Abstract:
This invention is a disposable bottle device intended to disperse all types of pre-packaged ready to use liquids to all age groups of people and to animals through a nipple located on the disposable bottle device. The disposable bottle device has a sidewall that is all one piece, having ventilation holes spaced throughout the sidewall, and having a protective cap that is attached to the sidewall, which can be removed when the disposable bottle is ready for use. The nipple and a liquid impermeable liner are manufactured as one piece that is leak-proof and sterilized. A temperature strip is attached in a location to insure the proper temperature of the liquid inside the nipple/liner. A protective covering over the device acts as a safety seal to insure the integrity of the contents before purchase.

Description:
SPECIFIC DATA RELATED TO THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60/675,790 filed Apr. 28, 2005. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This present invention relates to disposable bottles and more particularly pertains to a disposable bottle for pre-packaged liquids that are sterilized, sealed and ready to use out of the package.  
         [0003]     There are various problems and difficulties that have been encountered in providing people and animals of all age groups and, more specifically, babies with proper feeding by means of bottles, wherein bottles and their associated parts, as well as the contents should at all times be kept clean and sterilized. When a person or baby or animal is being fed at home or away from home the inherent problem is supplying liquid such as a food source or medication with the assurance that it is being administered from a sterile environment. Generally, the bottles are prepared and sterilized at home, which is time consuming and during which time the nipples and bottle parts are exposed to various contaminants both from being exposed to the environment and from the hands of the person that is preparing the bottle. Also, there is a possibility that not enough bottles have been prepared and the supply runs out when the bottle is needed the most, causing a chain reaction of events to happen such as a stop at the nearest restaurant without the time or facilities for sterilization thus potentially causing a biological disorder to occur such as projectile vomiting.  
         [0004]     Even with the advent of disposable bottles, the problem of running out or the availability of sterilized milk or other sterilized liquids, such as formula or water, still exist. To the applicant&#39;s knowledge, there is no disposable baby bottle or any other type of disposable bottle available on the market today that can provide sterilized parts as well as sterilized food or liquids or medication in one package, where the bottle is pre-filled with any variety of liquids under ultimate, sterilized conditions, sealed as to not having to assemble any of the parts as described herein and being stored in such a way that maintains the integrity of being sterilized until the bottle as described herein is put into use.  
         [0005]     Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,092; U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,935; U.S. Pat. No. 3,777,025; U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,556; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 430,676; U.S. Pat. No. 6,737,091 B1. While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, they do not disclose a new disposable bottle feeding device.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The present invention discloses a device for containing sterilized liquids including medication, water, protein, vitamins and liquid food sources of all types for adults and babies and animals of all age groups, such as the elderly and the impoverished in remote areas and in disaster areas where supplies containing sterile liquids are not available.  
         [0007]     The present invention includes a sidewall that is all one piece or can be comprised of two or more pieces depending on the version used, having ventilation holes spaced throughout the sidewall for various reasons, and having a protective cap that is attached to the sidewall and can be removed when the disposable bottle is ready for use, having a nipple/liner that is manufactured as all one piece or is made separate, depending on the version used but with the overall intention as to act as one piece, the nipple/liner being installed inside the sidewall and or the nipple being part of the sidewall depending on the version of disposable bottle used but being leak-proof and sterilized, having a temperature strip mounted on the nipple/liner or sidewall to insure the proper temperature of the liquid inside the nipple/liner, and further includes sterile liquids being disposed in the nipple/liner or sidewall in the disposable bottle device, and covering all or part of the disposable bottle device is a protective covering that acts as a safety seal to insure the integrity of the contents. None of the prior art includes the combination of elements of the present invention.  
         [0008]     It is understood that such disposable, pre-filled, sterile bottles as stated herein will be obtained at stores, in supermarkets, in vending machines, in fast food restaurants and anywhere food and beverages are available for purchase.  
         [0009]     In this respect, before explaining the embodiments of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and or in the arrangements of the components set fourth in the following description of illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and is capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways depending on the application it is used in. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.  
         [0010]     It is the object of the present invention to provide a new disposable bottle device which has many of the advantages of the baby bottles mentioned in the prior art and many novel features that result in a new disposable bottle device which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art.  
         [0011]     Still another object of the present invention is to provided a new disposable bottle device for ingesting prepackaged liquids of all types such as medication, vitamins, formula or foods regardless of their consistency including juices, water and milk for people of all age groups, babies and animals.  
