Feeder for invalids

Claim 1

IN A NURSING UNIT OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED, A CONTAINER FOR HOLDING FOODSTUFF IN A FLUID OR SEMIFLUID FORM AND PERMITTING SAME TO FLOW THEREFROM UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY THROUGH A TUBE, COMPRISING, A MOUTHPIECE FOR SAID TUBE TO CONTROL THE PASSAGE OF SAID FOODSTUFF THEREFROM, SAID MOUTHPIECE BEING FORMED OF RESILIENT MATERIAL, A PASSAGEWAY FORMED IN SAID MOUTHPIECE, SAID PASSAGEWAY HAVING SPACED WALLS CONVERGING INTO ADJACENT POSITIONS AT THE OUTER EXTREMITY OF SAID MOUTHPIECE, SAID WALLS WHEN IN SAID ADJACENT POSITIONS OBSTRUCTING THE FLOW OF SAID FOODSTUFF FROM SAID MOUTHPIECE, SAID WALLS WHEN PRESSURE IS APPLIED IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION TO SAID MOUTHPIECE SPREADING APART TO PERMIT THE FLOW OF SAID FOODSTUFF THERETHROUGH, CONTROL MEANS FORMED IN SAID MOUTHPIECE TO DETERMINE THE SPACING OF SAID WALLS AND THEREBY THE AMOUNT OF FOODSTUFF WHICH WILL PASS THROUGH SAID MOUTHPIECE, SAID CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING SPACED PLATES OF RIGID MATERIAL, EACH OF SAID PLATES HAVING FORMED THEREON STEPLIKE FORMATIONS, SAID STEP-LIKE FORMATIONS DETERMINING THE EXTENT TO WHICH PRESSURE, APPLIED ALONG A LINE PASSING THROUGH A PARTICULAR STEP OF SAID FORMATION, WILL RESULT IN SPREADING OF SAID WALLS.