Lightweight curved grip with band for forks and spoons for patients with upper limb dysfunction

Abstract

To provide a lightweight curved grip with a band for spoons and forks, enabling patients with upper limb dysfunction to use spoons and forks in the usual way. [Solution] Patients with functional disabilities of the upper limbs have difficulty gripping regular spoons and forks due to motor disorders and muscle weakness, so the spoon and fork grip of this invention is made of plastic, has a lightweight design with a hollow structure, is wide enough to be easily gripped, and is designed to be bent 30 degrees at the tip 1 / 3 to make it easier to reach the mouth. It also has a mechanism that allows it to be rotated and fixed so that the angle of the spoon and fork tip at the mouth can be adjusted. The standard type has a wrist joint fixing band attached to the end of the grip to prepare for sudden falls, which is used when holding a walking stick. The ultra-lightweight type, which is a variation, has been made lighter by omitting the band and integrating it. In addition, as a variable-length type, a mechanism has been introduced that allows the grip length to be adjusted by twisting it left and right to the length at which the grip is desired to be fixed.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This invention relates to a fork and spoon grip for patients with functional disabilities of the upper limbs that has the following features (1) to (6) and can be used in a normal gripping manner: (1) a lightweight design made of plastic with a hollow structure; (2) a wide width that makes it easy to grip; (3) a 30-degree bend at the tip 1 / 3; (4) a function to adjust the rotation angle of the tip of the fork or spoon; (5) a removable wrist joint fixation band; and (6) a function to adjust the grip length. [Background technology]

[0002] Patients with upper limb dysfunction due to motor disorders such as stroke, head injury, spinal cord disease, cerebral palsy, and dystonia often have difficulty using a regular spoon or fork due to their motor disorders and weakened muscles.

[0003] Commercially available spoons and forks for people with disabilities include the Balloon Spoon and Fork (Will Assist), Universal Spoon and Fork (Fuse Planning), and Good Grip (Abilities Care Net). However, the grip material is polypropylene, ethylene propylene rubber, etc. Because they are made of heavy materials such as Santoprene, the total weight is heavy at 38 to 65g, and many of them are difficult for people with disabilities to use. In addition, there are no commercially available products that can be attached with a band. As for patent documents, Jitsuto No. 3011734, JP Patent Publication No. 7-294661, and JP Patent Publication No. 8-277104 have a thick grip and are designed to be suitable for people with disabilities. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Publication No. 3011734 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-294661 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 1998-277104 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

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

[0006] (1) For patients with upper limb dysfunction, if their paralysis or muscle weakness is severe, they have a problem of not being able to lift a spoon or fork high enough to reach the tip of the spoon or fork to their mouth. Therefore, it is necessary to design it as light as possible and to design the grip to be hollow. (2) Due to motor disorders or muscle weakness, if the part where the fingers can fit is thin, the index finger cannot fit over the handle of the spoon or fork, making it difficult to grasp. Therefore, it is necessary to design the part where the fingers can fit to have a thick cylindrical shape. (3) Due to reduced muscle strength, the grip needs to bend midway to shorten the distance so that the tip can reach the mouth even when the hand is low. (4) In cases of severe motor impairment, the direction in which the elbow, wrist, and finger joints can move is limited, and fine adjustments cannot be made, so even if the tip of the spoon or fork reaches the mouth, the angle is poor, causing spills or the spoon or fork to turn in the wrong direction. For this reason, it is necessary to rotate the tip to an angle that is easy to use when it reaches the mouth. A design is required that allows the tip angle to be rotated and fixed around the handle as the rotation axis. (5) Due to various issues, patients with functional disabilities of the upper limbs may lose strength and drop the pole even if they normally have no problems gripping it. To prevent this, a band can be attached to the wrist to hold the pole. A design that allows the band to be attached to the grip is required. (6) For patients with functional disabilities of the upper limbs, the most important points vary depending on the patient's condition, such as not dropping the device but using it for a longer period of time if it is as light as possible, or extending the length to make it easier to reach the mouth even if the device is low in the hand. Therefore, it is necessary to design variations such as ultra-lightweight types and types with adjustable lengths. The present invention aims to solve the problems by adopting a design that incorporates the features (1) to (6). Effect of the Invention

