GB2551506A

GB2551506A - Scooping mechanism

Info

Publication number: GB2551506A
Application number: GB1610690.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Martin Michaelis Jonathan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-06-20
Filing date: 2016-06-20
Publication date: 2017-12-27
Also published as: GB201709528D0; GB2553624A; GB2553624B; GB201610690D0; NL1042429B1

Abstract

A scooping mechanism comprising a main bracket 1 swivellably mounted on a substantially vertical axis 2; an outer arm 4 swivelably mounted on a substantially horizontal axis 5 to the main bracket; an inner arm 16 rotateably mounted within the outer arm; a holder 7, preferably for cutlery, mounted in a casing 8 attached to the top end of the inner arm; a tilting follower 11 fixed to the bottom end of the inner arm; and a guide 12 fixed to the main bracket; wherein the tilting follower engages with the guide causing the inner arm to rotate within the outer arm as the outer arm is swivelled around the horizontal axis. The mechanism may comprise a tooth belt mechanism 18 which, when the outer arm is moved, rotates the holder ensuring that any cutlery stays level in one plane so that no food is spilt. The tilting follower and guide may interact with slides or rollers (13, figure 6), in which one has a shaped profile which provides the tilting scooping action. The mechanism may be manual or controlled by computer.

Description

SCOOPING MECHANISM

The present invention relates to a scooping mechanism for an eating aid. More particularly, to a tilting mechanism that automatically creates a scooping action as an arm holding an item of cutlery is lowered into and raised out of a plate.

People with movement impairments and people with other disabilities often cannot feed themselves. Some people use feeding aids to assist with eating.

Typically, a feeding aid will hold a spoon level as it is moved around with the spoon neither tipping forward nor back. If the angle of the spoon is optimized for scooping by being tilted slightly forward, then food may slide off it as it is brought to the user’s mouth. Conversely, if the spoon is tilted back to hold food on as it is moved around, it cannot scoop food from the plate effectively.

The invention described herein provides a means for automatically tilting down cutlery held on the arm of a feeding aid as it is lowered and for tilting it back up as it is raised thus creating a scooping action. The invention provides the following features: • A main bracket swivellably mounted on a substantially vertical axis to a base. • An outer arm swivellably mounted on a substantially horizontal axis to the main bracket. • An inner arm rotatably mounted within the outer arm. • A cutlery holder mounted in a casing attached to the top end of the inner arm. • A tilting follower fixed to the bottom end of the inner arm. • A guide fixed to the main bracket. A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

Figure 1 - General rear left hand side view of an eating aid with a scooping mechanism with the arm configured for left-handed use.

Figure 2 - General view of an eating aid with a scooping mechanism with cover, spoon, plate and clamps removed.

Figure 3 - Exploded view showing components of an eating aid with a scooping mechanism. Figure 4 - Exploded view with most components removed showing a tilting follower assembly and a circular guide.

Figure 5 - Right hand end view of an eating aid with a scooping mechanism with cover, plate and clamps removed with the arm lowered and the spoon tilted down to an effective angle for scooping.

Figure 6 - Close up view from right hand end of a tilting follower assembly and a circular guide positioned as they would be with the arm lowered with other components removed. Figure 7 - Right hand end view with the arm partially lifted and the spoon tilted partially up. Figure 8 - Close up view from right hand end of a tilting follower assembly and a circular guide positioned as they would be with the arm lifted partially up.

Figure 9 - Right hand end view with the arm fully lifted and the spoon tilted back to an effective angle for keeping food on the spoon.

Figure 10 - Close up view from right hand end of a tilting follower assembly and a circular guide positioned as they would be with the arm fully lifted up.

Figure 11 - General rear right hand side view of an eating aid with a scooping mechanism with a plate edge stop assembly fitted with the arm configured for left-handed use.

Figure 12 - Exploded view showing subassemblies of an eating aid with a plate edge stop assembly.

Figure 13 - Right hand end view of an eating aid with a scooping mechanism with a plate edge stop assembly fitted with clamps removed and the plate and baseboard sectioned with the spoon lowered into the plate and brought forward as far as the plate edge stop assembly allows.

Figure 14 - Right hand end view with the spoon partially lifted, the plate edge stop assembly keeping the spoon from touching the plate edge.

Figure 15 - Right hand end view with the spoon fully lifted, the plate edge stop assembly no longer preventing forward movement of the spoon.

Figure 1 shows a scooping mechanism assembly. A main bracket assembly 1 is swivellably mounted on a substantially vertical axis 2 to a base 3. An outer arm assembly 4 is swivellably mounted on a substantially horizontal axis 5 to the main bracket assembly. A spoon 6 is held by a cutlery holder 7 rotatably mounted in a head casing 8. A plate 9 is swivellably mounted on the base 3 which can be held by clamps 3a to a table. A cover 10 is covering the mechanism. The outer arm assembly 4 is in an intermediate position with the cutlery 6 above the level of the plate 9 but below the level of the user’s mouth.

