JP2004163909A - Spoon - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a spoon whose construction is not made to be extremely different from that of a regular spoon and, moreover, which realizes skillfully the specific form needed for training. <P>SOLUTION: This spoon is provided with a longitudinally extended handle part 12 for grasping and a spoon main body 11 which is provided at the tip of the handle part 12. The whole body of the spoon main body 11 is formed with metal. In the spoon main body, a bowl part 14 which is provided at the tip side of the main body and is recessed downwards and a lip guiding part 13 projected upwards at a side inner than the bowl part 14 are provided, and the bowl part 14 and the lip guiding part 13 are integrally connected in a continuously curved line shape. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

  The present invention relates to a spoon for the elderly, a person requiring care such as a disabled person or the like, a person requiring training for using a spoon such as an infant, and a person who has difficulty or feels difficulty with a normal spoon. .

Conventionally, for example, a learning spoon proposed by the present applicant is known as a spoon that can be exercised by infants during the suckling period and the weaning period without spilling food and without difficulty. Reference 1).
This learning spoon is provided with positioning means for holding the spoon body in an appropriate position when inserting the spoon body into the open mouth of the baby, so that the bowl portion on which the food of the spoon body is placed can be adjusted to that extent. It is intended to provide an indication as to whether it should be put into the mouth and to adjust the amount of food to be put into the oral cavity by one operation.
In this way, it is intended to effectively promote the training of food intake by a spoon of an infant with undeveloped mouth and lip movements.

JP-A-11-174947

  By the way, according to the continuous research of the present applicant, there is still room for improvement in the form of the positioning means, and further, other spoons and the like used for the purpose of functional recovery, etc. It has been found that there is still room for improvement in the use of.

  For example, a spoon generally used for nursing care has a spoon body portion inclined at a special angle with respect to the handle portion, and a handle portion serving as a grip portion has an extremely thick handle portion. If such a spoon is used for training for functional recovery and the like and the user becomes accustomed to the use of a special spoon, it is rather difficult to shift to using a normal spoon in the final stage of the training.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem, and provides a spoon that does not have a structure extremely different from a normal spoon, and that skillfully realizes a special form required for training. The purpose is to:

  The above object is, in the invention of claim 1, provided with a long handle portion for gripping, and a spoon body provided at a tip of the handle portion, and the spoon body is entirely made of metal. And a bowl portion provided on the tip end side of the spoon body and having a downwardly concave shape, and a lip guide portion projecting upward from the back side of the bowl portion, and the bowl portion and the This is achieved by a spoon in which the lip guide is integrally connected in a continuous curve.

