Abstract
An assisted eating aid for use with an eating utensil constructed to carry food portions is disclosed as a serving vessel body having a bottom surface and an opposing upper surface with a centrally disposed food receiving region, an outermost perimeter, and a plurality of flanges projecting upwardly from the upper surface of the serving vessel body to divide the centrally disposed food receiving region from an outermost food receiving region where at least two of the flanges are spaced apart with each flange having an interior facing scoop surface and exterior facing scoop surface constructed to shove food portions pushed thereagainst onto the eating utensil.
Claims
1. An assisted eating aid comprising: a central bottom region with at least a portion of the region providing a substantially flat surface defining a primary food receiving area; a secondary food receiving area adjacent to and surrounding the entire central bottom region, the secondary food receiving area extending outwardly from the central bottom region to terminate at an outermost perimeter positioned at or above the flat surface of the central bottom region; a plurality of flanges with each flange including a base abutting the secondary food receiving area at a location recessed from the outermost perimeter and an uppermost summit with the respective bases and summits of at least two adjacent flanges being spaced apart about the central bottom region within the secondary food receiving area to define a gap between the at least two adjacent flanges, at least one flange further including an interior facing food loading surface projecting upwardly from the base and inwardly toward the central bottom region to dispose an uppermost summit of the at least one flange closer to the central bottom region than the base of the at least one flange, the at least one flange further including an upwardly projecting exterior facing food loading surface recessed from the outer perimeter; and a catchall ledge disposed between an exterior facing food loading surface of the at least one flange of the plurality of flanges and the outermost perimeter to catch a portion of food falling over the summit of an adjacent flange.
2. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 wherein: the catchall ledge extends outwardly from an exterior facing base of each flange of the plurality of flanges to the outermost perimeter.
3. The assisted eating aid of claim 2 wherein: the catchall ledge extends outwardly and upwardly from the exterior facing base of each flange of the plurality of flanges to the outermost perimeter.
4. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 wherein: at least one of the plurality of flanges is integrally formed with the side.
5. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 further including: at least one partition dividing the central bottom region into a plurality of food receiving compartments with at least one flange disposed in at least one food receiving compartment.
6. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 further including: at least one movement resistant material located on the bottom surface of the central bottom region and constructed to resist movement of the assisted eating aid relative to an underlying support surface during use.
7. The assisted eating aid of claim 6 further including: the at least one movement resistant material projects at least partially out of a ring along the bottom surface of the central bottom region.
8. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 wherein: the contour of the outermost perimeter of the side when viewed from above may be selected from the group consisting of curved or multi-sided contours.
9. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 wherein: at least one of the flanges of the plurality of flanges is constructed with a narrow summit unable to support food thereon.
10. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 wherein: the central bottom portion is surrounded by a dividing line; and the secondary food receiving area extends outwardly from the dividing line and terminates at the outermost perimeter.
11. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 wherein: at least two of the flanges vary in height relative to one another for accommodating differently sized foods.
12. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 wherein: at least one flange projects at a right angle to the secondary food receiving area.
13. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 wherein: at least one of the flanges terminates in a planar upper edge.
14. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 wherein: the catchall ledge is continuous throughout the entire outermost perimeter.
15. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 wherein: the plurality of flanges is grouped into a first set of flange components with a first angular orientation relative to the central bottom region and a second set of flange components with a different angular orientation from the first orientation.
16. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 further including: a covering lid constructed to cover the upper surface of the central bottom region, the secondary food receiving area, the catchall ledge, and the plurality of flanges.
17. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 wherein: at least two of the flanges from the plurality of flanges have different heights and widths relative to one another.
18. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 wherein: the flanges are constructed to shovel food portions pulled along the central bottom region by an eating utensil toward the interior facing food loading surface of at least one flange presenting an obstacle onto the eating utensil whereby the food portions may be lifted off the central bottom region by the eating utensil.
19. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 wherein: at least one of the plurality of flanges has a height range of 0.82 inches to 1.0 inches measured from the adjacent top surface of the secondary food receiving area.
