FEEDING DEVICE

Abstract: A device for feeding a dosage of mashed food into the mouth of a patient. The device consists of a spoon-like feeding head (10) having an internal feeding channel (11), which is connected to a tubular, flexible container (20). The latter can be compressed for feeding a dosage by means of two mutually pivotable handle pieces (30, 40).

Description: FEEDING DEVICE The invention relates to a device for feeding a dosage of food into the mouth of a person, especially an elderly Ώ patient, comprising a flexible container for receiving a dosage of food, said container being compressable for the discharge of said dosage through a feeding channel in a spoon-like feeding head. @ A similar device (see SE-B-7905307-0> is intended for the feeding of a dosage of liquid medicine into a child's mouth. The known device has a spoon part with a near neck, which is provided with an internal feeding channel and is connected to a relatively flat, flexible container serving as a spoon 5 handle. The transversal side portions of the flat container are held apart from each other by means of two spring mem¬ bers extending from the rear neck of the spoon part along the inside of the respective transversal side of the con¬ tainer. By pressing these transversal sides towards each 0 other directly by hand, the container will be compressed, and when the pressure is released, a dosage of liquid medicine can be sucked into the container through the fee¬ ding channel. Then, while feeding the child in a regular manner by the use of the spoon, the food can be mixed with a 5 dosage of liquid medicine by simultaneously compressing the container. The object of the present invention, on the other hand, is to provide a device for the feeding of a dosage of food, in 0 the form of a liquid and/or, in particular, a mash, such as mashed potatoes, possibly containing small bits of solid food, into the mouth of a patient who has difficulty in eating in the normal way with a knife and fork or even with a spoon. Especially elderly patients have to be fed by 5 another person, e.g. by a nurse, and quite a few patients cannot eat from a spoon even with such help. Thus, there is a need for a special device, which will enable these patients to be fed neatly from e.g. a plate with mashed food. According to the invention, this object is fulfilled by a device of the kind stated in the opening paragraph, the device being characterized in that the flexible container is tubular and is compressable between two handle pieces, which are mutually pivotable like a pair of tongs. The helping person holds the two handle pieces in one hand and presses the handle pieces towards each other. The mashed food can be sucked into the container by letting the handle pieces pivot away from each other while the container expands by itself. Then, the feeding head is inserted into the patient's mouth and the dosage of mashed food is fed into the mouth by pressing the handle pieces together again. Further advantageous features of the device are stated in claims 2-12 and will appear from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, reference being made to the appended drawing. Fig. 1 is a side view of the device in a rest position with the handle pieces held apart from each other; Fig. 2 is a corresponding side view of the device in an operative position with the handle pieces being pressed towards each other; and Fig. 3 shows the device in the rest position of Fig.l, as seen from above. The device consists of a spoon-like feeding head 10, a flexible, tubular container 20, which is connected to the feeding head 10, and a pair of handle pieces 30,40 disposed on each side of the tubular container 20 and being mutually pivotable so as to compress the container 20. The feeding head 10 is shaped with outer contours like a spoon blade but has no concavity for receiving food. Instead, it has an internal feeding channel 11 extending along the whole longitudinal length thereof, i.e. from a •f 5 rear neck portion 12 to the front end 13'. The geometrical external shape of the feeding head is designed to give the device the general impression of a spoon and to facilitate the insertion of the feeding head into the patient's mouth, but the function of the spoon-like feeding head is quite 10 different, namely to enable suction of a dosage of mashed food into the container 20 and feeding of the dosage through the internal feeding channel 11. The neck portion 12 of the feeding head 10 projects 15 backwardlγ from the rear end thereof so as to form an upper and a lower recess 13 and 14, respectively, between a front shoulder 15 and 16, respectively, and a rear, radially wider connection part 17, which is cylindrical to permit the tubular container, constituted by a hose 20, to be fitted 20 onto the external cylindrical surface of the connection part 17. The feeding head 10 is preferably made of a dish-washable thermoplastic material, such as polycarbonate or the like. 25 The flexible hose 20, on the other hand, is made of a softer material, such as silicon rubber, and is resilient enough to permit said connection of its front end portion 21 onto the part 17 