US2550554: Portable receptacle support

US2550554: Portable receptacle support

During her career as a nurse and physical therapist, Bessie Blount invented a device which allowed double-amputees to feed themselves, providing more daily autonomy for her patients. The person using the device would first bite down on a tube, activating a motor that would dispense a portion of food through a spoon shaped mouthpiece, at which point the motor would shut off, allowing for time to chew, swallow, rest, and repeat. She received U.S. patent number 2,550,554 in 1951.

Blount’s patented invention was only one way she cared for her patients, many of whom were veterans of World War II. She also taught amputees how to write using their teeth and feet in her work to improve their quality of life.