Daily use item

Abstract

To provide a daily use item being applicable to anything and preventing accidental ingestion.SOLUTION: A daily use item 1 being applicable to daily necessities 1 used by infants and pets such as dogs and cats, comprises a taste-imparting layer 2 for stimulating the taste sense, and a surface layer 3 including the taste-imparting layer 2. The taste-imparting layer 1 may be composed of a substrate made of an elastomer containing a bitter component or a pungent component, or may be composed of a substrate coated with a coating agent containing the bitter component or the pungent component.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a daily necessities provided with a taste-imparting layer that stimulates the taste buds. [Background technology]

[0002] Various household items have been developed to prevent babies and pets such as dogs and cats from chewing on and accidentally ingesting them. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a nipple for use in a baby bottle, which contains a toxic substance that wears down latex products, and describes a nipple that releases water-soluble dyes from its pores when excessively worn. Patent Document 2 below also discloses a battery in which a water-soluble eluting material is applied between the container and gasket to leach out pungent flavors such as bitter or spicy ones. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 5,322,031 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-126543 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the product described in Patent Document 1 causes the water-soluble dye to leach out due to wear, and the product described in Patent Document 2 is applied between the container and the gasket, so even if it can prevent the detection of wear and the accidental ingestion of batteries, it is difficult to apply it to everyday items used daily, such as tableware and toys. Furthermore, when coating or applying a substance that stimulates the taste stimuli on the surface of everyday items, there is a risk that the taste stimuli will deteriorate over time.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a daily necessities that can be applied to all sorts of things and can prevent accidental ingestion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the daily necessities of the present invention have a taste-imparting layer that stimulates the sense of taste and a surface layer that contains the taste-imparting layer.

[0007] The following description of the embodiments will disclose that the daily necessities according to the present invention may also include the following subsidiary configurations. <Configuration 2> In the configuration 1, the taste-imparting layer may be configured with a base material made of an elastomer containing a bitter component or a pungent component. <Configuration 3> In configuration 1, the taste-imparting layer may be composed of a base material coated with a coating agent containing a bitter component or a pungent component. <Configuration 4> In the configuration 1 or 2, the taste-imparting layer may be made of a colored base material or a base material that develops color when exposed to air. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] Since the daily necessities of the present invention have the above-mentioned configuration, they can be applied to anything and can prevent accidental ingestion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining an example of a daily necessities according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view of a spoon and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the same spoon. [Figure 2] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the application of daily necessities according to the embodiment, in which (a) shows a bowl, (b) shows a toy (blocks), (c) shows a pacifier, and (d) shows a bib with a pocket. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The daily necessities 1 according to this embodiment have a taste-imparting layer 2 that stimulates the sense of taste and a surface layer 3 that contains the taste-imparting layer 2. First, with reference to Fig. 1, an example in which the present invention is applied to a spoon 1 as a daily necessities according to this embodiment will be described.

[0011] The spoon 1 shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b) is used for scooping food into the mouth and stirring food during meals, and includes a shallow bowl-shaped basin 1a for placing food and a handle 1b for holding it. The spoon 1 includes a taste-imparting layer 2 and a surface layer 3, which may be made of the same material or a combination of different materials that can be integrally formed by two-color molding. The base material for the taste-imparting layer 2 and the surface layer 3 can be a thermosetting elastomer such as silicone rubber, a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), polypropylene (PP), ABS resin, or the like. From a hygienic standpoint, a base material that is heat-resistant enough to withstand boiling disinfection and use in a dishwasher is preferred.

[0012] The spoon 1 shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b) is configured such that the taste-imparting layer 2 occupies most of the pot portion 1a and the handle portion 1b, and the surfaces thereof are covered with the surface layer 3, with the taste-imparting layer 2 not exposed to the outside. However, this is not limited to this, and if there is a portion where the taste-imparting layer 2 is contained within the surface layer 3, the taste-imparting layer 2 may be partially exposed and licked to stimulate the taste sensibility. The thicknesses of the taste-imparting layer 2 and the surface layer 3 are also not particularly limited, but setting the thickness of the surface layer 3 so that the taste-imparting layer 2 reaches the thickness when an infant or young child bites the spoon 1 can effectively prevent accidental ingestion. Furthermore, the taste-imparting layer 2 only needs to be located in a portion that is easily bitten by an infant, and may be provided only on the tip of the pot portion 1a or the handle portion 1b, for example.

