Curved handle eating utensil for the physically disabled

The present invention is an eating utensil for the physically disabled. The invention comprises a base, a handle, projecting from the base, a shaft and utensil head. The handle is irregularly shaped, comprising a curved front surface, a first side surface, a second side surface, and a curved back surface; and a flat back surface which extends from the curved back surface. The base has flat bottom surface of the base enables the eating utensil to remain upright on the table so that the eating utensil may be easily grasped and picked up. In addition, the utensil head may be modified to increase the surface area available for the food and to increase stability of the food on the eating utensil. The new and improved eating utensil is capable of being used with individuals with a variety of disabilities, particularly those individuals with limited wrist movement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The invention relates to eating utensils which enable people with hand and 
wrist disabilities, particularly limited range of motion in the wrist, to 
feed themselves. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Physical disabilities of the hands and wrists make it particularly 
difficult for people to carry out simple functions of everyday life. In 
particular, feeding oneself with ordinary eating utensils presents a 
burdensome task to such individuals, particularly individuals whose wrist 
movement is limited due to conditions such as arthritis. For conventional 
eating utensils the nondisabled individual must possess a certain degree 
of fine motor skills in order to pick up and hold the utensils. In 
addition, a non-disabled individual using conventional eating utensils 
must use a variety of different manipulations involving multiple muscles 
of the hands and arms, and involving multiple joints in the fingers, 
hands, wrists and elbows. Manipulations require a high degree of 
coordinated movement in order to successfully feed oneself without 
dropping or spilling the food. However, for people possessing 
disabilities, more particularly joint disabilities such as limited wrist 
movement, picking up and using the eating utensils painful and require a 
tremendous amount of time to execute a simple motion. By "conventional 
eating utensils" herein, we are referring to forks, knives and spoons, 
known in the prior art which are generally laid out along a single axis 
and possess thin, small handles of about one-half inch to one inch, wide. 
While modifications have been made to enlarge the handles of conventional 
eating utensils to provide an easier grip, this does not eliminate the 
wrist rotation required to feed oneself with these utensils. 
Desirably, eating utensils would be available that would avoid the 
drawbacks of conventional eating utensils and be capable of use without 
wrist movement. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention overcomes the foregoing drawbacks of the prior art 
and provides a new and improved eating utensil comprising a base, a 
handle, a shaft and an eating utensil head. The base is connected to the 
handle and to the shaft. The shaft is also connected to the eating utensil 
head. The handle is new and improved; it provides a comfortable means for 
grasping the utensil and using the utensil with little or no wrist 
movement.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the eating utensil 10 comprises a base 
16, a handle 2, a shaft 3 and an eating utensil head 4. 
THE BASE 
The base 16 of the eating utensil 10 serves to support the eating utensil 
10. The base 16 has a flat bottom surface 17, adapted for resting on a 
flat horizontal surface such as a table. This flat bottom surface 17 
permits the eating utensil 10 to remain upright when not in use. As a 
result, the eating utensil 10 may be easily grasped when a person wishes 
to use it. 
The base 16 is defined by a flat bottom surface 17, a first side surface 6, 
which is also the left side when facing the utensil 10, such first side 
surface 6 extends perpendicularly from the bottom surface 17; a second 
side surface 7, parallel to the first side surface 6, which second side 
surface 7 extends perpendicularly from the bottom surface 17; a front 
surface 5, preferably curved which extends perpendicularly from the bottom 
surface 17, such front surface 5 being perpendicular to the first side 
surface 6 and to the second side surface 7; a back surface 8, which 
extends perpendicularly from the bottom surface 17, such back surface 8 
being perpendicular to the first side surface 6 and to the second side 
surface 7; and top surface 9, which is parallel to the bottom surface 17, 
said top surface 9 being perpendicular to the first side surface 6, the 
second side surface 7, and the back surface 8. The back edge 30 of the 
bottom surface 17 is contiguous with the bottom edge 32 of the back 
surface 8. The left side edge 34 of the bottom surface 17 is contiguous 
with the bottom edge 36 of the first side surface 6. The right edge 38 of 
the bottom surface 17 is contiguous with the bottom edge 40 of the second 
side surface 7. The plane of the bottom surface 17 is perpendicular to the 
first side surface 6, the second side surface 7, and the back surface 8. 
