Feeding device with mesh bag and handle. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

055 586 U

DESCRIPTION

Feeding device with mesh bag and handle.

Technical sector of the invention

The present invention relates to the technical field of feeding devices intended for food consumption. More specifically, the invention relates to a feeding device for the consumption of foods that are at least partially crumbly or liquefiable in contact with the mouth.

Background of the invention

It is known in the technical food sector the existence of multiple devices or utensils that are used for the consumption of different foods. These devices include instruments for general use, intended for the adult population, as well as other specific ones aimed more specifically at a children's market or even, specialized ones, for people with some type of mental or physical impairment. In the case of children and adults with mental or physical disabilities, it is common for problems related to lack of maneuverability, characteristic of these sectors of the population, to arise. For example, young children, who have not yet been taught to use cutlery and similar utensils, tend to pick up food (pieces of fruit, sweets, sweets, etc.) with their hands and partially or partially insert it. totally in the mouth while they suck or try to bite them. This behavior, which on the other hand is completely normal, leads to typical situations in which the child stains his hands, face, clothes, furniture and, in general, any object that is within his reach; This situation can become quite annoying since at these ages it is also frequent that they even use food as a game element.

Unfortunately, these inconveniences can become a serious problem when the child puts a piece of food in the mouth and it ends up obstructing their airways. This type of accident occurs more frequently than desired and, if it is not caught in time or the person in charge of the child's care does not know how to act correctly, it can cause the death of the child.

All the drawbacks described so far can be applied to very old adults or to individuals who, for different reasons, have some of their physical and / or mental abilities diminished. For example, some people with partial or total lack of mobility in hands, arms, mouth, etc., lack the necessary control to avoid extremely dirty their environment or even accidents due to choking or suffocation.

For this reason, the fundamental objective of the invention is to present a feeding device intended to contain food or pieces of food that can be introduced into the mouth of the person in question without the need to extract them from said device, thereby substantially prevents the spread of fluids or portions of the food, at the same time that the introduction of said food to areas of the oral cavity that can be dangerous in relation to choking or asphyxia situations is prevented.

Explanation of the invention

To this end, the object of the present invention is a feeding device intended for the consumption of at least partially friable or liquefiable foods in contact with the mouth or oral cavity that comprises a mesh-type, permeable and ductile bag, provided with a single opening. through which food or pieces of food can be introduced, and a handle that can be coupled to said opening so as to close it and substantially prevent fluid leakage through it, and so that the portion of the handle that faces the interior of the bag is a substantially flat or slightly flat surface. domed, the capacity of said bag being such that it can contain food or pieces of food that can be inserted at least partially into the oral cavity, the material of both the bag and the handle being such, that it is capable of being in direct and continuous contact with said oral cavity, and the dimensions of both the bag and the handle being such that they cannot accidentally lodge in the throat.

Another characteristic of the present invention is that the mesh-type bag is replaceable.

A further characteristic of the present invention is that the coupling of the bag to the handle is a screw closure comprising an internally threaded ring firmly fixed all around its perimeter to the opening of the bag and a complementary externally threaded ring. to the internal thread, attached to one end of the handle.

According to another characteristic of the present invention, the handle is in the shape of an elongated ring.

According to another characteristic of the present invention, the material of the permeable and ductile mesh bag is a woven or non-woven fabric, or a combination of both materials.

Finally, another characteristic of the present invention is that the size of both the mesh-type bag and the handle is suitable for use by a baby or a young child. Brief description of the drawings

A detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be made below, for the better understanding of which, it is accompanied by some drawings, provided merely as a non-limiting example, in which:

Figs. 1A and 1B are perspective views showing a preferred embodiment of the feeding device of the present invention with its two essential parts assembled and separated, respectively; and Figs. 2A and 2B are side views showing a preferred embodiment of the feeding device of the present invention with its two essential parts assembled and separated, respectively.

Description of the preferred embodiment

A detailed description of the invention is made below, taking as an example a preferred embodiment thereof and making reference to the drawings.

ES 1 055 586 U

Figs. 1A, 1B and 2A, 2B show, respectively, perspective and side views of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In said figures the feeding device 1 is illustrated, which essentially comprises two separable parts: the mesh bag 2 and the handle 3. The size of the total assembly of the device 1 is adequate to be able to be comfortably grasped by the handle 3 (considering that the user can be a young child or even a baby) and so that the mesh bag 2 can be inserted into the mouth, at least partially, with food inside.

The bag 2 has an opening 7 (Fig. 1 B) through which the food to be consumed is introduced. Therefore, the size of said opening 7 must allow, for example, the introduction of slices of fruits, sweets and other chopped or whole foods. Furthermore, the material of said bag 2 must be sufficiently malleable or ductile to substantially adapt to the shape of the food so that, thanks to the permeability property also required, it allows the user to suck the food, suck it or even bite it. . This property of permeability of bag 2 can be achieved by the very nature of the material used to make it or, alternatively or in combination, by the formation of small holes or pores that allow the passage of fluids and juices through the bag. bag 2. It is evident that said material must be suitable to be in contact with the oral cavity for a long time (the term "suitable", both in the description of the present specification and in the appended claims, is used in the sense of a material that cannot cause the user any type of direct or indirect injury, in the short or long term). On the other hand, this bag 2, due to direct contact with the mouth and teeth, can break or wear out, which is why the marketing of spare parts to replace it is considered desirable.

Once the food has been introduced through the opening 7, the bag 2 is closed with the same handle 3. As can be seen in the figures, the handle 3 acted as a holding element for the device 1 as well as as a lid. or closure of the bag 2 of mesh type. The closure of the handle 3 and bag 2 assembly can be any that keeps both elements firmly together and that offers enough resistance so that it cannot be opened by a young child; on the other hand, it is desirable that said closure be hermoetic or that it is at least tight enough to avoid a substantial leakage of the fluids that are released from the food inside the bag 2. In the case of the preferred embodiment presented in this description, a screw closure is used that comprises an internal thread 5 'made in a ring 5 of the bag 2, and a complementary external thread 6' made in a ring 6 of the handle 3. On the external part of the ring 5, flanges 8 have been made to facilitate the holding of said ring 5 when closing the bag 2 against the handle 3. Another closure could be used, for example of the click type, with pressure, with springs and retention pawls, etc.

Additionally, as can be seen better in Fig. 2B, the handle 3 has a substantially flat surface 9 that faces the inside of the bag 2. This flat surface 9 serves as a stop for the food introduced into the bag 2 of So that said foods cannot be strained in the direction of the handle 3, if it is hollow, and the user's mouth can exert pressure against said foods, which are supported against the surface 9. It is not a fundamental characteristic that the surface 9 is flat, but that it could be slightly domed (concave or convex).

As can be seen from the figures, the child or the disabled person can bring the bag 2 of the device 1 to their mouth, holding it by the handle 3, and reducing the chances of staining themselves as well as the surrounding environment, at the same time that it is totally prevented that said user can swallow a whole piece of food with the consequent danger of choking or suffocation. On the other hand, the simplicity of the device makes it ideal for mass production and with totally affordable costs for most of the population.

Any variant of the aforementioned type or another that occurs to those skilled in the art is included in the scope of the invention as long as it does not deviate from the characteristics set forth in the following claims.