GB2469464A

GB2469464A - Device for expelling the contents of a sachet

Info

Publication number: GB2469464A
Application number: GB0906395A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Marc Mckenzie
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-04-15
Filing date: 2009-04-15
Publication date: 2010-10-20
Also published as: GB0906395D0

Abstract

A device 1 for expelling the contents of a sachet or pouch comprises a handle 3 and two elongate members 4. The elongate members 4 extend from the handle 3 and are positioned substantially parallel with a slot, slit or gap 2 there between. In use, a flattened end of a sachet of pouch can be passed through the slot 2 in the device 1 and can then be pulled further through the slot 2 by hand, thus causing the sachet's contents to be expelled, The members 4 may be rotatable about a spindle, directly or indirectly, by hand or electric motor. The device 1 may be produced in the form of a fork, spoon or knife. The sachet may contain moist pet food. A device in the form of a box or container having a slot through which a sachet is passed is also disclosed.

Description

Sachet Fork The current invention relates to a device and method that can be employed to assist with the emptying of contents of packaging pouches or sachets such as those containing foodstuffs or the like.

Packaging sachets have been utilised for many years; all manner of substances including consumables can conveniently be packaged and contained therein; e.g., cat or kitten food is often packaged in convenient single-portion wet-food' (or moist-food) sachets. When endeavouring to empty out contents from such sachets, a considerable amount of manual effort, involving much time-consuming squeezing and manipulating of the sachet and its contents is often necessary to cause dispensation of most of the sachet's contents. However, even after a fair amount of dedicated manual effort, a considerable quantity of a sachet's contents often still remains within the sachet; this usable remainder is generally disposed of unnecessarily as food waste.

Such aforementioned shortcomings can render existing methods of eliciting contents from food sachets quite time consuming and awkward for many people and the unnecessary food-waste factor needs to be overcome.

Accordingly, to overcome general dissatisfaction with existing methods of emptying sachets' contents for reasons such as inconvenience and waste, the present invention discloses an implement or device that can be used to effectively educe all or most of the contents from such sachets.

Use of the disclosed invention will obviate the usual time-consuming requirement to laboriously manipulate contents of sachets by hand', e.g., when trying to drive contents out of an opening in such a sachet.

Employing the current device and method in conjunction with sachets containing contents will reduce the amount of usable contents that generally get thrown away unnecessarily as waste' due to the undesirable tendency of some of the contents to remain lodged within the sachet despite endeavouring to educe them.

Note: The current invention, amongst other things, discloses the related and novel embodiments of: a take-away' food fork -a small, disposable, dual-purpose, slotted two-pronged fork to be used for eliciting sauces and the like from small sachets as well as for eating the likes of take-away foods with; a pet-food serving utensil; a scissors-like hinged device; a device with safety prongs' and a container for containing a plurality of sachets as well as for assisting with the emptying of sachet contents.

An easily-gripped, easily-emptied sachet that can be used to contain substance, e.g., foodstuffs, is disclosed in a related patent application.

In a basic preferred embodiment of the current invention, a slot' (also known as a slit') in a hand-held device is formed by arranging two substantially elongated members in proximity, substantially parallel axially. In use, a flattened end of a sachet or pouch (containing moist pet-foods or another substance) can be passed through the narrow slot in the device and can then be pulled further through the slot by hand, thus causing the sachet's contents to be expelled efficiently and progressively through a pre-made opening in the sachet (such as a tear in the sachet material), as the sachet is further drawn through the slot; or, in some alternative embodiments of the current invention, substantially elongated members can be made rotatable, directly or indirectly, by hand, electric motor or both, such that in use, rotating the members causes a sachet's adjacent flattened end and surfaces to be gripped by the rotating members and drawn through the slot due to frictional forces between the sachet and rotating members.

Alternatively, to eject only a measured part of the contents of a sachet, the substantially parallel members of the current device can be passed, at approximately 90 degrees (perpendicular) to a sachet's longitudinal axis with one member bearing on each face of the sachet, across the breadth of the sachet's front and rear faces, at any desired position on the sachet's length, thus causing the sachet's front and rear faces to be gently pinched' or brought together by the substantially parallel members bearing against the sachet's front and rear faces, the narrowness of the slot, or, the proximity of the opposing faces of the members thereby causing part of the sachet's contents to be generally partitioned off and separated from the rest; the food-ejecting process can then be carried out in various ways such as described above, e.g., by pulling the sachet through the slot between the members, by hand.

Several embodiments of the current invention are designed to facilitate various related practical tasks and can therefore have various additional functions enabled by incorporating one or more additional features; e.g., a variety of slots, blades, prongs, utensils etc., of various designs and arrangements can be present on the device in any preferred combination to enable enhanced or extended functionality of the device.

In various embodiments of the current device: it can be combined or integrated with a pet-food serving implement; it can include one or more knife-like blades'; it can incorporate a safety' sachet cutter; it can have safety prongs'; it can be incorporated into cutlery or other known or existing devices as deemed suitable; it can have one or more members or additional implements detachably attached, incorporated into or housed within any part of the device; e.g., a utensil can be housed within a handle, or a knife or blade can be sheathed within a handle like a sword in a scabbard and/or can be unsheathed or removed from a handle and then attached to a handle with the blade in a usable position; alternatively, a blade or implement can retractably extend or pivot from a handle and can be operated in a similar fashion to that of a switch-blade or flick-knife', penknife etc.; it can employ a combination of rotatable and non-rotatable members; opposed surfaces forming the main lateral faces of a slot can come into surface contact under normal-use' circumstances thus temporarily partially occluding or completely closing the opening of a slot (in some other embodiments of the device this is not easily possible under normal-use circumstances); one or more members can come into varying, or, adjustable surface pressure contact with another member or members or another part of a device or its associated components; where it is preferred to utilise a variable size (or narrowness) of slot opening, members can be brought into parallel proximity or contact by any appropriate means such as being mounted sufficiently flexibly at one or more attachment ends that they can be brought closer together by the action of squeezing them together, directly or indirectly; there are one or more loops provided on a device to allow insertion of a finger and/or thumb therein to enable one or more members to be operated like one or more pincers; members can be spring-loaded apart and can be brought together by squeezing them together directly or by squeezing another part of the device; e.g., the handle can be made of two halves with each half being integral with a member and arranged to operate as levers being pivotally connected about a pintle (similar to scissors' action) such that when the two halves of the handle are brought closer together the members also become closer together thus making the slot become narrower or closing it completely; conversely, the members can be spring-loaded together and parted in a similar fashion; one or more members are not spring-loaded and can be parted and brought together as otherwise described; during operation, one or more members or rotatably mounted slotted components can become disposed in a substantially oblique manner relative to one or more members or a face or edge of the device rather than sustaining a substantially parallel relationship thereto; e.g., in some scissors-like or pivotally connected arrangements, even when handles and members are brought fully together there still remains a narrow opening at a slot; a section of the device, such as a part of two or more members or member assemblies, has one or more straight or curved portion forming jaws like pliers for gripping, such that the device can be used for releasing closures such as bottle tops or for pulling the likes of pull-tabs on milk or sauce containers and the like, or has a hooked portion or implement to assist with releasing closures such as lever-off bottle tops and the like; a wiper mechanism which can wipe one or more members, slots, rotatably mounted slotted components, or part thereof, is provided; e.g., wherein a sliding mechanism is spring biased to return to a distal end of one or more members and wherein the spring biased mechanism can be retracted towards a proximal end of one or more members and secured in this position by a catch operable via a control such as a button or a lever and wherein upon operating the control to release the catch the wiper mechanism is caused or allowed to travel substantially parallel with one or more members or a face or edge thereof and wipe one or more slots; a slot is formed by one or more members or one or more parts thereof which are in or can be brought into adjacency with one or more faces or edges of the said device; e.g., wherein a sachet can be placed on a flat platform-like base and a member can be brought into surface contact with the sachet and drawn across the sachet to expel contents; a slot is formed integral or in conjunction with a packaging container, e.g., a box or lid of a box, and in some variations of the device one or more sections or parts comprising or reinforcing members and/or forming a slot can be detachably attached to a box or container such that they can be utilised either in conjunction with the box or container or temporarily or permanently removed from the box or container and used solo. Thus, a box or container is designed for use both as packaging to contain and store filled sachets as well as for facilitating educing of the contents of sachets; one or more ends of one or more slots can be open-ended or closed as is deemed appropriate for an intended purpose or application.

