KR102502750B1 - Spoon for patient - Google Patents

Abstract

It relates to a spoon for patients, comprising a body portion concavely formed to receive and receive food, and a handle portion extending from one side of the body portion and having a storage space for temporarily storing fluid therein, A storage space is provided inside the handle, fluids such as food or medicine are sucked in and temporarily stored in the storage space, and then the temporarily stored fluid is discharged while being moved to the user's mouth so that the patient can consume the food or medicine without spilling it. can do.

Description

Spoon for patients {SPOON FOR PATIENT}

The present invention relates to a spoon for patients, and more particularly, to a spoon for patients that can be used by patients or the elderly.

As Korea's dietary life is based on rice, soup, and vegetables, spoons and chopsticks have been used to consume these foods easily and conveniently.

The spoon is composed of a concave circular shape at the front end to make it easy to scoop food, and a long flat or cylindrical shape at the rear end to make it easy to hold in the hand, in line with the food culture of Korea where rice and soup culture has developed. .

On the other hand, recently, due to various reasons such as strong psychological burden, alcohol or drug use, and excessive caffeine intake, unlike in the past when the main cause was genetic, the number of patients with tremor is increasing, and there are many people who are experiencing difficulties in the most basic 'diet' life. lost.

In addition, in the case of Parkinson's patients, the elderly, and infants, there was a problem in that it was difficult to use the spoon normally.

In order to solve these problems, Patent Documents 1 to 3 below disclose an improved spoon configuration so that tremor or Parkinson's patients can easily use it.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0068809 (published on February 15, 2017) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0017325 (published on February 15, 2017) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1855572 (published on April 30, 2018)

However, the spoon according to the prior art has a problem in that it is difficult to prevent food from spilling out of the spoon while a patient or the like uses the spoon.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and to provide a spoon for patients, the elderly, and infants can consume food or medicine without spilling it.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a spoon for patients that is detachable, easy to clean and hygienic.

In order to achieve the above object, the patient spoon according to the present invention has a body portion concavely formed to receive and receive food, and a storage space that is formed to extend from one side of the body portion and temporarily stores fluid therein. Characterized in that it comprises a handle.

As described above, according to the patient spoon according to the present invention, a storage space is provided inside the handle of the spoon, and a liquid such as food or medicine is sucked in and temporarily stored in the storage space by applying a dropper structure, and then the user's By discharging the temporarily stored fluid in the state of being moved to the mouth, an effect is obtained that the patient can consume food or medicine without spilling it.

And according to the present invention, by detaching the cover provided on the handle portion to easily clean the elastic member and the storage space inside the handle portion, the effect that the spoon can be hygienically managed is obtained.

In addition, according to the present invention, the piston installed inside the storage space moves up and down according to the operation applied to the control lever to inhale and discharge food, so that the food can be ingested without spilling.

In addition, according to the present invention, a driving module such as a small motor or a solenoid is disposed on the upper side of the handle portion, and power is supplied to the driving module according to the operation of the operating switch to move the piston in the vertical direction to suck in and discharge food. The effect that can be obtained is obtained.

In addition, according to the present invention, an opening/closing member is installed at the inlet side of the storage space, and the storage space is opened or closed according to the vertical movement of the piston, thereby preventing the discharge of sucked food.

1 is a perspective view of a spoon for patients according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' shown in Figure 1;
3 and 4 are operation states of the patient spoon according to the second embodiment of the present invention, respectively;
5 and 6 are operating state diagrams of a patient spoon according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a patient spoon according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[First Embodiment]

1 is a perspective view of a spoon for patients according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A' shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, terms indicating directions such as 'left', 'right', 'front', 'rear', 'upper' and 'downer' are defined as indicating each direction based on the state shown in each drawing. do.

In this embodiment, the configuration of a spoon through which a tremor patient or a Parkinson's patient consumes food will be described.

Of course, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and can be used not only by patients, but also by those who have difficulty using spoons, such as the elderly or infants.

And it should be noted that the present invention may be modified to inhale and discharge various fluids, such as liquid medicine or a mixture of powdered medicine and water, as well as food.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the patient spoon 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention has a body portion 20 that is concavely formed to receive and scoop food, and one side of the body portion 20 is long. It extends and includes a handle portion 30 provided with a storage space 31 for temporarily storing fluid therein.

