Multifunctional utensil

Abstract

A multifunctional utensil configured for eating, cooking, and cleaning is disclosed. The utensil is comprised of a first part and a second part, and includes a spoon on one end of a handle and a fork on the other end of the handle, with additional unique features that enhance cleaning functionality. The multifunctional utensil may include a substrate portion that is relatively rigid, and a soft edge portion that runs down the length of at least a segment of the handle's edge and around the spoon's edge. The soft edge portion is configured to be conformable to surfaces of a food vessel. The soft edge portion may be over-molded onto the rigid portion resulting in a utensil that consists of both rigid and soft elements.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A multifunctional utensil for eating, cooking, and cleaning, comprising:
 a first part that is a rigid portion of the utensil; and   a second part that is a conformable portion of the utensil, the second part being attached to an edge segment of the first part, wherein the second part forms an outer edge of at least a portion of the utensil and is configured for conforming to a surface of a food vessel.   
     
     
         2 . The multifunctional utensil of  claim 1 , wherein the second part is of an elastomeric material having a Shore hardness in a range of Shore 30A to Shore 70A. 
     
     
         3 . The multifunctional utensil of  claim 1 , wherein the edge segment of the first part includes a protrusion and the second part is over-molded onto the protrusion. 
     
     
         4 . The multifunctional utensil of  claim 4 , wherein the protrusion includes one or more pass-through apertures within which a material of the second part is received. 
     
     
         5 . The multifunctional utensil of  claim 1 , wherein the utensil includes a straight portion, a large outside radius portion, a small outside radius portion, and an internal radius portion having different degrees of curvature and over which the second part extends in order to be conformable to different shapes and surfaces of a food vessel. 
     
     
         6 . The multifunctional utensil of  claim 1 , wherein the first part is formed from a rigid thermoplastic material, such as nylon, polycarbonate, polyester, polypropylene, or a metal, such as stainless steel, aluminum or titanium. 
     
     
         7 . The multifunctional utensil of  claim 1 , wherein the utensil has a handle with a spoon at a first end of the handle and a fork at a second end of the handle, and wherein the edge segment of the first part, along which the second part is attached, includes a first edge segment along a first side of the handle and a second edge segment that follows a profile of the spoon. 
     
     
         8 . The multifunctional utensil of  claim 7 , wherein the edge segment of the first part, along which the second part is attached, includes a third edge segment along a second side of the handle. 
     
     
         9 . The multifunctional utensil of  claim 7 , wherein at least the handle of the utensil has a double curvature geometry. 
     
     
         10 . The multifunctional utensil of  claim 7 , wherein at least one of the spoon and fork is angled from a line that is tangent to, or joins, respective ends of the handle. 
     
     
         11 . The multifunctional utensil of  claim 7 , wherein the spoon has an asymmetric shape relative to a longitudinal axis of the utensil. 
     
     
         12 . The multifunctional utensil of  claim 7 , wherein the spoon includes an apex configured to reach a corner of a food vessel. 
     
     
         13 . The multifunctional utensil of  claim 7 , wherein the spoon includes a flat segment along a side thereof that provides a continuous contact surface for scraping surfaces of a food vessel. 
     
     
         14 . The multifunctional utensil of  claim 7 , wherein the spoon includes a curved portion along a side thereof that extends radially outward from a side of the handle. 
     
     
         15 . The multifunctional utensil of  claim 7 , wherein the fork includes inner and outer tines and at least one of the outer tines includes a knife-like cutting or splitting edge. 
     
     
         16 . The multifunctional utensil of  claim 7 , wherein the fork has a double curvature geometry.