The present invention is shown and described herein in what are considered to be preferred embodiments thereof although the invention is not limited to those specific embodiments. Those of ordinary skill in the relevant art will understand that the invention disclosed herein can have additional embodiments which can be practised without several of the details described below. In other instances those of ordinary skill in the relevant art will appreciate that the methods and systems described can include additional details without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosed embodiments. In addition, some well-known structures and systems often associated with utensils and packagings have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the various embodiments of the current invention.

Therefore, the forms of the invention shown and described herein are to be taken as illustrative as other embodiments may be selected without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Several preferred embodiments of the current invention and its modus operandi will now be described below solely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a device having two members, a slot and a handle.

Figure la shows a hinged embodiment of the current device.

Figure lb shows a sectional view through the long axis of two members being set at a rake angle.

Figure ic shows a device having an additional rotatable component.

Figure 2 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention in which two members are rotatably mounted on spindles.

Figure 3 shows an alternative disposable embodiment of the device.

Figure 4 shows another alternative embodiment of the invention having a prong on the end of each of two members and a void disposed towards the handle.

Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention which is integrated into a fork-like, food-serving implement.

Figure 6 shows an alternative version of the device integrated into a knife-like implement.

Figure 7 shows an alternative embodiment of the device having several features incorporated.

Figure 8 shows an alternative version of the current device integrated into part of a box type of storage container.

Figure Ba shows part of a longitudinal sectional view through the device in figure 8.

Figure Sb shows a sectional view of part of a box lid having mouldings.

Figure Sc shows a sectional view of part of a box and a box lid having mouldings fitted.

Figure 9 shows two mouldings in accordance with the current invention.

Figure 9a shows a sectional view of the mouldings shown in figure 9 mounted on part of a box.

Figure 10 shows an existing type of sachet embodiment.

Drawings Reference Numbers: 1 Device 9a Box Lid 2 Slot 10 Thumb-Wheel 2a Rotatable Slot 11 Spindle 3 Handle 12 Location of Seal 4 Member 13 Rotatably Mounted 4a Member (Rotatable) Component 4b Soft Face 14 Pin/Pivot/Hinge Sachet 14a Elongated Hole 6 Prong 14b Rod 6a Soft Prong Tip 15 Guide Channel 7 Recessed Sachet Cutter 16 Moulding 8 Blade 17 Enmeshed Gears 9 Box The description that follows is presented to enable one skilled in the relevant art to make and use the present invention and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and the general principles discussed herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the current invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments disclosed, but, the invention is to be given the largest possible scope which is consistent with the principles and features described herein.

Figure 1 shows a hand-held device 1, having two substantially parallel members 4 arranged in proximity thus forming a slot 2 which is open-ended, and a handle 3. With the longitudinal axis of the slot 2 positioned at approx. right angles to a sachet's longitudinal axis and on approx. the same plane as a sachet's front and rear faces, and with slot 2 adjacent to, and facing one edge of sachet 5; one pre-flattened end of sachet 5 can be inserted through slot 2 such that it passes between the two parallel members 4; or alternatively, the distal ends of the two members 4 can be passed one each side of the sachet 5, transversely across the full breadth of the sachet's front and rear faces at a position close to one end of the sachet 5, to cause the adjacent portions of the sachet's front and rear faces to be brought into proximity or gently pinched together due to the proximity of the opposed faces of the two members 4 and the dimensions of the slot 2; the sachet 5 can then be pulled through the slot 2 between the members 4 by hand, in a direction at approximately right angles to the longitudinal axis of the members 4; or, conversely, the device 1 with members' 4 longitudinal axes being maintained approximately perpendicular to a sachet's longitudinal axis can be drawn along the length of the sachet 5 in a direction towards the aperture, substantially in accord with the sachet's longitudinal axis; until the device 1 is clear of the sachet 5, to thereby cause the sachet's contents to become ejected, in a controlled fashion, through a pre-made aperture at an appropriate position on the sachet 5. In some instances, it may be preferred that some of the more readily-ejectable contents of an opened sachet 5 be ejected prior to utilising the device 1.

To cause only a measured part of the sachet's contents to be ejected from the sachet 5: with the longitudinal axis of the two members 4 at approx.

right angles to the longitudinal axis of the sachet 5 and on approx. the same plane as the sachet's front and rear faces, the distal ends of the members 4 can be passed one each side across the full breadth of the sachet's faces at a chosen position along its length, e.g., at approx.

halfway along its length, causing the contacted area of the sachet's front and rear faces to be gently pinched' together due to the proximity of the opposed faces of the two members 4 and thereby causing a portion of the sachet's contents to be partitioned off or separated from the rest; the sachet 5 can be drawn through the slot 2 by hand approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of device 1, or, the sachet 5 can be gripped by hand whilst the device 1, with its longitudinal axis being maintained approximately perpendicular to the sachet's longitudinal axis, can be drawn along the length of the sachet 5 in a direction towards the aperture and approximately parallel with the sachet's longitudinal axis until the sachet 5 is clear of slot 2, to thereby cause no more or less than an intended portion of the sachet's contents, e.g., half of the sachet's contents, to be ejected in a measured and controlled fashion through a pre-made opening in the opposite end of the sachet 5 to that which is being gripped.

