Patent Application
20200163474
The present disclosure relates to a device for portioning food. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a device that can be adjusted so that portions of food can be varied in accordance with an individual's dietary requirements.
Obesity has become a global epidemic in recent years, and is a key driver of escalating non-communicable disease rates in both developed and developing countries. One of the critical precipitants of obesity is the overconsumption of energy (calories), particularly in the context of the low physical activity levels which now prevail in many countries. This overconsumption of energy can arise from either an excessive volume of food intake (i.e. a quantitative excess), an excessive intake of certain food types (i.e. a qualitative excess), or more commonly, a combination of both. Often, people find it very difficult to judge the correct amount of various food types that will enable them to lose or manage their weight.
Public health initiatives advocate the use of models that are based on the qualitative issues which predispose individuals to excessive energy intake and weight gain. For example, the “Food Pyramid”—first proposed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1992 and updated in 2005—is a graphic representation of human nutritional needs in the form of a pyramid. In this model foods whose recommended daily intake is highest occupy the wider bottom part of the pyramid and foods whose recommended daily intake is lowest occupy the slender top part. In 2011, the USDA published a replacement guideline called “MyPlate” because it was felt that the Food Pyramid was too complex for the average family to practice easily and efficiently in daily life. In the new guideline (see
Various tools have been developed to assist an individual estimate and control their food portion sizes. For example, plates sold under the trade names “The Diet Plate”, the “Healthy Portion Plate” and “The Balance Plate” are flat plates with pictorial and text markings on the surface showing the user—in two dimensions—how much of each different food type they should take at a meal. A similar approach is described in GB 2416669 A where, instead of using a plate to pictorially depict a two dimensional area onto which food is placed, a pre-marked removable “food template” is described which can be used to portion food on a plate.
Unfortunately, public health initiatives based solely on relative food proportions and food qualitative issues—and the tools developed to apply the principles of such initiatives are unlikely to succeed as excessive portion size (i.e. quantitative excess in terms of absolute food volume) has been highlighted in population studies as a critical determinant of dietary energy excess and weight gain (“Overcoming Obesity: An initial economic analysis”, McKinsey Global Institute, 2014). For example, taking the MyPlate guideline as an example, if all of the portions are excessive (e.g. if the food is piled high or served in large portions on a large plate), the individual in question will still over-consume energy and therefore continue to gain weight.
Furthermore, there is insufficient guidance as to how the portion sizes recommended by these models should differ between people with differing energy requirements. Each individual is different in terms of their body size, body composition, gender, age, activity level and other factors, so general guidelines that are not tailored to the individual in terms of both the type and amount of food that they should consume have limited value. To the effect that they do have value, the MyPlate guidelines and the tools developed to help implement them only offer portion size guidance in two dimensions, with no reference to the vertical height of the food on the plate. In this respect they fail to adequately quantify the total quantity of food designated within each area of the plate.
Three-dimensional models for portion size estimation at mealtimes have been developed. Examples include the “EZ Weight Plate” (see US 2007/0289973 A1), the “Meal Measure Portion Control Tool” (see US 2008/0230546 A1), and the “Relaxor FF8PP Perfect Portion Plate” (see WO 01/16921 A1). While these devices aim to quantify the volume of each constituent food type in a typical meal, all are nonadjustable meaning that they have limited if any ability to prescribe different portion sizes of the food types based on an individual's own characteristics and dietary requirements.
The present disclosure overcomes the shortcomings in the prior art by permitting the correct estimation of required food portion sizes based on their three-dimensional volume, while at the same time permitting individualised portion size estimation that is appropriate to any user based on their personal characteristics (e.g. body size, gender, age, etc.).
The present disclosure provides a food-portioning device, comprising:
an annular wall (2);
a hub (3); and
a plurality of dividing means (4) extending from the hub to the annular wall (2) so as to define a plurality of spaces (5) between the dividing means, each space having an open top and an open bottom; wherein at least one of the dividing means is attached to the hub in a manner that allows it to at least partially rotate about the hub relative to an adjacent dividing means.
