There are many known methods that acheive such protection of the fingers and palm against for example, smearing/soiling, uncom-fortable/damaging heat and the effects of cold from frozen goods. There can be mentioned, amongst others methods, cloths, diverse types of tongs and securing devices of various elaboration.

All known methods of gripping food have one or more disadvangtage, such as troublesome cleaning (e.g. gloves and cloths) insecure and infirm hold on the food item (e.g. tongs), damage to the food item (e.g. forks) and problematic application (clamping mechanisms).

It is an aim of this product to produce a food handling device that can be used immedietly by almost anyone, that gives at least as firm and secure a grip on the food as with an unprotected hand, is easy to clean, can be manufactured at low cost, does not damage the food item and can be made in an aestheticaly pleasing way being threrefore suitable for display and for use by, for example guests.

This aim is acheived by the device consisting of a thumb part and a finger part, which each has a grip end that has a food product contact surface situated at the end principally opposite to the hinge area. On the opposite side of the food product contact surface there is situated a gripping device to engage at least the fingertips of respectivly the thumb and finger or fingers. The hinge ends are interconnected by the area known as the hinge device that allows the grip ends food contact surfaces to follow the movements of the fingertips both towards and away from each other subsequently gripping and releasing the food.

The thumb part finger part and hinge area can advantageously be made of a single piece of flexible, sheet material, which can form a principally elongated strip. With this, there is acheived a particually simple implementation form where the area between the grip ends, which functions as the hinge area of the sheet formed material, can be used to protect part of the palm from contact with the gripped food product.

Part of the practicality of the device is acheived by the area between the grip ends, when in the rest position, forming an arch where by the food contact areas lie on the concave side of the arch and engagement utensil on the convex side. The engagement utensil can advantageously include a casing secured to each grip end with an opening directed away from the hinge area and being a suitable shape for the placement and retainment of at least the fingertip of a thumb or an index finger inside.

The engagement utensil primarily includes devices such as surface projections, moldings or friction inducing material covering to improve the grip with respectivly the thumb and one or more fingers. The food product surfaces at the grip ends are primarily equipped with devices such as surfaces projections. moldings or friction inducing material covering to enhance the grip on the surface ofthe food.

Low cost production is acheived by most, or all, of the gadgets components being made from a single piece of flexible, moulded plastic material. A particualy applicaple arrangement can be acheived so that the moulded material is heat insulating and or heat resistant and/or grease resistant and/or deformation resistant and/or colour fast. It is prefered that the material consists of polyoxymethylene.

A particuarly practical and useful arrangement, which can substantially facilitate work when slicing or carving food items, can be acheived provided that the gripping position of the device is at an approximate right angel to the palm which ensures, without interference to the hand, a smooth guiding surface for the knife blade when cutting food items.

In the following text the product will be explained in more detail with reference to the following illustrations, where; Fig. 1 shows schematically a prefered implamentations form for a food handling device according to the product, viewed from the front.

Fig.2 shows the gadget illustrated in Fig. 1 viewed from above in the direction of the food article (not shown) that is to be gripped.

Fig.3 shows the gadget illustrated in Fig.s 1 and 2, at a smaller scale and viewed from a slanted angle from above in a perspective picture.

Fig.4 shows a side picture ofthe gadget illustrated in Fig.s 1 to 3.

The food handling device illustrated, is calculated for employment in the gripping of food articles such as cheese, a joint of meat, baked potatoes and such, with the help of the thumb and either an index finger or middle finger of the users hand.

The device includes a strip shaped body, 1, which in the resting position has an arched form. At each end of the body, 1, it tapers such that the otherwise parallel and straight borders, 2 and 3, draw closer together, until the body or strip, 1, ends in a rounded tip, 4, at each end.