This action conveniently leaves the remainder of the sachet's contents generally disposed towards the unopened end of the sachet 5, thus rendering it convenient to fold over the opened end of the sachet 5 to re-seal it, without first having to force the remainder of the contents further inside the sachet 5 away from the opened end of the sachet 5. The folded over, opened end of the sachet can be inserted into the slot 2 to secure its closure.

In any embodiment of the current device any part of the device, e.g., a member, can be of any desired proportions, length, diameter, shape, contour or form as deemed appropriate for the intended purpose or application described, e.g., one or more curved or angled members.

In a preferred embodiment of device 1 such as shown in figure 1, it is desirable to use a material having a reasonably low surface coefficient of friction for the opposing faces or surfaces of one or more of the members 4 such that a sachet 5 having its front and rear faces pinched together by the opposed faces of the members 4 can easily be pulled through the slot 2 smoothly, without snagging or juddering.

Figure la shows a scissors-like hinged embodiment of device 1 having an operating action which maintains two members 4 substantially parallel whilst allowing them to be parted and brought together by combining a pivoting/sliding hinged arrangement 4 and a scissors-like pintle action.

There are five pins 14 and two rods 14b each having an elongated hole 14a (having a length and a width) formed at one end. The rods 14b are fixed to and can be pivoted on the central pin 14 as well as the two right-most pins 14 [as viewed in fig la] which are attached to a respective rod 14b. The other two pins 14 are attached to a respective rod 14b and are retained captive within each elongated hole 14a and can slide back-and-forth therein as the members 4 are brought together or apart by operating the handles 3, thus maintaining the two members 4 substantially parallel during operation.

The pins 14 within the elongated holes 14a can have one or more rollers, bushings or bearings fitted on which to easily pivot, slide and or or roll over and the pins or pin assemblies (complete with rollers, bushings or bearings) are of a suitable overall diameter to slide along easily within the voids but have very little lateral movement inside the voids, i.e., the pins or pin assemblies have a very slightly smaller diameter than the width of the voids within which they can articulate.

Alternatively, a squeeze-to-operate type of handle can be employed; e.g., wherein two handles 3 of an elongated construction are spring-loaded apart such that by gripping the handles and squeezing them together against the force of a spring, the members 4 are brought closer together and by lessening of grip on the handles the force of the spring can cause or allow the members 4 and handles to part.

In some embodiments, the distal ends of members 4 or handles 3 may be interlockable in a closed position for added rigidity or to assist in closure or sealing of an opened sachet. Members 4 or handles 3 can have one or more magnets attached or integrated which can be arranged magnetically attracted or opposed.

The hand'e 3, the members 4, or any of the other parts or utensils featured in the various embodiments of device 1 can be detachable, foldable or retractable; e.g., members 4 can be retracted or folded into a handle 3 of an alternative embodiment of device 1. A device 1 can be made hangable for storage purposes, e.g., by incorporating a loop, hook or magnet etc. In various embodiments of device 1, it can be seen that the action of bringing members 4 together, apart, or otherwise, e.g., bringing members 4 into a storage position' inside a handle 3, can readily be achieved in a variety of alternative ways other than those specifically described herein; e.g., utilising various types of electrical and/or mechanical action, including but not restricted to employing a scissors-like' or pivoting action or utilising another system of levers, or, using gears, cams hinges or any combination of these and other types of action to animate one or more members 4 directly or indirectly; e.g., operating various buttons, levers or other controls can be made to cause the device 1 to function as intended.

In various designs of the current invention where it is preferable to have minimal frictional surface contact between one or more members and a sachet, one or more longitudinal faces of one or more members can be radiused, angled or tapered to form a narrow edge or face where it will come into contact with faces or surfaces of a sachet during normal use (see Figure lb.) Figure lb shows a sectional view of the two members 4 of device 1 shown in figure 1, as viewed along the long axis of the device from the end opposite the handle. Any of the faces or edges of members 4 can be angled to have a positive or negative rake angle, shown as A', in relation to the direction of travel of a pulled sachet 5 shown as C'; the rake angle can in some embodiments be variable or adjustable and can be employed to set' a device 1 for LH or RH use.

In some embodiments of the current device, a rake angle of one or more members 4 can be manually changed or in some other alternative embodiments it can automatically change from positive to negative rake during use, in accord with the direction in which a sachet is being pulled or drawn through a slot, e.g., by said pulled or drawn sachet causing partial rotation of one or more members, or, by flipping one or more members or a face or edge thereof from one rake angle to another (e.g. from a positive rake angle to a negative rake angle) in a similar action to that of a windscreen (windshield) wiper blade when its wiper arm reverses direction at the end of its travel as it traverses back-and-forth across a windscreen.

Figure ic shows a sectional view of a device 1 having a rotatably mounted slotted component comprising two elongated parallel members 13 mounted to device 1 at their proximal ends and rotatable about a common centre point midway between long axes (indicated at P') to thus form a rotatable slot 2a.

The rotatable slot 2a can be brought into alignment with slot 2 and a sachet 5 can be partly inserted through both slot 2 and the aligned rotatable slot 2a; rotatably mounted slotted component members 13 and slot 2a can now be rotated by any suitable means, e.g., via a wing-nut attached to a crown-wheel rotatably mounted on device 1 and driving a pinion attached to and axially aligned with a central point between the longitudinal axes of the rotatably mounted slotted component members 13 and disposed towards their proximal ends, such that the sachet will then become coiled around rotatably mounted slotted component members 13 and thus captured or gripped and further drawn through slot 2. In various embodiments of device 1, rotatably mounted slotted component members 13 can be made rotatable by employing various types of mechanism and control, e.g., a thumb-wheel can be made to operate gears manually or an electric motor can be employed or in some cases various operating means may be incorporated, e.g., an electrical version with a manual operating mechanism as an added feature. A one-way mechanism can be employed to allow rotation of components in one direction only.

Instead of using rotatably mounted slotted component members 13 to grip and draw a sachet through a slot 2, many other types of mechanism can be employed to grip and draw a sachet, e.g., a spindle rotatably mounted to device 1 (in a way similar to members 4a), having a hook which engages in an aperture of a sachet or having spring-loaded pincers or some other means to capture or grip a sachet.