In one aspect of the present disclosure the food-portioning device (1) comprises:
an annular wall (2) wherein the annular wall has a different vertical height at different points along the periphery thereof; a hub (3); and
a plurality of dividing means (4) extending from the hub (3) to the annular wall (2) so as to form a plurality of spaces (5) between the dividing means, each space having an open top and an open bottom;
wherein at least one of the dividing means is a non-rotatable dividing means attached to the hub and/or to the annular wall in a manner that does not allow that dividing means to rotate about the hub; and
wherein at least one of the dividing means is a rotatable dividing means which comprises a sleeve that straddles the annular wall and is attached to the hub in a manner that allows it to at least partially rotate about the hub relative to an adjacent dividing means, further wherein
said annular wall, hub and non-rotatable dividing means define a food-portioning device base portion configured for attachment of at least one said rotatable dividing means.
The present disclosure also provides a food-portioning device base portion comprising:
an annular wall (2) wherein the annular wall has a different vertical height at different points along the periphery thereof;
a hub (3); and
at least one non-rotatable dividing means that is attached to the hub and/or to the annular wall in a manner that does not allow that dividing means to rotate about the hub.
The present disclosure also provides a food-portioning device rotatable dividing means in the form of a blade having a proximal end and a distal end;
wherein the proximal end of the blade is configured to attach to the hub of the food-portioning device and allow at least partial rotation about the hub; and
wherein the distal end of the dividing means comprises the sleeve that is capable of straddling the annular wall.
The present disclosure also provides a kit-of-parts comprising a food-portioning device base portion according to the present disclosure as well as one or more food-portioning device rotatable dividing means according to the present disclosure.
The present disclosure also provides a method of portioning food, comprising the steps of:
providing a food-portioning device according to the present invention;
adjusting at least one dividing means so that the spaces defined by the annular wall and the plurality of dividing means correspond to the desired portioning amounts of food;
placing the device on a food-bearing surface; and
placing food types in the respective spaces, the allowable size of each food portion being determined by the size of its corresponding three-dimensional space.
The present disclosure provides a food-portioning device that is adjustable. The term “adjustable” means that the device is configured in such a way that it can be adjusted by the user to deliver portions of food according to an individual's personal dietary requirements. In the present disclosure this is achieved by including at least one dividing means that can rotate at least partially about a central hub relative to an adjacent dividing means. By rotating at least one dividing means, the three-dimensional space between that rotatable dividing means and an adjacent dividing means can be increased or decreased as required. For instance, the user might adjust the device according to the dietary requirements of an individual based on instructions from a health practitioner, instructions provided with or for the device, or indices marked on the device itself.
The food-portioning device of the present disclosure comprises an annular wall. One purpose of the annular wall is to allow a peripheral boundary be established which, in cooperation with the plurality of dividing means, defines a plurality of three-dimensional spaces which can be used to define portion sizes. The annular wall can itself establish the peripheral boundary or it can act as a support or guide for another member of the device that establishes the peripheral boundary. The annular wall also serves to establish the plane in which the plurality of dividing means extend from the hub and in which at least one dividing means is at least partially rotatable about the central hub.
By way of example, the food-portioning device (1) that is shown in
In the present disclosure, the wall is annular in shape to permit rotation of a dividing means about the hub. The wall need not be a perfect annulus in a mathematical sense: any shape approaching that of a ring is sufficient provided that it allows at least one dividing means to at least partially rotate about the hub.
The cross-section and thickness of the annular wall is not particularly limited and may be appropriately determined by those skilled in the art. For instance, the cross section of the wall may be triangular, rectangular or trapezoidal in shape. The thickness of the wall (i.e. the widest horizontal part of its cross section as it sits on a flat surface) preferably lies within the range of from about 2 mm to about 20 mm. This range of thickness is preferred in view of providing suitable robustness while maintaining handleability and reducing the weight of the device. To improve the robustness of the device the wall is preferably at least 2 mm thick, more preferably at least 5 mm thick and even more preferably at least 8 mm thick. To improve handleability, the wall is preferably 20 mm thick or less, more preferably 15 mm thick or less and most preferably 12 mm thick or less. Any of the preferred lower thickness values can be combined with any of the disclosed upper thickness values to create preferred ranges for the wall thickness: e.g. 2-20 mm, 2-15 mm, 5-20 mm, and 5-15 mm.
