GB2122875A

GB2122875A - Improvements in and relating to cutlery

Info

Publication number: GB2122875A
Application number: GB08316755A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Vivienne Drummond Jagger
Original assignee: Little People Ltd
Current assignee: Little People Ltd
Priority date: 1982-07-05
Filing date: 1983-06-20
Publication date: 1984-01-25
Also published as: GB2122875B; GB8316755D0

Abstract

A spoon handle 14 is generally of round, barrel-shape for easy fist-like grasping by a small child and has a relatively flattened surface 17 adjacent the operative portion 12 for the ball of the thumb of the child to allow gripping and control of the piece of cutlery between the ball of the thumb and the four fingers grasping the handle. The longitudinal axis of the operative portion 12 is turned in from the longitudinal axis of the handle so that when the handle is grasped, the operative portion is turned towards the body of the user. Also disclosed is a set of cutlery comprising such a spoon and a similar fork, the prongs of the fork being preferably turned in from the axis of the handle less than the turning in of the bowl of the spoon from its handle. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in and relating to cutlery This invention relates to cutlery and in particular cutlery for use by a young child.

Existing cutlery is difficult to hold, grip and control by a small child with little or no muscle control.

As a result, young children cannot feed themselves or do so with great difficulty until they develop proper muscle control.

It is an object of the invention to mitigate or overcome one or more of the above mentioned problems.

According to the invention there is provided a piece of cutlery for use by a young child comprising a handle and an operative portion such as a spoon bowl, fork prongs or pusher, wherein the handle is generally of round barrel-shape for easy fist-like grasping by a small child, the handle having a relatively flattened surface adjacent the operative portion for the ball of the thumb of the child to allow gripping and control of the piece of cutlery between the ball of the thumb and the four fingers grasping the handle, the longitudinal axis of the operative portion being turned in from the longitudinal axis of the handle so that when the handle is grasped, the operative portion is turned towards the body of the user.

The operative portion is turned in from the handle so that it is not necessary for a child to use muscular effort (something over which young children have little precise control) in order to twist the implement towards their own mouth or the food on a plate. Thus in the case of a spoon, the operative portion is turned in such that the user merely has to lift the piece of cutlery to their mouth without having to twist the piece of cutlery so that the bowl of the spoon enters their mouth.

For a fork or "pusher", the operative portion is turned in such that the user can simply push the food around the plate without having to twist the piece of cutlery.

The longitudinal axis of the operative portion is preferably turned in from 5 to 450 from the longitudinal axis of the handle. For a spoon, the longitudinal axis of the operative portion is more preferably turned in from 25 to 350 whilst the longitudinal axis of the operative portion of a fork is more preferably turned in from 5 to 1 50 from the longitudinal axis of the handle; this smaller angle for a fork is preferred to discourage use of the fork to bring food to the mouth because even blunted prongs are preferably not brought up to the face. Therefore the prongs should be turned towards the spoon to help transfer of food to the spoon but not turned in enough to point to the face if the fork is raised to the mouth.

When such a piece of cutlery is used by a small child, the child can comfortably hold and grip the handle with a fist, i.e. the clenched fingers, because of the barrel shape particularly at the outer end of the handle. The thumb of the small child rests in the flattened surface adjacent the operative portion and to assist in this the handle is preferably slightly curved to bring the relatively flattened surface towards the ball of the thumb.

This enables the child to have a positive and comfortable grip and control.

The handle has a substantially circular crosssection giving the barrel shape but preferably towards the operative portion the handle has a flattened shape so that the cross-section becomes oval. In this oval sectioned region, the flattened surface is provided as a relatively flat, or slightly concave or convex portion of the surface optionally parallel to the major axis of the oval.

Preferably the transverse axis of the flattened surface is at an angle from the transverse axis of the operative portion of from 10 to 600 and more preferably from 20 to 450. In one preferred embodiment for a spoon, this said transverse axis is at an angle from the transverse axis of the operative portion of from 35 to 450, and in one preferred embodiment for a fork, this said transverse axis is at an angle from the transverse axis of the operative portion of from 20 to 300.

