AU2007100882A4 - Hand-held food-holding device - Google Patents

Description

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Co, Jacqueline Suzanne Halliday and David John Lebnan

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 Innovation patent FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED:- "Hand-held food-holding device" The invention is described in the following statement: FIELD OF THE INVENTION

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SThe present invention relates to food-holding devices and in particular to hand-held devices that assist in the eating of fruit. The invention has been developed primarily Cto assist children in the eating of fruit such as whole apples or pears. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use.

00 COPYRIGHT NOTICE 00 SThis document is subject to copyright. Subject to the exception contained in section S226 Patents Act 1990, the reproduction, communication and distribution of this S 10 document is not permitted without prior consent from the copyright owner.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Young children have difficulty eating whole or large pieces of fruit such as apples or pears without assistance from adults. This is because of the bulk of such fruits and children's small hand size and lack of manual dexterity. Further, the cutting of fruit requires intervention by an adult to dice or slice fruit. Sliced and diced fruit also pose a choking hazard to toddlers (particularly hard fruits such as apples and pears).

There presently exist various devices for holding food but no devices designed especially for use by children when eating whole or large pieces of fruit such as apples. Known devices for holding food include forks, skewers and corn holders.

Many known eating implements suffer the collective disadvantage that the handles for such devices, due to their size and shape, require finger dexterity in order to grasp and maintain control of the device. Children, and particularly young children, lack finger strength and dexterity. Instead, children rely on gross motor skills, provided by the muscles of the hands and forearms, to grasp and maintain control of eating implements. Poor fine motor control is exacerbated when the eating implement is loaded with a heavy item such as a whole apple, which can cause the implement to overbalance in the direction of the fruit and make it more difficult to maintain adequate control of such implements.

SFood-holding devices such as skewers and corn holders also have sharp points at one end, reducing further their suitability for use by children in eating heavy items such /3 as a whole apple.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 00

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It is an object of the present invention to provide a food-holding device that is held S 10 by a grip that relies on gross motor skills (muscles of the hand and arm) rather than N on finger strength and dexterity (fine motor skills) and that will assist children to eat food such as whole apples, pears or potatoes, which are difficult for children to handle because of their weight, and be safe for children to use with minimal adult supervision, or at least to provide a useful, child-friendly alternative to known foodholding devices.

It is a further object to provide a device that may increase the appeal of eating fruit to children and that can also be used as a tool to promote and encourage the eating of fruit.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hand-held foodholding device including: an elongated member having a proximal and a distal end with a Handle at said proximal end, said Handle having a surface area such that substantial contact is made with a user's palm when holding said Handle for use; at least one piercing element at said distal end, said piercing element being: i. anchored directly or indirectly to said Handle at one end; and ii. unattached at the other end wherein said unattached end narrows at its tip to assist to pierce food such as an apple I- but is not sharp to touch, such that said piercing element is

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enabled to pierce and hold food, such that food is: CA. held securely to said piercing element during consumption; and B. manipulated by manipulating said Handle, wherein said Handle is adapted to allow a user to hold and manipulate held food using gross 0motor control, provided by hand and arm muscles, without relying on 00 finger strength and dexterity for fine motor control.

Preferably, said intermediate part includes a plate wherein said plate is intermediate to: said Handle; and said piercing element, such that said plate forms a resting point for food between said piercing element and said Handle, so that food held by said piercing element is prevented from being pushed or slipped along said piercing element towards said Handle.

More preferably, said plate: has a substantially planar surface; and curves at its outer edges in the direction of said piercing element, such that said plate: i. cups the held food, such as an apple, to further secure said food to said device; and ii. guides a user's mouth around held food.

More preferably still, said piercing element is configured such that said piercing element prevents rotation of held food.

Further preferably, said Handle has a figurine form such as a character, for example a fireman; an animal; an object such as a rocket, foods, tools; and famous people and other characters with popular appeal to children; such that said device is adapted to

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Spromote and encourage the eating of foods such as fruit by children.

C/ BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example (only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 00

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FIGURE 1 is a front view of a hand-held device for holding fruit according to the 0 10 invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side view of an apple being held by a preferred embodiment being grasped by a Hook Grip in a young child's hand.

FIGURE 3 is a plan (top) view of a preferred embodiment of the device shown in Figure 1.

