Article manipulation apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an article manipulation apparatus. The apparatus includes a connecting portion and two elongated fingers extending from the connecting portion. Two elongated fingers extend from the connecting portion. Each of the fingers has a holding portion disposed in a first plane. The holding portion is sized and shaped to be located in a user's hand. Each finger also has an intermediate portion that is disposed in a second plane away from the holding portion. Each finger also has an article holding end portion that is disposed in a third plane. The article holding ends have a concave holding sidewall. The connecting portion and the elongate fingers are sufficiently resilient so that an actuating force applied to each of the intermediate portions causes the article holding end portions to move together so that each of the concave holding sidewalls combine to form a spoon-like end portion.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An article manipulation apparatus comprising:
 a) a connecting portion;   b) first and second elongated finger members extending from the connecting portion, each of the finger members having
 i) a holding portion disposed in a first plane, the holding portion being sized and shaped to be located in a user's hand; 
 ii) an intermediate portion disposed in a second plane away from the holding portion; 
 iii) an article holding end portion disposed in a third plane, the food holding end portions having a concave holding sidewall; 
   the connecting portion and the elongate fingers being sufficiently resilient so that an actuating force applied to each of the intermediate portions causes the article handling portions to move together so that each of the concave holding sidewalls combine to form a spoon-like end portion.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus, according to  claim 1 , in which the article holding end portion further includes a serrated inner surface. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus, according to  claim 1 , in which the article holding end portion further includes a smooth inner surface. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus, according to  claim 1 , in which the article holding end portion include a flat anti-slip lower end portion located away from the finger tip. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus, according to  claim 1 , in which the connecting portion is U-shaped. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus, according to  claim 1 , in which the connecting portion and the two finger members when viewed from above are V-shaped. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus, according to  claim 1 , in which the finger members each have an outer sidewall, the outer sidewall being curved outwardly away from the inner sidewall. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus, according to  claim 7 , in which at the article holding end portion, the outer sidewall is wider than the outer sidewall of the intermediate portion and the outer sidewall of the holding portion. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus, according to  claim 1 , in which each of the finger members includes a tip, the tip having a flat non-slip surface, the tip being curved away from a flat surface when the apparatus is placed thereupon. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus, according to  claim 1 , in which the intermediate portion includes first and second twistable portions. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus, according to  claim 10 , in which the first twistable portion permits twisting of the finger members downwardly towards a flat surface. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus, according to  claim 10 , in which the second twistable portion permits twisting of the finger members upwardly away from a flat surface. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus, according to  claim 1 , in which the finger members each includes two lower resting areas to permit placement of the apparatus on a flat surface such that the article holding portions are disposed away from the flat surface. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus, according to  claim 1 , is nestable, 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus, according to  claim 8 , in which the outer sidewall of the intermediate portion has a non-slip surface. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus, according to  claim 1 , in which the article is a piece of food. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus, according to  claim 1 , in which the concave holding sidewalls combine to form the spoon-like end portion to capture and hold liquid therein. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus, according to  claim 1 , in which each of the finger members has a cross sectional volume which vary along substantially the entire length of each finger member. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus, according to  claim 1 , in which the article is a piece of food. 
     
     
         20 . A food manipulation apparatus comprising:
 a) a connecting portion;   b) first and second elongated finger members extending from the connecting portion, each of the finger members having
 i) a holding portion disposed in a first plane, the holding portion being sized and shaped to be located in a user's hand; 
 ii) a intermediate portion disposed in a second plane away from the holding portion; 
 iii) a food holding end portion disposed in a third plane, the food holding end portions having a concave food holding sidewall; 
   the connecting portion and the elongate fingers being sufficiently resilient so that an actuating force applied to each of the intermediate portions causes the food handling portions to move together so that each of the concave food holding sidewalls combine to form a spoon-like end portion.