Wearable hands-free food dispensing apparatus

Abstract

A hand-free food dispensing apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a harness portion that attaches the apparatus to the person's body, wherein the harness is adjustable to the size of the wearer; and a food dispensing portion attached to the harness portion that is a substantially curved hollow food trough with at least a portion of the top open to the wearer. The food dispensing portion is positioned by the user's mouth such that when the apparatus is filled with food, the person can access food in the apparatus by moving their mouth towards the food dispensing portion.

1 . A hands-free food dispensing apparatus, the apparatus comprising: 
 a harness portion that holds the apparatus to a person's body; and    a food dispensing portion attached to the harness portion, wherein said food dispensing portion is positioned such that the person can access food in the apparatus by moving their mouth towards the food dispensing portion.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus in  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is useable by a person when their torso is in an upright position, such that the wearer can access the contents in the trough by rotating his head towards the container.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus in  claim 2 , wherein the food dispensing portion is a hollow food trough positioned near the wearer's mouth.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus in  claim 3 , wherein the hollow food trough is a substantially rectangular container with at least a portion of the top open to the wearer, with a length that is substantially parallel to the coronal plane of the wearer's body.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus in  claim 3 , wherein the hollow food trough is a substantially curved container with at least a portion of the top open to the wearer, with a length that is substantially parallel to the coronal plane of the wearer's body.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus in  claim 3 , wherein the hollow food trough is a substantially v-shaped container with at least a portion of the top open to the wearer, with a length that is substantially parallel to the coronal plane of the wearer's body.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus in  claim 6 , further comprising a chin cutout, and bottom surfaces on each side of the v-shaped container that are declined towards the user's mouth, such that gravity pulls more food towards the center of the trough as food is removed by the user.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus in  claim 3 , further comprising a position adjustment, such that the height of the hollow food trough is adjustable relative to the harness portion.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus in  claim 3 , wherein the size of the harness portion is adjustable to fit the wearer using one of: nuts and bolts; buckles; buttons; hook and loop fasteners (such as Velcro); dowels; pins; pegs and keyholes; the “button snaps” as used on standard baseball caps; flexible materials; or combinations thereof.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus in  claim 3 , wherein the harness portion is attached to the wearer with securing straps that rest upon the wearer's shoulders.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus in  claim 10 , wherein the harness portion is two “shepards hooks” which secure to the user's torso.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus in  claim 3 , wherein the harness portion is attached around the neck of the wearer.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus in  claim 3 , wherein the harness portion is attached to the torso of the user.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus in  claim 3 , further comprising one or more speakers attached to the apparatus.  
   
   
       15 . The apparatus in  claim 3 , further comprising a beverage holding and dispensing portion attached to at least one of the harness portion or the food dispensing portion.  
   
   
       16 . The apparatus in  claim 15 , wherein the beverage holding and dispensing portion comprises: 
 a beverage holding structure that receives and holds a beverage container; and    a beverage dispensing tube, wherein one end of said tube is in fluid communication with the contents of said beverage container, and the opposite end of said tube is positioned near the mouth of the wearer.    
   
   
       17 . The apparatus in  claim 3 , further comprising an actuator which moves at least some quantity of the food in the food dispensing portion to a position that is easier for the wearer to access with his mouth.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus in  claim 3 , further comprising a food raising and leveling portion, comprising: 
 a food platform on the bottom of the hollow food trough; and    a spring actuator which holds said food platform at a height near the wearer's mouth and changes the position of the food platform based on the weight of food applied to the platform.    
   
   
       19 . A hands-free food dispensing apparatus, the apparatus comprising: 
 a harness portion that attaches the apparatus to the shoulders of the a person's body, wherein the harness is adjustable to the size of the wearer; and    a food dispensing portion attached to the harness portion that is a substantially curved hollow food trough with at least a portion of the top open to the wearer, wherein the height of said food dispensing portion is adjustable and is positioned near the user's head such that the person can access food in the apparatus by moving their mouth towards the food dispensing portion.    
   
   
       20 . A method of dispensing food to a person without their having to use their hands, the method comprising: 
 dispensing food such that a person can access the food with their mouth by rotating their head towards the food dispenser; and    attaching the food dispenser to the body of the user such that the food dispenser is positioned where the user can access the food by moving her head towards the dispensing portion.