The diameter of the annular wall is not particularly limited and may be appropriately determined by those skilled in the art. The diameter (measured between two directly opposed inner faces at the base of the wall) can be tailored according to the intended food-bearing surface that the device will be used on. For instance, for plates found in a typical household the diameter of the annular wall preferably lies within the range of from 10 cm to 40 cm, preferably from 15 to 35 cm, and more preferably from 20 to 30 cm. Any of the preferred lower diameter values can be combined with any of the preferred upper diameter values to create other preferred diameter ranges for the annular wall: e.g. 10-35 cm, 10-30 cm, 15-40 cm, and 15-30 cm.
The height of the wall (i.e. the highest vertical part of its cross section as it sits on a flat surface) is not particularly limited and may be appropriately determined by those skilled in the art. For instance, the height of the wall preferably lies within the range of from about I cm to 10 cm. The height of the wall can be approximately constant around its circumference (an example of which is shown in
The annular wall may contain a plurality of raised parts (e.g. raised dots or ridges) or indentations (e.g. notches or grooves) that engage with a rotatable dividing means to guide and/or hold the rotatable dividing means at a position while it is being used to portion out food. For example, a part of the rotatable dividing means can be made to protrude over the top of the annular wall and engage with a raised part or indentation on the wall to impede further movement of the dividing means at that point. This allows the dividing means to be held in place while food is being portioned and hinders the dividing means from inadvertently moving to a different position. The protrusion can be any shape or form that suitably interacts with a raised part or indentation on the annular wall. The number of raised parts and/or indentations is not particularly limited and may be appropriately determined by those skilled in the art. In some embodiments the position of the raised parts and/or indentations also acts as a guide for where to place the rotatable dividing means in order to portion a predetermined amount of food for an individual having a particular dietary requirement.
The hub, sometimes referred to herein as the “central hub”, is that part of the device from which the plurality of dividing means radiate. The hub need not be at the exact geometric centre of the device: it suffices that it is positioned such that at least one 30 dividing means can at least partially rotate about the hub.
In one embodiment the hub is permanently fixed in position with respect to the annular wall. By way of example, the hub can be fixed in position by one or more non-rotatable dividing means (as depicted in
The dividing means can be considered to have a proximal end that connects with the hub and extends therefrom to a distal end that cooperates with the peripheral boundary to define spaces that can be used to portion food when the device is placed on a food bearing surface, such as a plate. The dividing means may be of any shape or size suitable for partitioning food. Preferably, the dividing means are blade shaped. The height of each dividing means is not particularly limited and may be appropriately determined by those skilled in the art. For example, the height of the 20 dividing means may lie within the range of from about I cm to 10 cm.
Since the dividing means converge at the hub, the space between adjacent dividing means becomes increasingly narrow as one approaches the hub. This can make it difficult to fully fill that space with food or clean the device after use. One way to overcome this problem is to increase the width of the central hub so that the proximal ends of the plurality of dividing means are kept further apart. Another way to overcome the problem is to use rotating dividing means that are bent or curved at their proximal end. This greatly simplifies the configuration of the hub for accommodating rotatable dividing means since it is preferable that the proximal ends of the rotating dividing means contact or form the hub as centrally as possible. For instance, in the embodiment depicted in
For the purposes of this disclosure, the way by which the dividing means connect to or form the hub is not particularly limited and may be appropriately determined by those skilled in the art, provided that at least one dividing means can at least partially rotate about the hub relative to an adjacent dividing means. In one embodiment the hub comprises a pin which connects the plurality of dividing means. By way of example, in
Preferably, the device comprises at least one dividing means that is attached to the central hub and/or to the annular wall in a manner that does not allow that dividing means to rotate about the central hub (see, e.g. dividing means (4) in
In an embodiment, one or more of the rotatable dividing means may comprise a part that cooperates with the annular wall to provide additional support for the rotatable dividing means. One example of such a part is an inverted V-guide or sleeve that straddles the annular wall. In a preferred embodiment the sleeve is arc-shaped but any shape that is capable of allowing the dividing means to be guided by the annular wall will suffice. The embodiment in
Referring to
The size of spaces (51), (52) and (53) can be adjusted as required. For instance, referring to the particular configuration depicted in
If the annular wall has different heights at various points around its circumference, the rotatable dividing means may be provided with a part that ensures an approximately constant height of the peripheral border as the dividing means moves to a part of the wall having a lower height. This allows the user to portion out food more accurately. For instance, in
One advantage of the present device is that the height of the peripheral boundary can be used to define how high food should be piled. This makes it much easier to deliver the correct amount of the food by, for example, levelling off the food and removing any excess with a spatula. Where the device has an annular wall having different heights, a lower height can be used to spread the three-dimensional space over a larger area to accommodate foodstuffs that do not easily flow into a space, such as meat. Without the lower height wall, to achieve the same volume such food stuffs 20 would have to be placed in a comparatively narrower space which could prove difficult.
