In what years was the Spork patented in the USA and subsequently in the UK?

Remember the spork? Maybe you still have one or some. They are useful being a hybrid form of cutlery. A cross between a spoon and a fork. The fork having anything from two to four tines or prongs.

The word "spork" appeared in the 1909 supplement to the Century Dictionary describing it as "a 'portmanteau-word' applied to a long, slender spoon having, at the end of the bowl, projections resembling the tines of a fork". It wasn't until much later that the word was registered as a trademark in the US and the UK.

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.

In the UK in 1975, Plastico Limited registered Spork as a trademark in relation to cutlery.

Various materials are used for sporks including stainless steel, silver, aluminum, titanium, and polycarbonate plastic. Sporks are commonly used by backpackers, in fast food restaurants, school, prisons, the military and for airlines meals.