One other patent which caught my attention was US Patent #5,421,089 - "Fork with Timer". Basically, the fork has some circuitry on itself which cues the user when to take another bite. It even has a replaceable power source.
Personally, I find it being a useless invention, and hopefully you guys agree with me. I do not see any way a fork would be able to dictate when we should it, as we can easily choose to ignore it. In the patent, it states that "getting a person to slow down is difficult, as it takes conscious thought to eat slowly when hungry". However, supposing someone did purchase this fork, there is no punishment mechanism to stop the person from eating too fast as well.
It is also pretty funny that in the patent's summary, it mentions the invention "has all the advantages of the prior art, and none of the disadvantages", when comparing with prior fork related inventions. Certainly, I can think of some disadvantages already - the need to replace the power source and the annoyance when the fork sounds its alarm, to name a few - and that is considering if somebody actually purchased it in the first place. It probably would not come at an attractive pricing given its numerous parts over a simple fork made of just one material. Do let me know what you think about this invention! I would certainly be interested to hear your thoughts.
EDIT: I did another search on the fork, and found out that there is actually another fork (HAPIfork) which vibrates and flashes, and even comes with a corresponding app to track your eating habits! There is also a fondue fork with timer (US Patent #8,503,268). I am at a lost for words right now, so I'll just let you decide whether it is actually a good idea.
Sources:
http://www.funnypatentsandinventions.com/a-fork-that-tells-you-when-to-eat-great-idea
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pdfs/US5421089.pdf
http://www.shape.com/blogs/shape-your-life/put-fork-eating-too-quickly
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pdfs/US8503268.pdf
Personally, I find it being a useless invention, and hopefully you guys agree with me. I do not see any way a fork would be able to dictate when we should it, as we can easily choose to ignore it. In the patent, it states that "getting a person to slow down is difficult, as it takes conscious thought to eat slowly when hungry". However, supposing someone did purchase this fork, there is no punishment mechanism to stop the person from eating too fast as well.
It is also pretty funny that in the patent's summary, it mentions the invention "has all the advantages of the prior art, and none of the disadvantages", when comparing with prior fork related inventions. Certainly, I can think of some disadvantages already - the need to replace the power source and the annoyance when the fork sounds its alarm, to name a few - and that is considering if somebody actually purchased it in the first place. It probably would not come at an attractive pricing given its numerous parts over a simple fork made of just one material. Do let me know what you think about this invention! I would certainly be interested to hear your thoughts.
EDIT: I did another search on the fork, and found out that there is actually another fork (HAPIfork) which vibrates and flashes, and even comes with a corresponding app to track your eating habits! There is also a fondue fork with timer (US Patent #8,503,268). I am at a lost for words right now, so I'll just let you decide whether it is actually a good idea.
Sources:
http://www.funnypatentsandinventions.com/a-fork-that-tells-you-when-to-eat-great-idea
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pdfs/US5421089.pdf
http://www.shape.com/blogs/shape-your-life/put-fork-eating-too-quickly
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pdfs/US8503268.pdf
I think it'd be useful if it is not fork specific. I personally use chopsticks all the time unless there is only fork available. The idea of controlling when to take a bite is actually pretty effective if we are talking about good/healthy eating habit. People in different culture use various technics to consume food, whether it be bare hand, fork, chopsticks, or spoon.
ReplyDeleteIf the invention was something like an app that can control eating timing, it would've been an awesome patent instead of this fork-specific silly patent.