         [0012]     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new disposable bottle device that is easy and convenient to use.  
         [0013]     Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new disposable bottle device that is completely pre-assembled and ready to use.  
         [0014]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a new disposable bottle device where the nipple and liner act as one structure which insures that there is no possibility of mold, mildew or bacteria growing on the inside of the nipple/liner.  
         [0015]     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new disposable bottle device that can be administered to a recipient without ever touching the nipple with the hands or fingers, which insures a safe, clean, germ free liquid source.  
         [0016]     These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty, which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and description which are illustrated by the preferred embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]     The invention will be better understood by the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:  
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a front cross-sectioned view of a new disposable bottle device according to the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is a front cross-sectioned view of the disposable bottle with some liquid drawn out of the inner liner;  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is a front cross-sectioned view of the one-piece inner liner and nipple for the disposable bottle;  
         [0021]      FIG. 4  is a front cross-sectioned view of a two-piece sidewall for the disposable bottle;  
         [0022]      FIG. 5  is a front cross-sectioned view of a one-piece sidewall for the disposable bottle;  
         [0023]      FIG. 6  is a front cross-sectioned view of a disposable bottle showing a different method of attaching the nipple to the liner; and  
         [0024]      FIG. 7  is a front cross-sectioned view of a disposable bottle that is all one piece, having no inner liner where the sidewall and the nipple act as one in the same structure  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0025]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a front, cross-sectioned view of a disposable bottle device  10  according to one embodiment of the present invention. A thin layer of plastic or other pliable material  12  that can cover all parts of device  10  or just the protective cap  16  of the disposable bottle device functions as a protective safety wrap intended to be removed prior to use for the purpose of protecting the over-all integrity of the disposable bottle device and it&#39;s contents prior to purchase. A zipper-seal  14  in the same manner as a safety seal that is installed on a new bottle top on a common plastic disposable soda container can be used to insure the integrity of the disposable bottle and its contents while providing easy opening access.  FIG. 1A  is a front, cross-sectioned view of the protective cap  16  comprised of a single piece  32  or multiple pieces of ridged or pliable material such as plastic generally made using an injection mold, thus allowing close tolerances so that the protective cap would snap into place by means of ridges or extrusions  36 , or by a means that is determined by the manufacturer which would be suitable for this device when it is affixed to the device sidewall  18  for the purposes of preventing it from falling off the sidewall  18  when the disposable bottle is not being used. The cap  16  also protects the nipple  22  from damage and contact with germs, bacteria or any substance that would harm or be foreign to the user or contents of the disposable bottle. A protrusion  34  acts as a stopper when the protective cap  32  is installed on the sidewall  18  which in turn puts downward pressure on the feeding hole which is located at the top of the nipple as shown in  FIG. 2  at  14 . When the protective cap  16  is put back on a partially used disposable bottle and snapped into place the nipple will not leak since the cap is pressed against the nipple top blocking hole  14 .  
         [0026]     A two-piece sidewall  18  of material such as plastic, silicone, rubber, glass, aluminum, metal or any other pliable or rigid material that would be suitable for this invention including being made of a material that is determined by need, or environment, or regulation, or cost, or health issues forms a bottom support for the bottle or device  10 . The side wall  18  is joined for the purposes of this illustration at  19  but can be joined or separated at any location of the sidewall whether it be horizontally at the bottom or top or middle of sidewall  18 , or vertically down the middle from top to bottom of the sidewall which can be determined by the manufacturer or individual needs, but is intended to be joined together in a fixed fashion for the purpose of supporting and protecting the entire structure  10  from outside damage or contamination in the course of normal use, and for the purposes of housing the nipple/liner  22  before or after it is filled with prepackaged liquids  24 . Openings  20  in the sidewall  18  are located throughout the sidewall  18  but are not limited to any particular location or size or shape on the sidewall  18  and are intended to release any vacuum buildup that might be created when the bottle is being used including submerging the sidewall  18  in a liquid such as water for the purpose of heating or cooling