US27802A - Culinary foek and spoon - Google Patents

Description

NITEI) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW HILLS, OF NAUGATUCK, CONNECTICUT.

CULINARY FORK .AND SPOON.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 27,802, dated April 10, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW HILLS, of Naugatuck, in the county of New I-Iaven and State of Connecticut., have invented a Combined Vegetable Fork and Ladle-Tongs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being' had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my invention. Fig. Q is a side view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

The object of this invention is to facilitate the removal of vegetables, etc., from a pot of boiling water. It is to be made so as to` grasp and hold such articles firmly, and at the same time so that it will not injure them, such for instance as potatoes and turnips, that frequently fall to pieces when it is attempted to remove them from a boiler, while the water is steaming, with a fork or ordinary spoon; the o-peration is ditlicult and the hands are frequently hurt, on account of the slow manner of removing them.

My invention consists in combining two ladles, or spoon-shaped tongs, with a fork, and in constructing them of two pieces of suitable steel wire, bent up in a novel manner, and attachedto a handle, in such a way that strength and elasticity are suitably combined, a guide and tongue is formed for preventing lateral movement of the ladle arms, and the utensil is formed in a complete, light and exceedingly cheap manner, so as to be handy and conveniently used as will be hereinafter described and represented.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the drawings A, A represent two pieces of wire, round or square, of a suitable size and possessing the requisite elasticity.

B is the handle or block to which both pieces of wire are secured, as will be hereinafter described. These three pieces A, A, and B, serve to form the utensil in question, when shaped as follows: The two wires are cut nearly of the same length, and the ladles are formed by coiling the wire up and pressing it down in the center, as represented in Fig. 1, by C, C, which forms two concave spiral holders or ladles; the wires are then bent at right angles to the ladles, and drawn out straight for some distance forming portions D, D, the wire of portion D, is then bent at right angles, carried down a suitable distance and bent short around and carried back to the straight portion D, again, and this forms a tongue or guide E, which is curved slightly, twisted at one end, next the wire D, and bent so as to form a short stop piece or hook at the other end. The wire D, at the point opposite this tongue is bent around the tongue forming an elongated eye E, through which the tongue plays, and which keeps the tongue with its arm D, in proper position. The two wires D, D, are then continued on, bent up at a., b, forming portions for the lingers to rest on for operating the ladles, and, at a suitable distance from the ladles, they are coiled up so as to form springs Gr, G, which tend to keep the ladles spread apart. At th-ese points and just in rear of the springs G, G, the wires are passed through holes cut into the wood handle B,-as clearly represented by Fig. 2,-and drawn out and passed along the edges of the handle, which has slots cut into it to receive the wires. After passing over the handle the two wires are then brought together and twisted together, as shown at c, then spread apart, curved up and sharpened on their ends forming a two-pronged fork J, which will answer all ordinary requirements, and many useful purposes. In this manner and out of two pieces of wire, and a small block of wood, with two holes bored into it, I construct a very useful culinary utensil combining both a fork and tongs, which, with proper tools, may be made for a very trifling cost.

I do not claim a combined ladle and fork when the same are used conjointly for on-e and the same purpose at the same time; nor do I claim the several parts irrespective of their arrangement and construction; but

That I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The double ladle C, C, tongue and eye E, E', springs G, Gr', handle B, and fork J, when the same are constructed and arranged as represented and described, constituting a new article of manufacture.

ANDREW HILLS.

Witnesses:

CALVIN A. HoToHKIss, DAVID SMITH.

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