JP4768148B2 - Self-use utensils for infants - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention is used, for example, in a process in which an infant develops to a level at which he / she uses food such as a spoon or fork from a state where food is given by an assistant such as a mother at the time of taking food other than breast milk or milk. Therefore, the present invention relates to a self-use eating tool suitable as a meal tool suitable for developmental stages such as infants' hands, palms and oral cavity.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, for example, when an infant of about 9 months to 36 months is practicing taking baby food or normal food by himself at home, eating tools such as spoons made small for infants are used. Yes.
In such eating utensils, for example, an infant spoon generally has a small size for a normal adult spoon so that infants can easily use it. A small spoon is used by infants.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, infants are in the middle of developmental stages such as the hands, palms, and oral cavity. For example, the handle of a handle such as a spoon should be held using a palm called “palm grass”, or the fingertips may move slightly. When this happens, there is a tendency that the piercing fingers and thumb are slightly out of the grip state of the palm grass and try to hold it in a manner called “finger grass”.
As described above, when the handle portion of the eating tool is gripped with the palm, it becomes difficult to control the direction of the head portion at the tip of the handle, that is, the spoon body or the fork body, or to move it delicately. .
[0004]
In other words, this kind of control is performed by moving the wrist and fingers of the hand holding the eating tool slightly for adults who are accustomed to handling the eating tool. Grasping with the palm makes it difficult to control with the wrist and fingers.
Therefore, an eating tool as shown in FIG. 37 has also been proposed.
The eating tool 5 of FIG. 37 is an example of a spoon, and the spoon 5 includes a cocoon body 7 at one end of the handle 6.
The handle 6 of the spoon 5 has a loop shape, and the spoon 5 can be held even with a weak force by passing a palm through the loop portion.
However, such a deformed pattern can not control the spoon using the fingertips, but rather encourages the grip using the palm for infants who need to practice the correct grip instead. This will impede correct development.
[0005]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. In a self-use eating utensil for use by infants and the like, it is urged to hold the handle in a correct manner. It aims to provide a self-use eating tool for infants that can be properly trained.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is a self-use eating tool for infants having a handle portion that is long in one direction and a head portion provided at the tip of the handle portion, and the end portion of the handle portion opposite to the head portion is provided on the end portion of the handle portion. , The size of the user's thumb, forefinger, and middle finger is such that it can be pinched with three fingers, at least larger than the outer diameter of the handle and 15 mm or less in diameter. A substantially spherical knob is provided.
The above configuration According to the above, infants have a tendency to pick long ends with their fingertips. By utilizing such a tendency of behavior, a substantially spherical shape is formed at the end of the handle as a shape that is easy to pinch with the fingertips, particularly the thumb, the index finger, and the middle finger at the end of the handle. Yes.
Thus, the infant can pick up the spherical tip, encourage the action of grasping the handle using the fingertip instead of the entire palm, and can train to shift to the correct way of holding with the so-called pen grip. .
[0007]
Preferably, The surface of the knob portion is formed of an elastic material.
According to the above configuration, Since the surface of the knob portion is formed of an elastic material, it is difficult to slip when an infant picks it with a fingertip and is easy to grip.
[0008]
Preferably, The knob portion is formed in a spherical shape and has a diameter of approximately 10 millimeters to 15 millimeters.
According to the above configuration It is easy to pinch with the small fingertips of infants and it is easy to encourage the action of holding the handle with the pen grip by making it the same size as the handle gripped with the pen grip. Further, it is preferable that the knob portion has a diameter of approximately 10 mm or more and 15 mm, which can reduce a sense of discomfort when the handle is gripped with a pen grip.
[0010]
Preferably, At least a part of the surface of the handle is formed of an elastic material.
According to the above configuration, Since at least a part of the surface of the handle portion is formed of an elastic material having a high frictional resistance, it is difficult to slip and easily hold when the infant holds and holds it.
[0011]
Preferably, The outer periphery of the handle is 25 mm to 40 mm.
According to the above configuration, If the handle is thicker than 40 mm in the outer peripheral dimension, the finger cannot be turned around the handle, so that gripping of the entire palm is induced, and if the handle is thinner than 25 mm, the handle may not be gripped. .
[0012]
Preferably, The handle has a length of 60 mm to 80 mm.
According to the above configuration, If the length of the handle is longer than 80 mm, the infant tends to grab the tip of the handle, so the distance from the head to the end becomes too large to operate, and the handle length is shorter than 60 mm. In some cases, it becomes smaller than the width of the palm, making it difficult to grasp and operate.
Preferably, the head portion is a head portion of a fork having a plurality of parallel and mutually curved stab teeth. .
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The embodiments described below are preferable specific examples 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. As long as there is no description of the effect, it is not restricted to these aspects.
[0014]
1 to 3 show a fork according to an embodiment of the present invention, and in particular, a configuration of an embodiment of a first fork. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the fork 10, FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the fork 10 in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional structure of the fork 10, and FIG. 3 (a) is a line AA in FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3C is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG.
[0015]
1 to 3, the fork 10 includes a handle portion 11 that is long in one direction, and a head portion 12 that includes a piercing tooth 13 provided at the tip of the handle portion 11.
In the fork 10, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the head portion 12 and the handle portion 11 integrated with the fork 10 are all made of a lightweight material, for example, a synthetic resin. It is molded with.
[0016]
The head portion 12 is provided with a plurality of piercing teeth 13 or a plurality of piercing teeth 13 parallel to each other, for example, four in this embodiment.
The head portion 12 of the fork 10 and the stab teeth 13 provided integrally with the head portion 12 and arranged parallel to each other are flat surfaces on which a virtual surface including the plurality of stab teeth 13 aligned in parallel is not curved. ing. That is, the head unit 12 is configured to be a plane that coincides with a plane indicated by XY in FIG. 2 as a plane on which a plurality of stab teeth 13 are arranged in parallel.
[0017]
In order to understand such a configuration, FIGS. 17 and 18 show a conventional fork and how it is used.
In the conventional fork 1 of FIG. 17, the head portion 3 formed at the tip of the handle portion 2 is curved toward the food 4 as shown. In other words, when the head portion 3 is curved in this way, it is easy to hold the stabbed food 4 and food can be placed on the curved concave surface. Therefore, the head portion 3 of the fork is generally curved in this way. Is formed.
However, in such a fork 1, if the head portion 3 is upside down, as shown in FIG. 18, the head portion 3 bends in a direction to escape from the food 4. It becomes difficult to hold. In particular, in the case of an infant who is not accustomed to using the fork 1, it may be difficult to take food by himself using such a method.
[0018]
In order to avoid this, in the present embodiment, the head portion 12 is formed so as not to bend. For this reason, in the fork 10, as described with reference to FIG. 18, the direction of the stab teeth 13 does not change depending on the vertical direction of the fork 10. Even if the direction is changed, food can be stabbed.
Since the plurality of stab teeth 13 are not curved as described above, it is not necessary to control the direction of the force to be applied according to the curve direction of the stab teeth as in the prior art. Thereby, even if it is a case where the method of grasping the handle | pattern part 11 by the infant is not correct, food can be stabbed without so much difficulty.
