GB2475240A

GB2475240A - Nourishment gauge

Info

Publication number: GB2475240A
Application number: GB0919616A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Spiller Wilkins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-11-10
Filing date: 2009-11-10
Publication date: 2011-05-18
Also published as: GB0919616D0

Abstract

An implement to help with weight loss may comprise a round receptacle which may be used to apportion food in measured quantities and therefore limit the amount consumed. The receptacle may be open ended or closed with a hinged or removable base and lid. It may also comprise permanent or temporary partitions which allow for food to be neatly divided and displayed. The implement may be solid or flexible, adjustable or specifically made foldable to fit a pocket or bag. The implement may also be in the form of an egg shape and placed into a vessel to limit its capacity. The implement may also be included as part of a weight-loss kit.

Description

Page 1 A simple and easy method, without the use of weighing equipment, of gauging and, or, limiting, the quantity, and if need be, the type, of food placed on or in specific or non specific receptacles of different sizes and shapes The invention allows for a supplier or consumer of foodstuff, to easily gauge and, or, limit, the quantity, and if need be, the variety of food to be consumed from a given receptacle.

The invention is made in such a way that it is open-ended, or closed ended with a hinged or removable base and lid, circular or angular in construction and may or may not, have permanently or temporarily partitions placed within its cavity, thus dividing it into two or more sections.

The invention allows for its round wall or angular walls to be sloping inwards, so that if the cavity is not partitioned, one invention can stack into another.

The invention allows for one of its open ends to fit into, or onto, the base of the inner flat, or inner curved surface, of a variety of receptacles; these may be a bowl or plate or basin, or dish, or something similarly applicable (Fig.l) The open end of lower part of the invention is positioned on the upward facing base of the receptacle, and then food can be placed through its other open-end until the cavity, partitioned or not, is filled to the brim: The invention can then be removed, leaving the previously retained food accessible to the consumer.

The invention allows, once it has been filled to the brim, measured quantities of food to be available for the user or consumer.

The invention may fit the base of the receptacle either totally or partially and a number of small sizes, rather than one large size, of the invention may sit together on the base of the receptacle.

If the cavity of the invention has been divided into sections by a partition or partitions, and specific food placed into specific sections, once the invention has been removed, the sections of food left on the receptacle would appear well laid out and attractive.

Page 2 This attractive layout, means the invention might be very useful for chefs or cooks needing to neatly display limited and cost effective amounts of food on a plate for his or her customer; this could also save a lot of time spent in a kitchen carrying out the plating-up process.

The invention allows for its construction to be low cost and disposable, which may mean it could be made from recycled plastic, paper or board, and therefore could be very appropriate for using in professional kitchens.

A disposable version of the invention would also allow mass produced pre-packed meals to benefit from its ability to present attractively laid out food on a plate or serving receptacle; simply, before eating the meal, removing the lid and base of the invention and then the invention itself, would save the need to tip or spoon out the food from its usual containers.

The invention allows the user to easily and quickly gauge a measured amount, or type, of food available to be eaten, without the bind of weighing items and counting calories, so this would be very helpful for those wanting, or needing, to lose weight or for those, who might be rnal-nourished or underweight, needing healthy or nourishing food in the correct portions and proportions.

The invention may be partitioned forming one or more sections and if so, images or text or colour coding could be put on the walls of the individual sections to indicate the type of foodstuff that could, ideally, placed into them.

The invention, once full to the brim, allows for its height, width and overall size to determine the rough, but often importantly needed, calorific and nutritional value of the food left on the receptacle, after it has been removed.

The invention allows for a partition or partitions to divide up its cavity, and the different sections made by the partitioning, may retain various but importantly significant specific foodstuff, which, after the invention has been removed, would be available to the consumer.

Page 3 The invention enables, once it is filled to the brim, placed on a receptacle, and then removed, for a consumer to eat far less food than he, she or it would, if the invention was not used.

