Abstract:
A device to automatically dispense the proper amounts of dry baby formula and heated water to make liquid infant formula. The baby bottle is held in place in a pivoting transfer arm with a clip that fastens around the neck of the bottle. After the powdered formula is dispensed, the transfer arm swings the bottle to the water dispensing station. Water heated to the desired temperature is added to the bottle, and the formula is ready to be mixed and served.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to devices for baby food preparation, and more particularly is a device to automatically prepare infant formula. The device comprises unique mechanisms for dispensing the powdered formula, for positioning the baby bottle, and for maintaining a chosen water temperature. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     One of the key factors affecting a baby&#39;s health is diet. Therefore, many mothers breast feed their babies to ensure proper nutrition. However, many mothers feed their babies infant formula, either by choice or through an inability to adequately breast feed. Formula feeding provides nutritional value similar to mother&#39;s milk, but provides a large measure of convenience and allows fathers and other caregivers to directly assist in the feeding of the baby. Pediatricians advise that when formula is used, the formula should be fed to the baby with a uniform temperature throughout the content, and the temperature should be as close to that of the mother&#39;s milk as possible. 
     In addition to the nutritional value of the infant formula, the baby&#39;s caregiver is also interested in the expediency with which the formula can be dispensed (at the proper and consistent temperature) to feed the hungry and crying baby. The baby is also more inclined to return to sleep if he receives the formula in a timely manner. If allowed to become agitated, the baby may not return to sleep as readily. 
     One prior art method to prepare infant formula is the use of tap water supplied directly from a hot water heater. The tap water method has several disadvantages. Dispensing water at the proper temperature from the faucet can consume several minutes. First, the cold water must be purged from the water lines and replaced with warm water. Then, the temperature of the water must be adjusted to the proper level, which is generally at a lower than desired temperature. Further, the temperature of the water is not monitored. 
     Another prior art method of heating infant formula is the use of microwave ovens. While this method is often used because of convenience, it also has shortcomings because hot spots in the formula may develop, resulting in inconsistent formula temperature. Further, burns to the baby&#39;s body and digestive tract may result from drinking formula that is too hot. 
     The prior art is replete with devices that mix, heat, or store formula. See, e.g. “Apparatus and Method for Preparing Infant Formulae” by Roberson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,118,933, issued Sep. 12, 2000; the “Method for Preparing Infant Formula.” also by Roberson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,028, issued Jun. 26, 2001; the “Milk Powder Dispenser” of Liao et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,803, issued Jun. 2, 1998; the “Electronic Baby Formula Preparation and Storage Device” of Rothley, U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,313, issued Aug. 25, 1998; and the “Powdered Milk Measuring Container” of Chiang, U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,230, issued Aug. 31, 1999. All of these devices are directed to one or more aspects of the baby formula preparation process, and all can be helpful. However, a completely automated system for baby formula preparation is clearly desirable. 
     One fairly recent example of such an automated preparation device is the “Dry Baby Formula Maker” by LaBarbera, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,816, issued Nov. 5, 1996. This device sterilizes the water used by boiling it. While desirable for bacteria control, the presence of boiling water in a formula preparation device presents significant injury possibility. Moreover, the LaBarbera device uses a common spout for the water and the formula. This arrangement typically leads to a caked residue of dry formula and water, which leads to plugging and malfunction of the device. Similarly, the “Heated Beverage Machine” of Clubb, U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,117, issued Jan. 9, 2001, describes a machine for mixing formula that also uses a common nozzle for the water and the formula, leading to the same problems as with the LaBarbera device. 
     Although many devices have been made to aid the caregiver in the preparation of formula for baby feeding, it is evident that the prior art has not yet disclosed an optimal automated solution. A need exists for an automated system of formula preparation that is easy to operate and maintain, and that avoids the problems present in the prior art. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automated formula preparation apparatus that functions with a one-hand operation. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device that isolates the water dispensing and powder dispensing operations so that the problem of caked residue accumulation is avoided. 
     It is a still further object of the present invention to avoid having scalding hot water present in the system. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a device to automatically dispense the proper amounts of dry baby formula and heated water to make liquid formula. The device has a formula dispensing station with a storage vessel for the powdered baby formula. The dispensing mechanism comprises a weight on a top side of the storage vessel and a blade at a dispensing port. The blade rotates relative to the storage vessel to dispense the proper amount of formula for a single serving into a baby bottle positioned in the dispensing station. 
     The baby bottle is held in place in a pivoting transfer arm with a clip that fastens around the neck of the bottle. After the powdered formula is dispensed, the transfer arm swings the bottle to the water dispensing station. 
     At the water station, water flows from a water receptacle into a heating section to heat the water to the desired temperature. When the water reaches the selected temperature, an indicator light is activated, signalling the user that the water is ready to be released into the bottle. 
     An advantage of the present invention is that all the operations are triggered by elements that can be operated with one hand, so that the user needs to have only one hand free to fill the baby bottle with formula. 
     Another advantage of the present invention is that the dispensing mechanism for the powdered formula is physically isolated from the dispensing station for the water so that residue from mixed formula is not a problem. 
     A still further advantage of the present invention is that the water is heated only as high as the selected dispensing temperature, so that scalding the baby or the user is not an issue. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the description of the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention as described herein and as illustrated in the drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the automated infant formula preparation device of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the powdered formula dispensing mechanism. 
     FIG. 3 shows the transfer arm in position to accept a baby bottle. 
