Commercial Silverware Rolling Machine

[Veritas225]

I'm sure that I cannot be the first waiter in the world to think of this, and to some it may seem like laziness, but in the end, I believe this would help the restaurant industry a LOT.

Basic Structure:
- Large, sorted resevoir at top for the individual knives, forks, and spoons to be sorted into (all laying flat against eachother, of course)
- Two seperate bins on each side. One for napkins, one for the tabs (the self-adhesive paper strips that are wrapped around the rolled silverware)
- Large, removeable, bin at the bottom to store the rolled silverware.

Basic Mechanical Workings:
- When switched on, the machine will draw one napkin inside and rest it on a thin, flexible, tin plate.
- One knife, fork and spoon (or any preset combination of such) will be dropped onto the center of this napkin.
- The tin plate will then be wrapped around the silverware in a fashion that allows the napkin to fold over on itself.
- The tin plate then returns to a flat state and the machine draws in a silverware tab.
- The tab is then wrapped around the silverware bundle in a fashion similar to that of the napkin.
- The completed roll is then dropped into the removable bin.

Pros:
- Easy to use. All that is needed is for the dishwasher (or whomever) to sort the freshly cleaned silverware into the machine; many restaurant dishwashers are already in the habit of sorting silverware.
- Increased employee morale. Restaurant servers are severely underpaid as it is. Then, to require them to work on something as tedious as rolling silverware...well, that really gets under their skin.
- Efficient. The restaurant doesn't need to worry about running out of wrapped silverware because the machine can do an entire bin a lot faster than an employee could.
- Consistancy. All of the rolled silverware will look professionally done.

Cons:
- Cost. The nature of this machine and its small parts would likely create a sizeable initial investment.
- Noise. All those moving parts and clanging silverware would not be the most pleasant sound to hear in an already chaotic environment.

My requested compensation for this design:
Credit and part-ownership of the patent.

[anya2905]

hey there,
I just came accross your old post about silveware rolling machine. Did you ever do anything with your idea?
Please let me know.
Anya

[mbr]

I noticed your interest in the silverware rolling machine idea. There are a few patents out there, but the only machine that is currently on the market is a large expensive machine (costs approximately $13,000). My partner and I are looking into this area to see if there is an opportunity to develope a less expensive machine. Is your interest merely academic or are you interested in buying? Do you work in the restaurant field? I'd be interested in your feedback.

[arjaze]

silveware rolling machine is actually good idea for you..