U.S. patent application number 15/688977 was filed with the patent office on 2017-12-14 for odorant-releasing utensil.
The applicant listed for this patent is Elwha LLC. Invention is credited to Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Edward K.Y. Jung, Jordin T. Kare, Robert Langer, Eric C. Leuthardt, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Dennis J. Rivet, Elizabeth A. Sweeney, Clarence T. Tegreene, Lowell L. Wood, JR., Victoria Y.H. Wood.
Application Number | 20170354281 15/688977 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51728264 |
Filed Date | 2017-12-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170354281 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hyde; Roderick A. ; et
al. |
December 14, 2017 |
ODORANT-RELEASING UTENSIL
Abstract
In an aspect, an eating utensil includes a controllable odorant
emitter for delivering an odorant to a person who is eating or
drinking from the eating utensil. The odorant may be delivered
orthonasally or retronasally. The odorant may be used to stimulate
or suppress appetite. In an aspect, a controllable odorant emitter
is provided in an attachment that may be removably secured to an
eating utensil. Related methods and systems for delivering odorant
in connection with use of an eating utensil are described.
Inventors: |
Hyde; Roderick A.; (Redmond,
WA) ; Ishikawa; Muriel Y.; (Livermore, CA) ;
Jung; Edward K.Y.; (Bellevue, WA) ; Kare; Jordin
T.; (San Jose, CA) ; Langer; Robert; (Newton,
MA) ; Leuthardt; Eric C.; (St. Louis, MO) ;
Myhrvold; Nathan P.; (Medina, WA) ; Rivet; Dennis
J.; (Richmond, VA) ; Sweeney; Elizabeth A.;
(Seattle, WA) ; Tegreene; Clarence T.; (Mercer
Island, WA) ; Wood, JR.; Lowell L.; (Bellevue,
WA) ; Wood; Victoria Y.H.; (Livermore, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Elwha LLC |
Bellevue |
WA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51728264 |
Appl. No.: |
15/688977 |
Filed: |
August 29, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14260908 |
Apr 24, 2014 |
9750361 |
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15688977 |
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13675935 |
Nov 13, 2012 |
9357865 |
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14260908 |
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13675940 |
Nov 13, 2012 |
9462822 |
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13675935 |
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13675942 |
Nov 13, 2012 |
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13675940 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 21/04 20130101;
A47G 23/0216 20130101; A47G 2400/04 20130101; A47G 19/2227
20130101; A47G 21/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47G 21/04 20060101
A47G021/04; A47G 23/02 20060101 A47G023/02; A47G 21/02 20060101
A47G021/02; A47G 19/22 20060101 A47G019/22 |
Claims
1.-84. (canceled)
85. An accessory to an eating utensil, comprising: an attachment
removably securable to a support portion of the eating utensil, the
eating utensil including: an ingestible substance-carrying portion
adapted to carry a quantity a ingestible substance to a mouth of a
consumer; and the support portion, wherein the support portion is
connected to the ingestible substance-carrying portion and
configured to be engaged by a person's hand to permit the
ingestible substance-carrying portion to be thereby moved to the
mouth of the consumer; and at least one controllable odorant
emitter carried by the attachment and adapted to release at least
one odorant in response to a control signal.
86. The accessory of claim 85, wherein the at least one
controllable odorant emitter is located with respect to the
attachment such when the attachment is secured to the eating
utensil, if the ingestible substance-carrying portion of the eating
utensil is positioned inside the mouth of the consumer, odorant
emitted from the at least one controllable odorant emitter is
delivered orthonasally to the consumer.
87. The accessory of claim 85, wherein the at least one
controllable odorant emitter is located with respect to the
attachment such when the attachment is secured to the eating
utensil, if the ingestible substance-carrying portion of the eating
utensil is positioned inside the mouth of the consumer, odorant
emitted from the at least one controllable odorant emitter is
delivered retronasally to the consumer.
88. The accessory of claim 85, wherein the at least one
controllable odorant emitter is located with respect to the
attachment such that when the attachment is secured to the eating
utensil, if the ingestible substance-carrying portion of the eating
utensil is approaching the mouth of the consumer, odorant emitted
from the at least one controllable odorant emitter is delivered
orthonasally to the consumer.
89. The accessory of claim 85, wherein the attachment includes a
sleeve adapted to fit around a portion of the eating utensil.
90.-96. (canceled)
97. The accessory of claim 85, including control circuitry
operatively connected to the at least one controllable odorant
emitter and adapted to generate the control signal for controlling
the at least one controllable odorant emitter.
98. The accessory of claim 97, wherein the control circuitry is
programmable.
99. The accessory of claim 98, wherein the control circuitry
includes a microprocessor.
100.-107. (canceled)
108. The accessory of claim 97, including a sensor operatively
connected to the control circuitry, wherein the control circuitry
is configured to generate the control signal based at least in part
on receipt of a sense signal from the sensor, wherein the sense
signal is indicative of a parameter sensed by the sensor.
109. The accessory of claim 108, including an extension extending
from the attachment and carrying the sensor, wherein the attachment
is configured to be secured to the support portion of the eating
utensil, and wherein the extension extends from the attachment to
the ingestible-substance carrying portion of the eating utensil
when the attachment is secured to the support portion of the eating
utensil such that the sensor is located at the support portion of
the eating utensil.
110. The accessory of claim 108, comprising a second sensor
operatively connected to the control circuitry.
111.-134. (canceled)
135. The accessory of claim 85, including an extension extending
from the attachment and including at least a portion of the at
least one controllable odorant emitter, wherein the extension
extends from the attachment to the ingestible-substance carrying
portion of the eating utensil when the attachment is secured to the
support portion of the eating utensil such that the at least a
portion of the at least one controllable odorant emitter is located
at the support portion of the eating utensil.
136. The accessory of claim 135, wherein the at least a portion of
the at least one controllable odorant emitter includes a delivery
tube extending from the at least one controllable odorant emitter
to the extension to provide for delivery of the at least one
odorant at the ingestible-substance carrying portion of the eating
utensil.
137. The accessory of claim 85, wherein the at least one
controllable odorant emitter includes at least one refillable
reservoir adapted for containing the at least one odorant.
138. The accessory of claim 137, wherein the at least one
controllable odorant emitter includes at least two refillable
reservoirs adapted for containing odorant.
139. The accessory of claim 138, including a mixing chamber for
mixing contents of the at least two refillable reservoirs.
140.-143. (canceled)
144. The accessory of claim 85, wherein the at least one
controllable odorant emitter includes at least one receptacle
adapted for receiving at least one removable cartridge containing
the at least one odorant.
145. The accessory of claim 144, wherein the at least one
controllable odorant emitter includes at least two receptacles,
each of the receptacles adapted for receiving at least one
removable cartridge containing at least one odorant.
146. The accessory of claim 144, wherein the at least one
receptacle is adapted for receiving at least two removable
cartridges, each of the cartridges containing at least one
odorant.
147. The accessory of claim 144, wherein at least one of the at
least two removable cartridges contains at least two odorants.
148. The accessory of claim 144, including at least one mixing
chamber for mixing at least two odorants.
149. The accessory of claim 144, wherein the at least one
receptacle is adapted to receive at least one cartridge including a
pouch filled with at least one of a gas, liquid, solid, or gel.
150. The accessory of claim 85, wherein the at least one
controllable odorant emitter includes at least one gating
mechanism.
151.-155. (canceled)
156. The accessory of claim 85, wherein the at least one
controllable odorant emitter includes at least one expulsion
mechanism.
157.-160 (canceled)
161. The accessory of claim 85, comprising at least one second
controllable odorant emitter.
162. The accessory of claim 161, wherein the at least one
controllable odorant emitter and the at least one second
controllable odorant emitter are located at adjacent locations on
the attachment.
163. The accessory of claim 161, wherein the at least one
controllable odorant emitter and the at least one second
controllable odorant emitter are located at spatially separated
locations on the attachment.
164.-342. (canceled)
343. The accessory of claim 89, wherein the sleeve is substantially
tubular, wherein the sleeve is adapted to fit around a handle of
the eating utensil, or wherein the sleeve is adapted to fit around
an exterior surface of the eating utensil.
344. The accessory of claim 85, wherein the attachment includes a
shell open at one side and adapted to fit against a portion of the
eating utensil; wherein the attachment is adapted to clamp onto a
portion of the eating utensil; or wherein the attachment comprises
at least one of an elastic portion, a strap, a clip, or a fastener
for removably securing the attachment to the support portion of the
eating utensil.
345. The accessory of claim 85, wherein the attachment is adapted
to clamp onto a portion of the eating utensil, wherein the portion
of the eating utensil is a rim of a glass or cup.
346. The accessory of claim 97, including at least one of a counter
or timer operatively connected to the control circuitry; or a
user-activatable switch operatively connected to the control
circuitry; wherein the control circuitry is configured to generate
the control signal based at least in part on activation of the
user-activatable switch.
347. The accessory of claim 97, wherein the control circuitry is
configured to determine at least one of a number of times the
eating utensil is moved to the mouth of the consumer or a duration
of use of eating utensil.
348. The accessory of claim 97, including at least one of a
receiver operatively connected to the control circuitry, wherein
the control circuitry is configured to generate the control signal
based at least in part on receipt by the receiver of a signal from
a remote device; or a transmitter operatively connected to the
control circuitry and adapted to transmit at least one of data,
instructions or information to the remote device.
349. The accessory of claim 348, wherein the remote device includes
at least one of a base station, a cell phone, or a communication
network.
350. The accessory of claim 108, wherein the sensor is adapted to
sense at least one of a parameter indicative of a weight of an
ingestible substance carried by the ingestible substance-carrying
portion, a parameter indicative of at least a portion of the
ingestible substance-carrying portion being inside the mouth of the
consumer, a parameter indicative of at least a portion of the
ingestible substance-carrying portion being in the vicinity of a
skin region of the consumer, a parameter indicative of a component
of an ingestible substance carried by the ingestible
substance-carrying portion, or a parameter indicative of movement
of the eating utensil toward or away from the mouth of the
consumer.
351. The accessory of claim 108, wherein the sensor includes at
least one of a chemical sensor, a salt sensor, a sugar sensor, a
protein sensor, a fat sensor, an alcohol sensor, a pressure sensor,
a force sensor, a motion sensor, an optical sensor, a proximity
sensor, a temperature sensor, a strain gauge, an accelerometer, an
e-Nose, or a pH sensor.
352. The accessory of claim 85, including at least one of a
user-activatable switch operatively connected to the at least one
controllable odorant emitter, wherein the control signal is
generated based at least in part on activation of the
user-activatable switch; a receiver operatively connected to the at
least one controllable odorant emitter, wherein the control signal
is generated based at least in part on receipt by the receiver of a
signal from a remote device; or an output device for presenting
information relating to the operation of the eating utensil.
353. The accessory of claim 137, wherein the at least one
refillable reservoir is adapted for containing at least one of a
liquid odorant, a gaseous odorant, a solid odorant, or a gel
odorant.
354. The accessory of claim 150, wherein the at least one gating
mechanism includes at least one of a puncturable membrane, a
controllable puncture mechanism, a valve actuation mechanism, a
gate, or a gate actuation mechanism.
355. The accessory of claim 156, wherein the at least one expulsion
mechanism includes at least one of a heating mechanism, a
thermoelectric element, a propulsion mechanism, a striker, a
plunger, an ejector or a spring.
Description
[0001] If an Application Data Sheet (ADS) has been filed on the
filing date of this application, it is incorporated by reference
herein. Any applications claimed on the ADS for priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn..sctn.119, 120, 121, or 365(c), and any and all
parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of such
applications, are also incorporated by reference, including any
priority claims made in those applications and any material
incorporated by reference, to the extent such subject matter is not
inconsistent herewith.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0002] The present application claims the benefit of the earliest
available effective filing date(s) from the following listed
application(s) (the "Priority Applications"), if any, listed below
(e.g., claims earliest available priority dates for other than
provisional patent applications or claims benefits under 35 USC
.sctn.119(e) for provisional patent applications, for any and all
parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of the
Priority Application(s)).
Priority Applications
[0003] The present application constitutes a continuation-in-part
of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/675,935, entitled ACTIVELY
RELEASED FOOD ADDITIVES, naming MICHAEL H. BAYM, RODERICK A. HYDE,
JORDIN T. KARE, ERIC C. LEUTHARDT, ELIZABETH A. SWEENEY, AND LOWELL
L. WOOD, JR. as inventors, filed 13 Nov. 2012 with attorney docket
no. 1009-038-001-000000, which is currently co-pending or is an
application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled
to the benefit of the filing date.
[0004] The present application constitutes a continuation-in-part
of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/675,940, entitled ACTIVELY
RELEASED FOOD ADDITIVES, naming MICHAEL H. BAYM, RODERICK A. HYDE,
JORDIN T. KARE, ERIC C. LEUTHARDT, ELIZABETH A. SWEENEY, AND LOWELL
L. WOOD, JR. as inventors, filed 13 Nov. 2012 with attorney docket
no. 1009-038-002-000000, which is currently co-pending or is an
application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled
to the benefit of the filing date.
[0005] The present application constitutes a continuation-in-part
of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/675,942, entitled ACTIVELY
RELEASED FOOD ADDITIVES, naming MICHAEL H. BAYM, RODERICK A. HYDE,
JORDIN T. KARE, ERIC C. LEUTHARDT, ELIZABETH A. SWEENEY, AND LOWELL
L. WOOD, JR. as inventors, filed 13 Nov. 2012 with attorney docket
no. 1009-038-003-000000, which is currently co-pending or is an
application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled
to the benefit of the filing date.