The flattened surface preferably extends from a fifth to a half of the length of the whole handle.

The handle is also preferably arched as viewed from the side of the piece of cutlery. The arching can form part of a Z shape for the whole piece of cutlery when viewed from the right-hand side.

The arching of the handle reduced muscular effort or action required by the child as he merely grasps the piece of cutlery and the operative portion assumes the desired position relative to the food on the plate.

The arching is preferably such that when the fist of a child grasps the handle, the ball of the thumb of the child coincides with and so easily rests on the flattened surface without muscular effort to position the thumb, i.e. with the thumb reasonably relaxed.

Preferably, the portion of the handle adjacent the operative portion is turned in less than the rest of the handle in order to balance the weight of the operative portion. This prevents the rolling over of the piece of cutlery and loss of control.

Additionally, this enables the ball of the thumb to rest on the relatively flattened surface in its relaxed position without the thumb having to be stretched to reach the surface.

This portion of the handle is preferably turned in from 2 to 1 50 from the longitudinal axis of the operative portion and extends from a twentieth to third of the length of the handle.

The operative portion of the piece of cutlery is preferably positioned relative to the handle such that in use, the lip of the bowl of the spoon and/or the ends of the prongs of the fork or "pusher" lie in a horizontal plane. Thus, the longitudinal axis of the operative portion should not form of continuation of the arched shape of the handle. In the case of a fork, however, the prongs should be pointed down such that children can use the fork to push food around the plate and onto the spoon and the ends of the prongs do not point at the face if a child does lift the fork to the mouth.

The invention can be applied to all types of cutlery but is particularly applicable to spoons and forks as these items of cutlery are the most commonly used by very young children. Forks may have an operative portion such as prongs or may be in the form of a "pusher" made of a rectangular piece of metal.

In one embodiment of the invention a set of cutlery is provided comprising two pieces, a spoon and a fork or pusher, for use by a young child, each piece having a handle of round, barrel-shape for easy fist-like grasping by a small child, the handle having a relatively flattened surface adjacent the spoon bowl or fork prong or pusher respectively for the ball of the thumb of the child to allow gripping and control of the spoon and fork between the ball of the thumb and the four fingers grasping the operative portion, the longitudinal axis of the operative portion being turned in from the longitudinal axis of the handle so that when the two handles are grasped by the child's hands, the spoon bowl and the fork prongs or pusher are turned in towards the body of the user.

The degree of turning in from the handle for the prongs of a fork is preferably less than the turning in of the bowl for the spoon. The angle of the turning in of the prongs should be enough to point the prongs to the spoon while in the case of the spoon the angle of the bowl should be enough to point the bowl towards the body of the child.

For the spoon, the handle adjacent the operative portion can be wider than the rest of the handle so that food on the bowl does not slip off the back of the bowl when the spoon is raised to the user's mouth. It seems that the wider part of the handle adjacent the operative portion and the overall shape of the piece of cutlery specifically prevents this from happening. Alternatively and/or additionally, it seems that the arching of the handle coupled with the fact that in use the lip of the bowl lies in a horizontal plane seems to prevent this from happening.

In an ordinary spoon, the main problem apart from the child missing his aim and putting food against his face, is that when he lifts his spoon towards his mouth, he tends to flex his wrist to bring the tip of the bowl upwards resulting in the underside of the bowl facing his mouth.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front, above and one side of a spoon in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the spoon shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view of the other side of the spoon shown in Figure 1; Figure 4a is a cross-section taken along the line A-A of Figure 2; Figure 4b is a cross-section taken along the line B-B of Figure 2; and Figure 4c is a cross-section taken along the line C-C of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a fork in accordance with the invention from the front, beneath and one side; Figure 6 is a plan view of the fork shown in Figure 5; Figure 7 is an underneath view of the fork shown in Figure 5; and Figure 8 is a side view of the fork shown in Figure 5.

The spon 10 shown in Figures 1 to 4 has an operative portion in the shape of a spoon bowl 12 and a curved handle 14 joined thereto. The handle 14 is generally barrel-shaped at the end 1 5 remote from the bowl 12 for easy gripping by the four fingers of a young child with little or no muscle control of the hand. The handle gradually transforms into a relatively thinner and flattened region 17 adjacent the bowl 12.

