KR20220058034A - Spoon for patient - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a spoon for patients, which comprises: a body part concavely formed to scoop and receive food; and a handle part extending from one side of the body part and having a storage space for temporarily storing fluid therein. Accordingly, by providing the storage space inside the handle part of the spoon, fluid such as food or medicine is sucked in and 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.

Description

Patient Spoon{SPOON FOR PATIENT}

The present invention relates to a patient spoon, and more particularly, to a patient spoon that can be used by a patient or an elderly person.

As Korea's diet consists mainly of rice, soup, and vegetables, spoons and chopsticks have been used to easily and conveniently consume these foods.

The spoon is configured in a circular shape with a concave downward tip so that food can be lifted easily, and the rear end is formed in a long, flat or cylindrical shape for easy grip. .

On the other hand, recently, due to various reasons such as strong psychological burden, taking alcohol or drugs, excessive caffeine intake, etc. lost.

And 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 this problem, the following Patent Documents 1 to 3, etc. disclose an improved configuration of a spoon so that it can be easily used by a patient with tremor or Parkinson's.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0068809 (published on February 15, 2017) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0017325 (published on February 15, 2017) Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1855572 (Announced 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 uses the spoon.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and to provide a patient spoon that can be consumed by patients, the elderly, or infants without spilling food or drugs.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a patient spoon that is disassembled, 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 scoop food and a storage space for temporarily storing a fluid formed extending from one side of the body portion It is characterized in that it includes a handle portion.

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 fluid such as food or drug is sucked by applying a dropper structure and temporarily stored in the storage space, after which the user's By discharging the temporarily stored fluid while it is moved to the mouth, the effect is obtained that the patient can consume without spilling food or drugs.

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

In addition, according to the present invention, the piston installed inside the storage space is moved in the vertical direction according to the operation applied to the operation lever, thereby obtaining the effect that food can be ingested without spilling it by sucking and discharging it.

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

In addition, according to the present invention, an effect is obtained that an opening/closing member is installed on the inlet side of the storage space, and the storage space is opened or closed according to the vertical movement of the piston to prevent discharge of the sucked food.

1 is a perspective view of a patient spoon 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 respectively an operation state diagram of the patient spoon according to the second embodiment of the present invention;
5 and 6 are diagrams of the operating state of the patient spoon according to the 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 a patient according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' shown in FIG. 1 .

Hereinafter, terms indicating a direction such as 'left', 'right', 'front', 'rear', 'up' and 'downward' are defined as indicating each direction based on the state shown in each figure. do.

In this embodiment, a configuration of a spoon for a patient with tremor or a Parkinson's patient to consume food will be described.

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

In addition, it should be noted that the present invention may be modified to inhale and discharge various fluids, such as a potion or a drug mixed with powder, as well as food.

Patient spoon 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the body portion 20, which is concavely formed so as to receive food by scooping, and the body portion 20 elongated from one side. It is formed to extend and includes a handle portion 30 provided with a storage space 31 for temporarily storing a fluid therein.

Accordingly, in the present invention, the user rotates the handle downward in a state in which the body is immersed in the food to temporarily store the food in the storage space, moves the spoon to the mouth, and then rotates the storage handle upward again to temporarily store the food in the storage space. It can be consumed without spilling food by excreting it.

And the patient spoon 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention may further include a suction unit 40 for generating a suction force to move the food to the storage space (31).

The body portion 20 has a substantially circular or oval cross-section when viewed from the top, and a receiving space 21 concave downward so that food can be accommodated in the central portion of the body portion 20 may be formed. .

The handle portion 30 is formed to extend upwardly from one side of the body portion 20 , and a storage space 31 in which a fluid is temporarily stored may be provided in the handle portion 30 .

One end of the storage space 31, the lower end as seen in FIG. 2 communicates with the receiving space 21 of the body part 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 manufactured using a material that is harmless to the human body, such as natural rubber, silicone rubber, or vinyl, and is elastically deformable.

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

To this end, the coupling protrusion 33 may protrude from the upper end of the storage space 31 of the handle 30 so that the elastic member 41 can be coupled thereto.

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

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

For example, the cover 32 may be provided as a pair on the front and rear sides or both sides of the handle unit 30 .

The pair of covers 32 may rotate about an axis coupled to the upper end of the handle unit 30 , respectively. The pair of covers 32 are preferably installed to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance so as to press or release the elastic member 41 .

So, when the user applies force to the pair of covers 32 and presses the pair of covers 32, the pair of covers 32 rotate about an axis to reduce the volume of the elastic member 41, respectively. elastically deform.

Accordingly, the air inside the elastic member 41 is discharged toward the body 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 accommodated in the accommodation space 21 into the storage space 31 is reduced. Occurs.

Then, when the user presses the pair of covers 32 once again, the food sucked into the storage space 31 is discharged into the accommodation space 21 , so 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 upper end of the handle unit 30 .

