Actively released food additives
First Claim
1. An eating utensil, comprising:
- a utensil body comprising a handle and a distal end;
an activation source including a power source directly coupled with the distal end of the utensil body, the activation source configured to emit energy to expose at least one encapsulated food additive that is disposed proximate to the activation source to the energy so as to release the at least one food additive from encapsulation during consumption, wherein the activation source is further configured to emit the energy so as to release the at least one food additive based on a release schedule; and
a selection element directly coupled with the handle of the utensil body, wherein the selection element is configured for selecting the release schedule from a plurality of release schedules.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present disclosure provides systems and methods for actively releasing food additives to deliver aromatic compounds to consumers during food or drink consumption. The food additives may be contained within an encapsulation layer. The encapsulation layer may be configured to release the food additives in response to being exposed to energy provided by an activation source proximate to the food additives. The activation source may be incorporated into, or connected with, an eating utensil or an oral implant. The activation source can be manually controlled by a consumer, can be controlled based on conditions near the food additives, or can be programmed with a release schedule that defines how and when food additives are to be released.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An eating utensil, comprising:
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a utensil body comprising a handle and a distal end; an activation source including a power source directly coupled with the distal end of the utensil body, the activation source configured to emit energy to expose at least one encapsulated food additive that is disposed proximate to the activation source to the energy so as to release the at least one food additive from encapsulation during consumption, wherein the activation source is further configured to emit the energy so as to release the at least one food additive based on a release schedule; and a selection element directly coupled with the handle of the utensil body, wherein the selection element is configured for selecting the release schedule from a plurality of release schedules. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An eating utensil, comprising:
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a utensil body comprising a handle and a distal end; an activation source including a power source directly coupled with the distal end of the utensil body, the activation source configured to emit ultrasonic energy to expose at least a first encapsulated food additive and a second encapsulated food additive that are disposed proximate to the activation source to the ultrasonic energy so as to release the first encapsulated food additive and the second encapsulated food additive from encapsulation during consumption, wherein the activation source is further configured to emit the ultrasonic energy so as to release the first encapsulated food additive and the second encapsulated food additive based on a release schedule; and a selection element directly coupled with the handle of the utensil body, wherein the selection element is configured for selecting the release schedule from a plurality of release schedules.
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Specification