Dosing spoon

Abstract

A dosing spoon 2 comprising a main body 4 with a receptable 6 at one end. The receptacle has a recess 12 for receiving material to be delivered. At least part of the main body being hollow to house an inclinometer with a counting function. The main body having a display 10 on its outside surface to display the number of times the inclinometer senses axial rotation of the receptacle end of the dosing spoon. The dosing spoon may be formed of a unitary structure and have the receptacle being removable. The main body may house a power source for the electrical components accessible through a door 8, the display may be an LCD, a plurality of buttons may be provided to set a predetermined number of scoops and rest the counter. An alarm may be provided to provide an audio signal when the spoon is used or when the predetermined number is exceeded.

Description

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dosing spoon. More especially the invention relates to a dosing spoon which is able to detect and indicate the number of successive doses provided by the spoon. Background of the Invention The dosage spoon described was designed primarily for dispensing baby formula, although it could be used to deliver other material in which the delivery dosage is important. Preparing the correct amount of baby formula to be consumed by a baby can be a surprisingly difficult task, especially when late at night or in the early hours in the morning whilst being sleep deprived through looking after a baby. The preparation of baby formula generally involves adding a precise number of spoonfuls of formula powder into a baby bottle containing water around a required temperature. It is quite often the case that the preparer will be distracted and lose count of the number of spoonfuls they have added. The amount of powder may be imprecise as a result, or the preparer is resorted to guessing and will never know if they added the correct number of spoonfuls. The present invention seeks to alleviate this problem by providing a spoon which provides a visual indication of the number of times the spoon has collected and dispensed powder over a given sequence. Statements of the Invention According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a dosing spoon comprising a main body with a receptable at one end; the receptacle having a recess for receiving material to be delivered; at least part of the main body being hollow to house an inclinometer with a counting function and the main body having a display on its outside surface to display the number of times the inclinometer senses axial rotation of the receptacle end of the dosing spoon. Preferably, the spoon has a unitary structure. Alternatively, the receptable may be removeable from the rest of main body. Preferably, the main body further houses a power source. Preferably, the power source is accessible via a door formed in one side of the main body. Preferably, the apparatus providing a counting function is activated pursuant to a signal received from the inclinometer. Preferably, the display is an LCD display. Preferably still, the LCD display is located on the main body and aligned with the receptable recess. The dosing spoon may further comprise means to provide an oral output pursuant to a signal received from the inclinometer. Preferably, the oral output is a voice or sound indicative of the counter, indicating the consecutive number of rotations of the dosing spoon. The oral output may provide an alarm in the event that the number of doses in a sequence exceed a predefined number. The display may further include a reset button accessible to the user to re-set the counter for subsequent use of the spoon. Preferably, the main body is provided with finger grips. The receptacle may include a light sensor to indicate the presence, or lack thereof, of material held within the receptacle recess. According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a dosing system for the delivery of material, comprising: a dosing spoon according to any one of the preceding claims; and a weighted base to hold the spoon in a generally upright position during its storage. Brief Description of the Drawings Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a dosing spoon constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of the dosing spoon of figure 1; and Figure 3 shows the dosing spoon supported on a base. Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments Referring to the figures, the invention provides a dosing spoon 2 having an elongate main body 4, generally cylindrical in formed, with one end formed as a receptacle 6. In the embodiment shown the receptacle 6 is generally cylindrical to replicate the shape of a traditional baby formula spoon. It could though be an alternative shape and / or size more suitable for delivering a different substance or for a different purpose. The spoon 2 may be formed as unitary structure. Alternatively, the receptable end 6 may be separable from the main body 4 to allow for cleaning or for replacement with an alternatively shaped and / or sized receptacle end piece. The main body 4 is generally hollow to house a PCB that includes an inclinometer with a counting function, together with a battery pack or other power source. The electronics and power source are accessible for replacement via a door or hatch 8 formed in one side of the main body 4. The counting function may be separate from the inclinometer and receives a signal from it. The side of the main body 4, opposite that of the door 8, includes an LCD display 10 at or near to the receptacle end. The LCD display 10 can be of any size but its primary function is to simply display the number of times in a row the receptacle 6 has been filled and emptied. The LCD display 10 is preferably located on the main body 4 on the same side, to be aligned with the recess 12 of the receptacle 6, (as opposed to the base 14 of the receptacle 6) so that the display is visible at the time the receptacle 6 is being filled. The number is calculated by the inclinometer sensing the receptacle end 6 being turned through approximately 180 degrees, or a pre-determined range of axial rotation, each signifying a time at which baby formula is emptied from the receptacle 6 into a bottle. An oral indication may also be given by, for example, emitting a sound each time the inclinometer senses the receptable end being turned through 180 degrees. The sound could be a voice stating the number. Means may be provided to cause an alarm if the number of doses in a sequence exceeds a pre-defined number. The display 10 may include a reset button accessible to the user to re-set the counter for the next use. As can be seen in figure 3, a weighted base 16 may be provided to hold the dosage spoon 2 when not in use. The base 16 holds the spoon 2 generally upright to keep the receptable end from any potentially unclean surface when being stored. The main body 4 may be provided with finger grips or may have areas made from a material providing increased grip. The main body 4 is water resistant incorporating rubber seals where necessary to prevent moisture ingress into the body 4. It is envisaged that other sensing means could be incorporated into the dosing spoon assembly to detect each use, for example, a light sensor could be provided in the surface of the receptacle that could detect when the sensor is covered and uncovered by formula powder.

Claims

1. A dosing spoon comprising a main body with a receptable at one end; the receptacle having a recess for receiving material to be delivered; at least part of the main body being hollow to house an inclinometer with a counting function and the main body having a display on its outside surface to display the number of times the inclinometer senses axial rotation of the receptacle end of the dosing spoon.

2. A dosing spoon according to claim 1, wherein the spoon has a unitary structure.

3. A dosing spoon according to claim 1, wherein receptable is removeable from the rest of main body.

4. A dosing spoon according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the main body further houses a power source.

5. A dosing spoon according to claim 4, wherein the power source is accessible via a door formed in one side of the main body.

6. A dosing spoon according to any preceding claim, wherein apparatus providing a counting function is activated pursuant to a signal received from the inclinometer.

7. A dosing spoon according to any preceding claim, wherein the display is an LCD display.

8. A dosing spoon according to claim 7, wherein the LCD display is located on the main body adjacent the recess of the receptable.

9. A dosing spoon according to any preceding claim, wherein the dosing spoon further comprises means to provide an oral output pursuant to a signal received from the inclinometer.

10. A dosing spoon according to claim 9, wherein the oral output is a voice or sound indicative of the counter.

11. A dosing spoon according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the oral output provides an alarm in the event that the number of doses in a sequence indicated by the counter exceed a pre-defined number.

12. A dosing spoon according to any preceding claim, wherein the display includes a reset button accessible to the user to re-set the counter for subsequent use of the spoon.

13. A dosing spoon according to any preceding claim wherein the main body is provided with finger grips.

14. A dosing spoon according to any preceding claim wherein the receptacle includes a light sensor to indicate the presence, or lack thereof of material held within the receptacle recess.

15. A material dosing system, comprising:a dosing spoon according to any one of the preceding claims; anda weighted base to hold the spoon in a generally upright position during its storage.

16. A material dosing according to claim 15, wherein the dosing spoon is held upright with the receptable orientated higher than the main body.

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