     FIG. 4 shows the transfer arm with the baby bottle inserted in the transfer yoke. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates the water heating and dispensing mechanism. 
     FIG. 6 shows the device with the water outlet physically separated from the formula outlet. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is device  10  to automatically prepare liquid baby formula by mixing powdered formula with heated water. The automatic preparation device  10  allows the user to accomplish the dispensing of both the formula and the water into a baby bottle  12  while using only one hand. 
     The baby bottle  12  is held in a pivoting transfer arm  14 . The transfer arm  14  comprises a main body  141  with a forked bottle holder  142  at a distal end of the main body  141  to hold the bottle  12 . The base end of the main body  141  is pivotally mounted in the preparation device  10 . A securing means  143  secures the bottle  12  in the bottle holder  142 . In the preferred embodiment, the securing means is a wireform clip, a flexible wire which deforms to accept the neck of the bottle  12  when the bottle  12  is inserted, and then rebounds to secure the bottle  12  in the bottle holder  142 . Due to the flexibility of the securing means  143 , the device can secure bottle necks of various sizes. 
     The proper amount of formula is dispensed into the baby bottle  12  by means of a formula dispensing mechanism  16 . The formula dispensing mechanism  16 , best seen in FIG. 2, comprises a storage vessel  161 , a weight  162 , and a lower end cap  163 . The lower end cap  163  includes an upward angled blade  164  at the mouth of a dispensing port  165 . The dispensing port  165  feeds the formula into a funnel  166 . 
     The storage vessel  161  receives the powdered baby formula. A pair of protruding ridges  1611  that are received in corresponding slots  1621  in the weight  162  serve as an alignment means for the weight  162  relative to the storage vessel  161 . The ridges  1611  extend the length of the inner wall of the storage vessel  161 . A pair of gripping depressions  1622  in the top side of the weight  162  allow a user to more easily manipulate the weight  162 . 
     A drive mechanism is included in the preparation device  10  to rotate the storage vessel  161  relative to the lower end cap  163 . Any known drive mechanism can be utilized, and either the storage vessel  161  or the end cap  163  can be rotated. As the rotation occurs, the blade  164  “peels” off the desired amount of formula, so that the formula drops out of the dispensing port  165  and through the funnel  166 . 
     Water to be mixed with the powdered formula is supplied by the water supply mechanism  18 . The water supply mechanism  18  comprises a water receptacle  181 . The flow of water from the receptacle  181  is controlled by a valve  182 . When the valve  182  is opened to release water from the receptacle  181 , the water flows through a water heater  183 . After flowing through the water heater  183  and reaching the desired temperature, the heated water flows through a dispensing tube  185  into the baby bottle. 
     The water can be heated in the water heater  183  by any of several known methods. In the preferred embodiment, the water heater  183  comprises a contained flow path  1831  with a high surface area that keeps the water in close proximity to a heating element  1832 . In the preferred embodiment, the contained flow path  1831  is a coil, and the heating element  1832  is cylindrical. The thermal mass of the heating element  1832  varies depending on the volume of water to be heated. For example, in a single serving machine, the heating element  1832  would have a relatively low thermal mass, and could be either a thin walled tube or a plate element. In a multi-serving machine, the heating element  1832  would be an element with high thermal mass. 
     The preparation device  10  includes a water ready indicator light  20  that is triggered when the water reaches a preset temperature. When the water from the receptacle  181  is properly heated, the water ready indicator light  20  is lit, and the user releases the water into the bottle  12 . The device  10  further includes a view gauge  30  on the front panel to monitor the water level in the receptacle  181 . 
     Operation of the automated baby formula preparation device  10  is as follows: Prior to preparation of the formula, the user fills the formula holding vessel  161  with powdered formula, and the water receptacle  181  with water. When the user is ready to prepare a bottle of liquid formula, he activates the formula preparation device  10  with a power switch  22 . 
     The baby bottle is installed in the transfer arm  14 , which is positioned so that the bottle is aligned with the funnel  166 . The user depresses the powder dispense button  24  on the front face of the machine, and the formula dispensing mechanism  16  is activated. The storage vessel  161  is rotated relative to the lower end cap  163 , so that with the weight  162  applying constant pressure on top of the powdered formula, the blade  164  peels off the desired amount of formula. The formula drops out of the dispensing port  165  and through the funnel  166  into the baby bottle. If multiple servings are desired, the user simply depresses the powder dispense button multiple times, or the machine is set to dispense multiple servings each time the powder dispense button is pushed. A powder level monitor slot  26  on the front of the device  10  allows the user to easily see how much powdered formula is left in the holding vessel  161 . 
     The user then pushes the water fill lever  144 , or simply the transfer arm  14  itself, to move the bottle so that the bottle is aligned with the water supply mechanism  18 . When the water ready light  20  turns on, the user knows the water has reached the proper temperature. A temperature gauge  28  allows the user to further monitor the water temperature to ensure there are no burn accidents. 
     When the device  10  is activated, the user activates the first valve  182  to release the proper amount of water into the water heater  183 . The water is heated to the desired temperature in the heater  183 , and then flows through the dispensing tube  185  into the baby bottle. 
     When both the formula and the heated water have been dispensed into the baby bottle, the user replaces the cap, and shakes the bottle to thoroughly mix the formula. The formula is then ready to be served to the infant. 
     The above disclosure is not intended as limiting. Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the restrictions of the appended claims.