FIGURE 4 is a front view of an alternative arrangement of the invention, which can be used as a tool for promoting and encouraging the consumption of fruit. The Handle in this arrangement takes the form of a character that may have appeal to children.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described by reference to the drawings. The following detailed description in conjunction with the figures provides the skilled addressee with an understanding of the invention. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the applications described below.

Dictionary of defined terms Table 1 is a dictionary of terms defined according to the invention. Terms defined in CTable 1 are denoted with the use of capitalisation throughout the document. If a term is not capitalised then its plain meaning is to be construed, unless otherwise specified.

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0 Table 1: Dictionary of defined terms Term Description Handle The part of the invention that makes contact with the hand and by which means the invention is held and manipulated (including maintaining control of the invention during eating). The Handle has a surface area such that holding the device by the Handle (in a manner that enables the device to be used to eat a heavy item such as a whole piece of fruit) causes greater contact to be made with a user's palm than with a user's fingers. The Handle is substantially elongated in one dimension and has sufficient size in a second (width) and third (depth) dimension to render the invention capable of being held and manipulated solely by means of a Power Grip or a Hook Grip (as illustrated in Figure 3) alone. These kinds of grip rely on the muscles of the arm and hand (gross motor control), and not on the fingers and thumb (fine motor control).

The larger the surface area of the handle, the greater the degree of contact with the palm of the hand (and thereby muscles of the hand) and the greater the ability to use a Power Grip or a Hook Grip (which rely solely on gross motor skills). For example, the following shaped handles are incapable of being adequately held and controlled solely by means of a Power Grip or Hook Grip: a handle that is substantially conical, tapering to a very small diameter towards the prongs; a handle that is substantially cylindrical and that has a very Ssmall diameter (as in a skewer); a handle that is substantially a rectangular, triangular or square prism and that is shallow in at least one dimension.

00 The type of grip required to hold a handle of the kind described in 00 paragraphs to above will necessarily involve a degree of Precision Grip (fine motor control). This is because the surface area of the handle means there is insufficient contact with the muscles of K1 the hand for gross motor control of the handle and a degree of fine motor control is required.

Hook A grip involving the human hand in which the fingers loop around Grip part of an object, such as a strap or handle, and flex towards the palm. The degree of flexion depends on the dimensions of what is grasped. The thumb may or may not be involved. It is a grip for the transmission of force, not for fine manipulation.

Source: 'Chapter 5. Myology' in PL Williams, R Warwick, M Dyson and LH Bannister (eds), Gray's Anatomy (37th ed,1989) 545, 633 Power A grip involving the human hand in which the fingers are flexed Grip around an object, with counter pressure from the thumb, positioned to bring either its pulp or medial border against the object. Once grip is made, the hand is held still or moved with the rest of the limb. Any skill is due to the limb, including the wrist. Relative movements of thumb and fingers are not involved.

Source: 'Chapter 5. Myology' in PL Williams, R Warwick, M Dyson and LH Bannister (eds), Gray's Anatomy (37th ed,1989) 545, 633 Precision A grip involving the human hand in which the object is gripped Grip between the tips of the fingers and thumb, as in grasping a pen, Spencil or the handle of any small tool. A single hand may be used simultaneously in power and precision grip. For example, relatively small objects may be held steady in a power grip by flexion of the medial three digits against the palm, while the index and thumb 00 carry out manipulations of the object by a precision grip.

00 Source: 'Chapter 5. Myology' in PL Williams, R Warwick, M Dyson and LH Bannister (eds), Gray's Anatomy (37th ed,1989) 545, 633 The elements of the invention are now described under the following headings: The present invention A device that can assist children to hold a whole or large piece of fruit during eating may assist to increase the consumption of fruit. The form of the device may also assist in increasing the appeal of eating fruit to children -whether by simulating the experience of eating an ice block or lollipop, or by taking the appearance of an appealing object, character or animal. In this way the device can be used as a tool to promote and encourage the eating of fruit.

The present invention is a hand-held fruit-holding device that: can be grasped and controlled during eating by using a grip that relies on gross motor control, such as a Power Grip or a Hook Grip, and is therefore useful for young children who generally lack poor fine motor control and often find it difficult to hold a whole piece of fruit in their hands during eating and to use known eating implements, none of which has been designed for eating fruit; can be used safely by a child with little adult supervision to eat a whole piece of fruit; minimises the risk of choking on diced or sliced fruit by allowing a child to bite from the whole fruit; (-i may assist to make it easier for a child or other person with poor fine motor control to hold a piece of fruit during eating; may assist to increase the appeal to children of eating fruit; is easy to clean and keep hygienic and is dishwasher safe.

