JPWO2013121575A1 - Spoon or fork, or spoon and fork - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a spoon and / or fork having a function capable of holding and transporting food sufficiently even for persons who cannot operate tableware, particularly infants, children, elderly people, and physically handicapped persons.
A spoon or fork head 4 formed at the tip of a handle 2 has a center line C2 bent laterally by a first angle with respect to the handle center axis C1. Further, the spoon or fork head reference plane C4 is inclined by a second angle so that it is twisted with respect to the handle reference plane C3. More preferably, the center line of the spoon or fork head 4 is the center of the handle 2 It is bent vertically by a third angle with respect to the axis, and the shape of the handle is non-rotationally symmetric with respect to the central axis, so that it can be gripped at a specific position when gripped. Spoon and / or fork.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a spoon and / or fork suitable for those who are difficult to use tableware, particularly infants or disabled persons, elderly people and the like.

  Conventionally, when an infant eats baby food or normal food by himself / herself at home or the like, the tableware used by an adult is used as it is or a small spoon or fork is used. Such spoons and forks are simply made small and are used by ordinary adults, and there is no particular ingenuity in their form, and these are used by infants as they are.

  However, infants are in the middle of development and it is difficult to say that handling of spoons and forks is sufficient. For this reason, the amount that can be carried into the oral cavity is almost negligible, for example, most of the food falls off before the dish is carried into the mouth or adheres to the periphery of the oral cavity. Thus, it was difficult for infants to eat smoothly if they used ordinary dishes. Also, even when trying to eat noodles etc. with a normal fork, the noodles could not be successfully entangled, making the meal more difficult.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-286516 discloses that a sick person, a disabled person, an infant or an elderly person can easily eat a sick person, a disabled person, an infant or an elderly person in a medical facility, a nursing facility or a home. For the purpose of providing a spoon for a person, the center plane of the longitudinal plane of the dish-like recess for containing food is about 60 with respect to the center plane of the longitudinal plane of the handle portion for gripping by hand. A spoon is disclosed that is formed to tilt in a direction approaching the user's mouth by an angle of ~ 150 degrees.

  However, the spoon disclosed in this document has an angle of about 60 to 150 degrees with respect to the center line of the longitudinal plane of the dish-shaped recess into which the food is placed with respect to the center line of the longitudinal plane of the handle portion. The angle with respect to other directions is not specified. Such a lateral angle alone is not sufficient to make it easy to eat. And the said angle is as large as 60-150 degree | times, and it cannot be said that the angle which is easy to eat is examined. Further, there is no description or suggestion about deformation in the twisting direction.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-320543 discloses a spoon that can be easily scooped up with respect to a spoon used by infants and that can be pulled out without difficulty after the food is carried into the mouth. A spoon having a handle portion 31 that is long in the direction and a cocoon body 32 provided at the tip of the handle portion, the cocoon body 32 having a concave surface 33 for containing food. However, a spoon having an inclination angle of approximately 10 degrees on the concave surface 33 side with respect to a virtual central axis C1 along the longitudinal direction of the handle portion is disclosed.

  However, the spoon of this document also defines only a bending angle in one direction as in the above document. Moreover, the bending direction is the vertical direction, and deformation in this direction alone is insufficient to make it easy to eat. Further, there is no description or suggestion about deformation in the twisting direction.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-262981 discloses that when a caregiver gives a meal to a handicapped person, the other person's mouth does not hide with the caregiver's hand, and spillage can be reduced. For the purpose of facilitating picking, a right-angled spoon right-angle fork is disclosed in which the spoon part, the fork part and the handle part are at right angles.

  However, the spoon disclosed in this document also only defines lateral deformation. Moreover, the bending angle is a right angle, and at such an angle, it becomes difficult to eat. Further, this document neither describes nor suggests deformation in the twisting direction.

  Japanese Patent Publication No. 3123721 discloses a spoon and / or fork that can correct the holding to some extent, and in particular to correct the holding depending on the stage of development of the infant, and also a spoon that can be practiced with chopsticks in the future And / or for the purpose of providing a fork, the handle 31 has a finger fixing structure 35, 37, 38 for correcting the position of the finger, the finger fixing structure 35, 37, 38 being a ring or A sac-like structure is described, and a spoon and / or fork corresponding to a developmental stage is described by adjusting the position, type, and number of the finger fixing structures 35, 37, and 38. Further, paragraph 0018 in this document states that “the center line of the heel body 12 has a certain angle with respect to the axis center of the handle 11, preferably 15 to 60 °, more preferably about 30 to 45 °. Furthermore, paragraph 0027 states that “the center line of the heel body 22 is slightly with respect to the axis center of the handle 21, preferably 5 to 30 °, more preferably 10 to 20 °. It has a degree of angle ".