There can be one or more indicators or arrows provided on device 1 indicating the direction in which to pull or draw a sachet 5 or the device 1, or showing the rotational direction of a member 4 or another component.

In various embodiments of the device 1, one or more rotatable or non-rotatable members 4, 4a are arranged in proximity, or can be brought into an adjacent arrangement, substantially parallel axially or to a face or edge of a device 1 to create one or more slots 2.

Figure 2 shows another embodiment of device 1, having two rotatable members 4a forming a slot 2. The members 4a are secured to and rotatably mounted on two substantially parallel spindles 11 attached to device 1 and can be ably rotated about the axes of their respective spindles 11. The flattened end of a sachet 5 can be passed through the slot 2 between the members 4a and then pulled further through the slot 2 by hand, or, it can be drawn further through the slot 2 by the frictional force between the sachet surface and that of the two opposed, rotating members, by rotating one or both of the rotating members 4a via thumb-wheel 10 thereby causing the sachet's contents to be progressively expelled through a pre-made opening in the sachet material. The thumb-wheel 10 in a simple form is a knurled section around the proximal end of one or both of the rotatable members 4a, or, it can be a ring of a material having a relatively high surface coefficient of friction which is integrated with, or fixedly attached to rotatable member(s) 4a. The thumb-wheel can be distended in some designs to increase its effective In some variations of device 1 a portion of the rotatable members 4a, e.g., adjacent thumb-wheel 10, can incorporate enmeshed gear teeth 17 such that rotating one rotatable member 4a in one direction causes another rotatable member 4a to counter-rotate. This action can help the rotatable members 4a to pinch' or grip a sachet 5 as it is being fed into a slot 2 and helps to draw the sachet through the slot. Alternatively, one or more drive belts or any other suitable driving means can be incorporated into the device and utilised to achieve the same effect.

In some embodiments of the current invention, rotatable members 4a can be rotatably mounted on one or more bearings or bushings (not shown); there can be one or more seals (not shown) located at 12 or at another suitable position to prevent contamination of components such as rotatable members 4a, bearings, bushings or spindles 11.

In various alternative embodiments of the current invention one or more rotatable members 4a can be animated or rotated by operating one or more electric motors incorporated into the device 1.

Alternatively, in various embodiments of device 1, rotatable members 4a can be made rotatably mounted by any suitable means other than by utilising one or more spindles 11; e.g., by utilising one or more suitable alternative mounting devices, components and/or mechanisms; e.g., being rotatably mounted on a spigot, a boss or in a recess on a device, or being mounted on an inner race of one or more tapered-, plain-or needle-roller bearings having one or more outer races mounted to the device, etc. Another preferred embodiment of device 1 has one member 4 of a smaller diameter, e.g., 3 -6 mm dia., which is non-rotatably mounted and made of a hard solid material having a smooth surface, e.g., polished stainless steel, and one rotatable member 4a having a larger diameter, e.g., 6 - 12mm, and having a rubbery' surface, e.g., being synthetic-rubber coated or sleeved. The rubbery member 4a is rotatably mounted on a spindle 11 and is rotatable clockwise and or anti-clockwise by hand or by a uni-or bi-directional electric motor which is controlled by motor-control circuitry housed on or inside the device, e.g., inside the handle 3, and is operable by one or more single-, multi-, or variable-position switches (not shown) mounted on the device 1, preferably on or near the handle 3 and powered by a preferably rechargeable battery and or AC/DC electrical power including household mains electricity. A battery charger and/or power supply can be included integral or external.

In some embodiments of the current invention a rotatable member or members 4a can be rotated manually by rotating a handle, e.g., a crank type of handle (not shown) which can be caused to rotate one or more members 4a directly or via a mechanism utilising e.g., gears or a toothed drive-belt (not shown). Any appropriate gearing can be employed as preferred to cause the intended and proper functioning of device 1.

In some embodiments of device 1, operating a handle 3, control or switch can cause a single or multi action to occur; e.g., squeezing a trigger or squeezing together two spring-loaded-apart sections of a handle 3 can primarily cause two or more members 4, 4a, to be brought together and in some embodiments of the current invention can simultaneously or subsequently cause rotation of one or more rotatable members 4a.

This type of mechanism can further incorporate a one-way or ratcheting type of action such that as one or more of the control components are being allowed to return toward their starting positions (having already been operated to cause some rotation of one or more rotatable members 4a), a rotatable member 4a does not become counter rotated, so that handle 3 components can be repeatedly operated, e.g., squeezed together and partly released, to thus draw a sachet 5 progressively through a slot 2 whilst keeping members 4, 4a in relative parallel alignment, proximity and/or contact with a sachet's front and rear faces (e.g., by tightening and lessening of hand grip on a handle 3).

One or more variations or features of a device 1 are specifically intended to assist with serving of and/or consumption of snack foods or café-type foods and some of a device's features are intended to be of specific use to children, infirm people, elderly people etc. Figure 3 shows a disposable embodiment of the current device 1 in which a preferably wooden or plastic' device 1 has a handle 3, two members 4 and a slot 2. This simple embodiment of device 1 is specifically intended for use with small sachets such as those containing ketchups and the like and can be provided for customers' use in pubs or restaurants where a variety of such sachets containing a selection of sauces or condiments are offered for customer consumption.

Similar but non-disposable embodiments are also envisaged.

Various embodiments of device 1 can have dual-or multi-function integrated: Figure 4 shows a disposable embodiment of device 1 having a slot 2 and a tapered prong 6 at the distal end of each of two substantially parallel members 4. This dual-purpose embodiment can be used for educing the contents from the likes of condiments sachets as well as for spearing' foodstuffs with the prongs 6 when consuming the likes of take-away foods, e.g., fish & chips.

The void shown as V' can be present or not and may be employed to convey information, e.g., merchandising information such as a company trademark, logo or message; e.g., a void Vt can be made in the shape of a Crescent Moon or one or more symbols, numerals or letters of the alphabet etc. A device 1 may have such information printed on it by any appropriate means, e.g., painted, scorched, engraved etc. A void, relief or flexible portion appropriately placed at one or more points on device 1, e.g., where two members 4 join a handle 3, can also allow the members some flexibility of movement such that by squeezing members 4 together there is sufficient flex in the material of device 1 to allow slot 2 to become narrower.

A similar but non-disposable embodiment is also envisaged.

Variations of device 1 can embody more or less than two prongs, as desired.

One or more variations of the current invention are specifically intended to assist with the serving of pet foods such as those contained in pet-food sachets. Sachets can easily be emptied by means of slot 2 and a sachets contents can further be broken up or otherwise manipulated by utilising prongs 6 or other parts of device 1.