20. The assisted eating aid of claim 1 wherein: at least one of the plurality of flanges projects inwardly at an acute angle relative to the adjacent top surface of the secondary food receiving area.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) FIG. 1 is an upper, right perspective view of an exemplary assisted eating aid constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
(2) FIG. 2 is an upper, right perspective view of the bottom surface of the assisted eating aid of FIG. 1;
(3) FIG. 3 is an upper, right perspective view showing the exemplary assisted eating aid of FIG. 1 in use;
(4) FIG. 4 is a top view of an exemplary second embodiment constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 without tray partitions;
(5) FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4;
(6) FIG. 6 is a top view of a third exemplary embodiment constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 4-5 with a planar sidewall and catchall ledge;
(7) FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along lines 7-7 of FIG. 6;
(8) FIG. 8 is a top view of a fourth exemplary embodiment of an assisted eating aid constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention shown with a four sided profile and central partition;
(9) FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along lines 9-9 of FIG. 8;
(10) FIG. 10 is a top view of a fifth embodiment of an assisted eating aid constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention similar to the embodiment in FIGS. 8-9 without the central partition;
(11) FIG. 11 is a top view of a sixth embodiment of an assisted eating aid constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention similar to the embodiment in FIGS. 4-5 with a different flange arrangement;
(12) FIG. 12 is a bottom view of a seventh exemplary embodiment constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention similar to FIGS. 1-3 with a movement resistance feature;
(13) FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken alone lines 13-13 of FIG. 12;
(14) FIG. 14 is a bottom view of an eighth exemplary embodiment constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention similar to the embodiment in FIGS. 12-13 with a variation of the movement resistance feature;
(15) FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along lines 15-15 of FIG. 14;
(16) FIG. 16 is a bottom view of another alternative embodiment constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention illustrating a detachable base component with yet another variant of the movement resistance feature;
(17) FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along lines 17-17 of FIG. 16;
(18) FIG. 18 is a partial sectional view depicting a movement resistance feature variation to that shown in FIG. 16 and in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
(19) FIG. 19 is a partial sectional view depicting an exemplary flange, catchall ledge, and movement resistance feature configuration taken from an inverted view of FIG. 13 constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
(20) FIG. 20 is a partial sectional view depicting another exemplary flange, catchall ledge, and movement resistance feature configuration taken from an inverted view of FIG. 15 constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
(21) FIG. 21 is a partial sectional view depicting another exemplary variation similar to that shown in FIG. 20 with a flange curving upwardly and outwardly and constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
(22) FIG. 22 is a partial sectional view depicting another exemplary variation similar to that shown in FIG. 19 with a flange curving upwardly and outwardly and constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
(23) FIG. 23 is a partial sectional view depicting another exemplary variation similar to that shown in FIG. 21 with a variation to the catchall ledge and constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
(24) FIG. 24 is a top view of an exemplary lid covering or coverlid that may be used with the round assisted eating aids disclosed herein;
(25) FIG. 25 is a sectional view taken along lines 25-25 of FIG. 24; and
(26) FIG. 26 is a side view showing an exemplary stacking arrangement of multiple assisted eating aids constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(27) In the description below, it will be appreciated that like components in different embodiments may be numbered alike.
(28) Turning now to FIGS. 1-3, a first exemplary assisted eating aid, generally designated 10, is depicted as a serving vessel incorporating a number of integrally formed flange components (or scoop obstacles or scoop abutments) generally designated 20 (single elongated flange), 30 (set of two spaced apart flanges more closer to right angle projection), and 40 (set of four spaced apart flanges with a more acute angle projection), some of which protrude upward vertically while others protrude upwardly and inwardly relative to the center of the vessel. These flange components 20, 30, and 40 may have various heights and be attached at various angles generally intersecting an arcuate upward flexure integrally formed outer ring 64 (or sidewall) commencing from the intersecting bottom outer measurement 66 that intersects a flat surface 68 having integrally formed upward protruding internal partition components 90, useful for separating food into groups. A gap 36 is used to separate the two flanges of flange group 30 while a set of gaps 46 is used to separate the flanges of flange group 40. At least one of the flange sets 20, 30, and 40 appears in FIGS. 1, 3, 19, 20, 21 and are deemed to be like components constructed in a similar manner except where noted. Likewise, components numbers 20 (FIGS. 1, 3), 120 (FIGS. 4-5), 220 (FIGS. 6-7), 320 (FIGS. 8-9), 420 (FIG. 10), and 520 (FIG. 11) are all constructed in a similar manner except where noted. Component numbers 30 (FIGS. 1, 3), 130 (FIGS. 4-5), 230 (FIGS. 6-7), 330 (FIGS. 8-9), 430 (FIG. 10), and 530 (FIG. 11) are all constructed in a similar manner except where noted. Component numbers 40 (FIGS. 1, 3), 140 (FIGS. 4-5), 240 (FIGS. 6-7), 340 (FIGS. 8-9), 440 (FIG. 10), and 540 (FIG. 11) are all constructed in a similar manner except where noted.