  However, in this document, only the lateral direction is deformed, and no combination with deformation in other directions is described. Further, there is no description or suggestion about deformation in the twisting direction. Therefore, the modification of this document alone is insufficient to improve the ease of eating as described above. In addition, in this document, two types of preferable angle ranges of deformation are described. This is described in paragraph 0027 of the document, “The angle is smaller than that in the first mode, which will be described later in this mode. This is because the preferred angle range of the spoon of this document varies depending on how it is held.

  As described above, in any of the above documents, although a certain degree of angle is disclosed between the heel body and the handle, any document is limited to deformation by bending in one direction, and a plurality of There is no mention of directional deformation and its interaction. Moreover, there is no description or suggestion about deformation in the twisting direction. Moreover, it cannot be said that the deformation accuracy has been sufficiently studied.

  In the actual No. 3158497 gazette, for the purpose of providing a fork having a function capable of sufficiently holding and transporting food even for infants and the like, a plurality of recesses 6 are formed in each finger-like part 5a, 5b, 5c of the fork head. A fork having a configuration in which the recesses 6 are formed on opposite sides of each finger-like portion and are arranged alternately is described.

  However, the concave portion formed in the finger-shaped portion described in this document is formed in a direction perpendicular to the center of the finger-shaped portion, and an angle is given or no consideration is given to the direction. Absent. Further, the thickness of the finger-like portion is constant except for the tip portion, and no consideration is given to changing the width of the finger-like portion.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-036845 JP 2001-286516 A JP 2002-320543 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-262981 Noto 3123721 gazette Noto 3158497 gazette

  The object of the present invention is not only for general adults, but also for those who cannot handle dishes well, especially infants, children, elderly people, disabled people, etc. It is to provide a spoon and / or fork that can be carried and smoothly brought into the oral cavity.

  The present inventors have studied the functions and shapes of forks, spoons, etc. so that a smooth meal can be eaten even when used by a person who cannot operate tableware such as infants. As a result, it was found that a shape in which the relationship between the angular ranges in a plurality of directions in three dimensions is established in the angular relationship between the spoon or fork head and the handle is optimal for a meal operation. In other words, it is effective not only to simply bend the spoon or fork head with respect to the handle, but also to bend it with multiple directions. Also, the bending angle must be strictly defined in each direction. Furthermore, by examining the shape of the fork head at the front of the fork and the angle of the groove, it has been found that not only infants but also adults can improve the food transport function during meals.

That is, in order to achieve the above object, the following configuration is adopted.
(1) It has a spoon or fork head formed at the tip of the handle, the center line of the spoon or fork head bends laterally by a first angle with respect to the center axis of the handle, and the spoon or fork head A spoon or fork or fork and spoon that is inclined by a second angle such that the reference plane is twisted relative to the reference plane of the handle.
(2) The spoon or fork of the above (1), or the fork and spoon, wherein the center axis of the spoon or fork head is bent longitudinally by a third angle with respect to the center axis of the handle.
(3) The shape of the handle is non-rotationally symmetric with respect to the central axis, and can be gripped at a specific position when gripped. The spoon or fork or fork of (1) or (2) above And spoon.
(4) The spoon or fork of any one of (1) to (3), or the fork and spoon, wherein the first angle θ1 is 20 to 32 ° and the second angle θ2 is 6 to 14 °.
(5) A fork having a fork head formed at the tip of the handle, and the finger-like part formed on the fork head is formed wider at the center than at the base.
(6) The fork according to (5), wherein a concave portion is formed in the finger-like portion of the fork head, and the concave portion is formed obliquely so as to open in a base portion direction.
(7) The fork according to (7), wherein the recess has a centerline inclined obliquely toward the base by a fourth angle θ4 with respect to the centerline of the fork head, and the fourth angle θ4 is 18 to 50 °. .
(8) The second angle such that the center line of the fork head bends laterally by a first angle with respect to the center axis of the handle, and the reference plane of the spoon or fork head twists with respect to the reference plane of the handle. The fork of (5) above which is tilted only.