Figure 5 shows a fork-like embodiment of the current device 1. In some alternative versions of device 1 the distal ends of prongs 6 feature a safety device. In figure 5, the tips 6a of the prongs 6 of device 1 are coated with (or made of) a tough, durable but relatively soft material such that they are capable of being used to spear (or fork) food in-the-usual-manner, whilst having an added safety benefit: sometimes when eating food with a fork one can inadvertently knock the fork's prongs against one's teeth, gums or lips causing some pain or damage if the ends of the prongs are made of a hard material (this sort of collision can happen quite often when either children, elderly or infirm people are eating); the softer material at the ends of prongs 6 will cushion any impact of such a collision and is unlikely to cause serious pain or damage to teeth, gums or lips.

The prongs 6 or any part of the prongs can be made of or coated with various types of materials, e.g., the distal ends of the prongs 6 can be made of hard plastic and the prong tips 6a silicon rubber coated, with the remaining proximal portion of the prongs 6, members 4 and handle 3 being made of stainless steel; the plastic, rubber and steel preferably being permanently attached together by any suitable method such as, e.g., bonded, clamped, fused, inserted, moulded, screwed etc. In several embodiments of the device 1, one or more prongs 6 and or members 4 or handle 3 can be formed into a tool, working surface or edge suitable for being used to cut or break up a substance; e.g., an edge or face of one or more outer prongs 6 and or members 4 of a device 1 can be laterally extended, substantially flattened in a similar fashion to that of a knife blade, and serrated along one or more straight or curved edges to thus create a knife-like cutting blade' which can be utilised for the likes of cutting open sachets or for cutting or breaking up food.

Figure 6 shows another variation of the current invention, being incorporated into a basic knife-like implement. Alternatively, one or more slots 2 can be incorporated into a knife or any other suitable implement's handle instead of a knife's blade as is shown.

A spoon-like embodiment of device 1 is envisaged (not shown) having a slot 2 running longitudinally through all or part of the spoon's handle.

Figure 7 shows an embodiment of device 1, having several features including, two members 4 with silicon-rubber soft faces 4b, two prongs 6, safety sachet cutter 7 and utility blade 8. Sometimes it is required to make a small cut or notch in a sachet 5 to enable the sachet material to readily be torn to thus create an opening in a sachet 5; safety sachet cutter 7 is provided for this purpose; it has a sharp blade shielded from inadvertent human contact by being safely recessed in the handle 3 although in various alternative embodiments of device 1 it can be located anywhere on the device 1 as preferred. The recess should generally be made too narrow to allow insertion of a human finger and need only be approx. 2 -6 mm across opposing faces and approx. 6 -10 mm deep to allow for an edge of a sachet 5 to be easily inserted to a sufficient depth so that the sachet cutter 7 can easily and safely be used to cut through a sachet's material. Alternatively, a different type of cutting mechanism can be employed, e.g., whereby a sachet 5 is inserted into a recess as described above and by operating a hand control, e.g., pushing a button or lever, a cutter is operated thereby creating a cut or notch in the sachet material.

In several embodiments of the device 1, any part of the device can be made replaceable, e.g., one or more replaceable prongs 6, cutters 7, blades 8 or members 4 etc. Figures 8, 8a, 8b, 8c show a version of device 1 having a slot 2 integral with a box 9 and/or box lid 9a.

In some embodiments of the current invention, e.g., in a box type of embodiment where there are two or more slots 2 passing through two or more faces of a box 9, it can be desirable to form a substantially enclosed guide channel 15 between slots 2 to allow an unopened end of a sachet 5 to be inserted into a first slot 2 in a lid 9a of a box 9 (preferably in the direction of the arrow A') so that it passes through the first slot 2 and through a guide channel 15 between a plurality of slots 2 such that the inserted end of the sachet 5 can is guided through the region between slots 2 and thus made to protrude sufficiently or exit from one or more secondary (preferably wider) slots 2 to allow it to be gripped and pulled completely through the slots 2 (and channel 15), by hand or otherwise, until it is clear of the box 9 and/or lid 9a, thereby causing a sachet's contents to become ejected through a pre-made opening in the sachet 5 due to the narrowness of the aperture of the first entered slot 2.

The material of a lid 9a can be sufficiently flexible or have a flexible portion, such that it can readily bend or hinge at an appropriate position, e.g., at 14 in figure 8; alternatively, a lid 9a can be made easily removable, e.g., having easy-to-tear serrations or the like at a desired position, e.g., at 14 in figure 8.

To carry out the operation, a lid 9a may firstly be removed from a box 9, or, alternatively if lid 9a is not removed but is opened (hinged at the opposite end from slot 2) until its top outer face is facing downward and substantially parallel with the bottom face of the box, a food bowl or receptacle can conveniently be placed underneath the lid, directly below slot 2 before drawing the sachet 5 through slot 2; the mass (and contents) of box 9 lending some stability to the process.

It may be noted that in some embodiments of device 1, a preferred method of operation is to remove a lid 9a from a box 9 so that slot 2 can more easily be operated in a substantially vertical orientation thus possibly causing less food spread' upon ejection than when a slot 2 is utilised substantially horizontally disposed.

In some very basic embodiments of device 1 as integrated with a box or part of a box, a slot 2 can simply be an elongated void in any preferably reinforced face or edge of a box 9 or lid 9a, having contoured, folded and! or rolled faces and/or edges of preferably coated, rigid cardboard or plastic to form or reinforce members 4 or the longitudinal working' faces or edges thereof (see Figure 8b).

One or more appropriately shaped sections of plastic, cardboard or any other suitable material, e.g., a flat rectangular section of plastic, can be arranged to form or reinforce one or more members 4 forming a slot 2, by being suitably mounted on or attached to a box 9 or lid 9a by any desired means including but not restricted to, e.g., using an adhesive; utilising tabs that fit through slots or voids in the box 9 or lid 9a either with or without adhesive; utilising a tongue and groove method, etc. In some embodiments of device 1, one parallel member 4 is formed integral with or attached to a lid 9a of a box 9 and another member 4 is formed integral with or attached to a lower or main part of a box 9 such that the two members' faces can be brought together in substantially parallel proximity to form slot a 2 as a lid 9a is fully or partly closed on a box 9 (see Figure 8c).

It can readily be seen that substantially parallel members 4 can be detachably attached to and/or integral with any part of a box 9, 9a and can be partly or fully formed from the material(s) forming a box, e.g. cardboard, cardboard and plastic etc. It will be apparent that one or more slots 2 can be placed or formed at any desired angle or location on or adjacent to any part of any suitable box 9, 9a or other type of container.

