GB2470438A

GB2470438A - Table-top track with food carrying carriages used as childs eating aid

Info

Publication number: GB2470438A
Application number: GB0915121A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Karen Margaret Chapman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-08-28
Filing date: 2009-08-28
Publication date: 2010-11-24
Anticipated expiration: 2029-08-28
Also published as: GB2476009A8; GB0915121D0; GB2470438B; WO2011023962A2; GB2470518A; GB2476009A; GB201014457D0; GB201104485D0; GB2470518B; GB2476009B; WO2011023962A3

Abstract

A child's eating aid includes a track 3 that defines a path to be followed by a number of carriages 5-1,5-2,5-3. The carriages each include an upper part 7-1,7-2,7-3 shaped to receive a different foodstuff and a lower part (bogey) 8-1,8-2,8-3 for following the path defined by the track. The upper part of the carriages is detachable so that it can be separated from the carriage to be washed after the meal. The track is defined by a mat, preferably in a number of segments (15, fig 2), that can be separated and rolled-up when not in use. The track may be defined in the mat by grooves (21a,21b fig 3b), by a conductive or magnetic material embedded in the mat, or by a reflective material that can be sensed with an optical sensor. The carriages may be pulled or pushed by a main unit 11 which may be self powered or powered by the track. At mealtimes, the adult controls the movement of the main unit and carriages, stopping the carriages when necessary in front of the child.

Description

Eating Aid The present invention relates to an eating aid for children and in particular to an aid that encourages children to eat at meal times.

Many parents face great difficulty in persuading their children to eat at meal times. They often encourage their children to eat by placing food on a spoon and then, pretending that the spoon is a plane, move the spoon around the air whilst making the noise of a plane, before successfully manoeuvring the spoon into the child's mouth. This can be successful for a short period of time, but inevitably, the parent tires and the child does not eat properly.

The present invention aims to provide an aid that can be used at meal times to encourage children to eat. The aid can also help the child develop hand eye coordination and dexterity. In one embodiment, the invention provides track and a number of carriages, each adapted for carrying a different foodstuff.

The carriages have an upper part adapted to carry a foodstuff that is detachably mounted to a bogey that runs on the track. The upper part is preferably made of plastic or some other washable material that can be washed in the sink or dishwasher. In this way, the upper parts of the carriages can be detached from the bogey and cleaned. As a result, the bogey does not have to be made from a material that can be washed which lowers the cost of making the bogey. In a preferred embodiment, the carriages include one with an elongate upper part for carrying elongate food, such as a banana or a hot dog; one having an upper part that has water tight walls for carrying a liquid such as a drink, soup or the like; and one having an upper part shaped as a plate for carrying sandwiches or the like.

The track preferably defines a closed path, such as a figure of 8', along which the carriages can move.

The track may be formed as one or more conductors that provide power to the carriages so that the carriages can move along the track. Alternatively, the carriages may be self powered and "follow" the path defined by the track. Alternatively still, the track and carriages may not be powered at all, instead relying on the child or the parent to move the carriage relative to the track. When the track provides power to the carriages, an AC power adapter may be provided to convert power from a mains supply to a safe operating voltage for powering the carriages. Alternatively, one or more batteries may be embedded within the support to provide power to the track. When the carriages are self powered, they are preferably battery powered, although they may be powered through a mechanical spring that is In one embodiment, the track is provided in a support that can be folded or rolled up when not in use.

The track is preferably embedded into the support so that the support has a substantially flat upper surface. The support may be defined by a plurality of tiles' or mats that are couple together to define the track shape. Different sizes of track or different track layouts may be provided for different sized tables. By providing a track embedded within such a support, the track becomes easy to set-up prior to mealtime and easy to put away afterwards. This is an important aspect of this invention from a practical perspective. In another embodiment, the track may be embedded into the surface of the table itself. In this case, the system can be set-up simply be placing the carriages onto the table.

When the carriages are self powered and the track is used to define the path along which the carriages move, the track may be defined, for example, by one or more magnetic or conductive strips embedded within the support.