(29) With continued reference to FIG. 1, the flat surface 68 provides the main food placement surface of the assisted eating aid 10. The partitions and flat surface generally cooperate to form separate food compartments, three in this example. In this first exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the flange components 20, 30, and 40 typically have a height range of 0.82 inches to 1.0 inches measured from the adjacent top surface of assisted eating aid 10. The flange components 30 and 40 have a width of 2.32 inches while an elongated flange component 20 has a width of 11.0 inches. Neither of these height or width dimensions is meant to be limiting and the flange component heights and widths may vary around the circumference of the assisted eating aid 10. Moreover, the angle of projection of the flange components may generally range from a 90 degree angle relative to the adjacent serving surface to a more acute angle relative to the upwardly curving outer ring 64. A range of angles from 45 degrees to 90 degrees has been found suitable for purposes of satisfying one or more of the objectives of the assisted eating aid 10 but is not meant to me limiting.
(30) In most instances, it is preferred to angle the flange components 20, 30, and 40 at least slightly inwardly generally toward the center of the flat surface 68. The flange components may be transparent so as to allow the user to easily see through the flange to the food beyond eliminating much of the obstruction issues in the prior art. As the flange components are preferably integrally formed, they are also fixed in place and avoid the pivoting problems with some of the prior art baffle components.
(31) It will be easy to see that with little modification any vessel 10 shape, such as, but not just limited to, ovals, squares, or even triangle shapes, may be used. Moreover, the vessel may incorporate, but not be limited to, flat bottom surfaces or those with added arcuate sides or flexure components, and can easily incorporate any upward protruding internal partitions 90 consisting of various shapes and heights and also incorporating any of the various flange component 20, 30, and 40 configurations.
(32) Still referring to FIG. 1, a secondary back up catch system in the form of an extended ledge 60 laying outside the flange base 22 includes an outer diameter measurement greater than the flange base 22 of flange group 20 (or also flange base 42 of flange group 40 for example) and less than the outer measurement of the perimeter 62 to provide the secondary catch ledge 60 necessary to further prevent food that breaches the summit 24 of flange 20, summit 34 of flange 30, or summit 44 of flange 40 from exporting on the table or floor. This ledge 60 forms a food spill region or spillover region. This ledge may project horizontally or angle upwardly to inhibit food from sliding off. FIGS. 19-23 show various alternative catch system and ledges and will be discussed further below.
(33) In addition, the assisted eating aid 10 may include integrally formed internal partition components 90 consisting of upward and inward sides 94 and commencing at the intersection 92 with the bottom 68 and terminating at their summit 98. Such partitions extend from the center of the assisted eating aid into the secondary food receiving area 64 and assist in separating out food groups within the primary food receiving area 68 and secondary food receiving area 64.
(34) Referring now to FIG. 2, the bottom central underside 68 of the assisted eating aid 10 includes an arcuate downwardly formed outer ring 64 projecting from the intersecting outer measurement 66 of the flat bottom 68. Recesses 45 to lighten the overall weight of the assisted eating aid are present in the undersurface of the plate 10 where the partitions 90 reside above (FIG. 1). In this embodiment, it will be appreciated that the bottom surface 68 of the assisted eating aid 10 is not an essential feature of the present invention and may take many forms, including those that facilitate stacking.
(35) Exemplary Method of use:
(36) Referring now to FIG. 3, the assisted eating aid 10 may be used to educate toddlers as well as accommodate the elderly in need of feeding assistance and those with physical impairments requiring assistance. For example, the assisted eating aid depicted in FIGS. 1-3 may be used for placing food 91a-c into the three separate compartments or tray sections 93a-c divided by the partitions 90. With their hand 97, a user may then grasp a utensil 95 such as a spoon or fork by scooping underneath the selected food item within a compartment and moving the utensil with a portion of the food toward an adjacent flange component 20, 30, or 40 so that the food encounters the upwardly projecting flange component, the food will be driven onto the utensil to reside thereon. The user may then raise the utensil up to his or her mouth to complete the feeding step.
