Patent Application
20160120346
The invention is in the area of devices that dispense contents from a squeezable chamber into an attached spoon.
The prior art discloses various dispensing devices that comprise a spoon connected to a squeezable food or medicine container. U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,482 to Gilbert; U.S. Published Application 20090108025 by deVirag; U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,895 to Lee; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,222 to Read are examples of such devices. However, none of these prior art devices exhibit the features of the present invention—that is, a dispensing device with a flat “rest” which keeps the spoon stable and elevated off a surface, and a hinged spoon which folds back against the tube for shipping and sales display, but which serves to seal the food passage when in use.
U.S. Published Application 20080072432 by Teys discloses a hinge—but it is not on the spoon part but rather on the back of the food chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,584,366 to Wedderburn discloses a hinged spoon; however, the hinge is constructed differently from the hinge in the invention, which involves a hinge in the food passage. Also, Wedderburn has nothing to do with squeezable feeding, and instead is simply a utensil like any other spoon.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,074 to Emilsson shows a flexible connector between the food tube and the spoon, but not a hinge that opens fully so the spoon can be tucked back against the food tube. In contrast, in the invention the hinged spoon can pivot more than 90 degrees from the straight “in-use” position—indeed, the hinged spoon can pivot almost 180 degrees, when it is tucked back against the squeezable chamber for shipping and sales/shelf display. In sum, Emilsson's physical structure is very different from that of the invention.
The invention is a device that dispenses contents from a squeezable chamber through a passage into an attached spoon. The spoon is hinged so that it folds back against the squeezable chamber for shipping and sales/shelf display, and swings forward to engage the passage when in use. The spoon also has a flat “rest” which keeps the spoon stable and elevated off a potentially germ-laden surface.
The inventive device makes it much easier to give food, medicine, etc. to an infant or disabled person.
The hinged spoon feature saves shipping space, and shelf display space, by allowing the spoon to be folded back against the squeezable chamber until the product is ready for use. This also prevents damage or breakage that could occur if the spoon were fixed in an extended position.
Further, with the spoon tucked back out of the way until use, it is easier to apply an effective, hygienic seal to the squeezable container, thus preventing bacteria intrusion and spoilage of the contents.
The flat “rest” feature prevents the device from rolling away when placed on a surface, and also prevents contamination of the spoon and contents in use. Said another way, the user can set the device down if desired, without it rolling away or becoming dirty and germ-laden.
The inventive device is easy and low-cost to manufacture, because the hinge can be integrally molded of flexible plastic, in one piece with the spoon and the open end of the squeezable chamber.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
The following provides a list of the reference characters used in the drawings:
A substantially round chamber end opening 13 is located at one end of squeezable chamber 11, so that as the chamber is squeezed, the contents are forced out through chamber end opening 13. A removable cap 14 covers chamber end opening 13, to seal the contents against contamination when the device is not in use.
A spoon 15 is attached by a hinge 16 to squeezable chamber 11. Hinge 16 is preferably integrally molded with the open end of spoon 15 and the open end of squeezable chamber 11 so as to be of one piece; however, hinge 16 can also be constructed separately and attached to the open end of spoon 15 and the open end of squeezable chamber 11 using any suitable means. Hinge 16 can be constructed of flexible plastic, such that the flexible plastic material itself bends back and forth to provide the hinging action, or it can be constructed of other components that provide a suitable hinging action. Hinge 16 must be able to open sufficiently to allow spoon 15 to be tucked back against squeezable chamber 11 for shipping and sales/shelf display. As can be seen, hinged spoon 15 can pivot more than 90 degrees from the straight “in-use” position—indeed, hinged spoon 15 can pivot almost 180 degrees, when it is tucked back against squeezable chamber 11. It should be understood that the terms “folded back against” or “tucked back against” do not mean that spoon 15 must be folded back so far that it touches squeezable chamber 11. Rather, it is sufficient that spoon 15 is folded back so that it is substantially against squeezable chamber 11, as exemplified by
Spoon 15 has a passageway within it, through which the contents of squeezable chamber 11 pass, as well as an outlet opening in its serving end, which will be further discussed below. A substantially round spoon end opening 17 is recessed inside the non-serving end of spoon 15, and is operatively connected to the passageway and outlet opening within spoon 15. Removable caps may also cover spoon end opening 17 and the outlet opening, to seal them against contamination when the device is not in use. When spoon 15 is pivoted about hinge 16 in the direction of the arrow, spoon end opening 17 mates with chamber end opening 13 to seal chamber end opening 13 and provide allow the contents of squeezable chamber 11 to be squeezed out of the outlet opening in the serving end of spoon 15.
To use the device, which is preferably delivered filled with contents but which can also be delivered empty and filled by the user, the user removes any seals against contamination and then pivots spoon 15 about hinge 16 in order to bring the non-serving end of spoon 15 and the open end of squeezable chamber 11 together. Once spoon 15 is locked in place against squeezable chamber 11, the user applies hand pressure or other means to squeeze the contents out of the chamber, through passageway 22 and out into the serving end of spoon 15 through outlet opening 23. The user can supply just enough pressure to fill spoon 15, wait for the recipient to consume what is in spoon 15, and then squeeze more contents into the spoon.
Alternatively, the user can fill the spoon continuously if the recipient is consuming the contents continuously.
While the above descriptions contain many specificities, these shall not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of embodiments thereof. Many other variations are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