According to the present invention, not only general adults but also infants and children who cannot use dishes such as forks and spoons well, elderly people and disabled people can easily hold food and carry it to the oral cavity, easily You can have a meal.
In addition, the fork head of the present invention can easily hold noodles that have been difficult to eat, and can be stably transported to the oral cavity, so that eating of noodles and the like is easy and fun, and the meal time is shortened.

The top view which showed the spoon which is 1st Example of this invention. The side view which showed the spoon which is 1st Example of this invention. The front view which showed the spoon which is 1st Example of this invention. Sectional drawing which showed the spoon which is 1st Example of this invention. The top view which showed the fork which is 2nd Example of this invention. The side view which showed the fork which is 2nd Example of this invention. The front view which showed the fork which is 2nd Example of this invention. The enlarged view of the fork head part which showed the fork which is 2nd Example of this invention. The top view which showed the fork spoon which is 3rd Example of this invention. The side view which showed the spoon of the other aspect which is 4th Example of this invention. The side view which showed the fork of the other aspect which is 5th Example of this invention. The partial top view which showed the fork head part of the fork of the 3rd aspect which is 6th Example of this invention.

  The spoon and fork of the present invention has a spoon or fork head at the tip of the handle, and the center line of the spoon or fork head bends laterally by a first angle with respect to the line of the center axis of the handle, The reference plane of the spoon or fork head is tilted by a second angle so that it twists relative to the reference plane of the handle. The central axis of the spoon or fork head is bent in the vertical direction by a third angle with respect to the central axis of the handle.

  In the present invention, the first angle θ1 is 20 to 32 °, preferably 22 to 30 °, more preferably 24 to 28 °. If the angle is too small, it will be difficult to obtain an improvement effect by bending, and if it is too large, the difficulty of eating will increase. The second angle θ2 is 6 to 14 °, preferably 7 to 13 °, more preferably 8 to 12 °. If the twisting angle is small, the improvement effect will be small, and if it is twisted too much, food will be easily spilled or difficult to eat. The third angle θ3 is 4 to 26 °, preferably 6 to 24 °, more preferably 8 to 12 ° in the acute angle mode and 18 to 22 ° in the obtuse mode. Whether it is an acute angle or an obtuse angle is selected depending on the age of the subject. If the angle is small, the improvement effect is small, and if the angle is large, the food is likely to spill or it becomes difficult to eat.

  In the present invention, even if each of the first to third angles is independently applied to a spoon or a fork, it is possible to achieve a certain effect. However, a further synergistic effect can be obtained by combining the first to third angles. In particular, the combination of the first angle and the second angle is effective, and a further excellent effect can be obtained by combining the third angle with this.

  In this specification, the center line of the spoon or fork head corresponds to a longitudinal straight line that can divide the area of the spoon or fork head projected onto the reference plane of the spoon or fork head to exactly ½, In the upper and lower thickness directions, the line passes through a position where the thickness of the material and the curved portion in the cross section can be divided in half. The reference plane of the spoon or fork head is a plane that contains or touches 50% or more of the upper surface of the peripheral portion in the spoon, and in the fork, the tangent at the center of the arc that approximates the longitudinal shape of each finger-like portion It is a plane containing. This reference plane and the center line are usually parallel. The central axis of the handle means a straight line connecting the center of the neck and the center of the rear end of the handle. Further, the reference plane of the pattern is a plane that passes through or includes 50% or more of both side edges of the pattern. These may be defined using approximate values.

  The fork of the present invention is formed such that at least the middle part of the finger-like part is formed wider with respect to the tip part and the base part, and the gap between the finger-like parts is narrowed. Specifically, the gap t1 at the tip of the finger and the gap t3 at the base are preferably 1.2 to 2.2 times, more preferably 1.4 to 2.0 times, especially 1 .6 to 1.9 times. In addition, in the shape in which the tip of the finger-like portion is tapered such as a U-shape or V-shape and the gap between the base portions is narrowed for a while, such as a U-shape or a V-shape, this is gradually The position excluding the portion where the width changes corresponds to the tip portion and the base portion.

  In this way, by forming the gap between the fingers at the intermediate portion to be narrow, food such as noodles can be held in the gap between the narrowed intermediate portion and the base, and more It will be possible to hold food efficiently. The effect can be expected not only for infants but also for general adults and adolescents.

