Patent Application
20240423394
The present invention relates to adaptive equipment and, more particularly, to a novel adaptive equipment to facilitate the improved feeding of impaired persons and further improved benefits to the person or user compared to currently available plate or tray holders or devices.
In any type treatment facilities across America and worldwide, patients, for example, are receiving necessary treatment at these facilities. In the course of their stay, these facilities are taking care of the patients' health and nutrition which includes meals. A common problem is that, during meals, patients that have an impairment, will not be able to keep the food on the plate while eating. If there is not someone assisting them, when the patient is trying to get some food from the plate to eat, they inadvertently push this food or other food off the plate, or food otherwise gets knocked off or falls from the plate. When this occurs, the patient only ends up eating what it obtained from the plate and, depending upon how much food was pushed, knocked, or fell off the plate, the patient is then not eating a full proper healthy and nutrition meal. Thus, the end result is that, despite receiving proper meals, the patient is losing weight and suffers other health issues. This is also being experienced by persons in their home, in the absence of someone assisting them, if they have similar impairment afflictions.
“Impairment”, for example, as it applies to persons or users herein, can be any and all impairments and/or disabilities, including without limitation, visual impairments, tremors, motor neuron, orthopedic impairment, can only use one hand, or any other impairment or disability that would affect that person or users ability to properly and independently feed themselves from a typical or normal plate.
While most devices, and as further discussed below with respect to the prior art plate and tray holders, are designed to reduce the mess, cleaning, or waste of food, Applicant's device, on the other hand, is designed to facilitate and make sure that all the food remains on the plate and available for eating by the patient or other affected persons or users (collectively, referred to herein as “persons or users”).
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,856 entitled “Plate and Cup Holder” discloses a “combination plate and cup holder formed of a rigid web having first and second ends, a recessed portion sized to receive and hold a plate in the first end, and a circular hole extending through the second end of sufficient diameter to receive and hold a cup or glass.”
U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2022/151409A1 entitled “No-Spill Ring For A Bowl” discloses a “no-spill ring that slides onto a bowl and which catches accidental spills that may escape from the top lip of the bowl. The ring has a proximal aperture wall, a floor and a distal wall forming a radial trough. The distal wall prevents liquids from spilling out to a user's hand or other surfaces.”
U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2019/174938A1 entitled “Perfect Plate” discloses an “outer edges [device] that [is] curved or folded . . . around 40% of the perimeter of the dish thereby ensuring that food does not spill over the sides when one is scooping up food to eat.” In Applicant's experience also, when this outer edge device is used, the outer edge may not hold and/or falls off the plate eliminating its effectiveness even for the limited perimeter of the plate designed.
China Patent CN2879849Y entitled “Tray For Holding Cup” appears to disclose a a tray for holding the combination of or both a cup and supporting a plate.
France Patent FR2818109B1 entitled “Support For Disposable Plate Has Similar Shape, With Rigid Base, Rising Wall and Lip In Form of Crown” appears to disclose a tray for supporting a disposable plate.
Great Britain Patent GB2560637A entitled “Frozen Meal Receptacle” appears to disclose a frozen meal receptacle or holding device that uses projections extending from the receptacle that extend over the rim of a tray such that the tray can be flexed to snap into place into the support receptacle.
In all of this time, while the devices disclosed in the above-identified patents and patent publications and currently available plate or tray holders are typically designed to hold or support the plate in position for the persons or users while feeding, their configurations remain non-desirous and/or problematic inasmuch as, among other things, none of the above-identified plate holders prevent the food from possibly being pushed, knocked, or fall off the plate and therefore not consumed or eaten by the person or user.
There is a need, therefore, and there has never been disclosed Applicant's unique adaptive equipment to facilitate the improved feeding of physically impaired persons.
The present invention is directed to a novel adaptive equipment to facilitate the improved feeding of impaired persons. The adaptive equipment comprises a base and a wall coacting to provide a receiving area to receive a plate and a feeding area. In particular, the wall is designed with an outer width and an inner width to provide a certain taper of the wall to secure the plate within the receiving area and ready to be used for meals and receive food. The wall is further designed with a specific height and at a specific angle to retain the food within the feeding area when the adaptive equipment is in use. A hole is also provided in the base to facilitate removal of the plate from the adaptive equipment when finished.
The Description of the Preferred Embodiment will be better understood with reference to the following figures:
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and described herein in detail specific embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments illustrated.
