Blind-dish   

Abstract: A dish for a blind person may include a body including at least one compartment, and a stop-lip on a side of the body, including an overhang disposed over a portion of the interior of the body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to tableware and more particularly to dishes adapted for blind persons and their self-respect.

Current dishes for the blind may use plastic guards that may clip onto a dinner plate without preventing co-mingling of food. Current dishes for the blind may also utilize compartmentalized plastic containers that may keep food from co-mingling but without preventing food to spill out. The inventor of the Blind-Dish is the son of a blind man. Over many years he witnessed the difficulties his father had while eating from a conventional dish, best suited for sighted people. He saw that food would occasionally end up on his father\'s lap, table, or floor. He also saw that his father had to eat food that had become co-mingled, especially as the meal progressed. He recognized the dangers inherent in the heating of plastics such as guards and compartmentalized plastic dishes that contain Bisphenol-A (BPA).

As can be seen, there is a need for a dish that aids the blind in handling food during eating. Finally there\'s a way for blind people to enjoy an orderly, neat and dignified meal that remains hot. Only the Blind-Dish stops food from spilling out, co-mingling and quickly getting cold.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the present invention, an eating dish comprises a body including at least one compartment; and a stop-lip on a side of the body, wherein the stop-lip includes an overhang disposed over an outer wall of the body and protruding to an interior of the body over a portion of the at least one compartment.

In another aspect of the invention, a dish may comprise a body including at least one compartment; a stop-lip on a side of the body, wherein the stop-lip includes an overhang disposed partially over an interior of the body; and scale markings on interior walls of each of the at least one compartments.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the invention showing a dish in use;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dish from FIG. 1 with a stop-lip on a top-left of the dish;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the dish from FIG. 1 with a stop-lip on a top-right of the dish;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the dish from FIG. 1 with a handling nest supporting the dish;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the dish from FIG. 1 with the stop-lip shown on a right bottom of the dish;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the dish from FIG. 1 with a front edge of the stop-lip lowered;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the dish from FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a section view of the dish from FIG. 1 along line 8-8 in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a section view of the dish from FIG. 1 along line 9-9 in FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is a section vlew of the dish from FIG. 1 along line 10-10 in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention generally provides a dish for the blind that combines a stop-lip that may prevent food from spilling, with compartments that may prevent co-mingling of food. In addition the dish may be constructed such that it keeps a blind user\'s food hot, while being safe for placing in conventional and microwave ovens.

Now referring to the drawings, there is shown, in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, a dish 10, made in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of this invention. The dish 10 may include a stop-lip 16, and at least one compartment 28 within a body 12. In one aspect, the dish 10 may include, for example three compartments 28, with interior dividing walls 14 between the compartments 28. The stop-lip 16 may include an overhang 36 portion which may protrude inwardly over a portion of the compartments 28 from a wall 30, The stop-lip may rest upon the dividing walls 14. The dividing walls 14 may have a height less than a height of the stop-lip 16. In an exemplary embodiment, a bottom 44 of the overhang 36 portion of the stop-lip 16 may partially overlap a top 46 of the dividing walls 14.

In an exemplary embodiment, an operator 22 may use a spoon 26 or other utensil such as a fork to pick up food 24 from the dish 10. The operator 22 may settle the food 24 on the spoon 26 by moving the spoon 26 containing the food 24 against a wall 30 of the dish 10 below the stop-lip 16 in a compartment 28 of the dish 10. The spoon 26 containing food 24 may pass under the overhang 36 of the stop-lip 16. Excess food 24 may be removed as the food 24 may encounter the overhang 36 as the spoon 26 is drawn up and away from the stop-lip 16, thereby preventing spillage of the food 24 from the spoon 26. An operator 22 may pull the spoon 26 up to the stop-lip 16 and from there, may gauge how much tilt on the spoon 26 may be needed to permit a desirable amount of food 24 on the spoon 26. The operator 22 may then lift the spoon 26 away from the stop-lip 16 and draw the desired amount of the food 24 in the spoon 26 to one\'s mouth with confidence.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, an exemplary embodiment of the dish 10 may include middle compartment scale markings 18, and side compartment scale markings 20 on dividing walls 14 of the respective compartments 28. The middle compartment scale markings 18 and side compartment scale markings 20 may appear as convex embossments and may serve as target lines for a sighted caregiver who is preparing a meal for a blind operator 22 (See FIG. 1). A height of a dividing wall 14 may have a height less than a height of a top 32 of the stop-lip 16. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, a top surface 42 of the stop-lip 16 may be lowered below a top 34 surface of a wall 30.

In an exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a system 40 may include the dish 10 placed in a nest 38 made from a heat resistant material such as silicone. The nest 38 may, for example, be rated safe to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. The nest 38 may include handles configured to allow one to handle the nest 38 and avoid touching the hot dish 10. In an exemplary use, the dish 10 may be set in the nest 38 and placed into a microwave or conventional oven for heating. The food in the dish 10 may attain a temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit in six minutes. Thus, the system 40 may allow for safe and bare handed removal of the hot dish 10 from a microwave or conventional oven.

Referring to FIGS. 7 through 10, FIGS. 8-10 represent cross section views from FIG. 7, with FIG. 7 showing what part of the dish 10 each of FIGS. 8-10 represents. In an exemplary embodiment, the middle compartment scale markings 18 and side compartment scale markings 20 may be text and Braille markings in ounces. The scale markings 18, 20 may provide the preparer a guide to limit the amount of food 24 consumed from each of the compartments 28 at a meal while the Braille may provide confirmation to the blind operator. The desired amount of food may be based on a type of food desired, a calorie restriction, and lifestyle. The scale markings may be of various amounts. For example, the two side compartments 28 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10 may have markings 20 of 4 ounce, 5 ounce, 6 ounce, 7 ounce, and 8 ounces. The middle compartment 28, as shown in FIG. 9, may have ounce markings 18 of 4.48 ounces, 5.60 ounces, 6.72 ounces, 7.84 ounces, and 8.96 ounces.

In exemplary embodiments, the dish 10 may be of various sizes, and shapes. As shown in FIG. 7, “A” shows a thickness of the dish 10 that may for example, be a 1/2 inch thick. “B” shows a width of a middle compartment 28 of the dish 10 that may, for example, be two and three-eighths inches wide. “C” shows a width of side compartments 28 of the dish 10, which may be, for example, two and one eighth inches wide. “D” shows a length of the compartments 28 of the dish 10, which may be, for example, three and a half inches in length. “E” shows a width of the stop-lip 16 of the dish 10, which may be, for example, 1 inch in width. In FIG. 9, “F” shows a height of the dish 10, which may be, for example, two and seven-eighths inches high. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the middle compartment 28 in FIG. 9 may have 12% more capacity for a meat portion of the meal than each of the side compartments 28 for potato or other starch and a vegetable. This repetitive positioning at each meal is helpful for the blind operator.

In exemplary embodiments, the dish 10 may be made of various materials including, for example, Stoneware, fired clay, and glazed materials. As an example, the dish 10 may be made of thick wall kiln fired clay rated safe to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. The dish 10 may be made of various materials including, for example, materials that retain heat or retain cool temperatures.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.