonal view of the upper side of a spork with post.

044) Figure 15 shows a side view of a chopstick with a post.

045) Figure 16 shows a top view of a chopstick with an oversquare rectangular post.

046) Figure 17 shows a detail view of an alternate embodiment of a utensil with a transverse cylindrical post..

047) Figure 18 shows an oversquare rectangular post with the long edge of the rectangle perpendicular to the linear axis of the utensil.

048) Figure 19 shows an oversquare rectangular post with the long edge of the rectangle parallel to the linear axis of the utensil.

049) Figure 20 shows a fork with post extending from the upper side of the fork such that the fork can be placed on a planar surface with the curve of the tines concave downward.

050) Figure 21 shows a detail view of a utensil with a post that is oval shaped.

051) Figure 22 shows the top view of the oval shape in Figure 21 . 052) Figure 23 shows a detail view of a utensil with a post that is circular shaped.

053) Figure 24 shows the top view of the circular shape in Figure 23.

054) Figure 25 shows a side perspective view of a chop stick with the post of an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

055) Figure 26 shows an end view of the chop stick of Figure 25.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

056) The invention consists of the addition of a post to eating utensils where the post raises the working end of the utensil above the surface on which the utensil is placed. This raising helps prevent the working end of the utensil from being

contaminated by substances on a table or other planar surface. As the various drawings show, the particular utensil can vary but the inclusion of a post as described accomplishes the raising by preventing the working end of the utensil from contacting the planar surface..

057) The preferred embodiment is shown in Figures 1 through 14. Alternate embodiments are shown in Figures 16 through 21 . In Figures 1 though 15, the post is rectangular, but, as shown in Figure 17 and following, the post may take any of a variety of shapes. The post could be round, cylindrical, star-shaped, oval, conical, triangular, heart-shaped, diamond-shaped, irregular, or any other shape.

058) In the preferred embodiment, posts extend from the utensil approximately one-quarter of an inch but this length may vary depending on the particular utensil. The size of the post will be in direct proportion to the size of the utensil.

059) Posts extend from the neck of utensils substantially perpendicularly but there is a great deal of tolerance resulting from the variety of utensils which may have posts and the great variety of types of posts. In the preferred embodiment, the post extends from the utensil perpendicularly from the utensil with a tolerance of 15 degrees plus or minus from perpendicular. In alternate embodiments, the tolerance can run as high as 30 degrees plus or minus from perpendicular.

060) In the preferred embodiment, posts extend from the utensil approximately one-quarter of an inch but this length may vary depending on the particular utensil. The size of the post will be in direct proportion to the size of the utensil.

061) In all embodiments, the invention relies on the fundamental principle that for an object to be stable on a planar surface, such as, a table, there must be at least three coplanar points of contact with the flat surface. The three coplanar points form a planar triangle. The longer the sides of the triangle are, the more stable the object will be. In the preferred embodiment, the triangle is isosceles with the apex at the post and the two other points at the handle end of the utensil. Following the general rule, the further apart the two points on the handle end, the wider the angle of the other end of the triangle thus the more stable the object will be. In use, the extreme end of the handle end might provide an infinite number of collinear points of contact with the plane of the surface because most utensils are designed with the extreme end of the handle end planar. However, there are designs in which the extreme end of the handle end is other than planar. The invention depends only on the extreme end of the handle end providing at least two points of contact with the planar surface.

062) Further, there may be surfaces that are not planar but are so nearly planar that the plane of the contact triangle will make contact with the plane of the surface at three or more coplanar points.

063) In one alternate embodiment the apex of the contact triangle lies at the end of the handle distal from the working end. To provide the two other points of contact, the post is made wider than in the preferred embodiment. The two points of contact on the wider post form the base of the triangle.

064) In the preferred embodiment, the post, as shown in Figures 1 through 4, is made hollow. The post tapers both inside and out so that utensils of the same type may stack with the outside of the post of one utensil fitting inside the post of a second utensil below the first utensil when the posts are aligned. Figure 1 shows that the post tapers both inside and out. Part 9, the opening at the top of the post, is larger than part 2, the bottom of the post.

065) In an alternate embodiment, not shown, the post is solid. In this embodiment, the utensils will not stack.

066) The dimensions of the post will vary with the size of the utensil. Further, the thickness of the wall of the post will vary with the size of the utensil. For larger utensils, the posts can be larger and have thicker sides or walls. For smaller utensils, the posts can be smaller and have thinner walls.