[0019]
And in order to acquire such an effect, the head part 12 does not necessarily need to be planarly formed, and the stab tooth 13 should just exist in XY plane of FIG. Further, since the stab teeth 13 are formed in a straight line, when the infant stabs food with the stab teeth 13, the stab teeth 13 are not caught easily, and after carrying to the mouth, the lips or teeth are closed with a weak force. It is easy to leave food in the oral cavity just by pulling out the stab teeth.
Therefore, when not aiming at such an effect, or when importance is attached to the retainability of the stabbed food, the stab teeth 13 may have a shape that extends, for example, in a zigzag manner in the XY plane.
[0020]
Further, the head portion 12 of the fork 10 has a width W1 of approximately 20 mm or more and 25 mm or less in FIG.
This width W1 assumes that the infant who is the user is an infant from about 12 months to about 2 years old, and is about two-thirds of the distance between the mouth corners at both ends of the mouth. It corresponds to.
Thereby, it is suitable when inserting the front-end | tip of the stab teeth 13 in the oral cavity substantially perpendicularly. That is, if the width of the head portion 12 is smaller than 20 mm, finger development is immature, so it is difficult to carry the fork 10 to the mouth, and it induces closing the lips so as to squeeze the lips. There is a bad effect that you can't take in food by closing it tightly. If the width of the head portion 12 is larger than 25 millimeters, it is difficult to enter the mouth portion. In addition, since the lips are difficult to close, there is an adverse effect that food cannot be taken in and cannot be pulled out smoothly from the mouth.
[0021]
Further, the length L3 of the stab teeth 13 formed on the head portion 12 is set to be approximately 12 millimeters or more and 18 millimeters or less.
The length of the stab teeth 13 corresponds to the size of food that can be taken according to the size of the oral cavity by infants from about 12 months to about 2 years of age. That is, if the length L3 of the stab teeth 13 is shorter than 12 millimeters, the food cannot be stabbed to a sufficient depth, so that it is easy to come off and drops while being carried to the mouth. When the length is longer than 18 mm, the finger cannot be punctured well because its function is underdeveloped, and when the food that has been deeply stabbed until it reaches the base of the stabbed teeth is taken into the mouth, It is difficult to pull out food in a state where food is suppressed with the lips, and there is a problem of safety.
[0022]
Further, the fork 10 includes a substantially spherical knob 15 at the end of the handle 11 opposite to the head 12.
The knob portion 15 can be configured not only in a substantially perfect spherical shape as shown, but also in various forms such as a hemispherical shape and an elliptical shape. The knob portion 15 is formed in consideration of the following features of hand functions of the infant. That is, the infant has a tendency to pick a long tip with a fingertip. By utilizing such a behavior tendency, a substantially spherical shape is formed at the end of the handle as a shape that can be easily pinched with three fingers of the fingertip, particularly the thumb, the index finger, and the middle finger at the tip of the handle. .
Thus, the infant can pick up the spherical tip that is the knob portion 15 to promote the action of grasping the handle using the fingertip instead of the entire palm, and can train the correct holding method using the so-called pen grip. This point will be described in more detail later.
[0023]
Further, the surface of the knob portion 15 of the handle portion 11 is formed of an elastic material. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 (a), and 3 (c), the entire surface of the end portion 11 b opposite to the head portion 12 of the handle portion 11 is made of, for example, an elastomer or the like. It is covered with an elastic material. In this embodiment, as the elastomer as the elastic material, for example, a material having a hardness of about 60 in JIS-K6253 (ISO7619) A type is selected.
Thereby, the knob part 15 is made to be hard to slip when the infant picks it with a fingertip, and to be easily grasped.
The diameter of the spherical knob portion 15 is preferably larger than the thickness (outer diameter) of the handle portion 11. Specifically, the diameter of the spherical knob portion 15 is, for example, not less than 10 millimeters and not more than 15 millimeters. Thereby, it is set to a size that can be easily pinched by a small fingertip of an infant. When the diameter of the spherical knob portion 15 is larger than the diameter of the handle portion 11, it is particularly easy for the infant to catch the eye, and the infant tries to grab the knob portion 15 with interest. The action can be invited effectively. Also, when the fork 10 is placed on the dining table, the handle 11 is inclined so that the handle 11 is raised toward the knob 15 due to the large spherical knob 15 at the end. It will float from the surface. Thereby, it becomes easy to grasp the handle 11.
[0024]
Further, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, the cross-sectional shape of the handle portion 11 of the fork 10 is the arrangement direction of the plurality of stab teeth 13 of the head portion 12 (Y in FIG. 2). The direction is a long ellipse or oval shape. That is, if the cross-sectional shape of the handle 11 is, for example, a quadrilateral cross-section, there is a corner, so that the practice of gripping by an infant as described later is prevented from being hindered.
Further, since the cross-sectional shape of the handle portion 11 is an ellipse or an ellipse that is long in the Y direction in FIG. 2, when the infant holds the handle portion 11, the plurality of stab teeth 13 of the head portion 12 are substantially horizontal. They are lined up in the direction so that they can be positioned correctly.
Here, the thickness of the handle portion 11 is about 8 mm on the short axis and about 10 mm on the long axis in the elliptical cross section. If it is too thick, the fingers cannot be turned around the handle portion. There is a problem that if the grip is too thin, the handle cannot be gripped. For this reason, it is preferable to form so that the outer periphery of the handle part 11 may be 25 mm to 40 mm.
Further, as described above, since the surface of the end portion 11b of the handle portion is formed of an elastic material, it is difficult to slip when held by an infant and is easy to hold.
In this fork 10, in FIG. 2, the length L1 of the handle 11 is about 78 mm, the total length L2 is about 100 mm, and the length L1 of the handle 11 is 60 mm to 80 mm. Is preferred. If L1 is longer than 80 mm, the infant tends to grab the tip of the handle, so the distance from the head 12 to the end 15 becomes too large to operate, and if L1 is shorter than 60 mm, it is smaller than the palm width. I can't hold and operate.
[0025]
The fork 10 as the first fork of the present embodiment is configured as described above and is used as follows.
Here, before explaining the method of using the fork 10, the relationship between the development of the motor function of the infant's hand and palm and how to grasp the food such as the fork and spoon will be explained.
FIG. 4 shows that when an infant grasps a long object such as the handle 11 of the fork 10 or the part B, the palm called “palm grass” as shown in FIG. Is held. Fig.4 (a) is the figure which looked at the state of palm grass from the front, FIG.4 (b) is the figure which looked at the state of palm grass from the back.
In the state of palm grass, the entire palm is used to grasp the handle, so the fingertips cannot be used, and the eating tool can be operated only by moving the wrist, and detailed operations are difficult.
[0026]
Next, the fingertip moves slightly, and as shown in FIG. 5, the stabbed finger and the thumb are slightly disengaged from the gripping state of the palm grass, and are gripped as “finger grass”. If you do fingergrass, you will be able to move your fingertips slightly more than palm grass, but at this stage, the movement of the wrist will finally be the center, by moving your fingertips It is difficult to perform detailed operations sufficiently.
