Flatware structured to avoid table contact

Abstract

An eating utensil is structured to avoid touching a table surface. The eating utensil includes a handle, a food-handling portion connected to the handle, and a double-legged stand that lifts the food-handling portion of the eating utensil so as to avoid contact with a potentially contaminated surface. In various embodiments, the non-handle portion of the eating instrument is structured as a fork, spoon, or knife. The eating utensil can be made of various materials, such as stainless steel or silver. In an embodiment, the eating utensil is a plastic disposable eating utensil. The eating utensil will preferably make up a set of various different types of eating utensils (e.g., fork, spoon, knife) that can be stacked one upon another.

1 . An eating utensil, comprising:
 a handle having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a pair of lateral sides, the lateral sides being longer than the top surface and the bottom surface;   a food handling portion connected to the handle; and   a double-legged stand including a first leg and a second leg which are substantially identical, the first leg and the second leg each extending from a respective one of the lateral sides of the handle outwardly beyond the width of the top surface and downwardly sloping at an acute angle from a center line of the eating utensil, and having rounded edges and substantially flat bottom surfaces;   wherein the food handling portion is elevated from a substantially flat surface by the double-legged stand.   
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The eating utensil of  claim 1 , wherein the eating utensil is a fork. 
     
     
         4 . The eating utensil of  claim 1 , wherein the eating utensil is a spoon. 
     
     
         5 . The eating utensil of  claim 1 , wherein the eating utensil is a knife. 
     
     
         6 . The eating utensil of  claim 1 , wherein the eating utensil includes stainless steel. 
     
     
         7 . The eating utensil of  claim 1 , wherein the eating utensil includes silver. 
     
     
         8 . The eating utensil of  claim 1 , wherein the eating utensil is formed from plastic. 
     
     
         9 . A set of eating utensils, comprising:
 a fork, a spoon, and a knife;   wherein each of the fork, spoon and knife in the set includes
 a handle having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a pair of lateral sides, the lateral sides being longer than the top surface and the bottom surface; 
 a food handling portion connected to the handle; and 
 a double-legged stand including a first leg and a second leg which are substantially identical, the first leg and the second leg each extending from a respective one of the lateral sides of the handle outwardly beyond the width of the top surface and downwardly sloping at an acute angle from a center line of the eating utensil, and having rounded edges and substantially flat bottom surfaces;
 wherein the food handling portion is elevated from a substantially flat surface by the double-legged stand. 
 
   
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . The eating utensil set of  claim 9 , wherein the double-legged stands facilitate stacking the fork, the spoon, and the knife are stackable. 
     
     
         12 . The eating utensil set of  claim 9 , wherein the eating utensil includes stainless steel. 
     
     
         13 . The eating utensil set of  claim 9 , wherein the eating utensil includes silver. 
     
     
         14 . The eating utensil set of  claim 9 , wherein the eating utensil is formed from plastic. 
     
     
         15 . The eating utensil of  claim 1 , wherein the angle is between about 30 degrees and 45 degrees. 
     
     
         16 . The eating utensil set of  claim 9 , wherein the angle is between about 30 degrees and 45 degrees.