These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments that are given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure la illustrates a track that is mounted on a table and that defines a path for carriages for carrying different foods around a table; Figure lb schematically illustrates the carriages that can run on the track shown in Figure la and which, in this embodiment, are pulled along the track by a powered unit; Figure 2 illustrates an alternative arrangement for defining the track using a number of mats that connect together to define the track layout; Figure 3a is a plan view, and Figure 3b is a cross-sectional view of part of, the track and table shown in Figure la, illustrating the way in which the track is defined within a supporting mat that sits on top of the table and that can be rolled up when not in use; Figure 4 illustrates in more detail the detachable nature of the upper part of the carriages relative to the lower bogie part of the carriages; and Figure 5 schematically illustrates an arrangement of a non-circular spigot-socket connector to prevent rotation of the upper part of the carriage relative to the lower part.

Figure la is schematically illustrates a table 1 having a track 3 mounted on the top, eating surface, of the table. In this embodiment, the track 3 defines a figure of "8" path for carriages 5-1 to 5-3 shown in Figure lb. As shown in Figure ib, the carriages 5-1 to 5-3 are releasably secured to each other and each include an upper part 7-1 to 7-3 for carrying a foodstuff around the path defined by the track 3; and a lower part 8-1 to 8-3 having two pairs of wheels 9 mounted on a bogey. In this embodiment, each of the upper parts 7 has a different shape to the other upper parts and is designed to hold a different foodstuff from the other upper parts 7. For example, upper part 7-1 is shaped as a bowl with solid walls so that it can hold and retain a liquid foodstuff, such as soup; upper part 7-2 has an elongate shape suitable for holding elongate food, such as a banana; and upper part 7-3 is shaped as a plate to hold general foodstuffs such as meat, potato, vegetables etc. Other carriage shapes may be provided and multiple carriages of the same shape may also be provided if desired.

In this embodiment, the carriages 5 are coupled together so that they move together around the track 3 and are pulled along the path defined by the track 3 by a battery powered unit 11. In other embodiments, the powered unit may be a clockwork unit or may not be powered at all. In this embodiment, the powered unit 11 is radio controlled by a radio controller (not shown), so that an adult can control the motion of the powered unit 11 and of the carriages 5 around the track 3.

In operation, at meal times the child or children are seated around the table 1 and their food is loaded into the upper parts 7 of carriages 5. Then, using the remote control, the adult can control the movement of the powered unit 11 and connected carriages 5 around the track, stopping if necessary as it travels around the track 3 in the vicinity of the or each child. The child can then remove the foodstuff carried by one or more of the carriages before the powered unit 11 sets off again around the track. The inventor has found that this relatively simple arrangement can dramatically increase the food eaten by the child or children due to the interactive and fun nature of the food delivery. Additionally, the inventor has found that if the powered unit 11 does not stop then the child is forced to try to remove the foodstuff while the powered unit is moving and this helps to develop the child's hand-eye co-ordination.

The inventor has realised that to be practical, the track 3 has to be easy to set up on the table 1 prior to the meal and easy to dismantle and put away after the meal; and that the carriages have to be designed so that they can be washed easily in the sink or the dishwasher. The upper and/or lower parts of the carriages 5 and the track 3 may also be sterilised so that they can be used in clean environments, such as in hospitals or the like.

With regard to the easy setting up of the track 3, the inventor has found that a track that is defined within the surface of a roll-up mat can be used. This allows the track 3 to be set up in seconds, simply by rolling out the mat on top of the table. The disadvantage, however, of such a roll-up mat is that the mat itself has to be relatively thin (for example having a thickness between 1mm and 3mm) if one is to be able to roll it up; and the use of such a thin mat limits the possible ways to define the track 3. In particular, with such a thin mat, it would not be practical to define the track 3 using one or more grooves in the mat that the carriages 5 and the powered unit 11 can follow -as the groove thickness is likely to be too small which would result in the powered unit 11 and/or the carriages easily coming out of the groove. One way that the track could be defined using a thin roll-up mat is to use a conductive or magnetic material. This material can also be embedded within the mat under the normal upper surface.

