| abstract |
Plastic cutlery and tableware made in at least two parts joinable to form a unitary utensil, serving piece, beverage container or non-food contacting tableware in which the parts are made of different materials. The materials of the parts differ in at least one of the following: color, type of plastic, grade of plastic, source of plastic, and additives such as the presence of an anti-microbial agent, transparency, or reflectivity. Food-grade resins, for example, can be used for the heads of cutlery and recycled resins are used for the handles. Heads can be separately metalized and then joined to non-metalized handles. Handles may be made to fit to different types of heads. The parts of the cutlery may be joined by inserting a tang extending from one into a cavity formed in the other. The parts of tableware may be joinable by a snap-fit configuration. |