GB2382020A

GB2382020A - Spoon-shaped nozzle for container

Info

Publication number: GB2382020A
Application number: GB0226897A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Rollin Rachele
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-11-20
Filing date: 2002-11-19
Publication date: 2003-05-21
Also published as: GB0127780D0; GB0226897D0

Abstract

A nozzle for a container comprises a spoon bowl 3 connected by hollow channel 8 to coupling means 4. The coupling means may either be a thread corresponding to a thread on a container 2, or a conical push-fit coupling, to be inserted into an aperture of the container. A projection 9 is provided on the coupling means to pierce any seal of the container aperture. A flexible flap 7 is disposed at the spoon end 6 of the hollow channel 8 to restrict the flow of matter therefrom, and may initially be adhered over the opening 6 of the channel 8 to provide sealing means. The container 2 with which the nozzle may be coupled can be a flexible container, squeezed to dispense its contents, or a cylinder with a piston, said piston either depressed directly upon the matter to be dispensed, or upon a bag placed in the cylinder and containing said matter. The nozzle and the container can be used to dispense baby food or medicine.

Description

SPOON FEEDER DEVICE This invention relates to a spoon feeder device. It relates particularly to a spoon feeder that can be connected to a food container so that food in the spoon can be consumed and this can then be quickly refilled when necessary.

In the feeding of babies, much preparation is necessary in the opening of a jar of suitable food, putting a spoon in the jar, bringing the spoon to the baby's mouth and refilling the spoon from the jar. At the end of the session, the jar may be only halffinished but because it has been exposed to the air it then has to be thrown away for hygienic reasons. Since the baby sometimes has to be held with one arm during the feeding operation the task can be quite awkward for a single person to carry out. It is also convenient to be able to provide a simple snack food, such as yoghurt for a school lunch pack, in an alternative container to that available from conventional packaging.

The present invention was devised to provide a spoon feeder device that was able to be used in a one-handed operation and where the spoon could be readily refilled when necessary.

According to the invention, there is provided a spoon feeder device comprising a spoon bowl connected by a delivery channel formed by a hollow sleeve terminating in a container coupling. The container coupling may have a threaded end such as an internally threaded portion. Alternatively, the container coupling may have a conical shaped push-fit coupling. The spoon bowl end of the delivery channel may include a flexible flap. The delivery channel may include a seal piercer projection. The spoon feeder device may include a food container such as a tube, a tub or a cylinder. The food container may be capable of being compressed or of having its volume reduced by a sliding piston in order

to deliver food material to the spoon bowl. Where the food container is a cylinder and piston combination, the food may be in a flexible bag within the cylinder.

The invention also comprises a food container component for a spoon feeder device.

By way of example, some particular embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view from above of the spoon feeder device when fitted to a food container, Figure 2 is a part vertical cross-section through the feeder of Figure I, Figure 3 is a similar view with a food portion having been delivered into the spoon bowl, Figure 4 is a part horizontal cross-section through the Figure 2 view, Figure 5 shows a food container in the form of a cylinder with a sliding piston, Figure 6 shows a spoon feeder device having a flexible delivery channel, Figure 7 shows a spoon feeder device with a visual cue card, and, Figure 8 gives detailed views of the spoon feeder device with a built-in seal piercer.

As shown in Figure 1, the spoon feeder device 1 is attached by a screw thread connection to a food container 2 which in this embodiment is of a flexible tube construction. The food in the container 2 is in a paste form. The spoon feeder device 1 has a spoon bowl 3 which is connected by a delivery channel to a cap fitting 4. The delivery channel includes a food opening 6 which is partially covered by a flexible flap 7.

When the spoon feeder device 1 is put into use for the first time, the flexible flap 7 will be

found to be sealed into position over the food opening 6 by the use of an adhesive film (not shown). The spoon feeder device and the food container are manufactured from a food grade plastics composition. The spoon bowl 3 is of a flexible construction so that it will conform easily to the shape of a baby's mouth.

Figure 2 is a part vertical cross-section on an enlarged scale through the feeder.

