Assistive bowl for children's eating

Abstract

This invention relates to an assistive bowl for children's eating, used to help regulate eating habits and expand food variety for children, particularly those aged 6 months to 3 years who refuse to eat, are picky eaters, or do not eat on time, characterized in that it comprises a main body (1), which forms the basic structure of the device and contains a rechargeable battery, control card, and other electronic components; a speaker output (2) that allows a variety of sounds and songs to be played to encourage eating; a touch screen (3) where various cartoons and videos are selected from the interface before eating; an intermediate lid (4) positioned above the touch screen (3) to protect electronic components against food spillage; a bowl holder (5) positioned above the intermediate lid (4); a removable bowl (6) where the food is placed; and a sensor (7) that detects spoon strokes and movements in the and bowl (6), when there is no movement for a certain period of time, the device gives feedback to the child with audible encouragement messages.

Description

[0001] ASSISTIVE BOWL FOR CHILDREN’S EATING

[0002] Technical Field:

[0003] This invention relates to an assistive bowl for children’s eating, used to help regulate eating habits and expand food variety for children, particularly those aged 6 months to 3 years who refuse to eat, are picky eaters, or do not eat on time.

[0004] State of the Art:

[0005] Nowadays, the process of feeding children has become frequently challenging for parents. Many parents use various methods to encourage their children to eat. The most prevalent one of these methods is to distract children by showing them a phone or tablet. Watching cartoons while eating or trying to get children to eat by distracting them with mobile devices may seem effective in the short term, but can cause significant problems in the long term.

[0006] Patent application numbered CN105615452A describes "Child Temperature-Adjustable Bowl". The invention relates to a temperature adjustable bowl for children. The temperature-adjustable bowl is characterized in that the bowl comprises a bowl body and a bowl bottom used for placing food, the outer part of the bowl body is provided with a first interlayer and a second interlayer, the first interlayer is provided with an opening, the opening is provided with a piston, the second interlayer is a closed vacuum layer, and the bowl bottom is disposed under the second interlayer. The children temperature-adjustable bowl is reasonable in design and convenient to use, heat-insulating and anti-scalding, and can adjust the temperature of the food in the bowl, greatly facilitating people's life.

[0007] The invention described above is a bowl design with adjustable temperature. However, the main disadvantage of this design is that functionality is limited to heat insulation and temperature adjustment only. It does not contain any fun or gamifying elements to attract the child's attention during the eating process. This means it fails to offer an additional encouragement to improve eating habits of children. Furthermore, the piston structure and vacuum-layer design can involve complexities that can make the devicedifficult to clean and maintain. Focusing only on temperature control is limiting in terms of increasing children's motivation to eat or providing parents with a wider ease of use.

[0008] In patent application No. US2010096391 A1 , "Baby Bowl" is described. The invention includes non-slip means and spoon-assisted food conglomeration means. Non-slip means may include a weight structure, a non-slip material affixed to the bowl bottom either substantially continuously covering the bottom or substantially continuously covering the bottom, using magnetic materials, or a suction cup. Spoon-assisted food conglomeration means may include a sloped bottom, a substantially spoon-shaped locus, a steep rim, or an inward-curving rim. The transparent bowl may further include an embedded decorative object or spillage reduction means. Spillage reduction means may include an abrupt taper terminus, a steep rim, an inward-curving rim, or a chamfered or rounded bowl vertex. The transparent bowl may further include a lid. Alternatively the bowl may comprise a sloped bottom terminating in a substantially spoon-shaped locus and further comprise non-slip means. In alternative embodiments the bowl may further comprise spillage reduction means or be characterized by a substantial transparent region. A substantial transparent region may further include one or more embedded decorative objects. In still further embodiments, the bowl may comprise non-slip means, spoon-assisted food conglomeration means, and spillage reduction means.

[0009] The invention described above is notable for its anti-slip materials and spillage reduction properties. However, this design does not include any interactive or technological features to capture the child's attention or encourage the eating process. Passive features, such as non-slip material or suction cups, focus only on physical use and do not have the potential to make the child's eating process enjoyable. The transparent bowl containing decorative elements can create a visual appeal, however, this is not enough to encourage eating or actively keep the child interested. Furthermore, the design has a general approach that doesn't serve a specific goal such as improving or regulating eating habits.

[0010] As a result, there is a need for a new technology which can overcome the disadvantages mentioned above.

[0011] Definition of the Invention:This invention is an assistive bowl for children's eating that overcomes the disadvantages mentioned above, and is characterized in that it has a touch screen, a speaker output, encourages eating, is a toy for children, has an intermediate lid protecting the components, is easy to use, and low cost.

[0012] This invention offers many advantages in the process of developing children's eating habits. Firstly, thanks to the gamification approach, which turns the eating process into a fun experience, it ensures that children stay motivated longer during meals. The device delivers fun songs and cartoon characters via the touch screen and speaker to engage children, avoiding habits such as picking or avoiding food. In addition, thanks to the sensor that detects spoon strokes, the child is given feedback with audible encouragement messages in case of inactivity, allowing them to focus on the food. The portable nature of the device and its rechargeable batteries make it possible for parents to use the device anywhere with ease. In terms of hygiene and durability, the intermediate lid providing protection against food spills and easy-to-clean food bowl design offer an important advantage. In addition, the user-friendly interface of the device allows parents to quickly and easily choose the type of food and manage the child's eating process. Given the scarcity of products on the market that encourage children to eat, this device stands out from its competitors both with its unique technological features and with its practical use, offering parents an effective and innovative solution.

