A spork is a form of cutlery and combination utensil taking the form of a spoon-like scoop with two to four fork-like tines.
The word spork is a portmanteau of spoon and fork. It appeared in the 1909 supplement to the Century Dictionary, where it was described as a trade name and "a 'portmanteau-word' applied to a long, slender spoon having, at the end of the bowl, projections resembling the tines of a fork".
A utensil with a fork on one end and a spoon on the other is also known as a spork.
History
In the U.S., patents for sporks and proto-sporks have been issued. A combined spoon, fork, and knife closely resembling the modern spork was invented by Samuel W. Francis and issued on February 3, 1874.
Other early patents predating the modern spork include ,
for a "cutting spoon", granted on November 24, 1908, to Harry L. McCoy and ,
for a spoon with a tined edge, granted to Frank Emmenegger in November 1912. Many of these inventions predated the use of the term "spork". Given this significant
prior art, the basic concept of combining aspects of a spoon and fork is well established; more modern patents have limited themselves to the specific implementation and appearance of the spork. These
do not prevent anyone from designing and manufacturing a different version of a spork. Examples of modern US design patents for sporks include patent number D247,153 issued in February 1978
and patent D388,664 issued in January 1998.
Etymology
The
word "spork"
neologism in the early 20th century to describe such devices. In 1951, Hyde W. Ballard of Westtown, Pennsylvania, filed an application with the United States Patent Office (USPO, now the United States Patent and Trademark Office) to register "Spork" as a
trademark for a combination spoon and fork made of stainless steel.
[US trademark application, serial no. 609,277, filed January 26, 1951. Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, vol. 665, no. 3, p. 673, December 16, 1952. Accessed April 2, 2014.] The Van Brode Milling Company subsequently registered SPORK for a combination plastic spoon, fork and knife at the USPO on October 27, 1970, but the registration expired 20 years later.
[US trademark registration no. 901,492, filed October 24, 1969, registered October 27, 1970. Accessed April 2, 2014.] The word Spork accompanied by a stylised design is registered in the US in relation to hand tools, in the name of a UK-based individual.
[US trademark registration no. 2,514,381, filed March 23, 2000, registered December 4, 2001. Accessed April 2, 2014.]
In the UK, Plastico Limited registered "Spork" as a trademark in relation to cutlery with effect from September 18, 1975, (reg. no. 1052291, now expired).
In an unsuccessful lawsuit in 1999 where the company Regalzone sought to invalidate Plastico Limited's UK registration for Spork, Justice Neuberger wrote:
Materials and uses
Materials such as
stainless steel,
silver,
aluminum,
titanium,
copper and
Polycarbonate have been used in spork manufacturing. Plastic sporks are common in prisons in the
United States because they are difficult to form into shiv-type
to attack other inmates. Prepackaged meals may come with a disposable plastic spork. Sporks are also frequently used by backpackers, Scouts and other outdoorspeople as they are a lightweight and space-saving alternative to carrying both a fork and spoon.
See also
-
D. Green & Co. (Stoke Newington) Ltd. and Plastico Ltd. v Regalzone Ltd. 2002 ETMR 241 (CA)
External links