  Further, in the fork of the present invention, a plurality of recesses are formed in each finger-like part, and the recesses are formed on the opposing side parts of each finger-like part. Moreover, the said recessed part is formed so that it may be alternately arrange | positioned at the side part of the opposing finger-like part, and 1-4 pieces are formed per said one side part.

  In this way, by forming a concave structure on the side of the finger-like portion, it is possible to effectively entangle even elongated foods such as noodles. Further, the food can be held more efficiently by optimizing the formation position and number of the concave portions. The effect can be expected not only for infants but also for general adults and adolescents.

  Furthermore, since the concave portions formed on the opposite side portions of the finger-shaped portions are formed so as to be alternately arranged, the elongated food such as noodles is formed in comparison with the concave portions formed so as to be opposed to the same position. Entangles well and can hold more food reliably.

  Further, the recess is inclined so that its center line is not perpendicular to the center line of the fork head but opens in the base direction by a fourth angle θ4. Specifically, the fourth angle is preferably 18 to 50 °, more preferably 26 to 46 °, particularly 29 to 39 ° with respect to the center line of the fork head. Thus, by opening the opening direction of the concave portion toward the base portion direction of the finger-like portion, food such as noodles is easily caught and the food holding ability is improved.

  The spoon and / or fork of the present invention is roughly the same as the spoon and fork that are usually used except for the three-dimensional angular relationship between the spoon head or fork head and the handle and the shape of the handle, or the shape of the fork head. The configuration is similar. That is, it has a handle to be a handle and a spoon or fork head formed at the tip of the handle, and the spoon or fork head has a neck portion connected to the handle and a spoon or fork head main body. In particular, the fork head main body has a base portion that spreads from the neck portion and serves as a base of the finger-like portion, and a finger-like portion that extends or protrudes into a plurality of strips with a certain distance from the base portion.

  The handle in the present invention is particularly limited as long as it can maintain the predetermined angle with the spoon or fork head and can function as a handle for operating the spoon or fork head. is not. In particular, the shape of the fork is not specified. However, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the angle at which the spoon or fork head is bent in a plurality of directions is defined between the spoon or fork head and the handle so that the spoon or fork head can keep a good angle toward the oral cavity during meals. Has been. For this reason, it is desirable that the handle holding position is fixed so that the spoon or fork head is in a specific position with respect to the hand grip when used particularly in infants. The grip hand at this time is not a handle that is pinched by the thumb and index finger, which is normally used by adults, but a grip state of a “rock” hand that an infant normally performs.

  In order to fix the handle so that the spoon or fork head is in a specific position with respect to the gripping hand, it is possible to adjust the handle by rotating the handle when gripping the handle, etc. It is. However, if the shape of the handle is non-cylindrical or non-rotationally symmetric with respect to the central axis so that it can be gripped naturally at a specific position when gripping, the adjustment work described above is unnecessary and convenient. It is. For non-cylindrical or asymmetrical shapes, for example, the shape of the cross section is approximated to a triangle, and the gripping is restricted to a specific position by changing the thickness between the finger side and the palm side when gripping. can do. Furthermore, by forming the longitudinal section so as to be approximated by an elongated triangle, the gripping position in the longitudinal direction can be restricted and the gripping can be easily performed, and the usability is improved.

  The spoon or fork of the present invention may be formed by shifting so that the center of the spoon or fork head is displaced to some extent in the vertical direction with respect to the central axis of the handle. In this way, by displacing the center of the spoon or fork head with respect to the center line of the handle, the food in the container can be easily sown. For this reason, it is particularly desirable to apply it to a spoon. The displacement width H is not particularly restricted but is preferably 1 to 9 mm, more preferably about 3 to 7 mm. The center of the spoon or fork head is either the center of the projection surface of the spoon or fork head or the center of gravity, and is the position that becomes the middle part of the cross section in the thickness direction, and the position that also intersects the center line It is in.

  The material constituting the spoon or fork of the present invention is not particularly limited, and synthetic resin, synthetic rubber, natural rubber, natural fiber, etc. used in ordinary spoons and forks, stainless steel, brass, aluminum, One or more metal materials such as silver and iron can be used in combination. In particular, thermoplastic resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, ABS resin, AS resin, and acrylic resin are preferable. Further, the handle portion and the tip spoon or fork head may be formed of different materials. Further, the handle may be provided with an anti-slip, a structure for imparting a handle shape, a stopper or a fixing structure for restricting the position of the finger. Specifically, slip prevention and tactile sensation can be improved by partially arranging an elastomer or the like.