In this case, the powered unit would have a suitable sensor to sense the conductive or magnetic material embedded in the mat and would steer itself to follow the path defined by the track 3. This embodiment also has the advantage that the upper surface of the mat can be provided with a suitable design and be made wipe clean. A similar mat may be provided with the track being defined by a material that can be sensed using an optical sensor (such as a reflective material that can be distinguished from the other material of the mat).

An alternative to the use of a roll-up mat is to use a plurality of mat segments that connect together to define the track layout. Such an arrangement is illustrated in Figure 2, which shows 10 mat segments 15-a to 15-j that are designed to connect together to define a rectangular mat 17 that defines the track 3. One advantage of this arrangement is that different track layouts can be defined using different mat segments 15 or a subset of the available segments 15. For example, a track 3 defining an oval path may be provided by omitting mat segments 15b, 15c, 15g and 15h. Another advantage of this arrangement is that the mat segments can be made much thicker (for example 10mm to 20mm). With such a thickness it is easier to define the track using one or more grooves formed in the upper surface of the mat 17 that the powered unit 11 and/or the carriages 5 follow. This is illustrated in Figure 3.

In particular, Figure 3a is a plan view showing, in outline, the table 1 and on the top of which is the mat 17 defining, in this illustration an oval shaped track 3. Figure 3b is a cross-sectional view of part of the table 1 and mat 17 shown in Figure 3a. As shown, the mat 17 has a pair of parallel grooves 21-a and 21-b that define the track 3. The mat itself has a thickness of between 10mm and 20mm and the grooves 21 have a depth of between 7mm and 14mm, depending on the thickness of the mat 17. Those skilled in the art will, of course, appreciate that other thicknesses of mats and grooves can be provided if desired. The grooves 21a and 21b are spaced apart by a distance corresponding to the spacing (track) of the wheels on the powered unit 11 and on the lower parts 8 of the carriages 5. In this way, the wheels of the powered unit 11 and of the carriages can be placed inside the grooves 21 and when moving will follow the path defined by the grooves 21. The advantage of this embodiment is that it reduces the design complexity of the powered unit 11 and/or the carriages 5 (because there is no need to have any steering in the powered unit 11 or in any of the carriages). The same advantage is provided when a single groove 21 is defined within the mat 17 and when the powered unit 11 (and perhaps also the carriages) have a co-operating member that can couple with the groove 21 and cause the powered unit 11 to follow the track 3.

With regard to cleaning the carriages, in the preferred embodiment (as illustrated in Figure 4), the upper parts 7 of the carriages 5 are detachable from the corresponding lower parts 8 and are made of a plastics material that is safe to be washed in the sink or in a dishwasher. In this way, the lower part 8 of the carriages can be made from cheaper components that would rust or otherwise degrade if washed repeatedly. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, there are various ways in which the upper parts 7 can be made detachable from the lower parts 8. Examples include providing a socket on one of the parts and a mating bayonet or spigot on the other part. This is illustrated in Figure 4, with a spigot 25 being provided on the lower part 8 of the carriage 5 and a corresponding socket 27 on the upper part 7.

The spigot 25 preferably is non circular in cross-section (as illustrated in Figure 5), so that the upper part 7 of the carriage does not rotate when mounted on the lower part 8. The spigot 25 and socket 27 may be coupled together using interference fit or suitable shoulders may be provided on each to allow a click type mating. Alternatively, the bayonet 25 and the socket 27 may be threaded so that the upper and lower parts are screwed together. Other arrangements will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