According to the configuration of the first aspect, the spoon body has a bowl portion that is concave downward, and the bowl portion is suitable for placing food. A lip guide protruding upward is provided on the back side of the concave bowl portion. When closing the mouth at the position of the lip guide, the lip guide guides the movement of the lips. In this case, since the lip guide portion is formed in a continuous curved shape between the lip guide portion and the bowl portion, the upper lip is closed while being in contact with the lip guide portion having such a form, so that the lip guide portion is formed in the bowl portion. There is no leftover of the placed food. Also, by reliably ingesting the food in an amount corresponding to the volume determined by the bowl portion by one lip operation, if the volume is determined in advance, the amount of food suitable for the user can be ensured. Can be taken. This means that the volume of the bowl portion is limited by the presence of the lip guide portion when compared with the bowl portion of a normal spoon, so even when scooping food, there is a large variation in the amount. This does not occur, and in this regard, an accurate amount of food can be handled.
Furthermore, since the spoon body is made of metal, for example, in order to not only scoop food but also obtain a proper rake amount of food, relatively soft foods are used to cut food at the side edges and tips of the spoon body. It is convenient in doing. In addition, the thickness of the spoon body can be reduced, and the movement of closing the lips can be promoted.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, in a plan view, the lip guide portion has a central portion in the width direction protruding in the tip direction of the bowl portion, and both end portions in the width direction are more than the central portion in plan view. It is characterized by having a curved surface located on the handle portion side.
According to the configuration of the second aspect, the lip guide portion is formed by a curved surface whose central portion in the width direction protrudes toward the tip end of the bowl portion in plan view, and both ends in the width direction are located closer to the handle portion than the central portion. Have been. For this reason, even if the spoon is obliquely inserted into the mouth without directly facing the lips, the upper lip can be reliably brought into contact with the lip guide. Therefore, the upper lip brought into contact with the lip guide can be closed while conforming to the shape of the lip guide, and the function of the lip guide that guides the movement of the lips can be effectively exhibited. In particular, when the care recipient uses the spoon himself to eat, he or she usually does not carry the spoon so as to face the lips, but inserts the spoon into the oral cavity obliquely on the dominant arm side. Even in such a case, the function of the lip guide can be effectively exhibited. In the case of eating with the assistance of a helper, the function of the lip guide portion can be effectively exerted similarly even if a spoon is inserted into the oral cavity from an oblique direction due to the positional relationship of the helper.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the second aspect, a curved surface in a plan view near a connection portion where the lip guide portion and the bowl portion are in contact with each other is similar to a curved surface in a plan view of a tip portion of the bowl portion. It is characterized by being formed from a curved curvature.
According to the configuration of the third aspect, the curved surface in the plan view near the connecting portion where the lip guide portion and the bowl portion are in contact with each other, and the curved surface in the planar view of the tip portion of the bowl portion are formed with similar curvatures. By the way, as described above, since the lip guide protrudes upward, when the spoon is inserted into the oral cavity, the lip is regulated at the position of the lip guide. Then, since the curved surface in plan view of the vicinity of the connection portion where the lip guide portion and the bowl portion are in contact with each other and the distal end portion are formed with similar curvatures, when the spoon is inserted from the distal end portion into the oral cavity, the connection is made from the distal end portion. The distance to the vicinity of the portion, that is, the insertion dimension of the bowl portion in the oral cavity is substantially equal regardless of the insertion position or angle. Therefore, irrespective of the insertion position or angle of the spoon in the oral cavity, the food can be scraped off by the upper lip without being affected by the amount or properties of the food placed on the bowl.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the lip guide portion has a curved surface in which both ends in the width direction protrude toward the distal end of the bowl portion, and a center portion in the width direction is located deeper than the both ends. It is characterized by having.
According to the configuration of the fourth aspect, the lip guide portion is formed by a curved surface whose both end portions protrude toward the distal end of the bowl portion, and whose central portion in the width direction is located more deeply than the both end portions. As described above, the lip guide section guides the movement of the lips when the mouth is closed, and the lip guide section is formed when the lip guide section has such a shape. The wall will follow the shape of the lips. For this reason, when scraping the food with the lips, without leaving behind, especially when the caregiver is not able to move the lips when eating food, or the elderly or the disabled with insufficient lip movements In the case where the spoon is inserted into the lips so as to face directly, food can be reliably taken.

In the invention according to claim 5, in the configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the spoon main body is inserted into the oral cavity, and when the upper lip comes into contact with the top of the lip guide portion, the bowl portion moves in the oral cavity. It is characterized in that it is located on the lip side of the upper jaw where both canines are tied.
According to the configuration of claim 5, when the spoon main body is inserted into the oral cavity, when the lip guide portion is used, the bowl portion containing the food has a higher lip than the portion where the upper canine teeth are connected in the oral cavity. Can be located on the side. Thereby, the food can be placed at an appropriate position in the oral cavity. In particular, when the caregiver uses a spoon to eat, it is possible to prevent the caretaker from entering the mouth of the care recipient, and to effectively promote the action of taking food with the lips, chewing and swallowing. it can.