However, it is difficult to adjust fine movements such as adjusting the angle of the head part and changing the orientation of both palm and finger graps as a way of holding forks and other eating tools, and ordinary adults use eating tools It is difficult to use these utensils well unless they can be held with the pen grips that are used. That is, in the pen grip, as shown in FIG. 6, almost no palm is used, and the abdomen and sides of the three fingers of the index finger, thumb, and middle finger are brought into contact with the long part B to be held. This is because it can be controlled more freely by the movement of the finger.
[0027]
FIG. 7 shows a state in which the fork 10 is correctly pen gripped with the hand H. This figure shows a state in which the portion 11a from the head portion 12 of the handle portion 11 of the fork 10 is held using three fingers of the index finger, thumb, and middle finger of the hand H.
At the stage of infant feeding behavior training, it is necessary to learn how to grip with the pen grip, and the head portion 12 is controlled when the pen grip holds a portion close to the head portion 12 as shown in the figure. It's easy to do.
[0028]
However, since it is difficult to suddenly execute a pen grip as shown in FIG. 7 for an infant who can only hold it as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, using the fork 10, for example, first, as shown in FIG. You can practice gripping like this.
In FIG. 8, the tendency of an infant to tend to grab the end of a long object is used. In particular, it is possible to urge the user to pinch the spherical knob 15 at the tip of the handle with the fingertip using such a behavior tendency. In particular, by setting the diameter of the knob portion to 10 mm to 15 mm, it is possible to prompt the user to actively pinch with three fingers, especially the thumb, the index finger, and the middle finger, from the size of the fingertip of the infant. It is made to pick in the form of a pen grip as shown in the figure.
In the course of repeating this, it is possible to gradually realize the practice of holding the portion of the handle portion 11 in the same manner of gripping, and eventually it is possible to execute a pen grip as shown in FIG.
[0029]
FIG. 9 shows a state in which the end 11b opposite to the head 12 of the handle 11 of the fork 10 is held by a pen grip. If the position is gradually maintained by developing from the method of holding in FIG. 7, the position at a distance from the head unit 12 can be held. Thereby, since the head part 12 provided with the stab teeth 13 can be moved more freely, it is preferable.
Further, as described above, the end side 11b is provided with an elastomer on the surface, and is difficult to slip. Therefore, if the holding method is used, the fork 10 can be used for an infant who tends to lack the fingertip force. It can be used without dropping.
[0030]
Furthermore, by using the fork 10 to practice pen grip, the eating behavior as shown in FIG. 10 can be improved.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how to insert the fork 10 into the lip M when the infant takes food into the mouth M by eating behavior.
In FIG. 10 (1), the head portion 12 is sleeping with respect to the lip M, that is, the stabbed teeth 13 are lying. For example, in the case where the palm can be held only by the palm grass finger or finger grass described in FIGS. 4 and 5, the infant moves while adjusting the movements of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist of the hand holding the fork 10. It can be observed that, in combination with trying to move the upper arm together, it carries food in this inappropriate way.
[0031]
On the other hand, when the fork 10 can be held with the pen grip by practicing as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the head and the fingertip can be moved to carry the head part to the lips. As a result, the orientation of the head portion 12 and the stab teeth 13 of the fork 10 can be controlled, and the stab teeth 13 are made to be substantially perpendicular to the lip M as shown in (2) and (3) of FIG. Towards this, it will be possible to achieve the same way of carrying food and inserting into the mouth as adults.
[0032]
FIG. 11 shows how to take in the food held by the fork 10 in the oral cavity. 11A shows a state in which the food held by the fork 10 is simply dropped into the mouth M, and FIG. 11B shows that the food held by the fork 10 is scraped using the teeth T. Fig. 11 (c) shows a state where the food held by the fork 10 is held by the lip M and taken into the oral cavity, respectively.
[0033]
If the fork 10 cannot be properly held and the relationship between the fork 10 and the mouth M is as shown in (1) or (2) of FIG. 10, the head portion 12 of the fork 10 is oriented sideways. Therefore, the head portion 12 or the stab teeth 13 cannot be sufficiently received from the lips to the inside. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 11A or FIG.
Accordingly, the practice of holding the fork 10 while the infant is holding it and developing it so that the movement of the wrist and fingertips can be controlled with fine control, the orientation of the fork 10 with respect to the mouth M is shown in FIG. In addition, as shown in FIG. 11 (c), the food can be correctly taken into the oral cavity in combination with the stronger force for closing the lips.
[0034]
In this case, as described above, the head portion 12 of the fork 10 has a width W1 of approximately 20 mm or more and 25 mm or less in FIG. As shown in (3), the head part 12 can be correctly inserted into the oral cavity.
In addition, since the length L3 of the stab teeth 13 formed on the head portion 12 is approximately 12 millimeters or more and 18 millimeters or less, food can be easily taken into the oral cavity, and FIG. As shown in Fig. 2, the food can be taken into the oral cavity correctly.
[0035]
12 is a perspective view showing the second fork 20 of the present embodiment, FIG. 13 is a schematic side view of the second fork 20 of FIG. 12, and FIG. 14 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of FIG. .
Compared with the first fork 10, the second fork 20 has many common points, and the fork 20 has a handle portion 21 that is long in one direction and a stabbed piercing tooth provided at the tip of the handle portion 21. And a head portion 22 having a head 23.
The fork 20, for example, has a head portion 12 that is different from the fork 10 and is made of a heavier metal material, such as stainless steel. The handle portion 21 is made of a lightweight material, for example, a synthetic resin, and is formed of, for example, polypropylene.
[0036]
The handle portion 21 is set longer than the handle portion 11 of the fork 10. For example, in FIG. 13, the length L 4 of the handle portion 21 is about 80 mm for the same reason as the fork 10. Further, the length L5 of the head portion 22 is about 32 mm, and the length L6 from a stopper portion 25 (described later) to the tip of the head portion 22 formed by extending the head portion side of the handle portion is about 24 mm. ing. As a result, the infant can prevent the risk of putting the stabbed teeth 23 into the back of the oral cavity by placing a slight step of the stopper 25 on the lips, ensuring safety and dropping food into the back of the oral cavity. Therefore, it is possible to promote proper food intake by chewing and swallowing food taken in the oral cavity.
Moreover, the surface of the handle | steering-piece part 21 is covered with the elastic material among the edge part side 21a, 21b similarly to the handle | pattern part 11 of the fork 10, and exhibits the same effect | action. Has been.
[0037]
The fork 20 is particularly different from the fork 10 in the shape of the head portion 22 and the stab teeth 23, and is curved as shown in FIGS. For example, the curvature radius R is about 39 mm, and it is easy to place food on the concave surface like a normal fork. Moreover, since the stab teeth 23 are similarly curved, the retention of the stabbed food is also improved.
At this time, for example, “stab” is written on the lower surface of the handle 21 in FIG. 13 and “suku” is written on the upper surface of the handle 21 in FIG. Thus, it is possible to provide guidance for selecting the direction of the upper and lower directions during use.
