Cutlery

Abstract

To provide cutlery that enables determining whether or not a food to be eaten is rotten.SOLUTION: Provided is cutlery being a spoon or a fork constituted of a scooping part that contacts food and a handle part continuously connected with the scooping part. The cutlery comprises: rotten gas detection means provided on an upper surface of the handle part at an end of the scooping part side; and detection result notification means provided in the handle part. As a result, when food placed on the scooping part is rotten, the rotten gas detection means determines the rot so as to enable notifying a user of the rot.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to cutlery such as spoons and forks. [Background technology]

[0002] Eating food that has become spoiled due to bacteria can cause food poisoning. In order to prevent food spoilage, it is necessary to pay attention not only to the method of producing and storing food, but also to keeping tableware hygienic. For example, Patent Document 1 provides technology that gives tableware antibacterial properties. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3234248 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Antibacterial tableware, such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, is useful for keeping the tableware itself hygienic. However, even if tableware has antibacterial properties, it cannot reduce the risk of food poisoning if the food itself is spoiled. Also, immediately after spoilage begins, there is little change in smell or appearance, and people often eat the food without realizing that it has spoiled. For this reason, it has been difficult to prevent food poisoning even with technology such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide cutlery that can determine whether food that is about to be eaten has spoiled. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention comprises the following configuration. [1] A cutlery that is a spoon or fork, comprising a scooping part that comes into contact with food and a handle part that is connected to the scooping part, characterized in that a putrefaction gas detection means is provided on the upper surface of the handle at the end on the scooping part side, and the handle part is equipped with a detection result notification means. [2] The cutlery described in [1], characterized in that the scooping portion and the handle portion are connected via a step so that the upper surface of the handle portion is higher than the upper surface of the scooping portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The cutlery of the present invention has a putrefactive gas detector that detects putrefactive gases generated from food placed on the scooping part, and if it determines that the food is putrefactive, it notifies the user of this fact before the food is brought to the user's mouth. This invention makes it possible to determine whether the food being eaten is putrefactive. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the cutlery of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the cutlery of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a step portion of the cutlery of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a photograph of cutlery according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention provides cutlery that can determine whether food is spoiled and notify the user, thereby reducing the risk of food poisoning.

[0010] The cutlery of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan view of the cutlery of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the part surrounded by the dotted line in Fig. 2. The cutlery of the present invention is a spoon or fork, and comprises a scooping part 12 that comes into contact with food and a rod-shaped handle 14 connected to the scooping part 12, and is used by holding the handle 14 with the user's fingers. The total length in the longitudinal direction is not particularly limited, but is typically in the range of about 10 to 20 cm. The total width is also not particularly limited, but for example, if the scooping part 12 is spoon-shaped, its total width is typically 3 to 4 cm. Note that the figure shows an example in which the scooping part 12 is spoon-shaped, but it may also be fork-shaped.

[0011] The scooping portion 12 and the handle portion 14 are made of materials commonly used for cutlery, such as resin, wood, metal, etc. The scooping portion 12 may be replaceable with any shape, such as a spoon or fork.

[0012] The upper surface 14a of the handle 14 is provided with a putrefactive gas detection means 20 and a detection result notification means 30. The putrefactive gas detection means 20 is a sensor for detecting putrefactive gases generated from food placed on the scooping part 12, and detects ammonia and other gases generated when food spoils. There are no particular restrictions on the shape or type of sensor used as the putrefactive gas detection means 20, as long as it can be installed in cutlery. For example, a small semiconductor gas sensor is preferable as it can be installed in cutlery without causing any problems in use and has high sensitivity for detecting putrefactive gases. The measurement value of the putrefactive gas detection means 20 is sent to the detection result notification means 30.

[0013] The putrefactive gas detection means 20 is preferably provided on the upper surface 14a of the handle, at the end closest to the scooping part 12. By bringing the putrefactive gas detection means 20 closer to the food on the scooping part 12, it becomes easier to detect putrefactive gases, and by maintaining a constant distance from the food, stable detection results can be obtained. However, providing the putrefactive gas detection means 20 on the underside of the handle 14 is undesirable as it is more likely to come into contact with the user's mouth and food, which can cause the putrefactive gas detection means 20 to malfunction or become soiled.

[0014] The detection result notification means 30 provided in the handle 14 is composed of a determination means 30a and a notification means 30b. The putrefactive gas detection means 20 and the determination means 30a, and the determination means 30a and the notification means 30b are connected to each other via wire or wirelessly so that they can communicate with each other. There are no particular restrictions on the locations where the determination means 30a and the notification means 30b can be installed, and they can be installed in any location such as the top surface 14a, bottom surface, or inside the handle.

[0015] The determination means 30a receives the measurement value from the putrefactive gas detection means 20, determines whether the putrefactive gas concentration exceeds a predetermined value, and activates the notification means 30b according to the determination result. The determination means is composed of, for example, a programmable microcomputer.

[0016] The notification means 30b emits vibrations, sounds, lights, etc. to notify the user of the cutlery that the food has spoiled through touch, hearing, sight, etc. The notification means 30b can be composed of a vibration motor, a buzzer, a small LCD display, etc., and multiple of these may be provided.