(-i 00 00 SThe invention can also be used by the elderly or other people who have difficulty using a standard fork to hold a potato) or who have trouble co-ordinating the eating of a piece of fruit.

Background to the invention A. Context of healthy eating choices There is increasing focus on the importance of making healthy food choices and trying to instill such choices from a young age. However, messages about healthy eating often compete with marketing messages targeted at young children and promoting a variety of fast foods, snack foods and confectionary. The practice of using famous cartoon/movie characters to advertise food with little or no nutritional value to children has been heavily criticised and there is pressure on the government to ban such marketing practices.

To assist children to learn about the importance of healthy food choices, children are taught about nutrition and healthy food choices in primary school. Childcare centres and schools that serve food must also serve food that meets a proportion of a child's daily requirements for the five food groups. There have been recent government initiatives in Australia (for example, the Refuel Stay Cool program in Tasmania) to encourage primary school children to eat more fruit and vegetables, including increasing their consumption of fruit and vegetables while at school.

One factor that may affect the consumption of fruit by young children is that young

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Schildren often lack the manual dexterity and strength to hold and turn a whole or large piece of fruit while eating. Their fingers tire and they may drop the fruit while /3 attempting to turn it in their hands particularly as fruit juices start to come out of the fruit.

00 The invention is a device that makes it easier for children to hold a piece of fruit 00 Swhile eating and which could also assist to increase the appeal of eating fruit (by Smaking the eating easier, by simulating the experience of eating an ice-block or S 10 lollipop, and by taking the shape of an appealing character, animal or object).

B. A Handle that relies on gross motor skills for grasp and control The present invention provides a hand-held device for holding fruit while eating.

There are no known devices specially designed to assist people with poor fine motor control (such as a young child) to eat heavy foods such as a whole or large piece of fruit.

Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention 10, having a Handle at the proximal end of the device and at least one piercing element such as a prong 30 projecting from the distal end. The prong(s) 30 may be directly or indirectly anchored to the Handle 20. In the preferred embodiment, the prong(s) 30 project(s) from a plate 40 that is intermediate to the Handle 20 and the prong(s) 30. The prong(s) 30 are substantially perpendicular to the plate 40 and the plate 40, in turn, is substantially perpendicular in its largest dimension to the Handle 20. However, it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that in other arrangements, the prong(s) is (are) not restricted to being in the same plane as the Handle. The plate and Handle 20 may be discrete or connected seamlessly.

The Handle 20 is the part of the invention that makes contact with the hand and by which means the invention is held and manipulated (including maintaining control of the invention during eating). The Handle 20 is substantially elongated in one dimension (length) and has sufficient size in a second (width) and third dimension (depth) to enable a child to grasp and manipulate (including maintain control of)

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Sthe Handle 20 during eating, using a Hook Grip (as illustrated in Figure 3) or Power Grip alone. In other words, grasping and controlling the Handle rely solely on the muscles of the arms and hands (gross motor control) and do not require movement of the thumb and fingers (fine motor control).

00 The Handle 20 has a surface area such that holding the device by the Handle

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00 Scauses greater contact to be made with a user's palm than with a user's fingers.

SThe greater the degree of contact with the palm of the hand (and thereby muscles S 10 of the hand) relative to the fingers, the greater the ability to use a Power Grip or a CHook Grip (which rely solely on gross motor skills) to hold and manipulate the Handle 20. For example, the following shaped handles are incapable of being adequately held and controlled solely by means of a Power Grip or Hook Grip: a handle that is substantially conical, tapering to a very small diameter towards the prongs (such as in US Design No 26,777); a handle that is substantially cylindrical and that has a very small diameter (as in a skewer); a handle that is substantially a rectangular, triangular or square prism handle and that is shallow in at least one dimension (such as a common kitchen fork).

The type of grip required to hold known handles of the kind described in paragraphs to above will necessarily involve a degree of Precision Grip. This is because the surface area of these known handles means there is insufficient contact with the muscles of the hand for gross motor control of the known handle and a degree of fine motor control is required.

A heavy piece of fruit such as an apple attached to the end of known eating implements such as a fork or skewer is likely to cause the fork or skewer to tip in the direction of the fruit. Attempts by the child to redirect a skewer or fork to compensate for the weight of an apple may cause the fork or skewer to topple in the generally opposite direction. This is exacerbated by the dimensions of many known eating implements, which are elongate in form and substantially two dimensional

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S(being elongated in one dimension, relatively small in a second dimension and relatively minimal in the third dimension).