A relatively flattened surface 1 6 is formed in the top surface of the handle in the region 17 such that the thumb of a child may easily rest on that region. Thus, the bail of the thumb can rest on the surface 1 6 whilst the four fingers may grasp around the underneath surface of the handle.

The cross-sectional shape of the handle 14 smoothly progresses from a circular section for the barrel end 1 5 of the handle (see Figure 4a) to an oval shape in the region 1 7 (see Figure 4b), the major axis 1 9 of the oval being at an angle from 20 to 600 to the transverse axis 21 (see Figures 4a and 4c) of the bowl 12. Most preferably, the major axis 19 is at an angle from 35 to 450 to the axis 21. The upper face 23 of the oval-shaped region 1 7 is parallel to the major axis and is relatively flatter than the lower face 25 and constitutes the flattened surface 1 6.

The handle 14 is also substantially arched and forms part of a Z shape when viewed from the right-hand side, i.e. the direction of the arrow A in Figure 2, of the spoon such that when the four fingers of the child comfortably grip the handle, the thumb rests on the surface 1 6 without any muscular effort to position the thumb. The height of the arch may be up to a third of the length of the handle. It will be noted from Figure 3, however, that the longitudinal axis 23 of the bowl 12 is not a natural extension of the downward arch of the handle so that, when the handle is gripped by a fist, the bowl is kept horizontal.

The longitudinal axis 20 of the bowl 12 is turned in from the longitudinal axis 1 8 of the handle 14. This tends to facilitate correct positioning of the spoon relative the food being eaten or alternatively the mouth of the child and reduces the muscular effort necessary by the child in order to twist the spoon into its mouth.

The longitudinal axis of a piece of cutlery may be turned in over a range of 5 to 450 depending on the bowl 12 and to bring the surface 16 towards the ball of the thumb when in use. The axis 20 of the spoon 10 is turned in approximately 300 from the axis 1 8.

The portion 24 of the handle 14 (see Figure 3) adjacent to the bowl 1 2 is turned in less than the rest of the handle in order to balance the weight of the bowl 12. The portion 24 is preferably turned in (see line 26) from 2 to 1 50 from the longitudinal axis 20 of the bowl.

Furthermore, this portion 24 of the handle immediately adjacent to the bowl 12 is wider than the rest of the handle so that food on the bowl does not slip off the back of the bowl when the spoon is raised to the user's mouth.

The bowl 12 extends out from the handle 14 such that when the spoon is in use, the lip of the bowl 12 lies in a horizontal plane so that food in the bowl does not drop out.

The various features of the spoon seem to prevent or deter the child, as he lifts the spoon to his mouth, from flexing his wrist to bring the lip of the bowl upwards and causing the food on the bowl to drop off. It seems that the wider part of the handle adjacent the operative portion and the overall shape of the piece of cutlery specifically prevents this from happening. Alternatively, it seem that the arching of the handle coupled with the fact that in use the lip of the bowl lies in a horizontal plane specifically prevents this from happening.

The fork 22 shown in Figures 5 to 8 has the same general features of the spoon 10 and for simplicity the equivalent parts are given the same reference numerals. Also separate description of the various parts will not be given except where there are differences and so reference is made to the description of the spoon 10 for a description of equivalent parts of the fork 22.

The axis 1 8 of the fork is turned in approximately 100 from the axis 20. The axis 1 8 for the fork prongs 1 2a is turned less than the axis 1 8 for the spoon as the prongs are designed only to point towards the spoon rather than towards the body or mouth of the child. The portion 24 is also turned in less than the rest of the handle so as to balance the weight of the operative portion which in this case is the fork prongs 1 2a and to bring the flattened surface 1 6 towards the ball of the thumb when in use.

The region 1 7 is also basically oval-shaped in cross-section but the major axis 1 9 of the oval (see Figure 4b is at an angle of from 10 to 450 to the transverse axis 21 (see Figure 4b) of the prongs 12a.