(37) It will be appreciated that different flange 20, 30, or 40 heights may be used to accommodate different types of food and that the flanges provide interior and exterior food loading surfaces for use in cooperating with an eating utensil used for loading and carrying food. For example, creamier foods that generally lay flat on the plate may not need a flange with much height or inward angle while pieces of meat or cut vegetables may need a higher flange. However, whatever the height of the flange, it is preferred to construct or form them as transparent fins so that they do not obstruct or hide the view behind them. This allows the user to accurately gauge the movement of the utensil and interaction of the food with the flange to reduce the likelihood of scooping too little a quantity. The transparency also assists in making the assisted eating aid resemble a more conventional plate as well.
(38) For food that falls over the summits 24, 34, 44 and outside the respective flange components 20, 30, or 40 perimeter and onto the secondary catch all area 60 it will be appreciated that the user may simply reverse the motion of the utensil by pushing away toward the flange component and along the catch all ledge 60 to reintroduce the catch all food back onto the utensil or up and over the flange component and back into an interior section 68 of the assisted eating aid 10.
(39) Exemplary Method of Manufacture:
(40) Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, the assisted eating aid 10 may be constructed with integrally formed flange components 20, 30, and 40, (See FIG. 1, and FIG. 19 through FIG. 24) shown in various forms protruding upward to their summit and in some cases inward, incorporating various shapes including but not just limited to forms that are arcuate outward or inward, vertical, angular, or upward flexures (See FIG. 1 and FIG. 19 through FIG. 24). Flange components 20, 30, and 40, comprised of various heights 24, 34, 44, respectively, in some cases having flange partitions 26 (not shown), 36, and 46, respectively, integrally formed either fully or partially encompassing the inner perimeter 22, 32 (not shown), and 42, respectively, (See FIG. 1 through FIG. 11) of the vessel 10 forming an integral integration with a measurement along the flange base 22, 32, or 42, respectively, that is less than the outer measurement of the of the perimeter 62 (See FIG. 1 and FIG. 19 through FIG. 24).
(41) With continuing reference to FIGS. 1-3, the assisted eating aid 10 is additionally constructed to provide a secondary back up catch system in the form a ledge 60 (See FIG. 1, and FIG. 19 through FIG. 24) lying outside the flange component base 22. The catch ledge 60 comprised of various shapes (See FIG. 19 through FIG. 24) formed within the perimeter measurement between the flange base 22 and the outer measurement of the perimeter 62 providing an additional backup system further preventing food from exporting on the table or floor. Additionally, the present invention 10 is made by incorporating integrally formed internal partition components 90 of various heights and various shapes protruding upward from the bottom 68, terminating vertically at their summit 98 and terminating laterally intersecting 96 with the arcuate side 64 (See FIG. 1), or intersecting 396 the flange component 320 and 340 (See FIG. 8, and FIG. 9). Removable cover lids 900 (See FIG. 24 and FIG. 25) of various perimeter shapes formed to correspond to the various shaped eating vessel (see FIG. 1 through 11) and having internal heights necessary to accommodate the elevation of the flange components 20, 30, and 40 and yet rest comfortably outside the measurement along the flange base 22, 32, and 42, respectively, resting on the ledge 60 and inside the outer perimeter 62 could be added.
(42) Furthermore, movement resistant systems may be integrated into the underside bottom 68 (FIG. 2) by incorporating including but not just limited to, one or more movement resistant components 600, 700, or 800 (FIGS. 5, 7, 9, 13, 15, 17, and 19-23) each comprised of various forms of concentric rings attached to the vessel in various fashions producing a movement resistant component that provides a means to confine a movement resistant material 640 inserted within the vacant parcels 630, 730, 830 (See FIG. 12 through FIG. 17), or molded through various means to the vessel (See FIG. 18). A detachable movement resistant component 800 (See FIG. 16 and FIG. 17) could also be used. Additionally the present invention, or any of the related integrally formed movement resistant systems 600, 700, or the related detachable movement resistant system 800 or any related coverlid components 900 are constructed to allow for production in any color or graphic design, in combinations by and of various thickness, sizes and shapes employing any number of various molding technologies such as by but not just limited to ceramic molds, sand casting, pressed molds and even injection molding processes using materials of various types such as but not just limited to clay, porcelain, fused dissolved silica and silicates products, metals, melamine, thermoplastic vulcanizates, and other plastics or even various fibrous products.