It will be understood that like or analogous elements and/or components, referred to herein, may be identified throughout the drawings with like reference characters. It will be further understood that
In accordance with the present invention, and turning first to
As further illustrated in
The wall 16 is preferably integrally molded with the base 12. Alternatively, the wall 16 may be secured to the base 12 in any manner known to one skilled in the art provided that there is no break, crack, or other separation between the wall 16 and the base 12 in which any food can escape through. In the preferred embodiment, the wall 16 extends and tapers upwardly from the base 12 at an angle 18 relative to the vertical plane. In the preferred embodiment, the angle 18 is in the range of three to ten degrees (3-10°), which is also, adding ninety degrees (90°) a total of ninety-three to one-hundred degrees (93-100°) relative to the base 12 in the horizontal plane, as shown by angle 20.
In the preferred embodiment, the height 26 of the wall 16 is preferably two inches (2″). Alternatively, the height 26 of the wall 16 may be as be smaller or larger provided that it likewise works for this invention and without sacrificing the effectiveness of the wall 16.
The wall 16 also has an outer width 30 and an inner width 32, as measured from the inside of the adaptive equipment 10. In the preferred embodiment, the outer width 32 is larger than the plate width 34 (defined below) and the inner width 32 is smaller than the plate width 34.
Additionally, the thickness 22 of the wall 16 is preferably in the range of one-half an inch (½″). Alternatively, the thickness 22 of the wall 16 may be smaller or larger provided that it likewise works for this invention and without sacrificing the strength or integrity of the wall 16.
The combination of the base 12 and wall 16 coact to provide a receiving area 28 to receive a plate, including without limitation, any other type of serving dish or bowl, collectively “plate 24”, having a plate width 34. In this manner, when the plate 24 is inserted into the receiving area 28, as the outer width 30 of the wall 16 is larger than the plate width 34, the plate 24 is easily inserted and received into the receiving area 28. As the plate 24 is lowered further down into the receiving area 28, and passes along the wall 16 that is tapering inward, the width of the wall 16 is slowly decreasing. The plate 24 is continued to be lowered further into the receiving area 28 until the plate 24 engages the wall 16. This is facilitated by the inner width 32 being smaller than the plate width 34 such that the plate 24 reaches this position in the receiving area 28 either at, preferably, the same time as the bottom 36 of the plate 24 reaches the base 12 or slightly before. In this position, the height 27 of the wall 16 that extends above the top 35 of the plate 24 is preferably in the range of one-half to one inch (½ to 1″). Alternatively, the height 27 of the wall 16 may be as smaller or larger provided that it likewise works for this invention and without sacrificing the effectiveness of the wall 16.
Also, in the preferred embodiment, when this occurs, the substantially entire exterior circumference of the plate 24 becomes engaged with the substantially entire circumference of the wall 16. In this manner, the plate 24 becomes frictionally engaged or secured within the receiving area 28 of the adaptive equipment 10. At this point, the plate 24 will remain secured and supported within the adaptive equipment 10 and is ready to be used for meals and receive food 40. Food 40 can then be provided in a resulting feeding area 42 of the adaptive equipment 10 and then served. Alternatively, although traditional plates 24 are circular in shape, it is anticipated that the adaptive equipment 10 can mirror any other shape of the plate 24 to likewise secure the plate 24 within the adaptive equipment 10 and achieve the same results. In another alternative, it is also anticipated that a bowl or other similar shaped dish may work with the adaptive equipment 10 provided that it is used in the same manner as described herein.
When received, the person or user proceeds to eat their meal from this adaptive equipment 10. For those persons or users that are impaired, as discussed above, when they try to get some food 40 from the plate 24 to eat, and are inadvertently pushing or knocking the food 40 that they are trying to get (e.g., such as by a fork, spoon, or any other utensil, hand, or other means), or any other surrounding food 40 on the plate 24, the wall 16 will keep all of this food 40 that is getting pushed or knocked around on the plate 24 within the feeding area 42. Additionally, while its further possible that some of this food 40 may be pushed or knocked into or up along the wall 16, the height 27 and tapering of the wall 16 down toward the plate 24 will likewise prevent the food from leaving the feeding area 42 and force the food 40 back into or onto the plate 24 for continued feeding. In this manner, regardless of how long it may take or the time that the person or user needs, the food 40 remains available and within the adaptive equipment 10 for the person or use to eat in order to obtain a full proper healthy and nutrition meal, every time. When the person or user is finished or done eating their meal, the hole 14 in the base 12 can be accessed to remove the plate 24. In this manner, a hand or any other means known to one skilled in the art can enter upward through the hole 14 and engage or push upon the bottom 36 of the plate 24. With some pressure, the plate 24 will be released from its frictional engagement and can then be removed from within the receiving area 28 of the adaptive equipment 10.
Based on the foregoing apparatus and method for using Applicant's adaptive equipment 10, Applicant's adaptive equipment provides, at least, the following advantages:
Thus, there has been provided Applicant's unique adaptive equipment in accordance with the present invention. While the invention has been described in conjunction with a specific embodiment, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it in intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the spirit and scope of the specification and appended claims.
