CA1279040C - Independent infant bottle feeding ensemble - Google Patents

Abstract

A B S T R A C T

A versatile feeding device comprising a receptacle having a lip, a lid complementary with the lip and having a first aperture formed therein, a tubular handle supporting a nipple and of such a rigidity as to support the receptacle in different positions during feeding, the tubular handle providing a passage for fluid communication between the first aperture and the nipple, with a mounting flange on the lip of the bottle for holding the tubular handle for movement relative to the lid about a transverse axis and a guide portion with an abutment surface for coaxially receiving the tubular handle and mounted on the bottle lip to hold the tubular handle in a second position for limited movement about the transverse axis. To eliminate the need for anyone to hold the receptacle, a clamp is provided on an outer surface of the receptacle, for attachment of the receptacle to an anchored object. Also disclosed is a kit for use on a feeding device.

Description

~ ;~'7'~30~0 Sp~CIFICATICN
The present invention relates to feeding devices. Conventional bottle feeders with centre-mounted nipples are flush-mDunted onto bottles with a cap-like device. These feeders possess many disadvantages such as direct supervision required; difficult propping up of bottle;
m~st effective when hand held; bottle is too large for baby's hand;
baby head tilt is required. Other references suggest a lengthy, flexible tube between the nipple and the bottle,some with brackets or clamps for bottle support. Some of the shortcomings of these,inventions are:
difficulty cleaning the inside of the lengthy, flexible tubes;flexible tubes are flimsy, thereby making bottle ~anipulation difficult during feedings; flexible tubes allcw for no bottle support; brackets or clamps lack portability and convenience in use since they attach the bottle to stationary objects such as furniture (ice. crib). As well, any dip in tubing belcw the baby's mouth hinders fluid flcw through to the nipple because of gravity. Flexible tubes also have a tenden~y to crease o~ fold.
m e present invention called the INDEPENDENT DNF~NT BaITLE
ING ENSEMæLE seeks to overcome the foregoing disadvantages by providing the follcwing advantages: not necessary for bottle to be hand held; bottle can be attached by a clamp to portable objects for propping (i.e. cushion, stuffed animals, apparel of supervisor);
the pipe separates the nipple from the bottle for better weight distribution away from baby's mouth; baby can be fed while sitting up straight; baby head tilt does not have to correspond to the inclina-tion of the bottle; steadier fluid flow to nipple based on Bernoulli Principle; allows for baby head movements and bottle movement without having nipple slip out; adjustable pipe between-nipple and bottle acts as a handle for the baby to hold the bottle up; reduces bottle obstruction views of the baby~and supervisor; and enhancement of gr~ss motor development and spatial awareness as the baby can ncw manipulate the nipple resting on top of the pipe end. The em~odiments r,~
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1.~7~()40 of this invention with the exception of the clamp on the bottle are detachably engageable to facilitate cleansing.
In general, this invention comprises of a rigid pipe to be referred hereon as a handle,which possesses the advantages of flexible tubes without their shortccn~ings. For instance, the bottle of the invention does not have to be held over the baby's head to be usable, and also has the added advantage of the handle remaining stationary in one of its positions to enable infants to grasp the handle with one hand for holding the bottle up during feedings. Prior art examine~ with flexible tubes are designed to have the bottle resting over the head of the baby with no easy method for the bottle to be held up by the baby.
The clamp of the invention can attach the bottle to light, portable objects which can be ad~usted by the supervisor or baby continuously without detachment and reattachment of the bottle and clamp like the others. This clamp feature in the bottle ensemble permits portability in a variety of feeding situations, unlike the others with hooks and clamps which have limited and restrictive uses. For example, during bottle feedings with the infant in the supervisor's an~, attachment of the bottle to the supervisor's shirt will free the hand which normally would hold the bottle, thereby permitting the supervisor to attend to tasks Likewise, this usage can be applied in many situations such as while shopping or in the car. The handle length supporting the nipple to the bottle allcws the baby to be held further away from the supervisor's body. It also accommodates the head movements of the baby without nipple slippage out of the mouth when the han~le is in a position of transverse movement.
The flexible sleeve portion of the mounting flange made of elastic material which joins the handle to the bottle lid does not fold or crease when the handle made of hard plastic is inserted in it.

