Receptacles – Table dish
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-27
2003-10-28
Moy, Joseph M. (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Table dish
Reexamination Certificate
active
06637614
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a child's plate of the kind defined in the preamble of claim 1 (DEA-2248436).
Thus, the invention relates to a child's plate of the kind that comprises a bowl which is carried by a surrounding raised rim of which an upper edge-part connects with an edge-part of the bowl and which defines with its lower edge-part a support plane, wherein the raised rim is adapted to support the bowl above said plane, and wherein the outer surface of the raised rim slopes outwardly and downwardly from the upper edge of said rim towards the support plane, and wherein the bowl has an inner wall which defines an angle of at least 20° with the outer surface of the rim.
A typical plate that includes a central bowl which is intended to rest on a support surface and which has a circumferentially and radially outwardly extending flange at its free end can be easily tipped over (e.g. by exerting a downward force on the flange), gripped and lifted even by a small child, therewith spilling the food on the plate. The plate may even be thrown by a child gripping the plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,824 teaches a plate intended for household pets and small children. This plate includes an upwardly tapering conical rim which supports a bowl whose inner wall has a radially downwardly bent rim part that forms a splash guard for liquid in the bowl. It will be noted, however, that even a small child can firmly grip around the splash guard rim of the bowl and readily tip or throw the bowl. Moreover, the bowl can readily be moved along the support surface, since it lacks the provision of friction devices that make such movement difficult to achieve.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,622,036 teaches a dog feeding bowl of the design defined in the preamble of claim 1.
With the intention of preventing to some extent a small child from spilling food from a child's plate, for instance by tipping or gripping and lifting the plate, it has been found suitable to design a child's plate fundamentally in a manner corresponding to the design taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,622,036. However, bowls/plates of such nature have been found to have certain drawbacks. One drawback is that the known plate/bowl slides easily on a plate/bowl supporting surface. When the construction of a child's plate allows the plate to slide on a support surface, a child can easily push the plate/bowl away so as to cause food to spill from the plate and the plate to slide over the table edge. And if the plate known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,622,036, should be provided with a slide guard on the undersurface of the plate, the problem arises that it the slide guard causes the rim of the plate to be raised from the plate support plane, a child will be able to grip beneath the bottom edge of the rim with his/her nails and lift or topple the plate/bowl, and so on. If an attempt to solve this problem is made by fitting an essentially continuous string of friction material around the bottom edge of the rim, said string resting along/around its entire length against said support surface (preventing a child from gripping with his/her nails against said string or between the string and the support surface), it is practically impossible for an adult to lift the plate (bowl) from the support surface with one hand, particularly since the plate/bowl cannot be easily moved on the support surface.
Moreover, it is practically impossible for a child or an adult to spoon solid/semi-solid food from a plate of rotational-symmetrical design, for instance the bowl taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,622,036.
DE-A-2248436 teaches a plate that has large openings in the plate rim, said plate being able to rest on the support surface via rubber feet.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a child's plate which essentially prevents a child from pushing away his/her plate across a smooth table surface, and which prevents a child from gripping the plate in a manner which enables the plate to be lifted, toppled, etc., and which, in spite of this, can still be gripped by an adult in one hand and lifted from the table surface.
Another object of the invention is to provide a child's plate from which food can be readily taken by means of cutlery, such as a spoon.
Further objects will be apparent, either directly or indirectly, from the following description.
The objects of the invention are achieved with a child's plate constructed in accordance with the present invention.
The inventive plate is defined in the accompanying dependent claim.
Further embodiments of the invention will be apparent from the accompanying dependent claims, the description, and from the drawings.
Basically, the invention resides in that the exposed outer surface edge-part of the plate slopes upwards/inwards at an angle of at least 20° to a normal of the plate support plane, so that the hand of a child will not normally be able to grip the plate edge in a manner which allows the plate to be lifted. Moreover, the radially outer wall surface of the plate shall extend right down to the plate support surface, so as to exclude the presence of a gap between the under edge of the peripheral wall of the plate and a flat surface, such as a table surface, on which the plate rests, at any point around the plate circumference, so that a child will not be able to grip, e.g. with a fingernail, between the plate and the support surface. Moreover, the bottom edge of the radially outer peripheral wall of the plate shall be comprised of a friction-enhancing material, such as an elastomeric material, which functions to prevent sliding/movement of the plate over an essentially flat table surface.
The radially and inwardly facing free wall surface of the plate bowl also includes in the proximity of the bowl edge a surface part whose normal extends at a significant distance from the region between the plate support plane and the lower edge-part of the raised rim. This enables an adult to place the outside of the index finger of one hand in an angular region between a plate support surface and the exposed bottom edge-part of the raised rim, wherewith the adult concerned can place the pad of the outer thumb joint on the same hand on said outer part. The adult is then able to readily apply with this hand a rotary force that will cause the plate to swing up from the plate support surface/the table surface around the part of the plate gripped by this hand. A small child normally has a hand-gripping function which involves gripping an object between all fingers and the wrist, wherewith the conical edge-part of the plate makes it impossible in practice for the child to obtain a firm grip on the exposed edge-part of the plate. In practice, the bowl wall of the plate may be essentially at right angles to the plate support plane, with the bottom of the bowl, or dished part of the plate, generally parallel with said plate support plane, at least in the vicinity of the bowl wall, so as to facilitate eating from the plate with a spoon that is moved radially outwards in the bowl.
With the intention of further facilitating taking food from the bowl-like part of the plate, said part may conveniently include around its periphery mutually spaced projections that extend radially inwards towards the centre of the plate, these projections preventing food from being moved around the periphery of the bowl as a spoon is moved around the bowl wall.
For cleaning purposes, the plate may include a bowl which is inserted removably in a surrounding ring-shaped rim, so as to enable the bowl and rim to be washed effectively per se, either by hand or in a dishwasher.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3527192 (1970-09-01), Ferrara
patent: 3622036 (1971-11-01), Bongaerts
patent: 3722476 (1973-03-01), Van Ness et al.
patent: 5172826 (1992-12-01), Celaya
patent: 5269717 (1993-12-01), Tardif
patent: 5813638 (1998-09-01), Morris
patent: 6032824 (2000-03-01), Barrow
patent: 6401955 (2002-06-01), Yang
patent: 6431389 (2002-08-01), Jerstroem et al.
patent: 2 248 436 (1974-04-01), None
Baby Björn AB
Jacobson & Holman PLLC
Moy Joseph M.
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