In the invention according to claim 6, in the configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the handle is formed to be thin, and its cross-sectional shape is substantially elliptical or oval, and the center of gravity of the entire spoon is the same as the above. It is characterized by being located on the spoon body side.
According to the configuration of the sixth aspect, by not dare to adopt a thick handle seen in a spoon or the like for the handicapped, a palm grasper who uses the entire palm (a palm) can be provided to a user who grasps the handle. Instead of using finger grips, guide the user to use a pen grip as if using chopsticks. As a result, the progress of the training can be used for training that leads to the use of more difficult-to-operate dishes such as chopsticks.
Also, by clarifying the directionality when gripping the handle, it is possible to prevent the spoon main body from being tilted due to the rotation of the angle.
In addition, the handle is made of a relatively lightweight material or a hollow structure so that the center of gravity is located on the spoon body side, so that the spoon body can always easily take a posture toward the food, and the spoon can be used for food. A scooping operation can be easily performed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of any one of the first to sixth aspects, the upper surface of the handle is provided with an identification unit having at least a form different from that of the lower surface of the handle. And
According to the configuration of claim 7, it becomes a clue to learn the correct vertical direction of the spoon in an infant or the like who has little experience in using the spoon, and also notifies the person with poor eyes of the vertical direction of the spoon. Fulfill. Furthermore, it also helps the care recipient to recognize that the food is approaching. In particular, if the identification means on the upper surface is formed of a material different from the lower surface, such as a projection or a depression, or a color different from the handle, even a person with a severe visual impairment can identify the vertical direction of the spoon. be able to.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a spoon that does not have an extremely different structure from a normal spoon, and that skillfully realizes a special form required for training.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The embodiment described below is a preferred specific example of the present invention, and thus various technically preferable limitations are given. However, the scope of the present invention particularly limits the present invention in the following description. The embodiments are not limited to these embodiments unless otherwise described.

  FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic perspective views showing a spoon according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the distal end side of the spoon showing a state in which a bowl part is directed upward. FIG. It is the schematic perspective view of the front-end | tip side of the spoon which shows the state turned downward. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the entirety of the spoon of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing the entirety of the spoon of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view taken along line AA of the handle of the spoon of FIG. .

In these figures, the spoon 10 has a spoon main body 11 provided with a bowl portion 14 for scooping food, and a long handle 12 to which the spoon main body 11 is fixed at the tip.
The handle 12 is made of a relatively light material having strength and durability that is hardly broken to some extent, such as a resin such as polypropylene, PET resin, AS resin, ABS resin, polyamide, or hollow stainless steel. Is formed. When using a resin, it is preferable to use a resin having high heat resistance in consideration of using an automatic dishwasher and the like.
The spoon body 11 is particularly formed of metal, and in this embodiment, is formed by molding stainless steel (SUS). Thereby, the peripheral edge of the spoon main body 11 can have a certain degree of edge finish. For example, in order to not only scoop foods but also to obtain an appropriate rake amount of foods, spoons are used for relatively soft foods. It is also convenient for cutting food at the side edge or tip of the main body.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of the spoon main body 11 of FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic end view taken along each cutting line in FIG. 6. Specifically, FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional end view taken along the line C-C of FIG. 6, which is the rear end of the bowl portion 14, for example, the end on the handle 12 side where the liquid level is located when the liquid food is scooped. FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional end view taken along the line D-D in FIG. 6, and shows the top of the lip guide portion 13. FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view of the portion shown in FIG.
The spoon main body 11 of the spoon 10 will be described with reference to these drawings.

A bowl portion 14 is formed on the distal end side of the spoon body 11, and a lip guide portion 13 is formed on the far side (right side in FIG. 6) of the bowl portion 14.
The bowl portion 14 is a concave portion facing upward when the spoon 10 is held in a correct position for scooping food. It has been confirmed that the depth HD of the bowl portion 14 shown in FIG. 6 is suitably about 2 mm to 4 mm, and 3 mm is most suitable. The depth of the bowl portion 14 is provided on condition that a person who ingests the food can almost completely remove the food by deforming the upper lip and can put a sufficient amount of the food. If it is too deep, it will not be possible to take all the food neatly, and if it is too shallow, the capacity will be insufficient. In particular, in the present embodiment, in consideration of the configuration of the lip guide portion 13 described below, as a result of making it easy to peel off the food, the depth is set to about 3 mm without being extremely shallow. In a single intake structure, the food can be almost completely consumed without leaving.

