The present invention relates to chopsticks, and in particular to a device for facilitating the use thereof.

The use of chopsticks can be difficult for people not used to them, such as infrequent visitors to Chinese restaurants and those travelling to countries in which chopstick use is widespread. Also persons with disabilities of the hands often find chopsticks difficult to use.

Generally speaking, the problem is one of manipulating the chopsticks so as to open and close the ends thereof to pick up food whilst maintaining the chopsticks in spaced relation to each other.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which facilitates the use of chopsticks.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a device for facilitating the use of chopsticks comprising a flexible, resilient member which is adapted to receive and maintain in spaced essentially co-planar relation to each other a pair of chopsticks, and which is further adapted to resiliently bias apart the ends of the chopsticks which are normally used to pick up food.

In a preferred embodiment of the device the flexible, resilient member is elongate and comprises a pair of jaws at each end thereof, each of which pair of jaws is adapted to receive a respective one of a pair of chopsticks.

Each of the two pairs of jaws is resiliantly biased together so that when a chopstick is inserted therebetween it is frictionally retained in place at the exact position along its length set by the user. The resiliently biased jaws ensure that chopsticks of widely differing diameters and tapers are securely held in place.

In an alternative embodiment of the device the flexible resilient member comprises a substantially planar piece of material having two spaced holes, each of which is adapted to receive a respective one of a pair of chopsticks.

The flexible, resilient member may be comprised of rubber, rubberised plastics or plastics and may be manufactured in a wide range of attractive colours.

It may also be manufactured in a wide range of novelty shapes without departing from its essential characteristics.

Preferably, the flexible, resilient member normally maintains the chopsticks substantially parallel to each other.

The device according to the present invention

facilitates the use of chopsticks by ensuring that they are maintained in spaced, essentially co-planar relation to each other, thus making it unnecessary for the user to try to maintain them in this position. In use, all the user is required to do is to squeeze the chopsticks to bring the ends thereof together to pick up food. When the squeezing is stopped the device causes the chopsticks to open again automatically. According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a device according to the first aspect of the present invention in combination with a pair of chopsticks.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 shows a device for facilitating the use of chopsticks in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 shows a plan view of another device for facilitating the use of chopsticks in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 3 shows a side view, partially in section of the device shown in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings there are shown two chopsticks 1, 2 each have ends la, 2a for contacting food. The chopsticks 1, 2 are held apart by a flexible resilient device 3 formed from a planar piece of

resilient material such as rubber or rubberised plastics. The chopsticks pass through two holes 4a, 4b in the device 3. When not in use (as shown) the chopsticks are held substantially co-planar and parallel to each other. When it is desired to use the chopsticks, fingers are placed around the chopsticks between the device 3 and the ends la, 2a. Food between ends la, 2a can be picked up by squeezing ends la, 2a together. Squeezing of the ends la, 2a causes the device 3 to deform. When the squeezing is stopped, the flexible resilient device 3 causes the ends la and 2a to be biased apart.

As the device 3 normally biases the ends la and 2a of the chopsticks 1, 2 apart, the fingers are only required to squeeze the ends of the chopsticks together. In use, without the device of the present invention, the fingers have to bias the ends of the chopsticks apart as well as together which makes use difficult. Also the device 3 helps keep the chopsticks' movement in one plane.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings there is shown another device for facilitating the use of chopsticks. The device of Figs. 2 and 3 is comprised of a flexible resilient plastics material and is elongate with a pair of jaws 10 and 11 at each end thereof.

Each of the two pairs of jaws 10 and 11 is resiliently biased together so that in use when a chopstick is inserted therebetween it, it is frictionally retained in place. The device of Figs. 2 and 3 is used in the same way as that of Fig. 1. The principal advantage of the device of Figs. 2 and 3 over that of Fig. 1 is that it can accommodate chopsticks of widely differing diameters and tapers between its flexible jaws 10 and 11. The device of Fig. 1 is essentially restricted to use with chopsticks of the same diameter as the holes 4a and 4b provided therein.

The chopsticks including the device can be sold together, or the device can be sold separately for fitment to existing chopsticks. Whilst the devices described with reference to the drawings are formed from pieces of resilient material the device according to the present invention can, of course, take other forms. For example, it could be made of two pieces of plastics or metal each attached to a chopstick and connected together with a spring so as to bias the ends of the chopsticks apart.

Further modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.