the contents  24  that are inside the nipple/liner  22  thus allowing a liquid such as water to directly heat or cool the nipple/liner  22  and contents  24 . Openings  20  are also used when draining a liquid used to heat or cool contents  24  out of the sidewall  18  once the contents  24  and nipple/liner  22  have been heated or cooled to the preferred temperature. The nipple/liner  22  can be made of plastic or silicone or rubber or any other pliable material that is nontoxic, sterilized and suitable for this invention. Nipple/liner  22  is one continuous part that functions as a container to store liquids  24  of all types including medication, vitamins, formula or foods regardless of their consistency including juices, water and milk all of which are prepackaged in the nipple/liner  22  at the manufacture through the filler area  26  in the liner. Filler area  26  is not limited to this exact location on the liner as the opening could be installed anywhere on the nipple/liner  22 . Once the nipple/liner  22  has been filled with the desired liquid from the manufacturer to a capacity and volume that would minimize or eliminate any air that would be trapped inside the nipple/liner  22 , the opening in the nipple/liner  26  can be sealed with glue or heat or fusion or stamping or cauterization or clamping or tying or folding or pressure or any other type of adhesion that is suitable for this invention that will provide a leak proof environment for the liquid  24  that is stored inside the nipple/liner  22  to insure the integrity of the nipple/liner  22  as well as the overall use of the disposable bottle device  10 . Another use for the nipple/liner  22  is to form the nipple portion of the nipple/liner  22  which can be made from a different and thicker or thinner material other than the material of the liquid storing portion of the liner  22 . In such a case, the nipple material would be molded into the liner material and the liner material into the nipple material in such away that it would function as one piece. However, the nipple could be made of the same material and thickness as liner  22  depending on the application that the nipple/liner is being used for. A heat strip  28  is attached to the nipple/liner  22  either on the inside or outside of the nipple/liner, or to the inside or the outside of the sidewall  18  for the purpose of showing temperature of the liquid  24 . The strip  28  may be located at the general area  30  of the nipple/liner where  22  nipple/liner is attached to the sidewall  18  by means of adhesive or by glue or by heat or fusion or by snapping it or screwing it together in some way as to secure the nipple/liner  22  to the sidewall  18  when the device or bottle  10  is being used under normal conditions.  
         [0027]      FIG. 2  illustrates how the nipple/liner  22  collapses when some of the liquid  24  has been extracted by suction applied via hole  14 . The liner  22  will fold, or gather, to roll upward as shown at  16  thus preventing air from getting into the liquid  24  and eliminating or greatly reducing excess air intake to the user ingesting the liquid  24 .  
         [0028]      FIG. 3  illustrates a filled liner  22  in the inventive one piece nipple/liner configuration.  
         [0029]      FIG. 4  illustrates one form of construction of the outer sidewall or support  18 .  
         [0030]      FIG. 5  illustrates a one-piece sidewall  18  construction for the disposable bottle device which has the same overall function as the two-piece sidewall of  FIG. 4  but is intended to allow the nipple/liner  22  to be inserted from the top of the sidewall as opposed to the bottom of the sidewall  10 .  
         [0031]      FIG. 6  illustrates an alternate embodiment in which the nipple/liner  22  is formed as a nipple  42  attached at  46  to a liner  44  after filling the liner. The nipple and liner can be sealed together at  16  or other appropriate location with glue, heat, fusion, stamping, cauterization, clamping, tying, folding, pressure or any other type of adhesion that is suitable for this invention in a way as to be used as one structure, and in a way that will provide a leak proof environment for the liquid  24  that is stored inside the liner  44 .  
         [0032]      FIG. 7  illustrates a further embodiment of the invention having some of the same characteristics as in  FIG. 1  including cover  12 , the protective cap  16  and heat strip  28 , all having the same functions as those parts noted in  FIG. 1 . The sidewall  18  has a nipple  42  built into it as part of the sidewall and made of the same or different material, and the nipple could be of a different thickness as the sidewall  18  but acting as one and the same structure, and could be attached or molded or glued or fused in such a way that would make the operation of the nipple function as one integral part of the sidewall, having no liner, meaning the liquid is placed inside the sidewall in a sterile environment and is drawn out of the disposable bottle through a hole at the top of the nipple, and having a filler hole  48  somewhere in the nipple/sidewall  18  so that liquid can be injected.  
         [0033]     The invention and its advantages will be understood from the forgoing description and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof or sacrificing its material advantages, the arrangement hereinbefore described being merely by way of example, and I do not wish to be restricted to the specific form shown or uses mentioned, except as defined in the accompanying claims.