The spoon body 11 is configured to have a substantially elliptical shape as shown in FIGS.
The width W1 of the spoon body 11 is related to the ability to deform the lips to the shape of the spoon body. In other words, for those who are training such abilities in terms of rehabilitation and the like, if the width W1 of the spoon body 11 is too wide, the lips cannot be deformed in accordance with this, so that the spoon body 11 must be sufficiently inserted into the oral cavity. Can not. On the other hand, if the width W1 of the spoon main body 11 is too narrow, when the upper lip and the lower lip are closed, a gap is generated and food is easily spilled, and it becomes difficult to secure an appropriate volume of food described later. When such a point is confirmed by an experiment, the width W1 of the spoon body 11 is approximately 25 mm to 35 mm, and particularly, 30 mm is suitable.
Further, the width W1 may be at least the width of the bowl portion 14 inserted into the oral cavity, not the entire spoon body 11.

  Next, the dimension in the depth direction from the tip of the bowl portion 14 is determined as follows. That is, the lip guide section 13 positions the caregiver so that, for example, the assistant places food on the spoon body 11 of the spoon 10 and inserts the spoon 10 into the mouth of the user, the spoon 10 does not go deeper than necessary. It is a means for properly guiding the movement of the lips when unrolling food. In order to meet such a purpose, specifically, the dimension LD from the tip of the spoon body 11 shown in FIG. 6 to the highest portion 13a of the lip guide portion 13 is preferably approximately 28 mm to 38 mm, and 36 mm. Is most suitable.

  Here, as shown by reference numeral 15 in FIG. 8, the bowl portion 14 and the lip guide portion 13 are connected by a gentle curved (curved surface) wall portion that does not suddenly change. Is configured. That is, in FIG. 8, the bowl portion 14 is a curved surface that is concave upward, and the lip guide portion 13 is a curved surface that is convex upward, so that the wall portion 15 has a curved surface in a different direction. Is where they meet. The wall portion 15 is an end portion on the far side of the bowl portion 14, and at this position, a concave curved surface continues upward. Then, this curved surface forms a wall portion on the tip side of the lip guide portion 13 continuously as it is, so that up to the highest portion 13a of the lip guide portion 13 is continuous with a concave curved surface facing upward in the bowl portion 14. Has become.

  Thereby, when ingesting the food, the lips of the user are closed while being in contact with the lip guide portion 13 having a gentle curved surface without such a level difference, so that the food placed on the bowl portion 14 is left behind. Does not occur. In addition, by reliably ingesting the food in an amount corresponding to the volume determined by the bowl portion 14 by one lip operation, if the volume is determined in advance, the amount of food suitable for the user can be ensured. Can be taken. This means that the volume of the bowl portion 14 is limited by the presence of the lip guide portion 13 when compared with the bowl portion of a normal spoon, so that when the food is scooped, the amount is large. The food can be handled in an accurate amount in this respect without any variation.

Further, the lip guide portion 13 includes the wall portion 15 as described above, and as shown in FIG. 1, both ends 13 b in the width direction in plan view are compared with the region between them. The bowl portion 14 has a curved surface protruding in the distal direction.
Thereby, as will be described later, when the person using the spoon 10 closes the mouth, both ends of the lips, that is, portions from the corners of the mouth are located at both ends 13b, 13b of the lip guide portion 13, and the lips are closed. The tip contacts the region that has entered the back side of the spoon body 11. In other words, when the lip guide 13 is formed as described above, the wall 15 formed by the lip guide 13 follows the shape of the lip, and a gap is generated between the lip guide 13 and the lip. No food is left behind. For this reason, when rubbing food with the lips, there is no leftover, especially in infants with insufficient lip movement during food intake, elderly people with insufficient lip movement, persons with disabilities, etc. You can eat food without.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the handle 12 of the spoon 10 is formed relatively thin and long. By using a thick handle that is often found in spoons and the like for persons with disabilities, a user who grasps the handle 12 can use chopsticks without having to use the entire palm. It guides you to hold it with a pen grip like the case. As a result, the progress of the training can be used for training that leads to the use of more difficult-to-operate dishes such as chopsticks.