It can be noted that in some embodiments of the current device one member can be used in co-operation with a face or edge of a box to effectively create a slot; the face or edge of the box functioning like a member.

Figures 9, 9a show a design of a two-part moulding 16 in accordance with the current invention; comprising two inserts or mouldings [6 made of plastic and attached to a lid 9a in a way that creates a slot 2 and/or complements the purpose and function of members 4 and reinforces their rigidity.

It can be seen that one or more mouldings 16 can form (as well as one or more slots 2) a guide channel 15 between two or more slots 2, i.e., two or more slots 2 in a box lid 9a having mouldings 16 fitted can have 2 or more walls' forming a substantially enclosed guide channel 15 between them; e.g., a rectangular box 9 having firstly a slot 2, parallel with and in proximity to a transverse edge of (a face of) a lid 9a, secondly a slot 2 on an adjacent face of the lid 9a in proximity with and parallel to the first slot 2 and thirdly one or more mouldings 16 forming one or more guide channels 15 between a plurality of slots 2 such that a sachet 5 being inserted into a first slot 2 is guided through a channel 15 created by mouldings 16 such that it is caused to emerge from one or more secondary slots 2; i.e., a sachet 5 can thus be pulled through a plurality slots 2 without necessitating opening or removing a lid 9a of a box 9.

Mouldings 16 can be fitted to any part of a box, box lid or any other type of container as desired. It may be noted there are many variations of types of mouldings 16 that can readily be utilised to fulfil the desired objectives of the current invention, e.g., a one-piece moulding, a two-piece moulding, alternatively-shaped mouldings etc. To avoid unnecessarily disclosing such mundane matter, all mouldings or inserts designed or adapted to fulfil any intended purpose of the present invention are to be considered as fully included within the intended spirit and scope of the current invention as disclosed herein and defined by the appended claims.

In any box type' of embodiment of device 1, any part of a box 9, e.g., a lid 9a incorporating a slot 2 and/or mouldings 16, can wholly or partly be made of plastics and/or any other similar or dissimilar materials as deemed appropriate.

A moulding can be ribbed and or filled with a substance, e.g., foam, to enhance its rigidity and/or functioning.

One or more mouldings 16 can be situated on any part of a box 9, 9a or other type of container or device 1.

A moulding' 16 need not necessarily be manufactured using a moulding process and can be formed by using any appropriate method, e.g., extrusion.

A moulding 16 can embody one or more utensils, e.g., an attachable, detachable moulding 16 can be made to have one or more slots 2 and also incorporate one or more edges or faces or other parts specifically shaped to assist with food preparation and/or serving, e.g., a serrated knife edge, sachet cutter, etc. One or more mouldings 16 can be provided unattached, e.g., inside a box 9, to be attached as required.

One or more rotatable members 4 can be incorporated into a box embodiment of the current invention as desired.

Any components, e.g., members 4, mouldings 16 etc. can be made easily removable or dismantleable for cleaning or any other type of use or maintenance.

Figure 10 Shows an existing popular type of standable' sachet 5 having a front F, rear R, length L, width W, depth D, top edge T, bottom edge(s) E and two side edges S. The sachet 5 is hermetically sealed at all edges.

These types of sachet usually feature a transverse inward fold or tuck 19 along the bottom edge(s) so that the front and rear faces can better expand in depth D and the sachet can therefore contain more volume of contents for a given sachet peripheral dimension. Generally, there is a small cut or notch 22 which aids in tearing open the sachet 5.

When opening one of these existing sachets to serve the contents one may choose to first break up the contents by hand by crushing the contents through the body of the sachet 5, then force any contents from inside the top region of the sachet before tearing the top off the sachet 5 from the notch 22 transversely across the full width of the sachet 5.

When endeavouring to squeeze or push some contents toward or out of the (relatively large) opening in such a sachet 5 by hand (i.e., without use of a device 1 as disclosed by the current invention), some of the sachet's contents can inadvertently and undesirably become directed or re-directed in directions other than towards or out of the opening in the sachet partly due to there being a varying mass of contents adjacent the squeezed or pushed part of the contents causing obstruction to the desired direction of flow of contents. Even after a considerable amount of dedicated manual effort, involving time-consuming squeezing and manipulating of a sachet and its contents in an attempt to cause dispensation of a sachet's contents, generally, a considerable quantity of the sachet's contents still remains within the sachet.

Any of the features shown in the various embodiments of device 1 or otherwise described herein can be utilised with or incorporated into any embodiment of the current device as deemed fitting.

Please note: The many embodiments of the current invention and its associated components can be made from any material or combination of materials as deemed suitable and any specific materials referred to herein are only intended to be considered as a general example.