of the feeding head 10 and the insertion of a 30 closure plug 23 at the rear end portion 22, the end portions 21,22 being slightly expanded to provide a tight fit. The * plug 23 has an outer semi-spherical part 23a, connected to the handle piece 30 by a cord 24, and an inner cylindrical part 23b, onto which the rear end portion 22 of the hose 20 35 is fitted. / Each handle piece 30,40, which is made by injection molding of a rather rigid, dish-washable thermoplastic material, such as polycarbonate, is substantially rectilinear in the longitudinal direction and has a substantially C-shaped 5 cross-section with an external, convex-side and an internal,concave side. The rear end 31,41, respectively, is curved into a smooth substantially spherical surface portion, whereas the front end portion 32,42 is tapered na.d-ia.Lly inwards towards the longitudinal central axis 0 t ereo , as shown in Fig. 1 and 2 (in the pivotal plane of the- andle pieces 30,40) and in Fig. 3 (in a longitudinal plane normal to said pivotal plane) , so that the external surface of each front end portion 32,42 adjoins the spoon-like feeding head 10 smoothly. Also, by this design, 5- the front end portion 32,42 of each handle piece 30,40 will project radially inwardly into the recess 13 and 14, respectively, in the rear neck portion 12 of the feeding head 10. Thus, the axial end surface 33 and 43, respectively, see Fig. 2, of the front end portion 32,42 LΥ> abuts the front shoulder 15 and 16, respectively, in the open position of the handle pieces as shown in Fig. 1 as well as in the closed position thereof as shown in Fig. 2, whereas the concave inside surface part of each front end portion 32,42 abuts the axial front end 21 of the hose 20 5 fitted onto the radially wider connection part 17 of the πextk portion 12 of the feeding head 10. Hereby, the front end portion 32,42 of each handle piece 30,40 is confined in a well-defined axial position relative to the feeding head 10. To prevent the two handle pieces 30,40 from moving apart 0 " from each other at their front end portions 32,42, a ring member 50, preferably made of steel, encloses these front end portions 32,42 and is retained axially in a transversal groove 33,43 in each front end portion 32,42. As shown in the drawing figures, each groove 33,43 is slightly wider in 5 its central portion to permit the handle pieces 30,40 to pivot between the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It will be apparent that each handle piece 30,40 is pivotable about a respective pivot axis located in the plane of the ring member 50 slightly above and below, respectively, the central longitudinal axis of the neck **t 5 portion 12 of the feeding head 10. Of course, it is also possible to provide a similar pivotal arrangement by way of transversal pivot pins through the two front end portions 32 42, either to provide a common pivotal axis or slightly separated pivotal axes . 10 However, the illustrated embodiment without pivotal pins has the advantage that the device can easily be dismounted by pulling off the hose 20 from the connection part 17 of the feeding head 10, whereupon the ring member 50 and the handle 15 pieces 30,40 become loose and can be completely separated from each other. At the concave inside of each handle piece 30,40 there is formed a unitary, rigid body 34,44, respectively, extending 20 longitudinally therealong in the region of the hose 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the rigid body 34,44 is dimensioned to partly fill the inside concavity of each handle piece except for the front portion 34a,44a thereof, which is tapered towards the front end, as shown in Figs 1 25 and 2. Moreover, the rear and front ends are smoothly curved. When the handle pieces 30,40 are manually operated so as to be pivoted in the closing direction towards each other, the 30 rigid bodies 34,44 will compress the hose 20 therebetween, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Because of the tapered front portions 34a, 44a, the corresponding front portion of the hose will be only partially compressed, whereby the contents therein, i.e. a dosage of mashed food, will easily be 35 pressed out through the feeding channel 11 of the feeding head 10 into the patient's mouth. In the closed position, as shown in Fig. 2, the compressed hose 20 will exert a separating force, because of the elastic resiliency of the material, on the rigid bodies 34,44 and the handle pieces 30,40, so that (when the manual pressure is released) the latter will automatically pivot into the open rest position, as shown in Fig. 1, wherein the hose 20 has assumed its original cylindrical configuration. During such expansion of the hose 20, a new dosage of mashed fbOd can be sucked in through the feeding channel 11, e.g. front, at piLate with food. After feeding a patient, the various parts (feeding head 10, hose 20, handle piece 30 with the attached plug 23, handle piece 40 and ring member 50) are separated from each other before dish-washing. The illustrated device can be modified in many ways within the scope of the claims. Of course, the device can also be used for the feeding of animals.