Projecting upward from the base is the handle 2. 
THE HANDLE 
The handle 2 is irregularly shaped, comprising: a curved front surface 42, 
which is continuous with the front surface 5 of the base; a first side 
surface 14, continuous with the first side surface 6 of the base; a second 
side surface 15, continuous with the second side surface 7 of the base; a 
curved back surface 13 which extends from the top flat surface 9 of the 
base; and a flat back surface 11 which extends from the curved back 
surface 13. 
The curvature of the curved back surface 13 is defined as an arc of a 
circle the radius of such circle being from about 1 inch to about 3 
inches, preferably about two inches. The curved back surface 13 extends 
into a flat back surface 11 as shown in FIG. 2. The flat back surface 11 
extends from about 1/2 inch to about 3 inches, preferably about 1 inch 
beyond the curved back surface 13. 
Although the eating utensil 10 may be grasped in any manner that is 
comfortable to the user, it is contemplated that the utensil 10 may be 
held by resting the second side surface 15 of the handle 2 in the right 
palm of the hand with all four fingers bent around the handle 2 wrapping 
around curved back surface 13 so that the ends of the fingers come to rest 
on first side surface 14 of the handle 2 with the tips of the fingers 
pointing toward the user. The ventral side of the thumb for substantially 
the entire length of the thumb, rests comfortably along the curved front 
surface 42 of the handle 2. The utensil 10 may be used to gather food and 
to bring the utensil 10 to the user's mouth without moving the wrist. The 
eating utensil 10 is lifted by lifting the entire arm, primarily using 
upper arm muscles. The utensil head 4 is brought toward the mouth by 
rotating the elbow joint. 
THE SHAFT 
The shaft 3 projects from the first side surface 6 of the base 16 at an 
angle A (as shown in FIG. 4) from about thirty-five degrees to about sixty 
degrees, preferably forty-five degrees. This angle may be achieved by 
fixing the shaft 3 at the desired angle from the first side surface 6 of 
the base 16. Preferably the angle is achieved by affixing the shaft 3 so 
that it projects ninety degrees from the first side surface 6 of the base 
16; the direction of the shaft 3 is then changed to preferably forty-five 
degrees by a fold 12 of the shaft 3. The shaft 3 is attached on the first 
side surface 6 of the base 16 at approximately one and a half inches from 
the bottom edge 36 of first side surface 6 of the base 16. The shaft 3 
curves downward preferably from a point beyond the fold 12 in the shaft 3, 
to approximately table level. The shaft 3 terminates in the eating utensil 
head 4. The bottom surface 21 of the eating utensil head 4 rests on the 
same flat surface, such as an eating table, as does bottom surface 17. The 
bottom surface 44 of the eating utensil head 14 lies in approximately the 
same plane as surface 17. 
By providing two points of contact the eating utensil 10 is stable in an 
upright position. When upright, the eating utensil 10 may be easily 
grasped by virtually a single movement. 
THE EATING UTENSIL HEAD 
As used herein, the eating utensil head 4 is that part of the eating 
utensil 10 which is adapted to collect and hold the food and which comes 
in contact with the mouth. 
The eating utensil head 4 may be a forkhead 46 or a spoon 48 or combination 
of a forkhead and spoonhead, known as a "spork" 19. The eating utensil 
head 4 may be equipped with one or more tines 50 which enable the eating 
utensil 10 to have the spearing action of a conventional fork. However, 
the area behind the tines 50 between the back of the tines 50 and the 
shaft 3 is enlarged to provide a greater surface area for holding food. In 
addition, this area between the back of the tines 50 and the shaft 3 may 
be depressed to give a bowl effect which aids in the stability in keeping 
the food on the fork. In addition the back sides 18 of the head of the 
spork 19 may be raised, which helps to keep food from falling off. 
While one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, various 
adaptations and modifications could be made without departing from the 
scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Particularly the 
dimensions may be enlarged to accommodate a larger hand, or reduced to 
accommodate the size of the child's hand.