In relation to this, a design for a character or the like is usually given to an infant fork or the like, and the infant tends to use the character print side up. For this reason, if importance is attached to using the food as a fork, for example, a character or the like may be printed on the lower surface of the handle 21 in FIG. Furthermore, the handle portion 21 and the head portion 23 are not only easy to stab and put food, but also to allow food to be placed, because the predetermined angle is set so that the angle θ of FIG. 13 is about 10 degrees, for example. It is easy to pull out the fork after taking it into the oral cavity.
[0038]
The fork 20 having such characteristics is sold as a set with the fork 10, so that the fork 10 is first used according to the developmental stage of the infant, and then the fork 20 is used. Meal training can be realized.
In other words, the fork 10 is a stage in which the motor functions such as the hand and palm are considerably insufficient, and as described above, the infant starts to hold the fork, and then stabs food and carries it to the mouth. Realize basic training in use, and at the same time, get used to holding the fork 10 with the three fingers of the index finger, middle finger and thumb, and move to pen grip It aims to encourage you to do.
[0039]
After such training, the infant can begin to hold the fork 20 with a pen grip, and can control the orientation of the head portion 22 and the like quite freely by fine movements of the wrist and fingertips. .
FIG. 15 shows the movement trajectory of the fork 10 with arrows relative to the container C1 containing food. The fork 10 is, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 15, a stab that is the basic use of a fork when the movement of fingers and wrists is still undeveloped and food can only be stabbed by linear movement. You can practice to use.
[0040]
On the other hand, the fork 20 can be used for scooping or cutting food as a more advanced method of using the fork as well as stinging food as the infant develops. For example, as described with reference to FIG. 9 for the fork 10, when the handle is held with a pen grip, the fork 20 has a center of gravity located on the head portion 22 side as compared to the fork 10. In other words, the head portion 22 is made of metal and heavy, and the stab teeth 23 are naturally easy to face in the direction of food. Not only is it easy to stab even harder food, but the direction of the head portion is changed. Easy to cut food.
[0041]
Furthermore, when the infant with advanced arm and hand functions moves the head part 22 along the locus shown by the arrow in FIG. 16, the head part 22 and the stab teeth 23 can scoop up food along the curve. Because it is curved, food can be placed firmly.
In addition, when the food is not stabbed but scooped, the fork can be used almost like an adult if the movement of the head portion 22 is controlled by the movement of the wrist. .
[0042]
In this way, by using the fork 10 and the fork 20 in order according to the developmental stage of the infant, it is possible to acquire the ability to use the fork in the same way as an adult while ingesting food without difficulty in the developmental stage. Can be trained.
[0043]
19 to 24 show a spoon according to an embodiment of the present invention, and in particular, the configuration of the first spoon embodiment. 19 is a schematic perspective view of the spoon 30, FIG. 20 is a schematic plan view of the spoon 30 of FIG. 19, FIG. 21 is a schematic side view with the concave surface of the spoon 30 of FIG. 19 facing upward, and FIG. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the bowl main body of the spoon 30 in FIG. 20, (a) is a cross-sectional view along the line BB, and (b) is a cross-sectional view along the line C-- 24 is a cross-sectional view of the handle portion of the spoon 30, FIG. 24A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 20, and FIG. 24B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF of FIG. ing.
[0044]
In FIG. 19 thru | or FIG. 21, the spoon 30 is provided with the handle | stamp body 31 provided with the concave surface 33 as a head part provided in the front-end | tip of this handle | pattern part 31 and the handle | pattern part 31 long in one direction.
For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the spoon 30 is formed of a lightweight material, for example, a synthetic resin, as shown in FIG. For example, it is molded from polypropylene.
[0045]
The heel body 32, which is the head portion, is made of the same material as the handle portion 31 and is lightweight, and is formed in a bowl shape having a concave surface 33 on the upper surface.
The head portion is a cocoon body having a concave surface for containing food. The cocoon body also has a concave surface 33 with respect to a virtual center axis C3 along the longitudinal direction of the handle portion 31. Is tilted in the direction in which it is raised, and the tilt angle θ is set to approximately 10 degrees. As a result, as will be described later, an infant at the time of using the spoon 30 can easily pick up the food stored in the predetermined container with the cocoon body 32 and can handle the spoon 30 well after carrying the food to the mouth. Has been.
[0046]
Further, the heel body 32 of the spoon 30 has a width W2 of approximately 20 mm or more and 25 mm or less in FIG.
This width W2 assumes that the infant who is the user is an infant of about 9 months to about 2 years of age, and is approximately two-thirds of the distance between the mouth corners that are both ends of the mouth. It corresponds to.
Thereby, it is suitable when inserting the front-end | tip of the heel body 32 in the oral cavity substantially perpendicularly. In other words, if the width of the heel body 32 is smaller than 20 mm, finger development is immature, so it is difficult to carry the heel body into the mouth, and it induces closing the lips so as to squeeze the lips. There is a harmful effect that food cannot be taken in by closing tightly. If it is larger than 25 mm, it is difficult to enter the oral cavity, which induces an act of inserting the main body from the side of the lips, that is, the position of the mouth corner, which is not desirable. In addition, since the lips are difficult to close, there is an adverse effect that food cannot be taken in and cannot be pulled out smoothly from the mouth.
[0047]
Furthermore, the curvature of the concave surface 33 of the heel body 32 corresponds to the depth at which an infant can scoop up food into the heel body 32 and take it into the oral cavity at one time or close the lips and take in the scooped food. As shown in FIG. 23 (a), for example, the curvature 33a of the central portion has a radius of 17 mm, and as shown in FIG. 23 (b), the curvature 33b of the tip portion has a radius of about 29 mm. ing.
[0048]
Further, the spoon 30 is provided with a substantially spherical knob 35 at the end of the handle 31 opposite to the heel body 32.
The knob portion 35 can be configured not only in a substantially perfect spherical shape as shown in the figure but also in various forms such as a hemispherical shape and an elliptical shape. The knob portion 35 is formed in consideration of the following features of infant hand functions. That is, the infant has a tendency to pick a long tip with a fingertip. By utilizing such a behavior tendency, a substantially spherical shape is formed at the end of the handle as a shape that can be easily pinched with three fingers of the fingertip, particularly the thumb, the index finger, and the middle finger at the tip of the handle. .
Thus, the infant can pick up the spherical tip that is the knob portion 35 to promote the action of grasping the handle portion using the fingertip instead of the entire palm, and can train how to hold the pen grip correctly. This point will be described in more detail later.
[0049]
Further, the surface of the knob portion 35 of the handle portion 31 is formed of an elastic material. That is, as shown in FIG. 22, the entire end 11b of the handle 31 opposite to the heel body 32 is covered with an elastic material such as an elastomer. In this embodiment, as the elastomer as the elastic material, for example, a material having a hardness of about 60 in JIS-K6253 (ISO7619) A type is selected.
Thereby, the knob part 35 is made to be hard to slip when the infant picks it with a fingertip, and to be easily grasped.
The diameter of the spherical knob 35 is, for example, not less than 10 millimeters and not more than 15 millimeters. Thereby, it is set to a size that can be easily pinched by a small fingertip of an infant.
