GB2451619A

GB2451619A - A spoon for baby milk formula that counts the amount of formula being used

Info

Publication number: GB2451619A
Application number: GB0714098A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Graham John Cottrell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-07-19
Filing date: 2007-07-19
Publication date: 2009-02-11
Also published as: GB0714098D0

Abstract

A spoon for baby milk formula that counts the amount of formula being used, by counting the number of times the bowl 2 of the spoon is filled and then emptied, and displaying the current count on the handle 3 of the spoon. The spoon comprises a battery, processor and sensors to establish the status of the bowl, e.g. whether it is empty or full. During use, the spoon is activated by a tilt switch (9, fig 3) when the user picks up the spoon and the processor resets the counter to zero. The user fills the bowl of the spoon and scraps a metal knife across the top of the bowl, momentarily shorting sensors 4 on the rim of the bowl, thereby indicating the tot processor that the bowl is full. Upon emptying the spoon, sensors 6 confirms that the bowl is empty and the counter is incremented by 1 and displayed on the handle. After a period of inactivity the spoon will become dormant and the display turned off.

Description

CoufltjnQ Spoon:

Background:

Having raised two children and spent time with numerous other parents I identified that making baby milk when tired could be difficult to get 100% right. Baby milk must be made with the correct amount of spoonfuls of formula, too little and the baby is not getting enough sustenance and too much and the formula becomes too rich. It was apparent to me that when tired or distracted it was vely easy to loose count and have to start again, this resulted In wasted formula and obviously time.

Statement of Invention:

To overcome this shortcoming of the normally supplied spoon the invention proposes a spoon which counts each time it is filled and then emptied and displays this current count on its handle. The spoon will be powered by a small battery and will be 1activated' when picked up.

The spoon will detecting being filled and then being emptied when emptied the spoon will Increment its display to read 1 when filled and emptied again the display will read 2 and so on. After a period of in activity the spoon will become dormant and turn of the display.

Advantages: The advantage of the counting spoon is that It remembers the count as It goes along therefore a distracted operator does not need to remember the count as he/she prepares the formula.

The counting spoon will save time in preparation as no processes will need to be astarted again due to memory lapse.

The counting spoon will result in less wastage of formula as none will have to be thrown away.

The counting spoon will result in a more constant supply of milk to the baby as it will assist in making sure each mix is correct.

Introduction to drawings: Figi

Visuals of proposed spoon Cutaway side view. Fig2

Visuals of proposed spoon Plan view. F1g3

Proposed Schematic.

Detailed description: I

(Numbering is consistent in Ftgsl and 2).

A circular bowl 2' is used to measure a standard amount of baby miii formula. Attached to the bowl Is a handle 1'.

Mounted on the handle Isa LED display 3'.

Onthetopofthebowtaretw000ntactj'4. Whenthebowlisfuuthestraightedge of a knife Is used to scrap of excess formula, In this Instance when this Is carried out the movement will also momentarily short th. contacts 4' on the bowl which will be used to inform the processor that the bowl has been tilled.

Underneath the bowl is a space to mount the electronics and battery 5'.

At the bottom of the bowl si, a pair of optIcs 6' which detect when th. bowl Is emptied.

The counting spoons control processor 8' which is located in space 5' Is powered by battery 1' also contained In space 5'. The processor Is normally dormant and not drawing current from the batteiy with the LED display off.

Once the spoon Is picked up tilt switch 0' actIvate, the spoon. Once activated the processor resets display to zero and checks sensor to ensure no short between sensors 4' and no material between sensors 6' i.e. bowl is empty.

The user then sooopi the spoon into the formula as with a normal baby-spoon supplied wlth formula cartons. The user then scraps a metal knife across the top of the bowl, again as with a normal spoon. However in this instance the scrapping of the knife momentarily shads sensors 4'. which is detected by the processor, the processor now waits for the bowl to be The user now tips the formula Into the bottle to be prepared, sensors 06 now detect that the bowl has been emptied and feed the Information to the processor. The processor now Increments the LED display to display one.

If the spoon is continued to be used then the spoon will Increment each time the sequence of filling and emptying is completed. Thus if the concentration of the user lapses during the process they can always tell exactly how many epoon*.ils have been used. :3

Claims

C'aIms: I A baby milk fomiuta spoon which counts how much formula Is being used.
2 A baby milk fomwla spoon which displays how much fomwla is beWig used.
3 A baby milk fom%ula spoon which allows precise and consistent fomula to be made up by reduckig human error in the process.