Accordingly, in the present invention, the user temporarily stores food in a storage space by rotating the handle downward while the body is immersed in food, moves the spoon to the mouth, and then rotates the storage handle upward again to temporarily store the food in the storage space. Food can be consumed without spilling.

In addition, the patient spoon 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention may further include a suction part 40 generating a suction force to move food to the storage space 31 .

When viewed from the top, the body portion 20 has a substantially circular or elliptical cross section, and an accommodation space 21 may be concave downward to accommodate food in the central portion of the body portion 20 . .

The handle part 30 extends upwardly from one side of the body part 20, and a storage space 31 in which fluid is temporarily stored may be provided inside the handle part 30.

One end of the storage space 31, the lower end as seen in FIG. 2 communicates with the accommodation space 21 of the body 20, and the suction part 40 may be provided at the upper end of the storage space 31.

The suction unit 40 may include an elastic member 41 made of a material harmless to the human body and elastically deformable, such as natural rubber, silicone rubber, or vinyl.

The elastic member 41 may be coupled to an upper end of the handle portion 30 .

To this end, the elastic member 41 is coupled to the top of the storage space 31 of the handle part 30 in the direction of the cover 32 from the inner wall of the handle part 30 forming the storage space 31. A coupling protrusion 33 in the shape of a pipe (PIPE) communicating with the storage space 31 may protrude.

So, the elastic member 41 is detachably coupled to the coupling protrusion 33 and can be detached as needed, such as for cleaning work.

In addition, one or more covers 32 may be rotatably provided at an upper end of the handle portion 30 so that the elastic member 41 is elastically deformed by pressing the elastic member 41 .

For example, the cover 32 may be provided in pairs on the front and rear sides or both sides of the handle portion 30 .

The pair of covers 32 may be rotated about an axis coupled to an upper end of the handle portion 30, respectively. It is preferable that the pair of covers 32 be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance so as to press or release the elastic member 41 .

So, when the user presses the pair of covers 32 by applying force to the pair of covers 32, the pair of covers 32 are rotated about their respective axes to reduce the volume of the elastic member 41 elastic deformation.

Accordingly, air inside the elastic member 41 is discharged toward the body part 20 through the storage space 31 .

On the other hand, when the user removes the force applied to the pair of covers 32, the elastic member 41 is restored to its original shape and the suction force for sucking the food stored in the accommodation space 21 into the storage space 31 increases. Occurs.

Subsequently, when the user presses the pair of covers 32 once again, as the food sucked into the storage space 31 is discharged to the accommodation space 21, the user does not spill the fluid accommodated in the accommodation space 21. can be consumed without

Alternatively, the cover 32 may be detachably coupled to the top side of the handle portion 30 .

Therefore, while eating food, the user using the spoon 10 can detach the cover 32, pressurize and release the elastic member 41 to suck in the food, and then pressurize again to discharge the inhaled food. there is.

Meanwhile, in this embodiment, as the cover 32 and the elastic member 41 are detachably coupled to the handle portion 30, the user disassembles the cover 32 and the elastic member 41 from the handle portion 30. so you can easily clean it.

As such, the present invention provides a storage space inside the handle of the spoon, applies a dropper structure to suck fluids such as food or drugs, temporarily stores them in the storage space, and then moves them to the user's mouth. is ejected so that the patient can consume food or medication without spilling it.

In addition, the present invention can hygienically manage the spoon by removing the cover provided on the handle portion to easily clean the elastic member and the storage space inside the handle portion.

[Second Embodiment]

Next, the configuration of the patient spoon according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 .

3 and 4 are operation state diagrams of the patient spoon according to the second embodiment of the present invention, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the patient spoon 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is similar to the configuration of the patient spoon 10 described in the first embodiment, except that the suction part 40 is A piston 42 that moves up and down in the storage space 31 according to a user's manipulation may be included.

That is, the piston 42 is disposed to be reciprocating linearly in the vertical direction inside the storage space 31, and can be connected to the control lever 43 provided on the top side of the handle portion 30 and two or more links 44. there is.

The control lever 43 is shaft-coupled to one side of the handle portion 30, and can rotate vertically around the shaft according to a user's operation in a state connected to the piston 42 through a link 44.