Alternative Embodiments
(43) Referring now to FIGS. 4-5, another exemplary assisted eating aid, generally designated 100, is illustrated. As with the prior exemplary embodiment 10, the assisted eating aid 100 is provided by a food serving vessel, such as a plate, dish, bowl, or tray, for self-assisting a user in loading or directing food onto an eating utensil such as a fork or spoon using a generally single direction hand motion. The assisted eating aid 100 is generally defined by a central circular bottom region 168 (FIGS. 4-5) with a flat upper surface 169 and an opposing flat bottom surface 171 as best shown in FIG. 5 without the partitions 90 shown in FIGS. 1-3. The central circular bottom region defines a main food placement surface extending to circumferential dividing line 166 or outer measurement of the circular bottom region. Extending outwardly and upwardly from the circumferential dividing line 166 to terminate at an outermost perimeter 162 of the assisted eating aid 100 is an arcuate side, generally designated 160, defining an annular region circumscribing the circumferential dividing line 166 as best shown in FIG. 4.
(44) As further depicted in FIG. 5, the outermost perimeter 162 of the arcuate side 160 terminates at a point higher than the upper surface 169 of the bottom 168. Within the annular region 160, three discrete sets of flange components, generally designated 120, 130, and 140, are disposed. The first set of flange components 120 includes a set of four flanges located on the right half of the assisted eating aid 100 as shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5 by an exemplary flange and the overhead view in FIG. 4, these four flanges project vertically upwardly from their respective bases (such as 122 in FIG. 5) which abut the arcuate side 160. The four flanges are disposed in a location recessed from the outermost perimeter 162 and exterior to the circumferential dividing line 166 within the annular region 160. In this exemplary embodiment 100, the uppermost edge or summit of the flanges 120 is a constant height from where the flanges project from the annular region 160 as indicated at 124 in FIG. 5 for example, and sweeps through the same radius of curvature as the outer perimeter 162 of the annular region 160 when viewed from above as in FIG. 4. Each flange within this first set of flange components 120 is spaced apart from an adjacent flange as, for example, indicated at gap 126, and generally follow the curvature of the annular region as viewed from above (FIG. 4).
(45) Still referring to FIGS. 4-5, the second set of flange components, generally designated 130, includes a set of three flanges disposed on the left side of the assisted eating aid 100, also within the annular region 160 recessed from the outermost perimeter 162 and exterior to the circumferential dividing line 166. Unlike the flange components 120, the flange components 130 project upwardly and inwardly from their respective base, such as 132 in FIG. 5 which abuts the arcuate side 160, to project toward the bottom 168. The uppermost edge or summit of each of the flange components 130 is a constant height from the annular region 160 as, for example, indicated at summit 134 in FIG. 5 and generally follows the contour of the annular region 160 when viewed from above as in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the uppermost edge 124 of flange components 120 is higher than the uppermost edge 134 of flange components 130 relative to the upper surface 169 of the central bottom region 168. Like the first set of flange components 120, the second set of flange components 130 are also spaced apart from adjacent flanges as, for example, indicated at gap 136 and generally follow the curvature of the annular region 160 as viewed from above (FIG. 4).
(46) With continued reference to FIGS. 4-5, the third set of flange components, generally designated 140, includes a set of two flanges that are also located on the left side of the assisted eating aid 100 and also within the annular region 160 recessed from the outermost perimeter 162 and exterior to the circumferential dividing line 166. Like the flange components 130, the flanges in this third set of flange components 140 also project upwardly and inwardly from the annular region 160 from their respective bases, such as base 142 of exemplary flange 145 in FIG. 4, toward the bottom 168. The innermost and uppermost edge, such as 144 of exemplary flange 145 in FIG. 5 for example, of each flange component 140 is of constant height from the base of each flange and generally follows the contour of the annular region as shown in FIG. 4. The flange components 140 are also spaced apart with a gap indicated at 146 and generally follow the curvature of the annular region 160 as viewed from above (FIG. 4). The flange components are integrally formed along the arcuate side 160 that commences at the outer measurement 166 of the bottom 168. As further shown in FIGS. 4-5, the annular region 160, which circumscribes the entire perimeter of the circumferential dividing line 166 of the central bottom region 168, includes an outer annular region that defines a catch-all region or outer ledge 161, which extends from the exterior food loading surface of each flange, such as exemplified by 135 in FIG. 5 on flange components 130 extending between the base 132 and the summit 134, to the outermost perimeter 162 of the assisted eating aid 100. The flange components 120, 130, and 140 are spaced concentrically about the annular region 160. As explained above in the method of using the previous embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, the incorporation of the inwardly projecting flanges components 