U.S. patent application number 14/442223 was filed with the patent office on 2016-10-13 for spoon.
This patent application is currently assigned to INFANT VENTURES, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is INFANT VENTURES, LLC. Invention is credited to Marcel BOTHA, Trevor HARDY.
Application Number | 20160296052 14/442223 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49818292 |
Filed Date | 2016-10-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160296052 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HARDY; Trevor ; et
al. |
October 13, 2016 |
Spoon
Abstract
A spoon is provided that has a handle, a neck, a head, and a
spoon or food receiving recess that has a front edge and a rear
edge. The rear edge is raised such that a straight line joining the
front edge and the rear edge extends in the same general direction
as a straight line extending in the general direction of the length
of the handle of the spoon. Preferably, the neck is spaced from the
spoon or food receiving recess by a distance of the same order as
the dimension of the recess itself. The cross-sectional size of the
spoon increases from the neck to a position corresponding to the
rear edge of the recess with the outer surface being smoothly
contoured to provide a smooth contact surface for the lips of a
person using same to encircle the spoon between the neck and
recess.
Inventors: |
HARDY; Trevor; (Boston,
MA) ; BOTHA; Marcel; (New York, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
INFANT VENTURES, LLC |
New York |
NY |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
INFANT VENTURES, LLC
New York
NY
|
Family ID: |
49818292 |
Appl. No.: |
14/442223 |
Filed: |
November 6, 2013 |
PCT Filed: |
November 6, 2013 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB2013/002457 |
371 Date: |
May 12, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61725222 |
Nov 12, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 21/04 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47G 21/04 20060101
A47G021/04 |
Claims
1. A spoon having a handle, a neck, a head, and a spoon or food
receiving recess that has a front edge and a rear edge wherein the
rear edge is raised such that a straight line joining the front
edge and the rear edge extends in the same general direction as a
straight line extending in the general direction of the length of
the handle of the spoon.
2. A spoon as claimed in claim 1 in which the neck is spaced from
the spoon or food receiving recess by a distance of the same order
as the dimension of the spoon or food receiving recess.
3. A spoon as claimed in either one of claim 1 or 2 in which the
cross-sectional size of the spoon increases from the neck to a
position corresponding to the rear edge of the spoon or food
receiving recess with the outer surface being smoothly contoured to
provide a smooth contact surface for the lips of a person using
same to encircle the spoon between the neck and spoon or food
receiving recess.
4. A spoon as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which
the cross-sectional shape of the neck is approximately oval with
the cross-sectional shape of the spoon at the rear edge of the
spoon or food receiving recess being larger and approximately oval
with an upper side of the oval bulging upwards.
5. A spoon as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which
the spoon or food receiving recess has a shape in plan view that
closely approximates a circular shape with a width of between 18 to
25 mm and a length of between 20 and 30 mm.
6. A spoon as claimed in claim 5 in which the width of the spoon or
food receiving recess is about 20 mm and the length thereof is
about 25 mm.
7. A spoon as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which
the spoon or food receiving recess is shallow relative to a
straight line joining the top edges of two opposite sides of the
spoon or food receiving recess.
8. A spoon as claimed in claim 7 in which the depth of the spoon or
food receiving recess relative to a straight line joining the top
edges of two opposite sides of the spoon or food receiving recess
is from 1.5 to 2 mm.
9. A spoon as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which
the sides of the spoon or food receiving recess are somewhat
concave between the front edge and rear edge thereof to provide a
smooth surface to the recess for the purpose of a person's lips
clearing food off the recess surface.
10. A spoon as claimed in claim 9 in which the depth of the
concavity is about 3 to 4 millimetres in extent.
11. A spoon as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which
the neck is located rearwards of the rear edge of the spoon or food
receiving recess by a distance of between 15 and 25 mm.
12. A spoon as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which
the entire spoon is of a solid construction consisting of a
relatively rigid inner plastic element and a soft rubbery outer
surface.
13. A method of manufacturing a spoon as claimed in claim 12 in
which a relatively rigid inner plastic element is moulded firstly;
followed by a second moulding step in which approximately one half
of an outer cover is moulded onto the inner plastics element to
cover a first major surface thereof and thereafter a third moulding
step is carried out in which a second-half of an outer cover is
moulded onto the inner plastics element to cover a second major
surface thereof.
