GB2381215A

GB2381215A - Shaking device suitable for shaking bottles of baby formula

Info

Publication number: GB2381215A
Application number: GB0124782A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Samantha Morrall
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-10-16
Filing date: 2001-10-16
Publication date: 2003-04-30
Also published as: GB0124782D0

Abstract

A device 10 suitable for shaking bottles of baby fonnula or the like has a rear plate 12 which is mountable to a wall or other fixture, a front panel 14 movably mounted to the rear plate and drive means (not shown) for vibrating the front panel relative to the rear plate. The front panel is provided with means such as cups 18 which can be used for holding one or more container bottles 20 such that the bottles are vibrated with the front panel in order to mix the contents.

Description

Shaking Device The present invention relates to a shaking device and particularly, but not exclusively, to a device for shaking containers of fluid to homogenize the fluid and render it more functional.

The invention has particular application in the baby-product industry for shaking bottles containing baby formula.

It is well known to parents and other care-givers (hereafter referred to as"care-givers") that the preparation of milk or baby formula, particularly formula suitable for newborn infants, is a tedious and time-consuming process. The care-giver is typically required to prepare several bottles of baby formula by mixing sterilised water with the soluble, powdered formula. The care-giver is then required to vigorously shake or stir the bottle containing the mixture to make sure that the powder is fully dissolved in the solvent to achieve the proper consistency for the infant. Moreover, the task must be repeated several times each day, especially for newborn infants.

It would be advantageous to provide a device which would alleviate the problems and inconvenience associated by the parent or care-giver in the preparation of bottles of baby formula.

According to one aspect of the present invention, therefore, there is provided an apparatus for shaking containers of fluid or the like, the apparatus comprising: support means for supporting at least one container; and drive means for vibrating and/or shaking said at least one container thereby to shake and/or mix said fluid or the like.

Advantageously, the support means may comprise a holder, grip or cup rigidly mounted to a panel and the drive means may be arranged to vibrate the panel thereby to vibrate and/or

shake a container supported by the support means.

The panel may be of elongate form and have a plurality of such cups or grips attached thereto to enable a plurality of containers to be vibrated or shaken simultaneously.

The panel may be movably and/or resiliently connected to mounting means, in the form of a rear mounting plate, which is arranged to be fixedly mounted to a wall surface or other fixture.

The drive means may conveniently comprise an electric motor coupled to a motion transducer, such as an eccentric wheel or cam, for converting the rotary motion of the motor into substantially oscillatory motion, the oscillatory motion being applied to the front panel thereby to shake or vibrate the front panel.

The apparatus described in the preceding paragraphs provides the advantage that one or more bottles or containers of a generally liquid substance such as baby formula can be placed in the cups, holders or grips and simultaneously vibrated or shaken vigorously for a desired length of time. The apparatus thus removes the need for a parent or care-giver to shake individual containers by hand.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 which shows a perspective view of a preferred form of apparatus according to the invention.

In the following description, the invention is described in the context of an apparatus for shaking bottles of baby formula. It will, however, be appreciated that the apparatus may be equally useful for other applications where it is desired to shake or vibrate a container.

In Figure 1, a preferred form of apparatus according to the invention is shown generally at 10. The apparatus comprises a generally elongate rear plate 12 which is arranged to be fixedly mounted to a wall surface or other fixture (not shown).

A front panel 14, having an upstanding wall 16 extending around its perimeter, is disposed over the rear plate 12 and is sized and shaped to substantially completely cover the rear plate 12 such that when the latter is mounted on a wall surface or other fixture as described above, the circumferential edge of the wall 16 generally abuts the wall surface or other fixture and the rear plate 12 is not externally visible. It will be appreciated that this arrangement is not essential but is considered to provide a more aesthetically pleasing effect.

The front panel 14 is movably and resiliently mounted to the rear plate 12 by means of a spring assembly (not shown) which is arranged to allow the front panel 14 to move relative to the rear plate 12 by a relatively small amount in a plane generally coplanar with the rear plate2.

To achieve this movement, drive means, in the form of a vibration assembly (not shown) is mounted to a front surface of the rear plate 12 such that it is substantially enclosed by the front panel 14 and wall 16. The vibration assembly is arranged to cause the front panel 14 to oscillate or vibrate vigorously relative to the rear plate 12.