Further, the diameter of the spherical knob 35 is preferably larger than the thickness (outer diameter) of the handle 31. Specifically, the diameter of the spherical knob 35 is, for example, not less than 10 millimeters and not more than 15 millimeters. Thereby, it is set to a size that can be easily pinched by a small fingertip of an infant. When the diameter of the spherical knob portion 35 is formed larger than the diameter of the handle portion 31, it is particularly easy for the infant to catch the eye, and the infant tries to grab the knob portion 35 by attracting interest. The action can be invited effectively. In addition, when the spoon 30 is placed on the table, the handle 31 is inclined so that the handle 31 is raised over the knob 35 due to the large spherical knob 35 at the end, so that the handle 31 becomes the table. It will float from the surface. Thereby, it becomes easy to grasp the handle 31.
[0050]
Moreover, the cross-sectional shape of the handle portion 31 of the spoon 30 is an ellipse that is long in the direction of the width W2 (Y direction in FIG. 20) of the heel body 32, as shown in FIGS. 24 (a) and 24 (b). Or it is made into an ellipse shape. That is, if the cross-sectional shape of the handle portion 31 is, for example, a quadrangular cross section, there is a corner, so that the practice of gripping by an infant as described later is prevented from being hindered.
Further, since the cross-sectional shape of the handle 31 is an ellipse or an ellipse that is long in the Y direction in FIG. 20, when the infant holds the handle 31, the concave surface 33 of the heel body 32 faces upward. It can be positioned correctly.
Here, the thickness of the handle 31 is about 8 mm on the short axis and about 10 mm on the long axis in the elliptical cross section, and if it is too thick, the fingers cannot be turned around the handle. There is a problem that if the grip is too thin, the handle cannot be gripped. For this reason, it is preferable that the outer periphery of the handle 31 is 25 mm to 40 mm.
Moreover, since the surface of the end portion 31b of the handle is formed of an elastic material as described above, it is difficult to slip when the infant holds it with a pen grip, and is easy to hold.
And in this spoon 30, in FIG. 20, the length L8 of the handle | pattern part 31 shall be about 70 mm, and the full length L7 shall be about 98 mm. In this case, the length L8 of the handle 31 is preferably 60 mm to 80 mm. If the length L8 of the handle 31 is longer than 80 mm, the infant tends to grip the tip of the handle 31 and is difficult to operate. When the length L8 of the handle portion 31 is shorter than 60 mm, the length of the handle portion 31 becomes smaller than the width of the palm, making it difficult to hold and operate.
[0051]
The spoon 30 as the first spoon of the present embodiment is configured as described above and is used as follows.
Here, before explaining how to use the spoon 30, the relationship between the development of the motor function of the infant's hand and palm and how to grasp the eating tool such as the spoon and spoon will be explained.
25, when an infant grasps a long object such as the handle 31 of the spoon 30 or the part B, if the fingertip has an undeveloped exercise ability, a palm called “palm grass” as shown in FIG. 25 is used. Is held. Fig.25 (a) is the figure which looked at the state of palm grass from the front, FIG.25 (b) is the figure which looked at the state of palm grass from the back.
In the state of palm grass, the entire palm is used to grasp the handle, so the fingertips cannot be used, and the eating tool can be operated only by moving the wrist, and detailed operations are difficult.
[0052]
Next, the fingertip moves slightly, and as shown in FIG. 26, the piercing finger and the thumb are slightly disengaged from the gripping state of the palm grass, and are gripped as “finger grass”. If you do fingergrass, you will be able to move your fingertips slightly more than palm grass, but at this stage, the movement of the wrist will finally be the center, by moving your fingertips It is difficult to perform detailed operations sufficiently.
However, it is difficult to adjust fine movements such as adjusting the angle of the cocoon body or changing the orientation of both palm and finger grass as a way to hold a spoon or other food. It is difficult to use these utensils well unless they can be held with the pen grips that are used when using utensils. That is, in the pen grip, as shown in FIG. 27, almost no palm is used, and the abdomen and sides of the three fingers of the index finger, thumb, and middle finger are brought into contact with the long part B to be held. This is because it can be controlled more freely by the movement of the finger.
[0053]
FIG. 28 shows a state in which the spoon 30 is correctly gripped with the hand H. This figure shows a state in which the portion 31a of the handle portion 31 of the spoon 30 from the heel body 32 is held using three fingers of the index finger, thumb, and middle finger of the hand H.
At the stage of infant feeding behavior training, it is necessary to learn how to grip such a pen grip, and if the pen grip holds a portion close to the heel body 32 as shown, the heel body 32 is controlled. It's easy to do.
[0054]
However, since it is difficult to suddenly execute a pen grip as shown in FIG. 28 for an infant who can only hold it as shown in FIG. 25 or FIG. 26, for example, first, as shown in FIG. You can practice gripping like this.
In FIG. 29, the fact that there is a tendency to grab the end of a long object is used as the propensity of an infant. In particular, it is possible to urge the user to pinch the spherical knob 35 at the tip of the handle with the fingertip using such a behavior tendency. In particular, by setting the knob portion to a diameter of 10 mm to 15 mm, it is possible to encourage the user to actively pinch with the three fingers of the thumb, the index finger, and the middle finger according to the size of the fingertip of the infant. 35 is picked in the form of a pen grip as shown.
While repeating this, it is possible to gradually realize practice of holding the portion of the handle portion 31 in the same manner of gripping, and eventually it is possible to execute a pen grip as shown in FIG.
[0055]
FIG. 30 shows a state in which the end 11b opposite to the main body 32 of the handle 31 of the spoon 30 is held by a pen grip. If it develops from the holding | maintenance method of FIG. 28 and such a position is gradually hold | maintained, it will become possible to hold | maintain the position which put the distance from the heel main body 32. FIG. This is preferable because the heel body 32 can be moved more freely.
In addition, as described above, the end portion 31b is provided with an elastomer on the surface and is difficult to slip. Therefore, with such a holding method, the infant 30 tends to have insufficient fingertip power. It can be used without dropping.
[0056]
Furthermore, by using the spoon 30 to practice pen grip, the eating behavior as shown in FIG. 31 can be improved.
FIG. 31 is a diagram showing how to insert the spoon 30 into the lip M when an infant takes food into the mouth M by eating behavior.
In (1) of FIG. 31, the heel body 32 is in a sleeping state with respect to the lip M, that is, in a lying state. For example, in the case where the palm can be held only by the palm grass and finger grass illustrated in FIGS. 25 and 26, the infant operates while adjusting the movements of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist of the hand holding the spoon 30. Inability to do so, coupled with trying to move the upper arm together, is observed to carry food in the mouth in this inappropriate way.
[0057]
On the other hand, when it becomes possible to hold the spoon 30 with a pen grip by practicing as shown in FIG. 28 to FIG. 30, the wrist and fingertips are moved to carry the heel body 30 to the lips. Therefore, the orientation of the heel body 32 of the spoon 30 can be controlled. As shown in FIGS. 31 (2) and (3), the heel body 32 is directed substantially perpendicular to the lip M, It will be possible to realize how to carry food and put it in the mouth like adults.