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Furtherm~re, the circular base Of the sleeve portion is recessed below the cap abubment flange of the mounting flange to facilitate handle movement in a radial direction which resembles the movement of a flexible tube thereby permitting the handle to be made of rigid material, and also enables the sleeve made of elas~ic material to fold as it rolls up or unfold as it rolls down against the handle when pressure is applied accordingly to the desired position of the invention.

The INDEPENDENT INFANT BOTlIE FEEDING EN~EMBLE has two m~des of operation for feeding. The first position of the invention prcvides a flexible junctian at the base which connects the handle to the central axis of the bottle lid to allow the nipple resting on the top of the handle to move freely up or down, and in a radial direction which provides allowances for the infant's head movement while sucking on the nipple, and also for some acconmodation of bottle movement when it is attached by a clasp to an object (i.e. apparel of supervisor, stuffed animal, pillow etc.) The second position of the invention provides limited transverse movement of the handle in the central axis of the bottle lid to enable the baby to hold up the bottle by the handle during feedings while sitting up or lying down.
The two pssitions of the invention are easily interchangeable.
m e first position is attained when the bottom end of the handle in the sleeve portion is resting above the guide portion which is situated between the base of the mounting flange and the lip of the bottle. The second position is easily attained by pushing the handle down through the central axis of the bottle lid into a rigid guide portion with an abutment surface situated below the mounting flange.
return to the first position would be manageable by the pulling ., of the handle o~lt of the guide portion and its abutment surface.

Furthermore, none of the references suggest the use of a handle which is mDvable between two positions to provide a handle ; - 3 -D

1~'79040 for feeding which, in one position may be bent away frcn the central axis of the xeceptacle, while in another position the handle is limited from such movement to enable the user to hold the filled bottle up by the handle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an ensemble for the independent bottle feeding of infants, in particular to the handle which is in the shape of a hollow tube whereof one end engages onto a conventional nipple, whilst the other end is engageable to a mounting flange on the bottle top wherein it provides a junction of flexibility if desired between the nipple, and bottle, and a coil spring type clamp e~kodied along the ~ottle side for attachment to ojects such as cushions, stuffed animals and supervisor's clothing. During dependent and independent feedings, the handle in one position provides a mobile axis so that the bottle may be inclined or nipple can be moved side to side, all the while 'he nipple thereon is essentially resting horizontally in the baby's mDuth, feasibly maintained by the flexible junction in the mounting flange located in the bottle top, whereof bottle manipulation is only necessary to ensure a steady fluid flow, rather than necessitating baby head tilt with respect to bottle inclination. Another position of the handle inherent in the invention enables the baby to hold up a filled bottle during feedings when the handle portion is movable into a guide portion with an abutment surface, thereby restricting transverse movement relative to the lid of the bottle.

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1;~7~ 0 ERIEF DESCRIPTICN OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will ncw be described by way of example only as illustrated in the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a feeding device;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of one component of the device illustrated in Figure l;
FIG. 3 is a crcss-sectional view of another component of the device illustrated in Figure l;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of yet another component of the device illustrated in Figure l;
FIG. 5 is a frontal view portion of the device illustrated in Figure l;
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the feeding device illustrated in Figure 1 in one position;
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the feeding device illustrated in Figure 1 in another position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

With reference to the drawings, FIGS. 1 - 7 illustrate the invention throughout, in which similar reference characters denote similar ele~ents throughout the several views.
Commencing with FIG. 1, a nipple 10 of which is a conventional type is secured in place by a twist cap lla,likewise that twists over it onto a handle section 12 of which the shaft 12a can be inserted into a sleeve 13a in the form of a mounting flange made of elastic material ti.e. latex rubber). The flexible molunting flange 13 is held in a twist cap 11 which in turn is disposed on the lip of a bottle 14.
The bottle has a spring loaded clamp 15 resting on its base 17, along a sideface 30 of the bottle 14 for attachment to an appropriate object during feedings.