130, 140 act as an outward movement barrier or stop as the user scoops a portion of food with an eating utensil, such as a fork or spoon, along the upper surface 169 of the bottom 168 and into the annular region 160 into contact with an interior facing food loading surface of a flange component 120, 130, or 140, such as exemplified by 133 of flange components 130 in FIG. 5 extending between the base 132 and summit 134. The interior facing food loading surface of a flange prevents the portion of food from being further withdrawn along the upper surface of the annular region 160. As the user continues to scoop food toward the interior food facing scooping surface, the portion of food will be directed on the eating utensil by the flange. While both sets of flange types (120 or 130/140) facilitate this process, the inwardly projecting angle of flange components 130, 140 better ensures that the food portion will be directed back onto the eating utensil. The user may then continue sliding the utensil upwardly against the interior facing food scooping surface and raise the utensil up past the top edge of the corresponding flange component and up to their mouth to complete the feeding step. For those food portions that may fall over the summits or top edges 124, 134, 144 of a flange component and outside the respective flange components 120, 130, or 140 and onto the secondary catch all area 161 it will be appreciated that the user may simply reverse the motion of the utensil by pushing away from the outermost perimeter 162 and toward the exterior facing food loading surface of the nearest flange component, such as exterior facing food loading surface 135 in FIG. 5, and along the catch all ledge 161 to reintroduce the catch all food back onto the utensil or, alternatively, up and over the flange component and back into bottom region 168 of the assisted eating aid 100 where the process of directing food toward an interior facing food loading surface may be repeated. It will be appreciated that the inward sloping flange components 130, 140 facilitate the process of reintroducing food portions from the catch all region 161 into the central bottom region 168 somewhat better than the straight up vertically projecting flange components 120. In this exemplary embodiment 100, the upward protruding internal partition components 90 as shown in FIG. 1 have been eliminated leaving the bottom 168 flat within the measurement of the area encompassed by circumferential dividing line 166. The underside 171 of the bottom 168 may be the integrally formed with a movement resistant component 600 (FIG. 5) with a channel 610 incorporating a movement resistant material 640 such as those sold under the Santoprene™ brand name set into the provided vacant parcel 630 as shown in but not just limited to FIG. 4 through 9, and FIG. 18 through FIG. 24. As shown in FIG. 5, it will be appreciated that the movement resistant material 640 includes a lowermost surface that extends outside the channel 610 to make contact with an underlying support surface that the assisted eating aid 100 may be placed upon. Such movement resistant material is useful in resisting sliding or twisting motions of the serving vessel 100 relative to an underlying support surface during use.
(47) Turning now to FIGS. 6-7, another exemplary embodiment of the assisted eating aid, generally designated 200, is depicted with flange components 220, 230, and 240 and further illustrating a variation in the bottom surface 268 by also eliminating the upward protruding internal partition components 90 and the arcuate side 60 (from FIG. 1) leaving an uninterrupted flat bottom 268 within the area encompassed by the measurement of the outer perimeter 262. In addition, the flange components 20, 230, and 240 are shown projecting both vertically and in an inwardly sloping direction. The fully detailed flat bottom 268, the secondary ledge 260 projecting outwardly from the flat bottom, and the movement resistant component 700 (FIG. 7) integrally formed on the underside of the bottom 268 incorporating the movement resistant material 740 set into the provided vacant parcel 730 as described in but not just limited to FIG. 7, FIG. 9 and FIGS. 14-15 and FIG. 16 and FIG. 18 may also be incorporated into this embodiment.
(48) Referring now to another alternative embodiment of an assisted eating aid, generally designated 300, as shown in FIGS. 8-9, the integrally formed eating vessel incorporates a variation, from earlier versions of the assisted eating aid 10, 100, and 200 described above, in the overall outer shape and incorporating various integrally formed flange components 320, 330, and 340 illustrating a variation in the bottom surface 68 of FIG. 1 and eliminating the arcuate side 64 of FIG. 1 leaving an uninterrupted flat bottom 368 within the area encompassed by the measurement of the outer perimeter 372 and having internal partition components 390 of various heights and various shapes consisting of but not just limited to those protruding upward having a rounded top 398 and inward protruding sides 394 commencing at the intersection 342 with the bottom 368 and traversing laterally terminating at an interior intersection 396 with any of the various flange components 320, 330, and 340 as described in but not just limited to the flange component embodiments described in FIG. 1, and FIG. 19 through FIG. 24.
(49) Referring now to FIG. 10, another exemplary embodiment of an integrally formed eating vessel, generally designated 400 is shown with an overall square profile when viewed from above. The upper surface incorporates in but not just limited to the embodiments described in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.