[0058]
FIG. 32 shows how to take in the food held by the spoon 30 in the oral cavity. FIG. 32A shows a state in which the food held by the spoon 30 is simply dropped into the mouth M, and FIG. 32B shows that the food held by the spoon 30 is scraped using the teeth T. FIG. 32 (c) shows a state where the food held by the spoon 30 is held by the lips M and taken into the oral cavity, respectively.
[0059]
If the spoon 30 cannot be held correctly and the relationship between the spoon 30 and the mouth M is as shown in (1) or (2) of FIG. 31, the orientation of the bowl body 32 of the spoon 30 is close to the side. Therefore, the heel body 32 cannot be sufficiently received from the lips to the inside. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 32 (a) or FIG. 32 (b), the feeding behavior becomes inappropriate.
Therefore, the direction of the spoon 30 with respect to the mouth M is shown in FIG. In addition, as shown in FIG. 32 (c), the food can be correctly taken into the oral cavity in combination with the stronger force for closing the lips.
[0060]
In this case, as described above, the bowl body 32 of the spoon 30 has a width W1 in FIG. 20 that is approximately 20 millimeters or more and 25 millimeters or less. As shown in (3), the heel body 32 can be correctly inserted into the oral cavity.
In addition, since the depth of the concave surface 33 of the heel body 32 is set as described above, the food can be easily taken into the oral cavity as shown in FIG.
[0061]
33 is a perspective view showing a second spoon 40 of the present embodiment, FIG. 34 is a schematic side view of the second spoon 40 of FIG. 33, and FIG. 35 is a schematic longitudinal section of the spoon 40 of FIG. FIG.
The second spoon 40 has a lot in common with the first spoon 30, and the spoon 40 includes a handle portion 41 that is long in one direction and a concave surface 43 provided at the tip of the handle portion 41. And a main body 42.
For example, the spoon body 32 of the spoon 40 is formed of a metal material, such as stainless steel, which is a heavier material, unlike the spoon 30. The handle portion 41 is formed of a light material, for example, a synthetic resin, and is formed of, for example, polypropylene.
[0062]
The handle 41 is set longer than the handle 31 of the spoon 30. For example, in FIG. 34, the length L9 of the handle 41 is about 80 mm. Further, the length L10 of the heel body 42 is about 32 mm, which matches the length from the stopper portion 45 to the tip of the heel body 42. The stopper portion 45 prevents the infant from placing a small step portion of the stopper portion 45 on the lips, thereby preventing the risk of putting the heel body 42 in the back of the oral cavity, ensuring safety and ensuring food in the back of the oral cavity. Can be prevented from being dropped, so that it is possible to encourage proper food intake by chewing and swallowing food taken into the oral cavity.
Moreover, the surface of the handle | pattern part 41 is covered with an elastic material among the edge part sides 41a and 41b similarly to the handle | pattern part 31 of the spoon 30, and exhibits the same effect | action. Has been.
[0063]
The spoon 40 is particularly different from the spoon 30 in that the heel body 42 coincides with a virtual central axis C4 along the length direction of the handle 41. That is, the heel body 42 is not inclined with respect to the virtual central axis C4 along the length direction of the handle 41. Thereby, it is used like a normal spoon.
In addition, a design for a character or the like is usually given to a spoon or the like for an infant, and the infant tends to use the character print side up. For this reason, for example, “printing of a character or the like may be added to the upper surface of the handle 41 of FIG.
[0064]
The spoon 40 having such characteristics is sold as a set with the spoon 30, so that the spoon 30 is used first according to the developmental stage of the infant, and then the spoon 40 is used. Meal training can be realized.
That is, the spoon 30 is a stage where the movement functions such as the hand and the palm are considerably insufficient. As described above, the spoon 30 is first scooped up the food on the bowl main body 32, and after this is taken into the mouth, the bowl main body 32 is taken up. The aim is to perform training for pulling out the mouth from the mouth, and at the same time, training for holding the spoon 30 with a pen grip.
[0065]
After such training, the infant can begin to hold the spoon 40 with a pen grip, and can control the orientation of the heel body 42 and the like fairly freely by the movement of the wrist.
Such movement will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16.
FIG. 15 shows the movement trajectory of the spoon 30 with arrows relative to the container C1 containing food. At the stage where the spoon 30 is used, the infant tries to scoop the food with a linear motion as shown by the arrow in FIG.
[0066]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 16, the spoon 40 is a container C2 containing food, for example, in the case of the spoon 40 held with a pen grip as described in FIG. Compared with the spoon 30, the center of gravity is located on the side of the bowl main body 42. That is, the bowl main body 42 is made of metal and heavy, and the bowl main body 42 is naturally oriented in the direction of food.
[0067]
Thereby, the infant moves the locus of movement of the heel body along a curved locus as shown by the arrow in FIG. 34 by the movement of the wrist, so that the food on the concave surface 43 of the heel body 42 follows the curve. Can be placed.
[0068]
In this way, by using the spoon 30 and the spoon 40 in order according to the developmental stage of the infant, the ability to use the spoon in the same way as an adult while taking food without difficulty in the developmental stage. Can be trained.
In addition, infants at this time eat solid foods that are as hard as adults, and this spoon has a center of gravity on the body side of the bowl, cutting fixed foods into appropriate sizes. Then, it is easy to perform operations such as scooping this.
[0069]
Since the embodiments of the present invention are configured as described above, the following forms may be taken as the scope of the present invention in addition to the forms described in the claims.
The head part of the present invention is a cocoon body provided with a concave surface for containing food, and the cocoon body is approximately 10 degrees on the concave side with respect to a virtual central axis along the longitudinal direction of the handle part. It can be characterized by having a configuration with an inclination angle of.
According to this configuration, the infant self-use eating tool is a spoon, and the heel body that is the head portion is almost inclined with respect to the virtual central axis along the longitudinal direction of the handle portion. If not, it is difficult to scoop the food contained in the specified container at the main body. Also, if the inclination is too large, the spoon cannot be handled well after the food is brought into the mouth. Therefore, as a result of various investigations on the inclination angle suitable for removing both of these adverse effects, the present inventor found that the heel body is on the concave surface side with respect to the virtual central axis along the longitudinal direction of the handle portion. It is inclined approximately 10 degrees. Here, approximately 10 degrees is about 8 degrees to 12 degrees.
This spoon is preferably a spoon used by a care recipient such as an infant.
[0070]
The width of the heel body of the present invention may be approximately 20 mm or more and 25 mm or less.
According to this configuration, the width of the heel body corresponds to about two-thirds of the distance between the mouth corners that are both ends of the mouth of an infant about 9 months to 2 years old. It is suitable for the case where the tip is inserted into the oral cavity almost vertically. In other words, if the width of the heel body is less than 20 mm, finger development is immature, which makes it difficult to carry the heel body into the mouth and induces the lips to close so that the lips are tight. There is a bad effect that it cannot be taken in and closed. If it is larger than 25 mm, it is difficult to enter the oral cavity, which induces an act of inserting the main body from the side of the lips, that is, the position of the mouth corner, which is not desirable. In addition, since the lips are difficult to close, there is an adverse effect that food cannot be taken in and cannot be pulled out smoothly from the mouth.
