A self-help device for chopsticks to assist patients with mild upper limb dysfunction in grasping in a normal manner

Abstract

To provide a self-help device for chopsticks for patients with mild functional disabilities of the upper limbs. [Solution] This is a self-help tool for chopsticks, consisting of three parts: a grip part and a leaf spring part 3, and is used by inserting regular chopsticks 4, 5 into the holes in two grip parts 1, 2. The grip part is cylindrical in shape with a wide diameter that makes it easy for fingers to fit along it, and the part where the chopsticks are inserted is hollowed out to match the thickness of the chopsticks, and a tapered semi-cylindrical shape with matching unevenness is designed as a mechanism to prevent the tips of the chopsticks from slipping together when pinching them. When the chopsticks are simply held with no force applied to the fingers, the two chopsticks are parallel, but when force is applied to the fingers, the chopsticks close and the tips meet, and the U-shaped part is inserted into the leaf spring insertion hole of the grip part.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This invention relates to a self-help device for chopsticks for patients with mild functional disabilities of the upper limbs, which has the features of a thick grip, an anti-slip mechanism, and a replaceable leaf spring, and can be used in the normal way to hold chopsticks. [Background technology]

[0002] Patients with upper limb dysfunction due to motor disorders such as stroke, head injury, spinal cord disease, cerebral palsy, and dystonia have difficulty grasping with regular chopsticks due to their motor disorders and weakened muscles, and often use spoons and forks instead.

[0003] As chopsticks aids, several types of chopsticks are commercially available for educational purposes to teach children how to hold chopsticks, such as "First Chopsticks" (Combi) * JP 2021-6910694 (JP, B) and "Edison's Chopsticks" (Asahi Koyo). However, these are mainly for specifying the position of the fingers, and since they do not have a spring function, patients with upper limb dysfunction cannot open the chopsticks and cannot actually use them. There are also several types of chopsticks with a spring function on the market for patients with upper limb dysfunction, such as "Easy Chopsticks" (Willassist), "Petit Aid Chopsticks" (Taiwa), and "Hashizou-kun" (Utsunomiya Seisakusho), but most of them are products that are held with tweezers, and most of them are too thin to even be able to be held with fingers when holding chopsticks in the normal way. In addition, due to motor disorders, the direction in which the fingers can move is limited and fine adjustments cannot be made, which causes the problem that the tips of the chopsticks do not fit together when pinching, but there are no chopsticks on the market with a function to prevent slipping. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Utsukuri 2024-3246485(JP,U) [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication 2021-6910694(JP,B) [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication 2020-6739736(JP,B) [Patent Document 4] Patent Publication 2018-57488(JP,A) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The objective of this invention is to create a self-help device that enables patients with mild upper limb dysfunction to use chopsticks in the normal way. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) For patients with functional disabilities of the upper limbs, due to motor disorders and muscle weakness, if the part where the fingers can rest is thin, the index finger cannot be placed on the chopsticks and they cannot grip them properly. Therefore, it is necessary to design the part where the fingers can rest in a thick cylindrical shape. (2) If the patient has severe paralysis or muscle weakness, they are unable to separate the chopsticks, and even if they try to open the tips slightly, they often end up crossing the chopsticks and opening them. By installing a leaf spring in the gripping part, the chopsticks can be separated. However, if the spring force is too strong, the tips cannot be closed, so the leaf spring must be designed to be thick enough to allow easy pinching. The leaf spring must be designed to be inserted into the grip part so that it can be adjusted to individual differences. (3) When motor impairments are severe, the direction in which the fingers can move is limited and fine adjustments cannot be made, resulting in problems with the tips of the chopsticks not aligning when pinching. It is necessary to use a recessed, fitted mechanism to prevent the chopsticks from slipping. The size of the recessed and fitted parts should be designed so that the protrusions fit slightly into the grooves even when the chopsticks are open, and they should be designed to be large enough to prevent the chopsticks from slipping even when no force is applied parallel to the plane of the chopsticks' movement. The present invention aims to solve the problems by adopting a design that incorporates the features (1) to (3). Effect of the Invention