Claims: 1. A device for feeding a dosage of mashed food into the mouth of a person, especially an elderly patient, comprising "?ϊ a flexible container (20) for receiving a dosage of mashed food, said container being compressable for the discharge of said dosage through a feeding channel (11) extending in a spoon-like feeding head (10), c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said flexible container (20) is tubular and is 0 compressable between two handle pieces (30,40), which are mutually pivotable like a pair of tongs. 2. A feeding device as defined in claim 1, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that the two handle pieces (30,40) are held 15 apart in a rest position (Fig. 1) solely by the elastic resiliency of said tubular container (20). 3. A feeding device as defined in claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c¬ t e r i z e d in that said tubular container is constituted 0 by a hose (20), which is cloβable at one end (22) and connectable to a neck portion (12) projecting from said feeding head (10) at the other end (21). 4. A feeding device as defined in anyone of claims 1-3, 5 c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said handle pieces (30,40) are each provided with an internal, longitudinally extending rigid body (34,44) for squeezing the tubular container (20) when the handle pieces are pivoted towards each other. 0 5. A feeding device as defined in claim 4, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that each handle piece (30,40) has an outwardly convex and an inwardly concave cross-section and in that said rigid body (34,44) is located at the concave 5 inside of the respective handle piece. 6. A feeding device as defined in claim 5, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that each handle piece (30,40) and the associated rigid body (34,44) are made in one unitary piece (30,34 and 40,44, respectively). 7. A feeding device as defined in anyone of claims 4-6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said rigid body (30,44) is tapered towards the front end (34a,44a) thereof. 8. A feeding device as defined in anyone of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the front end portion (32-42) of each handle piece (39,40) projects radially inwardly into a recess (13,14) formed at the rear end portion (12) of said feeding head (10), so that the respective handle piece (30,40) is axially positioned relative to said feeding head (10) and in that a holding means (50) is provided to radially hold said front end portion (32,42) of each handle piece in said recess (13,14) so as to retain the handle pieces in their axial positions while permitting a mutual pivoting movement. 9. A feeding device as defined in claim 8, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that said holding means is constituted by an external ring member (50) surrounding said front end portions (32,42) of the two handle pieces (30,40). 10. A feeding device as defined in claim 8, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that said ring member (50) is axially confined in an external groove (33) in each handle piece. 11. A feeding device as defined in anyone of claims 8-10, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said recess (13,14) is formed by a neck portion (12) extending from the rear end portion of said feeding head (10) and having a radially widened rear end part (17), to which said flexible tubular container (20) is connectable. 12. A feeding device as defined in anyone of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said feeding channel (11) extends along substantially the whole axial ^5 length of said feeding head (10).

Inventors: BERGKVIST HAOKAN, JUHLIN SVEN-ERIC, NORBERG ASTRID, WINBLAD BENGT, BERGKVIST, HAOKAN, JUHLIN, SVEN-ERIC, NORBERG, ASTRID, WINBLAD, BENGT
Applicants: ERGONOMI DESIGN GRUPPEN AB, NORBERG ASTRID, WINBLAD BENGT, NORBERG, ASTRID, WINBLAD, BENGT
Application year: 1987
Main classification: A61J7
IPC codes: A01K9, A61J7