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1;~7~()~() The handle 12 has a bodY l2a in the shape of a Pipe of a rigid construction which terminates at a disc Portion 18 with a right-angled threaded side wall 20 that is an integral form of the handle 12. The body 12a also has a rim 21 near its lower end. The rigid flat disc 18 provides an opening 19 and base for the conventional nipple 10, held in Place by the twist cap 11a. The diameter of the openings 19 of the handle 1Z is equal in size to the inner circumference of the handle 12 while the outer circumference thereof is lesser than an orifice 29 defined in the twist cap 11. This not only permits a clear passaseway for fluid flow from the bottle 14 throush to the adjoining niPple 10, but also allows the handle 12 to pass through the mouth 29 in order to restrict the movement of the handle 12, as will be described. The objectives of the handle embodiment are to separate the nipple from the bottle to reduce bottle obstruction views, to provide a steadier fluid flow into the niPPle based on the Bernoulli Principle,to redistribute the weight of the bottle away from the baby's mouth, to maintain a mobile horizontal axis, and to Provide means for a baby's hand to hold the bottle up in one position durins a particular mode of operation in feeding.
The flexible mountins flange 13 is illustrated in further detail in FIG. 3 and is made of elastic material that can stretch over the handle 12 and its protruding rim 21 when it is inserted. The flexible mounting flanse 13 has a sleeve 13a and a cap abutment flanse 22. The sleeve 13a is narrower in circumference than the handle 12 and has a recessed circular base 24 that is below a seat flanse 23. A cap abutment flange 22 is also provided to ensase the twist cap at the periphery of the orifice 29. The seat flanse 23 fits -nugly into the twist cap 11, with sleeve 13a and flanse 22 fittinq through the bottle cap opening 29. The sleeve 13a thus aids in securing the handle 12 in position'to the bott]e 14 for fluid flow to the nipple 10: and also a junction of flexibility in which the wall 25 and the base 24 are movable to accommodate movement of niPple 10 and . .
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i~7~(~4(~
Indle 12 about a horizontal axis relative to the bottle 14 when the handle 12 is inserted into the sleeve 13a and not beyond the base 24 of the flexible mountins flanse 13. This is better seen in Figures 1 and 6 where movement of the handle 12 in one position within the flexible mountin~ flanse 13 is represented in chain-dot lines to illustrate one mode of feeding.
In the event a flexible junction is not required or transverse movement of the handle 12 within the flexible member 22 - 25 is not required, the handle 12 can be pushed down further into a cylindrical guide portion 26 with an abutment surface 28 which is situated within the bottle cap 11 between the flexible mount 13 and the lip of the bottle 14: where the seat rim 23 of flexible mount 13 is restins above the seat rim 26a of the guide portion 26, and where the base 24 is accommodated above the lower level seat rim 27 respectivelY. Intesral with the lower level seat rim 27 is an abutment surface 28 to limit transverse move-ment of the handle 12 when it enters telescopical 1Y through the flexible mounting flange 13 of which its sleeve member 13a rolls against the handle 12 in an oPPOsite direction upwards, all the while simultaneouslY securins the handle 12 as it is being pushed down into the abutment surface 28. The rim 21 of the handle 12 will allow the necessarY amount of structure for proper abutment with the surface 28 to enable a filled bottle to be propped up by the handle 12. This other mode of operation for feeding with the handle 12 beins in another POsition is shown in Fisure 7 wherein the mounting flange 13 is folded back on itself between the pipe 12a and the bottom rim wall 26b. This position corresponds to that illustrated in dashed lines in Figure 1 where the handle 12 is disPlaced toward the receptacle in order to engage the pipe 12a with the abutment surface 28. The folded confisuration of the mounting flange 13 is achieved by a rolling action there-of away from the pipe 12a as the handle 12 is displaced to its second position which would enable the babY to hold a filled bottle ~ .......................... .
~; - 7 -up with one hand by gripping the said handle 12. Conversely, the resiliency of the sleeve 13a allows it to snap back against the pipe 12a when pulled away fnom the zone of the wall 26b, simultaneously causing the handle 12 to pop back to its first position.
The base 24 of the flexible m~unting flange 13 is designed to rest above the lower level seat rim 27 of the guide portion with a margin of space as illustrated in Figure 6 for two reasons: first, to avoid obstruction of,the handle 12 with the abutment surface 28 when it is moving in a transverse direction in one position; second, to provide space for the base 24 and sleeve 13a of the flexible nounting flange 13 to stretch before the sleeve 13a and part of the base 24 can achieve its rolling action against the handle 12 in its second position.
Clamp 15 is secured in place by a coil spring 16 onto a base 17 that is attached along the face 30 of bottle 14. The clamp 15 is shorter than the bottle length, narrower than the width of its side, and with the front of the clamp 15 facing the bott~m and stopping short of the base of the bottle 14 for horizontally or vertically sloped attachment of the bottle ensemble to objects such as a blanket, stuffed animals and clothing of the supervisor to enable such person freedom of one hand while holding the infant in the other arm, or when desired propping of the bottle is required.
It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shcwn and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size, materials and arrangements of parts may be resorted to, without departiny from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims.