[0071]
The depth of the main body of the present invention may be about 3 mm or more and 4.5 mm or less.
According to this configuration, the depth of the heel body corresponds to the size or amount of food that can be ingested according to the size of the oral cavity by an infant of about 9 months to 2 years of age. In other words, if the depth of the bowl body is less than 3 millimeters, not only will the amount of food that can be ingested in one operation be reduced, but it will be difficult to carry the bowl body horizontally to the mouth. There is a harmful effect of dropping food, and when it is deeper than 4.5 mm, the force to close the lips is weak, so the upper lip cannot be deflected to match the depth of the body, and the food on the body Food cannot be taken in and the food remains on the main body. If food remains on the body, the infant will not only see the movement of repeatedly putting the body of the infant into the mouth and pulling it out, but it will also induce unwanted movements using the teeth to scrape the food There are harmful effects.
[0072]
In the present invention, the head portion is a cocoon body provided with a concave surface for containing food, and the cocoon body is approximately 10 degrees on the concave surface side with respect to a virtual central axis along the longitudinal direction of the handle portion. A spoon having a first spoon configured to have an inclination angle, a handle portion that is long in one direction, and a cocoon body provided at the tip of the handle portion, wherein the cocoon body contains food. The bowl body is configured as a spoon set including a second spoon that is configured so as to be hardly inclined with respect to a virtual central axis along the longitudinal direction of the handle portion. May be.
This spoon is preferably a spoon used by a care recipient such as an infant.
[0073]
According to this configuration, from 9 months when infants start to ingest solid food by themselves using a spoon until about 2 years old, the first spoon is used, so that the appropriate The food can be scooped based on the inclination, and even after the food is carried to the mouth, the body can be pulled out from the mouth with a proper movement and can be eaten.
Then, when the infant uses the eating utensils and the act of ingesting the food becomes about 2 years old, the main form of the meal, the second spoon with the heel body that matches the axis of the handle is used. By doing so, you can practice how to use a spoon that is close to that of a healthy adult. In other words, the infant first experienced a repetitive action in a meal in which the first spoon spooned food with the bowl-shaped bowl body of the spoon and pulled the bowl body out of the mouth. In a state where the developmental stages such as the palm, the palm, and the oral cavity are advanced, it is possible to practice handling a spoon whose heel body is not inclined with respect to the handle portion based on such physical growth.
In this case, said 2nd spoon is comprised as a spoon provided with all the characteristics prescribed | regulated to Claims 2-8 except the point which is a structure which is not inclined with respect to the handle | pattern part. be able to.
[0074]
In the present invention, the center of gravity of the second spoon may be set to be positioned closer to the main body than the center of gravity of the first spoon.
According to this configuration, when the infant grows, as the baby eats various foods, the center of gravity is on the cocoon body side, so that the cocoon body naturally faces the food. It is easy to perform a fine operation such as cutting the material into an appropriate size.
[0075]
In the present invention, the bowl main body of the first spoon may be formed of a plastic material, and the bowl main body of the second spoon may be formed of a metal material.
According to this configuration, the bowl main body of the second spoon becomes heavier than the bowl main body of the first spoon, so that the center of gravity of the spoon can be positioned more on the bowl main body side. In addition, when the baby food is complete, when it starts to eat foods that are as hard as adults, it is easy to cut food. Further, it is possible to prevent the heel body from being damaged as the biting force increases.
[0076]
In the present invention, the head portion is provided with a plurality of the stab teeth parallel to each other, and a virtual surface including the plurality of stab teeth arranged in parallel is a flat surface that is not curved. It is good also as being characterized.
[0077]
According to this configuration, the self-usable eating tool is a fork because the head portion has a head portion at the tip of the handle portion and the head portion is provided with a piercing stab tooth. A plurality of the stab teeth on the head portion are formed and arranged in parallel. The virtual surface including the plurality of stab teeth arranged in parallel is flat and not curved. For this reason, since the direction of the stab teeth does not change depending on the vertical direction of the fork, the infant can stab food regardless of how the handle is gripped. .
Moreover, since the stab teeth are not curved as described above, it is not necessary to adjust the direction of the applied force in accordance with the curve direction of the stab teeth as in the prior art.
Here, the stab teeth need to have a curved surface where a plurality of stab teeth arranged in parallel are not curved. In this virtual plane, the individual stab teeth are formed in a zigzag direction, for example. It may be done.
This fork is preferably a fork for use by a care recipient such as an infant.
[0078]
In the present invention, each of the plurality of stab teeth of the head portion may be formed linearly.
According to this configuration, if the stab teeth are formed in a straight line, when the food is pierced, it does not get caught easily, and after carrying it to the mouth, even for infants with weak power to close the lips, close the lips lightly, It is easy to leave food in the mouth simply by pulling out the stab teeth.
[0079]
In the present invention, the width of the head portion may be about 20 mm or more and 25 mm or less.
According to this configuration, the width of the head portion corresponds to about two-thirds of the distance between the mouth corners, which are both ends of the mouth of an infant of about 12 months to about 2 years of age. It is suitable for the case where the tip is inserted into the oral cavity almost vertically. In other words, if the width of the head part is smaller than 20 mm, finger development is immature, so it is difficult to carry the fork into the mouth, and it induces closing the lip so that it closes tightly. There is an adverse effect that food cannot be taken in. If it is larger than 25 mm, it is difficult to enter the oral cavity, which induces an act of inserting the head portion from the side of the lips, that is, the position of the mouth corner, which is not desirable. In addition, since the lips are difficult to close, there is an adverse effect that food cannot be taken in and cannot be pulled out smoothly from the mouth.
[0080]
In the present invention, the length of the stab teeth formed on the head portion may be approximately 12 mm or more and 18 mm or less.
According to this configuration, the length of the stab teeth corresponds to the size of food that can be ingested according to the size of the oral cavity by an infant of about 12 months to about 2 years of age. In other words, if the length of the stabbed teeth is shorter than 12 millimeters, the food cannot be stabbed to a sufficient depth, so that it is easy to come off and drops while being carried to the mouth. When the length is longer than 18 mm, the finger cannot be punctured well because its function is underdeveloped, and when the food that has been deeply stabbed until it reaches the base of the stabbed teeth is taken into the mouth, It is difficult to pull out food in a state where food is suppressed with the lips, and there is a problem of safety.
[0081]
Further, in the present invention, the head portion is provided with a plurality of the stab teeth parallel to each other, and a virtual surface including the plurality of stab teeth arranged in parallel is a flat surface that is not curved. A fork comprising a first fork, a handle portion which is long in one direction, and a head portion provided with a piercing stab provided at the tip of the handle portion, A plurality of stab teeth provided in parallel to each other, and a second fork configured so that a virtual surface including the plurality of stab teeth arranged in parallel is a curved surface. The form of a fork set may be adopted.