067) In addition, dimensions of the post can vary depending on whether the utensil is intended for single or for multiple uses. A utensil intended for multiple uses must be washed or sanitized between uses thus must be sturdier so that the utensil can be washed by machine. To be sturdier, the posts can be made larger and can have thicker walls. 068) Utensils can be made of plastic, metal, wood, or other solid substance. In the preferred embodiment, the post is made of the same substance as the utensil but it would be conceptually possible to have the post of a different substance. Posts made of the same substance as the utensil are simpler to manufacture, thus are the preferred embodiment.

069) Getting back to Figure 1 , part 2 is the outside edge of the bottom of the post. Part 3 is the bottom edge of the utensil itself. Part 4 is the inside bottom of the post. Part 5 is the outside edge of the post. Figure 2 is the bottom of a square post where part 2 is as in Figure 1 . Part 6 is another side of a square post. Parts 2 and 6 are separately numbered even though on a square they would be the same length.

Because a post may be rectangular and not square, parts 2 and 6 are separately numbered. Figure 3 shows a square post seen from above. As in Figure 1 , part 4 is one edge of the inside bottom of the post. If the post is square, parts 4 and 7 are the same dimension. Part 7 is shown in case the post is not square. Parts 8 and 9 are the top inside edges of the post. If the post is square, parts 8 and 9 are the same

dimension.

070) In Figure 4, two posts are stacked, one inside the other. Part numbers are as in Figure 1 . Part 5, the outer edge of the post of one utensil, fits inside the inner edge of another utensil.

071) In Figure 5, the tines or prongs of the fork are marked as 10. 20 is the lower curve of working end of the fork, 30 is the post, 40 is that part of the neck of the fork nearest to the working end, 45 is the part of the neck of the fork nearest the handle, 50 is the handle, and 55 is that part of the handle furthest from the working end. When placed on a flat surface, parts 30 and 55 make contact with the surface. Depending on the surface itself, parts 30 and 55 may make contact with the surface.

072) Figure 6 shows the same parts as Figure 5 while additionally showing the taper of the post 30. The narrow end 30 of the post fits into the opening 35 of the post on a utensil of the same type.

073) Figure 7 shows a side view of a fork with post. The tips of the tines are at 10. The bottom of the curve of the working end is at 20. The post is at 30. Part 35 indicates the location of the opening in the top of the post. The neck begins at 40 and ends at 45. The handle is at 50. The extreme end of the handle is at 55. The planar surface on which the utensil rests is at 60. The planar surface is not a part of the invention but is a part of the environment in which the invention is used. 074) Figure 8 shows a top view of a fork with post when, as in Figure 7, part 10 is tip of the tines, 40 is one end of the neck, 35 is the opening in the top of the post. Part 50 is the handle and part 55 is the extreme end of the handle.

075) In Figure 9, the bowl of a spoon is at 1 10 and the extreme end of the handle is at 155. It can be seen that, because the extreme end of the handle 155 of a spoon is wide and not a single point, such as on a chopstick, it contains at least two points which will contact the plane of the table or other surface. Part 130 is the outside of the post and 135 is the opening in the post into which the outside of the post of another utensil of the same type can be inserted for stacking.

076) Figure 10 shows the same spoon as in Figure 9 but from a side view. This view shows the bottom end of the post 130 making contact with the planar surface 160 (not a part of the invention). Further, this view adds part 145, the neck section of the utensil.

077) Figure 1 1 shows a top view of a knife with post. Part 210 is the blade of the knife, 230 is the opening in the top of the post, and 255 is the extreme end of the handle. The bottom view of a knife with post is not illustrated.

078) Figure 12 shows a side view of a knife with post. Again, 210 is the blade of the knife, 230 is the post, and 255 is the extreme end of the knife. Part 260 is the planar surface (not a part of the invention).

079) Figure 13 shows a side view of a spork with post. The bowl of the spork is at 810, the post is at 820, and the extreme end of the spork is at 830.

080) Figure 14 shows an orthogonal view of a spork. This view shows that a spork is a spoon with tines formed into the extreme end of the spoon. As in Figure 13, part 810 is the bowl of the spork, 820 is the post, and 830 is the extreme end of the spork.

081 ) Figure 15 shows a side view of a chopstick with post. Part 910 is the tip of the chopstick, 920 is the post, and 930 is the extreme end of the handle of the chopstick.

082) Figure 16, a top view of a chopstick, shows the same parts as does Figure 15, that is, part 910 is the tip of the chopstick, 920 is the post, and 930 is the extreme end of the handle of the chopstick. As explained above, to be stable on a planar surface, an object, such as a utensil, must have at least three coplanar points in contact with the planar surface. Because the extreme end of the handle 930 of a chopstick is narrow, it will usually have only one point of contact with the planar surface. To provide the other two points of contact, the post is made wider in this alternate embodiment than in the other embodiments described herein.

