^• k k k

DESCRIPTION

Field of the Invention

According to its most general aspect the present invention relates to a kitchen utensil and in particular refers to a kitchen utensil having a handle and a working portion .

Prior Art

In the field of kitchen utensils such as cutlery, can openers, bottle openers, little moulds, and the like, the known art provides a variety of solutions.

There is, for example, cutlery made of metal as well as disposable cutlery made of plastic.

There are also other kitchen utensils, among which cutlery is an example, made of two materials, a material for the handle and a material for the working portion.

Usually the handle is made of plastic material or wood whereas the working portion is made of metal.

Although the handle and the working portion are made of different materials, they are integrally coupled to each other, in the sense that the utensil can be considered a single piece that can not be divided unless by splitting it.

Although utensils of the above type are advantageous, they are not free from drawbacks.

For example, utensils made in one piece and made of one material, generally carry out a single function, whereby a complete set of kitchen utensils is penalized by significant bulkiness. If it is necessary or desired to carry the utensils, for example from the kitchen of a home to a terrace of the same home, or on a trip, for example to go camping, the significant weight of a complete set of kitchen utensils of the aforesaid type should also be considered.

Kitchen utensils made of multiple materials have not only the same above-described drawbacks but also the additional drawback associated with their washing, particularly but not exclusively in the dishwasher, as well as the drawback of their disposal.

In fact, different materials should be treated differently with regard to washing and drying temperatures, and also with regard to products used for the washing itself .

For example, if cutlery having wooden or plastic handle is treated in a dishwasher for a washing and drying cycle at a certain temperature, cutlery can be blemished, especially but not exclusively at the interface between the two different materials, because they behave differently when subjected to thermal treatments (washing and drying) and treatments with detergents.

When the coupling between the handle and the working part is no longer optimal, the utensil is doomed to a short operating life because its performance is no longer good, and to a certain extent its use can even become dangerous to the user, for example if the utensil is a knife.

The different reaction to thermal treatments and chemical agents of the different materials constituting the handle and the working portion can also result in aesthetic defects in utensils of the type considered above. In addition, as above mentioned, the different materials of utensils of the above mentioned type can not be recycled because the two different materials can neither be separated from each other nor generally be worked together in recycling processes.

SuiranarY of the Invention

Object of the present invention is to provide a kitchen utensil having structural and functional characteristics able to overcome one or more of the drawbacks mentioned above with reference to the prior art and, in particular, a kitchen utensil whose use and application are particularly convenient.

According to the invention, the aforesaid object is achieved by a kitchen utensil comprising a first portion including a handle of the aforesaid utensil and a second portion including at least one working portion of the aforesaid utensil, characterized in that it comprises combining means for a removable coupling of the aforesaid first portion with the aforesaid second portion, and in that the aforesaid first portion is made of a first material and the aforesaid second portion is made of a second material different from the aforesaid first material, wherein the aforesaid first material and the aforesaid second material are essentially completely recyclable.

The expression "essentially completely recyclable" means that the aforesaid first material and the aforesaid second material are pure materials, essentially pure materials, mixtures of similar and/or kindred materials, or composite materials such as metals, metal alloys, plastic materials, for example loaded with fibers and/or glass spheres so that, after having separated the aforesaid first portion and the aforesaid second portion from one another, the aforesaid first material and the aforesaid second material can be individually and completely recycled without further division.

Preferably, the aforesaid first material is a plastic material, more preferably selected from the group comprising polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyamide, polystyrene, polyamide 6,6, possibly loaded with fibers and/or glass spheres.

Preferably, the aforesaid second material is a metal material, more preferably selected from the group comprising steel, Zamak (zinc alloy), aluminium.

Preferably, the aforesaid combining means are selected from the group comprising snap-fit combining means, bayonet combining means, interlocked combining means, pressure combining means and similar combining means.

Preferably, the aforesaid combining means comprise at least one housing seat obtained in the aforesaid first portion and at least one push-in element removably engaging the aforesaid at least one housing seat, wherein the aforesaid at least one push-in element is jutting from the aforesaid at least one working portion of the aforesaid second portion of the utensil.