[0082]
According to this configuration, from the time when an infant begins to take food using a fork himself, it begins to be able to be stabbed into the oral cavity with a fork, for example, from 12 months to about 2 years old, By using the first fork, you can stab food even if you handle the handle part and change its orientation, and when you stab your food, You can start eating with a fork without control.
Next, when the infant becomes mainly ingesting food using eating utensils, and when it becomes possible to distinguish between stab movements and scooping movements, for example, after two years of age, a plurality of parallel stabbed teeth are used. By using the second fork that is configured such that the imaginary surface that is included is a curved surface, it is possible to practice how to use a widely used fork. That is, infants experience handling food for the first time with the first fork with eating utensils equipped with stab teeth, and based on this experience, they can not only stab but also various uses such as scooping and cutting. . Furthermore, in a state where the developmental stages such as the hand, palm and oral cavity are advanced, it is possible to practice handling a fork having a curved stab tooth based on such physical growth.
In this case, the second fork is defined in claims 2 to 9 except that a virtual surface including a plurality of stab teeth arranged in parallel is a curved surface. It can be configured as a fork with all the features.
This fork is preferably a fork for use by a care recipient such as an infant.
[0083]
In the present invention, the center of gravity of the second fork may be set to be located closer to the head than the center of gravity of the first fork.
According to this configuration, the first fork with a light tip corresponds to the purpose of piercing and taking the stabbed food into the mouth with an immature grip, and heads the food toward the food even with a weak force. It is easy to adjust the direction, and after the food is stabbed, it is easy to guide the heavy tip to the lips. On the other hand, with the development of the fingers, the second fork is not only stabbed but also squeezed. On the other hand, when trying to work with a more advanced technology, it is possible to prompt the head portion to face down and go to the food correctly.
[0084]
In the present invention, the head portion including the stab teeth of the first fork is formed of a plastic material, and the head portion including the stab teeth of the second fork is formed of a metal material. Good.
According to this configuration, since the head portion of the second fork is heavier than the head portion of the first fork, the center of gravity of the fork can be positioned more on the head portion side. In addition, when weaning food is in its final stage and it begins to eat foods that are as hard as adults, it is not only easy to stab but also to cut foods. Further, it is possible to prevent the head portion from being damaged as the biting force increases.
[0085]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.
Some of the configurations of the above-described embodiments and modifications can be omitted as necessary, and can be combined with each other or with other configurations not disclosed.
[0086]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in a self-use eating utensil for use by infants and the like, it is urged to hold the handle in a correct manner, and appropriate training in the use of the eating utensil is performed. Can provide self-use eating tools for infants.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a fork (first fork) of an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the fork of FIG.
3 is a vertical sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2;
FIGS. 4A and 4B show a palm grass as a method of gripping a long member or part, where FIG. 4A is a front view and FIG. 4B is a rear view.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a finger glass as a method of gripping a long member or part.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a pen grip as a method of gripping a long member or part.
FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the fork 10 is held by a pen grip.
FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the knob portion of the fork 10 is held.
FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the fork 10 is held by a pen grip.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how the fork 10 is inserted into the lip M when an infant takes food into the mouth M by eating behavior.
FIG. 11 shows how to take food held by the fork into the oral cavity, where (a) is a state in which the food held by the fork is simply dropped into the mouth M, and (b) is The state where the food held by the fork is received using the teeth T to be scraped off, (c) is an explanatory view showing the state where the food held by the fork is held by the lip M and taken into the oral cavity. .
FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a second fork 20 of the present embodiment.
13 is a schematic side view of the second fork 20 of FIG.
14 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the second fork 20 of FIG.
FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the movement trajectory of the fork with arrows relative to the container C1 containing food.
FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing, with arrows, the movement trajectory of a fork for scooping food with respect to a container C2 containing food.
FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between a fork and food when a conventional fork is used correctly.
FIG. 18 is an explanatory view showing the relationship between a fork and food when the conventional fork is used in the wrong direction.
FIG. 19 is a schematic perspective view of a spoon (first spoon) of the present embodiment.
20 is a schematic plan view of the spoon of FIG.
21 is a schematic side view of the spoon 30 of FIG. 19 with the concave surface facing upward.
22 is a schematic sectional view taken along line AA with the concave surface of the spoon 30 in FIG. 20 facing upward.
23 is a cross-sectional view of the main body of the spoon 30 of FIG. 20, (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC.
24 is a cross-sectional view of the handle portion of the spoon 30, wherein (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 20, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF of FIG.
FIG. 25 shows a palm grass as a method of gripping a long member or part, where (a) is a front view and (b) is a rear view.
FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a finger glass as a method of gripping a long member or part.
FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a pen grip as a method of gripping a long member or part.
FIG. 28 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the spoon 30 is held by a pen grip.
FIG. 29 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the knob portion of the spoon 30 is held.
FIG. 30 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the spoon 30 is held by a pen grip.
FIG. 31 is a diagram showing how to insert the spoon 30 into the lip M when an infant takes food into the mouth M by eating behavior.
FIG. 32 shows how to take food held by a spoon into the oral cavity, (a) is a state in which the food held by the spoon is simply dropped into the mouth M, and (b) is The state in which the food held by the spoon is received using the teeth T and scraped off, (c) is an explanatory view showing the state in which the food held by the spoon is held by the lip M and taken into the oral cavity. .
FIG. 33 is a schematic perspective view showing a second spoon 40 of the present embodiment.
34 is a schematic side view of the second spoon 40 of FIG. 33. FIG.
35 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the second spoon 40 of FIG. 33. FIG.
36 is a schematic cut end view of the main body of the second spoon 40 of FIG. 33. FIG.
FIG. 37 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a conventional self-use eating tool.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 ... (first) fork, 11 ... handle (part), 12 ... head part, 13 ... stab teeth, 15 ... knob part, 20 ... (second) Fork, 21 ... handle (part), 22 ... head, 23 ... stab teeth, 30 ... (first) spoon, 31 ... handle (part), 32 ... spear Main body, 33 ... concave surface, 35 ... knob part, 40 ... (second) spoon, 41 ... handle (part), 42 ... main body of rod, 43 ... concave surface.

Claims (7)

A self-use eating tool for infants having a handle portion that is long in one direction and a head portion provided at the tip of the handle portion,
At the end of the handle portion opposite to the head portion, the handle portion is large enough to be pinched with three fingers, the thumb, the index finger, and the middle finger, and is at least larger than the outer diameter of the handle portion. A self-use eating tool for infants, comprising a substantially spherical knob portion having a diameter of millimeter or less .   The self-use eating tool for infants according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the knob portion is formed of an elastic material.   The self-use eating tool for infants according to claim 1, wherein the knob portion is formed in a spherical shape and has a diameter of approximately 10 mm or more and 15 mm or less. The infant self-use eating tool according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least a part of the surface of the handle portion is formed of an elastic material. The infant self-use eating tool according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an outer periphery of the handle portion is 25 mm to 40 mm. The infant self-use eating tool according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the handle has a length of 60 mm to 80 mm. The self-use food for infants according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the head part is a head part of a fork having a plurality of parallel and curved stab teeth.

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