[0006] If the listings of applications provided above are
inconsistent with the listings provided via an ADS, it is the
intent of the Applicant to claim priority to each application that
appears in the Domestic Benefit/National Stage Information section
of the ADS and to each application that appears in the Priority
Applications section of this application.
[0007] All subject matter of the Priority Applications and of any
and all applications related to the Priority Applications by
priority claims (directly or indirectly), including any priority
claims made and subject matter incorporated by reference therein as
of the filing date of the instant application, is incorporated
herein by reference to the extent such subject matter is not
inconsistent herewith.
SUMMARY
[0008] In an aspect, an eating utensil includes, but is not limited
to, an ingestible substance-carrying portion adapted to carry a
quantity of a ingestible substance to a mouth of a subject, a
support portion connected to the ingestible substance-carrying
portion and configured to be engaged by a person's hand to permit
the ingestible substance-carrying portion to be thereby moved to
the mouth of the subject, and at least one controllable odorant
emitter for releasing at least one odorant under control of a
control signal. In addition to the foregoing, other system aspects
are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of
the disclosure set forth herein.
[0009] In an aspect, an accessory to an eating utensil includes,
but is not limited to, an attachment removably securable to a
support portion of the eating utensil, the eating utensil
including: an ingestible substance-carrying portion adapted to
carry a quantity of a ingestible substance to a mouth of a subject,
and the support portion, wherein the support portion is connected
to the ingestible substance-carrying portion and configured to be
engaged by a person's hand to permit the ingestible
substance-carrying portion to be thereby moved to the mouth of the
subject, and at least one controllable odorant emitter carried by
the attachment and adapted to release at least one odorant in
response to a control signal. In addition to the foregoing, other
system aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text
forming a part of the disclosure set forth herein.
[0010] In an aspect, a method of delivering an odorant in
connection with use of an eating utensil for delivering food or
drink to a subject, includes, but is not limited to: releasing at
least one odorant from at least one controllable odorant emitter
carried by an eating utensil in response to a control signal, the
eating utensil comprising: an ingestible substance-carrying portion
adapted to carry a quantity of an ingestible substance to a mouth
of a subject, and a support portion connected to the ingestible
substance-carrying portion and configured to be engaged by a
person's hand to permit the ingestible substance-carrying portion
to be thereby moved to the mouth of the subject. In an aspect, the
at least one controllable odorant emitter is a part of the eating
utensil. In another aspect, the at least one controllable odorant
emitter is a part of an attachment to the eating utensil, wherein
the attachment is removably securable to the eating utensil such
that when secured to the eating utensil the attachment and parts
thereof are carried by the eating utensil. In addition to the
foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims,
drawings, and text forming a part of the disclosure set forth
herein.
[0011] In an aspect, an article of manufacture includes, but is not
limited to, one or more non-transitory machine-readable data
storage media bearing one or more instructions for controlling the
release of at least one odorant from at least one controllable
odorant emitter carried by an eating utensil with a control signal,
the eating utensil comprising an ingestible substance-carrying
portion adapted to carry a quantity of an ingestible substance to a
mouth of a subject, and a support portion connected to the
ingestible substance-carrying portion and configured to be engaged
by a person's hand to permit the ingestible substance-carrying
portion to be thereby moved to the mouth of the subject. In
addition to the foregoing, other aspects of articles of manufacture
including one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage
media bearing one or more instructions are described in the claims,
drawings, and text forming a part of the disclosure set forth
herein.
[0012] In addition to the foregoing, various other method, system
and/or article of manufacture aspects are set forth and described
in the teachings such as text (e.g., claims and/or detailed
description) and/or drawings of the present disclosure.
[0013] The foregoing is a summary and thus may contain
simplifications, generalizations, inclusions, and/or omissions of
detail; consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that
the summary is illustrative only and is NOT intended to be in any
way limiting. Other aspects, features, and advantages of the
devices and/or processes and/or other subject matter described
herein will become apparent by reference to the detailed
description, the corresponding drawings, and/or in the teachings
set forth herein.
[0014] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not
intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative
aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further
aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by
reference to the drawings and the following detailed
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0015] FIG. 1A depicts an embodiment of an eating utensil including
odorant emitters.
[0016] FIG. 1B is an illustration of orthonasal and retronasal
delivery of odorants with the eating utensil of FIG. 1A.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an eating
utensil.
[0018] FIG. 3A depicts an embodiment of a controllable odorant
emitter.
[0019] FIG. 3B depicts an embodiment of a controllable odorant
emitter.
[0020] FIG. 4A depicts a gating mechanism.
[0021] FIG. 4B depicts a gating mechanism.
[0022] FIG. 4C depicts a gating mechanism.
[0023] FIG. 4D depicts an expulsion mechanism.
[0024] FIG. 4E depicts an expulsion mechanism.
[0025] FIG. 5A depicts an embodiment of an eating utensil including
odorant emitters.
[0026] FIG. 5B depicts an embodiment of an eating utensil including
odorant emitters.
[0027] FIG. 5C depicts an embodiment of an eating utensil including
an odorant emitter.
[0028] FIG. 6A is an illustration of an eating utensil including
odorant emitters.
[0029] FIG. 6B is an illustration of an eating utensil including
odorant emitters.
[0030] FIG. 6C is an illustration of an eating utensil including
odorant emitters.
[0031] FIG. 7 is an illustration of orthonasal and retronasal
delivery of odorants with an eating utensil.
[0032] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an accessory to an eating
utensil.
[0033] FIG. 9A depicts an accessory to an eating utensil.
[0034] FIG. 9B depicts an accessory to an eating utensil
communicating with a remote device.
[0035] FIG. 10A is a top view of an accessory to an eating utensil
attached to an eating utensil.
[0036] FIG. 10B is a side view of the accessory to an eating
utensil and eating utensil of FIG. 10A.
[0037] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a method of delivering an
odorant in connection with use of an eating utensil for delivering
food or drink to a subject.
[0038] FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of a variant of the method of FIG.
11.
[0039] FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a variant of the method of FIG.
11.
[0040] FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of a variant of the method of FIG.
11.
[0041] FIG. 15 is a flow diagram of a variant of the method of FIG.
11.
[0042] FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of a variant of the method of FIG.
11.
[0043] FIG. 17 is a flow diagram of a variant of the method of FIG.
11.
[0044] FIG. 18 is a flow diagram of a variant of the method of FIG.
11.
[0045] FIG. 19 is a flow diagram of a variant of the method of FIG.
11.
[0046] FIG. 20 is a flow diagram of a variant of the method of FIG.
11.
[0047] FIG. 21 is a flow diagram of a variant of the method of FIG.
11.
[0048] FIG. 22 is a flow diagram of a variant of the method of FIG.
11.
[0049] FIG. 23 is a schematic block diagram of an article of
manufacture including one or more non-transitory machine readable
data storage media bearing instructions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0050] In the following detailed description, reference is made to
the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the
drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components,
unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments
described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not
meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other
changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of
the subject matter presented here. The components of the disclosed
embodiments, as generally described and illustrated in the figures
herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of
different configurations. Furthermore, the features, structures,
and operations associated with one embodiment may be applicable to
or combined with the features, structures, or operations described
in conjunction with another embodiment. Dashed lines in the figures
are used to indicated optional or alternative components, steps, or
processes. Well-known structures, materials, or operations are not
shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of this
disclosure. In addition, the steps of a method do not necessarily
need to be executed in any specific order, or even sequentially,
nor do the steps need to be executed only once.
[0051] If a consumer inhales aromas while consuming food or drink,
the consumer's perception of the quantity and/or quality of the
consumed food or drink can be affected. In some instances, inhaling
aromas can satiate a consumer and potentially lower consumption,
leading to health benefits if it is desirable for the consumer to
consume less, e.g. in order to lose weight. In some instances,
inhaling aromas can stimulate appetite to increase food
consumption, which may be beneficial in consumers who have
decreased appetite due to illness, medication side effect, etc.
[0052] Aromas can enter the nasal cavity via two routes. Aromas
that are inhaled through the nose enter the nasal cavity via the
orthonasal pathway. Aromas are also released into the nasal cavity
during the process of chewing and swallowing food and/or drink; the
pathway that these aromas follow is called the retronasal pathway.
Aroma-producing odorants delivered to the nasal cavity via these
two different routes stimulate different regions of the brain. For
example, aroma-producing odorants delivered via the orthonasal
route activate brain regions associated with the anticipation of
eating and desire to consume food. On the other hand,
aroma-producing odorants delivered via the retronasal route
activate brain regions associated with the sense of reward that
comes from eating food, as discussed in Ruijschop et al.,
"Retronasal Aroma Release and Satiation: a Review", J. Agric. Food
Chem., 2009, 57, 9888-9894, which is incorporated herein by
reference. The former may cause a person to feel hungry and
possibly eat more than necessary while the latter may cause a
feeling of satiation and therefore the person may eat less.
Aroma-producing odorants entering via either route may modulate or
contribute to a consumer's gustatory experience of a food,
beverage, or other ingestible substance.
[0053] FIG. 1A depicts an eating utensil 100 that can be used to
deliver one or more aroma-producing odorants to a consumer in
connection with delivery of an ingestible substance 102. Eating
utensil 100 include ingestible substance-carrying portion 104,
which is adapted to carry a quantity of a ingestible substance 102
to a mouth of a consumer, a support portion 106 connected to the
ingestible substance-carrying portion 104 and configured to be
engaged by a person's hand to permit the ingestible
substance-carrying portion 104 to be thereby moved to the mouth of
the consumer, and first and second controllable odorant emitters
108 and 110, respectively, for releasing at least one odorant under
control of a control signal. In the example of FIG. 1A, eating
utensil 100 is a spoon, ingestible substance-carrying portion 104
is the bowl of the spoon, and support portion 106 is the handle of
the spoon. It will be appreciated that support portion 106 (here,
the spoon handle) may be configured to be engaged by the hand of
the consumer, or by the hand of another person (e.g. if the
consumer is a small child being fed by an older person, or any
person who is unable to feed themselves, due to lack of muscle
strength or coordination, or for any other reason).
[0054] As used herein, the term "eating utensil" is used to
describe a variety of utensils used to convey ingestible substances
to the mouth of a consumer. Ingestible substances may be
substantially liquid, or substantially solid, or mixture of liquids
and solids (e.g., emulsions, suspensions, etc.) having various
consistencies. As is well known, selection of an eating utensil is
typical made based upon the consistency of the ingestible
substance. For example, a substantially liquid ingestible substance
such as a beverage, a soup, a sauce, or a liquid medicine, is
commonly conveyed to the mouth of a consumer with a cup, a glass, a
spoon, or a drinking straw. Substantially solid ingestible
substances may be conveyed to the mouth of a consumer with a fork
or chopsticks. A spoon may be used to convey ingestible substances
having consistencies ranging from liquid to solid.
[0055] Eating utensil 100 in FIG. 1A includes control circuitry
112, which is operatively connected to first controllable odorant
emitter 108 via line 114, and to second controllable odorant
emitter 110 via line 116. Control circuitry 112 is adapted to
generate a control signal for controlling first controllable
odorant emitter 108 and second controllable odorant emitter 110.
Eating utensil 100 also includes sensor 118, which is operatively
connected to the control circuitry 112 via line 120. Control
circuitry 112 is configured to generate control signals for
controlling first controllable odorant emitter 108 and second
controllable odorant emitter 110 based at least in part on receipt
of a sense signal from sensor 118.
[0056] FIG. 1B depicts eating utensil 100 in use. Specifically,
FIG. 1B depicts a cross-section view of the head of a consumer 150,
in which ingestible substance-carrying portion (bowl) 104 of eating
utensil 100 is positioned within mouth 152 of consumer 150. A hand
of a person (either consumer 150 or another person), not shown in
FIG. 1B, engages and supports support portion (handle) 106 to carry
eating utensil 100 to mouth 152 of consumer 150. The position of
eating utensil 100 relative to the nose and mouth of consumer 150
is detected by sensor 118 in eating utensil 100, which in this
example is an accelerometer configured by control circuitry 112.
Control circuitry 112 is configured to control the timing of
release of odorants from first controllable odorant emitter 108 and
second controllable odorant emitter 110 to produce a desired effect
on the consumer's appetite. At the start of eating, when ingestible
substance-carrying portion 104 of eating utensil 100 is positioned
within mouth 152 of consumer 150, an odorant selected to stimulate
the consumer's appetite is emitted from first controllable odorant
emitter 108 so that it is inhaled via nostril 154 of consumer 150,
and travels via orthonasal route 156 to olfactory membrane 158.
After consumer 150 has been eating for a selected amount of time
(e.g., a time sufficient to consume an appropriate amount of food
to attain or maintain a healthy weight), when ingestible
substance-carrying portion 104 of eating utensil 100 is positioned
within mouth 152 of consumer 150, an odorant selected to inhibit
the appetite of consumer 150 is emitted from second controllable
odorant emitter 110, so that it travels via retronasal route 160 to
olfactory membrane 158.
