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US 12,144,466 B2Granted
Resilient scoop
AssigneeHelen of Troy Limited
InventorLuke Thompson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A resilient scoop includes a handle and a rim. A bowl has an open end portion secured to the rim. The bowl is movable relative to the rim between a first, unbuckled condition and a second, buckled condition, where in the second condition the bowl is biased back toward the first condition. The bowl includes a base wall and a sidewall that extends from the base wall to the open end portion. The sidewall includes a smooth inner surface and an outer surface. The sidewall is configured such that a stiffness of the sidewall is less than a stiffness of the base wall. The sidewall resists movement of the bowl toward the second condition until an input force applied to the base wall is equal to or greater than a threshold reaction force of the sidewall directed toward the base wall.
Claims15
A scoop comprising:
- a handle having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion opposite the proximal end portion;
- a rim secured to the distal end portion, the rim having an outer surface and an inner surface opposite the outer surface, the inner surface defining an opening extended through the rim;
- and
- a bowl having an open end portion secured the inner surface of the rim, the bowl is movable relative to the rim between a first, unbuckled condition and a second, buckled condition, where in the second condition the bowl is biased back toward the first condition,
- wherein the bowl includes a base wall and a sidewall that extends from the base wall to the open end portion, the sidewall includes a smooth inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the sidewall is configured such that in the second condition an inner surface of the base wall is located at or beneath an outer edge of the rim,
- wherein the sidewall is configured such that a stiffness of the sidewall is less than a stiffness of the base wall, the sidewall resisting movement of the bowl toward the second condition until an input force applied to the base wall is equal to or greater than a threshold reaction force of the sidewall directed toward the base wall, and when the input force is equal to or greater than the threshold reaction force the sidewall is configured such that the threshold reaction force is immediately reduced prior to bowl moving toward the second condition,
- wherein the sidewall is configured such that the threshold reaction force of the sidewall immediately snaps the bowl from the second condition fully back into the first condition upon removal of the input force from the base wall,
- wherein a connection between the open end portion of the bowl and the rim defines a hinge portion for movement of the bowl, and the snap back is amplified by a length of the sidewall and elastic forces of the sidewall, the base wall and the hinge portion.
5 more elements
A scoop comprising:
- a rim having an outer surface and an inner surface opposite the outer surface, the inner surface defining an opening extended through the rim;
- and
- a bowl formed of a resilient, elastic material having an open end portion secured to the rim, a connection between the open end portion of the bowl and the inner surface of the rim defines a hinge portion adapted to allow for movement of the bowl relative to the rim between a first, unbuckled condition and a second, buckled condition,
- wherein the bowl includes a sidewall and a base wall, the sidewall is configured to resist movement of the bowl toward the second condition until an input force applied directly to the base wall is equal to or greater than a threshold reaction force of the sidewall directed toward the base wall, the sidewall is configured such that when the input force is equal to or greater than the threshold reaction force the threshold reaction force is immediately reduced prior to bowl moving toward the second condition, the sidewall is configured such that continued application of the input force equal to or greater than the threshold reaction force maintains the bowl the second condition, and the sidewall is configured such that removal of the input force from the base wall results in an increasing impulse imparted onto the bowl in a direction of the first condition due to combined reaction forces of the sidewall and the base wall, the bowl immediately snapping fully back to the first condition,
- wherein the sidewall is configured such that in the second condition an inner surface of the base wall is located at or beneath an outer edge of the rim,
- wherein the hinge portion is adapted to bias the bowl from the second condition back toward the first condition.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.