U.S. patent application number 11/710292 was filed with the patent office on 2008-08-28 for anti-choking plate and method of preventing choking.
Invention is credited to David F. Zak.
Application Number | 20080203099 11/710292 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39710405 |
Filed Date | 2008-08-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080203099 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Zak; David F. |
August 28, 2008 |
Anti-choking plate and method of preventing choking
Abstract
The present invention in one embodiment is a dinner plate with a
gauge in the form of a "test cylinder" or the outline of a ring
attached to the plate that is used to gauge firm food size for
children or other people susceptible to choking to keep them from
choking on the firm food. In one embodiment, the "test cylinder" is
molded into a child's dinner plate as a slightly raised ring on the
surface of the plate. In another embodiment, a ring is printed on
to the surface of the plate. The "test cylinder" and the printed
ring may take a variety of shapes and sizes in addition to
cylindrical or circular so long as they provide a gauge against
which to measure the size of firm food that is intended to be eaten
by the child or person susceptible to choking.
Inventors: |
Zak; David F.; (Buffalo,
MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Curtis D. Kinghorn;Sirius Strategic, LLC
6769 W. Shadow Lake Dr.
Lino Lakes
MN
55014
US
|
Family ID: |
39710405 |
Appl. No.: |
11/710292 |
Filed: |
February 23, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/574 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 19/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/574 |
International
Class: |
A47G 19/02 20060101
A47G019/02 |
Claims
1. A device to assist in preventing choking on food comprising: a
plate having a top surface with a protrusion that extends away from
the top surface of the plate, the protrusion having an upper
end.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the protrusion extends away from
the top surface of the plate at approximately a right angle.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein the inside diameter of the
protrusion is about 1/2 inch.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein the protrusion extends from the
top surface of the plate by an amount between about 0 to about 12
mm.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein the upper end of the protrusion is
smooth and rounded.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein the plate is made of plastic.
7. The device of claim 1 wherein the plate is made of a material
chosen from the group consisting of plastic, metal, ceramics,
paper, cardboard or foam.
8. The device of claim 1 wherein the plate is molded and the
protrusion is molded at the same time the plate is molded.
9. The device of claim 1 wherein the protrusion is made separately
from the plate and attached to the top surface of the plate.
10. The device of claim 1 wherein the protrusion is located on the
surface of the plate in a fashion to blend into the features or
pictures found on the surface of the plate.
11. The device of claim 1 wherein the protrusion is located on the
surface of the plate in a fashion to stand out so that the
protrusion is clearly visible on the plate.
12. The device of claim 1 wherein the protrusion is
cylindrical.
13. The device of claim 1 wherein the protrusion has a
cross-sectional shape chosen from the group consisting of circular,
oval, elliptical, egg shaped, square, rectangular, pentagonal,
hexagonal, octagonal or other closed geometric shape, free form
closed shape, the shape of a state, cartoon character, trademark
symbol or other closed recognizable shape that is sized
appropriately to serve as a gauge.
14. The device of claim 1 wherein the protrusion extends away from
the top surface of the plate at approximately a right angle,
wherein the inside diameter of the protrusion is about 1/2 inch,
wherein the protrusion extends from the top surface of the plate by
an amount between about 0 to about 12 mm, wherein the upper end of
the protrusion is smooth and rounded and wherein the protrusion has
a cross-sectional shape chosen from the group consisting of
circular, oval, elliptical, egg shaped, square, rectangular,
pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal or other closed geometric shape,
free form closed shape, the shape of a state, cartoon character,
trademark symbol or other closed recognizable shape that is sized
appropriately to serve as a gauge.
15. A device to assist in preventing choking on food comprising: a
plate having a top surface with a printed ring located on the top
surface, the printed ring having cross-sectional size whose inner
diameter indicates the maximum size recommend to avoid choking.
16. The device of claim 15 wherein the inside diameter of the
printed ring is about 1/2 inch.
17. The device of claim 15 wherein the plate is made of
plastic.
18. The device of claim 15 wherein the plate is made of a material
chosen from the group consisting of plastic, metal, ceramics,
paper, cardboard or foam.
19. The device of claim 15 wherein the plate is molded and the
printed ring is printed on or formed in the upper surface of the
plate at the same time the plate is molded.
20. The device of claim 15 wherein the printed ring is attached to
or made in the plate after the plate has been made.
