fork
Enable an AI agent to recognise a physical fork, assess whether it is fit for an intended food-handling task, and decide whether to use, clean, repair, isolate or retire it.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 28 questions
Fork identity and role Establishes whether the object belongs to this fork model and what food-handling role it serves.
Working head identity
Examines the tine arrangement and its relationship to other working surfaces.
Tined food utensil boundary
Record the observed head configuration and evidence supporting classification as a food-handling fork.
- Does the object have separated tines operated through a common handle to engage food? definition
- Does a bowl, blade or other working feature make this a hybrid requiring another model? boundary
Intended fork role
Distinguishes intended use from a role inferred from appearance.
Role evidence
Record whether eating, serving, carving support or cooking is documented, observed or only inferred.
- What markings, product documentation or use history establish the intended role? provenance
- Is the fork intended to enter the mouth, transfer food between vessels or hold food while another tool cuts? definition
Tine and food engagement Describes how the tine configuration engages, supports and releases food.
Penetration and spacing
Records the geometry responsible for entering or gathering food.
Tine engagement profile
Record tine count, dimensions, clear gaps and tip shape without assuming that one configuration suits every food.
- What are the tine count, usable length, clear gaps and tip profiles? measurement
- Can these tines engage the intended food without unacceptable crushing, slipping or fragmentation? action
Retention and release
Assesses support during lifting and controlled separation from the tines.
Food transfer behaviour
Record observed retention and release for a specified food, portion and movement.
- For the intended portion and lifting orientation, does food stay engaged or fall through or off the tines? measurement
- Can the food be released at the destination without excessive force or an unintended scraping action? action
Grip, reach and contact Connects handle and head geometry to the user, mouth, vessel and nearby tools.
Handle control
Assesses orientation, grip security and usable reach.
Controlled tine positioning
Record whether the intended user can orient and control the working head under the expected handling conditions.
- What handle dimensions, head offset and overall length determine grip and reach? measurement
- Can the intended user maintain tine orientation with the expected wetness, food resistance and movement? action
Mouth, vessel and tool fit
Examines the contact boundaries of the intended operation.
Task contact clearance
Record relevant clearances and contact constraints for eating, reaching into vessels or holding food beside a cutting tool.
- Does head width, tine length or tip condition restrict the intended mouth or vessel contact? boundary
- Can the task be performed with adequate clearance from the vessel rim, gripping hand and any cutting tool? action
Food contact and cleaning Records material evidence and the cleanliness of the fork's food-contact surfaces and crevices.
Contact material evidence
Identifies exposed materials and supported conditions of use.
Material use limits
Record materials, coatings and documented restrictions without inferring food-contact suitability from appearance.
- What evidence identifies the exposed tine materials, coatings and any handle material that may contact food? provenance
- What documented limits apply to food contact, temperature and cleaning for this fork? boundary
Tine gap and joint cleanliness
Locates residue and uncertainty at difficult-to-inspect features.
Cleaning readiness
Record visible residue, relevant contact history and whether the supported cleaning method can reach affected surfaces.
- Is residue present between tines, at tine roots, beneath decorative relief or around handle joints? measurement
- What supported cleaning action addresses the observed residue and known prior contact before the next use? action
Tine integrity and disposition Connects damage to food handling and decisions about continued use.
Damage and deformation
Distinguishes intended geometry from wear, distortion and breakage.
Working head integrity
Record missing or misaligned tines, cracks, rough tips and neck or handle-joint instability.
- Which tines or joints show bending, cracking, missing material, burrs or movement relative to the intended configuration? measurement
- What reference or history distinguishes intentional asymmetry from damage? provenance
Continued use decision
Turns observed condition and unresolved evidence into a task-specific disposition.
Use, repair or retire
Record the permitted next action and the evidence required before a damaged or uncertain fork returns to food handling.
- Do the observed tip, tine, surface and joint conditions support the intended next use, or require isolation? action
- If repair is proposed, what evidence supports the method and what inspection must establish fitness before reuse? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of fork this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of fork this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of fork this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of fork this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of fork this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of fork this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of fork this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of fork this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
- Other names and narrower kinds
- snail fork, fish fork, lobster pick, serving fork, pastry fork, sweet fork, fork dessert, carving fork, place fork, toasting fork, Terrapin fork, meat fork
What it is Filled
A fork is a rigid handheld cutlery implement whose working head is two or more tines used to pierce, hold and lift food, usually as the companion to a knife (and often a spoon) in a Western place setting.
In scope
- Fork identity, intended role and boundaries between eating, serving and carving variants
- Tine geometry, head shape and handle configuration
- Ability to engage, retain and release particular foods
- Material, finish and construction relevant to contact, cleaning and handling
- Cleanliness, tine damage and fitness for an intended use
Out of scope
- Food composition, preparation history and dietary suitability
- Meals, place settings and dining etiquette
- Users' health conditions and general assistance requirements
- Cleaning appliances, detergents and sanitation procedures as independent things
- Agricultural forks, machinery forks, tuning forks and software forks pending registry clarification
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise a physical fork, assess whether it is fit for an intended food-handling task, and decide whether to use, clean, repair, isolate or retire it.