[0057] As shown in FIG. 1B, first controllable odorant emitter 108
is located on the eating utensil such that if the ingestible
substance-carrying portion 104 of eating utensil 100 is positioned
inside the mouth 152 of consumer 150, odorant emitted from first
controllable odorant emitter 108 is delivered orthonasally to
consumer 150. Controllable odorant emitter 110 is located on eating
utensil 100 such that if ingestible substance-carrying portion 104
of eating utensil 100 is positioned inside the mouth 152 of
consumer 150, odorant emitted from second controllable odorant
emitter 110 is delivered retronasally to consumer 150. However, it
will be appreciated that second controllable odorant emitter 110 is
located on eating utensil 100 such that if ingestible
substance-carrying portion 104 of eating utensil 100 is approaching
the mouth of the consumer 150, odorant emitted from second
controllable odorant emitter 110 can be delivered orthonasally to
the consumer (not depicted in illustration). Approach of eating
utensil 100 to the mouth of consumer 150 can be detected by
analysis of the pattern of movement as detected by sensor 118.
[0058] As used herein, the term "odorant" may be used to refer to
either an aroma-producing odorant or an odorant composition or
formulation including one or more odorant and a carrier material.
Aroma-producing odorants may comprise esters, linear or cyclic
terpenes, aromatic compounds, amines, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones,
lactones, thiols, or the like. In some embodiments, the odorant
changes the perceived odor, aroma, taste, texture, temperature,
and/or color of a food product. In some embodiments, the odorant is
a chemical selected to stimulate (or to block) a taste receptor; it
may affect sweet, bitter, sour, salty, or umami taste sensations.
In some embodiments, the odorant causes a consumer of the food
product to be satiated. In some embodiments, a satiety-inducing
odorant may comprise an odorant such as isoamyl acetate, aromas
indicative of foods such as peppermint, bananas, green apples,
sweeteners, or the like. Appetite-inhibiting odorants may induce
foul or unpleasing tastes or odors. In other embodiments the
odorant may be configured to increase (e.g. to induce and/or
stimulate) a consumer's appetite.
[0059] In some embodiments, an odorant may be an emulsion or a
mixture of multiple odorants. In addition to odorant chemicals, for
example, as listed herein above, an odorant may include bacteria,
enzymes, or other naturally occurring or synthetic agents. Bacteria
that naturally occur in a consumer's mouth and contribute to
retroaromas (aromas experienced via the retronasal pathway) can be
included with one or more aroma-based flavorings formulated to
stimulate retronasal olfaction. See, e.g., Starkenmann et al.,
"Olfactory Perception of Cysteine--S.-Conjugates from Fruits and
Vegetables," J. Agric. Food Chem., Vol. 56, No. 20, 2008, pp.
9575-9580; and Piombina et al., "Saliva from Obese Individuals
Suppresses the Release of Aroma Compounds from Wine," PLoS ONE,
9(1):e85611, Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0085100, Jan. 22, 2014, both
of which are incorporated herein by reference. Increased bacteria
can lead to a longer lasting effect as the retroaromas tend to
linger longer when naturally produced by bacteria in the mouth.
Carrier materials used in odorant compositions or formulations may
include any materials that improve the stability or other
properties of odorants, and may include encapsulating materials,
e.g. as described in Madene et al, "Flavour encapsulation and
controlled release--a review" Intl. J. Food Science and Technology,
2006, 41, 1-21, and Shefer et al., "Novel Encapsulation System
Provides Controlled Release of Ingredients," Food Technology,
November 2003, Vol. 57, No. 11, both of which are incorporated
herein by reference.
[0060] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating components of an
odorant-releasing eating utensil 200, of which eating utensil 100
in FIGS. 1A and 1B is one embodiment. Eating utensil 200 includes
ingestible substance-carrying portion 202 adapted to carry a
quantity of a ingestible substance to a mouth of a consumer,
support portion 204 connected to the ingestible substance-carrying
portion 202 and configured to be engaged by a person's hand to
permit the ingestible substance-carrying portion 202 to be thereby
moved to the mouth of the consumer, and at least one controllable
odorant emitter (206a and 206b in the example of FIG. 2) located on
eating utensil 200 for releasing at least one odorant under control
of a control signal. In various aspects, eating utensil 200 may be
a spoon, a fork, a knife, a spork, a chopstick, a bowl, a plate, a
drinking straw, or the like.
[0061] In an aspect, the eating utensil 200 includes control
circuitry 208 operatively connected to at least one controllable
odorant emitter 206a/206b and adapted to generate control signal
210 for controlling controllable odorant emitter 206a/206b. In some
embodiments, eating utensil 200 includes two or more controllable
odorant emitters. A second controllable odorant emitter 206b is
depicted in FIG. 2, but, it should be understood, larger numbers of
controllable odorant emitters may be included, without limitation.
Release of odorant from controllable odorant emitters 206a and 206b
may be regulated by gating mechanisms 290 and 292, which may be
controlled by control signals from control circuitry 208 (not
shown). Gating mechanisms are described in greater detail herein
below. Eating utensil 200 may optionally include at least one
mixing chamber 294 for mixing at least two odorants released from
controllable odorant emitters 206a and 206b prior to release of the
odorant mixture from eating utensil 200. One or more of the
odorants released from controllable odorant emitters 206a and 206b
may be aroma-producing materials that produce odors when mixed with
one or more other materials; hence mixing of odorants in mixing
chamber 294 may produce the actual aroma that will be detected by
the consumer. The construction of controllable odorant emitters and
release of odorants therefrom is described in greater detail herein
below, in connection with FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A and 5C. Controllable
odorant emitters of various types may be used, for example as
described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,542,442 to Kaslon and U.S. Pat. No.
6,053,738 to Ivey, Jr., each of which is incorporated herein by
reference.
[0062] In an aspect, eating utensil 200 includes sensor 212
operatively connected to the control circuitry 208, wherein the
control circuitry 208 is configured to generate the control signal
210 based at least in part on receipt of a sense signal 214 from
the sensor 212, wherein the sense signal is indicative of a
parameter sensed by the sensor. In an aspect, control circuitry 208
is programmable, and may include, for example a processor 216.
According to various embodiments, processor 216 may be a
microprocessor, microcontroller, logic circuitry, or the like.
Processor 216 may include a special purpose processing device such
as application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), programmable
array logic (PAL), programmable logic array (PLA), programmable
logic device (PLD), field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other
customizable and/or programmable device. In some embodiments, the
processor 216 may execute instructions which cause controllable
odorant emitter 206a/206b to release one or more odorant, for
example. Control circuitry 208 includes data storage device 218,
which includes a non-transitory machine-readable data storage
medium, which may include non-volatile memory, static RAM, dynamic
RAM, ROM, CD-ROM, disk, tape, magnetic, optical, flash memory, or
other machine-readable storage medium.
[0063] Eating utensil 200 also includes power source 220. In some
aspects, power source 220 is a battery or the like (e.g., a fuel
cell, a microbattery, or a thin-film battery). The battery may be
rechargeable and/or replaceable. In some aspects, power source 220
is an energy harvesting power supply. The energy harvesting power
may harvest mechanical energy, for example, when the consumer moves
the eating utensil 200 to or from the mouth, or when the consumer
bites onto eating utensil 200.
[0064] In an aspect, the eating utensil 200 includes a user input
device 222. In an aspect, user input device 222 includes a
user-activatable switch 224 operatively connected to the at least
one controllable odorant emitter 206, wherein the control signal
210 is generated based at least in part on activation of the
user-activatable switch.
[0065] In an aspect, the eating utensil includes communication
circuitry 226. Communication circuitry 226 may include receiver
228, which is operatively connected to the at least one
controllable odorant emitter 206a, wherein the control signal 210
is generated based at least in part on receipt by receiver 228 of a
signal 230 from a remote device 232. In an aspect, control
circuitry 208 is configured to generate the control signal 210
based at least in part on receipt by receiver 228 of a signal 230
from remote device 232. Signal 230 may include instructions,
programs, or device settings for controlling or managing operation
of eating utensil 200.
[0066] Communication circuitry also may include transmitter 234
adapted to transmit signal 236 to remote device 232. In an aspect,
transmitter 234 is operatively connected to the control circuitry
208 and adapted to transmit at least one of data, instructions or
information to a remote device 232, as signal 236. Receiver 228 and
transmitter 234 may include electrical circuitry and one or more
antenna or other receiving/sending element 229 appropriate for
receiving signal 230 and/or sending signal 236, respectively. For
example, and without limitation, receiving/sending element 229 may
include an antenna for sending/receiving electromagnetic signals,
an acoustic transducer for sending/receiving acoustic signals, or
an optical source and detector for sending/receiving optical
signals. Receiver 228 and transmitter 234 may be constructed as
separate devices or constructed as a single transceiver device. In
various aspects, remote device 232 includes, for example, at least
one of a base station, a cell phone, a communication network, or
various other external control or communications devices or
systems. For example, data regarding consumption of food,
beverages, or medications may be sent to remote device 232 and
tracked for medical or health monitoring purposes, and/or for
sharing with others via social media, etc. In some embodiments,
some control or signal processing functions may be performed on a
remote device, and instructions transmitted back to communication
circuitry 226 from remote device 232. A remote device may be used
as a user interface device for user interaction with the eating
utensil 200. Data sent to remote device 232 may include, but is not
limited to, raw or unprocessed data, processed data, or data values
derived from raw data. Instructions sent to remote device 232 may
include, but is not limited to, instructions for operation of
eating utensil 200 or instructions to be performed at remote device
232. Information sent to remote device 232 may include, but is not
limited to, information regarding hardware and software settings or
configurations of eating utensil 200, sensed or stored parameters,
instructions, flags, interrupts, programs, variables, or sensed
environmental conditions, for example. Data, instructions or
information may be transmitted to remote device 232 in real- or
near real-time, or stored in data storage device 218 on eating
utensil 200 and later sent to remote device 232 in response to a
query from remote device 232, in response to an instruction
received via user input device 222, or at one or more
pre-programmed times. In some aspects, communication circuitry 226
forms a part of a wireless communication system, such as a
Bluetooth.TM., Wi-Fi, or other radio frequency (RF) communication
system, or an optical communication system, such as an infrared or
visible spectrum communication system. Other technologies that may
be used include ZigBee, local area network (LAN), wireless local
area network (WLAN), Body Area Network (BAN), or cellular network.
In some embodiments, communication circuitry 226 is a wired
communication system. Alternatively, or in addition, communication
circuitry 226 may include a physical media device, and physical
media may be used to communicate with the eating utensil 200, e.g.
by inserting removable physical media such as e.g. optical or
magnetic media, memory cards (e.g., Compact Flash card, Secure
Digital card, Memory Stick), Zip drives, magnetic tapes, or a
single in-line memory module (SIMM) into a slot into eating utensil
200.
[0067] In some embodiments, communication circuitry 226 is
configured to provide wireless communication between two or more
system components of eating utensil 200, e.g., between control
circuitry 208, user input device 222, output device 238,
communication circuitry 226, sensor 212, and/or controllable
odorant emitter(s) 206a, 206b, for example.
[0068] In an aspect, eating utensil 200 includes output device 238
for presenting information relating to the operation of eating
utensil 200 to a user of eating utensil 200. Output device 238 may
be a display 240, for example, an LED display, an LCD display, a
7-segment display, or other type of display; one or more LED or
other light source; an audio speaker, buzzer, bell or other sound
generator; or vibration source. In some embodiments output device
238 may be configured to notify the consumer of certain events. For
example, output device 238 may notify the consumer that an odorant
has been released. Additionally, output device 238 may be used to
provide feedback to the consumer in the process of programming or
executing an odorant release schedule, as discussed in more detail
below. According to various embodiments, the output device 238 may
provide feedback to the consumer as haptic vibration, text or
images on a display, or audio, for example.
[0069] As depicted in FIG. 2, control circuitry 208 is operatively
connected to at least one controllable odorant emitter 206a (206b,
etc.) and adapted to generate the control signal 210 for
controlling the at least one controllable odorant emitter 206a
(206b, etc.). One or more separate control signals may be sent to
each odorant emitter, and although only a single control signal 210
is depicted, any number of control signals may be sent to the one
or more controllable odorant emitters to control various aspects of
their operation.
[0070] In an aspect, eating utensil 200 includes a counter/timer
242 operatively connected to the control circuitry 208. Control
circuitry 208 can be configured to determine a number of times the
eating utensil is moved to the mouth of the consumer, e.g. by using
counter/timer 242 to count cycles of movement of eating utensil 200
as detected by sensor 212. Alternatively or in addition, control
circuitry 208 can be configured to determine a duration of use of
eating utensil, e.g. by initiating counter/timer 242 to begin
counting when use of eating utensil 200 is commenced. Configuration
of control circuitry 208 can be accomplished with hardware or
software, and depending on the embodiment may be done during
manufacture of the device or, in some cases, during use of the
device by the consumer or other user.
[0071] In an aspect, eating utensil 200 includes a user-activatable
switch 224 operatively connected to control circuitry 208, wherein
control circuitry 208 is configured to generate control signal 210
based at least in part on activation of user-activatable switch
224. For example, a user (e.g. the consumer, or someone who is
assisting the consumer with eating) may depress a user-activatable
switch 224 to indicate the start of eating and to initiate a
pre-programmed pattern of odorant release.
[0072] In an aspect, eating utensil 200 includes sensor 212
operatively connected to control circuitry 208, wherein control
circuitry 208 is configured to generate control signal 210 based at
least in part on receipt of a sense signal 214 from the sensor
212.
[0073] Sensor 212 may be located on the ingestible
substance-carrying portion 202 of the eating utensil 200 (e.g., as
depicted in FIG. 5A) or on the support portion 204 of the eating
utensil 200 (e.g. like sensor 118 depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B).