21. The device of claim 15 wherein the printed ring is located on
the surface of the plate in a fashion to blend into the features or
pictures found on the surface of the plate.
22. The device of claim 15 wherein the printed ring is located on
the surface of the plate in a fashion to stand out so that the
printed ring is clearly visible on the plate.
23. The device of claim 15 wherein the printed ring has a
cross-sectional shape chosen from the group consisting of circular,
oval, elliptical, egg shaped, square, rectangular, pentagonal,
hexagonal, octagonal or other closed geometric shape, free form
closed shape, the shape of a state, cartoon character, trademark
symbol or other closed recognizable shape that is sized
appropriately to serve as a gauge.
24. The device of claim 15 wherein the inside diameter of the
printed ring is about 1/2 inch wherein the printed ring has a
cross-sectional shape chosen from the group consisting of circular,
oval, elliptical, egg shaped, square, rectangular, pentagonal,
hexagonal, octagonal or other closed geometric shape, free form
closed shape, the shape of a state, cartoon character, trademark
symbol or other closed recognizable shape that is sized
appropriately to serve as a gauge.
25. A device to assist in preventing choking on food comprising: a
member chosen from the group consisting of a plate, a gauge
separate from the plate, a high chair tray or a placemat, the
member having a top surface with means for determining whether the
size of food that is intended to be eaten is within a prescribed
size, the means chosen from a group consisting of a protrusion that
extends away from the top surface of the member or a printed ring
that is located on or in the top surface of the member.
26. A method of preventing choking on food comprising the steps of:
providing a plate having a top surface with a protrusion that
extends away from the top surface of the plate; placing food in the
protrusion; determining whether the food fits within the
protrusion; resizing or discarding the food is it is larger than
the protrusion; and allowing the food to be eaten if the food fits
within the protrusion.
27. A method of preventing choking on food comprising the steps of:
providing a plate having a top surface with a printed ring located
on the top surface of the plate; placing food in the protrusion;
determining whether the food fits within the protrusion; resizing
or discarding the food is it is larger than the protrusion; and
allowing the food to be eaten if the food fits within the
protrusion.
28. A method of preventing choking on food by those with vision
impairment comprising the steps of: providing a plate having a top
surface with a protrusion that extends away from the top surface of
the plate, the protrusion having an upper end; feeling the upper
end of the protrusion to form a mental picture of the acceptable
size of firm food.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention is directed to devices and methods for
helping to prevent choking on food by small children while
eating.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), about 75 children under the age of 14 die every year from
choking on food items and 100 times that number are treated in
emergency rooms for such choking. In 2001, for example more than
10,000 children ages 14 or younger were treated in US emergency
rooms for choking on food.
[0005] The highest rate of fatal choking incidents occurs in
children under two years old. However, children up to 4 years are
all particularly vulnerable to choking on food because the do not
have a full set of teeth. They cannot chew as well as older
children and large chunks of hard foods can more easily become
lodged in their throats causing choking. The American Academy of
Pediatrics and the US Food and Drug Administration recommend that
children younger than four years old not be fed any round, firm
food unless it is cut into small pieces no larger than one-half
inch across.
[0006] Consequently, it is highly desirable to provide a device
that helps parents or others feeding children, particularly small
children, prevent the child from choking on food. In view of the
foregoing, it can be seen that there is a need for such a
device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention in one embodiment is a dinner plate
with a gauge in the form of a "test cylinder" or the outline of a
ring attached to the plate that is used to gauge firm food size for
children or other people susceptible to choking to keep them from
choking on the firm food. In one embodiment, the "test cylinder" is
molded into a child's dinner plate as a slightly raised ring on the
surface of the plate. In another embodiment, a ring is printed on
or in the surface of the plate. The "test cylinder" and the printed
ring may take a variety of shapes and sizes in addition to
cylindrical or circular so long as they provide a gauge against
which to measure the size of firm food that is intended to be eaten
by the child or person susceptible to choking.
[0008] There are many objects of the present invention in its
various embodiments that may be addressed individually or in
combinations and permutations. Each embodiment may address one or
several of the following objectives.
[0009] An object of this invention in one embodiment or variant of
the invention is to provide a visual means against which to gauge
the size of a firm food particle so as to ascertain whether the
firm food particle is too large to be safely eaten.