The front panel 14 is provided with support means in the form of a plurality of cups 18 which are rigidly mounted to the front panel 14 and are arranged to hold a baby's feeding bottle such as that shown at 20. It can be seen that the cups are sufficiently deep to prevent the bottles 20 from falling out of the cup due to any vibrating action. To further secure the bottles in the cups, each cup 18 is provided with an annular insert of pliable material, such as foam, which extends around the internal circumference of each cup and is arranged to grip the external surface of the bottle 20 when inserted in the cup. This helps to further prevent the bottle 20 from being shaken loose by the vibrating action of the front panel 14.

A timing mechanism is provided for controlling the duration of the vibrating effect. In the preferred embodiment, this is controlled by means of a dial 22 set into the front panel 14 and adjustable by rotation to set the vibration time in discrete intervals of time between 10 and 60 seconds. It will be appreciated, however, that longer vibration times can be selected if desired.

Although not shown in the drawing, a possible vibration mechanism for vibrating or shaking the front panel 14 relative to the rear plate 12 consists of an electric motor having a rotating shaft which is connected to a cam assembly. the cam assembly is in the form of a circular wheel mounted eccentrically to the shaft.

The cam is arranged such that during part of its rotary motion, a region having the greatest radial spacing from the shaft contacts the inner surface of the upstanding wall 16 on the front panel 14 and causes the front panel assembly to move relative to the rear panel 12. As the cam continues to rotate, the portion of greater radius rotates away from the inner surface of the wall 16 and the resilient means causes the front panel assembly to revert to its original, central position.

It will be appreciated that as the rotary speed of the cam increases, the front panel 14 will be oscillated progressively more quickly, ultimately resulting in a vibrating or shaking effect on the front panel 14. It will be further appreciated that, depending on the position of the motor and cam arrangement, the front panel assembly 14 can be made to move in any or all of three dimensions. In particular, it may be possible to include more than one vibration assembly on the rear plate 12.

For example, a first vibration assembly may be arranged to cause the front panel 14, in use, to move in a vertical direction relative to the rear plate 12 and a second vibration assembly may be arranged to cause the front panel assembly to move in a horizontal direction relative to the rear plate 12. The number and positions of the vibration assemblies provided will depend on the type of oscillatory or shaking motion required.

Advantageously, the apparatus of the invention may be fabricated from hard, durable plastic and can have a finish which is aesthetically pleasing. Any number of cups or receptacles 18 may be provided on the front panel 14 which itself may be of any suitable shape.

While a wall-mounted apparatus is shown in the drawings, a free standing or surfacemounted apparatus may be equally advantageous and the apparatus may be supplied with

brackets to allow it to be fixed to a variety of locations such as a work-top, table or other generally horizontally oriented fixture.

It is envisaged that the apparatus could be made portable by providing only one or two cups or receptacles 18 and the rear panel could be provided with means for temporarily securing the apparatus to a solid fixture to allow the vibrating effect to be achieved. The motor is conveniently an electric motor which could be powered from a mains supply or, in the case of a portable apparatus, by batteries. The cam used in the vibration assembly is not limited to a circular cam. A lobe cam may be used as an alternative or, indeed, any other form of mechanism, such as a crank, could be arranged to provide a vibrating or shaking motion to the front panel 14.

It can be seen that the apparatus of the present invention provides a simple and effective method of quickly and easily mixing several bottles of powdered formula for consumption by an infant or small child. The invention reduces or substantially eliminates the need for a care-giver to mix the formula by hand and is beneficial in that there are no parts which are required to be sterilised in order to use the apparatus. The power and duration of the vibrating action can be set by adjusting the speed of motor and by use of the timing dial 22.

The resilient means may be provided in the form of springs or any other suitable mechanism to allow the front panel assembly 14 to be biassed to a generally central position. The cups 18 may be replaced by grips, brackets or any other suitable mechanism provided that the bottles are held firmly with little or no possibility of slipping so that the bottle is shaken with the vibrating effect on the front panel 14.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. An apparatus for shaking containers of fluid or the like, the apparatus comprising: support means for supporting at least one container; and drive means for vibrating and/or shaking said at least one container thereby to shake and/or mix said fluid or the like.
2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said support means comprises a holder, grip or cup or the like, rigidly mounted to a panel and wherein said drive means is arranged to vibrate said panel thereby to vibrate and/or shake a container supported by said support means.
3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said panel is provided with a plurality of said holders, grips or cups or the like thereby to enable a plurality of containers to be vibrated or shaken simultaneously.
4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein said panel is movably and/or resiliently connected to mounting means, said mounting means being arranged to be fixedly mounted to a wall surface or other fixture.