  In addition, this makes it possible to prevent the weight distribution from being biased toward the handle portion 12 by making the handle portion 12 thin. Therefore, when the user holds the spoon 10, the center of gravity depends on the side of the spoon main body 11, which is the head portion, so that the spoon main body 11 naturally faces the food and is easy to use.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the cross section of the handle portion 12 has a substantially elliptical or elliptical shape, or a curved shape obtained by chamfering a corner of a rectangular parallelepiped having a longitudinal direction in the cross sectional shape. . This makes it possible to clarify the direction when gripping the handle portion 12 and prevent the spoon body 11 from being tilted due to the rotation of the angle.

  Here, as described above, the lip guide portion 13 which is a part of the spoon main body 11 protrudes upward, but as understood from each of FIGS. 6 to 8, its back side is concave. ing. That is, as a result of forming the spoon main body 11 by deforming a metal plate, even if such a deformed portion is formed, for example, a molding that does not extremely increase the volume, such as a molded product such as a resin, is formed. Obtainable. For this reason, the spoon body 11 which is durable and excellent in rigidity can be provided without placing the center of gravity on the spoon body 11 side and without increasing the overall weight extremely.

  Further, the identification means 21 is formed on the upper surface of the handle 12 in FIG. The identification means 21 functions as a mark for understanding the direction of the spoon 10, in particular, the vertical direction of the spoon body 11. For this reason, the identification means 21 can be realized in various forms provided that it has a function of distinguishing the upper surface and the lower surface of the handle 12. That is, the identification means 21 is provided with a projection or projection provided on the upper surface of the handle 12 in a form different from that of the lower surface of the handle 12, such as a projection or a protrusion provided integrally with or separately from the material of the handle 12, or a handle. It can be formed by a concave portion, a bottomed hole, or the like provided on the upper surface of the portion 12. Further, the material can be formed by making the material of the entire upper surface or a part thereof different from the material of the lower surface, or roughening the surface. Further, the identification means 21 may be colored with a specific shape together with the projections or the like, or may be colored only with a specific shape without employing the projections or the like. The entire upper surface in FIG. 1 may be colored differently from the lower surface so that the upper surface and the lower surface can be distinguished.

  That is, if the identification means 21 has a three-dimensional feature, it is useful for a user who is visually impaired to identify. In addition, a user who can see is not required to have a three-dimensional feature, and can distinguish only by color. Further, when the infant or the like is the user, by adopting a form that draws special attention, such as a character, as the identification means 21, the direction of the spoon 10 can be easily identified and learned.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a use state of the spoon 10. As shown in FIG.
The user or caregiver holds the handle 12 of the spoon 10 and scoops food suitable for the user into the spoon body 11 (not shown).
In this case, since the bowl portion 14 of the spoon main body 11 is set to the above-described dimensions, it is possible to scoop up a sufficient amount of food.

Next, the assistant inserts the main body 11 of the spoon 10 into the mouth of the user as shown in FIG. At this time, the caregiver lightly touches the wall portion 15 of the lip guide portion 13 of the spoon body 11 to the front end of the upper lip UM of the user.
Thereby, the spoon main body 11 is positioned with respect to the insertion amount into the oral cavity S. That is, since the lip guide 13 is formed on the upper surface of the spoon main body 11, the caregiver can easily visually recognize the convex portion from an angle looking down on the user, and the lip guide 13 includes the wall portion 15. Therefore, the amount of insertion into the oral cavity can be controlled very easily even from a light clue that the lip guide section 15 is in contact with the front end of the upper lip of the user. In addition, even when the user himself uses the spoon 10 without the assistance of the assistant, the insertion position can be grasped by the touch of the upper lip touching the lip guide portion 13.