(50) Turning now to FIG. 11, another exemplary embodiment of an integrally formed eating vessel, generally designated 500, illustrates a variation in the overall outer shape of the eating vessel with flange components 520, 530, and 540 comprised of various heights 534 of flange 530 for example in some cases having flange partitions 536 and 546 for example, integrally formed in this case partially encompassing the vessel perimeter creating an integral integration with a measurement along the flange base 532 for example that is less than the outer measurement of the of the perimeter 562.
(51) As shown in FIGS. 12-13, yet another alternative embodiment of the assisted eating aid, generally designated 10, is presented with an underside of the bottom 68 having an integrally formed movement resistant component 600 positioned in numerous locations between the internal partition components 90 within the outer measurement of the underside of the bottom 68 and being comprised of protruding multiple concentric rings 610 housing a recessed vacant parcel 630 for the insertion of a movement resistant material 640 attached either temporarily or permanently by various means and being of various cross sectional shapes including but not just limited to square, or rounded and having a height greater than the protruding concentric rings 610 as a means of providing a movement resistant barrier between the eating vessel 10 and the surface where it sits.
(52) Referring now to FIGS. 14-15, an alternative assisted eating aid, generally designated 10, depicts a variation of the underside of the bottom 68 having a movement resistant system 700 comprised of two or more integrally formed protruding concentric rings 710 and 720, each having a different radius and closed ends 740 providing a recessed vacant parcel 730 (FIGS. 12 and 18) within the bounds the concentric rings 710 and 720 and the ends 740 providing for the insertion of a movement resistant material 640. The movement resistant material may be attached either temporarily or permanently by various means and being of various cross sectional shapes including but not just limited to square, or rounded and having a height greater than the protruding concentric rings 710 and 720 as a means of providing a variation of the movement resistant system between the eating vessel 10 and the surface upon where it sits.
(53) Referring to FIGS. 16-17, yet another exemplary embodiment of an assisted eating aid, generally designed 10 is shown as a detachable movement resistant system 800 having an integrally formed disk 840 with a set of integrally formed internal upward partition components 860 of various heights and various shapes consisting of but not just limited to protruding upward and inward sides 864 commencing at the intersection 842 with the disk 840 and matching the underside of the internal partition components 860 shape and size as described in but not just limited to FIG. 1, also illustrating two or more downward protruding integrally formed concentric rings 810 and 820 each having a different radius producing a recessed vacant parcel 850 within the bounds the concentric rings 810 and 820 for the insertion of a movement resistant material 830. The movement resistant material may be attached either temporarily or permanently by various means and being of various cross sectional shapes including but not just limited to square, or rounded and having a height greater than the protruding concentric rings 810 and 820 as a means of providing a variation of the movement resistant system laying between the eating vessel 10 and the surface upon where it sits.
(54) Turning now to FIG. 18, yet another exemplary embodiment of an assisted eating aid, generally designed 10 is shown an attached movement resistant system 800 (FIG. 17) made from movement resistant material such as but not limited to Santoprene and attached or molded directly to the underside of the bottom 68 attached by various means illustrating a movement resistant barrier between the eating vessel 10 and the surface where it sits.
(55) Turning now to FIGS. 19-24, several close-ups of the outer perimeter of a number of alternative assisted eating aids are shown with variations of the flange components, outer shelf, and movement resistant systems. In FIG. 19, the integral flange components 20 protrude vertically upwardly to a summit 24. Further illustrated is the secondary catch ledge 60 (See FIG. 3) the outer measurement perimeter 62 and the movement resistant system 600 (See FIGS. 3 and 5).
(56) In FIG. 20, the integral flange components 30 protrude upwardly and inwardly to a summit 34 being of various heights and various angles described in but not just limited to FIG. 3. Further illustrated is the secondary catch ledge 60 (See FIG. 3) the outer measurement perimeter 62 and the movement resistant system 700.
(57) In FIG. 21, the integral flange components 40 protrude upwardly and inwardly to a summit 44 being of various heights and a greater angle described in but not just limited to FIG. 3. Further illustrated is the secondary catch ledge 60 (See FIG. 3) the outer measurement perimeter 62 and the movement resistant system 700. In this exemplary embodiment, the secondary catch ledge curves upwardly from the base of the flange to incorporate gravity to force food back toward the exterior surface of the flange. The arcuate flanges are generally concave facing outwards to provide an exterior scooping surface that prevents food from spilling back into the central food receiving area due to the tilt of the secondary catch ledge. It will be appreciated that the arcuate exterior surface of the flanges facilitates scooping food back onto the eating utensil from the secondary catch ledge.