Claims 1. A child's eating aid comprising: a track defining a path; a plurality of carriages each for following the path defined by the track and each comprising an upper part shaped to receive a foodstuff and a lower part for allowing the carriage to follow the track; wherein the upper part of at least one of the carriages is detachable from the corresponding lower part to facilitate washing of the upper part.
2. An aid according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the carriages have different shaped upper parts for carrying different types of foodstuff.
3. An aid according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper part is manually detachable from the lower part.
4. An aid according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the upper part of the carriage comprises one of a male connector and a female connector and wherein the lower part of the carriage comprises the other one of the male connector and the female connector.
5. An aid according to any preceding claim, wherein the track is defined by mat that can be placed on a table or other eating surface.
6. An aid according to claim 5, wherein the mat is a roll-up mat or is formed from a plurality of mat segments that connect together to define the track.
7. An aid according to claim 6, wherein the track is defined by one or more grooves on a surface of the mat or by a material that can be electromagnetically detected by a sensor.
8. An aid according to any preceding claim, further comprising a main unit that is arranged to pull or push the carriages along the track and wherein the main unit is preferably self powered or powered by the track.
9. A child's eating aid comprising: a mat for placing on a table or other eating surface, the mat comprising a track that defines a path; a plurality of carriages each for following the path defined by the track and each being shaped to receive a foodstuff.
10. An aid according to claim 9, wherein the carriages include one or more of: a carriage having a plate shaped upper part for carrying foodstuffs; a carriage having a bowl shaped upper part for holding and retaining a liquid foodstuff; and a carriage having an elongate upper part shaped to hold elongate foodstuffs such as banana.
11. An aid according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the track is defined by one or more grooves on a surface of the mat or by a material that can be electromagnetically detected by a sensor.
12. An aid according to any of claims 9 to 11, wherein the mat is a roll-up mat or is formed from a plurality of mat segments that couple together to define the track.
13. An aid according to any of claims 9 to 12, wherein the mat includes means for powering the track to drive the carriages around the track.
14. A Child's eating aid substantially as described herein with reference to or as shown in the accompanying figures.Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows: Claims 1. A child's eating aid comprising: a track defining a path; a plurality of carriages each for following the path defined by the track, each carriage comprising an upper part shaped to receive a foodstuff and a lower part for allowing the carriage to follow the track; wherein at least some of the carriages have different shaped upper parts for carrying different types of foodstuff; and wherein the upper part and the lower part have co-operating members for detachably attaching the upper part to the lower part so that the upper part of each carriages is attached to the lower part during normal use and is detachable from the corresponding lower part to facilitate washing of the upper part.2. An aid according to claim 1, wherein the carriages include one or more of: a carriage having a plate shaped upper part for carrying foodstuffs; a carriage having a bowl shaped upper part for holding and retaining a liquid foodstuff; and a carriage having an elongate upper part shaped to hold elongate foodstuffs such as banana.3. An aid according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper part of the carriage comprises one of a spigot and a socket and wherein the lower part of the carriage comprises the other one of the spigot and the socket.4. An aid according to any preceding claim, wherein the track is supported by a mat that can be placed on a table or other eating surface. * * **.* * S....* 5. An aid according to claim 4, wherein the mat Is a roll-up mat or is formed from a * * :* plurality of mat segments that connect together to define the track shape.:. 6. An aid according to claim 5, wherein the track is defined by one or more grooves on * .. a surface of the mat or by a material that can be electromagnetically detected by a *:*. sensor.7. An aid according to any preceding claim, further comprising a main unit that is arranged to pull or push the carriages along the track and wherein the main unit is preferably self powered or powered by the track.8. A child's eating aid comprising: a mat for placing on a table or other eating surface, the mat comprising a track that defines a path; and a plurality of carriages each for following the path defined by the track and each being shaped to receive a foodstuff.9. An aid according to claim 8, wherein the carriages include one or more of: a carriage having a plate shaped upper part for carrying foodstuffs; a carriage having a bowl shaped upper part for holding and retaining a liquid foodstuff; and a carriage having an elongate upper part shaped to hold elongate foodstuffs such as banana.10. An aid according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the track is defined by one or more grooves on a surface of the mat or by a material that can be electromagnetically detected by a sensor.11. An aid according to any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the mat is a roll-up mat or is formed from a plurality of mat segments that couple together to define the track shape.12. An aid according to any of claims 8 to 11, wherein the mat includes means for powering the track to drive the carriages around the track. * I **** a* 13. A Child's eating aid substantially as described herein with reference to or as shown in the accompanying figures. * *** * ** * * *** ** * * * * * S.