Handling: hand and hoist-line implements – Hand bars and hand barrows – Opposing jaws
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-06
2003-05-27
Lillis, Eileen D. (Department: 3652)
Handling: hand and hoist-line implements
Hand bars and hand barrows
Opposing jaws
C294S028000, C294S099200, C294S106000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06568728
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a positioning structure for grill tongs, which utilizes a lever plate located at the intersection of tong bodies capable of levering the positioning structure up and bottom at the top and bottom notches located at the intersection edge of the tongs bodies, allowing the sides of the lever plate inserted into the notches to open the tong bodies or the lever plate being positioned against the intersection edge to close the tong bodies.
2. Description of Related Art
Tongs used to pick food are normally made of elastic material, such as elastic steel or plastic piece formed by bending as a whole. As such it will always stay open during normal operation, when picking up an object, one applies force on both sides of tong bodies to get them together to achieve a picking purpose. Another tong structure is adapted with two independent tong bodies, in which one side of both bodies is provided with an elastically activated springy plate to connect each other. Hence, despite having two independent parts, they can still perform the picking function and the picking concept is the same as that of one-body tongs. Certainly, such tongs during normal condition keeps the tongs bodies always open.
Regardless of whatever one-body bent forming type or two tong bodies the elastic connection type is, the mouth of the tongs during normal operation takes the open status. Tongs have thin and slender shape, and its size during the process of picking object is apparently smaller than its size in normal condition when it is not in use. As mentioned, tongs stay open when it is not in use, while the size generated by opening tongs implicitly causes unnecessary occupation of storage space. Another phenomenon is that tongs may be temporarily kept for next usage. In the meantime, most tongs will be randomly put in a basket, causing the basket capacity to get smaller as a result of the unmanaged space occupation of open tongs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To solve the space occupation problem for tongs temporarily not in use, the only way is to enclose tongs for storage or placement. Certainly, the way of enclosing the tongs is temporary, implying that it is still possible to open by unlocking it during operation of the tongs. To achieve this, the invention provides a positioning structure for tongs such that it is provided with a lever plate over the intersection of two tongs bodies capable of performing the adjustment for top, middle and bottom positions. In addition, top and bottom notches are provided on edges of the opposite sides of the two tongs bodies end edges over the intersection of the lever plate so that the tongs can be positioned at high or low positions with the lever plate. The two sides of lever plate can just be inserted in the top notch or bottom notch of the opposite edge of the tongs bodies to extend the contact ends of the tong bodies properly to be ready for the operation state of tongs. On the other hand, when putting the lever plate to the middle position, two sides of the lever plate go against the opposite edges of the tongs bodies, restraining the connection end of the tongs bodies from being extended and thus causing the tongs to be closed and unable to be open. By means of the fitting conditions of the positions of the lever with respect to the opposite edges of the tongs bodies, the open or closed conditions of the tongs can be determined. Consequently, under circumstance that no operation or long storage time is required, the tongs can be positioned by closing it thus solving the space occupation problem caused by the storage of open tongs.
REFERENCES:
patent: 763338 (1904-06-01), Baker
patent: 2864645 (1958-12-01), Meldrum
patent: D254767 (1980-04-01), Christen, Jr.
patent: 5199756 (1993-04-01), Bartlett et al.
patent: 6056338 (2000-05-01), Kerr
patent: 6089631 (2000-07-01), Thurlow et al.
patent: 6092847 (2000-07-01), Kwan
Bacon & Thomas PLLC
Chin Paul T.
Lillis Eileen D.
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