083) Figure 17 shows an alternate embodiment in which 1710 is a post which is cylindrical and displaced with the center line of the cylindrical post perpendicular to the utensil. Part 1720 is a groove in the neck of the utensil such that the cylindrical post fits into the groove when utensils of the same type are stacked.

084) Figure 18 shows an alternate embodiment in which the post is an oversquare rectangle in which the long side of the rectangle is perpendicular to the linear axis of the utensil. Here the post is part 1810 and 1820 is the opening in the post.

085) Figure 19 shows an alternate embodiment in which the post is an oversquare rectangle in which the long side of the rectangle is parallel to the linear axis of the utensil. Here, 1910 is the post and 1920 is the opening in the post.

086) Figure 20 shows another alternate embodiment in which the post 2010 is attached to what would be the top of the utensil were the utensil placed on the planar surface with the tines concave upwards. Part 2020 is the opening in the post. This alternate embodiment is shown because in some countries, utensils are held and placed on planar surfaces in this position. In Figure 20, the utensil is a fork. This inverted location could be applied to a spoon or spork as well.

087) Figure 21 shows the details of an alternate embodiment in which the opening 21 10 and post 2120 are oval shaped with the major axis of the oval perpendicular to the linear axis of the utensil.

088) Figure 22 shows the oval opening 21 10 of Figure 21 in detail.

089) Figure 23 shows the details of an alternate embodiment with circular opening 2310. The post 2320 is conical.

090) Figure 24 shows the circular opening 2310 of Figure 23 in detail.

091) As indicated herein, one or more embodiments are directed towards a utensil with a post designed to keep the working end of the utensil, including a tip, a base thereof, as well as a majority of a handle from touching a resting surface on which the utensil is placed. The post is placed on the neck of the fork and extends downwards, past a lower end of a handle, as well as the base of the working end of the utensil. As a result, adding a post to a utensil, such as a fork, knife, spoon, or chopstick, allows the portion of the utensil which enters a person's mouth, and in some cases, the portion which touches a person's hand, to avoid contact with surfaces or other objects. Consequently, such a utensil of embodiments of the disclosed technology is less prone to bacteria build-up than commonly used forks.

092) Further details of examples of one or more embodiments will now be described. (In this disclosure / claims, "top side" refers to the side of the utensil that faces upwards when such a utensil is placed on a table, as known in the art. "Bottom side", "back side", or "rear side" refers to the side that rests on the table, as known in the art.)

093) Referring again to Figures 5-8 concurrently, in one example, the fork has a working end 10 which is defined as a portion of a utensil that is in contact with food during use thereof. The working end 10 may also be the only portion of the utensil which enters or touches a person's mouth, in an embodiment of the disclosed

technology, such as when the utensil is a spoon or a fork. As shown in Figure 5, the utensil is a fork comprising four prongs. In other embodiments, the fork may comprise two or three prongs; in the case of a chopstick, there is a single 'prong' of the working end. As shown in later figures, if the utensil is a spoon, the working end 10 comprises a scoop.

094) Further, in the example, the utensil has a handle 50. The definition of a handle 50 is the portion of the utensil which is designed for gripping, holding, or other grasped engagement with the hand of a user. In one or more embodiments, the handle 50 of the utensil is curved, such that an end of the handle 55 is at a low point (relative to a back of the handle). In other embodiments, the handle is straight. The handle 50 is located between the extreme end 55 and neck 40 of the utensil. The extreme end 55 of the utensil of embodiments of the disclosed technology is defined as the only point on a curved or straight handle 50 of the utensil that comes into contact with the imaginary line 60.

095) Neck 40 is defined as the portion of the utensil that is located between the working end 10 and the handle 50 and connects the two. The neck is further negatively defined as the portion which is not designed for gripping or contact with food during ordinary use. As such, neither food nor a person comes in regular or purposeful contact with the neck 40.

096) Referring again to the working end of the utensil, the working end 10 comprises a base 20 defined as the lowest portion thereof, with respect to the ground or a table surface 60, as shown in Figure 7. That is, the base 20 is closest to the line 60, on the underside of the utensil when the utensil is resting in the orientation shown in Figure 7. Figure 6, again, shows the rear side of a utensil of an embodiment of the disclosed technology. The base 20 of the utensil of the embodiment of the disclosed technology does not touch, or come into contact with, a table surface 60, which may also be described as an imaginary line 60 extending from the base of the extreme end of the handle 55 to the bottom of a post 30.