At this position, as shown in FIG. 10, the bowl portion 14 is located on the lip side in the oral cavity S of the user from the location where the upper canine teeth DT, DT are connected. Can be appropriately carried to the far side of the oral cavity when the user exercises the oral cavity.
That is, as described above, in the lip guide portion 13, the dimension LD from the tip of the spoon body 11 shown in FIG. 6 to the highest portion 13a of the lip guide portion 13 is approximately 32 mm to 38 mm, and is approximately 35 mm. I have. Accordingly, as described above, in a state where the lip guide portion 15 is in contact with the front end of the upper lip UM of the user, as shown in FIG. Can be located on the lip side of the place where both canines DT, DT are connected.

In this state, when the user closes the lips while pulling out in the direction of the handle 12, particularly, the lip guide portion 13 is connected to the bottom surface of the bowl portion 14 by the gentle curved surface of the wall portion 15. Both ends 13b, 13b of the guide portion 13 protrude toward the distal end of the bowl portion 14, and the center in the width direction is formed by a curved surface located on the back side of the both ends 13b, 13b. The food will be taken into the oral cavity regardless of the amount of food or the properties of the food such as solids and pastes.
For this reason, since the wall portion 15 formed by the lip guide portion 13 conforms to the shape of the lip UM, when the food is rubbed by the lip UM, the lip movement during food intake does not occur. Even infants who are not yet enough, elderly people with insufficient lip movement, disabled people, etc. can ingest food without hindrance.

11 to 14 are views of a spoon 30 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view of the spoon 30, FIG. 12 is a schematic side view of the spoon 30, and FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line EE of FIG. 11, and FIG. 13B is a sectional view taken along line FF of FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a positional relationship when the spoon 30 is taken into the oral cavity.
In these drawings, the same components as those of the spoon 10 of FIGS. 1 to 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.
The main difference between the spoon 30 and the first embodiment is the shape of the lip guide 13.

That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the lip guide portion 13 of the spoon 30 has a widthwise central portion 13d protruding in the tip direction of the bowl portion 14 (leftward in FIG. 11) in plan view, and both ends in the width direction. 13e, 13e has a curved surface located closer to the handle 12 than the center 13d.
When the spoon 30 is inserted not only from the front side but also obliquely into the oral cavity, the curved surface of the lip guide portion 13 causes the lip to hit the vicinity of the central portion 13d of the lip guide portion 13 similarly to the front side. It is formed from a substantially uniform curved surface in a plan view so that it can be in contact. Specifically, when the spoon 30 is inserted into the oral cavity S within the range of about 45 degrees in each of the left and right directions of the insertion angle θ shown in FIG. The lip guide portion 13 is formed such that the lip UM abuts near the substantially central portion 13d of the wall portion 15 of the portion 13. At this time, the radius r1 in the plane direction of the wall portion 15 of the lip guide portion 13 shown in FIG. 11 is formed to be in the range of 12 mm to 18 mm, here about 15 mm.

  The lip guide 13 is formed such that the curved surface in the thickness direction of the wall 15 has substantially the same curvature at any position. As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the wall 15 in the second embodiment has a radius r3 in the thickness direction of the wall 15 located at the center 13d, and both ends 13e, 13e. The radius r3 ′ in the thickness direction of the wall portion 15 located at 13e is formed to be 15 mm, and the curved surface radius r4 of the wall portion 15 on the lip guide portion 13 side of the bowl portion 14 is also set to 15 mm. It is connected in a continuous curved shape.