The strip, 1, is as shown in the rest position, arched and has at each end a casing, 7 and 8 and 9 and 10. The openings 7 and 8 serve as an entry for outermost joint of a thumb and either an index and middle finger into the casings 5 and 6 respectivly. Openings 9 and 10 enable easier cleaning of the interior of the casings, 7 and 6, by amongst other things enabling washing water to pass through these openings during the rinsing process.

On the surface area of strip 1, inside the casings 5 and 6, there are formed ribbed projections, 11, which stretch across strip 1 with the illustrated angle which is at a marginaly less than right angle to the longitudinal direction. The casings openings, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are as shown in fig.s 2 and 4, cut at a corresponding slant. The lesser angle than the right angle and the slanted cut of the casings are purely aesthetic, whilst the casings themselves, 5 and 6, and the ridges, 11, serve the purpose of securing a good grip for the fingertips on the area inside the casings.

On the concave part of the strip, 1, there are formed cone shaped projections, 12, in the area on the opposite side of the grooves, 11. These projections, 12, aim to improve the grip upon food articles, which are gripped by the tip of the thumb or the tip of index or middle finger of the users one hand and placed into each its own casing, 5 and 6, so that the convex side of the strip rests against the part of the palm between the used fingers. There is then undertaken a normal gripping movement just as if the food article was to be gripped between the thumb and another finger, whereby the strip's cancave side comes into contact with the surface of the food article,which then can be maneuvered in different ways without the fingers being smeared or soiled, or made uncomfortable by the effect of the high or low temperature of the food articles.

The intire device is made from a single piece of moulded polyoxymethylene, POM Ultraform, which is distributed by the firm BASF, Denmark. This material distinguishes itself buy being able to endure temperatures of up to a 130 degrees celcius, is grease repellant, deformation resistent, colourfast, easy to clean and authorised for use with food by the EU.

There is hereby acheived an aesthically pleasing apperance, that makes the gadget suitable to be displayed on the dining table and the resilent design makes the device easy, practical and safe to use when gripping food products. The upright borders can, when directed by the thumb and finger to grip a food product, serve as a guide for the knife blade when cutting slices or carving food articles.

Although the illustrations 1 to 4 show the device as the present prefered working model, there can be changes and modifications of a number of details without defering from the frame work of the final product requirements specified later in the text.

The illustrated device can, without adjustment, be used by either the left or the right hand, but it can be specifically adjusted for each individual hand. One of the casings and the corresponding strip end, can be made broader so that it can accomodate, for example, both the index and middle finger. The strip can also be made broader in the middle area, so as to give a larger area of protection in the palm area. By making the strip thinner at that point a large spring resistance is avoided during gripping.

The materiale used for the strip and/or casings, can, for example be wood or stainless steel. The strip can be made of a composite material with a layer of rubber sandwiched between two layers of stainless steel or butted wood developed by Denmark's Technological Institute, DTI. The casings can be made from an elastic material such as rubber, which could for example, but not necessarily, tighten over the fingertips to give enhanced control over the gripping device.

The casings can be positioned differently on the strip to enable adjustment of the distance between the casings and therefore accomodate hands of various sizes. The resting position of the strip can be fiat, whereby the arched form is acheived by the employment of pressure by the fingertips in the casings, which can be replaced by other suitable fingertip gripping devices such as ridges on the strip's longitudinal borders etc.

The ridges, 11, and projections, 12, can be replaced by other grip promoting devices or a friction inducing material covered applied strip.

The device can be equipped with a suitably resilent or neutral hinge with various specifications in stead of the strips middle area forming the springy, bendable connection between the finger's contact surfaces.

The guiding surfaces for a knifeblade, during slicing, can be made as straight, longitudinal projection sections or lamella along the borders ,1 and 3, to provide an improved guiding surface, in that the lamella can broaden themselves, when the strip is bent by finger pressure.

The general features of the suggested configurations which can be chosen, should be that there is as little distance as possible between the finger gripping area and that of the food gripping surface, to enable maximum and most natural usage of the fingers gripping power and manipulation abilities.