Preferably, the aforesaid combining means further comprise at least one sleeve element removably interposed between the aforesaid first portion and the aforesaid second portion.

Preferably, the aforesaid at least one sleeve element is removably fitted on the aforesaid at least one push-in element, then the aforesaid at least one sleeve element is removably crossed by the aforesaid at least one push-in element and is removably inserted in the aforesaid at least one housing seat.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the aforesaid at least one sleeve element preferably comprises at least one side opening, the aforesaid at least one sleeve element preferably constituting a so-called expansion insert.

Preferably, the aforesaid at least one side opening longitudinally extends on the aforesaid at least one sleeve element, or the aforesaid side opening circumferentially extends on the aforesaid at least one sleeve element, or else more side openings can be provided longitudinally and/or circumferentially extending on the aforesaid at least one sleeve element, being however possible to provide one or more openings obliquely extending on the aforesaid at least one sleeve element.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the aforesaid combining means further comprise a plurality of rounded male elements and a respective plurality of female elements preferably rounded too and complementary to the aforesaid male elements, wherein the aforesaid male elements are arranged on a side wall of the aforesaid at least one sleeve element and/or on an inner wall of the aforesaid first portion at the aforesaid at least one housing seat, and wherein the aforesaid female elements are arranged on the aforesaid side wall of the aforesaid at least one sleeve element and/or on the aforesaid inner wall of the aforesaid first portion at the aforesaid at least one housing seat.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the aforesaid combining means further comprise a threaded portion and a complementary indented portion at a side wall of the aforesaid at least one sleeve element and, respectively, on an inner wall of the aforesaid first portion at the aforesaid at least one housing seat.

According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the aforesaid combining means further comprise at least one bending element extended from a side wall of the aforesaid at least one sleeve element, and at least one through-hole extended in the aforesaid first portion, wherein the aforesaid at least one bending element has a protruding head at a free end thereof, the aforesaid protruding head being intended to engage-disengage the aforesaid at least one through-hole.

According to the invention and as stated hereinabove, preferably also the aforesaid at least one sleeve element is entirely made of plastic material, more preferably plastic material of the above-mentioned type.

Preferably, the aforesaid utensil is a knife, a spoon, a fork, a ladle, a can opener, a bottle opener, a corkscrew, a whisk, a grater, a pair of scissors, a pizza cutter, a dough cutter, a little mould, a blade sharpener, a rolling pin, and similar kitchen utensils, or a combination of two or more thereof.

According to the invention and as stated hereinabove, the aforesaid object is also achieved by a kit comprising a first plurality of first portions of kitchen utensils of the aforesaid type, that is to say wherein each first portion comprises a respective handle, and a second plurality of second portions of kitchen utensils of the aforesaid type, that is to say wherein each second portion includes at least one respective working portion, wherein combining means of the aforesaid type are provided for a removable coupling of each first portion with any second portion, wherein each first portion is made of a first material of the aforesaid type, and each second portion is made of a second material different from the first material, wherein the aforesaid first material and the aforesaid second material are essentially completely recyclable .

Preferably, in the aforesaid kit the number of the aforesaid first portions of the aforesaid first plurality of first portions is lower than the number of the aforesaid second portions of the aforesaid second plurality of second portions .

Brief Description of the Figures

More features and advantages of the invention will be better understood by considering the following detailed description of some preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments illustrated by way of example only and without limitations, with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 schematically shows a kitchen utensil comprising a first portion including a handle of the utensil, and a second portion including a working portion of the utensil, according to the present invention, wherein the kitchen utensil is a pizza cutter. - figure 2 schematically shows the utensil of figure 1, wherein the aforesaid first portion and the aforesaid second portion are separated from one another;

- figure 3 schematically shows an exploded view of the utensil of figure 1 according to an embodiment variation of the invention, wherein the kitchen utensil is a spoon;