This shows the spoon bowl 3 with the opening 6 from the food container 2 being sealed by the flexible flap 7 which is initially secured over the opening 6 by the presence of the adhesive. The delivery channel 8 of the spoon feeder is provided with a seal piercer 9 which is positioned to break any seal film that might be located at the outlet end of the food container. The seal piercer is provided with gaps in its surface so that food from the container may be expelled past the seal piercer in the direction of the spoon bowl. In an alternative embodiment, the seal film material may simply be peeled away. The food material in the container 2 may be a food paste which has been prepared under hygienic conditions.

Figure 3 depicts the situation when a pressure exerted on the food in the container has caused the food paste to pass down the delivery channel 8 of the spoon feeder and lift the flexible flap 7 away from the food opening 6. The food paste then enters the spoon bowl and this becomes shaped into a substantially flat layer by the presence of the flap 7.

Figure 4 is a part horizontal cross-section through the Figure 2 view.

In use of the spoon feeder device, it is expected that the food container will be sold in the form of a flexible tube with a screw cap. The spoon feeder device will be available separately in its own sealed package. To start the operation, the food container will have its screw cap removed and then the feeder device, after removal of its own package, will

be screwed onto the food container outlet. The spoon feeder device will thus be provided in a sterile condition for serving food to a baby and the seal piercer on the feeder device will have broken any outlet seal on the food container.

The user will then apply finger pressure to the food container, this will cause the food paste to be expelled down the channel of the spoon feeder and to lift the flap 7 away from the food opening. The food paste will enter the spoon bowl and the flap 7 will then lie on top of the food portion. The spoon bowl may then be put in the baby's mouth and when the mouth is closed on the plastics flap 7 on top of the food, the upper lip will squeeze the food into the mouth. The flap 7 will remain over the feeder food opening thus sealing it off from any air contact. The feeder device may then be removed from the baby's mouth and the food container squeezed again to refill the spoon bowl.

Since the flap is smaller in area than the spoon bowl, the flap may be arranged to be only slightly larger than the food container outlet. After the baby's lip has brushed along the spoon bowl in emptying the bowl, the flap 7 will remain pressed over the outlet hole and will adhere to the hollow of the spoon bowl by surface tension. This will limit the amount of the food paste which is exposed to the external air. The seal created by the surface tension force is sufficiently strong that the food paste will be unlikely to escape through the outlet even if the unit should be accidentally dropped to the floor.

One further advantage of the flap is that this also helps to regulate the flow of food into the spoon bowl. If the flap is affixed on the top inside of the spoon bowl above the food outlet and is also affixed along the two sides of the bowl extending about half of the way down the length of the spoon bowl leaving it a bit loose at the middle of the lower end of the flap, then thi$ allows the food to flow into the centre of the spoon and spread evenly

along the bowl. Without this flap feature, the food might be inclined to squirt too far out and cause a spillage if the tube was squeezed too sharply.

Another advantage can be obtained in a further embodi ment where if a larger flap is used which covers the entire spoon bowl, it is found that even when the spoon bowl is full of food and the unit is tipped upside down, the food portion will stay in the spoon.

The feeder of the invention does not have any part which protrudes from over the bowl of the spoon and which might get in the way of the baby's mouth. The entrance of the food outlet into the bowl of the spoon can be flat, confort ring to the contours of the inside of the bowl. This is made possible because the flap guides the food into the bowl area evenly so the food can enter the spoon from the back curve of the bowl instead of having to be placed in the bowl centre.

Upon completion of the feeding operation, the spoon feeder device may be unscrewed from the outlet of the food container and discarded. The food container may then be closed by use of the original screw cap and the container may be put in a refrigerator for future use over the next day or two. The reuse of the food container may be done by taking a further spoon feeder device from its sealed package and attaching it as before to the container food outlet.

If it is not required to replace the feeder device after a first use, this component may of course be washed or sterilised and reused.

After a first use of the food in the food container, any food remaining in the container will not have been contaminated by human contact or exposure to the air and it will be possible to use up the remainder of the food on another occasion. This can therefore avoid wastage of the container of baby food and lead to an economy in the

overall cost of the feeding operation.

Since the spoon feeder of the invention can be positioned and refilled by the user as a one-handed task, this allows the parent to hold the baby in a safe position with the free hand. This can lead to the feeding operation being completed more quickly and more safely than with the use of a conventional spoon and a separate food jar.

Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment where the food container is in the form of a cylinder 11 with a sliding piston 12. The food paste may of course be placed directly in the cylinder 11 if required but, in the embodiment shown, the food paste is contained in a flexible bag 13 which is compressed by the piston 12 when a plunger 14 is depressed.