Figure 2 shows a scooping mechanism assembly with the cover, spoon, crockery and clamps removed with the outer arm assembly 4 in the intermediate position. A tilting follower assembly 11 is in contact with a circular guide 12. The head casing 8 is connected by an inner arm 16 not showing in this figure to the follower assembly 11; this connected subassembly being rotatably mounted around a moving axis 14 in the outer arm assembly 4.

Figure 3 shows an exploded view of a scooping mechanism. When assembled, a toothed belt 18 is positioned inside an inner arm 16 which is rotatably mounted inside the outer arm assembly 4. The bottom end of the toothed belt 18 is fitted over a bottom pulley 19 which does not rotate and is fixed to the front wall 1a of the main bracket assembly 1. The top end of the toothed belt 18 is fitted over a top pulley 20 fixed to the cutlery holder 7 which is rotatably mounted in the head casing 8 which is fixed to the inner arm 16. This is a levelling mechanism. When the outer arm assembly 4 is lifted swivelling around the substantially horizontal axis 5, because the bottom pulley 19 is fixed, the toothed belt 18 makes the cutlery holder 7 rotate within the head casing 8 keeping it at a substantially fixed angle around its own axis relative to the base 3 thus a spoon fitted to the cutlery holder 7 remains substantially level as the arm is lifted up and down stopping food falling off its sides.

The tilting follower assembly 11 is fixed to the inner arm 16 it is in contact with the circular guide 12 which is fixed to the front wall 1a of the main bracket assembly 1.

Figure 4 shows a tilting follower assembly 11 separated from a circular guide 12 which it contacts when assembled into a scooping mechanism assembly. Rollers 13a and 13b are rotatably mounted to a tilting carrier 15. When assembled the rollers 13a and 13b roll over the thinner step 12a or the thicker step 12b of the circular guide 12. When the tilting follower assembly 11 is swivelled around the horizontal axis 5 the roller 13a moves from contacting thinner step 12a to the thicker step 12b whilst roller 13b moves from contacting the thicker step 12b to the thinner step 12a thus making the follower assembly 11 rotate around the moving axis 14. This mechanism tilts the spoon up and down around the moving axis 14 as the arm is lifted up and down. The toothed belt 18 will be twisted slightly as the mechanism tilts.

Figure 5 shows a scooping mechanism assembly with the the arm lowered and the spoon 6 tilted down to an effective angle for scooping.

Figure 6 shows the positions of the tilting follower assembly 11 with the arm in the lowered position. The upper roller 13a is in contact with the thinner step of the circular guide 12. The lower roller 13b is in contact with the thicker step of the circular guide 12.

Figure 7 shows a scooping mechanism assembly with the arm in an intermediate position and the spoon 6 tilted slightly back.

Figure 8 shows the positions of the tilting follower assembly 11 with the arm in the intermediate position. Both the upper roller 13a and the lower roller 13b are in contact with the circular guide 12 on the transition surface between the thinner and thicker steps

Figure 9 shows a scooping mechanism assembly with the arm raised and the spoon 6 tilted up to an effective angle for keeping food on the spoon as it is brought to the user’s mouth.

Figure 10 shows the positions of the tilting follower assembly 11 with the arm in the raised position. The upper roller 13a is in contact with the thicker step of the circular guide 12. The lower roller 13b is in contact with the thinner step of the circular guide 12.

Figure 11 shows an embodiment of the invention with a plate edge stop assembly fitted. A shaped guide 21 is fixed to the outer arm assembly 4. A barrier assembly 22 is fitted between the main bracket assembly 1 and the base 3. A first barrier 23 is part of the barrier assembly 22 and a second barrier 24 is slidably mounted on the first barrier 23. Movement of the arm is restricted when the shaped guide 21 makes contact with the barrier 23 thus preventing the spoon 6 being lifted straight up and flicking food when it is against the curled over lip of the plate 9.

Figure 12 shows an exploded view of an eating aid with a plate edge stop assembly. The shaped guide 21 is shown removed from the arm 4. The second barrier 24 is in the disengaged position away from the end of the first barrier 23 of the barrier assembly 22.

Figure 13 shows an end view of an eating aid with a plate edge stop assembly fitted with the arm lowered and brought forward so that the spoon 6 is in the plate 9 at the plate edge. The plate 9 is shown sectioned to show the position of the spoon 6 and the plate spigot 9a which is attached to the plate enabling it to be swiveled around as it is held in a hole in the base 3. The shaped guide 21 is in sliding contact with the first barrier 23 preventing it being lifted directly straight up or being moved further forward with the arm down in this position.

Figure 14 shows how the sliding contact between the shaped guide 21 and the first barrier 23 has made the arm and spoon 6 move backwards as it is lifted thus preventing the spoon 6 being lifted directly straight up and flicking food when it is against the curled over lip of the plate 9.