- figure 4 schematically shows a detail of the utensil of figure 1, with separate parts, according to a further embodiment variation of the invention;

- figure 5 schematically shows a partially cut-away view of a detail of the utensil of figure 1, according to a further embodiment variation of the invention;

- figures 6 and 7 respectively show a partially cut ^¬ away view and an magnified longitudinal sectional view of a detail of the utensil of figure 1 according to a further embodiment variation of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Referring to figures 1-2, the numeral 1 generally depicts a kitchen utensil according to the present invention, of the type comprising a first portion 2 including a handle 3 of the utensil, and a second portion 4 including a working portion 5 of the utensil.

In particular, in the example of the aforesaid figures, the working portion 5 takes the form of a circular blade, the utensil 1 being a so-called pizza cutter.

According to the invention, the utensil 1 comprises combining means generally depicted by the numeral 6, for a removable coupling between the first portion 2 and the second portion 4.

Still according to the invention, the first portion 2 and the second portion 4 are made of two different materials, and specifically the first portion 2 is made of a first material, preferably a plastic material, while the second portion 4 is made of a second material, preferably a metal material.

Moreover according to the invention, the first material of the first portion 2 and the second material of the second portion 4 are individually and essentially completely recyclable.

Preferred materials are selected from the group comprising, as regards the first material, polypropylene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyamide, polystyrene, polyamide 6, 6, possibly loaded with fibers and/or glass spheres and comprising, as regards the second material, steel, Zamak (zinc alloy) and aluminium.

In regard to the aforesaid combining means 6 , it is to be noted that they are selected from the group comprising snap-fit combining means, bayonet combining means, interlocked combining means, pressure combining means and similar combining means.

According to the example of the aforesaid figures, the combining means 6 comprise a housing seat 7 obtained in the first portion 2 at an end thereof, and a push-in element 8 removably engaging the housing seat 7 and obtained in an end portion of the second portion 4 and jutting from the working portion 5 of the same second portion 4 of the utensil 1 .

Still according to the example of figures 1-2 and according to the present invention, the utensil 1 further comprises a sleeve element 9 removably interposed between the first portion 2 and the second portion 4.

In practice, the sleeve element 9 is an additional element of the combining means 6 for optimally coupling and decoupling the first portion 2 and the second portion 4 of the utensil 1, as will be better evident hereinafter.

In detail and according to the example of the aforesaid figures, the sleeve element 9 is preferably provided with at least one side opening, and in particular it comprises a side wall 12 having a longitudinally- arranged opening extended thereon, the opening being generally depicted by the numeral 10, and a circumferentially arranged opening depicted by the numeral 11, even if one or more obliquely extending openings can be provided on the sleeve element.

Accordingly, the sleeve element 9 is basically a so- called expansion insert, which is fitted on the push-in element 8 of the second portion 4 and inserted into the housing seat 7 of the first portion 2, thereby obtaining a permanent coupling between the first portion 2 and the second portion 4 of the utensil 1.

For this purpose, the width or diameter of the aforesaid push-in element 8 is slightly greater than the inner width or inner diameter of the sleeve element 9, i.e. the passage provided therein and depicted by the numeral 14.

This is also thanks to an edge 13 provided at one end of the sleeve element 9 and protruding with respect to the side wall 12 of the same sleeve element 9 and which is intended to abut against an end of the first portion 2 at the housing seat 7 provided therein. Now, referring to the example in figure 3, a kitchen utensil according to an embodiment variation of the present invention is described, the kitchen utensil being entirely similar to the above-described utensil 1 , whose description is referred to, except for the fact that the former comprises a different working portion.

In detail, in the example of figure 3, a utensil 301 is described wherein portions structurally and functionally corresponding to those of the aforesaid utensil 1 hold the same reference numbers used in figures 1 and 2.

In particular the utensil 301 , in the example of Figure 3 shown in separate parts, comprises a first portion 2 made of a first material and including a handle 3 , and a second portion 4 made of a second material and including a working portion 305 of the utensil, which working portion in this case takes the form of a spoon-like portion.