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Claims (11)

1. A feeding device comprising a receptacle having a lip, a lid complementary with said lip and having a first aperture formed therein, a tubular handle including means for supporting a nipple and said handle being rigid as to constitute means for supporting said receptacle in different positions during feeding, said handle providing a passage for fluid communication between said first aperture and said nipple, coupling means for coupling said handle with said lid and constituting means to permit movement of said handle relative to said lid at a first position wherein said handle is movable relative to said lid about a transverse axis therethrough, and further including means, in coaxial alignment with said coupling means, for restricting said handle to a second position wherein the movement about said transverse axis is limited.

2. A feeding device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for supporting a nipple is disposed on one end of said handle and includes an integrally attached base plate with a second aperture centrally located therein which is aligned with said passage, said base plate arranged to receive said nipple.

3. A feeding device as defined in claim 2 wherein said handle has another end which is engaged with said coupling means to join said passage with said receptacle.

4. A feeding device as defined in claim 3 wherein said coupling means is a flexible mounting member including a sleeve portion dimensioned for telescoping connection over said other end of said handle and a base flange radially outwardly extending from said sleeve portion to lie below said lid, and [to] be disposed between said lid and said bottle lip with the sleeve portion extending through said first aperture.

5. A feeding device as defined in claim 4 wherein said sleeve portion includes a body portion and a cap abutment flange extending radially from said body portion, said cap abutment flange being coupled with and spaced axially above said base flange so as to secure the lid between said cap abutment flange and said base flange.

6. A feeding device as defined in claim 5 wherein said means for restricting movement of said handle includes a guide portion having a seating flange for seating on said bottle lip and a cylindrical abutment surface coaxially aligned with said first aperture and dimensioned to abut said handle near said other end when said handle is in said second position, said guide portion providing means to restrict the movement about said transverse axis when said handle is in said second position.

7. A feeding device as defined in claim 6 wherein said guide portion includes a cylindrical section having an inner surface defining said cylindrical abutment surface, said inner surface being dimensioned for telescoping engagement with said other end of said handle therethrough when in said second position.

8. A feeding device as defined in claim 6 wherein a clamp is provided near a lower edge of an outer surface of said receptacle, so as to attach said receptacle to an anchored object for independent feeding.

9. A kit for use on a feeding device of the type having a receptacle with a mouth on which a nipple is mounted by way of a lid, with an aperture therein comprising:
a tubular handle including means for coupling on one end with said lid and further including means to support said nipple at another end and of a passage in register with said aperture for fluid communication between said receptacle and said nipple, said coupling means for coupling said one end of said handle with said lid and further including means to permit movement of said handle relative to said lid at a first position wherein said handle is movable relative to said lid about a transverse axis therethrough, and further including means, in coaxial alignment with said coupling means, for restricting said handle to a second position wherein the movement about said transverse axis is limited.

10. A feeding device comprising a receptacle having a lip, a lid complementary with said lip and having a first aperture formed therein, a tubular handle including means supporting a nipple and said handle being rigid as to constitute means for supporting said receptacle in different positions during feeding, said handle providing a passage for fluid communication between said first aperture and said nipple, means mounted above the lip of the bottle for holding the handle for movement relative to the lid about a transverse axis,and further means for coaxially receiving said handle and mounted above the bottle lip to hold the handle in a second position for limited movement.

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