[0007] By using the grip of this invention, patients with functional disabilities of the upper limbs may be able to hold spoons and forks in a normal way. In addition, by using variations according to the type and degree of disability, it is highly likely that problems can be solved more efficiently. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is an overall view and an exploded view of a standard type of plastic curved grip for forks and spoons for patients with upper limb dysfunction according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] Overall view and exploded view of the ultra-lightweight type. [Diagram 3] Overall view and exploded view of the variable length type. [Figure 4] This is an overall view of the ultra-lightweight type, standard type, and adjustable length type with a spoon attached to the tip. [Diagram 5] This is an overall view of the ultra-lightweight type, standard type, and adjustable length type with a fork attached to the tip. [Figure 6] These are perspective views of the ultra-lightweight type, standard type, and adjustable length type with a spoon attached to the tip. [Figure 7] This is an exploded view of the standard type with a spoon attached to the tip. [Figure 8] This is a structural diagram of a variable length type. [Figure 9] The band is attached to the grip and the pole is held in place. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Explain how to use it. Take a commercially available spoon / fork with a relatively thin and straight handle and cut it about 10 cm from the tip using a jigsaw or similar tool. Insert the rotating cap, spacer, and rotating part into the handle, in that order. Insert it into the tip of the grip body and tighten the rotating cap to a certain extent. Attach a hook-and-loop fastener to the band part and hold the grip like a pole. Raise the tip of the spoon / fork to your mouth, rotate the tip, and tighten the rotating cap at the appropriate position to secure it. If you do not need a band, use the ultra-lightweight type, and if the grip is not long enough or needs to be changed, use the variable-length type. The variable-length type can be adjusted in 1 cm increments and can be fixed by twisting it left or right. EXAMPLES

[0010] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Each part was designed as a prototype using 3D-CAD and printed using a 3D printer. Design: 1 Standard type grip body, 2 Rotating part, 3 Spacer, 4 Rotating cap, 5 Spoon / fork tip, 6 Band part, 7 Grip cap. The grip body is designed to be 3 cm in diameter, bent 30 degrees near the distal 1 / 3, and the tip is designed to be rotatable. The rotating part was printed with a rubber-like material and attached to the end of the spoon or fork. The rubber-like material prevents the spoon or fork tip from slipping out or getting stuck. If the rotating cap is tightened without a spacer, the spoon or fork tip will move because the rotating part is made of a soft material. Therefore, a 5mm to 7mm spacer printed with PLA material was inserted. The rotating cap was designed to be screw-type, and the spoon / fork was designed to be tightened to stop the rotation after turning the spoon / fork in any direction. The spoons and forks used were commercially available ones cut off at about 10cm from the tip. The band parts are for patients who are unable to grip due to reduced pinching strength or paralysis, and when not in use they are either removed and replaced with a grip cap or printed as a single piece. The thickness was designed to be 1mm for the ultra-lightweight type and 1.5mm for the standard type, and the inside was made hollow to reduce weight. A variable-length type was also created as a variation, with the grip part divided into two parts that can be adjusted by 4cm in 1cm increments (total length 18-22cm). Output results from the 3D printer: The weight was 14g / piece for the ultra-light type, 22g / piece for the standard type, and 30g / piece for the variable-length type (excluding spoon and fork tips). The tips are replaceable, so you can choose from a variety of spoon and fork tips. The band is used by inserting your hand into the loop from below and gripping the band together, just like holding a walking stick. The fork tips are 10g / piece, so the total weight for the ultra-light type was 24g / piece, the standard type was 32g / piece, and the variable-length type was 39g / piece, making the ultra-light and standard types less than half the weight of commercially available products. Even the variable-length type was lighter than commercially available products. *When pinching is difficult for people with upper limb dysfunction, it is useful to make the grip thicker. Ready-made products are available in a range of thicknesses, from 1-2cm thin types to about 3cm thick types. When made with a 3D printer, they can be customized to suit the individual. The overall length and the bending angle of the grip part can also be customized. There are no other self-help tools that can be used with commercially available spoons and forks, are easy to hold, and weigh less than 30g, so the benefits of using a 3D printer are great. [Explanation of symbols]

[0011] 1 Standard type grip body 2 Rotating parts 3 Spacer 4 Rotation Cap 5 Spoon Tip 6 Band parts 7 Grip Cap 8. Ultra-lightweight grip body 9 Variable length grip inner cylinder 10 Variable length grip body

Claims

1. This spoon / fork grip is made by cutting off a normal spoon / fork at about 10 cm from the tip and attaching it to a lightweight plastic grip for use by patients with upper limb dysfunction.

2. (i) A hollow grip body consisting of two parts: a cylindrical part (diameter 3 cm x length 6 cm) that the fingers fit around when gripping in a normal manner, and a conical part that is connected to the distal side of the cylindrical part at a 30-degree bend. (b) A rotating part made of rubber or a rubber-like material that is fixed to the grip by passing it through the cut handle of a spoon or fork, allowing the angle to be adjusted around the handle of the spoon or fork as the axis of rotation. (c) A screw-type rotating cap that is attached to the tip of the grip body. (D) A hard spacer that is inserted between the rotating part and the rotating cap to prevent the rotating part made of rubber or rubber-like material from bending. (e) A band part that can be fitted with a hook-and-loop fastener for patients who are unable to firmly hold a spoon or fork due to reduced grip strength. (F) A screw-on grip cap for fixing the band part to the proximal end of the grip body.

2. The grip (standard type) according to claim 1, which is configured as described above.

3. Variation 1 (Ultra-lightweight type) - For patients who do not use a band, an ultra-lightweight grip in which the screw portion at the proximal end of the grip body and the grip cap as described in claim 2 are omitted.

4. Variation 2 (variable length type) - For patients who need to adjust the length of the grip body, this variable length grip has a structure in which the grip body described in claim 2 can be divided into two parts and extended.

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