JP5110568B2 - Spoon-like eating utensils - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a spoon-like eating utensil suitable for nursing care.

Conventionally, when eating fluid food or pasty food, a spoon is usually used, especially when chopsticks cannot be used well. As such a spoon, a specially designed spoon has been proposed as a spoon that allows people who cannot use their hands freely, such as weak grip, shaking hands, and wrist movements (patents) References 1, 2). However, for people who cannot use their lips, mouth, or tongue freely due to age or disease, even if you can bring a spoon in the mouth, with a normal spoon, food on the spoon, especially in the case of paste There was a problem that food could remain in the recess of the spoon and could not be eaten well. Therefore, when the concave portion of the spoon is made shallow, the amount of food that can be carried at one time is reduced, which makes it difficult to eat.
There is no known spoon that allows people with limited lip, mouth or tongue movement to eat comfortably.

JP 2001-286516 A JP 2005-205178 A

The present invention is intended to solve the problem of eating with a spoon as described above.
The present invention seeks to provide a spoon-like eating utensil that allows people with limited movement of lips, mouth or tongue to eat comfortably.

  As a result of intensive studies to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have found that a dish-shaped recess for placing food on a spoon is necessary for people who have limited movement of the lips, mouth, or tongue to eat comfortably. It has been found that the food can be easily eaten by adopting a structure that can move upward, and the present invention has been achieved.

The present invention comprises a handle portion and a dish-shaped recess, dished recess has a two-layer structure, a spoon-like eating upper portion of the dish-shaped recess is movable depending on vertically pressure of the fluid An instrument is provided.

  The handle portion and the dish-shaped recess both have a hollow portion, the hollow portions communicate with each other, the hollow portion is filled with fluid, and the upper layer portion of the dish-shaped recess is more flexible than the lower layer portion. The above-mentioned spoon-like eating utensil is a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

  The spoon-like eating utensil described above in which the handle has a function of contracting and returning the volume of the hollow portion is a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

  The spoon-like eating utensil described above, in which the handle is made of a flexible synthetic resin and the upper layer portion of the dish-shaped recess is made of a synthetic resin film, is a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

  The above-mentioned spoon-like eating utensil having a structure in which the handle portion can be deformed toward the inside and the deformation is restored by a spring is a preferable aspect of the present invention.

  According to the present invention, a spoon-like eating utensil is provided so that a person with limited movement of lips, mouth, or tongue can eat comfortably.

  Spoon-like eating that allows the person with limited movement of the lips, mouth, or tongue to easily eat food that is placed by the present inventor by adopting a structure in which the dish-shaped recess on which the spoon food is placed can move upward. An instrument is provided.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The embodiment described below is a preferred specific example of a spoon having the specific function of the present invention, and is not limited to these aspects.

The present invention comprises a handle portion and a dish-shaped recess, dished recess has a two-layer structure, a spoon-like eating upper portion of the dish-shaped recess is movable depending on vertically pressure of the fluid An instrument is provided.

  Spoon-like food comprising a handle and a dish-shaped recess provided by the present invention, the dish-shaped recess having a two-layer structure, and the upper layer of the dish-shaped recess being movable up and down by the pressure of the fluid As a preferred embodiment of the device, the handle and the dish-shaped recess both have a hollow part, the hollow part communicates with each other, the hollow part is filled with fluid, and the upper part of the dish-shaped recess Can mention the above-mentioned spoon-like eating utensils having more flexibility than the lower layer. The spoon-like eating utensil of such an aspect is concretely demonstrated below using drawing.

Although the present invention relates to a spoon-like eating utensil, the spoon-like eating utensil of the present invention is sometimes simply referred to as a spoon below.
FIG. 1 is a side view of a spoon, and this spoon is composed of a handle 1 and a dish-shaped recess 2 of a spoon body integrally formed on the tip side of the handle 1, and the handle 1 and the dish-shaped recess. The inside of 2 forms the hollow part 3 of the handle | pattern part 1 which connected, and the hollow part 4 of the dish-shaped recessed part 2, and these hollow parts form the closed system.