[0074] In an aspect, sensor 212 includes a chemical sensor 244,
which may include, for example, a salt sensor 246, a sugar sensor
248, a protein sensor 250, a fat sensor 252, or an alcohol sensor
254. In an aspect, sensor 212 includes a pressure sensor 256, a
force sensor 258, a motion sensor 260, an optical sensor 262, or a
proximity sensor 264. A proximity sensor can include an
electromagnetic sensor 266, an electrical sensor 268 (e.g.,
inductive sensor 268a or capacitive sensor 268b), a magnetic sensor
270, an optical sensor 272 (e.g., an infrared sensor 272a,
near-infrared sensor 272b, or laser sensor 272c), or an acoustic
sensor 274. A proximity sensor can sense proximity of the utensil
to a skin surface, for example. In various aspects, sensor 212
includes a temperature sensor 276, a strain gauge 278, an
accelerometer 280, an e-Nose 282, or a pH sensor 284. Eating
utensil 200 may include one or multiple sensors. Multiple sensors
of the same type may be used to provide redundancy, or several
different types of sensors may be used to sense several different
parameters.
[0075] In an aspect, the sensor 212 is adapted to sense a parameter
indicative of a weight of an ingestible substance carried by the
ingestible substance-carrying portion. For example, weight of
ingestible substance may be determined by an appropriately
configured pressure sensor, force sensor, strain gauge, or
accelerometer, for example. In an aspect, the sensor 212 is adapted
to sense a parameter indicative of at least a portion of the
ingestible substance-carrying portion being inside the mouth of the
consumer. For example, one or more of an optical sensor (e.g., a
photosensor), temperature sensor, e-nose, or capacitive sensor can
be used to detect that the ingestible substance-carrying portion is
inside the mouth of the consumer. In some aspects, sensor 212 may
be configured to determine contact of a portion of eating utensil
200 with a surface of the consumer's mouth. For example, in one
embodiment, the sensor 212 may be a capacitive sensor, a pressure
sensor, or the like configured to detect contact with the
consumer's mouth. The sensor 212 may be configured to determine
contact with the consumer's tongue, lip, tooth, or another interior
surface of the consumer's mouth, for example. In other aspects a
moisture sensor or a protein sensor for detecting, e.g. mucin or
mucus, may be used to detect contact with the consumer's mouth.
[0076] In an aspect, the sensor 212 is a proximity sensor 264
adapted to sense a parameter indicative of at least a portion of
the ingestible substance-carrying portion being in the vicinity of
a skin region of the consumer. Proximity sensor 264 may include,
but is not limited to, an electromagnetic sensor, an electrical
sensor (e.g., an inductive or capacitive sensor), a magnetic
sensor, an optical sensor (e.g. an infrared, near-infrared, or
laser sensor), or an acoustic sensor.
[0077] In an aspect, the sensor is adapted to sense a parameter
indicative of a component of an ingestible substance carried by the
ingestible substance-carrying portion, e.g. by sensing a chemical
component or a pH of the ingestible substance. In an aspect, the
sensor is adapted to sense a parameter indicative of movement of
the eating utensil toward or away from the mouth of the consumer,
e.g. by sensing acceleration with an accelerometer, amplitude of a
reflected signal with an optical or acoustic sensor, or with the
use of an image sensor. A variety of sensors for detecting chemical
components of foods or beverages are described in U.S. Pat. No.
8,229,676 issued Jul. 24, 2012 to Hyde et al., and U.S. Pat. No.
8,398,920 issued Mar. 19, 2013 to Hyde et al., both of which are
incorporated herein by reference. Biosensors for detecting
components including caffeine, alcohol, formaldehyde, monosodium
glutamate, sulfites, and nitrates in foodstuffs are described in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,824,554 to McKay, which is incorporated herein by
reference. An example of monitoring sodium content of a foodstuff
is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,391 to Byrd, which is incorporated
herein by reference. Another example of detecting caffeine content
of a foodstuff may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,461,873, to Catania
et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Sensors for
detecting compounds indicative of food spoilage are described in
U.S. Pat. No. 6,593,142 to Kelly et al., and U.S. Pat. No.
6,924,147 to Kelly et al., which are incorporated herein by
reference.
[0078] In one embodiment, the eating utensil or oral implant may
use an ultrasonic transducer to determine proximity to a portion of
the body of the consumer.
[0079] According to various embodiments, the sensor 212 may be used
in combination with a counter/timer 242 to determine the number of
times a certain action has been performed by the consumer. For
example, counter/timer 242 may be configured to count the number of
times the consumer has placed eating utensil 200 in the consumer's
mouth. In other aspects control circuitry 208 may be configured by
software to track events relating to use of eating utensil 200.
Movement of eating utensil 200 as it is brought to the mouth of the
consumer may be detected, for example, through use of a motion
sensor including an accelerometer or gyroscope, for example (see,
e.g. U.S. Published Patent Application 2012/0115111 published May
10, 2012, to Lepine, which is incorporated herein by reference), or
by various other time-varying sensed signals that indicate use of
the eating utensil.
[0080] FIGS. 3A and 3B depict several examples for construction of
controllable odorant emitters, e.g. such as controllable odorant
emitter 206a and 206b in FIG. 2. In some aspects, a controllable
odorant emitter can include a single odorant reservoir. In other
aspects, a controllable odorant emitter includes at least two
refillable reservoirs adapted for containing odorant. For example,
FIG. 3A depicts controllable odorant emitter 300, which includes
odorant reservoirs 302, 304, and 306, containing odorants 308, 310,
and 312, respectively. Odorant 308 may be a liquid odorant 314, a
solid odorant 316, a gaseous odorant 318 or a gel odorant 320.
Similarly, odorants 310 and 312 may be liquid, solid, gas, or gel,
although this is not depicted in FIG. 3A. As noted herein above, an
odorant can include an odorant molecule by itself, or an odorant
formulation that contains one or more odorant molecules and carrier
or binder materials. Odorants can take various forms (liquid,
solid, gas, gel) depending not only on the odorant molecule but
also the carrier or binder material, if used. In FIG. 3A, odorant
308 is released from odorant reservoir 302 driven by expulsion
mechanism 322, which is controlled by a control signal 324.
Similarly, odorant 310 is released from odorant reservoir 304
driven by expulsion mechanism 326, which is controlled by a control
signal 328, and odorant 312 is released from odorant reservoir 306
driven by expulsion mechanism 330, which is controlled by a control
signal 332. Gating mechanisms 334, 336, and 338 prevent or permit
release of odorant from odorant reservoirs 302, 304, and 306,
respectively. Control signals 340, 342, and 344 for controlling
gating mechanisms 334, 336, and 338, respectively, as well as
control signals 324, 328, and 332, are generated by control
circuitry, e.g. control circuitry 208 in FIG. 2, and are aspects of
control signal 210 in FIG. 2. Operation and examples of expulsion
mechanisms and gating mechanisms are described further in
connection with FIGS. 4A and 4B. Different odorant reservoirs 302,
304 and 306 may contain different odorants, which during use of the
eating utensil may be released at different times and/or different
locations to influence the consumer's appetite in different ways,
or to produce different sensory experiences, for example.
Alternatively, some or all of odorant reservoirs 302, 304 and 306
may contain the same odorant, in order to provide a particular
odorant in a larger amount at a particular time, or to have a
longer-lasting supply of odorant than would be possible with a
single odorant reservoir.
[0081] FIG. 3B depicts a controllable odorant emitter 350 including
receptacles 352 and 354, each adapted for receiving at least one
removable cartridge containing the at least one odorant. Receptacle
352 receives odorant cartridge 356, which contains odorant
reservoir 358 containing odorant 360, and receptacle 354 receives
odorant cartridge 370, which includes odorant reservoir 372,
containing odorant 374. In some embodiments (not shown) at least
one receptacle may be adapted for receiving at least two removable
cartridges, each of the cartridges containing at least one odorant.
In some embodiments, removable cartridges may contain at least two
odorants (e.g. in separate reservoirs within the cartridge). A
cartridge may include a substantially rigid housing (formed, e.g.
from plastic, metal, or ceramic), or a cartridge may include a
pouch (formed, for example, from a pliable polymeric or metallic
membrane) filled with at least one of a gas, liquid, solid, or
gel.
[0082] Odorant reservoirs formed directly in a controllable odorant
emitter (as in FIG. 3A) or in a cartridge (as in FIG. 3B) may be
refillable, or adapted for a single use. A reservoir may be an open
structure covered by a membrane that retains the odorant within the
reservoir. For example, the membrane may be configured to release
the odorant when exposed to energy from an activation source that
breaks, disintegrates, or melts the membrane. In one such
embodiment, the membrane may have an acoustic resonance matching an
acoustic frequency emitted by the activation source. In another
embodiment, the membrane may include a material having a resonance
that matches an electromagnetic frequency emitted by the activation
source. In some embodiments the odorant may be stored in the
reservoir under pressure. In such embodiments, the odorant may be
more widely distributed when it is released from the reservoir
based on the pressure difference.
[0083] An eating utensil may include at least one mixing chamber
for mixing at least two odorants. The mixing chamber may be in the
eating utensil, as depicted in FIG. 2, or in the controllable
odorant emitter, as depicted in FIG. 3B (see mixing chamber 380,
which receives odorant 360 from odorant reservoir 358 in odorant
cartridge 356 and odorant 374 from odorant reservoir 372 in odorant
cartridge 370). Flow of odorant from the two cartridges is
regulated by valves 366 and 376, controlled by control signals 368
and 378, respectively, which are generated by control circuitry
such as control circuitry 208 in FIG. 2. Following mixing in mixing
chamber 380, the resulting odorant mixture is released via outlet
382.
[0084] FIGS. 4A-4C depict in schematic form several embodiments of
a gating mechanism which is a component of a controllable odorant
emitter (not shown) used to regulate the release of odorant from a
reservoir in the controllable odorant emitter. For example, FIG. 4A
depicts gating mechanism 400 including at least one puncturable
membrane 402 over the opening of reservoir 404 and at least one
controllable puncture mechanism, which may be, for example, a pin
or rod 406 controlled by a solenoid 408 driven by a current control
signal 410 from source 412. U.S. Pat. No. 6,542,442 to Kaslon,
which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a scent
cartridge sealed by a penetrable resealing membrane, from which a
scent is released by penetration of the membrane by a needle. Such
a mechanism may be used herein. As another example, FIG. 4B depicts
gating mechanism 420 which includes valve 422 at the outlet of
reservoir 424 and valve actuation mechanism 426, for example an
electroactive mechanism driven by control signal 428 from source
430. In an aspect, as shown in FIG. 4C, the at least one gating
mechanism 432 includes at least one gate 434 at the outlet of
reservoir 436. In general, a gate may be any type of controllable
barrier that, when closed, prevents the release of odorant from a
reservoir, and that, when opened, permits the release of odorant
from the reservoir. In an aspect, the at least one gating mechanism
includes at least one gate actuation mechanism 438, controlled by
control signal 440 from source 442. For use in an eating utensil,
control signals 410, 428 and 440 produced by sources 412, 430, and
442, respectively, can be produced by control circuitry 208, as
depicted in FIG. 2.
[0085] While in some cases odorants may exit the reservoir in which
they are contained immediately and spontaneously upon opening of a
valve, gate, or other barrier (e.g., a puncturable membrane), in
other cases the controllable odorant emitter may include at least
one expulsion mechanism that serves to expel the odorant from the
reservoir. FIGS. 4D and 4E depicts in schematic form examples of
expulsion mechanisms. As shown in FIG. 4D, an expulsion mechanism
may include, for example, at least one heating mechanism 450 (such
as a thermoelectric element), which causes expulsion of the odorant
452 from the reservoir 454 by causing expansion and/or
volatilization of the odorant so that it moves out of the
reservoir. For example, U.S. Published patent application
2009/0148483 to Rashid, which is incorporated herein by reference,
describes the release of "olfactories" (e.g. fragrances) through
heating. Volatilized odorant is indicated at 456. Applying heat (or
other energy, such as acoustic or other vibrational energy, or
light or other electromagnetic energy, may be used to cause release
of odorants from encapsulants as well as to produce expansing
and/or volatilization. As indicated in FIG. 4E, an expulsion
mechanism may include at least one propulsion mechanism 460, e.g. a
plunger 462 driven by actuator 464, that serves to push or propel
the odorant 466 out of reservoir 468. Other propulsion mechanisms
include, for example, a striker, an ejector or a spring. Odorant
that has been expelled from reservoir 468 is indicated by 470.
[0086] FIG. 5A depicts an eating utensil 500 which is configured as
a spoon, where the ingestible substance-carrying portion 502
includes a bowl of the spoon, and the support portion 504 is a
spoon handle. Eating utensil 500 includes two controllable odorant
emitters 506 and 508, located in the spoon handle. Eating utensil
500 also includes optical sensor 510 for detecting when ingestible
substance-carrying portion 502 is placed inside the mouth of a
consumer. Control circuitry on eating utensil 500 (not shown)
controls the release of two different odorants from controllable
odorant emitters 506 and 508; for example, an odorant that enhances
the flavor of the consumed food is released at the start of eating
by controllable odorant emitter 506, and, after an appropriate
quantity of food has been consumed, an appetite inhibiting odorant
is released from controllable odorant emitter 508 to discourage
further consumption of food.