[0013] With the easy fastening of the parts that make up the invention to each other, it is easy to install, and thanks to the short assembly time, costs are low. Also, the invention has a solid structure.

[0014] Description of the Drawings:

[0015] The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying figures, so that the features of the invention will be more clearly understood and appreciated, however it is not intended to limit the invention to these particular embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended all alternatives, modifications and equivalences that may be included in the field of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims are within the scope. It should be understood that the details shown are for the sole purpose of illustratingpreferred embodiments of the present invention and are intended to provide the most useful and easily understandable description of both the embodiment of the methods and the rules and conceptual features of the invention. In the drawings;

[0016] Fig. 1 is a disassembled view of the system.

[0017] Fig.2 is a perspective view of the system.

[0018] The figures which will help understand this invention are numbered as indicated in the accompanying drawing and are given below with their names.

[0019] Description of the References:

[0020] 1. Main Body

[0021] 2. Speaker

[0022] 3. Touch Screen

[0023] 4. Intermediate Lid

[0024] 5. Bowl Holder

[0025] 6. Bowl

[0026] 7. Sensor

[0027] Description of the Invention:

[0028] The invention comprises a main body (1), which forms the basic structure of the device and contains a rechargeable battery, control card, and other electronic components; a speaker output (2) that allows a variety of sounds and songs to be played to encourage eating; a touch screen (3) where various cartoons and videos are selected from the interface before eating; an intermediate lid (4) positioned above the touch screen (3) to protect electronic components against food spillage; a bowl holder (5) positioned above the intermediate lid (4); a removable bowl (6) where the food is placed; and a sensor (7) that detects spoon strokes and movements in the and bowl (6), when there is no movement for a certain period of time, the device gives feedback to the child with audible encouragement messages.

[0029] The invention has a touch screen (3) that starts playing the video 30 seconds after the desired content is selected so that the bowl (6) can be placed in the bowl holder (5)and encourages the child to eat by ensuring that the content is understood towards the end of the video.

[0030] Detailed Description of the Invention:

[0031] The constituent parts of the invention are essentially; main body (1), speaker (2), touch screen (3), intermediate lid (4), bowl holder (5), bowl (6), and sensor (7).

[0032] This invention is an innovative feeding device designed to improve children's eating habits and provide solutions to food picking problems. The main body (1) forms the basic structure of the device, housing the rechargeable battery, control card, and other electronic components. The device is designed to be portable and easy to use. The speaker (2) supports the eating process by playing fun songs or audible encouragement messages for the child during meals. The touch screen (3) allows parents to select cartoon and video options from the interface that will gain the interest of the child. This display does not fully display the selected content until the end of the meal, triggering the child's sense of curiosity and encouraging them to finish their food. For the safety of electronic components, the intermediate lid (4) is positioned above the screen (3). This lid (4) protects the device against food spills, providing a hygienic and durable structure. The bowl holder (5) allows the removable food bowl (6) to be placed securely. The food bowl (6) is the main part where the food to be served to the child is placed and has an easy-to-clean structure. The device is equipped with a sensor (7) to detect movements in the bowl (6). The sensor (7) tracks spoon strokes and when it detects a certain period of inactivity, it gives encouraging feedback to the child with audio messages such as “Let's finish our meal!”. The use process starts with the parent selecting the contents of the meal via the touch screen (3). Once selected, the device waits for the food bowl (6) to be placed in the bowl holder (5). Once this process is complete, the device starts playing cartoons or videos. When the child finishes the meal, the screen (3) shows complementary content, thus providing motivation to finish the meal. This integrated system gamifies the child's eating process and transforms it into a fun and effective experience. With its easy portability and user-friendly structure, the device is intended to be a practical solution for parents, as well as beneficial for children in terms of learning and developing habits.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An assistive bowl for children’s eating, characterized in that it comprises;-a main body (1), which forms the basic structure of the device and contains a rechargeable battery, control card, and other electronic components, -a speaker output (2) that allows a variety of sounds and songs to be played to encourage eating,-a touch screen (3) where various cartoons and videos are selected from the interface before eating,-an intermediate lid (4) positioned above the touch screen (3) to protect electronic components against food spillage,-a bowl holder (5) positioned above the intermediate lid (4),-a removable bowl (6) where the food is placed; and-a sensor (7) that detects spoon strokes and movements in the and bowl (6), and when there is no movement for a certain period of time, the device gives feedback to the child with audible encouragement messages.

2. The assistive bowl for children’s eating according to claim 1 , characterized in that it has a touch screen (3) that starts playing the video 30 seconds after the desired content is selected so that the bowl (6) can be placed in the bowl holder (5) and encourages the child to eat by ensuring that the content is understood towards the end of the video.

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