  In addition, the spoon 30 has a curved surface (curved line 28 in FIG. 11) in the vicinity of the connecting portion 26 where the lip guide portion 13 and the bowl portion 14 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the curved surface as viewed is formed from an approximate curvature. In the second embodiment, the curved surface in the planar direction near the connecting portion 26 and the curved surface in the planar direction of the distal end portion 14a are each designed to have a radius of about 15 mm, and the radius of each curved surface is 12 mm to It is preferred to be in the range of 18 mm. For this reason, the distance from the distal end portion 14a to the vicinity of the connection portion 26 is substantially equal at any position in the longitudinal section in the longitudinal direction. That is, as shown in a dashed-dotted line in FIG. 11 which is a partially enlarged view of the spoon body 11, and as shown in FIG. 13, for example, the distance L1 from the center in the width direction of the distal end portion 14a to the center in the width direction near the connecting portion 26 is also large. The distance L2 from both ends in the width direction of the distal end portion 14a to both ends in the width direction near the connection portion 26 is also approximately 25 mm, and is preferably in the range of 20 mm to 27 mm.

  The second embodiment is configured as described above, and the widthwise central portion 13d of the lip guide portion 13 protrudes in the direction of the tip of the bowl portion 14, and both widthwise end portions 13e, 13e are patterned more than the central portion 13d. By providing the curved surface located on the part 12 side, even when the spoon 30 is inserted into the oral cavity at an angle, the lip UM can be reliably brought into contact with the lip guide part 13 as in the case where the spoon 30 is inserted from the front side. .

  That is, in the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the lip guide portion 13 has both ends 13 b, 13 b in the width direction projecting toward the tip end of the bowl portion 14. As shown, when the spoon 10 is inserted from the front of the care recipient so as to face the lip UM with the assistance of the caregiver, the function of the above-described first embodiment is sufficiently exhibited. However, when the care recipient uses the spoon by himself or when he / she feeds in a state where the care recipient is positioned obliquely, as shown in FIG. 14, the spoon 30 is inclined from the corner of the mouth of the lip UM. And will be taken into the oral cavity. In this case, the lip UM abuts on one of the both ends 13b, 13b in the width direction of the lip guide portion 13, and there is a possibility that the spoon 10 cannot be sufficiently inserted into the oral cavity and the food is left behind. However, by making the lip guide 13 the above-described shape of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, even if the spoon 30 is inserted at a predetermined angle, the lip UM is substantially It can be reliably brought into contact with the vicinity of the center. Therefore, even when the care recipient uses the spoon 30 himself, the lip UM is reliably brought into contact with the lip guide portion 13, and the lip UM is moved along the wall portion 15 having the gentle curved surface of the lip guide portion 13. The food placed and guided on the bowl portion 14 can be scraped off.

  In addition, in the second embodiment, the insertion angle θ of the spoon 30 into the oral cavity is normally inserted from a range of about 45 degrees on each of the left and right sides, corresponding to the insertion angle when feeding with a spoon. In this case, the lip UM comes into contact with the vicinity of the substantially central portion 13d of the lip guide 13. In other words, if the insertion angle θ shown in FIG. 14 is in the range of 45 degrees left and right, the vicinity of the center of the lip UM is arranged at the substantially central portion 13d of the lip guide portion 13 and is not obstructed by both ends 13e. ing. This 45-degree angle is the angle that a healthy person or an adult generally takes when carrying a spoon to the lips. Therefore, when the care recipient uses the spoon 30 by himself, when he / she inserts the spoon 30 within a normal angle range, the person can surely eat by the function of the lip guide portion 13.

  Further, as described above, the vertical cross section of the wall portion 15 along the longitudinal direction of the spoon 30 has a curved surface that has the same curvature at any position. For this reason, the lip UM is similarly guided by the lip guide portion 13 without changing for each insertion position of the spoon 30 and each angle θ, and can scrape the food.