14. A method as claimed in claim 13 in which registration
formations are formed on the inner plastic element and the
registration formations are used to locate the inner plastic
element it in a second mould for the purpose of moulding the said
one half of an outer cover onto the inner plastic element in the
second moulding step.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION AND PRIORITY CLAIM
[0001] The present application is a U.S. National Stage filing
under 35 U.S.C. 371 based on PCT International Application No
PCT/IB2013/002457, filed Nov. 6, 2013, which in turn claims
priority to Untied States Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.
61/725,222, filed on Nov. 12, 2012, the entirety of each being
incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to a spoon.
[0003] In one variation the invention relates to an infant feeding
spoon that is particularly suitable for use as a so-called first
feeding spoon for use during weaning when an infant is beginning to
ingest solid food for the first time. Typically such an infant
would be in the age range of about 4 to 12 months but such a
feeding spoon may be used on any other individuals as may be
appropriate.
[0004] In another variation the invention relates to a spoon that
can, at least in some instances, be used advantageously for
administering medicine or food to physically impaired persons that
have difficulty in effectively clearing the contents of a
conventional spoon.
BACKGROUND
[0005] Numerous different infant feeding spoons have been proposed
and manufactured for the purpose of feeding an infant solid foods
and training such an infant to eat solid foods. However, the major
improvements that have been presented over the past few years are
focused on heat sensitive spoon materials that change colour and
softer flexible spoons with a two material construction.
[0006] There has, however, as far as applicant is aware, been very
little innovative activity around the mouth ergonomics for infants.
Two of what are apparently the most popular infant feeding spoons
available on the market both have a two material construction
method to make soft rubbery contact surfaces and both are smaller
versions of standard larger spoon geometry. Neither of these infant
feeding spoons appears to address the ergonomics of first spoons or
training spoons from the perspective of an infant totally unused to
ingesting anything other than milk in one form or another.
[0007] Applicant perceives a need for an infant feeding spoon that
may be more ergonomically suited to use as a first spoon.
[0008] In order to facilitate an understanding of the present
invention and this patent specification, a spoon will be regarded
as having a handle, a neck at which the cross-sectional size of the
handle is at a minimum and where the handle connects with a head of
the spoon that increases in size from the neck, and a food or
medicine receiving recess.
[0009] Thus, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a
typical prior art infant feeding spoon has a handle (A); a neck
(B); a head (C); and a food or medicine receiving recess (D). The
food or medicine receiving recess is typically elongate and either
oval or somewhat egg shaped in plan view with its length extending
in the direction of the handle. The depth of the food or medicine
receiving recess is typically about 4 to 5 mm; its length is about
35 to 40 mm; and its width is about 20 mm. A straight line (E)
joining a front edge (F) of the food or medicine receiving recess
and a rear edge (G) thereof is typically roughly horizontal in the
operative position and crosses a straight line (H) extending in the
general direction of the length of the handle portion of the spoon
a short distance rearwards of the neck.
[0010] In another application of spoons, the administration of
medicines or food to physically impaired persons using a
conventional spoon is often difficult and may result in the spoon
not being cleared properly of whatever medicine or food is located
upon it.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] In accordance with one aspect of this invention there is
provided a spoon having a handle, a neck, a head, and a spoon or
food receiving recess that has a front edge and a rear edge wherein
the rear edge is raised such that a straight line joining the front
edge and the rear edge extends in the same general direction as a
straight line extending in the general direction of the length of
the handle of the spoon.
[0012] Further features of this aspect of the invention provide for
the neck to be spaced from the spoon or food receiving recess by a
distance of the same order as the dimension of the spoon or food
receiving recess and preferably by a distance of between 15 and 25
mm and most preferably about 20 mm; for the cross-sectional size of
the spoon to increase from the neck to a position corresponding to
the rear edge of the spoon or food receiving recess with the outer
surface being smoothly contoured to provide a smooth contact
surface for the lips of a person using same to encircle the spoon
between the neck and spoon or food receiving recess; and for the
cross-sectional shape of the neck to be approximately oval with a
major axis of the oval preferably measuring about 12 to 16 mm and
most preferably about 14 mm with the cross-sectional shape of the
spoon at the rear edge of the spoon or food receiving recess being
larger and approximately oval with an upper side of the oval
bulging upwards and with a major axis of the oval preferably
measuring about 18 to 22 mm and most preferably about 20 mm.