In order to enhance the ability of the invention to provide measured quantities of food for the consumer, a specially made, or readily available, tool may be used to skim off the excess food at the top of its rim: This tool may be rod or ruler in shape, flat edged or sharp, or may simply be a normal household knife.

The invention may be adjustable so that it may fit a variety of receptacles; however specific ones may be made to fit, partially, or in total, receptacles of a particular size and, or, shape.

The invention may be solid and in one piece, whether partitioned into sections or not; it may also be made to match a style or shape or size of a specific receptacle.

The invention, and also its partition or partitions if present, may be made from heat or cold retaining material, so that it would be very efficient in heating or cooling its retained food as well as keeping it hot and cold for a longer period of time than normal.

The invention may be constructed in pretty or fun shapes, like flowers or cartoon characters, and this may further enhance the appearance of the food remaining on the receptacle once the invention has been removed: These fun shapes may encourage children to eat their food more readily.

The invention may be constructed from a variety of materials which may be transparent, translucent, or solid, but all of which should ideally be heat and water resistant and capable, if need be, of being cleaned in a dishwasher or used in a microwave.

The invention may be circular in shape, which is the normally accepted shape of most eating receptacles. However, it can be made in other shapes, to fit specifically shaped receptacles e.g. square or oval.

Page 4 The invention may fit around, and rest on, the lower flat surface of, or the sometimes slightly curved surface of, the inside base of a standard plate, dish, bowl or any receptacle normally accepted to cook food in or serve food on.

The invention can easily be placed on and then removed from, the receptacle on which it is being used.

The invention may have a continuous lip around its outer surface to enable the invention to be easily lifted from the food retained inside it.

The invention may have a lip or lips, or handle or handles, or a handle assembly, on a specific area, or areas, on its outer surface, either at its rim or on the side of its wall; this enable the invention to be easily lifted from the food retained inside it.

The invention may be permanently divided into two or more sections of specific sizes, so that a variety of particular foodstuffs may be placed into those specific sections.

The invention may be made in specific sizes to retain specific amounts of food which would correspond to a particular amount of weight which would be lost if that size of invention was used: This would be easier, for the user wanting to lose weight, than continually weighing and counting calories.

The invention may be temporarily divided into two or more sections by removable partitions being placed inside its cavity area. These partitions may slot into place, be hung from the lip or handle, or be free standing, and whichever method is adopted, may be dependant on the type of material used in the construction of the invention.

The invention may be made from a variety of materials, some of which may be man made and synthetic, like polymers, plastics, foams, or rubbers and or their mixes, or it may be made from natural materials like natural latex, ceramic, china, porcelain, glass, stone, wood, coated paper or board, cork, bamboo, or other materials derived from plants or their byproducts.

Page 5 The invention may be flexible in nature or it may be firm and solid.

The invention may be hinged in one or more places, so that it can be easily folded and if used like a fashion accessory, easily stored and carried in a handbag or pocket: A bag specially made to house the invention may also be part of the invention.

(Fig.2) The invention may be made from gold or silver or from other precious metals or semi-precious or non-precious metals, coated or non-coated, or their mixtures or compounds, including stainless steel, and may become fashionable with celebrities who are often very weight conscious.

The invention may be made by a famous Pottery or design house, so that some could become collectable or sought after fashion accessories.

The invention may be made from a mould or moulds or from one continuous piece of flexible material with slots cut into it in relevant places to allow it to form the shape of the invention, including, if need be, the partitions.

In order to reduce the quantity of food available to the dieting consumer from a receptacle, like a soup or cereal bowl or dish containing a large proportion of liquid based food, for which circular or angular construction may not work, the invention allows for a solid shaped item to be made which could be put into the bowl or dish; once put in, this item only allows for a reduced amount of food to be put into the receptacle before it becomes full: An ideal shape and size might be that of a large egg (Fig. 3) or similar sized ball and the material used in making the item should ideally retain and transmit heat or cold and may be microwavable and be oven or freezer proof: This material might be man made and synthetic, like polymers, plastics, foams, or rubbers and or their mixes, or it may be made from natural materials like natural latex, ceramic, glass, stone, wood, coated paper or board, cork, or other materials derived from plants or their byproducts, or from a coated or not, precious, semi-precious or non precious metal or metals, or their mixtures or compounds.