[0007] By using this chopstick self-help tool, even patients with mild functional impairments in the upper limbs can hold chopsticks in a manner similar to normal chopsticks. Normally, two chopsticks are held without the middle finger hooked on the grip, but if the grip is weak, three chopsticks can be held with the middle finger also hooked on the grip. Specifically, by making the part where the fingers are hooked thicker, it is possible to fit the fingers along the chopsticks, by installing a spring between the chopsticks, the chopsticks can be opened by the force of the spring without the user having to open them, and by introducing an anti-slip mechanism, the tips of the chopsticks do not slip out of place when closed. To address issues of individual differences and deterioration due to use, the leaf spring was designed to be plug-in type. These innovations solved the problem. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a general view showing an embodiment of a self-help tool for chopsticks that helps patients with mild functional disabilities of the upper limbs to grasp chopsticks in a normal way, showing the self-help tool attached to the chopsticks. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the chopsticks self-help tool. [Diagram 3] This is a right trigonometric mechanical drawing of the grip parts. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are an oblique view and a front view of a leaf spring part. [Diagram 5] This is an explanatory diagram of the chopsticks self-help tool when no force is being applied (left image) and when the tip of the chopsticks has been closed after a pinching motion (right image). [Figure 6] This is a photograph of the actual usage state of Figure 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Explain how to use the product. Insert the leaf spring parts into the leaf spring insertion holes of both grip parts 1 and 2 to integrate them. Next, insert the chopsticks through the holes in the grip parts and adjust the position of the grip parts so that they are in the same position as when holding chopsticks normally. At the same time, make fine adjustments so that the tips of the chopsticks are aligned. The adjustment method is to wrap the chopsticks in mending tape or thin sheet rubber. Make several types of leaf springs with different thicknesses, and try applying force to your thumb and index finger to close the tips of the chopsticks. Select a leaf spring with a hardness that allows you to close the tips of the chopsticks easily. If you are too weak and easily tired when using only your thumb and index finger, consider using your thumb, index finger, and middle finger to hold the chopsticks. Replace the leaf spring with a new one when its strength weakens with use. EXAMPLES

[0010] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. (1)Grip design: A cylinder with a radius of 9 mm and a length of 35 mm was created, and a cylinder with a radius of 4.5 mm was hollowed out. The hollow was also tapered according to the angle of the chopsticks. (*This time, plastic chopsticks for lunch boxes were used. Unlike wooden or bamboo chopsticks, the thickness and length of the chopsticks are constant and there is little error, so fine adjustments are not necessary. If other chopsticks are used, the radius of the hollow and the angle of the tapered part must be adjusted according to the thickness and length of the chopsticks.) (2)Spring design: The leaf spring was designed so that the two chopsticks are parallel with a width of 35 mm when no force is applied, and are inserted into the grip to fix them. The strength of the spring was adjusted by the thickness, and the basic thickness was set to 2 mm. (*The spring strength is adjusted by the thickness. The spring was designed to be a plug-in type so that it can be replaced.) (3)Slip prevention mechanism design: One semi-cylindrical protrusion was created on one side and two on the other side. The size of the projections was designed so that even when the chopsticks are open, the projections are slightly recessed into the grooves, so that they will not slip out even if no force is applied parallel to the plane of the chopsticks' movement. (*The thickness of the projections was designed on the assumption that plastic chopsticks for lunch boxes would be used. If other chopsticks are used, the thickness of the projections must be adjusted according to the chopsticks' thickness and length.) [Explanation of symbols]

[0011] 1 Grip Parts 1 (1a Leaf spring insertion port 1 1b Anti-slip protrusion 1 1c Cylindrical grip 1) 2 Grip parts 2 (2a Leaf spring insertion port 2 2b Anti-slip projection 2 2c Anti-slip projection 2 2d Cylindrical grip 2) 3 Leaf spring parts 4 Chopsticks 1 5 Chopsticks 2

Claims

1. This self-help tool for chopsticks is made up of three parts: two grip parts and a leaf spring part, and is characterized by the fact that regular chopsticks are inserted into each of the two holes.

2. 2. The grip part according to claim 1, which is cylindrical in shape with a large diameter that allows fingers to easily fit around it and a length that matches the part where fingers are placed, and the part where chopsticks are inserted is hollowed out to match the thickness of the chopsticks.

3. The grip parts according to claim 1 have two tapered semi-cylindrical convex and concave portions designed as a mechanism to prevent the tips of the chopsticks from slipping together when pinching.

4. The replaceable leaf spring part according to claim 1 has a U-shaped shape and acts as a spring so that the two chopsticks are parallel when the chopsticks are held without applying force to the fingers, and close and the tips meet when force is applied to the fingers.

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