The wall may also comprise one or more markings (not shown in the Figures) on its outer or inner face to indicate how high food should be piled in a particular space. When such markings are used, it is preferable that they be placed on the inner face of the wall to reduce errors in measuring the correct height of the food. The dividing means may also comprise one or more markings on either side to indicate how high food should be piled in the space adjacent that dividing means. In one embodiment, the height of the wall optionally in cooperation with height markings on the dividing means, is used to define how high food should be piled in that space. For example, the height marking on the dividing means may correspond to the height of a lower portion of wall adjacent to that dividing means to assist the user to determine how high food should be piled in that space. By using the height of the wall as a guide to determine how high food should be piled in a space, the problem of markings on the wall or the dividing means becoming obstructed by food is mitigated.
Where the height of the markings on the wall, or preferably the height of the wall itself, differs at various points around the circumference of the annular wall, the spaces can be assigned to particular food groups. For example, the space into which a protein-rich food (e.g. meat or fish) is placed may be defined by a marking or part of the annular wall having a lower height than the space into which a carbohydrate-rich food (e.g. potato or rice) is placed. By way of example, and with reference to
The dividing means may also comprise markings to indicate how high food should be piled in a particular space. In the case that the dividing means comprises a part at its distal end designed to maintain a constant height at the peripheral border (e.g. a sleeve), that part may be used to define how high food should be piled in that space. The height of the part is not particularly limited but preferably it provides a constant height along that part of the annular wall that it cooperates with. The advantage of this set-up is that the height of the peripheral boundary remains constant as the dividing means is rotated. This is particularly useful if the height of the peripheral boundary is used to determine how high food should be piled up in the space partly defined by e.g. a sleeve. For instance, referring to
The device may be made of any suitable material or mix of materials and produced by suitable means known in the art such as injection moulding, casting, pressing, carving or 3D printing. It may be constructed as a single use, disposable, device but preferably it is constructed for multiple use applications. Preferably the device is made of a relatively durable material that is easily cleaned, and is preferably also dishwasher safe. For instance, the outer wall and dividing means of the device may be made of a plastic material, for example polycarbonate or polypropylene, such as FDA-approved polypropylene. Preferably, any plastic material that is used is BPA-free, phthalate15 free, and PVC-free. Other materials that may also be used include wood-based materials, ceramic materials, glass materials, and metallic materials such as stainless steel or aluminium. Different parts of the device can be made of different materials.
In one embodiment, the device can be adapted to resemble a human, animal, or fictitious character's face. In this embodiment, the three-dimensional area defined by two dividing means, the attached sleeves (if present) and the annular wall can be made to resemble the smile of a face. The “smiling” space (space 53 in
While the adjustable food-portioning device of the present disclosure is particularly useful to allow individuals estimate and control their own food portion sizes, it can also be used more generally wherever there is a need to control food portions, for example, in schools, hospitals, military installations or prisons.
In a preferred embodiment, the adjustable food-portioning device is made up of a base portion and one or more (preferably two or three) removable dividing means. In this embodiment the base portion comprises an annular wall (2), a hub (3) and a dividing means (41) that is attached to the hub and the annular wall in a manner that does not allow that dividing means to rotate about the hub. An exemplary base portion is that depicted in
The adjustable food-portioning device of the present disclosure is easy to use and the present disclosure extends to a method of portioning food using the device. For instance, one method for portioning food using the device comprises the steps of adjusting at least one dividing means so that the spaces defined by the peripheral boundary and the plurality of dividing means corresponds to the desired portioning amounts of food; placing the device on a food-bearing surface; and placing food types in the respective spaces, the allowable size of each food portion being determined by the size of its corresponding three-dimensional space. By way of example, and referring to the device depicted in
The present application is the national phase of PCT Application No. PCT/IE2017/000009 filed on May 11, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IE2017/000009 | 5/11/2017 | WO | 00 |