[0010] Another object of the present invention in one embodiment or
variant of the invention is to provide a tactile means against
which to gauge the size of a firm food particle so as to ascertain
whether the firm food particle is too large to be safely eaten.
[0011] These and other objects and advantages of the invention will
be clear in view of the following description to the invention
including the associated drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The invention will be described hereafter in detail with
particular reference to the drawings. Throughout this description,
like elements, in whatever embodiment described, refer to common
elements wherever referred to and referenced by the same reference
number. The characteristics, attributes, functions, interrelations
ascribed to a particular element in one location apply to that
element when referred to by the same reference number in another
location unless specifically stated otherwise. All Figures are
drawn for ease of explanation of the basic teachings of the present
invention only; the extensions of the Figures with respect to
number, position, relationship, and dimensions of the parts to form
the preferred embodiment will be explained or will be within the
skill of the art after the following description has been read and
understood. Further, the exact dimensions and dimensional
proportions to conform to specific force, weight, strength and
similar requirements will likewise be within the skill of the art
after the following description has been read and understood.
[0013] FIG. 1 is a top view of one embodiment of the invention.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the embodiment of
FIG. 1.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the
invention shown in FIG. 1 in use with a particle of firm food.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of
the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The present invention in one embodiment is shown in FIG. 1
generally labeled 10 as the combination of a child's plate 12
having a top surface 14 with a cylindrical protrusion 16 that
extends away from top surface 14 of the plate 12 at approximately a
right angle. The cylindrical protrusion 16 has an upper end 18. The
cylindrical protrusion 16 allows firm food that is desired to be
measured to be placed within the cylindrical protrusion 16. If the
firm food does not fit within this cylindrical protrusion 14, this
indicates that the firm food is too large to be eaten by the child.
On the other hand, if the firm food fits within the cylindrical
protrusion 14, this indicates that the food is of a size that
should be safe for the child to eat.
[0018] The cylindrical protrusion 16 has a diameter preferably
corresponding to the maximum size of firm food particle recommended
by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the US Food and Drug
Administration for children to eat in order to avoid choking on the
food particle. In the most preferred embodiment, the inside
diameter of the cylindrical protrusion 16 is about 1/2'' although
it may be smaller or larger depending on the age of the child.
[0019] The cylindrical protrusion 16 preferably extends only a
small distance above the surface 14 of the plate 12. In this way,
the food may be placed within and contained within the cylindrical
protrusion 16 to allow for accurate measurement of the size of the
food particle. In this embodiment, if the food particle is too
large to fit within the cylindrical protrusion 16 it is too large
to be ingested by the child. In the most preferred embodiment of
the cylindrical protrusion 16, cylindrical protrusion 16 extends
above the surface 14 of the plate 12 by an amount about equal to
between about 0-12 mm and more particularly between about 1 mm to
about 5 mm. However, the cylindrical protrusion 16 may extend away
from service of the plate 12 by more or less than these amounts.
Because the cylindrical protrusion 16 extends above the surface 14
of the plate 12 but only a small amount, it will be relatively easy
to clean the cylindrical protrusion 16. Further, cylindrical
protrusion 16 allows a child or someone attempting to feed the
child the ability to gauge the maximum size of food particle
allowed to be eaten by feeling the outer periphery of the
cylindrical protrusion 16 and developing a mental picture of the
size of such food particles. The tactile aspect of this embodiment
may be particularly useful for helping the sight impaired avoid
choking on overly large firm food.
[0020] The upper end 18 of the cylindrical protrusion 16 should be
smooth and rounded in order to make it unlikely to catch or trap
food within the cylindrical protrusion 16. As a result, the
addition of a cylindrical protrusion 16 to plate 12 should not
hinder the ability to easily and safely clean the plate 12.
[0021] In this embodiment, particularly where the plate 12 is made
of plastic, the cylindrical protrusion 16 may be molded into the
plate 12 at the same time as the plate 12 is made or the
cylindrical protrusion 16 may be made separately and attached to
the surface 14 of the plate 12 by means well understood in the art
including, but not limited to, heat staking, adhesives or
ultrasonic welding. The cylindrical protrusion 16 could be blended
into the features or pictures found on plates 12, especially
children's plates. Further, the cylindrical protrusion may be
colored separately from the top surface 14 of the plate 12 or the
patterns found on the top surface 14 of the plate 12 or located
away from the patterns, if any, found on the top surface 14 of the
plate 12 in order to be more clearly visible or stand out on the
plate 12.