The flexible bag 13 has a nozzle outlet which is positioned in manufacture to lie within a screw-threaded outlet to which the spoon feeder device 1 may be connected. The cylinder 11 wall may be provided with suitable calibrations 16 so that it will be possible to measure the total volume of food paste that has been delivered. When the flexible bag 12 has been emptied, this may be replaced with a new bag which is easily fitted into the cylinder.

Figure 6 shows a further alternative embodiment where the spoon feeder device has a long stem portion 17 which is flexible. The flexibility allows the spoon bowl to be positioned so that it is located out of the line of the food container. This enables the user to hold the feeder device at a predetermined angle to the baby's mouth which may be of greater convenience. It permits the person feeding the baby to give the food from above or from one side to avoid the strain of twisting one's wrist or arm. The small view in Figure 6 shows the flexible stem feeder device on its own.

Figure 7 depicts a further embodiment where the feeder device carries a visual cue card 18 with a picture of a stimulating object. This can assist the baby to focus its

attention on the act of eating. The feeder device may additionally include a noise making toy 19 to attract the baby's attention.

Figure 8 gives a more detailed view of the feeder device construction. The sea ! piercer 9 can be seen to be provided with spaced finger projections which are able to break a seal on an outlet of a food container. This action takes place when the feeder device is coupled up by being screwed onto the outlet of the food container. Spaces between the fingers will then allow food paste from the container to be passed into the spoon bowl 3.

The spoon feeder device of the invention has been found to be inexpensive to manufacture and its use can add considerably to the convenience and comfort of feeding a baby. The unit may be produced in different sizes so that, for example, a small size Of food container can be used when travelling with the baby and a larger size can be used when one is at home where a refrigerator is available. The sizes can also take into account different appetite levels and different choices of meal to be taken. A first food container can be changed for another at a halfway stage of a meal so that some variety can be given to the baby. A soiled spoon feeder or an empty food container can be easily replaced separately from one another if this is required. The components can be readily packed and carried when one is travelling with the baby so the feeding operation can be carried out whenever this is necessary.

The foregoing description of embodiments of the invention has been given by way of example only and a number of modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For instance, instead of the feeder device and food container being manufactured from a conventional plastics composition, these may be made of a biodegradable plastics compound so that when

disposed of the components will be more environmentally friendly. The spoon feeder device is also capable of being used as a disposable spill resistant pharmaceutical feeding system for delivering medicines in a paste form to a patient. It can also of course be used for feeding adult persons or children who prefer to eat in this way or who have a difficulty in feeding themselves. For some purposes, the squeezing action of the flexible container may be carried out mechanically such as by applying pressure to a trigger.

It is not essential that the spoon feeder device should be made to be detached from the food container. In one embodiment, the spoon feeder device could be manufactured with a filled food container already connected in place. In this instance, the spoon part of the feeder device could be arranged as a hinged closure to the container such that the action of moving the spoon bowl away from the container top would serve simultaneously to uncap the container and also to place the spoon in a position where it could be used immediately as the feeder device.

In a further embodiment, the food container could be constructed in a corrugated form so that it would be able to be slowly collapsed as the quantity of food in the container became reduced.

Claims

CLAIMS 1 A spoon feeder device comprising a spoon bowl connected by a delivery channel formed by a hollow sleeve terminating in a container coupling.
2 A feeder device as claimed in Claim 1, in which the container coupling has a threaded end such as an internally-threaded portion.
3 A feeder device as claimed in Claim 1, in which the container coupling has a conical shaped push-fit portion.
4 A feeder device as claimed in any one of Claims I to 3, in which the spoon bowl end of the delivery channel includes a flexible flap.
5 A feeder device as claimed in any one of Claims I to 4, in which the delivery channel includes a seal piercer projection.
6 A feeder device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, when including a food container coupled thereto.
7 A feeder device as claimed in Claim 6, in which the food container is of a flexible tube construction.
8 A feeder device as claimed in Claim 6, in which the food container is a cylinder and piston combination.
9 A feeder device as claimed in Claim 8, in which the food container is a flexible bag in a cylinder and piston combination.
10 A spoon feeder device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

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I I A food container for a spoon feeder device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 10.
12 A food container including a spoon feeder device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 10.