Page 6 If these shapes can retain and transmit heat, they may also be placed inside pans or containers used for heating food or liquids on a stove or in an oven or microwave, and their heat retaining and transmitting qualities could make that heating process more efficient. The size and shape of the item will determine the quantity of food or liquid available for the dieter from the receptacle.

The invention may be sold as part of a weight loss kit which may contain a timer to encourage chewing, a pedometer to count paces moved, scales to be weighed on and a book of recipes and useful hints and instructions; all of which could be very beneficial for people on specific eating regimens or diets.

Explanation of Diagrams on Page 7 Fig. 1 shows a cross section of the ridged hollow circular invention and the plate on which it has been placed. Please note to help, for example weight-loss, one of the ideal sizes for the invention is: A half centimeter (or less) thick, 2 and a half to 3 centimeter high, wall, the top of which is approximately 14 centimetres in diameter, tapering to a base roughly 12 centimetres in diameter.

Fig. 2 shows the opened hinged invention with a hinge at two points on its circumference wall so that one half of the invention folds into the other. It also shows, underneath it, a flexible piece of material with two cut-outs and this material can be bent and clipped together, using the cut-outs, to form the circular shape of the invention.

Fig. 3 shows the liquid level in a bowl before and after an egg shaped filler' item has be added.

Claims

Claims 1. A curved circular, or angular, walled implement, with a hollow cavity, which may be partitioned or not and may, or may not, have a base and lid, and this implement can fit onto or into the base of a food retaining receptacle, so that it may be used, simply and easily, without the use of weighing equipment, to gauge and, or, limit the quantity and, or, the variety of food available to the consumer of that food.
2. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be open-ended at both ends of its hollow cavity.
3. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be open at one end of its cavity, but is able to be opened at the other end by the use of a hinged or removable base.
4. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be opened at both ends by the use of hinged or removable base and lid.
5. An implement, as in Claims 1, 2, 3, and 4, which may or may not have its hollow cavity partitioned into 2 or more sections.
6. An implement, as in Claim 5, which may have its cavity partitioned either permanently or temporarily.
7. An implement, as in Claim 1, which can fit totally or partially, onto the base of the inner flat or curved surface of receptacles on which food is served.
8. An implement, as in Claim 1, one end of which, can fit onto the base of the inner flat or curved surface of bowls, plates, saucers, dishes, pots, pans, food containers and other food or drink retaining receptacles.
9. An implement, as in Claim 1, once its open end has been positioned on or in the receptacle, as in Claim 8, can have food passed through its other end until its partitioned, or not, cavity is filled to the brim, and once filled, the implement can be removed from the receptacle to allow the consumer to eat the food.
10. An implement, as in Claim 1, once positioned on or in a receptacle, may have its ends removed or opened, so that the food retained in it can be neatly positioned on that receptacle and then once the implement is totally removed, the food remains on that receptacle so that the consumer can eat it.
11. An implement, as in Claim 1, which can be easily removed from the receptacle on or in which it had been placed, and once removed, would leave the food previously retained within it, neatly arranged and accessible to the consumer.
12. An implement, as in Claim 1, which once filled to the brim, will provide a given measurement of food, which will contain an acceptable but approximate calorific and nutritious value required for the specific consumer of that food.
13. An implement, as in Claim 1, the cavity of which, if divided and partitioned into two or more sections, may have a particular type of food placed in a particular section or sections.
14. An implement as in Claims 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, which can be used to quickly make cost effective, fast and attractively presented food for the general public or the professionals, and if the construction of the implement is such that it will allow the food to be stored and pre-cooked before presenting it on an eating receptacle, then it will further enhance its capabilities.
15. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be made to be disposable or long lasting.
16. An implement, as in Claims 13, 14, and 15, which may be used in the ready meal or take-away meal trade so that once the lid and base have been removed by the consumer, the brought-in food can be placed on an eating receptacle in an attractive manner, before the total implement is removed and disposed of.