(58) In FIG. 22 the integral flange components 50 protrude upwardly to a summit 54 incorporating an internally positioned arcuate upward base 56 transitioning to an angular plane of the flange component 50 being of various heights 54, and various angles described in but not just limited to FIG. 3. Further illustrated are the secondary catch ledge 60, and the movement resistant system 600. (See FIG. 3). Similar to the flange components 40 in FIG. 21, the flange components 50 in FIG. 22 also incorporate an arcuate exterior scooping surface.
(59) As shown in FIG. 23, the integral flange components 50 are similar in construction to those illustrated in FIG. 22. However, a variation of the secondary back up catch system 80 is illustrated in the form of but not just limited to a ledge commencing at the intersection of the flange component 52 and the arcuate side 64 extending horizontally outwardly to a perimeter measurement greater than the flange base 52 and less than the outer perimeter measurement 62 thus creating an additional intersection 82 where the catch ledge 80 now forms an upward plane of various angles, in this case an angular upward outward plane terminating at the outer perimeter 84. Further illustrated is the movement resistant system 700 (See FIG. 14 and FIG. 15).
(60) Turning now to FIGS. 24-25 a removable coverlid component, generally designated 900, includes an integrally formed assembly of components being of various heights and various shapes corresponding to the shape of the underlying eating vessel 10 illustrated in this case as a saucer with outer perimeter measurement 912 being smaller than the outer perimeter measurement 62 of the underlying vessel 10 and having an internal outer perimeter measurement 914 greater than the outer perimeter measurement of the flange component 20, 30 or 40 thus producing side walls 910 resting on the secondary catch ledge 60 between the flange component 22, 32 and 42 base measurements and the outer perimeter measurement 62 thus extending upward at various angles, illustrated in this case vertically intersecting 908 with the arcuate upward component 906 forming an intersection 904 with the top surface component 902 in this case being a flat surface having a perimeter measurement of sufficient size to allow for the integration of lid handle components of various sizes, shapes, heights or depths, in this case comprised of numerous circular depressions of similar size and depth configured to allow the placement of terminal members of the hand used in combination with the thumb being inserted into the circular depressions 916 providing a gripping component necessary for the removal of the coverlid from the resting base vessel.
(61) The coverlid 900 may be placed over the underlying vessel 10 as shown in FIG. 25 with the outermost downwardly extending flanges 912 spaced exterior to the upwardly projecting flange components 914 of the vessel 10 and resting atop the exterior catch all shelf or ledge near the outermost extent 62 of the vessel.
(62) FIG. 26 is a side view showing an exemplary stacking arrangement of multiple assisted eating aids constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
(63) It will be appreciated that the size of the assisted eating aid may be larger than conventional serving dishes with high sidewalls allowing for a greater amount of food to be placed thereon. For example, many of the conventional circular serving vessels are limited to a seven and a quarter inch diameter, much less than a typical flat dinner plate. However, as an example, the assisted eating aid described herein may easily be constructed the same size as a conventional dinner plate, around nine inches in diameter to the interior perimeter of the catch all ledge. This example is not meant to be limiting and other suitable assisted eating dimensions will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art.
(64) It will further be appreciated that features on each of the embodiments described (such as, but not limited to, flange location, height, and spacing) may be interchangeable or useful with other embodiments as would occur to one of ordinary skill in the art. Overall, the problem of providing a serving vessel or assisted eating aid that accomplishes one or more of the objectives described herein may be provided by a serving vessel having one or more food receiving sections at least partially surrounded by a set of one or more upwardly projecting flanges or fins which are in turn at least partially surrounded by a catch all ledge to inhibit food spilled over a flange from falling completely off the serving vessel. Food that reaches the catch-all ledge may be recaptured with a utensil by scooping the food along the outermost surface of the flange. The flanges may be of various heights and angles to accommodate different food groups and may be continuous around the entire food section or spaced apart to provide gaps to accommodate washing and disposal of food particles left on the assisted eating aid after use. Such flanges may also be transparent so as not to obscure the food location or utensil location on the assisted eating aid. Internal partitions may be introduced to further assist in segregating food groups while the bottom surface of the assisted eating aid may be fitted with movement resistance materials to inhibit undesired rotation of the assisted eating aid during use.
(65) The spirit of the present invention provides a breadth of scope that includes all methods of making and using it. Any variation on the theme and methodology of accomplishing the same that are not described herein would be considered under the scope of the present invention.