As described above, the utensil 301 comprises combining means 6 for a removable coupling between the first portion 2 and the second portion 4 , the combining means being selected from the group comprising snap-fit combining means, bayonet combining means, interlocked combining means, pressure combining means and similar combining means and, according to the example of figure 3, taking the form of a housing seat 7 obtained in the first portion 2 at an end thereof, and a push-in element 8 removably engaging the housing seat 7 , which push-in element is obtained in an end portion of the second portion 4 and is jutting from the working portion 305 of the same second portion 4 of the utensil 301 .

Also in this case, a sleeve element 9 is preferably provided and, in this particular case, is shown separated from the first portion 2 and the second portion 4 , and is structurally and functionally similar to the sleeve element described above with reference to figures 1 and 2, whose description should be used as reference.

With respect to the first material and the second material of the utensil 301 what stated for the above- described utensil 1 is still valid, whose description should be considered as reference.

In the example of Figure 4, a detail of a kitchen utensil according to an embodiment variation of the present invention is schematically shown, wherein for the structurally and functionally portions corresponding to those of the above-described utensils the same reference numerals used in figures 1-3 are hold.

In detail, figure 4 shows a first portion 402 and a sleeve element 409 of a kitchen utensil according to the invention, which are separate from one another and similar to the first portion and respectively to the sleeve element of the above described utensils 1 and 301 whose description is referred to, and wherein a plurality of rounded male elements, i.e. in practice beveled jutting elements depicted by the numeral 405 , are basically provided in the combining means together with a respective plurality of female elements, i.e. in practice recesses or openings depicted by the numerals 407 and 408 .

In particular, according to the example of Figure 4, a first pair of male elements 405 together with opposing male elements are arranged on a side wall 12 of the sleeve element 409 , and a second and a third pair of male elements 405 are arranged in opposing pairs on an inner wall 404 of a housing seat 7 of the first portion 402 ; again, a first pair of rounded female elements 407 together with opposing female elements are arranged on the same inner wall 404 of the first portion 402 at the housing seat 7 provided therein, whereas a second and a third pair of female elements 408 are arranged in opposing pairs on the side wall 12 of the sleeve element 409 in the form of open windows on the same side wall 12 , the sleeve element 409 having in this case a mesh shape, but being also possible to provide the second and third pair of round-shaped female elements, i.e. beveled cavities, on a sleeve element with a solid side wall, the latter possibility being not shown in the figures.

In practice, the male elements and female elements guarantee that the sleeve element 409 is simply and firmly inserted into the first portion 402 then withstanding both tensile and pressure stresses, also thanks to an edge 13 provided in the sleeve element 409 as contemplated with reference to figures 1-3, whose description should be considered as reference.

In the example of Figure 5, a detail of a kitchen utensil according to an embodiment variation of the present invention is schematically shown, wherein for the portions structurally and functionally corresponding to those of the utensils described above with reference to figures 1-4 the same reference numerals are hold.

In detail, Figure 5 shows a first portion 502 and a sleeve element 509 of a kitchen utensil according to the invention, combined with one another and similar, respectively, to the first portion and the sleeve element of the above-described utensils whose description is referred to, and wherein in practice, in the combining means, a threaded portion 505 and a complementary indented portion 506 are provided respectively at a side wall 12 of the sleeve element 509 and on an inner wall 504 of a housing seat 7 provided in the first portion 502 .

In the example of Figures 6 and 7, a detail of a kitchen utensil according to an embodiment variation of the present invention is shown, wherein for the portions structurally and functionally corresponding to those of the utensils described above with reference to figures 1-5 the same reference numerals are hold.

In detail, figures 6 and 7 show a first portion 602 and a sleeve element 609 of a kitchen utensil according to the invention, combined with one another and similar, respectively, to the first portion and the sleeve element of the above described utensils whose description is referred to, and wherein in practice, in the combining means, a pair of bending elements 605 extended from a side wall 12 of the sleeve element 609 and a pair of through- holes 606 extended in the first portion 602 are provided.

