JP2000079044A - Spoon - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a spoon part to be inserted into the oral cavity at the time of a meal to be soft to touch to a mouth in spite of having a core. SOLUTION: This spoon is composed of a handle part 1 of silicon resin of a relatively high hardness from which a thin connection part 2 is extended at a tip, and a spoon part 3 of silicon resin of a relatively low hardness in the form of a thin plate integrally molded with the handle part 1 using the connection part 2 and the tip of the handle part 1 as part of a molding die.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a spoon having a soft mouthfeel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, spoons have been widely used as eating utensils, and there are many spoons from metal to synthetic resin.

[0003] As is well known, a spoon has a configuration in which a dish-shaped spoon portion is continuously provided at the tip of a handle, and the spoon portion is selected in shape, size, depth, etc. according to its use. As described above, a metal or a synthetic resin is used as a molding material, and a hard resin is used without any question when it is made of a synthetic resin as well as a metal.

[0004] However, for infants and some children with disabilities who are finally consuming baby food, spoons made of metal or hard synthetic resin are not only difficult to eat but also dangerous. is there.

[0005] That is, when a certain kind of child with a disability tries to ingest nutrients orally, an increase in systemic muscle tone,
Occlusal reflex symptoms are seen. Muscle tone of the whole body is a symptom caused by contact around the oral cavity and food other than milk and porridge in the mouth due to strong sensitivity in the oral cavity. In addition, bite reflex is a symptom in which a foreign object such as a spoon is bitten when inserted into the mouth.

[0006] Due to these symptoms, disabled children have to refuse oral intake of meals and have to take nostrils. In the case of children with bite reflex disorder, they have to chew a spoon. There was a problem that the oral cavity was hurt by showing discomfort or chewing.

[0007] In addition, the search activity in the mouth such as sucking a finger or licking a toy by an infant adjusts the sensory function in the mouth by this action, so that foods of various feelings can be ingested. It is a training stage for.

[0008] Therefore, it is meaningful to perceive the tactile sensation of the spoon from the baby food stage, and in this case, a safe spoon that does not hurt the mouth is desired. In particular, infants when teeth begin to grow have the effect of chewing on things due to pruritus.

[0009]

Accordingly, there are symptoms such as increased muscle tone of infants or the whole body, occlusal reflex symptoms, symptoms of closing the mouth when an object comes into contact with the lips, and symptoms of little movement of the lower jaw and tongue. Development of a spoon suitable for children with disabilities is required.

Therefore, a spoon-shaped product in which a hard resin is used as an inner core material and a soft synthetic resin is coated on the core material to improve the mouthfeel has been considered. However, there is a problem that the hard core material is broken due to bite reflection, and such a double structure has a problem that the laminated portion is easily stained and is unsanitary.

Therefore, the present invention is a spoon invented to solve the above-mentioned conventional dissatisfaction points and to meet the demand,
An object of the present invention is to make a spoon inserted into the oral cavity at the time of eating soft and pleasant while having a core.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention is made of silicone resin having relatively high hardness.
The handle portion with a thin connection portion extended at the tip and a relatively low-hardness silicone resin, and the connection portion and the tip of the handle portion are integrally formed on the handle portion in a thin dish shape as a part of a molding die. And a scoop part.

[0013] Therefore, in the above invention, the spoon portion to be inserted into the mouth at the time of eating is made of silicone resin having relatively low hardness, so that even a handicapped child is allowed to insert into the mouth without any resistance. It does not hurt the mouth even if the bite reflex symptoms appear.Since it is a silicone resin, it can be elastically deformed and can withstand some occlusion enough to break. Never.

Since the spoon has a thin connection portion of a silicon resin handle portion having relatively high hardness as a core,
The thin dish shape can be maintained, and therefore, the function as a spoon can be sufficiently performed.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In the following, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. A handle 1 formed of a relatively hard silicone resin has a relatively thick and slightly curved shape.
This is a configuration in which a thin connecting portion 2 is extended at the tip.

A spoon 3 made of silicon resin having a relatively low hardness and having a relatively low hardness is integrally formed with the connecting portion 2 of the handle 1.

The hardness of the silicone resin ranges from about 30 degrees to about 90 degrees from soft to hard. The handle 1 has a hardness of about 90 degrees and a spoon 3
It is good to adopt a thing of about 70 to 80 degrees.

In order to form a spoon having such a structure, first, a silicone resin material having high hardness is placed in a pair of primary molds and heated and sandwiched, so that the handle portion 1 and the connection portion 2 are integrated. Then, the primary molded product is formed.

Next, a pair of secondary molds is configured such that a molding space for the spoon portion 3 is formed in a state where the above-mentioned primary molded article is mounted inside, and a silicone resin having a low hardness is formed in the molding space. The material is placed and sandwiched by heating to form a secondary molded product in which the spoon portion 3 is integrated from the tip of the handle 1 of the primary molded product to the connecting portion 2.

Then, burrs and the like of the secondary molded product are removed and finishing work is performed to obtain a product as a spoon.

The primary molded product and the spoon portion 3 have a difference in hardness but are compatible with a silicone resin material. The primary molded product is molded in a paired secondary mold. Since the spoon portion 3 is formed by heating and clamping as a part of a mold, the spigot portion 3 is surely integrated. In this case, since the connection portion 2 provides a surface contact portion with the spoon portion 3, the integrity is strong.

Since the connecting portion 2 made of a hard material has a dish shape and supports a spoon portion 3 made of a soft material from below, the spoon portion 3 maintains its soft texture and has a so-called high rigidity. Is secured and its shape can be maintained,
It can serve as a spoon.

The spoon portion 3 is particularly thin at its tip so that it can be elastically deformed more freely. Therefore, the spoon portion 3 is made more pleasing to the mouth. Easy to insert.

With a conventional spoon made of a hard material having a rounded tip as in the prior art, there was a complaint that the cream product or the jam-like product remaining at the bottom of the container could not be reliably scraped off, but as in the present invention. If the spoon portion 3 is formed of a soft resin, it can be elastically deformed, so that it can easily function as a spatula.

In this case, the tip of the spoon portion 3 is further
If it is linear in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the above, the spatula function is sure.

[0026]

As described above, the spoon of the present invention has a soft spoon at the tip, so that it has a good mouthfeel during oral ingestion, and a certain degree of waist strength is secured, and the spoon is made of silicone. Since a resin is used, a hard material and a soft material can be integrally formed with compatibility, and many excellent operational effects such as ensuring strength and being sanitary can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a spoon of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the spoon of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1; handle, 2; connection, 3; spoon.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A handle (1) made of silicone resin having a relatively high hardness and having a thin connecting portion (2) extended at the tip, and a connecting portion (2) made of a silicone resin having a relatively low hardness. ) And a spoon (3) integrally formed on the handle (1) in a thin dish shape with the tip of the handle (1) as a part of a molding die.