Possible manufacturing materials for the current device are: stainless steel for a handle, member or blade, with one or more members being Teflon� faced or silicon-rubber coated; silicon rubber coating on prong tips; wood or plastic for disposable versions of the device. Some embodiments of device 1 or any part of the device, can be made of tough, flexible, resilient or deformable plastic or rubber-like materials or composites e.g., moulded thermo-plastics, silicon-based compounds etc. While the principles of the invention described herein have been made clear in illustrative embodiments, there will be immediately obvious to those skilled in the art many modifications of structure, arrangement, proportions, the elements, materials, and components used in the practice of the invention, and otherwise, which are particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements without departing from those principles; naturally, the principle of the invention remaining the same, the forms of embodiment and details of construction may be varied widely. The appended claims are intended to cover and embrace any and all such modifications within the limits only of the true purview, spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMSA device which can be used to aid in extracting contents from a sachet or pouch such as those used to contain foodstuffs and the like provided for human and/or animal consumption, the device comprising: one or more substantially elongated, substantially rigid members or one or more faces thereof, which are in or can be brought into adjacency substantially parallel in longitudinal axes to one or more said substantially elongated, substantially rigid members or one or more faces or edges thereof, or to a face or edge of the said device, to thus create one or more elongated slots (or slits) having or being able to attain suitable shape and dimensions such as length, depth and width of aperture, through which a sachet or one or more parts thereof, such as a bottom end, top end, side and/or a plurality of faces -having contents within and having dimensions such as one or more of any of the following: length, width, depth, thickness of material, top end, bottom end, side, front face, rear face -can readily be inserted or passed to thereby cause a portion of a plurality of the said sachet's faces to be brought into proximity and/or contact due to said suitable dimensions of the said slot being in accordance with the said sachet's said dimensions such as said width and thickness of material, such that as the said sachet is drawn further or completely through the said slot said contents will become displaced within the said sachet in a direction substantially opposed to the direction of travel of the said sachet through the said slot and can thusly be caused to eject through a pre-made tear or opening at a predetermined part of the said sachet.
2. The device as claimed in Claim 1, further characterised wherein one or more said members are rotatably mounted.
3. The device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 or 2, further characterised wherein one or more said members are substantially circular in cross-section as viewed along a member's longitudinal axis.
4. The device as claimed in any one of Claims 2 or 3, further characterised wherein one or more said members are secured to and rotatably mounted on one or more spindles attached to a said device.
5. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further characterised wherein one or more said members or spindles are attached either directly or indirectly to and extend from one or more handles, or alternatively or additionally have one or more finger or thumb oops or the like integrated or attached.
6. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein in contrast with general construction materials of the device, one or more members, or one or more faces, edges or other parts of said one or more members are composed of a relatively soft material, for example, a silicon rubber compound or the like.
7. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein any one of either (a), both (a) and (b), or (a), (b) and (c) of the following apply: (a) wherein one or more longitudinal faces or edges of one or more said members are tapered narrower in a direction substantially towards said slot to minimise surface contact with a sachet by offering a narrow contact area between said one or more faces or edges of one or more members and one or more faces of a sachet being pulled or drawn through a said slot, (b) wherein said one or more tapered faces or edges are set at or can attain a positive or negative rake angle in relation to the direction of travel of a sachet being pulled or drawn through one or more said slots, (c) wherein said rake angle is variable and/or adjustable either manually or automatically.
8. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein any one or more of the following apply: (a) one or more said members can be manoeuvred into and out of either parallel alignment, relative proximity or contact with one or more said members or a face or edge of the device to thus vary one or more dimensions such as the narrowness of an aperture of said one or more slots, (b) one or more said members can be manoeuvred to become oriented obliquely disposed from a previous orientation or obliquely disposed from or toward an existing orientation of one or more said members or a face or edge of the device, thus altering one or more slot aperture characteristics or dimensions, (c) a plurality of members can be secured together in proximity or in a closed position to enable the said device to be used for re-sealing an opened sachet.
9. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein a rotatably mounted component comprising a substantially elongated component having one or more slots, grips or hooks is rotatably mounted on the device and can be brought into alignment and rotated substantially parallel on a long axis with one or more slots as formed either by a plurality of members or by one or more said members and a face or edge of the device and wherein an end of a sachet can be inserted into said slot and can also be inserted into said one or more slots in said rotatably mounted component and/or gripped by other means by said rotatably mounted component and wherein said rotatably mounted component can be rotated to cause said inserted and/or gripped end of a sachet to become wound around said rotated rotatably mounted component and thus progressively drawn through said slot as it becomes further coiled around said rotated, rotatably mounted component.
10. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein one or more control components are provided; e.g., operating one or more provided control components with or without a return means -for example, operating a spring-loaded trigger or one or more spring-loaded sections of one or more handles wherein a spring means biases or returns said trigger or one or more spring-loaded sections of one or more handles to a starting or primary position -can cause or allow either or both of the following: (a) one or more said members or rotatably mounted slotted components to be brought into or out of substantially parallel proximity and additionally or alternatively, alignment or contact with one or more of either said members, rotatably mounted slotted components or a face or edge of the device, or otherwise animated or manoeuvred, (b) partial or complete rotation of one or more said members and/or rotatably mounted slotted components.
11. The device as claimed in Claim 10, further characterised wherein said one or more control components consists of one or more thumb-wheels either directly attached to, or otherwise capable of being operated to thereby cause or allow animation of one or more said members and/or rotatably mounted slotted components.
12. The device as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 11, further characterised wherein one or more said members or rotatably mounted slotted components can be rotated, counter-rotated or manoeuvred by or via one or more of either of the following: (a) enmeshed gears, (b) one or more drive belts, or (c) another type of drive mechanism; for example, wherein a portion adjacent the proximal ends of two said rotatably mounted members incorporate enmeshed gear teeth which work in cooperation whereby rotating one said rotatably mounted member in one direction causes the other said rotatably mounted member to counter-rotate.
13. The device as claimed in any one of Claims 10, 11 or 12, further characterised wherein one or more said members or rotatably mounted slotted components incorporate a ratcheting or one-way action having a spring bias; for example, wherein as one or more said control components such as a said trigger or said one or more spring-loaded sections of a handle having been operated to attain a secondary position to thereby cause or allow some rotation of one or more members or rotatably mounted slotted components are caused or allowed to return towards a starting or primary position by means of said spring bias means, said one or more members or rotatably mounted slotted components do not become counter rotated, such that one or more said spring-loaded sections of one or more handles or other said control components can be repeatedly operated to thus draw a sachet progressively through a said slot whilst keeping one or more said members or one or more said faces or edges of a said device in proximity or contact with each of a sachet's front and rear faces and in substantially parallel alignment.
14. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein one or more said members or rotatably mounted slotted components are manoeuvrable and/or rotatable manually by mechanical means or by electrical means by incorporating one or more electric motors controlled by motor-control circuitry operable via one or more provided switches; or by a plurality of said means.
15. The device as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 14, further characterised wherein one or more said members or rotatably mounted slotted components have either one or both of the following: (a) one or more bearings or bushings present; for example, wherein said one or more bearings or bushings are present between one or more said members and said one or more spindles or alternative mounting arrangements, components or mechanisms on which said one or more members can be rotated, or wherein one or more bearings or bushings are present on which said one or more rotatably mounted slotted components can be rotated, (b) one or more protective seals or sealing arrangements present; for example, wherein one or more protective seals or sealing arrangements are present between one or more said members or rotatably mounted slotted components and one or more bearings, bushings, spindles or mounting devices, components or mechanisms.
16. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein said device has one or more prongs at a distal end of one or more said members.
17. The device as claimed in Claim 16, further characterised wherein the distal ends of one or more said prongs in contrast with general construction materials of the said prongs, are coated with or made of a tough, durable but relatively soft material, for example, a silicon-rubber compound, such that said prongs' distal ends are capable of being used to spear (or fork) food effectively whilst the said relatively soft material of the said distal ends of the said one or more prongs will cushion any inadvertent collision impact therewith.
18. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein the said device is integrated into an existing or known type of utensil; for example, integrated into a handle or blade of a knife or integrated into a spoon, fork or a tin opener or the like.
19. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein the said device incorporates or is formed or integrated into a multi-purpose utensil; for example, formed into a dedicated, multi-purpose, pet-food serving implement having one or more integrated utensil-like features intended to be used for either scooping, spearing, chopping or preparation or serving of pet foods or the like.
20. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein one or more said members are incorporated into or fitted to a box or container or a part thereof; for example, incorporated into one or more lids or a bases of a box; and optionally, a method of making said box wherein cardboard material is folded to form a box or part thereof having one or more members and/or slots.
21. The device as claimed in Claim 20, further characterised by having any one or more of the following features: (a) one or more said members or a part thereof is made of or reinforced with folded or rolled edges or faces of plastic or rigid cardboard, (b) two or more said members are formed, wherein one or more said members are formed on a box base and one or more said members are formed on a box lid and wherein a plurality of said members work in cooperation to create one or more slots when brought into parallel alignment and proximity; for example, by partly or fully closing a lid hinged on a box, (c) one or more said members are fully or partly comprised of or reinforced with contoured mouldings, (d) one or more guide channels are provided interconnecting a plurality of said slots or slot apertures and whereby an unopened end of a sachet can be inserted into an aperture of a first slot so that it passes into and through the said guide channel until it protrudes sufficiently from a secondary said slot aperture to allow it to be gripped and drawn completely through both said slots and said guide channel by hand or otherwise so that as it is pulled through the slots and guide channel the said sachet's contents will become ejected through a pre-made opening in the said sachet.
22. A hand-held device of a disposable wooden or plastic construction material having two substantially parallel elongated members in proximity forming an elongated narrow slot, said members having one end fixedly attached to and extending longitudinally from a handle whilst the distal end of each of said two members is tapered to form a prong such that said device is of suitable shape and dimensions to be readily used for both educing contents such as ketchups and the like from condiments sachets by inserting and drawing said sachets through the said slot, as well as for spearing' foodstuffs with the said prongs, e.g., when consuming take-away' types of foodstuffs, such as fish & chips.
23. A fork-like, spoon-like, knife-like device for assisting with serving of pet foods such as those contained in a sachet; the said device having a grippable handle attached to one end of a shank which is attached at its other end to a bowl-like scoop having a plurality of prongs at a distal end and one or more cutting or chopping edges present and having an open-ended long straight narrow slot extending from a point at or adjacent where the proximal ends of the centre-most said prongs meet, through the said bowl-like scoop to part-way along the centre of the said shank, said slot having suitable shape and dimensions in length, depth and width of aperture to be readily used for both educing contents such as pet foods or the like from a food sachet by inserting and drawing a said sachet through the said slot, as well as for any one or more of the following: (a) scooping, (b) chopping, or (c) breaking up pet foods or the like.
24. A device incorporating two substantially elongated, straight, parallel members each formed into an assembly having a grippable handle portion formed or attached at one end with each said member assembly having two pivots or pins attached and arranged symmetrically likewise with one pin disposed toward the said handle portion and one pin disposed toward the said member portion of each said member assembly and having two crossed-over rods, each having two substantially round holes and one elongated hole where one substantially round hole is disposed towards one distal end, one substantially round hole is disposed towards the centre and one elongated hole is disposed towards each of the other two distal ends of the said two rods and being secured and pivotally connected together by a pin or pivot through both said substantially round holes disposed towards the centre of each rod, and having each of the said substantially round holes at a distal end of each said rod pivotally attached one to each of said two pins or pivots disposed toward said handle portions of said member assemblies and having each said elongated hole disposed toward the other distal end of each of the two said crossed-over rods attachably secured to and allowed to pivot on and slide and/or roll over one each of the other two said pins or pivots disposed toward the said member portion of the said member assemblies, the two said pins or pivots thus being contained within and able to move back-and-forth in cooperation with each of the said elongated holes; the components of the device such as the said member assemblies, pins, pivots, rods and holes thereby working in accord to maintain said members in a substantially parallel relationship on a long axis whilst enabling them to be brought into contact or proximity or parted therefrom as the said two handle portions are brought closer together or parted therefrom during articulation of the said member assemblies.
25. The device as claimed in Claim 24, further characterised wherein one or more said pivots or pins on which a said elongated hole of a said rod is attachably secured to and allowed to pivot on and slide and/or roll over are fitted with one or more rollers, bushings or bearings.
26. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein one or more voids, relieved areas or flexible portions are present in the said construction material generally disposed at or near the region where one or more members meet or join said handle to thereby allow a devicets said construction material to be flexed sufficiently at or near one or more regions adjacent said one or more voids, relieved areas or flexible portions to thereby enable said one or more members to be brought into proximity or contact with another said one or more members or a said face or edge of the said device by the action of squeezing or pinching one or more said members towards another one or more said members or a said face or edge of the said device, either directly or indirectly, to thus vary one or more dimensions of a said slot; for example, the narrowness of a said slot aperture.
27. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein one or more said members or rotatably mounted slotted components or one or more faces or edges thereof or one or more said faces or edges of a device are comprised of a material having either a high or a low coefficient of friction.
28. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein a wiper mechanism which can wipe one or more members, slots, rotatably mounted slotted components, or a part thereof is provided; for example, comprising: an attached movable mechanism which is spring biased to return to a distal end of one or more members, slots or rotatably mounted slotted components and wherein said sliding mechanism can be retracted towards a proximal end of one or more members, slots or rotatably mounted slotted components and secured in this position by a catch operable via a control, for example, a button or Lever, and wherein upon release of the said catch the said wiper mechanism moves along the said one or more members, slots or rotatable slotted components and wipes said one or more members, slots, rotatable slotted components, or a part thereof.
29. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein a sachet cutter mechanism or blade capable of creating a cut or a notch in a sachet's construction material is provided.
30. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein one or more finger or thumb loops are provided for insertion of one or more fingers or thumbs therein to enable one or more members to be operated in cooperation with one or more members or a face or edge of the device; e.g., with a pincer action.
31. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein one or more sections of each of two or more members or member assemblies has a straight or a curved portion in cooperation forming jaws like pliers for gripping, such that the said device can be used for gripping and releasing closures such as twist-off bottle tops or pulling the likes of pull-tabs on milk or sauce containers and the like.
32. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein one or more magnets are attached or integrated into one or more members, handles or other parts of the device and are or can be arranged to be attracted together or to a part of the device or repelled apart, such that said members, handles, other parts or one or more parts thereof can be drawn together or forced apart by the said magnets.
33. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein a hooked portion or an implement is provided for releasing closures such as lever-off bottle tops and the like.
34. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein a storage means is provided; for example, one or more hanging loops, hooks, or magnetic pads or the like.
35. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further characterised wherein one or more said members, rotatably mounted slotted components, utensils, mouldings, spindles or other components have any one or more of the following features: (a) detachably attached to a said device or box or a part thereof, (b) foldable towards or within a said device or box or a part thereof, (c) retractable within a said device or box or a part thereof, (d) housed within a said device or box or a part thereof.
36. A device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.