097) Now describing the post 30 in more detail, the post of the utensil is defined as a structure that extends downward from the neck region 40, substantially perpendicular to an elongated side of the working end 10 of the utensil. That is, "substantially perpendicular" is defined as perpendicular to a general direction of the elongated portion of the utensil, according to a casual observer thereof. The post 30 rests on a surface or imaginary line 60, such that the bottom of the post is parallel to the extreme end 55 of the utensil. As such, the post 30 extends below the working end 10 of the utensil, including its lowest point at the base 20, thereby maintaining the working end of the utensil, in its entirety, above the surface 60 when the handle 50 (at the end 55) and the post 30 rest on a surface 60. As such, the working end 10, including its base 20, is less prone to bacteria build up. Further, in such a resting position, the neck 40 is also above the surface 60.

098) In one or more embodiments of the disclosed technology, referring especially to Figure 5, the post 30 comprises a hollow interior 35. This hollow interior allows for stacking of a plurality of such utensils in a more stable way than utensils known in the prior art which lack such posts. Furthermore, the said post 30 of embodiments of the disclosed technology may keep the working ends 10 of utensils from touching or contacting each other when stacked, which is beneficial, for example, to restaurants where each utensil has been used by a different person. The separation of working ends 10 from each other and from surfaces 60 prevents the spread of disease and bacteria from one utensil to another, and from a surface to working ends of utensils. The post 30 and the extreme end 55 of the utensil are the only points of the utensil that come into contact with a surface 60 when the post is rested on the surface 60.

099) Referring again specifically to Figure 7, surface 60, or an imaginary line between the base of the handle 55 and post 30, defines a horizontal surface area that the utensil of embodiments of the disclosed technology is placed or rested on. Put in another way, the post 30 which extends downward from the neck 40 and the extreme end 55 of the utensil are the only two portions of said utensil that come into contact with the imaginary line 60. Everything forward of the post 30 is above the imaginary line 60, such that these portions of the utensil are lifted in the air when the device is rested, and do not come in contact with other objects. The weight of the utensil rests entirely on the bottom of post 30 and the extreme end of the handle 55, and the post 30 forms a fulcrum between the two sides, with utensil being weighted such that the handle side 50 is angled to the ground, keeping the other side (including the working end 10) in the air.

0100) Referring now more specifically to Figures 5 and 7, an upper extremity 45 of the handle is marked. For purposes of this disclosure, this point is defined as the end of the neck 40 of a utensil with a curvilinear handle/neck, and beginning of the handle portion 50. As is known in the art, forks and spoons often have curved handles, like the arched back of a person. Point 20 refers to the lowest point of the curve (on the working end 10 of the utensil), point 40 refers to the tangential point where the curve is mid- angle where curvature stops or begins to reverse angle, point 45 is the top of the curve and high point of the segment of the utensil between point 20 and extreme end 55. At point 45, the utensil curves downwards again. The post 30 is placed between points 40 and 45 in embodiments of the disclosed technology. That is, the post is placed at the most forward point which will not interfere with the use of the utensil, also having the benefit of requiring the least amount of material in the post. This position is between the working end 10, the base (low point) 20 of the working end, and the high point / start of the handle 45.

0101) Referring to Figure 9, in one example, working end 1 10 is a cup-shaped spoon. Post 130 with optional hollow stacking point 135 is on the neck portion, the neck integrated with a handle ending at the extreme end 155. It should be understood that the post is shown rectangular, but any shaped post is within the scope and spirit of the disclosed technology, including Square, circle, semi-circle, letter-A shaped, diamond, oval, tricuspoid, pear, triangle, rectangle, heart, marquise, bevel, or trapezoid.

0102) Figure 10 shows a side elevation view of the spoon of Figure 9. Note that, when resting on a table or the ground 160 (any flat surface), working end 1 10 of the spoon is off the ground and the post 130 is situated on the neck, between the high point of the handle 145 and the working end which starts at the cup-shaped spoon, in this embodiment. Note the top of the post 130 is curved to accommodate the curvature of the neck of the spoon, while the bottom is flat (or angled compared to the curvature of the spoon's neck). In this manner, the utensil is angled when resting on surface 160, similar to if it were resting on the ground by way of the working end, but raised up enough to keep the working end from contact with any surface. 0103) Referings Figure 1 1 and 12, in one example, the knife has a working end 210, post 230, and extreme end of a handle 255. When resting, the working end 210 remains above a surface 260.

0104) Figure 25 shows a side perspective view of a chop stick with post of an embodiment of the disclosed technology. Figure 26 shows an end view of the chop stick of Figure 26.

0105) A number of embodiments of the present invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.