[0013] Still further features of the invention provide for the
spoon or food receiving recess to have a shape in plan view that
closely approximates a circular shape with a width between 18 to 25
mm and preferably about 20 mm and a length of between 20 and 30 mm,
preferably about 25 mm; for the spoon or food receiving recess to
be shallow relative to a straight line joining the top edges of two
opposite sides of the spoon or food receiving recess, with such a
depth preferably being about 1.5 to 2 mm; and for the sides of the
spoon or food receiving recess to be somewhat concave between the
front edge and rear edge thereof to provide a smooth surface to the
recess for the purpose of a person's lips clearing food off the
recess surface.
[0014] The entire spoon may be of a solid construction in which
instance it can conveniently be made of suitable plastics materials
that may be moulded as a single moulding or, alternatively, with
different materials in different steps to provide a satisfactorily
rigid structure with a soft rubbery outer surface. Of course, it is
possible to injection mould the spoon of other materials such as a
foam filled plastics material. Solid or hollow spoons can also be
made of a suitable plastic material or metal whilst solid spoons
can generally be made of wood, engineered wood, or metal. Numerous
different possibilities exist as regards manufacture of the spoons
and those identified above are not intended to be exhaustive in any
way.
[0015] In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there
is provided a method of manufacturing a spoon according to the
invention in which an inner plastic element is moulded firstly;
followed by moulding of one half of an outer cover onto the inner
plastics element to cover a first major surface thereof and
followed thereafter by moulding of a second-half of an outer cover
onto the inner plastics element to cover a second major surface
thereof.
[0016] The method defined above has the advantage that registration
formations formed on the inner plastic element for the purpose of
locating it in the second mould can be over moulded in the third
moulding step so that they are totally covered by the second half
of the outer cover.
[0017] In order that the above and other features of the invention
may be more fully understood, an expanded description based on one
particular geometric embodiment of the invention follows with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] In the drawings:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a typical prior art infant feeding
spoon;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a side view thereof;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a plan view of one embodiment of spoon according
to the invention;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a conceptual side view thereof;
[0023] FIG. 5 is an inverted plan view thereof;
[0024] FIG. 6 is a side view thereof;
[0025] FIG. 7 is a perspective view thereof;
[0026] FIG. 8 is an end view of the spoon from the front end
thereof;
[0027] FIG. 9 is an end view from the rear end thereof;
[0028] FIG. 10 is a sectional side view of the spoon taken along
line X-X in FIG. 3;
[0029] FIG. 11 is a cross-section taken through the neck of the
spoon along line XI-XI in FIG. 3 and showing the peripheral shape
along line XI-XI;
[0030] FIG. 12 is a cross-section taken along line XII-XII in FIG.
3, namely at the rear of the spoon or food receiving recess and
showing the peripheral shape along line XII-XII;
[0031] FIG. 13 is a cross-section taken along line XIII-XIII in
FIG. 3, namely through the centre of the spoon or food receiving
recess and showing the peripheral shape along line XIII-XIII;
[0032] FIG. 14 is a sectional side view of a spoon that is
manufactured according to a preferred manufacturing process
according to the invention; and,
[0033] FIG. 15 is an exploded view showing the different layers
making up the spoon illustrated in FIG. 14.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGS
[0034] In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to
13 of the drawings, a spoon (1) has a handle (2), a neck (3), a
head (4), and a spoon or food receiving recess (5). The spoon or
food receiving recess has a front edge (6) and a rear edge (7).
[0035] The cross-sectional size of the spoon is at its smallest at
the neck and increases from the neck to a position corresponding to
the rear edge of the spoon or food receiving recess. The neck is
located distinctly rearwards of the rear edge of the spoon or food
receiving recess such that a distance of about 20 mm exists between
the rear edge of the spoon or food receiving recess and the
neck.
[0036] The outer surface of the spoon is smoothly contoured to
provide a smooth contact surface for the lips, for example of an
infant using same, to encircle the spoon between the neck and spoon
or food receiving recess. The peripheral and therefore the
cross-sectional shape of the neck is approximately oval, as
illustrated in FIG. 11 with a major axis that measures from 12 to
16 mm and preferably about 14 mm. The peripheral and therefore the
cross-sectional shape of the spoon at the rear edge of the spoon or
food receiving recess is enlarged and also approximately oval with
an upper side (11) of the oval bulging upwards, as illustrated in
FIG. 12, with the major axis of the oval measuring from 18 to 22 mm
and preferably about 20 mm.