Therefore, the user using the spoon 10 can remove the cover 32 while ingesting food, pressurize and release the elastic member 41 to inhale the food, and then pressurize again to discharge the inhaled food and consume it. there is.

On the other hand, 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 it can be cleaned easily.

As described above, the present invention provides a storage space inside the handle of the spoon, sucks a fluid such as food or drug by applying a dropper structure, temporarily stores it in the storage space, and then moves the stored fluid to the user's mouth. This allows the patient to consume without spilling food or drugs.

And the present invention can manage the spoon hygienically by easily cleaning the storage space inside the elastic member and the handle by detaching the cover provided on the handle.

[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 each an operation state diagram of a spoon for a patient according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

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 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, except that the suction unit 40 is It may include a piston 42 that moves up and down in the storage space 31 according to a user's manipulation.

That is, the piston 42 is disposed to be reciprocally movable in a straight line in the vertical direction inside the storage space 31 , and may be connected to the operation lever 43 provided at the upper end of the handle 30 and two or more links 44 . there is.

The operation lever 43 is shaft-coupled to one side of the handle part 30, and in a state connected to the piston 42 through the link 44, according to a user's operation, it can rotate in the vertical direction about the shaft.

At the upper end of the handle portion 30, the inner space of the handle portion 30, that is, the upper space of the piston 42 and the outside of the handle portion 30, maintains pressure equilibrium with the atmosphere 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 operates the operation lever 43 to rotate downward, the piston 42 moves upward to suck the food accommodated in the accommodation space 21 toward the storage space 31 . .

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4 , when the user operates the operation lever 43 to rotate upward, the piston 42 moves downward to move the food temporarily stored in the storage space 31 toward the accommodation space 21 . discharge

Accordingly, according to the present invention, the piston installed inside the storage space is moved in the vertical direction according to the operation applied to the operation lever, so that food can be sucked and discharged without spilling.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the operation lever 43 is rotated by the user's manipulation to move the piston 42 in the vertical direction to suck and discharge food, but the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. .

[Third embodiment]

Next, 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 .

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

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, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , and is connected to the receiving space 21 . An opening/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 battery (not shown) when the switch 45 that receives a user's operation command and the switch is operated, and generates a driving force to move the piston 42 in the vertical direction. It may further include a module 46 .

The opening/closing member 35 may be connected to the piston 42 through one or more links 44 .

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

And, as shown in FIG. 6 , when the piston 42 moves upward, the opening and closing member 35 operates to close so that the food sucked into the storage space 31 is not discharged to the accommodation space 21 .

Then, when the piston 42 descends again, the opening/closing member 35 opens the entrance of the storage space 31 to discharge the food sucked into the storage space 31 toward the accommodation space 21 .

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

Also, according to the present invention, an opening/closing member is installed on the inlet side of the storage space, and the storage space is opened or closed according to the vertical movement of the piston to prevent discharge of the sucked food.

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

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

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

The present invention is applied to a patient spoon technology that allows a user who has difficulty using a spoon, such as a handicap patient, a Parkinson's patient, the elderly, or an infant, to consume without spilling food or drugs.

10: Patient spoon
20: body portion 21: accommodation space
30: handle 31: storage space
32: cover 33: coupling protrusion
34: through hole 35: opening and closing member
40: suction unit 41: elastic member
42: piston 43: operation lever
44: link 45: switch
46: drive module

Claims (7)

a body portion concavely formed to scoop and receive food; and
Patient spoon, characterized in that it extends from one side of the body portion and includes a handle portion provided with a storage space for temporarily storing the fluid therein. According to claim 1,
Patient spoon, characterized in that it further comprises a suction unit for generating a suction force to move the food accommodated in the receiving space of the body portion to the storage space. 3. The method of claim 2,
The suction unit includes an elastic member detachably coupled to the upper end of the storage space,
The elastic member is a patient spoon, characterized in that it sucks and discharges food while elastically deformed by a user's manipulation. 4. The method of claim 3,
At least one cover rotating about an axis is detachably coupled to the upper end of the handle to pressurize the elastic member,
Patient spoon, characterized in that the coupling protrusion to which the elastic member is coupled is formed protruding from the upper end of the storage space. 3. The method of claim 2,
The suction unit includes a piston and
Patient spoon, characterized in that it rotates by the user's operation and comprises an operation lever for linearly reciprocating the piston. 3. The method of claim 2,
The suction unit is a piston installed in the storage space to reciprocate linearly,
a switch that receives a user's operation command; and
Patient spoon, characterized in that it comprises a driving module for generating a driving force to move the piston linearly reciprocating in accordance with the operation signal input through the switch. 7. The method of claim 5 or 6
An opening and closing member for opening and closing an entrance connected to the receiving space is installed in the storage space,
The opening and closing member is connected to the piston and a link, the patient spoon, characterized in that the opening and closing operation according to the linear movement of the piston.

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