[0017] In the cutlery 10 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the scoop portion 12 and the handle portion 14 are preferably connected via a step so that the upper surface 14a of the handle is higher than the upper surface 12a of the scoop portion. Various sensors can be used for the spoilage gas detection means 20, but semiconductor sensors, for example, require the detection section to be exposed. However, such sensors can malfunction or fail if liquid adheres to their surface. When the cutlery 10 is placed on a table or held with the scoop portion 12 facing upward, the step prevents liquid food from flowing from the scoop portion 12 to the spoilage gas detection means 20 on the handle portion 14, thereby preventing contact between the food and the spoilage gas detection means 20.

[0018] The height H of the step should be approximately 2 mm or more, and more preferably 4 mm or more. Furthermore, the angle A formed between the step surface 40 formed on the step and the upper surface 12a of the scooping portion is approximately 100 degrees or less when the scooping portion 12 is spoon-shaped. Setting the angle A to 90 degrees or less prevents liquid food from dripping down to the sensor 20 even when the cutlery 10 is held vertically with the scooping portion 12 facing up. For example, contamination of the sensor 20 can be prevented even when the cutlery is held upright by a handful of children, who often hold the cutlery from above (overhand grip). Furthermore, when the scooping portion 12 is fork-shaped, the entire cutlery 10 can be used in various orientations, such as stabbing food, scooping up food, or rolling up noodles. Therefore, to prevent liquid food from dripping down to the spoilage gas detection means 20, it is preferable that the angle A formed between the step surface 40 and the upper surface 12a of the scooping portion be an acute angle less than 90 degrees.

[0019] The positional relationship between the upper surface 12a of the scooping portion and the upper surface 14a of the handle, as well as the height of the step and the angle A between the step surface 40 and the upper surface 12a of the scooping portion, may be as described above in the vicinity of the step where food running down becomes an issue. The shape and positional relationship of the front or rear sides of the cutlery 10 away from the vicinity of the step are not limited to those described above.

[0020] The cutlery of the present invention configured as described above detects putrefactive gases emitted by food placed on the scooping part, and if the concentration of putrefactive gases exceeds a predetermined value, it determines that the food is spoiled and notifies the user before eating the food. This prevents food poisoning. Furthermore, since the notification is given through vibration, sound, light, etc., it can also communicate the results to people with visual, olfactory, or hearing impairments, children, the elderly, and others. Furthermore, since the notification is given not only to the cutlery user but also to those around them, safety is enhanced. Furthermore, in the present invention, by connecting the upper surface of the handle with a step so that it is higher than the upper surface of the scooping part, it is possible to prevent the putrefactive gas detection means from being soiled or malfunctioning even when the scooping part is held in various ways. [Example]

[0021] The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0022] (Cutlery making) We created a cutlery with a spoon-shaped scoop (32.5mm wide x 6.5mm thick) attached to one longitudinal end of a handle measuring 26mm wide, 144mm long, and 7mm thick (Figure 4). A semiconductor gas sensor (MiCS-6814, manufactured by SGX Sensortech) was attached to the end of the top of the handle facing the scoop. A microcomputer with an LCD and speaker (M5StickC Plus, manufactured by M5Stack) was mounted in the center of the top of the handle, and a vibration motor (Seeed Technology Co., Ltd., model 1020-15-003-001) was attached to the bottom of the top of the handle. A 4mm high step was added where the scoop and handle connect. The angle between the step and the top of the scoop was 90 degrees.

[0023] (Threshold setting) Cooked rice was stored at 18°C, and the gas sensor was placed at a fixed distance from the rice for five days, after which the measured values ​​(resistance) were checked. The results are shown in Table 1. When the sensor was not placed close to the cooked rice, the resistance was 173,000 Ω. The sensor used here has a resistance that decreases as the detected ammonia concentration increases. [Table 1]

[0024] As shown in Table 1, the sensor resistance value decreased as time passed after cooking. This result confirmed that ammonia was being generated and the cooked rice was beginning to spoil. At the same time, a sensory evaluation was conducted, and a sour smell was detected after two days, and discoloration was confirmed after five days. Based on these results, the sensor resistance threshold value was set to 134,000 Ω in the cutlery's microcomputer, and it was set so that the cooked rice would be deemed to have spoiled if the resistance value fell below the threshold.

[0025] (Checking for food spoilage) Cooked rice was stored at room temperature (18°C) and each day it was placed on the scooping part of cutlery with the threshold set above to check for spoilage. As a result, cooked rice from the second day onwards was judged to be spoiled, and the spoilage of cooked rice could be determined before it was eaten by the LCD display, buzzer sound, and vibration.

[0026] 10 Cutlery 12 Scooping section 12a Top surface of scooping part 14 Handle 14a Upper surface of handle 20. Decomposition gas detection means 30. Means of notifying detection results 40 Step surface

Claims

1. Cutlery that is a spoon or a fork, It comprises a scooping part that comes into contact with food and a handle part that is connected to the scooping part, A putrefactive gas detection means is provided on the upper surface of the handle at the end of the scooping portion, The cutlery is characterized in that the handle is provided with a detection result notification means.

2. 2. The cutlery according to claim 1, wherein the scooping portion and the handle portion are connected via a step so that the upper surface of the handle portion is higher than the upper surface of the scooping portion.

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