Asymmetrical, elastic attachment sleeve for spoons or asymmetrical spoon with integrated cover for position-independent liquid guidance via volume-controlled safety reservoir
The asymmetrical elastic sleeve or integrated cover design addresses stability and spillage issues in eating aids by ensuring ergonomic clearance and volume control, enhancing usability and cleanliness for users with limited hand motor skills.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- DE · DE
- Patent Type
- Utility models
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-02-03
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-02
AI Technical Summary
Conventional eating aids for individuals with limited hand motor skills face issues with stability and spillage due to symmetrical designs that restrict natural drainage and ergonomics, and custom-made solutions are often unwieldy or difficult to clean.
An asymmetrical design with an elastic sleeve or integrated cover that spans the spoon bowl only at the tip and handle base, maintaining natural mouthfeel and preventing spillage by controlling the volume through an arc-shaped waist, ensuring a snug fit and leak-free operation.
The asymmetrical design provides ergonomic clearance, volume control, and tightness, enhancing stability and reducing spillage for users with limited hand motor skills while maintaining ease of cleaning.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Designation
[0001] Asymmetrical, elastic attachment sleeve for spoons or asymmetrical spoon with integrated cover for position-independent fluid guidance through volume-controlled safety reservoir. Technical field
[0002] The innovation concerns an eating aid for people with limited hand motor skills. It comprises two alternative designs: On the one hand, an elastic sleeve (1) that can be attached to conventional spoons as a separate accessory, and on the other hand, a spoon with an integrated cover (2) that forms an inseparable structural unit as an independent piece of cutlery. State of the art
[0003] Conventional eating aids often use deep indentations or symmetrical coatings. However, these frequently impede the natural drainage at the rim (the "lid effect"). Many well-known solutions completely enclose the rim, which restricts ergonomics and impairs the natural mouthfeel. Problem to be solved
[0004] Users who grip spoons with a fist grip often lack the stability for precise horizontal spoon guidance, leading to spillage. Furthermore, different handedness often necessitates expensive custom-made spoons that are difficult to clean or unwieldy. Solution to the problem and commercial applicability
[0005] The innovation solves this through an asymmetrical overlap with specific waist shaping, which is implemented in two commercial variants: 1. As an elastic sleeve (1): In this design, universality is achieved by allowing the elastic sleeve (1) to be peeled off, turned inside out, and fitted onto the other long side of a conventional spoon. The elastic sleeve (1) is stretched and fixed over the tip of the spoon and the base of the handle by material tension. The longitudinal axis (3) is crossed at these two points, so that the elastic sleeve (1) fits snugly against the spoon body. Transparent elastomers such as silicone, latex, or rubber are used as the material. 2. As a spoon with integrated cover (2): In this design, the spoon bowl and cover form a fixed, form-fitting, and material-compatible unit. The cover is manufactured in such a way that it spans the area of the spoon bowl analogous to the elastic sleeve (1). This variant is specifically manufactured as a right- or left-handed version, preferably from transparent plastic or glass.
[0006] In both variants, the geometry of the covering follows the same principle: It spans the spoon bowl in such a way that it only crosses the longitudinal axis (3) in the area of the tip of the spoon and at the base of the handle, while the effective zone in the middle remains completely free due to the arc-shaped waist. Detailed description of function and waist shape
[0007] The arc-shaped waisting of the boundary edge fulfills three central tasks: 1. Ergonomic clearance: It keeps the entire central rim area on the mouth side, as well as the bowl surface extending beyond the middle, clear. Since the coverage of the elastic sleeve (1) or the spoon with integrated cover (2) only extends beyond the longitudinal axis (3) at the tip of the spoon and at the base of the handle, a natural mouthfeel is maintained. 2. Volume control: The asymmetrical reservoir is spatially limited by its waist shape, so that its capacity is smaller than that of the entire spoon bowl. This prevents spillage when the spoon is rotated into a horizontal position. 3. Tightness: In the case of the elastic casing (1), the material tension ensures a tight, snug fit; in the case of the spoon with integrated cover (2), the material-bonded connection ensures a leak-free unit. Explanation of the figures Fig. Figure 1 shows a top view of a spoon with an elastic shell (1). The waist of the edge is visible, which only exceeds the longitudinal axis (3) at the ends (tip of the spoon and base of the handle). Fig. Figure 2 shows a longitudinal section of a spoon with an elastic shell (1) along the longitudinal axis (3). This view illustrates the stress-induced indentation of the spoon tip and the transition to the handle base. Fig. Figure 3 shows a top view of a spoon with integrated cover (2) as a structural unit. Reference symbol list 1 Elastic cover 2 spoons with integrated cover 3 Longitudinal axis
Claims
[1] Device for use with a spoon or as a spoon, consisting of a bowl and a cover, characterized by , that the cover, as an elastic shell (1) or as part of a spoon with an integrated cover (2), spans the spoon bowl in such a way that the limiting edge of the cover, creating a liquid-tight seal, only in the area of the tip of the spoon and in the area of the handle attachment, extends beyond the longitudinal axis (3) towards the mouth side in order to secure the cover against slippage or to stabilize it as a structural unit, while in the middle area of the spoon bowl it has an arc-shaped waist which does not reach the longitudinal axis (3). [2] Device according to claim 1, characterized by, that the cover is designed as an elastic shell (1), wherein the liquid-tight seal is achieved by material tension as well as by the elastic material conforming and adhering to the spoon bowl by exceeding the longitudinal axis (3) at the spoon tip and at the handle base. [3] Device according to claim 1, characterized by , that the device is designed as a spoon with an integrated cover (2), wherein the spoon bowl and the cover are joined together in a material-bonded manner and are made of the same material. [4] Device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by , that the waist forms a mouth-sized recess that leaves the mouth-side edge of the spoon bowl and the adjacent bowl surface completely free up to and beyond the middle (longitudinal axis 3) for barrier-free drainage. [5] Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the material of the elastic sheath (1) is a food-grade, transparent elastomer, in particular silicone, latex or rubber, while the material of the spoon with integrated cover (2) is a transparent plastic or glass.