The bending elements 605 , substantially opposing to each other, in practice are elongated elements, preferably made in one piece with the side wall 12 of the sleeve element 609 , and precisely able to bend, each of them having a protruding head 610 at a respective free end, the protruding head being intended to engage and disengage a respective through-hole 606 arranged on the first portion 602 . The protruding heads 610 may extend through the through-holes 606 beyond the outer surface of the first portion 602 , as shown in the example of figures 6 and 7, or else they may remain more inward so as to not protrude, the latter example being not shown in the figures.

In case of protruding heads extending beyond the outer surface of the first portion of the utensil, they can be pressed by the user of this utensil in order to facilitate the release of the sleeve element from the first portion of the utensil, whereas in case of protruding heads not extending beyond the outer surface of the first portion, they may be pushed inwardly within the first portion, for example by means of a pointed element.

In any case, the bending elements 605 preferably have teeth 611 opposing to the protruding heads 610 , the teeth constituting countering elements that limit the bending movement of the bending elements 605 themselves, as illustrated in the example of Figure 7, wherein the bending elements 605 are shown in a first position in which the respective protruding heads 610 engage the respective through holes 606 , and in a second position where the through-holes are disengaged from the protruding heads.

It should be noted that in the example of figures 6 and 7, the sleeve element 609 is provided with a protruding edge 13 which rests on a step 600 inside a housing seat 7 of the first portion 602 , this characteristic being provided also in the utensil shown with reference to the example of figure 5.

According to what above stated and according to the invention, the present utensil can then be a knife, a spoon, a fork, a ladle, a can opener, a bottle opener, a corkscrew, a whisk, a grater, a pair of scissors, a pizza cutter, a dough cutter, a little mould, a blade sharpener, a rolling pin and similar kitchen utensils, or a combination of two or more thereof.

Therefore, according to what above stated and referring to the examples of figures 1-7 whose description is referred to, the present invention also provides a kit comprising a first plurality of first portions of kitchen utensils of the aforesaid type, wherein each first portion includes a respective handle, and a second plurality of second portions of kitchen utensils of the aforesaid type, wherein each second portion includes at least one respective working portion, wherein combining means of the aforesaid type are provided for a removable coupling of any first portion with any second portion, wherein each first portion is made of a first material of the aforesaid type, and each second portion is made of a second material of the aforesaid type and different from the first material, and wherein the first material and the second material are essentially completely recyclable.

According to the invention, according to a preferred embodiment of the aforesaid kit, the number of the first portions of the aforesaid first plurality of first portions is lower than the number of the aforesaid second portions of the aforesaid second plurality of second portions.

In practice, according to the present invention, the aforesaid kit comprises first portions advantageously equal to each other, and second portions which may be coupled to any one of the first portions independently of the respective working portion, thanks to complementary combining means, regardless of which first portion is coupled to which second portion.

In this way a user can use the same first portion and thus the same handle, with different second portions, as needed .

For example, the same first portion can be initially used with a second portion having a spoon-like working portion, and then with a different second portion having a fork-like working portion.

Therefore the same first portion, and thus the same handle, can be used with different second portions depending on the requirements, for example by using the present utensil initially as can opener, then as bottle opener, then as a knife, then again as a spoon and then as a fork, all simply by manually coupling and decoupling a first portion with a desired second portion.

In this regard, only simple operations are required in order to couple or separate the first portion and the second portion, depending on the type of combining means, but in any case the operations are carried out easily and quickly .

The advantages of the present invention, that have already been highlighted in the above description, can be summarized by pointing out that a fully recyclable kitchen utensil is provided which can be washed as needed without the risk of structural or aesthetic damage and which is particularly versatile thanks to a universal handle removably coupled with different working portions, and therefore a complete kit of any kitchen utensil with small bulkiness and reduced weight can be provided.

In order to meet incidental and specific requirements, several variations and modifications could be made by a field technician to the illustrated and described embodiments of present invention, moreover they are all included in the protection scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.