[0013] The taste-imparting layer 2 encapsulated in the surface layer 3 may be any substance that stimulates the taste buds when bitten. Therefore, it may contain not only bitter and spicy components, but also sour and salty components, or a mixture of these. Because there is a risk of accidentally ingesting the taste-imparting layer 2 when biting into the spoon 1, the taste-imparting component added to the base material constituting the taste-imparting layer 2 must be selected not only to stimulate the taste buds, but also in terms of dosage and toxicity, taking into consideration use by infants and young children, even if the component is added to food. Examples of bittering agents include denatonium, sucrose octaacetate, quercetin, and naringin. Examples of pungent agents include capsaicin and eugenol. Powdered forms of chili pepper, ginger, wasabi, mustard, cloves, and cumin may also be used. Examples of souring agents include citric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, and acetic acid.

[0014] According to the above configuration, the taste-imparting layer 2 that stimulates the sense of taste is contained within the surface layer 3, so that when an infant or a pet bites off the end of a household item such as the spoon 1 and tries to eat it, for example, during the teething period when the infant feels pain and itching, the taste is stimulated and the pet spits out the piece, thereby preventing the accidental ingestion of broken pieces of the household item such as the spoon 1.

[0015] The taste-imparting layer 2 may be formed from a base material made of the above-mentioned elastomer containing a taste-stimulating component such as a bitter component or a pungent component, or may be formed by coating the surface of a base material made of the above-mentioned tasteless elastomer containing no taste component with a coating agent containing a bitter component, a pungent component, etc. The coating method is not particularly limited, and may be painting or dipping.

[0016] The configuration of the present invention can be applied to all kinds of everyday items, not just the spoon 1. Examples of application are shown in Figures 2(a) to 2(d).

[0017] FIG. 2(a) shows an example in which the present invention is applied to a tea bowl 1A. In the tea bowl 1A shown here, the taste-imparting layer 2 is formed only around the periphery of the tea bowl 1A. The tea bowl 1A shown in FIG. 2(a) is intentionally cut away to show that the taste-imparting layer 2 is formed of a colored base material or a base material that changes color when exposed to air. If the taste-imparting layer 2 is colored or uses a base material that changes color when exposed to air, biting off the edge of an everyday item such as the tea bowl 1A reveals the colored base material, making it possible to visually identify damage. The extent of the taste-imparting layer 2 is not limited to the illustrated example, and it may also be formed on the base of the tea bowl 1A.

[0018] In addition, the invention can be applied to toys used by infants (balls, teethers, rattles, pushcarts, etc.), such as the triangular building blocks 1B shown in Fig. 2(b), and to all kinds of infant products (baby bottles, cups, plates, chopsticks, etc.), such as the pacifier 1C shown in Fig. 2(c) and the bib with a pocket shown in Fig. 2(d).

[0019] The configurations and shapes of the daily necessities 1, 1A to 1D in the above-described embodiments are not limited to those shown in the drawings. In addition, in the above-described embodiments, daily necessities for infants and small children are illustrated and described, but although not shown, the present invention can be applied to corners and handles of furniture, strollers, playpens, daily necessities for pets, and other parts that may be chewed by infants, small children, pets, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0020] 1,1A~1D Daily necessities 2 Taste-imparting layer 3 Surface layer

Claims

1. A daily necessities comprising a taste-imparting layer that stimulates the sense of taste and a surface layer that contains the taste-imparting layer.

2. In claim 1, The taste-imparting layer is made of a base material made of an elastomer containing a bitter or pungent component.

3. In claim 1, The taste-imparting layer is composed of a base material coated with a coating agent containing a bitter component or a pungent component.

4. In claim 1 or claim 2, The taste-imparting layer is made of a colored base material or a base material that changes color when exposed to air.

Images