Figure 15 shows the arm lifted high enough for the shaped guide 21 not to touch the first barrier 23 in any backwards to forwards position thus allowing the spoon 6 to be brought forwards to the user’s mouth.

The invention causes the spoon to make a scooping action as it is moved with the spoon tilting down for effective scooping of food as the arm is lowered and tilting up to help keep food on the spoon as it is lifted.

In the embodiment shown, rollers on the tilting follower assembly 11 fixed to the bottom of the inner arm 16 follow a fixed shaped guide 12 fixed to the main bracket assembly 1.. The invention applies equally to the opposite arrangement with a shaped surface fixed to the bottom of the inner arm 16 acted upon by rollers on axles fixed to the main bracket assembly 1. The invention applies equally to arrangements using low friction slides rather than rollers.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, the rollers include soft tyres. This reduces noise from the mechanism, allows wider component machining tolerances and enables constant contact between the rollers and guide. The invention applies equally to other arrangements.

The invention applies equally when used with items of cutlery other than a spoon and when used with things other than cutlery. The invention applies equally when the cutlery or other item is fitted directly rather than through a cutlery holder.

In the embodiment of the invention shown, the axis of the cutlery holder is substantially horizontal when the spoon is in the lowest position suitable for scooping. The invention applies equally to other arrangements.

In a specific embodiment of the invention the circular guide 12 is fitted at about 180 degrees to the embodiment shown in the figures so that the cutlery tilts down as the arm is lowered and tilts up as it is lifted. A fork fitted to the cutlery holder would thus make a stabbing action as it is lowered to the plate.

In a specific embodiment of the invention the position of the guide is easily moved to create different scooping actions in different positions. The invention applies equally where the guide is fixed.

In the embodiment of the invention shown, leveling of the spoon is performed using a toothed belt mechanism. The invention applies equally where alternative leveling mechanisms are employed or no leveling mechanism.

In a specific embodiment of the invention a toothed belt mechanism is employed with the belt twisted half a turn. As the arm swivels around the substantially horizontal axis the cutlery holder turns at twice the angle of swivel. A fork fitted to the cutlery holder would thus make a stabbing action as it is lowered to the plate.

In the embodiment of the invention shown viscous dampers are used to damp out tremor in the up and down movement of the arm swiveling around the substantially horizontal axis 5 and of the backwards and forwards movement of the arm swiveling around the substantially vertical axis 2. The invention applies equally to embodiments using damping means other than viscous damping or when no damping is used.

The invention applies equally to embodiments with spring loaded movement of the arm around either or both of the substantially horizontal or vertical axes and to embodiments with means to limit the range of movement. The invention applies equally to embodiments without these means.

In the embodiment of the invention shown, the user moves the arm themselves by holding a handgrip on the outer arm assembly 4. The invention applies equally to embodiments where other means of moving the arm is provided such as an electrically powered system.

An embodiment of the invention shown has a plate edge stop assembly fitted preventing the spoon from flicking against the edge of the plate as it is lifted. The invention applies equally to embodiments without a plate edge stop assembly fitted.

An embodiment of the invention shown has a second barrier 24 slidably mounted on the first barrier 23. This enables the invention to be used effectively and easily with different size plates and spoons as the second barrier is slid into place to make sliding contact with the shaped guide 21. The invention applies equally to embodiments with the second barrier mounted in a different way and to embodiments without a second barrier.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A scooping mechanism comprising: a main bracket swivellably mounted on a substantially vertical axis; an outer arm swivellably mounted on a substantially horizontal axis to the main bracket; an inner arm rotatably mounted within the outer arm; a holder mounted in a casing attached to the top end of the inner arm; a tilting follower fixed to the bottom end of the inner arm; a guide fixed to the main bracket; wherein the tilting follower engages with the guide causing the inner arm to rotate within the outer arm as the outer arm is swivelled around the substantially horizontal axis.

2. A scooping mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein the component parts are configured to create a scooping action of a piece of cutlery fitted to the holder as the arm is lowered and raised.

3. A scooping mechanism as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein the tilting follower has slides that run over a guide that is shaped in order to rotate the tilting follower around the arm axis as the arm is swiveled around the substantially horizontal axis.

4. A scooping mechanism as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein the tilting follower is shaped so that it rotates around the arm axis as the arm is swiveled around the substantially horizontal axis as different parts of the shaped tilting follower run over the fixed guide slides.

5. A scooping mechanism as claimed in claims 3 or 4 wherein the slides are rollers.

6. A scooping mechanism as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein a toothed belt mechanism is used to keep the cutlery holder level.

7. A scooping mechanism as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein a shaped guide makes contact with a barrier to limit movement of the arm.

8. A scooping mechanism as claimed in claim 7 wherein the shaped guide making contact with the barrier prevents cutlery being lifted straight up at the plate edge.

9. A scooping mechanism as claimed in claims 7 or 8 wherein a second barrier can be mounted to change the limits of the range of movement of the arm.