Amusement devices: toys – Figure toy or accessory therefor – Nursing – eating – or drinking
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-22
2004-06-01
Banks, Deryis H. (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices: toys
Figure toy or accessory therefor
Nursing, eating, or drinking
C446S227000, C206S541000, C220S796000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06743071
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for use with children who are poor eaters, and more particularly to a child feeder apparatus for use in encouraging such poor eaters to eat more readily.
Many children of all ages, especially toddlers, have the reputation of being poor eaters at feeding time. Consequently, those children continue to frustrate parents and caregivers alike, with no apparent solution in sight. Accordingly, a successful approach to convince a child who is a poor eater to eat is desirable. The preceding notion is reinforced by evidence that suggests a link between a parent's or caregiver's success in encouraging a young child to eat and what new foods that child will subsequently try in the future.
Over time, parents and caregivers have tried many methods and techniques in efforts to encourage children who are poor eaters to eat. Unfortunately, most methods have had limited success at best. For example, one past method consisted of a parent or caregiver first demonstrating the eating process to a child who is a poor eater. To demonstrate the process, the parent or caregiver would attempt to “feed” imaginary food to a make-believe imaginary creature, such as a stuffed animal.
Parents and caregivers have also attempted more realistic, but also less sanitary, feeding approaches. For example, parents and caregivers have tried to illustrate the feeding process to poor eaters by first feeding themselves the child's food with the intent of demonstrating to the child that the food is appetizing and that the child should also eat it. However, because the parent or caregiver is forced to first eat a portion of the child's food from the child's feeding utensil, the technique is unsanitary.
Two previously known embodiments have sought to provide parents and caregivers a simpler way of feeding a poor child eater. For example, although limited in scope, U.S. Pat. No. 2,453,922, to Manaster (the “'922 Patent”) and U.S. Pat. No. 2,455,266 to Nudelman (the “'266 Patent”) illustrate potentially effective apparatuses and methods of encouraging children who are poor eaters to eat. Both the '922 Patent and the '266 Patent are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
First, as narrowly demonstrated by the '922 Patent, a vibratory or oscillatory amusement and appetite-stimulating feeding device was sought to help stimulate a child's interest in eating. Specifically, the feeding device of the '922 Patent provides a character's body, which rests, for example, upon a table or flat surface adjacent to a feeding container, such as a bowl or dish. The character's body may be an animal figure, such as that of a “begging dog.” The animal figure is then positioned so that it overlies the circumferential peripheral edge portion of a bowl.
After positioning the feeding device, a parent or caregiver can insert food into an opening within the feeding device's body. Upon entry of the food into the opening of the feeding device, the food drops into an internal channel and ultimately back toward the recessed area of the adjacent bowl. Concurrent to the insertion of food within the body, the character's head reacts in a vibratory or oscillatory manner in an effort to pique a child's interest in eating the food contained within the bowl.
However, while the feeding device may prove somewhat helpful in aiding parents and caregivers in feeding a poor eater, its usefulness is limited. For example, the feeding device can only be effectively used in combination with a bowl that rests on a substantially level, planar surface. Alternatively, if the feeding device is placed upon an uneven surface adjacent to a bowl, it will not properly hook and engage the bowl's edge.
If the feeding device is not properly assembled to the bowl, proper alignment of the body's food channel with the recessed portion of the bowl is prevented. The usefulness of the feeding device of the '922 Patent is limited in that it can only be effectively used if the apparatus is resting upon a table or other planar, level surface.
The feeding device of the '922 Patent is also limited in that it is only effective if used when the feeding device and the engaged bowl are stationary. For example, if a parent or caregiver picks up the feeding device and the engaged bowl, the feeding device will loosely, but forcibly, swing from its hooking attachment. In short, the loose and unstable swinging motion is highly likely to cause the feeding device to disengage from the edge of the bowl and fall to the ground.
Additionally, because the feeding device is loosely and unsecurely hooked to the edge of the bowl, a small child's waving arms or kicking legs may cause problems. For example, the feeding device's weak engagement with the bowl makes it highly susceptible to being knocked to the floor by a poor eater. Even worse, the engaged bowl may also fall to the floor with the feeding device, thereby spilling the food and creating a mess.
Alternatively, if a parent or caregiver is able to successfully pick up the feeding device and the engaged bowl, a reduction in the efficiency of the apparatus is likely to occur. Specifically, upon lifting the feeding device and the engaged bowl, the body's lower portion will swing forward, toward the container, while the upper portion will tilt rearward, away from the bowl. The body's resultant angular hang will also cause its internal channel to pivot from a substantially vertical position to more of a horizontal position. Such a pivot reduces the efficient gravitational downward flow of food deposited within the channel.
Finally, the feeding device of the '922 Patent is highly limited in scope because it can only be effectively used with a bowl having a circular edge. Further, the body of the feeding device is only adaptable to adjacently abut a bowl that has a hemispherical-shaped exterior. The preceding limitations prevent use of the feeding device with other common, feeding container embodiments having alternate configurations such as square, rectangular, oval, triangular, or other geometric or caricature shaped peripheral edge portions, or body exteriors.
Another previously known feeding device is disclosed by the '266 Patent. Unlike the feeding device of the '922 Patent, the feeding device of the '266 Patent hangs freely from the circular edge of a feeding bowl. The engagement alleviates a user's concern with whether the surface upon which the feeding bowl rests is level or planar. The hanging feeding device also allows a parent or caregiver to pick up the feeding bowl without worrying about whether it or the hanging feeding device embodiment will forcibly disengage or fall to the floor.
However, other limitations in the operation of the feeding device of the '266 Patent exist. For example, due to the feeding device's hanging engagement with the feeding bowl, the feeding device is limited to use with feeding bowls made of a substantial, heavy material. In short, if a lighter weight bowl is used, the hanging embodiment can cause the feeding bowl to tip, thereby spilling the food contained therein.
An additional limitation presented by the feeding device is that it can only be used with feeding bowls that have a circular edge. Specifically, the feeding device has an undercut portion that is of a partial circular nature and can only adapt to hook to a feeding bowl having a circular edge. The feeding device is not adapted for use with, and effective hooking to, a feeding bowl having a straight or non-circular edge. Additionally, the feeding device's body is configured so that it may only hang alongside, and in abbutance to, a feeding bowl.
The feeding device of the '266 Patent is also limited in use due to its loose engagement with the edge of a feeding bowl. For example, because the feeding device only hangs from, and is not securely affixed to, the edge of a feeding bowl, a child m
Banks Deryis H.
Cegielnik Urszula
Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.
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