  As for the size of the spoon and fork, it may be a suitable size according to the user and the usage situation. Specifically, in the fork for infants and children, the length from the front end to the rear end is about 90 to 140 mm. is there. The width and interval of the fork fingers are not particularly restricted, but are usually about 2 to 6 mm in the center and about 1 to 5 mm in the center. The number of fingers may be three pieces, four pieces or five pieces. However, in the case of infants and children, the size of the mouth is small, so three pieces are preferable. The finger-like part is preferably formed so that the tip part is gradually thinned, or the tip part is rounded.

  Next, an Example is shown and this invention is demonstrated in detail. 1-4 is the figure which showed the spoon which is 1st Example of this invention. Here, FIG. 1 is a plan view of the spoon of Example 1, FIG. 2 is a side view, FIG. 3 is a front view, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow A-A 'of the handle.

  1-4, the spoon 1 has the handle 2 and the spoon head 4 formed in the front-end | tip part of the handle. The spoon head 4 has a neck part 3 connected to the handle 2 and a so-called spoon-shaped spoon dish that expands from the neck part 3 and closes in a circular arc shape at the front part and forms a gentle concave surface inside. The spoon dish is composed of a peripheral edge portion 4a and a concave portion 4b in the peripheral edge portion 4a, and its outer shape is approximated to a droplet shape that drops from the direction of the neck portion 3. The concave portion 4b is formed by a concave curved surface like a normal spoon, and the food is held in the concave curved surface. For this reason, the magnitude | size is adjusted to the optimal magnitude | size for a user's meal. For example, when the mouth is opened by a normal operation, the size and shape can be adjusted so that they can be easily inserted into the oral cavity and can store food to some extent.

  The handle 2 is an elongated structure having a rod shape or a plate thickness. In this example, as shown in FIG. 1, the planar shape in the longitudinal direction has a shape that approximates a triangle having a wide central portion. As shown in FIG. 2, the side surface shape also has a shape that approximates an elongated triangle whose thickness is gradually reduced toward the neck portion 3 and the rear end portion 2 d in the center portion. Further, the position from the central axis C1 to the edge portions 2c and 2c ′ is set so that the width to the palm-side edge portion 2c ′ is wider than the width to the finger-side edge portion 2c. Are now regulated. The width from the central axis C1 to the edge 2c on the finger side is substantially constant except for the neck 3 and the rear end 2d, but the width from the central axis C1 to the edge 2c 'on the palm side is the center. Is gradually narrowed toward the neck 3 and the rear end 2d, thereby forming a shape that approximates a triangle.

  As shown in FIG. 3 from the center, the handle 2 has a shape in which the thickness gradually decreases from the center axis toward both edges 2c and 2c ′ in the shape of the cross section. The shape approximates to a pointed triangle. Further, when the cross section is separated on a plane passing through both edge portions 2c and 2c ', the upper half surface has a semi-elliptical shape whose thickness does not change much, but is closer to a triangle than the lower half surface.

  In this way, when the user grasps the plane shape and the cross-sectional shape, the handle 2 is naturally fixed at a specific position of the hand. In this specification, the center axis C1 of the handle is a straight line connecting the center of the neck 3 and the rear end 2d, and the reference plane C3 of the handle is a plane passing through both edges 2c and 2c '.

  The center line C2 of the spoon head bends laterally by a first angle with respect to the center axis C1 of the handle, and the spoon head reference plane C4 is inclined by a second angle so that it is twisted with respect to the reference plane of the handle. ing. The center line C2 of the spoon head is bent in the vertical direction by a third angle θ3 with respect to the reference axis of the handle. In this embodiment, the first angle θ1 is defined as 24 to 28 °, the second angle θ2 is defined as 8 to 12 °, and the third angle θ3 is defined as 8 to 12 °. Adjusted.

  The length of the handle 2 is about 1.6 to 2.2 times the spoon head, but may be adjusted according to the size of the user's hand. The size of the spoon head is also adjusted according to the size of the user's mouth. As a specific spoon size, in the case of a spoon for infants and children, the length from the front end to the rear end is 90 to 140 mm, preferably about 100 to 125 mm.