[0022] In another embodiment of the invention, the plate 12 has a
printed ring 20 instead of a cylindrical protrusion 16. The printed
ring 20 preferably has a circular shape of about the same size as
the cross-section of the cylindrical protrusion 16. But, instead of
extending away from the top surface of the plate 12, the printed
ring 20 is printed on or in the top surface 14 of the plate 12 by
means well known and understood in the art for printing designs and
other patterns or features on plates. The printed ring 20 may also
be formed in the plate 12 at the time the plate 12 is made or
attached to formed on or in the top surface after the plate 12 is
made so that the printed ring 20 is visible on the top surface 14
of the plate 12.
[0023] The cylindrical protrusion 16 or printed ring 20 have been
described as having a cylindrical or circular shape, respectively.
However, either the cylindrical protrusion 16 or printed ring 20
may have shapes other than cylindrical or circular, respectively,
so long as the cylindrical protrusion 16 or printed ring 20 serves
to gauge or measure the appropriate size of firm food particles
that should be allowed to be eaten. For example, and without
intending to limit the scope of potential shapes for the
cylindrical protrusion 16 or printed ring 20, the cylindrical
protrusion 16 may have a cross-sectional shape that is oval,
elliptical, egg shaped, square, rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal,
octagonal or other closed geometric shaped cylinder or the printed
ring 20 may have an oval, elliptical, egg, square, rectangular,
pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal or other closed geometric shape.
Further, either the cylindrical protrusion 16 or printed ring 20
may have a cross-sectional shape that is a free form closed shape
of the shape of a state, cartoon character, trademark symbol or
other closed recognizable shape that is sized appropriately to
serve as the gauge described herein.
[0024] Although plate 12 has been described as being a common
child's plate molded from plastic, plate 12 may also be any other
kind of played made from whatever rigid material including but not
limited to metal, ceramics, paper, cardboard or foam. Further,
although both the cylindrical protrusion 16 and the printed ring 20
have been described as being used with the plate 12, in all its
different forms, both the cylindrical protrusion 16 and the printed
ring 20 may be used with or applied to other objects. Such objects
are preferably associated with or are located near where a child
would be eating. Examples of such objects include, but are not
limited to, a gauge separate from the plate 12, a high chair tray
or a placemat.
[0025] To use the plate 12 in either embodiment of the invention,
food to be measured is placed in either the cylindrical protrusion
16 or the printed ring 20. If the food is larger than the
cylindrical protrusion 16 or printed ring 20, the food is too large
to be fed to the child or other person susceptible to choking and
should be resized by cutting it into smaller pieces or
discarded.
[0026] In addition, the cylindrical protrusion 16 or printed ring
20 have been described as being associated with helping to prevent
choking in children. However, the invention may have applicability
in helping youths or adults avoid choking on food particles
particularly where the youths or adults may have a disability or
problem eating that makes them more susceptible than usual to
choking on overly large firm food particles.
[0027] It is believed that the cylindrical protrusion 16 or printed
ring 20 could be incorporated into or attached to a plate 12 or
other object as described above at virtually no additional cost. As
a result, it is believed that the addition of such a cylindrical
protrusion 14 or printed ring 20 would be readily available to help
prevent choking on overly large firm food particles by children,
youth and adults who are susceptible to choking on such food
particles.
[0028] The present invention has been described in connection with
certain embodiments, configurations and relative dimensions.
However, description above is not to be construed as being
absolutely particular. It is to be understood that the description
given herein has been given for the purpose of explaining and
illustrating the invention and are not intended to limit the scope
of the invention. For example, the specific dimensions of the
cylindrical protrusion 16 or printed ring 20 may be varied so long
as the dimensions of the cylindrical protrusion 16 or printed ring
20 provide the function of providing a gauge against which firm
food particles may be measured. Also, there are many materials and
configurations that can be used in constructing the invention by
those skilled in the art including those being developed or that
will be developed. In addition, it is clear than an almost infinite
number of minor variations to the form and function of the
disclosed invention could be made and also still be within the
scope of the invention. Consequently, it is not intended that the
invention be limited to the specific embodiments and variants of
the invention disclosed. It is to be further understood that
changes and modifications to the descriptions given herein will
occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the
invention should be limited only by the scope of the claims.
* * * * *