[0087] FIG. 5B depicts an eating utensil 520 configured as a fork.
In this embodiment, the ingestible substance-carrying portion 522
includes one or more tines 524, 526, 528, and 530 of the fork, and
the support portion 532 is a fork handle. Controllable odorant
emitter 534 is located in the fork handle. Controllable odorant
emitters 536 and 538 are located at adjacent locations on tines 526
and 528, respectively, spatially separated with respect to
controllable odorant emitter 534. Sensors 540 and 542, located on
tines 524 and 530, respectively, are chemical sensors (e.g., as
described herein above) for sensing a component of an ingestible
substance carried by the fork. Sensors 540 and 542 are redundant to
improve the probability of reliably sensing the component of the
ingestible substance and to reduce the dependence of sensing on the
position of the ingestible substance on the fork. Release of
odorants from controllable odorant emitters 534, 536, and 538 is
performed under the control of control circuitry (not shown) on
eating utensil 520, based at least in part on detection of signals
from one or both of sensors 540 and 542.
[0088] FIG. 5C depicts an eating utensil 550 configured as a
chopstick, where the ingestible substance-carrying portion 552
includes a first end region of a chopstick, and wherein the support
portion 554 includes a second end region of the chopstick. An
electrical proximity sensor 546 is located at the first end region
of the chopstick, and controllable odorant emitter 548 is located
intermediate between the first end region and the second end region
of eating utensil 550, such that odorant can be delivered
orthonasally to the consumer during eating.
[0089] As noted herein above, in some embodiments, eating utensils
as described herein are adapted for use with liquid or semi-liquid
ingestible substances. FIGS. 6A-6C depict several such eating
utensils. Control circuitry is not depicted in FIGS. 6A-6C, but it
should be understood that control circuitry for controlling the
release of odorants from the controllable odorant emitters would be
included in these eating utensils.
[0090] FIG. 6A depicts an eating utensil 600 configured as a cup,
wherein the ingestible substance-carrying portion includes an
interior concavity 602 of the cup. In an aspect, the support
portion includes an exterior surface 604 of the cup. In another
aspect, the support portion includes a handle 606 of the cup.
Controllable odorant emitters 608 and 610 are located on rim 612 of
eating utensil 600. If the consumer is right-handed and picks up
the cup by handle 606, during use, controllable odorant emitter 608
will be positioned to deliver an odorant retronasally, and
controllable odorant emitter 610 will be positioned to deliver
odorant orthonasally. Whether one or the other of controllable
odorant emitters 608 and 610 is located within the consumer's mouth
during drinking of liquid from the cup will depend on whether the
consumer picks up the cup by handle 606, or by grasping exterior
surface 604, and also on whether the consumer is right or left
handed. It may be necessary for the consumer to pay attention to
proper orientation of the cup during drinking. By providing sensors
to detect the orientation of eating utensil 600 with respect to the
consumer's mouth (e.g., proximity sensors or level sensors) and
additional controllable odorant emitters (not shown) on rim 612 of
eating utensil 600, controllable odorant emitters could be
activated selectively to deliver odorant either orthonasally or
retronasally, as desired.
[0091] FIG. 6B depicts an eating utensil 640 configured as a bowl,
where the ingestible substance-carrying portion includes an
interior concavity 642 of the bowl, and wherein the support portion
includes an exterior surface 644 of the bowl. Eating utensil 640
includes controllable odorant emitter 646 and controllable odorant
emitter 648 located in rim 650 of the bowl. It is presumed that, in
use, eating utensil 640 is raised close enough to the consumer's
face that the consumer is able to inhale the aroma produced by the
controllable odorant emitter(s) on the bowl (orthonasally). This
may occur if the rim 650 of the bowl is placed at the consumer's
lips so that liquid can be sipped or drunk from the bowl, or if the
bowl is placed near the consumer's mouth so that solid food (e.g.
noodles or rice) can be easily consumed with the use of an
additional eating utensil such as a spoon, fork, or chopsticks. If
the rim of the bowl is placed at the consumer's lips, then aroma
produced by a controllable odorant emitter located on the rim
within the consumer's mouth can release an odorant for retronasal
delivery to the consumer. To aid in positioning of controllable
odorant emitters 646 and 648 with respect to the consumer's mouth,
a decorative pattern 652 is positioned with respect to at least one
controllable odorant emitter 646. By orienting decorative pattern
652 correctly with respect to his or her mouth, the consumer
ensures proper placement of control odorant emitters 646 and 648.
As an alternative to decorative pattern 652, a light or other
indicator controlled by circuitry can be used to inform the
consumer whether the eating utensil is properly oriented.
[0092] FIG. 6C depicts an eating utensil 670 configured as a
stemmed glass, wherein the ingestible substance-carrying portion
includes an interior concavity 672 of the glass, and wherein the
support portion includes a stem 674 of the glass (and/or exterior
surface 676 of the bowl of the glass). Controllable odorant
emitters 678 and 680 are located on rim 682 of eating utensil 670.
A decorative pattern 684 is provided to aid in orientation of the
controllable odorant emitters 678 and 680 properly with respect to
the mouth and/or nose of the consumer. Additional controllable
odorant emitters 686 and 688 are also provided, and can be
selectively activated depending on the position of the glass with
respect to the mouth and nose of the consumer.
[0093] FIG. 7 depicts positioning of controllable odorant emitters
700 and 702 with respect to the mouth 704 and nostril 706 of
consumer 708 during drinking of liquid 710 from glass 712. During
use, rim 714 of glass 712 rests against lower lip 716 of consumer
708. Odorant released from controllable odorant emitter 702 as
consumer 708 drinks from glass 712 may travel via orthonasal route
722 to olfactory membrane 724 of consumer 708. Odorant released
from controllable odorant emitter 700 as consumer 708 drinks will
travel via retronasal route 726 to olfactory membrane 724. While
FIG. 7 depicts a glass 712 having a basic shape, it will be
appreciated that the principles described in connection with FIG. 7
apply to consumption of liquids from various types of cups, mugs,
glasses, etc.
[0094] While FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, 5A-5C, 6A-6C, and 7 depict
embodiments of eating utensils that include built-in odorant
emitters and associated sensors and control circuitry, similar
functionality may be provided through the use of an
odorant-releasing attachment that can be secured to an eating
utensil. Such an attachment can be used with conventional eating
utensils, for example, so that the consumer does not need to bring
an eating utensil along if he or she goes to a restaurant. Such an
attachment can be removed from the utensil prior to washing of the
utensil, to avoid exposure of sensitive (e.g., electronic)
components of the attachment to water and/or detergent.
[0095] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an accessory to an eating
utensil. As described generally herein above, the eating utensil
(which is not shown in FIG. 8, but can be any of the various types
of eating utensils described elsewhere herein) includes an
ingestible substance-carrying portion adapted to carry a quantity
of a ingestible substance to a mouth of a consumer, and the support
portion, wherein the support portion is connected to the ingestible
substance-carrying portion and configured to be engaged by a
person's hand to permit the ingestible substance-carrying portion
to be thereby moved to the mouth of the consumer. Accessory 800
includes attachment 802, which is removably securable to a support
portion of the eating utensil. Attachment 802 includes at least one
controllable odorant emitter (in FIG. 8, two controllable odorant
emitters 206a and 206b are depicted) carried by attachment 802 and
adapted to release at least one odorant in response to a control
signal 210, which is described by control circuitry 208 on
accessory 800. Elements of FIG. 8 bearing the same numbers as
elements of FIG. 2 are as described in connection with FIG. 2
(however, rather than being located in or on the eating utensil,
these components are located in or on accessory 800, which is in
turn attached to an eating utensil). In some aspects, accessory 800
also includes sensor 812 carried by extension 814, which is a
structural member connected to attachment 802 that extends to a
location on the eating utensil where it is desired to place a
sensor but not attachment 802. For example, extension 814 may
extend from attachment 804, which is attached to a support portion
of the eating utensil, to the ingestible substance-carrying portion
of the eating utensil to position sensor 812 in or on the
ingestible substance-carrying portion of the eating utensil, e.g.
to sense a property of the ingestible substance. As indicated in
FIG. 8, attachment 802 may include a variety of components, for
example, a sleeve 804, a shell 806, a clamp 808, or an elastic
portion, strap, clip or fastener 810 to secure accessory 800 to the
eating utensil.
[0096] FIG. 9A depicts an accessory 900 including sleeve 902
adapted to fit around a portion of eating utensil 904. In other
embodiments, attachments may be configured to clamp onto portions
of other types of eating utensils, e.g. to clamp onto the handle of
a cup, the stem of a glass, the rim of a bowl, etc. In the example
of FIG. 9A, sleeve 902 is adapted to fit around an exterior surface
of eating utensil 904, which in this example is a cup. Sleeve 902
is substantially tubular. In related embodiments, a sleeve may be
adapted to fit around a handle of the eating utensil such as a
spoon or fork, around an exterior surface of a bowl, and so forth.
Accessory 900 also includes at least one controllable odorant
emitter 906, control circuitry 908, user input device 910, and
display 912. In FIG. 9A, user input device 910 is a button, but
could also be a switch or touchpad, for example. Display 912 is an
LCD display. A user can input information regarding a beverage
currently being consumed by depressing user input device 910 and
scrolling through beverage options displayed on display 912. Data
regarding the beverage selection can be stored in a memory device
in control circuitry 908. An odorant can be emitted from
controllable odorant emitter 906 to enhance the flavor of the
beverage. Alternatively, if the consumer has already consumed more
beverages of a particular type than is desirable (e.g. consuming
too many calories, too much caffeine, or too much alcohol, as
determined based on information pre- programmed into control
circuitry 908 relating nutritional contents of particular beverages
and desired consumption limits for the consumer), controllable
odorant emitter 906 may release an odorant selected to discourage
further consumption of the beverage, either by stimulating a sense
of satiety or rendering the flavor of the beverage unpleasant.
[0097] FIG. 9B depicts an example of an accessory 950, which is
configured to clamp onto a rim 952 of a glass 954. Accessory 950 is
similar in configuration to `wine glass charms` used to distinguish
between wineglasses used by different people at a social gathering.
Accessory 950 as shown in FIG. 9B includes an attachment formed of
a resilient polymeric material that includes a slot 956 sized to
slide onto and resiliently clamp to rim 952 of glass 954. Accessory
950 includes controllable odorant emitter 958 for releasing an
odorant to either enhance the flavor of beverage 960 contained in
glass 954, or alternatively, to discourage consumption of beverage
960. Odorant release is controlled by control circuitry in
accessory 950, which is also in wireless communication with remote
device 962, which in the present example is a cell phone. For
example, data regarding beverage consumption, odorant release, and
other system operational parameters can be transmitted from
accessory 950 to remote device 962, where it can be stored and/or
analyzed, and used by the consumer for personal health management
purposes, or shared with a healthcare provider, for example.
Instructions and device settings can be transmitted from remote
device 962 to accessory 950. In an aspect, remote device 962 can
function as a user interface to accessory 950.
[0098] FIGS. 10A and 10B depict an embodiment of an accessory 1000
to an eating utensil 1002 including an attachment 1004 in the form
of a shell that is open at one side and adapted to fit against a
portion of the eating utensil 1002 (here, attachment 1004 (shell)
fits against support portion 1006 (handle) of eating utensil 1002.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 10A and 10B, accessory 1000 includes an
extension 1008 extending from attachment 1004 and carrying a sensor
1010, which is connected to control circuitry 1012 by wire
1014.
[0099] As can be seen in FIGS. 10A and 10B, attachment 1004 is
configured to be secured to the support portion 1006 of eating
utensil 1002, with extension 1008 extending from attachment 1004 to
the ingestible substance-carrying portion 1016 of eating utensil
1002 when attachment 1004 is secured to support portion 1006 of
eating utensil 1002, such that sensor 1010 is located at the
ingestible substance-carrying portion 1016 of eating utensil 1002.
Extension 1008 is shaped to conform to ingestible
substance-carrying portion 1016 of eating utensil 1002 so that it
does not interfere with normal use of eating utensil 1002.
[0100] As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, extension 1008 includes at
least a portion (here, delivery tube 1020) of at least one
controllable odorant emitter 1018. Extension 1008 extends from
attachment 1004 to ingestible-substance carrying portion 1016 of
the eating utensil, such that when the attachment 1004 is secured
to support portion 1006 of eating utensil 1002, delivery tube 1020
is located at ingestible-substance carrying portion 1016 of eating
utensil 1002. Delivery tube 1020 provides for delivery of at least
one odorant at the ingestible-substance carrying portion 1016 of
eating utensil 1002, via outlet 1022.
[0101] In an aspect, the attachment (shell 1004) includes at least
one of an elastic portion 1030 (an elastic strap) for removably
securing the attachment to the support portion 1006 of eating
utensil 1002. Alternatively, or in addition, other types of
fasteners, such as a strap or a clip could be used to secure
accessory 1000 to eating utensil 1002.
[0102] In other respects, the components of the accessory are
similar to those described above in connection with the eating
utensil. For example, control circuitry 1012 is operatively
connected to the at least one controllable odorant emitter 1018 and
adapted to generate the control signal for controlling the at least
one controllable odorant emitter 1018, and sensor 1010 is
operatively connected to control circuitry 1012. In the example of
FIGS. 10A and 10B, sensor 1010 is adapted to sense a parameter
indicative of a weight of an ingestible substance carried by the
ingestible substance-carrying portion. Control circuitry 1012 may
be configured to generate a control signal for controlling
controllable odorant emitter 1018 based at least in part on receipt
of a sense signal from the sensor. Control circuitry 1012 may be
programmable, and in various aspects includes a microprocessor, as
discussed herein above. For example, control circuitry 1012 is
programmed to release an appetite inhibiting odorant after a
specified weight of food has been consumed, as detected by senor
1010.