17. An implement, as in Claims 13, 14, 15, and 16, which may be used as part of a specially made food retaining and distributing container.
18. An implement, as in Claim 1, which can easily gauge the amount of food available to the user, to fit his, her or its particular need, without the inconvenient and time consuming work usually involved in weighing and measuring the calories contained in that food and it is this ease of use which would be very helpful for those wanting to lose weight or maintain a specially nutritional diet in the correct proportions.
19. An implement, as in Claim 1, which if partitioned into sections, may have images, text, colour or colour coding put onto the walls of the individual sections to indicate the type of foodstuff which could be placed into them, or if not partitioned, the single wall of the implement could be marked to indicate specific areas into which particular foodstuff could be placed.
20. An implement, as in Claim 1, the particular height, width and overall size of which, once when filled to the brim will determine the quantity of food, and if partitioned or not, the variety of food, available to the consumer, so that an implement of a specific size can retain food of a roughly specific number of calories.
21. An implement, as in Claim 20, which when removed from the eating receptacle, will leave a particular quantity of food on that receptacle, which will be far less than the amount which would normally be eaten by the consumer if the implement was not being used, and the receptacle had been filled to its normal capacity.
22. An implement, as in Claim 1, which, should it not have hinged or un-hinged lids or bases as part of its make-up, may have a specially made, or readily available tool like a flat edged knife, to level-off the retained food at the top of the implement, so that it can be filled only to the brim, and excess food which protrudes above the height of the implement can be removed or cut off.
23. An implement, the specially made tool of which, as in Claim 22, may be rod-like or ruler-like in construction, with or without a sharp cutting edge.
24. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be constructed in such a way that it may exactly fit specific receptacles or it may be made adjustable to fit many different ones.
25. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be solid in construction or flexible, partitioned or not, and may be made to match a particular colour, style or shape or size of a specific new or existing receptacle.
26. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be constructed from material which can have the ability to retain or transmit heat or cold, so that as well as being able to be frozen, it may be used in an oven or microwave with no detriment to its form and this would be particularly beneficial as in Claims 13, 14, 15 and 16, and may add to the efficiency of preparing, cooking, presenting and consuming a meal.
27. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be constructed in pretty or attractive shapes, like flowers or animals, and this may further enhance the lay out of the food on the receptacle once the implement has been removed from it and these attractive shapes may encourage children to eat their food more readily.
28. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be constructed from materials which may be transparent or translucent, and could be heat and water resistant and capable, if need be, of being cleaned in a dishwasher, used in a microwave and frozen in a freezer.
29. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be circular in shape, which is the normally accepted shape of most eating receptacles, however, it can be made in other shapes, to fit specifically shaped receptacles, which may be, for example, square, or oval, or rectangular or multi-sided.
30. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may easily fit around, and rest on, either totally or partially, the flat or curved base on the inside of a standard plate, dish, bowl or receptacle normally accepted to retain and present food for eating.
31. An implement, as in Claim 30, which may be easily removed from the receptacle and the food, after both have been placed on or in it.
32. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may have a continuous lip around the top rim or other part, of its outer wall, to enable the implement to be easily lifted from the food retained inside it.
33. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may have an individual lip or lips or handle or handles, or a handle assembly, on a specific area or areas either at its rim or on the side of its outer wall, to enable the implement to be easily lifted from the food retained inside it.
34. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be permanently divided into two or more sections of specific sizes, so that a variety of particular foodstuffs may be placed in those specific sections.
35. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be temporarily divided into two or more sections by removable partitions being placed inside its cavity area. These partitions may slot into place, be hung from the lip or handle, or be free standing, and whichever method is adopted, may be dependant on the type of material used in the construction of the invention.
36. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be made from a material or materials which may be man-made and synthetic, like polymers, plastics, foams, or rubbers and or their mixes, or it may be made from a natural material or materials like natural latex, ceramic, pottery, china, porcelain, glass, stone, precious or semi-precious stones or precious or semi-precious metals or metallic elements, coated or uncoated steel or stainless steel, wood, bamboo, coated or un-coated paper or board, cork, or other materials derived from plants or their by-products.
37. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be flexible in nature or it may be firm and solid.
38. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be formed individually by hand, or be made by mass-production from a mould or moulds or be cut or pressed from one continuous piece of flexible material with slots cut into it in relevant places to enable it to fit together to form the desired shape and size, including the partitions if necessary, of the implement.
39. A implement, as in Claim 1, which, should it not have permanent partitions in its cavity, may have its wall or walls sloping inwards, so that one implement can be stacked inside another one.
40. An implement, as in Claim 1, which because it is unsuitable for easily retaining, and, or, separating liquids and because its creation can be to help users lose weight, the implement may include, as part of its make-up, a free-standing shaped object which may be placed inside a bowl or dish containing liquid or liquid based food like soup or milk and cereal, so that it can restrict the amount of liquid that can be placed into the bowl or dish before it becomes full to the brim, and once the specifically shaped object is removed, a suitable amount of food would be left for the consumer.
41. An implement, as in Claim 39, might be shaped like a large egg or similar sized ball or like an existing object which might be used in commercial advertising and promotion.
42. An implement as in Claims 39 and 40, which may be made from a material or materials which may be man-made and synthetic, like polymers, plastics, foams, or rubbers and or their mixes, or it may be made from a natural material or materials like natural latex, ceramic, pottery, china, porcelain, glass, stone, precious or semi-precious stones or precious or semi-precious metals or metallic elements, coated or uncoated steel or stainless steel, wood, bamboo, coated or un-coated paper or board, cork, or other materials derived from plants or their by-products.
43. An implement, as in Claims 39, 40 and 41, which may be made from a material or materials which could efficiently and easily retain and transmit heat or cold, and therefore could speed up and evenly distribute and maintain an acceptable temperature during the cooking or cooling process.
44. An implement as in Claims 39, 40, 41 and 42, which could be used in a pan or pot or other cooking receptacle, on a stove or in a microwave, to enable the cooking process to be more efficient.
45. An implement as in Claims 39, 40 and 41, which when frozen could be added to a receptacle of liquid to keep that liquid cooler for a longer period of time than if it was not being used.
46. An implement as in Claims 39, 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44, which may be pre-heated or pre-frozen before use in order to increase its efficiency in retaining required temperatures for longer periods of time.
47. An implement, as in Claim 39, which could be heat, cold, and water resistant and capable of being cleaned in a dishwasher, used in a microwave and frozen in a freezer.
48. An implement, as in Claim 39, the size and shape of which will determine the quantity of liquid based food which would be available for the dieter, once the implement has been removed from the receptacle.
49. An implement, as in Claim 1 and Claim 39, which may be sold as part of a weight loss kit which may also contain a timer to encourage chewing, a pedometer to count paces moved, scales to be weighed on and a book of recipes and useful hints and instructions; all of which could be very beneficial for people on specific eating regimens or diets.
50. An implement, as in Claim 1, which may be hinged and foldable and capable of being put in a pocket or handbag, or in its own specially made bag, may be treated as a fashion accessory, particularly if made from a precious metal or metallic element.
51. Unlike a plate which might have been specially made in sections to indicate where various food can be placed on it, this implement, as in Claim 1, is far more versatile and cost effective, since it can be used on, or in, ordinary plates and other receptacles already possessed by a user, and as a consequence, is less conspicuous during mealtimes, which is a positive fact for those on a diet or strict eating regimen who may be eating with others, and also, because it has a wall to retain the foodstuff, this implement is more effective in allotting specific quantities of portioned food to the user.