  In addition, since the curved surface in the planar direction near the connecting portion 26 and the curved surface in the planar direction of the distal end portion 14a have approximate curvatures, the distance from the distal end portion 14a to the vicinity of the connecting portion 26 is longer than the longitudinal cross section. The distance is substantially the same at any of the positions. Therefore, when the spoon 30 is inserted into the oral cavity S from the distal end portion 14a so as to face the lip, the distance from the distal end portion 14a to the vicinity of the connection portion 26, that is, the insertion dimension of the bowl portion 14 in the oral cavity S is: Regardless of the insertion position of the distal end portion 14a, they are substantially equal. Further, even when the spoon 30 is inserted obliquely as described above, the insertion dimension of the bowl portion 14 is not largely changed as compared with the case where the spoon 30 is inserted so as to face the lip. Therefore, regardless of the insertion position or the angle of the spoon 30 into the oral cavity S, the amount of the food placed on the bowl portion 14 can be rubbed without change, and the spoon 30 can be easily removed from the lip. .

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.
For example, the plane shape of the bowl portion 14 may be not only an oblong shape but also a slightly angular shape.
In addition, the lip guide 13 may be formed on one of the left and right sides (up and down in FIGS. 3 and 11) when viewed from the distal end side of the bowl section 14 so that the lip guide 13 can be selected according to the dominant arm.
The above embodiments may be combined with each other.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a first embodiment of a spoon according to the present invention, showing a state in which a bowl portion is directed upward. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a first embodiment of a spoon according to the present invention, showing a state in which a bowl portion is directed downward. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the entire spoon of FIG. 1. The schematic side view which shows the whole spoon of FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the handle of the spoon of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of the spoon main body 11 of FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a schematic end view taken along each cutting line in FIG. 6, (a) is a cut end view taken along the line BB in FIG. 6, (b) is a cut end view taken along the line CC in FIG. 6, and (c) is a view FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the portion in FIG. 6. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a use state of the spoon 10. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of the use state of FIG. 9. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of a spoon according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The spoon schematic side view concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along each cutting line of FIG. 11, (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE of FIG. 11, and (b) is a cross-sectional view cut along line FF of FIG. 11. The figure which shows the positional relationship when the spoon which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention is taken in the oral cavity.

Explanation of reference numerals

  10, 21 ... spoon, 11 ... spoon body, 12 ... handle, 13 ... lip guide, 14 ... bowl, 15 ... wall, 21 ... identification means .

Claims (7)

A long handle for gripping,
And a spoon body provided at the tip of this handle,
The spoon body is
A bowl portion formed entirely of metal, provided on the tip side of the spoon body, and having a concave shape downward,
A spoon provided with a lip guide protruding upward on the back side of the bowl portion, and wherein the bowl portion and the lip guide portion are integrally connected in a continuous curved shape.   The lip guide portion is characterized in that, in plan view, a central portion in the width direction protrudes in the tip direction of the bowl portion, and both end portions in the width direction are provided with a curved surface located closer to the handle portion than the central portion. A spoon according to claim 1.   The curved surface in a plan view near a connection portion where the lip guide portion and the bowl portion are in contact with each other, and a curved surface in a plan view of a tip portion of the bowl portion are formed with approximate curvatures. The spoon according to 2.   2. The spoon according to claim 1, wherein the lip guide has a curved surface in which both ends in the width direction protrude toward the tip of the bowl portion, and a center in the width direction is located deeper than the both ends. 3.   When the spoon main body is inserted into the oral cavity, and the upper lip contacts the top of the lip guide, the bowl portion is positioned closer to the lips than the location where the upper jaw tied both canines in the oral cavity. The spoon according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:   The said handle | steering-wheel part is formed thinly and it is made into the substantially elliptical or elliptical shape in the cross-sectional shape, The center of gravity in the whole spoon is located on the said spoon main body side. A spoon according to any of the above. The spoon according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an identification means having at least a form different from a form of the lower surface of the handle is provided on an upper surface of the handle.

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