[0103] Accessory 1000 includes a first user-activatable switch
1024, which is operatively connected to controllable odorant
emitter 1018, wherein the control signal is generated based at
least in part on activation of the user-activatable switch.
Accessory 1000 also includes a second user-activatable switch 1026.
Accessory 1000 also includes output device 1028, here shown as a
display for presenting information relating to the operation of the
eating utensil (e.g., an LED, LCD, or 7 segment display).
User-activatable switches 1024 and 1026 are used to program control
circuitry 1012, e.g. to specify the type of food being consumed and
the desired maximum number of calories to be consumed, which taken
in combination with stored data in control circuitry 1012 regarding
the caloric content of different types of food can be used to
determine the maximum weight of food to be consumed by the
consumer. Alternatively, one or more additional sensors on
extension 1008 could be used to detect one or more components of
the ingestible substance to determine the type of food and/or
caloric content per mass of food.
[0104] As depicted in FIGS. 10A and 10B, controllable odorant
emitter 1018 is located with respect to attachment 1004 such that
when attachment 1004 is secured to eating utensil 1002, if
substance-carrying portion of the eating utensil is positioned
inside the mouth of the consumer, odorant emitted from the at least
one controllable odorant emitter is delivered retronasally to the
consumer (i.e., via outlet 1022 of delivery tube 1020).
[0105] Other configurations of an accessory are possible, for
example, where the controllable odorant emitter is located with
respect to the attachment such that when the attachment is secured
to the eating utensil, if the ingestible substance-carrying portion
of the eating utensil is positioned inside the mouth of the
consumer, odorant emitted from the at least one controllable
odorant emitter is delivered orthonasally to the consumer. In
another aspect, the at least one controllable odorant emitter is
located with respect to the attachment such that when the
attachment is secured to the eating utensil, if the ingestible
substance-carrying portion of the eating utensil is approaching the
mouth of the consumer, odorant emitted from the at least one
controllable odorant emitter is delivered orthonasally to the
consumer. In another aspect, an accessory to an eating utensil can
include a second controllable odorant emitter.
[0106] FIG. 11 depicts a method 1100 of delivering an odorant in
connection with use of an eating utensil of the type described
herein for delivering food, drink or some other ingestible
substance to a consumer. Method 1100 includes releasing at least
one odorant from at least one controllable odorant emitter carried
by an eating utensil in response to a control signal, the eating
utensil comprising an ingestible substance-carrying portion adapted
to carry a quantity of an ingestible substance to a mouth of a
consumer, and a support portion connected to the ingestible
substance-carrying portion and configured to be engaged by a
person's hand to permit the ingestible substance-carrying portion
to be thereby moved to the mouth of the consumer, as indicated at
1102.
[0107] FIGS. 12-22 depict variations and expansions of method 1100
as shown in FIG. 11. In the methods depicted in FIGS. 12-22, step
1102 is as described generally in connection with FIG. 11. Method
steps outlined with dashed lines represent steps that are included
in some, but not all method aspects, and combinations of steps
other than those specifically depicted in the figures are possible
as would be known by those having ordinary skill in the relevant
art.
[0108] FIG. 12 depicts a method 1200 that includes releasing at
least one odorant from at least one controllable odorant emitter
carried by an eating utensil in response to a control signal (1102)
as in FIG. 11. In an aspect of method 1200, the at least one
controllable odorant emitter is a part of the eating utensil, as
indicated at 1204. This method aspect is carried out with
embodiments as depicted in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, 5A-5C, 6A-6C, and 7. In
another aspect, as indicated at 1206, the at least one controllable
odorant emitter is a part of an attachment to the eating utensil,
wherein the attachment is removably securable to the eating utensil
such that when secured to the eating utensil the attachment and
parts thereof are carried by the eating utensil. This method aspect
is carried out with embodiments as depicted in FIGS. 8, 9A, 9B, 10A
and 10B.
[0109] Both type of odorant and release location can influence the
effect of the odorant. In general, aromas delivered retronasally
produce satiety. In addition, more complex aromas (e.g. mixtures of
aroma compounds) are thought to be more effective for producing
satiety, see e.g. Ruijschop et al., "Retronasal Aroma Release and
Satiation: a Review", J. Agric. Food Chem., 2009, 57, 9888-9894 and
Rovner, "Enhancing the aroma of food might help dieters eat less"
Chemical and Engineering New, volume 88, number 11, pp. 51-52, Mar.
15, 2010; each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Butter
aroma presented retronasally, especially during swallowing,
increases perception of thickness and creaminess; aromas related to
fat content (e.g., lactones), carbohydrate content (e.g., maltol),
or breakdown of protein content (e.g., animalic) increase sensation
of fullness (Ruijschop et al., "Retronasal Aroma Release and
Satiation: a Review", J. Agric. Food Chem., 2009, 57, 9888-9894,
which is incorporated herein by reference).
[0110] In various aspects, method 1200 includes releasing the at
least one odorant to stimulate an appetite of the consumer, as
indicated at 1208; releasing the at least one odorant to induce an
appetite of the consumer, wherein the consumer has anorexia, as
indicated at 1210; or releasing the at least one odorant to inhibit
an appetite of the consumer, as indicated at 1212.
[0111] In another aspect, method 1200 includes releasing the at
least one odorant to control a diet of the consumer, as indicated
at 1214. For example, if the consumer is consuming a type or
quantity of food or drink that is not an acceptable part of the
consumer's diet (e.g., a food or drink that contains too many
calories, sugar or fat, an allergen, alcohol) an odorant may be
released to discourage consumption of the food or drink. In
particular, method 1200 may include releasing the at least one
odorant to control a diet of the consumer to provide weight loss,
as indicated at 1216. Alternatively, an odorant may be released
that encourages the consumer to consume particular types of food or
drink that are considered to be safe or healthy for the consumer,
for example.
[0112] In various aspects of method 1300 depicted in FIG. 13, the
odorant includes one or more of an appetite-stimulating odorant, as
indicated at 1302; an appetite- inhibiting odorant, as indicated at
1304; a flavorant, as indicated at 1306; a synthetic odorant, as
indicated at 1308; a natural odorant, as indicated at 1310;
bacteria, as indicated at 1312; an enzyme, as indicated at 1314; an
alcohol as indicated at 1316 (which may be, for example, maltol, as
indicated at 1318); an ester, as indicated at 1320; an animalic
odorant, as indicated at 1322; a lactone, as indicated at 1324; or
a mixture of aromas, as indicated at 1326.
[0113] In an aspect of method 1400 depicted in FIG. 14, the control
signal is generated by control circuitry carried by the eating
utensil based at least in part on activation of a user-activatable
switch carried by the eating utensil, as indicated at 1402. In
various aspects, the control signal is generated by control
circuitry carried by the eating utensil, where the control
circuitry is operatively connected to the at least one controllable
odorant emitter, as indicated at 1404.
[0114] In another aspect, method 1400 includes receiving a signal
from a remote device with a receiver carried by the eating utensil,
as indicated at 1406. For example, the remote device may include at
least one of a base station, a cell phone, or a communication
network, as indicated at 1408. The control signal may be generated
by control circuitry carried by the eating utensil based at least
in part in response to receipt of the signal from the remote
device, as indicated at 1410.
[0115] Method 1400 may also include transmitting at least one of
data, instructions, or information to a remote device, as indicated
at 1412. Again, the remote device includes at least one of a base
station, a cell phone, or a communication network, as indicated at
1414.
[0116] In another aspect, method 1400 includes sending information
relating to the operation of the eating utensil to an output device
carried by the eating utensil, as indicated at 1416.
[0117] FIG. 15 depicts aspects of a method 1500 relating to sensing
parameters with a sensor. In an aspect, method 1500 includes
sensing a parameter indicative of at least a portion of the
ingestible substance-carrying portion being inside the mouth of the
consumer with a sensor carried by the eating utensil, as indicated
at 1502. Method 1500 may further include releasing the at least one
odorant from the at least one controllable odorant emitter when the
sensed parameter indicates that the at least a portion of the
ingestible substance-carrying portion is inside the mouth of the
consumer, wherein the at least one controllable odorant emitter is
on the portion of the ingestible substance-carrying portion located
inside the mouth of the consumer such that the odorant is delivered
to the consumer retronasally, as indicated at 1504. In another
aspect, method 1500 includes releasing the at least one odorant
from the at least one controllable odorant emitter when the sensed
parameter indicates that the at least a portion of the ingestible
substance-carrying portion is inside the mouth of the consumer,
wherein the at least one controllable odorant emitter is located on
a portion of the eating utensil located outside the mouth of the
consumer such that the odorant is delivered to the consumer
orthonasally, as indicated at 1506. In various aspects, sensing a
parameter indicative of at least a portion of the ingestible
substance-carrying portion being inside the mouth of the consumer
includes sensing pressure, as indicated at 1508; sensing force, as
indicated at 1510; sensing motion, as indicated at 1512; sensing
light, as indicated at 1514; or sensing a temperature, as indicated
at 1516.
[0118] FIG. 16 depicts a method 1600, which includes sensing a
parameter indicative of at least a portion of the ingestible
substance-carrying portion being positioned in the vicinity of the
nose of the consumer with a sensor carried by the eating utensil,
as indicated at 1602. In an aspect, method 1600 further includes
releasing the at least one odorant from the at least one
controllable odorant emitter when the sensed parameter indicates
that the ingestible substance-carrying portion is positioned in the
vicinity of the nose of the consumer, such that the odorant is
delivered to the consumer orthonasally, as indicated at 1604.
[0119] In an aspect, method 1600 includes sensing a parameter
indicative of at least a portion of the ingestible
substance-carrying portion being in the vicinity of the nose of the
consumer includes sensing proximity of the eating utensil to a skin
surface with a proximity sensor, as indicated at 1606. For example,
sensing proximity of the eating utensil to a skin surface may
include sensing proximity with an electromagnetic sensor, as
indicated at 1608; sensing proximity with an electrical sensor, as
indicated at 1610 (which may be, for example, and an inductive
sensor or a capacitive sensor); a magnetic sensor, as indicated at
1612; an optical sensor (e.g., and IR sensor, a near-IR sensor, or
a laser sensor), as indicated at 1614; or an acoustic sensor, as
indicated at 1616.
[0120] FIG. 17 depicts a method 1700, which includes sensing a
parameter indicative of the eating utensil being moved to or from
the mouth of the consumer, as indicated at 1702. In an aspect,
sensing a parameter indicative of the eating utensil being moved to
or from the mouth of the consumer includes sensing proximity of the
eating utensil to a skin surface of the consumer, as indicated at
1704. In another aspect, sensing a parameter indicative of the
eating utensil being moved to or from the mouth of the consumer
includes sensing an acceleration, as indicated at 1706. In still
another aspect, method 1700 includes determining a rate at which
the utensil is moved to or from the mouth of the consumer, as
indicated at 1708. Method 1700 may then also include controlling
release of the at least one odorant from the at least one
controllable odorant emitter based at least in part on a rate at
which the utensil is moved to the mouth of the consumer, as
indicated at 1710.
[0121] In another aspect, method 1700 includes determining how many
times the eating utensil is moved to or from the mouth of the
consumer, as indicated at 1712. Method 1700 may then also include
controlling release of the at least one odorant from the at least
one controllable odorant emitter based at least in part on how many
times the eating utensil is moved to the mouth of the consumer, as
indicated at 1714.
[0122] In another aspect, method 1700 includes sensing a parameter
indicative of a weight of the ingestible substance carried by the
ingestible substance-carrying portion with a sensor carried by the
eating utensil, as indicated at 1716. Sensing a parameter
indicative of the weight of the ingestible substance carried by the
ingestible substance-carrying portion may include, for example,
sensing a force, as indicated at 1718; a pressure, as indicated at
1720; a strain, as indicated at 1722; or a resonant frequency, as
indicated at 1724.
[0123] FIG. 18 depicts a method 1800, which includes sensing a
parameter indicative of a component of the ingestible substance
carried by the ingestible substance-carrying portion with a sensor
carried by the eating utensil, as indicated at 1802. In an aspect,
method 1800 includes controlling release of the at least one
odorant from the at least one controllable odorant emitter based at
least in part on the component of the ingestible substance, as
indicated at 1804. In various aspects of method 1800, sensing the
parameter indicative of the component of the ingestible substance
includes sensing a chemical, as indicated at 1806; a salt, as
indicated at 1808; a sugar, as indicated at 1810; a protein, as
indicated at 1812; a fat, as indicated at 1814; an alcohol, as
indicated at 1816; or a pH, as indicated at 1818.
[0124] FIG. 19 depicts a method 1900. In an aspect of method 1900,
releasing the at least one odorant from the at least one
controllable odorant emitter may include actuating at least one
gate actuation mechanism to open at least one gate, as indicated at
1902. In an aspect, the at least one controllable odorant emitter
includes at least one odorant sealed within a reservoir by a
puncturable membrane, and wherein releasing the at least one
odorant from the at least one controllable odorant emitter includes
controlling at least one controllable puncture mechanism to
puncture the at least one puncturable membrane, as indicated at
1904. In another aspect, the at least one controllable odorant
emitter includes at least one odorant retained within a reservoir
by a valve, and wherein releasing the at least one odorant from the
at least one controllable odorant emitter includes controlling at
least one valve actuation mechanism to open at least one valve, as
indicated at 1906.