[0037] The spoon or food receiving recess has a shape in plan view
that reasonably closely approximates a circular shape with a width
of about 20 mm and a length of about 25 mm. The spoon or food
receiving recess is shallow relative to a straight line joining the
top edges (12) of two opposite sides of the spoon or food receiving
recess, as illustrated in FIG. 13, with such a depth preferably
being about 1.5 to 2 mm. Also, as shown clearly in FIG. 13, the
thickness of the spoon in the region of the spoon or food receiving
recess is considerable and may measure from 4 to 5 mm. This
provides a substantial region over which the lips of a person can
slide whilst removing food from the recess. The sides of the spoon
or food receiving recess may be somewhat concave between the front
edge and rear edge thereof to provide a smooth surface to the
recess for the purpose of the lips clearing food off the recess
surface. This is shown clearly in FIG. 6 and is indicated by
numeral (13). This concavity may be about 3 or 4 millimetres in
extent.
[0038] The arrangement is such that the rear edge of the spoon or
food receiving recess is significantly raised such that a straight
line (15) joining the front edge of the spoon or food receiving
recess and the rear edge thereof extends in the same general
direction as a straight line (16) extending in the general
direction of the length of the handle of the spoon, as shown in
FIG. 4.
[0039] One of the consequences of this arrangement is that the
bottom profile of the spoon follows a shallower feeding plane and
this is believed by applicant to improve ergonomics.
[0040] In the illustrations making up FIGS. 1 to 13, the
illustrated embodiment of spoon is shown as being made of a single
material with a plastic hatching being employed in respect of the
sections, simply by way of illustration. However there are numerous
different ways in which the spoon can be manufactured, some of
which have been mentioned above. It could even be made hollow if it
be made of a suitable material by a suitable procedure. The
important thing is that the peripheral shape of the spoon is
substantially as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 so that a person's lips
sliding over the outer surface of the spoon do so smoothly and
uninterruptedly.
[0041] Nevertheless, at the present time, applicant prefers to
employ a method of manufacturing the spoon according to the
invention as illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15. In this instance a
relatively rigid inner plastic element (21) is moulded firstly with
registration formations (22) to ensure proper registration of the
prefabricated plastic element with a die in which a subsequent
moulding procedure takes place. In that subsequent moulding
procedure one half, in this instance the upper half (23) of a very
much softer rubbery outer cover, is moulded onto the inner plastics
element to cover a first major surface thereof.
[0042] A third moulding procedure is then employed to apply a
second-half (24) of the softer outer cover onto the inner plastics
element to cover a second major surface thereof and the
registration formations. The registration formations can thus be
totally covered with the outer cover.
[0043] Whatever process is employed to make the spoon according to
this invention, the resultant spoon is seen as having various areas
of interacting geometry to give it a unique profile.
[0044] As will be quite apparent from the foregoing, the spoon of
this invention is especially well suited to use as an infant
feeding spoon. The plan shape and size of the spoon or food
receiving recess of the spoon reduces the amount of food that can
be placed on the spoon recess. The raised rear edge of the spoon
recess forms an elevated ridge, which creates a backstop for food
and triggers the upper lip in order for a child to latch onto the
spoon and ingest all the food. The raised rear edge apparently
causes a child to bite down, suck the food off and clear the spoon
of any food.
[0045] The result of the invention is a feeding plane that is
tilted forwards towards an infant's mouth which appears to improve
the infant's ability to ingest and swallow the food on the spoon.
The shortened food retaining recess eases the overbite required of
an infant to clear the food off the spoon. This also allows a child
to bite and close their lips over the food and not into it thereby
reducing smearing of food on the face.
[0046] Whilst being primarily aimed at infant feeding spoons, a
spoon made according to this invention can also be used to good
effect in the feeding or administration of medicines to physically
impaired persons who are unable to effectively use conventional
cutlery in order to feed themselves or take medicines. Indeed it is
envisaged that a health carer could advantageously use a spoon
according to this invention in order to feed or administer
medicines to a physically impaired person.
[0047] Numerous variations may be made to the embodiment of the
invention described above without departing from the scope
hereof.
* * * * *