This invention relates to a personal food delivery apparatus and method. In particular, in accordance with one embodiment, the invention relates to a personal food delivery apparatus including a utensil with a handle end and a food end where the food end is a flat surface. A food retaining device is connected with the food end where the food retaining device retains food on the food retaining device.
A problem exists with regard to the use of utensils for the delivery of food for personal consumption. In particular, for example only and not by way of limitation, infants transitioning from food in bottles, for example, to solid foods initially do not have the fine motor skills to handle spoons and forks. The prior art is replete with bent spoons and forks that are designed to enable an infant to grasp the utensil. While they are of some value in that regard, they do nothing to address the problem of actually getting the food into the baby's/infant's mouth. Again, the problem Applicant has identified is that babies and infants may be able to grasp a utensil but they do not have the skill to transfer the utensil with food into their mouth. Thus, prior art curved utensils are typically as large as, or nearly as large as normal utensils, since it is understood that at least for some period of time the parent/adult will use the utensil to feed the infant.
Further, the prior art does not describe or suggest a solution to the problem of food slipping off or spilling out of utensils as the food is transferred to the user's mouth. That is, prior art spoons, forks and knives include smooth surfaces. Most problematical are spoons with concave surfaces that require a user to balance the food within the spoon. Until and unless the user has the motor skills to properly use them, food will slip off of or spill out of the prior art smooth surfaced utensils.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a personal food delivery utensil that enables individuals with minimum fine motor skills, babies, infants, accident victims, and the like, for example only, to feed themselves without the assistance of others. It therefore is an object of this invention to provide a personal food delivery utensil that includes a handle and a food retaining device. The entire utensil may be of a normal form but a smaller size suitable for an infant and smaller than normal adult utensils. Further, the food retaining device enables the user to simply insert the utensil into food and the food retaining device holds the food in place as it is transferred to the user's mouth. This eliminates the need to maintain the utensil in a proper plane so as to avoid the food slipping off or spilling out of the utensil.
Accordingly, the personal food delivery apparatus of the present invention, according to one embodiment, includes a utensil with a handle end and a food end where the food end is a flat surface. A food retaining device is connected with the food end where the food retaining device retains food on the food retaining device.
All terms used herein are given their normal ordinary meaning. Thus, “utensil” describes a device for use in the consumption of foods, such as a spoon, knife and fork or a combination thereof or any other utensil device now known or hereafter developed. “Food” includes solid and semi-solid foods such as pureed foods, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, and the like, for example only. “Food retaining device” describes a device to which food, as described above, attaches. The attachment is accomplished by the provision of a retaining device onto or into which the food connects, all as will be more fully described hereafter.
In one aspect, the handle is conformed in size to be held by infants. By this it is meant that the handle is proportional to the size of the infant's hand. In another aspect, the utensil is approximately four inches long including the handle end and the food end.
In one aspect, the food retaining device consists of a number of depressions extending into the food end non-curved, flat surface. In another aspect, the food retaining device is at least one hole extending though the food end non-curved, flat surface from side to side. In a further aspect of this embodiment, the hole is conformed to create arms in the food end, where the arms extend into the hole.
In another aspect, the food retaining device is a projection extending from the non-curved, flat surface. In one aspect of this invention, the projection consists of a number of raised, rounded elements. In another aspect, the projection consists of at least one raised ridge element. In a further aspect, the food retaining device is on both sides of the non-curved, flat surface of the food end.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a personal food delivery apparatus consists of a utensil with a handle end, where the handle is conformed in size to be held by infants, and a food end where the food end is non-curved, flat surface. A food retaining device is connected with the food end where the food retaining device retains food on the food retaining device where the food retaining device is selected from a group of devices consisting of: a number of depressions in the non-curved, flat surface and at least one projection from the non-curved, flat surface.
In another aspect, the number of depressions further includes at least one depression that creates a hole extending though the food end non-curved, flat surface from side to side. In one aspect, the hole is conformed to create arms in the food end, where the arms extend into the hole. In another aspect, the projection consists of a number of raised, rounded elements. In one aspect, the projection consists of at least one raised ridge element. In another aspect, the food retaining device is on both sides of the non-curved, flat surface of the food end.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a personal food delivery method consists of:
In another aspect, the food retaining device is selected from a group of devices consisting of: a number of depressions in the non-curved, flat surface and at least one projection from the non-curved, flat surface. In another aspect, the number of depressions further includes least one depression that creates a hole extending though the food end non-curved, flat surface from side to side. In one aspect, the food retaining device is on both sides of the non-curved, flat surface of the food end.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings in which:
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by way of example in
Utensil 12 includes a handle end 14 and a food end 16. Handle end 14 is elongated and in any useful form for ease of holding. Handle end 14 blends into food end 16, preferably seamlessly, as shown. Food end 16 is distinguished from handle end 14 in that it includes an extended flat surface 18 as shown and as more clearly understood with reference to
Referring to
Referring now to
Referring now to
In use, an infant, for example only, grasps handle end 14 in a normal form. This acclimates the infant to the look and feel of actual utensils but, again, utensil 12 is preferably sized appropriately for the infant. Thereafter, the infant merely has to introduce the food end 16 into food (not shown). Food retaining device 20 enables utensil 12 to pick up the food. The infant then moves the personal food delivery apparatus 10 to his or her mouth without having to hold utensil 12 in any particular attitude. It is at this time, the transfer of food to the mouth, that prior art devices fail for those lacking the fine motor skills to properly move them without dropping the food from the utensil. Instead, in Applicant's invention, food is held in place on the utensil 12 by food retaining device 20. Certainly some amount of food will adhere to even the normal spoon, knife or fork but they are designed for maximum effective use to be operated in a required manner in order to deliver adequate amounts of food each time. This is a requirement infants, for example, cannot meet. Use of Applicant's personal food delivery apparatus 10, however, ensures that adequate amounts of food are delivered while at the same time allowing a baby to participate in self-feeding earlier with less mess. The psychological benefits or early development of self-feeding skill with a normally shaped utensil Applicant believes to be significant.
The description of the present embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. As such, while the present invention has been disclosed in connection with an embodiment thereof, it should be understood that other embodiments may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/294,414, titled “PERSONAL FOOD DELIVERY APPARATUS,” filed Oct. 14, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/694,237, filed on Nov. 9, 2012, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15294414 | Oct 2016 | US |
Child | 17894395 | US | |
Parent | 13694237 | Nov 2012 | US |
Child | 15294414 | US |