Figure 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment being grasped by a Hook Grip in a young child's hand. The Handle 20 will vary between arrangements to allow for use by 00 children of varying ages and different-sized hands, the focus being on comfort and

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00 Ssafe use.

In the present invention, the fingers (with or without the thumb) flex or loop around the Handle 20, pushing the Handle 20 in one direction (towards the palm of the hand). The muscles of the hand (particularly at the base of the thumb) provide counter pressure, thereby holding the Handle 20 in balance. In this way, the device uses the muscles of the hands to achieve counterbalance between the Handle and the weight of a whole or large piece of fruit (such as an apple or pear) attached to the device 10. This is achieved by all arrangements of the invention, even though the specific dimensions of the Handle 20 vary between arrangements.

The ability to hold the device by means of a grip that does not require fine motor dexterity enables a child (or anyone with poor fine motor control) to hold and maintain control of the device during eating.

C. A cupped plate The preferred embodiment has a plate 40 intermediate to the Handle 20 and at least one prong 30 (refer Figure The plate 40 is substantially perpendicular in its largest dimension to the longest dimension of the Handle 20 and/or of the prong(s) 30. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that in alternative arrangements, the plate may not be symmetrical or may be seamless with the Handle The plate has a substantially planar surface 50 for a piece of fruit such as an apple to rest against; and at its outer edges 60, curves slightly in the direction of the prong(s) 30 to cup the fruit slightly. Cupping of the plate 40 is illustrated in the front view of the Sfruit holder 10 shown in Figure 1.

The slightly cupped plate 40 functions to: further secure fruit to the device act as a resting point between the Handle 20 and the prong(s) 30, to prevent 00 00 pushing or slippage of fruit along the prong(s) 30 towards or along the Handle during eating; and increases comfort when using the fruit holder because it guides the child's mouth around the base of the fruit.

Known devices that employ a plate or similar feature include: US Design No 26,777, in which the plate is absolutely flat; and US Design Patent No. D497,293, in which the plate slopes away from the prongs at its outer edges.

Therefore, neither of these known devices offers the advantages of the present invention in cupping the fruit to further secure it to the device or in guiding the mouth around the base of the fruit.

In a preferred embodiment, the plate 40 is substantially circular in one dimension as shown in Figure 3. However, it is envisaged that other shapes would also be suited to support and cup a piece of fruit and to prevent pushing or slippage of the fruit along the prong(s) 30 towards the Handle 20 during eating. Therefore, the preferred embodiment is not restricted to a plate 40 that is circular in shape.

D. One or more piercing elements Figure 3 is a plan (top) view of the fruit holder 10 shown in Figure 1. In the preferred embodiment, the fruit holder 10 has three piercing elements such as prongs 30 in a triangular configuration on the plate 40. The piercing elements sit in the same plane as the Handle.

SIt will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that in other arrangements, the piercing element(s) is (are) not restricted to being in the same plane as the Handle /3 and may be seamless with the Handle and/or the plate.

00 The prong(s) 30 narrow slightly at the top to assist piercing the flesh of an apple.

00 0 However, the prong(s) are not sharp enough to pierce the skin of the apple without Sapplying significant force and are not sharp to touch. The triangular configuration S 10 prevents rotation of the fruit away from the mouth during eating.

The tapering of the prongs to fine points (tips) in US Design No 26,777 or in a typical skewer) makes many known implements unsuitable for use by a person without adequate fine motor control (such as a young child) to use the device safely during eating.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the device has a single piercing element such as a prong, which is substantially flat in one dimension, without posing sharp edges, and has an inverted at the top. The is sufficiently sharp to pierce the flesh of an apple, although not necessarily the skin without applying significant force, and is not sharp to touch. The prong is sufficiently wide to prevent rotation of the fruit around the prong during eating.

In any configuration, the prong(s) hold(s) the fruit in place securely and avoid(s) the problem of the fruit rotating away from the mouth during eating. The device also enables the child to eat the fruit from any angle by simply rotating the Handle.

The invention may involve different numbers and configurations of prongs. The exact dimensions of the prong(s) will differ according to the number of prongs and their configuration. Further, different arrangements may involve any number of prongs.