  Moreover, the handle | steering-wheel part 1 is comprised from the grip part 1a and the connection part 1b, and the grip part 1a is comprised with the soft material which has the elasticity and hold | maintains the whole spoon integrally, and a connection part is comprised with a hard material. Has been. The dish-shaped concave portion 2 has a two-layer structure, the concave upper layer portion 2a is formed integrally with the concave lower layer portion 2b, and the concave upper layer portion 2a is more flexible than the lower layer portion 2b. It is made of a material and is preferably a film. Moreover, the recessed lower layer part 2b is comprised with the hard material which cannot be expanded-contracted.

  In FIG. 1, the grip part 1 a of the handle part 1 is gripped and deformed to reduce the volume of the hollow part 3, and the air used as the fluid of the hollow part 3 passes through the connecting part 1 b and the dish-like concave part 2. The hollow part 4 flows in and the hollow part 4 is pressurized. Due to the pressure, the recess lower layer 2b of the dish-shaped recess 2 is made of a hard material, so that the recess upper layer 2a of the dish-shaped recess 2 which is a soft material moves upward.

  The upward movement of the concave upper layer portion 2a of the dish-shaped concave portion 2 moves upward according to the degree of the grip deformation of the grip portion 1a of the handle portion 1, and thereby the food placed on the surface of the dish-shaped concave portion 2 However, it becomes easy to move up and eat. Further, if the degree of grip deformation of the grip portion 1a of the handle portion 1 is reduced, the shape of the handle portion 1 is restored and the volume of the hollow portion 3 is increased, so that the hollow portion 4 of the dish-like recess 2 is pressurized. On the contrary, the air returns to the hollow portion 3 of the grip portion 1a of the handle portion 1 through the connecting portion 1b, and as a result of the pressure of the hollow portion 4 of the dish-like concave portion 2 decreasing, the concave upper layer portion 2a moves downward. Return to its original shape. Thereby, food can be put on the surface of the dish-shaped recess 2 again.

  In the spoon of FIG. 1, which is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, examples of the soft material include polyethylene resin and ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer resin. Moreover, as said hard material, synthetic resins, such as thermoplastic resins, such as a polypropylene and a polystyrene, and thermosetting resins, such as a melamine resin, can be mentioned as a preferable material, However, As a hard material of the lower layer part of a dish-shaped recessed part of a spoon May be metal or ceramic.

  In order to produce the spoon of the present invention, the method for molding the synthetic resin as described above is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known molding method can be employed. For example, a hollow molding method, a sheet vacuum molding method, a compression molding method and the like are preferable as the molding method.

  The upper part of the concave part and the lower part of the concave part are integrally formed, but in order to form them integrally, a method of integrally molding with resin, a method of fusing or bonding the upper part of the concave part and the lower part of the concave part, etc. are adopted. Can do.

  The embodiment of the handle of the spoon-like eating utensil of the present invention is made of a soft resin that can be shrunk and restored as described above. However, as a function of shrinking and returning the hollow part volume, the material of the handle itself Even if the material is not a material that can be shrunk / returned, the hollow part can be shrunk / returned by a deformable structure and the function of returning the shape of the spring or the like to the deformation. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing such an embodiment.

  The spoon of FIG. 2 forms the hollow part 3 of the handle | pattern part 1 and the hollow part 4 of the dish-shaped recessed part 2 in the inside of the handle | pattern part 1 and the dish-shaped recessed part 2 similarly to FIG. It forms a closed system. The handle 1 is made of a hard material and can be deformed by having a bellows structure on the side surface. By holding and deforming the handle portion 1 with a hand, the volume of the hollow portion 3 is reduced, and the fluid in the hollow portion 3 flows into the hollow portion 4 of the dish-shaped recess 2. By loosening the hand grip, the shape of the handle portion 1 is restored to its original shape by the action of the spring, and the fluid that pressurizes the hollow portion 4 of the dish-like recess 2 returns to the hollow portion 3 of the handle 1. The pressure in the hollow part 4 of the dish-like recess 2 decreases. By such deformation and return of the handle portion 1, the upper layer portion 2a of the dish-shaped recess moves up and down, and it is easy to eat with a spoon.

