# US 11,304,551 B2 · Adjustable food-portioning device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,304,551 B2 - Document ID: US11304551B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/612,719 - Filed: 2017-05-11 - Published: 2020-05-28 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-11 - Applicants: Daniel McCartney - Inventors: Daniel McCartney - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11304551B2 ## CPC - A47G 19/025: {with means for amusing or giving information to the user} - A47G 19/30: Other containers or devices used as table equipment {(used as kitchen equipment A47J47/02)} - A47G 19/02: Plates, dishes or the like - B65D 25/06: adapted to be fitted in two or more alternative positions - A47G: HOUSEHOLD OR TABLE EQUIPMENT (book-ends A47B5/00; knives B26B) - B65D: CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES ## Abstract A device for portioning food, and more specifically, a device that can be adjusted so that portions of food can be varied in accordance with an individual's dietary requirements, is disclosed. Such a food-portioning device includes an annular wall, a hub, and a plurality of dividing means extending from the hub to the annular wall so as to form a plurality of spaces between the dividing means, each space having an open top and an open bottom, wherein at least one of the dividing means is attached to the hub in a manner that allows it to at least partially rotate about the hub relative to an adjacent dividing means. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A food-portioning device, comprising: an annular wall; an elongate hub; and a plurality of dividing means, each dividing means comprising a partition wall extending from the elongate hub to the annular wall so as to form a plurality of spaces between the dividing means and the annular wall, each space having an open top and an open bottom, and each space being suitable to receive food and to portion the food; wherein the elongate hub extends in the direction of the partition wall; wherein at least one of the dividing means is attached to the elongate hub in a manner that allows it to at least partially rotate about the hub relative to an adjacent dividing means; and wherein the at least one dividing means that is capable of rotating about the elongate hub further comprises a sleeve that straddles the annular wall. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the dividing means is attached to the elongate hub and/or to the annular wall in a manner that does not allow that dividing means to rotate about the elongate hub. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein one of the dividing means is attached to the elongate hub and/or to the annular wall in a manner that does not allow that dividing means to rotate about the elongate hub, and all others of the dividing means are attached to the elongate hub in a manner that allows them to at least partially rotate about the elongate hub relative to the non-rotatable dividing means. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, having two, three, four, five, six, seven or eight dividing means. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, having three dividing means, wherein one of the dividing means is attached to the annular wall in a manner that does not allow that dividing means to rotate about the elongate hub and the other two dividing means are attached to the elongate hub in a manner that allows them to at least partially rotate about the elongate hub relative to the non-rotatable dividing means. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the dividing means is removably connected to the elongate hub. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the dividing means is shaped such that a part thereof at which it connects to the elongate hub is inclined or curved relative to a normal of the remainder thereof. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the annular wall has a different vertical height at different points along a periphery thereof. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the annular wall comprises notches or grooves to engage the at least one rotatably connected dividing means in a plurality of fixed positions. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A method of portioning food, comprising the steps of: providing the food-portioning device according to claim 1; adjusting the at least one rotatable dividing means so that the spaces defined by the peripheral boundary and the plurality of dividing means correspond to the desired portioning amounts of different food types; and placing the different food types in the respective spaces, the allowable size of each food portion being determined by the size of its corresponding three-dimensional space. ### Claim 11 A food-portioning device comprising: an annular wall, wherein the annular wall has a different vertical height at different points along a periphery thereof; an elongate hub; and a plurality of dividing means, each dividing means comprising a partition wall extending from the elongate hub to the annular wall so as to form a plurality of spaces between the dividing means and the annular wall, each space having an open top and an open bottom, and each space being suitable to receive food and to portion the food; wherein the elongate hub extends in the direction of the partition wall; wherein at least one of the dividing means is a non-rotatable dividing means attached to the elongate hub and/or to the annular wall in a manner that does not allow that dividing means to rotate about the elongate hub; wherein at least one of the dividing means is a rotatable dividing means which comprises a sleeve that straddles the annular wall and is attached to the elongate hub in a manner that allows it to at least partially rotate about the elongate hub relative to an adjacent dividing means; and wherein said annular wall, elongate hub and non-rotatable dividing means define a food-portioning device base portion configured for attachment of at least one said rotatable dividing means. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The food portioning device according to claim 11, wherein the partition wall of the at least one rotatable dividing means is in the form of a rotatable partition wall having a proximal end and a distal end; wherein the proximal end of the rotatable partition wall is configured to attach to the elongate hub of the food-portioning device and allow at least partial rotation about the elongate hub; and wherein the distal end of the rotatable partition wall comprises the sleeve that is capable of straddling the annular wall.