Self-feeding tongs

Food tongs for aiding handicapped persons to feed themselves comprising a pair of arms, a hinge integrally connected to said arms at one end thereof, a tip provided on the opposite end of each arm, each arm having straight lateral edges and being semi-circular in cross-section, each tip being rounded to thereby protect the face and lips of the user, a shallow concavity formed in the inner surface of each arm between the sides thereof and in proximity to the tip to thereby provide a gripping surface, a first loop connected to the outer surface of one of the arms and being dimensioned to accommodate at least two fingers of the handicapped person, said first loop being positioned at a distance of one third of the length of said arm from said hinge to allow the distal joints of the fingers to fit within said first loop;

• a second loop connected to the outer surface of the other arm and being dimensioned to accommodate the thumb of the handicapped person, said second loop being offset a short distance behind the finger loop toward the hinge to allow the distal joint of the thumb to fit within said second loop;
• said hinge having a biasing force urging the tip ends of the tong to spread apart in opposed spaced relation whereby, with the fingers and thumb of the handicapped person extending longitudinally of the tong arms and inserted within their respective loops, application of pressure to the arms through the thumb and fingers causes the tip ends of the arms to be brought together to thereby facilitate the grasp of a piece of food, the biasing force of said hinge opening the tip ends of the tong when the pressure is released therefrom to thereby facilitate releasing the grasped food to be eaten by the handicapped person.