  FIGS. 5-8 is the figure which showed the fork which is 2nd Example of this invention. 5 is a plan view of the fork according to the first embodiment, FIG. 6 is a side view, FIG. 7 is a front view, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of the fork head portion. 5 to 8, the fork 11 has a handle 12 and fork heads 14 and 15 formed at the tip of the handle. The fork head 14 has a neck portion 13 connected to the handle 12, a base portion 14 that widens so as to expand from the neck portion 13, and a finger shape that extends or protrudes into a plurality of strips with a gap 17 from the base portion 14. It has parts 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d. Each finger-like part 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d is slightly curved upward to enhance the function of scooping food.

  The fork in this example is formed so that the concave portions 16 are alternately arranged on the side portions 18 of the finger-like portions 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d. That is, the finger-like portions 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d are four pieces in the present embodiment, but the concave portion 16 is not formed on the outer side portion 18a of the finger-like portions 15a and 15d arranged on the outer side. . The concave part 16 is formed in the side part 18 where finger-like part 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d other than that opposes. And in the side part which opposes, the recessed part 16 is formed alternately, and the recessed part 16 does not exist in the side part opposite to the side part in which the recessed part 16 is formed. In the illustrated example, two concave portions 16 are formed in each side portion 18.

  In the present embodiment, the recess 16 is preferably formed to be inclined with respect to the side 18 or the center line C12 of the fork head 14. That is, the center line of the recess 16 is formed to have a certain angle with respect to the center line C12 of the fork head 14. The angle θ4 formed by the center line of the recess 16 with respect to the center line C12 of the fork head 14 is adjusted in the range of 29 to 39 degrees in this example. Moreover, the recessed part 16 is formed so that it may open diagonally toward the base part direction. Thus, by forming it so that it may open diagonally toward the base part direction, it becomes easy to hold elongate foods, such as noodles, and it becomes easy to eat foods.

  The size of the recess 16 is not particularly limited, but if it is too large, the food holding ability is lowered or the strength is weakened. If it is too small, the effect of providing the recess is reduced. Specifically, the depth of the recess is about 1/6 to 1/3 of the width at the center of the finger-like portion, and the width at the recess opening is about 1/4 to 1/3 of the depth. More specifically, the depth is about 1 to 5 mm and the width is about 2 to 6 mm. The interval between the recesses on each side may be the same or different. A preferable interval is about 3 to 12 mm in the interval between the central portions of the recess openings. The shape of the concave portion is not particularly limited, and can be a square shape, a triangular shape, a semicircular shape, or a shape obtained by deforming them. Among these, considering the ease of cleaning and the like, a notch shape having a predetermined width in which the rear end portion is semicircular or semielliptical is preferable.

  The middle part of the finger-like part is formed wider than the tip part and the base part, and the gap between the finger-like parts is formed to be narrow. Specifically, the gap t1 at the tip and the gap t3 at the base are preferably 1.2 to 2.2 times, more preferably 1.4 to 2.0 times, especially 1 as the gap t2 at the middle part of the finger-like part. .6 to 1.9 times.

  Also in this embodiment, the center line C12 of the fork head 14 bends laterally with respect to the center axis C11 of the handle 12 by a first angle θ1, and the fork head reference plane C14 twists with respect to the handle reference plane C13. In this way, it is inclined by the second angle θ2. Further, the fork head center line C12 is bent in the longitudinal direction by a third angle θ3 with respect to the handle center axis C11. In this embodiment, the first angle θ1 is defined as 24 to 28 °, the second angle θ2 is defined as 8 to 12 °, and the third angle θ3 is defined as 8 to 12 °. Adjusted.

  The handle 12 in this embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, and is a rod-like or plate-like elongated structure. The planar shape in the longitudinal direction is also a shape approximated to a triangle having a wide central portion, and the shape of the side surface shape is also approximated to a triangle whose thickness is gradually reduced toward the neck portion 13 and the rear end portion 12d with the thickness of the central portion. I am doing. The width from the center to the edges 12c and 12c ′ is set so that the width to the edge 12c ′ on the palm side is wider than the width to the edge 12c on the finger side, and the gripping position is restricted. It has come to be. The width from the central axis to the edge 12c on the finger side is substantially constant except for the neck 13 and the rear end 12d, but the width from the central axis to the edge 12c 'on the palm side is the maximum at the center. The shape gradually narrows toward the neck portion 13 and the rear end portion 12d, thereby forming a shape that approximates a triangle.

