US2603093A - Nonspillable measuring spoon - Google Patents

Description

y 15, 1952 J. CORDOVA I 2,603,093

NON-SPILLABLE MEASURING SPOON Filed Dec. 12, 1949 izfgz JflMES 6212170102,

INVENTOR.

Patented July 15, 1 952 UNlT-ED STATES area-T "OFFICE 2, 03,093 3 fnonsrltmenn MEASURING SPOON V y 7 James Cordova, Long Beach, Calif. (Application December 12, 1949, Serial No. l' 32i5l8 This invention relates to a non-spillable measuring spoon.

More specifically speaking, the invention pertains to a spoon for dispensing liquids and handling edible and other substances, which is so constructed that it will, in a stable non-tiltable manner, maintain itself in a containing position when it is placed upon a horizontal supporting surface with the bottom side of the bowl of the spoon in contact with such surface.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a spoon of the above stated character that will be usable in the kitchen as a measuring spoon, or in the sick room to guard against soiling fabrics or clothing by accidental overturning of the spoon when the latter is in use as a container for liquids to be dispensed or taken into the mouth; to provide a more satisfactorily usable measuring spoon; and to provide a spoon having a. main containing portion and a tip portion so related to each other that, when medicine is placed within said main containing portion it may be accompanied with a sweetener placed in said tip portion, so that patients, particularly children, may be encouraged to take remedies prescribed for them.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. l is a perspective view of the spoon.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the spoon as it appears from above when supported upon a horizontal surface as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the spoon supported upon a horizontal surface with the bottom of the bowl engaging said surface.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the spoon, positioned as shown in Fig. 3, the line 4-4 on the latter view indicating the viewpoint of the observer.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the spoon on line 5--5 of Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawing, therein is shown a spoon usable for medicinal and other purposes. Said spoon is shown having a bowl '3 with an elliptical brim 8 from one end of which extends a handle 9 of a conventional character.

The bowl of the spoon is exteriorly provided with a flat bottom surface I0 adjacent to the handle and farther from the handle with a second exterior, flat bottom surface II, the latter surface at its front end joining the bottom surface of a tip portion I2 with which the spoon is provided. Said tip portion I2 is provided with a slight internal depression I2a, the use of which will hereinafter be explained.

At their juncture said surfaces In and II form a straight slightly rounded corner edge or vertex 1 claim. (o1. 73-427) line I3 which extends at substantially a right angle to the spoons handle and is positioned to cooperate with the horizontal supporting surface it, to stabilize the spoon against being overturned when the handle of the spoon and said corner edge are contacting said supporting surface, as shown in Fig. 3. The angular relation of said two flat surfaces is preferably about ninety degrees, being shown in the drawing as slightly more acute than that. The wall portions of the spoon which overlie said surfaces Ill and H form a v-shaped structure and are respectively designated I5 and I6. Of these two wall portions the portion I5 is more steeply inclined when the spoon is supported on a horizontal surface in a containing position. I

The bowl of the spoon is provided interiorly with a plurality of quantity indications these being shown as two vertically spaced apart horizontal ribs I7 and I8 which project interiorly from the wall portion I5 of the bowl of the spoon. When the spoon is supported on a horizontal surface as shown in Fig. 3 it may be supplied, from a medicine dropper, and the lower mark I8 will denote half a conventional teaspoonful while the upper mark I! will indicate a whole teaspoonful.

In the use of the spoon for giving medicine, a bit of honey or other sweetening I2b' (see Fig. 5), may be deposited within the tip depression I2a of the portion I2 of the spoon to disguise the taste of a dose 20 of medicine contained in the lower part of the bowl of the spoon.

Owing to the capacity of the bowl of the spoon being considerably increased by widening and deepening it in the manner that has been described, the required measured dose of medicine deposited therein will only fill the lower part thereof, thus effectively guarding against spilling or a flowing out that might soil hands, bedding or clothing; Hence the spoon is a valuable id to a nurse or parent in that it can be used to give doses of liquid medicine to children in arms with a minimum danger of the medicine being spilled upon the clothing.

The claimed inventibn is not limited to the precise external contour of the spoon bowl shown provided it is so shaped to provide transversley spaced apart contact points at opposite sides of its midwidth to engage a horizontal supporting surface.

I claim:

A spoon of the class described having a bowl with an elliptical brim from one end portion of which brim integrally extends the spoons handle, said bowl having in it as viewed when supported in a containing position upon a flat horizontal surface. a deep triangular well between two substantially flat vertical triangular side walls, said well having also two substantially flat angularly 3 joined opposed bottom walls, the apex of said well being directed downwardly and having a substantially stra ght horizontal outer edge which rests upon the supporting surface, said spoon bowl'having in advance of said well a recessed tip portion in which to deposit a sweetener to disguise the taste of a dose of medicine contained in said well, the aforesaid horizontal outer edge of said well serving to support the spoon with the contained medicine while said sweetener is being deposited in said recessed tip portion, and horizontal ribs carried by the bottom wall adiaeent the handle whereby the device is usable as a measuring spoon.

JAMES CORDOVA.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 135,590 Robinson Feb. 4, 1873 265,390 Cosbey Oct. 3, 1882 461,623 Schoch Oct. 20, 1891 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 620,842 Germany Sept. 23, 1934

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