The fork 22 is arched and forms part of a Z shape when viewed from the right-hand side (see arrow A in Figure 6).

The prongs 1 2a extend out from the handle 14 such that in use they point down towards the plate and so that the ends of the prongs 1 2a lie in a horizontal plane. The prongs can be used to push food around the plate and onto the spoon.

A set of two pieces of cutlery such as the spoon 10 and fork 22 may be used by a child at the same time. The spoon and fork are designed such that the operative portions turn in towards the body of the user when in use by the child.

Advantageously, the curved barrel shape of the handle allows comfortable gripping by a child in the age range 9 months to 5 years and serves to teach the child how to control the eating implement and further facilitates the correct positioning of the implement relative to the food being eaten or mouth of the child.

Claims

1. A piece of cutlery for use by a young child comprising a handle and an operative portion, wherein the handle is generally of round, barrelshape for easy fist-like grasping by a small child, the handle having a relatively flattened surface adjacent the operative portion for the ball of the thumb of the child to allow gripping and control of the piece of cutlery between the ball of the thumb and the four fingers grasping the handle, the longitudinal axis of the operative portion being turned in from the longitudinal axis of the handle so that when the handle is grasped, the operative portion is turned towards the body of the user.

2. A piece of cutlery as claimed in Claim 1 in which the longitudinal axis of the operative portion is turned in from 5 to 450 from the longitudinal axis of the handle.

3. A piece of cutlery as claimed in Claim 2 which is a spoon, the longitudinal axis of the operative portion being turned in from 25 to 350 from the longitudinal axis of the handle.

4. A piece of cutlery as claimed in Claim 2 which is a fork, the longitudinal axis of the operative portion being turned in from 5 to 1 50 from the longitudinal axis of the handle.

5. A piece of cutlery as claimed in any preceding claim in which the handle has a substantially circular cross-section giving the barrel-shape and towards the operative portion the handle has a flattened shape so that the crosssection becomes oval, the flattened surface being provided in this oval-sectioned portion of the handle.

6. A piece of cutlery as claimed in any preceding claim in which the transverse axis of the flattened surface is at an angle from the transverse axis of the operative portion of from 10 to 600.

7. A piece of cutlery as claimed in Claim 6 which is a spoon and in which the transverse axis of the flattened surface is at an angle from the transverse axis of the operative portion of from 35 to 450.

8. A piece of cutlery as claimed in Claim 6 which is a fork and in which the transverse axis of the flattened surface is at an angle from the transverse axis of the operative portion of from 20 to 300.

9. A piece of cutlery as claimed in any preceding claim in which the flattened surface extends from a fifth to a half of the length of the whole handle.

10. A piece of cutlery as claimed in any preceding claim in which the handle is arched as viewed from the side of the piece of cutlery.

11. A piece of cutlery as claimed in any preceding claim in which the portion of the handle adjacent the operative portion is turned in less than the rest of the handle in order to balance the weight of the operative portion.

12. A piece of cutlery as claimed in Claim 11 in which the said portion of the handle is turned in from 2 to 1 50 from the longitudinal axis of the operative portion.

13. A piece of cutlery as claimed in Claim 11 or Claim 12 in which the said portion extends from a twentieth to third of the length of the handle.

14. A set of cutlery, for use by a young child, comprising two pieces, a spoon and a fork or pusher, each piece having a handle of round, barrel-shape for easy fist-like grasping by a small child and an operative portion comprising a spoon bowl or fork prongs or a pusher, the handle having a relative flattened surface adjacent the spoon bowl or fork prong or pusher respectively for the ball of the thumb of the child to allow gripping and control of the spoon and fork between the ball of the thumb and the four fingers grasping the operative portion, the longitudinal axis of the operative portion being turned in from the longitudinal axis of the handle so that when the two handles are grasped by the child's hands, the spoon bowl and the fork prongs or pusher are turned in towards the body of the user.

15. A set as claimed in Claim 14 in which the degree of turning in from the handle for the prongs of the fork is less than the turning in of the bowl for the spoon.

1 6. A piece of cutlery substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.