At the top of the handle part 30, the inner space of the handle part 30, that is, the upper space of the piston 42, the outside of the handle part 30, and the atmospheric pressure are maintained in equilibrium so that the piston 42 can operate smoothly. Thus, a through hole 34 may be formed.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3 , when the user manipulates the control lever 43 to rotate downward, the piston 42 moves upward and sucks the food stored in the accommodation space 21 toward the storage space 31. .

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4 , when the user manipulates the control lever 43 to rotate upward, the piston 42 moves downward while temporarily storing food in the storage space 31 toward the accommodation space 21. discharge

Accordingly, according to the present invention, the piston installed inside the storage space moves up and down according to the manipulation applied to the control lever, so that food can be ingested and discharged without spilling.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, it has been described that food is sucked in and discharged by moving the piston 42 in an up and down direction by rotating the control lever 43 by a user's manipulation, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. .

[Third Embodiment]

The configuration of the patient spoon according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 below.

5 and 6 are operational state diagrams of a patient spoon according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the patient spoon 10 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is similar to the configuration of the patient spoon 10 described in the second embodiment, and is connected to the accommodation space 21. An opening and closing member 35 for opening and closing the lower end of the storage space 31 may be provided.

In addition, the suction unit 40 receives power from a switch 45 receiving a user's operation command and a battery (not shown) when the switch is operated to generate a driving force to move the piston 42 in the vertical direction. It may further include a module 46.

The opening/closing member 35 is connected to the piston 42 through one or more links 44, and preferably, as shown, one side of the link 44 is connected to the opening/closing member 35, and the other side is a driving module. It is connected to the piston 42 moving up and down by 46, and moves up and down in the storage space 31 according to the direction of movement of the piston 42, and the entrance where the storage space 31 and the accommodation space 21 are connected. is opened and closed by the link 44.

Thus, the opening/closing member 35 opens the storage space 31 in the descending state of the piston 42 as shown in FIG. 5 .

Also, as shown in FIG. 6 , when the piston 42 moves upward, the opening/closing member 35 closes so that food sucked into the storage space 31 is not discharged toward the accommodation space 21 .

Subsequently, when the piston 42 descends again, the opening/closing member 35 operates to open the inlet of the storage space 31 and discharges the food sucked into the storage space 31 toward the accommodation space 21 .

As described above, the present invention arranges a driving module such as a small motor or solenoid on the upper side of the handle part, and supplies power to the driving module according to the operation of the operating switch to move the piston in the vertical direction to suck in and discharge food. there is.

Also, according to the present invention, an opening/closing member is installed at an inlet side of the storage space, and the storage space is opened or closed according to the vertical movement of the piston, thereby preventing the intake of food from being discharged.

Although the invention made by the present inventors has been specifically described according to the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

That is, in the above embodiments, the configuration of a spoon for eating food by tremor patients or Parkinson's patients has been described, but the present invention can be modified so that not only patients but also users who have difficulty using spoons, such as the elderly or infants, can use it.

In addition, the present invention may be modified to inhale and discharge various fluids, such as liquid medicine or a mixture of powdered medicine and water, as well as food.

The present invention is applied to spoon technology for patients who have difficulty using spoons, such as tremor patients, Parkinson's patients, the elderly, and infants, without spilling food or medicine.

10: patient spoon
20: body part 21: accommodation space
30: handle part 31: storage space
32: cover 33: coupling protrusion
34: through hole 35: opening and closing member
40: inlet 41: elastic member
42: piston 43: control lever
44 link 45 switch
46: driving module

Claims (7)

delete delete delete delete delete delete a body having a concavely formed receiving space to receive and receive food;
A handle portion extending from one side of the body portion and having a storage space for temporarily storing fluid therein; and
Including a suction part formed in the handle part including a driving module for receiving power from a switch and generating a driving force to move the piston in an up and down direction,
The handle portion is provided with an opening and closing member that rotates in the storage space so that the entrance to which the storage space and the accommodation space are connected can be opened and closed by rotation, and the rotation of the opening and closing member is performed through a link. One side is connected to the opening and closing member, and the other side is connected to the piston connected to the driving module so that the opening and closing member rotates according to the up and down movement of the piston, and the driving module is operated by power applied through a switch to A spoon for patients, characterized in that for moving the piston up and down.

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