Squeezable Spoon Assembly for Mess-Free Infant Feeding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing infant feeding devices require scooping food from a secondary container, which can be messy and inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
A spoon assembly with a built-in scoop and mount, featuring a tube with a nozzle that ejects food onto the scoop when squeezed, allowing for efficient and mess-free feeding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If food is scooped from a secondary container using traditional devices, then food can be transferred to the infant, but the process becomes messy and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the food storage function and the spoon function into a single integrated device. The squeezable container integrates the food reservoir, dispensing mechanism, and spoon into one unit, eliminating the need for separate scooping actions between containers and reducing mess during food transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The food is pre-loaded into the squeezable container before use. The container is prepared in advance with food portions that can be directly dispensed onto the spoon through squeezing, eliminating the need for scooping food from a separate storage container during the feeding process.
2Productivity
If a built-in scoop and mount system is used, then food dispensing becomes more efficient and hygienic, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The spoon is nested within or attached to the squeezable container structure. The mount system integrates the spoon holder into the container body, creating a compact nested arrangement where the spoon, mount, and container form an integrated unit rather than separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The squeezable container automatically dispenses food onto the spoon through the squeezing action. The mechanism is self-operating where the user's squeezing motion directly controls food dispensing without requiring additional manual intervention or complex control systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables easy and hygienic feeding by capturing and dispensing food directly onto the scoop, reducing mess and simplifying the feeding process.
Implementation Method 1
The tube has food therein so that food from the tube is ejected onto the scoop when the tube is squeezed
Data Source
AI summary
An infant feeding system includes a spoon assembly with a scoop and a mount attached to and extending away from the mount. The mount has a distal end with respect to the scoop. An aperture extends into the distal end and into the scoop so that fluid flowing into the aperture is captured by the scoop. A tube has a nozzle thereon extendable in and fluidly couplable with the aperture. The tube has food therein so that food from the tube is ejected onto the scoop when the tube is squeezed.