  The length of the handle 12 is about 1.6 to 2.2 times that of the fork head, but may be adjusted according to the size of the user's hand. In addition, the size of the fork head is adjusted according to the size of the mouth of the user.

  The specific fork size is 90 to 140 mm, preferably about 100 to 125 mm in length from the front end to the rear end of the fork for infants and children. Moreover, in the fork for adolescents and adults, the length from the front end to the rear end is 150 to 210 mm, preferably about 170 to 200 mm. The width and interval of the fork fingers are not particularly restricted, but are usually about 2 to 6 mm in the center and about 1 to 5 mm in the center. Further, in the configuration of the illustrated example, the finger-like portion is four pieces, but may be three pieces or five pieces. Especially for infants and children, the size of the mouth is small, so three pieces are preferable. In addition, the finger-like portion may be formed so as to be gradually thinned at the tip portion, or may be shaped so that the tip is rounded.

  FIG. 9 shows the third embodiment of the present invention and is a plan view of a fork spoon. In this example, a tableware form similar to a so-called cracked spoon in which a fork and a spoon are combined is shown. Except for the fork shape of the spoon tip, it is the same as the first and second embodiments, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 10 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention and is a plan view of a spoon according to another embodiment. In this example, the center C5 of the spoon head 4 is formed so as to be shifted by a width H in the vertical direction with respect to the center axis C1 of the handle. In the figure, a line passing through the center of the spoon head 4 and parallel to the central axis C1 of the handle is indicated by reference numeral C5. Except for the deviation, the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment.

  FIG. 11 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention and is a side view of a fork according to another aspect. In this example, the center C15 of the fork head 14 is formed so as to be shifted by a width H in the vertical direction with respect to the center axis C11 of the handle. In the figure, a line passing through the center of the fork head 14 and parallel to the center axis C11 of the handle is indicated by reference numeral C15. Except for the deviation, the second embodiment is the same as the second embodiment.

  FIG. 12 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention and is a partial plan view showing a fork head portion of a fork according to a third aspect. In this example, the finger-like parts 15a to 15c of the fork head 14 are constituted by three pieces. Except that the number of the finger-like portions 15a to 15c and only one groove 16 of the central finger-like portion 15b is formed on each side portion, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Therefore, the description is omitted. When this fork was created and used for infants, it was found that it was more suitable to have three finger-shaped parts for a size suitable for the small mouth of an infant.

  The spoon and / or fork of the present invention has a high ability to hold food and can make meals very efficiently and effectively, and is suitable not only for general adults and adolescents but also for infants and children in developmental stages. Can be used. It is also suitable for practicing tableware handling. Furthermore, it can also be used for handicapped or elderly people who are difficult to handle tableware. The fork of the present invention is effective not only for infants but also for adults.

1 Spoon 2 Handle 3 Neck 4 Base 8 Side 11 Fork 12 Handle 13 Neck 14 Base 15a, 5b, 5c, 15d Finger 17 17 Gap 18 Side

Claims (8)

  Having a spoon or fork head formed at the tip of the handle, the center line of the spoon or fork head being bent laterally by a first angle with respect to the center axis of the handle, and further the reference plane of the spoon or fork head Spoon or fork or fork and spoon that is inclined by a second angle so that is twisted relative to the reference plane of the handle.   The spoon or fork or fork and spoon of claim 1 wherein the center axis of the spoon or fork head is bent longitudinally by a third angle with respect to the center axis of the handle.   The spoon or fork or fork and spoon according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the handle has a non-rotationally symmetric shape with respect to the central axis and can be gripped at a specific position when gripped.   4. The spoon or fork or fork and spoon according to claim 1, wherein the first angle [theta] 1 is 20 to 32 [deg.] And the second angle [theta] 2 is 6 to 14 [deg.].   A fork having a fork head formed at the tip of a handle, and the finger-like part formed on the fork head is formed wider at the center than at the base.   6. The fork according to claim 5, wherein a concave portion is formed in the finger-like portion of the fork head, and the concave portion is formed obliquely so as to open in a base portion direction.   7. The fork according to claim 6, wherein the center of the recess is inclined obliquely toward the base by a fourth angle θ4 with respect to the centerline of the fork head, and the fourth angle θ4 is 18 to 50 °.   The fork head centerline bends laterally by a first angle with respect to the center axis of the handle and is further inclined by a second angle so that the reference plane of the spoon or fork head twists with respect to the reference plane of the handle. 6. A fork according to claim 5.

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