Distinguishing features Filled
- The working head has separated projecting tines whose gaps permit food engagement; a pointed blade without these gaps is not sufficient.
- The utensil primarily engages food through its tines rather than containing it in a bowl, distinguishing a conventional fork from a spoon.
- Its tines form a common working head operated through one handle, distinguishing it from independently manipulated chopsticks and opposing-jaw tongs.
- A substantial scoop combined with tines requires a hybrid classification decision rather than automatic treatment as a conventional fork.
- Food-handling intent must be evidenced by design, provenance or documented use; a fork-shaped gardening or machine component does not qualify on silhouette alone.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Leave forks where small children can poke eyes or sockets.
- Put metal forks into microwaves or toasters.
- Return unwashed forks to service.
- Use a fork that touched an allergen for a guest with that allergy.
Only with a human decision
- Adapting utensils for people with disabilities.
May
- Lay, clear and wash forks in a kitchen or dining room it serves.
- Remove bent or damaged forks from use.
Moral aspects Filled
- Hygiene of shared utensils protects health.
- Eating customs differ, and not everyone uses forks.
Who is affected
- Diners
- Children
- Kitchen staff
Owners Filled
Steward
The person or business that keeps it.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q81944 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.fork
- Wikidata: Q81881 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q81881)
Direct properties required Filled
- Intended food-handling role: eating | serving | carving support | cooking | other | unknown
- Tine count: integer count, recording designed and currently present counts separately
- Tine geometry: tine length, width, thickness and clear gap in mm; curvature and alignment where measurable
- Tip profile: rounded | tapered | pointed | mixed | damaged | unknown
- Head and handle dimensions: overall length, head width and handle cross-section in mm; mass in g
- Material and finish by component: identified material, coating and finish for tines, neck, handle and joints; unknown where unverified
- Structural condition: observed tine alignment, cracks, missing parts, burrs, joint looseness and surface deterioration
- Cleanliness evidence: visible residue locations, recorded cleaning, known contact history and unresolved contamination
- Task compatibility: fork linked to a specified food, user, vessel and action, with evidence and limitations
Recognition required Filled
- A handle with a head of two to four pointed tines.
- Laid on the left of a plate in Western table settings.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Select a fork for eating, serving or holding food during cutting using its geometry and condition.
- Pierce, gather, lift, transfer or release food within an evidenced task capability.
- Inspect tine tips, gaps, roots and handle joints for residue, damage or looseness.
- Clean and dry the fork using a method supported for its materials and construction.
- Isolate a fork with unresolved contamination, damaged tines or uncertain food-contact suitability.
- Assess whether repair is supported and verify the result before returning the fork to use.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Eye or mouth injuries from tines.
- Electric shock or sparking when used in appliances.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- ISO 8442, Materials and articles in contact with foodstuffs - Cutlery and table holloware, International Organization for Standardization.
Context of use required Filled
- Forks are used at dining tables and in food service to pierce, hold and lift solid food.
- They also steady food during cutting and help separate portions that can be handled with their tines.
Sources Filled
- table fork (Q81881) - Canonical item for the eating implement, with cross-links to AAT, HS-ish trade classes and sister items for pitchfork, bicycle fork and tuning fork.
- Fork - History of European adoption, place-setting types (dinner, fish, pastry, oyster), and distinction from agricultural and other named forks.
- ISO 8442-2: Materials and articles in contact with foodstuffs - Cutlery and table holloware - Part 2: Requirements for stainless steel and silver-plated cutlery - Performance and food-contact requirements that manufacturers of stainless and silver-plated table forks are actually written to (corrosion, adhesion of plate, strength).
- Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 on materials and articles intended to come into contact with food - EU legal frame for metal (and plastic) forks as food-contact articles: inertness, traceability, and the 'do not transfer constituents in quantities that endanger health' test.
- The Evolution of Useful Things - Henry Petroski (Alfred A. Knopf, 1992) on why the table fork took its four-tine form and how it displaced the knife-as-spear in European dining.
Open questions
- Does vr.tr.fork mean a food utensil specifically, or a broader family that includes agricultural, mechanical or acoustic forks?
- Does an existing Vercy world model already own this concept and therefore require a registry link instead of a separate publication?
- Which eating, serving, carving and cooking variants belong within this entry, and where should hybrids such as sporks be modelled?
- Which authoritative sources establish material-specific food-contact, heat and cleaning limits for the fork variants in scope?
- What evidence or acceptance criteria should govern damaged-tine rejection, repair and task-specific suitability without inventing universal thresholds?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q81881/spec.json