All arrangements enable the fruit to be held securely in place while being eaten by a child.

SFigure 2 also demonstrates how a whole piece of fruit such as an apple is held and secured by the invention. The fruit is pierced by the prong(s) 30 to sufficient depth to Csecure the fruit. The fruit rests against the substantially planar surface 50 of the plate 40, which also serves as a resting point between the Handle 20 and the prong(s) 30, to prevent pushing or slippage of the fruit along the prong(s) 30 onto 0 the Handle 20 during eating. The fruit is further stabilised by cupping of the outer

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00 0 edges of the plate 40. The cupping is also for comfort, since it guides the child's Smouth around the base of the fruit.

O In the preferred embodiment, the Handle will be made of a hard plastic and be seamless to avoid the trapping of fruit in crevices or joins and to make the device easy to keep clean and keep hygienic. The prong(s) 30 is (are) made of any suitable material such as stainless steel or strong plastic, for ease of cleaning and for strength and durability. The entire device 10 is dishwasher-safe, for convenience. In an alternative arrangement, the Handle 20 has a thin outer coating of soft rubber. This is to improve grip and to make the Handle 20 soft and comfortable to the touch.

Figure 4 contains an alternative arrangement of the invention 10, in which the shape of the Handle 20 takes the form of a character or object that is appealing to children.

In this example, the Handle 20 is identifiable as a builder. The other features illustrated are as in the preferred embodiment, but could vary as otherwise described.

Other forms that the Handle 20 of the fruit holder 10 may take include: famous people sport stars, popstars, animated characters); representations of various occupations a doctor, policewoman, fireman, nurse or dancer); popular themes cars, trains, rockets; musical instruments; building tools; kitchen gadgets; different foods; flowers; animals; insects); or bright colours or patterns.

The invention is a tool to assist children to eat fruit by making the experience of eating fruit appealing to children. This appeal may come simply from the use of the device 10 to make the experience of eating a piece of fruit such as an apple to Ssimulate the experience of eating a lollipop or ice confection. In addition, or Cc, alternatively, the appeal may come from the shape of the device 10 or its likeness to well known children's characters. The fruit holding device 10 could be used to 00 encourage the eating of fruit and be promoted as a collectible device for this 00 purpose, or be used as part of a promotional campaign to eat more fruit. For example, school canteens could use the device 10 to promote healthy eating, with a S 10 buy back system e.g. $1.60 for an "Apple-On-A-Stick" with a $0.80 refund on return Sof the fruit holder. Another example is to use the device as a merchandising tool for promoting healthy eating, rather than for "junk" food products.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many different other forms.

Dated this Thursday, 13 September 2007 Applicants' names: Jacqueline Suzanne Halliday and David John Lebnan By 1 Place Patent Attorneys Solicitors Patent Attorneys for the Applicants

Claims (4)

1. A hand-held food-holding device including: C/ an elongated member having a proximal and a distal end with a Handle at said proximal end, said Handle having a surface area such that substantial contact is made with a user's palm when holding said Handle for use; 00 0 at least one piercing element at said distal end, said piercing element being: S 10 i. anchored directly or indirectly to said Handle at one end; and ii. unattached at the other end wherein said unattached end narrows at its tip to assist to pierce food such as an apple but is not sharp to touch, such that said piercing element is enabled to pierce and hold food, such that food is: A. held securely to said piercing element during consumption; and B. manipulated by manipulating said Handle, wherein said Handle is adapted to allow a user to hold and manipulate held food using gross motor control, provided by hand and arm muscles, without relying on finger strength and dexterity for fine motor control.

2. The device according to Claim 1 including a plate wherein said plate is intermediate to: said Handle; and said piercing element, such that said plate forms a resting point for food between said piercing element and said Handle, so that food held by said piercing element is prevented from being pushed or slipped along said piercing element towards said Handle.

3. The device according to Claim 2 wherein said plate: has a substantially planar surface; and curves at its outer edges in the direction of said piercing element, such that said plate: i. cups the held food, such as an apple, to further secure said food to said device; and 00 ii. guides a user's mouth around held food. 00

4. The device according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein said piercing S 10 element is configured such that said piercing element prevents rotation of held Sfood. The device according to any of the preceding Claims wherein said Handle has a figurine form such as a character, for example a fireman; an animal; an object such as a rocket, foods, tools; and famous people and other characters with popular appeal to children; such that said device is adapted to promote and encourage the eating of foods such as fruit by children.