  As another aspect of the function of contracting and restoring the hollow volume, a spoon-like eating utensil provided with a hollow volume compressor that is operated by a small motor on the handle 1 as shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a spoon in which the handle portion 1 is provided with a compression portion with a hollow portion volume that is operated by a small motor. The spoon of FIG. 3 forms the hollow part 3 of the handle | pattern part 1 and the hollow part 4 of the dish-shaped recessed part 2 in the inside of the handle | pattern part 1 and the dish-shaped recessed part 2 similarly to FIG. It forms a closed system. A small motor 7 is provided in the hollow portion of the handle portion 1 and at the end facing the dish-like recess 2, and a switch 6 for controlling the movement of the motor is provided in the handle portion. The hollow part compressing device 8 compresses the hollow part 3 by the movement of the motor, so that the fluid in the hollow part 3 flows into the hollow part 4 of the dish-like recess 2, and the upper layer part 2a of the dish-like recess moves upward. It is done. Further, by returning the hollow part compression device 8 to the original position by operating the switch 6, the fluid that has pressurized the hollow part 4 of the dish-like recess 2 returns to the hollow part 3 of the handle 1. the pressure of the hollow portion 4 of the dish-shaped recess 2 is reduced, the upper portion 2a of the dished recesses you move down.

The scan Poon like eating instrument itself without the user, can also be attached to the arm portion of the assistance auxiliary device, such as a robot. At this time, it is preferable to have a fixing jig mechanism in the handle of the spoon-like eating utensil. Moreover, the aspect corresponded to the arm part of an assistance assistance apparatus may be sufficient as the part corresponded in the handle | pattern part of a spoon-like eating utensil. In such a mode, a device for sending controlled air pressure, hydraulic pressure, or water pressure is installed outside the two-layer structure of the dish-shaped recess, and the pipes that serve as the transmission means of the mechanism are the arm portions of the assistance assistance device. It is preferable that it is connected along the inside or through the inside.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the spoon-like eating utensil which a person with a restriction | limiting in the movement of a lip, a mouth, or a tongue can eat easily is provided.

  Spoon-like eating utensils that can be easily eaten by a person with limited movement of the lips, mouth, or tongue by adopting a structure in which the dish-shaped recess for placing food on the spoon can move upward by the present inventor Is provided.

  The spoon-like eating utensil provided by the present invention makes it easy for people who need nursing care depending on their age or disease to enjoy eating.

Sectional drawing which shows an example of the spoon-like eating utensil of this invention. Schematic which shows another example of the spoon-like eating utensil of this invention. Schematic which shows another example of the spoon-like eating utensil of this invention.

1. Handle 1a. Grip 1b. Connecting part 2. Dish-like recess 2a. Recess upper layer 2b. 2. Recessed lower layer part 3. Handle hollow part 4. dish-shaped recess hollow part 5. Bellows structure of handle 6. A switch provided on the handle. Small motor8. 8. Handle hollow section compression device spring

Claims (5)

It has a handle and a dish-like recess, the dish-like recess has a two-layer structure, the handle and the dish-like recess both have a hollow part, and the hollow part communicates with each other, fluid in the hollow portion is filled, the upper part of the dish-shaped recess is movable in pressure of the fluid depending on the vertical spoon-like eating utensil. Spoon-like eating device according to claim 1, upper portion of the front Kisara recess is characterized in that it has a flexible lower layer portion. The spoon-like eating device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the handle has a function of contracting and returning the volume of the hollow portion. The spoon-like food according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the handle portion is made of a flexible synthetic resin, and the upper layer portion of the dish-shaped recess is made of a synthetic resin film. Instruments. The spoon-like eating utensil according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the handle portion has a structure that can be deformed toward the inside, and has a structure in which the deformation is restored by a spring.

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