[0125] In an aspect, the at least one controllable odorant emitter
includes at least one expulsion mechanism adapted to expel the
odorant from the controllable odorant emitter, and wherein
releasing the at least one odorant from the at least one
controllable odorant emitter includes activating the at least one
expulsion mechanism, as indicated at 1908. For example, activating
the at least one expulsion mechanism may include activating at
least one heating mechanism, as indicated at 1910, e.g. to cause
one or more of volatilization or expansion of the at least one
odorant, as indicated at 1912 and 1914, respectively.
[0126] In another aspect, activating the at least one expulsion
mechanism includes activating at least one propulsion mechanism, as
indicated at 1916, which may be, for example, at least one of a
striker, a plunger, an ejector or a spring, as indicated at
1918.
[0127] FIG. 20 depicts a method 2000, which includes releasing a
second odorant, wherein the at least one odorant released from the
at least one controllable odorant emitter is a first odorant
released from a first controllable odorant emitter, as indicated at
2002. In an aspect, the first odorant and the second odorant are
different odorants, as indicated at 2004.
[0128] In an aspect, method 2000 includes releasing the second
odorant from the first controllable odorant emitter, as indicated
at 2006. Alternatively, method 2000 includes releasing the second
odorant from a second controllable odorant emitter, as indicated at
2008. In an aspect, the first controllable odorant emitter and the
second controllable odorant emitter are located at two spatially
separated locations, as indicated at 2010. For example, the first
controllable odorant emitter may be located on the ingestible
substance-carrying portion and the second controllable odorant
emitter located on the support portion, as indicated at 2012.
[0129] In an aspect, method 2000 includes releasing the first
odorant and the second odorant at different times, as indicated at
2014. In another aspect, method 2000 includes mixing the first
odorant and the second odorant, as indicated at 2016, e.g. by using
a mixing chamber as depicted in FIGS. 2, 3B or 8.
[0130] FIG. 21 depicts a method 2100, which in an aspect includes
releasing the at least one odorant from the at least one
controllable odorant emitter according to a program, as indicated
at 2102. In an aspect, method 2100 includes sensing a parameter
with a sensor carried by the eating utensil, and modifying the
release of the at least one odorant from the at least one
controllable odorant emitter according to the program in response
to the sensed parameter, as indicated at 2104.
[0131] In an aspect of method 2100, releasing the at least one
odorant from the at least one controllable odorant emitter
according to a program may include releasing the at least one
odorant according to a predetermined instruction set under control
of control circuitry carried by the eating utensil, as indicated at
2106. The method may further include receiving the predetermined
instruction set from a user via a user input device, as indicated
at 2108, or (alternatively, or in addition) receiving the
predetermined instruction set from a remote device, as indicated at
2110.
[0132] In a further aspect, releasing the at least one odorant from
the at least one controllable odorant emitter according to a
program includes releasing the at least one odorant according to a
predetermined set of parameters under control of control circuitry
carried by the eating utensil, as indicated at 2112. In various
aspects, method 2100 includes receiving the predetermined set of
parameters from a user via a user input device, as indicated at
2114, or receiving the predetermined set of parameters from a
remote device, as indicated at 2116.
[0133] As depicted in FIG. 22, a method 2200 includes detecting the
start of use of the eating utensil, as indicated at 2202. Method
2200 may then include releasing the at least one odorant from the
at least one controllable odorant emitter upon detecting the start
of use of the eating utensil, as indicated at 2204.
[0134] Detecting the start of use of the eating utensil may be
performed in a number of ways, including detecting activation of a
user-activatable switch, as indicated at 2206, or detecting a
repetitive pattern in a signal sensed from a sensor carried by the
eating utensil, as indicated at 2208. For example, a repetitive
pattern may be repetitive movement of an eating utensil toward and
away from a consumer's mouth, as indicated by changes in an
acceleration signal detected with an accelerometer. As another
example, a light sensor on an ingestible substance-carrying portion
of an eating utensil may indicate a light level corresponding to
ambient light when the eating utensil is outside the consumer's
mouth, and a low light level or lack of light when the ingestible
substance-carrying portion of the eating utensil is placed within
the consumer's mouth. Various other parameters may be sensed that
vary in a repetitive or cyclical manner while the consumer eats.
Detection and analysis of the repetitive pattern can be used to
determine how long the consumer has been eating or drinking, and
how much the consumer has consumed. Detection and analysis of the
repetitive pattern can be used to anticipate or predict when the
eating utensil will approach or be placed in the consumer's mouth,
and therefor may be used as a basis for controlling the timing of
release of odorant.
[0135] In further aspects, detecting the start of use of the eating
utensil includes determining that the eating utensil is being moved
to or from the mouth of the consumer, as indicated at 2210;
detecting at least a component of the ingestible substance, as
indicated at 2212; or detecting a weight of the ingestible
substance carried by the eating utensil, as indicated at 2214.
[0136] Method 2200 may further include determining how many bites
of the ingestible substance have been taken from the eating
utensil, as indicated at 2216, or determining how many sips of the
ingestible substance have been taken from the eating utensil, as
indicated at 2218.
[0137] In an aspect, method 2200 includes determining how long the
eating utensil has been in use, as indicated at 2220. Method 2200
may then also include controlling release of the at least one
odorant from the at least one controllable odorant emitter based at
least in part on how long the eating utensil has been in use, as
indicated 2222. For example, in various aspects, controlling
release of the at least one odorant from the at least one
controllable odorant emitter based at least in part on how long the
eating utensil has been in use includes starting release of the at
least one odorant after the eating utensil has been in use for a
specified amount of time, as indicated at 2224; ending release of
the at least one odorant after the eating utensil has been in use
for a specified amount of time, as indicated at 2226; starting
release of at least a second odorant after the eating utensil has
been in use for a specified amount of time, as indicated at 2228 or
starting release of at least one odorant from at least one second
location on the eating utensil after the eating utensil has been in
use for a specified amount of time, as indicated at 2230.
[0138] Times for starting or ending release of odorants; maximum
calories, weights, or volumes of foods, beverages, or other
ingestible substances; or other parameters may be programmed into
the control circuitry by the consumer or other user of the eating
utensil, or the device may come pre-programmed. Odorant release may
be controlled based on weight, mass, volume, or the like of the
ingestible material (or specific component thereof) consumed. One
or more schedule for controlling release of one or more odorants
(e.g. in a pattern) may be stored in a data storage device in the
control circuitry (e.g. control circuitry 208 in FIG. 2). Such a
schedule may be manually entered or recorded by a consumer and/or
downloaded to the data storage device. Methods for entering,
recording, or downloading release schedules may be generally as
described in commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No.
13/675,935, entitled "Actively Released Food Additives," to Baym et
al., filed 13 Nov. 2012 with attorney docket no.
1009-038-001-000000, which is incorporated herein by reference.
[0139] In a general sense, it will be recognized that the various
embodiments described herein can be implemented, individually
and/or collectively, by various types of electrical circuitry
having a wide range of electrical components such as hardware,
software, firmware, and/or virtually any combination thereof.
Electrical circuitry (including control circuitry 208 and
electrical circuitry in remote device 232 depicted in FIG. 2, for
example) includes electrical circuitry having at least one discrete
electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one
integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one
application-specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry
forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer
program (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computer
program which at least partially carries out processes and/or
devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a
computer program which at least partially carries out processes
and/or devices described herein), electrical circuitry forming a
memory device (which may include, for example, random access,
flash, read only, volatile or non-volatile memory devices, etc.),
electrical circuitry forming a communications device (e.g., a
modem, communications switch, optical-electrical equipment, etc.),
and/or any non-electrical analog thereto, such as optical or other
analogs (e.g., graphene based circuitry). In a general sense, it
will be recognized that the various aspects described herein which
can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide
range of hardware, software, firmware, and/or any combination
thereof can be viewed as being composed of various types of
"electrical circuitry."
[0140] In various embodiments, methods as described herein may be
performed according to instructions implementable in hardware,
software, and/or firmware. Such instructions may be stored in
non-transitory machine-readable data storage media, for example. It
will be recognized that the state of the art has progressed to the
point where there is little distinction left between hardware,
software, and/or firmware implementations of aspects of systems;
the use of hardware, software, and/or firmware is generally (but
not always, in that in certain contexts the choice between hardware
and software can become significant) a design choice representing
cost vs. efficiency tradeoffs. There are various vehicles by which
processes and/or systems and/or other technologies described herein
can be effected (e.g., hardware, software, and/or firmware), and
the preferred vehicle will vary with the context in which the
processes and/or systems and/or other technologies are deployed.
For example, if an implementer determines that speed and accuracy
are paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and/or
firmware vehicle; alternatively, if flexibility is paramount, the
implementer may opt for a mainly software implementation; or, yet
again alternatively, the implementer may opt for some combination
of hardware, software, and/or firmware in one or more machines,
compositions of matter, and articles of manufacture. Hence, there
are several possible vehicles by which the processes and/or devices
and/or other technologies described herein may be effected, none of
which is inherently superior to the other in that any vehicle to be
utilized is a choice dependent upon the context in which the
vehicle will be deployed and the specific concerns (e.g., speed,
flexibility, or predictability) of the implementer, any of which
may vary. It will be recognized that optical aspects of
implementations will typically employ optically-oriented hardware,
software, and or firmware.
[0141] In some implementations described herein, logic and similar
implementations may include software or other control structures.
Electrical circuitry, for example, may have one or more paths of
electrical current constructed and arranged to implement various
functions as described herein. In some implementations, one or more
media may be configured to bear a device-detectable implementation
when such media hold or transmit device detectable instructions
operable to perform as described herein. In some variants, for
example, implementations may include an update or modification of
existing software or firmware, or of gate arrays or programmable
hardware, such as by performing a reception of or a transmission of
one or more instructions in relation to one or more operations
described herein. Alternatively or additionally, in some variants,
an implementation may include special-purpose hardware, software,
firmware components, and/or general-purpose components executing or
otherwise invoking special-purpose components.
[0142] Implementations may include executing a special-purpose
instruction sequence or invoking circuitry for enabling,
triggering, coordinating, requesting, or otherwise causing one or
more occurrences of virtually any functional operations described
herein. In some variants, operational or other logical descriptions
herein may be expressed as source code and compiled or otherwise
invoked as an executable instruction sequence. In some contexts,
for example, implementations may be provided, in whole or in part,
by source code, such as C++, or other code sequences. In other
implementations, source or other code implementation, using
commercially available and/or techniques in the art, may be
compiled//implemented/translated/converted into a high-level
descriptor language (e.g., initially implementing described
technologies in C or C++ programming language and thereafter
converting the programming language implementation into a
logic-synthesizable language implementation, a hardware description
language implementation, a hardware design simulation
implementation, and/or other such similar mode(s) of expression).
For example, some or all of a logical expression (e.g., computer
programming language implementation) may be manifested as a
Verilog-type hardware description (e.g., via Hardware Description
Language (HDL) and/or Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware
Descriptor Language (VHDL)) or other circuitry model which may then
be used to create a physical implementation having hardware (e.g.,
an Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Those skilled in the
art will recognize how to obtain, configure, and optimize suitable
transmission or computational elements, material supplies,
actuators, or other structures in light of these teachings.
[0143] The foregoing detailed description has set forth various
embodiments of the devices and/or processes via the use of block
diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples. Insofar as such block
diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples contain one or more functions
and/or operations, it will be understood by those within the art
that each function and/or operation within such block diagrams,
flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and/or
collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or
virtually any combination thereof. In an embodiment, several
portions of the subject matter described herein may be implemented
via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field
Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs),
or other integrated formats. However, it will be recognized that
some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, in whole or in
part, can be equivalently implemented in integrated circuits, as
one or more computer programs running on one or more computers
(e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer
systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors
(e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more
microprocessors), as firmware, or as virtually any combination
thereof, and that designing the circuitry and/or writing the code
for the software and or firmware would be well within the skill of
one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure. In addition,
the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capable
of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms,
and that an illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described
herein applies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing
medium used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a
signal bearing media include, but are not limited to non-transitory
machine-readable data storage media such as a recordable type
medium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a Compact Disc
(CD), a Digital Video Disk (DVD), a digital tape, a computer
memory, etc. A signal bearing medium may also include transmission
type medium such as a digital and/or an analog communication medium
(e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wired communications
link, a wireless communication link (e.g., transmitter, receiver,
transmission logic, reception logic, etc.) and so forth).
[0144] FIG. 23 depicts an article of manufacture 2300 that includes
one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage media 2302
bearing one or more instructions 2304 for controlling the release
of at least one odorant from at least one controllable odorant
emitter carried by an eating utensil with a control signal, the
eating utensil comprising an ingestible substance-carrying portion
adapted to carry a quantity of an ingestible substance to a mouth
of a consumer; and a support portion connected to the ingestible
substance-carrying portion and configured to be engaged by a
person's hand to permit the ingestible substance-carrying portion
to be thereby moved to the mouth of the consumer.
[0145] Instructions 2304 depicted in FIG. 23 substantially
correspond to method 1100 shown in FIG. 11. Other variants of
methods as depicted and described herein can be implemented through
the use of non-transitory machine-readable data storage media
bearing one or more suitable instructions.
[0146] For example, in an aspect, the one or more non-transitory
machine-readable data storage media 2302 may bear one or more
instructions for performing aspects of a method 1400 as shown in
FIG. 14, including generating the control signal with control
circuitry carried by the eating utensil based at least in part on
activation of a user-activatable switch carried by the eating
utensil, as shown at 1402. For example, the one or more
non-transitory machine-readable data storage media may bear one or
more instructions for receiving a signal from a remote device with
a receiver carried by the eating utensil, as shown at 1406. For
example, the one or more instructions for receiving a signal from a
remote device may include one or more instructions for receiving a
signal from at least one of a base station, a cell phone, or a
communication network. In an aspect, the one or more non-transitory
machine-readable data storage media bear one or more instructions
for generating the control signal with control circuitry carried by
the eating utensil based at least in part in response to receipt of
the signal from the remote device. In another aspect, the one or
more non-transitory machine-readable data storage media bear one or
more instructions for transmitting at least one of data,
instructions, or information to a remote device from the eating
utensil.
[0147] In an aspect, the one or more instructions for transmitting
at least one of data, instructions, or information to a remote
device include one or more instructions for transmitting at least
one of data, instructions, or information to at least one of a base
station, a cell phone, or a communication network. In another
aspect, the one or more non-transitory machine-readable data
storage media bear one or more instructions for sending information
relating to the operation of the eating utensil to an output device
carried by the eating utensil.
[0148] The one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage
media 2302 may bear one or more instructions for performing aspects
of a method 1400 as shown at 1404 in FIG. 14. For example, the one
or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage media may bear
one or more instructions for generating the control signal with
control circuitry carried by the eating utensil and operatively
connected to the at least one controllable odorant emitter.
[0149] The one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage
media 2302 may bear one or more instructions for performing aspects
of a method 1500 as shown in FIG. 15. For example, the one or more
non-transitory machine-readable data storage media bear one or more
instructions for sensing a parameter indicative of at least a
portion of the ingestible substance-carrying portion being inside
the mouth of the consumer with a sensor carried by the eating
utensil, as shown at 1502 in FIG. 15.
[0150] In an aspect, the one or more non-transitory
machine-readable data storage media 2302 in FIG. 23 bear one or
more instructions for performing aspects of a method 1600 as shown
in FIG. 16. For example, the one or more non-transitory
machine-readable data storage media may bear one or more
instructions for sensing a parameter indicative of at least a
portion of the ingestible substance-carrying portion being
positioned in the vicinity of the nose of the consumer with a
sensor carried by the eating utensil, as indicated at 1602. In an
aspect, the one or more non-transitory machine-readable data
storage media bear one or more instructions for releasing the at
least one odorant from the at least one controllable odorant
emitter when the ingestible substance-carrying portion is
positioned in the vicinity of the nose of the consumer such that
the odorant is delivered to the consumer orthonasally. In an
aspect, the one or more instructions for sensing a parameter
indicative of at least a portion of the ingestible
substance-carrying portion being in the vicinity of the nose of the
consumer include one or more instructions for sensing proximity of
the eating utensil to a skin surface with a proximity sensor, for
example, sensing proximity with an electromagnetic sensor, an
electrical sensor, a magnetic sensor, an optical sensor, or an
acoustic sensor.
[0151] In an aspect, the one or more non-transitory
machine-readable data storage media 2302 bear one or more
instructions for performing aspects of a method 1700 as shown in
FIG. 17. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable data
storage media may bear one or more instructions for sensing a
parameter indicative of the eating utensil being moved to or from
the mouth of the consumer, e.g. one or more instructions for
sensing proximity of the eating utensil to a skin surface of the
consumer, or one or more instructions for sensing an acceleration.
The one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage media
may bear one or more instructions for determining the rate at which
the utensil is moved to or from the mouth of the consumer. The one
or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage media may
further bear one or more instructions for controlling release of
the at least one odorant from the at least one controllable odorant
emitter based at least in part on a rate at which the utensil is
moved to the mouth of the consumer. In an aspect, the one or more
non-transitory machine-readable data storage media bear one or more
instructions for determining how many times the eating utensil is
moved to or from the mouth of the consumer. Additionally, the one
or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage media may bear
one or more instructions for controlling release of the at least
one odorant from the at least one controllable odorant emitter
based at least in part on how many times the eating utensil is
moved to the mouth of the consumer. In another aspect, the one or
more non-transitory machine-readable data storage media bear one or
more instructions for sensing a parameter indicative of a weight of
the ingestible substance carried by the ingestible
substance-carrying portion with a sensor carried by the eating
utensil, including, for example, a force, a pressure, a strain, or
a resonant frequency.
[0152] The one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage
media 2302 may bear one or more instructions for performing aspects
of a method 1800 as shown in FIG. 18, including one or more
instructions for sensing a parameter indicative of a component of
the ingestible substance carried by the ingestible
substance-carrying portion with a sensor carried by the eating
utensil. In connection therewith, the one or more non-transitory
machine-readable data storage media may bear one or more
instructions for controlling release of the at least one odorant
from the at least one controllable odorant emitter based at least
in part on the component of the ingestible substance. In an aspect,
the one or more instructions for sensing the parameter indicative
of the component of the ingestible substance include one or more
instructions for sensing a chemical. In various aspects, for
example, the one or more instructions for sensing the parameter
indicative of the component of the ingestible substance include one
or more instructions for sensing a salt, a sugar, a protein, a fat,
an alcohol, or a pH.
[0153] The one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage
media 2302 may bear one or more instructions for performing aspects
of a method 1900 as shown in FIG. 19, including one or more
instructions for actuating at least one gate actuation mechanism to
open at least one gate. In an aspect, the at least one controllable
odorant emitter includes at least one odorant sealed within a
reservoir by a puncturable membrane, in which case the one or more
instructions for releasing the at least one odorant from the at
least one controllable odorant emitter may include one or more
instructions for controlling at least one controllable puncture
mechanism to puncture the at least one puncturable membrane. In
another aspect, the at least one controllable odorant emitter
includes at least one odorant retained within a reservoir by a
valve, and in connection therewith the one or more instructions for
releasing the at least one odorant from the at least one
controllable odorant emitter may include one or more instructions
for controlling at least one valve actuation mechanism to open at
least one valve. In some aspects, the at least one controllable
odorant emitter includes at least one expulsion mechanism adapted
to expel the odorant from the controllable odorant emitter, and the
one or more instructions for releasing the at least one odorant
from the at least one controllable odorant emitter include one or
more instructions for activating the at least one expulsion
mechanism which may include, for example, instructions for
activating at least one heating mechanism or instructions for
activating at least one propulsion mechanism, as described herein
above.
[0154] In an aspect, the one or more non-transitory
machine-readable data storage media 2302 bear one or more
instructions for performing aspects of a method 2000 as shown in
FIG. 20. For example, the one or more non-transitory
machine-readable data storage media bear one or more instructions
for releasing a second odorant, wherein the at least one odorant
released from the at least one controllable odorant emitter is a
first odorant released from a first controllable odorant emitter.
In an aspect, the one or more non-transitory machine-readable data
storage media bear one or more instructions for releasing the
second odorant from the first controllable odorant emitter;
alternatively, the one or more non-transitory machine-readable data
storage media may bear one or more instructions for releasing the
second odorant from a second controllable odorant emitter. The one
or more non-transitory machine- readable data storage media bear
one or more instructions for releasing the first odorant and the
second odorant at different times, or for mixing the first odorant
and the second odorant.
[0155] In an aspect, the one or more non-transitory
machine-readable data storage media 2302 bear one or more
instructions for performing aspects of a method 2100 as shown in
FIG. 21, including one or more instructions for releasing the at
least one odorant from the at least one controllable odorant
emitter according to a program. In an aspect, the one or more
non-transitory machine-readable data storage media bear one or more
instructions for sensing a parameter with a sensor carried by the
eating utensil and modifying the release of the at least one
odorant from the at least one controllable odorant emitter
according to the program in response to the sensed parameter. In an
aspect, the one or more instructions for releasing the at least one
odorant from the at least one controllable odorant emitter
according to a program include one or more instructions for
releasing the at least one odorant according to a predetermined
instruction set under control of control circuitry carried by the
eating utensil. In an aspect, the one or more non-transitory
machine-readable data storage media bear one or more instructions
for receiving the predetermined instruction set from a user via a
user input device. Alternatively, or in addition, the one or more
non-transitory machine-readable data storage media may bear one or
more instructions for receiving the predetermined instruction set
from a remote device.
[0156] In an aspect, the one or more instructions for releasing the
at least one odorant from the at least one controllable odorant
emitter according to a program include one or more instructions for
releasing the at least one odorant according to a predetermined set
of parameters under control of control circuitry carried by the
eating utensil. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable
data storage media bear one or more instructions for receiving the
predetermined set of parameters from a user via a user input
device, or for receiving the predetermined set of parameters from a
remote device.
[0157] The one or more non-transitory machine-readable data storage
media 2302 may bear one or more instructions for performing aspects
of a method 2200 as shown in FIG. 22, including one or more
instructions for detecting the start of use of the eating utensil.
In an aspect, the one or more non-transitory machine-readable data
storage media furthermore bear one or more instructions for
releasing the at least one odorant from the at least one
controllable odorant emitter upon detecting the start of use of the
eating utensil. In connection therewith, the one or more
non-transitory machine-readable data storage media may bear one or
more instructions for detecting the start of use of the eating
utensil by at least one of detecting activation of a
user-activatable switch, detecting a repetitive pattern in a signal
sensed from a sensor carried by the eating utensil, determining
that the eating utensil is being moved to or from the mouth of the
consumer, detecting at least a component of the ingestible
substance, or detecting a weight of the ingestible substance
carried by the eating utensil. In an aspect, the one or more
non-transitory machine-readable data storage media bear one or more
instructions for determining how many bites of the ingestible
substance have been taken from the eating utensil, or determining
how many sips of the ingestible substance have been taken from the
eating utensil. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable
data storage media may bear one or more instructions for
determining how long the eating utensil has been in use. In
addition, the one or more non-transitory machine-readable data
storage media may bear one or more instructions for controlling
release of the at least one odorant from the at least one
controllable odorant emitter based at least in part on how long the
eating utensil has been in use. The one or more instructions for
controlling release of the at least one odorant from the at least
one controllable odorant emitter based at least in part on how long
the eating utensil has been in use may include one or more
instructions for starting release of the at least one odorant after
the eating utensil has been in use for a specified amount of time,
ending release of the at least one odorant after the eating utensil
has been in use for a specified amount of time, starting release of
at least a second odorant after the eating utensil has been in use
for a specified amount of time, or for starting release of at least
one odorant from at least one second location on the eating utensil
after the eating utensil has been in use for a specified amount of
time.
[0158] The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates
different components contained within, or connected with, different
other components. It is to be understood that such depicted
architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other
architectures may be implemented which achieve the same
functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components
to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such
that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two
components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality
can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired
functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or
intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated
can also be viewed as being "operably connected," or "operably
coupled," to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and
any two components capable of being so associated can also be
viewed as being "operably couplable," to each other to achieve the
desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable
include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or
physically interacting components, and/or wirelessly interactable,
and/or wirelessly interacting components, and/or logically
interacting, and/or logically interactable components. In some
instances, one or more components may be referred to herein as
"configured to," "configured by," "configurable to,"
"operable/operative to," "adapted/adaptable," "able to,"
"conformable/conformed to," etc. It will be recognized that such
terms (e.g. "configured to") generally encompass active-state
components and/or inactive-state components and/or standby-state
components, unless context requires otherwise.
[0159] While particular aspects of the present subject matter
described herein have been shown and described, it will be apparent
to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein,
changes and modifications may be made without departing from the
subject matter described herein and its broader aspects and,
therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope
all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit
and scope of the subject matter described herein. It will be
understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used
herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the
appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the
term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not
limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at
least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but
is not limited to," etc.). It will be further understood by those
within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim
recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited
in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent
is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following
appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at
least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations.
However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply
that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite
articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such
introduced claim recitation to claims containing only one such
recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory
phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles
such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should typically be
interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same
holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim
recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an
introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, It will be
recognized that such recitation should typically be interpreted to
mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two
recitations," without other modifiers, typically means at least two
recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those
instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B,
and C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in
the sense one having skill in the art would understand the
convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C"
would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B
alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C
together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances
where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc."
is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense
one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g.,
" a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include but not
be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B
together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C
together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the
art that typically a disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two
or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or
drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of
including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms
unless context dictates otherwise. For example, the phrase "A or B"
will be typically understood to include the possibilities of "A" or
"B" or "A and B."
[0160] With respect to the appended claims, those skilled in the
art will appreciate that recited operations therein may generally
be performed in any order. Also, although various operational flows
are presented in a sequence(s), it should be understood that the
various operations may be performed in other orders than those
which are illustrated, or may be performed concurrently. Examples
of such alternate orderings may include overlapping, interleaved,
interrupted, reordered, incremental, preparatory, supplemental,
simultaneous, reverse, or other variant orderings, unless context
dictates otherwise. Furthermore, terms like "responsive to,"
"related to," or other past-tense adjectives are generally not
intended to exclude such variants, unless context dictates
otherwise.
[0161] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed
herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those
skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed
herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be
limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the
following claims.
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