Abstract:
A basket is configured to hold infant feeding apparatus for cleaning, transport, and/or storage. The basket is partitioned to provide separate storage regions for different kinds of infant feeding apparatus such as bottles, bottle components, plates, bowls, cups, and utensils.

Description:
[0001]     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/645,066, filed Jan. 19, 2005, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     The present disclosure relates to infant feeding apparatus, and particularly to bottles, plates, and utensils for children. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to carriers for infant feeding apparatus.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0003]     According to the present disclosure, a basket is configured to hold infant feeding apparatus for cleaning, transport, and/or storage. The basket is partitioned to provide separate storage regions for different kinds of infant feeding apparatus such as bottles, bottle components, plates, bowls, cups, and utensils. The basket can be filled with such apparatus and placed in a dishwasher so that any bottles, bottle components, plates, bowls, cups, utensils, etc. stored in the basket can be cleaned. Once items in the basket are cleaned, the basket (with the items organized onboard) can be carried to and stored in a cabinet for later use.  
         [0004]     Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]     The detailed description particularly refers to the accompany figures in which:  
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a basket in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure;  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the basket of  FIG. 1  after it has been opened to show various separate storage regions for components included in a baby bottle;  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a portion of a kitchen showing baby bottle components carried and organized in baskets of the type illustrated in  FIG. 1  and showing baskets containing baby bottle components in a dishwasher and in a cabinet;  
         [0009]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a basket in accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure showing feeder trays and bottle components in the basket; and  
         [0010]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a basket in accordance with a third embodiment of the present disclosure showing a plate, a bowl, bottle components, and a set of utensils in the basket. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0011]     A basket  10  is configured to hold components of several baby bottles  12  as suggested in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Basket  10  can be used to organize, transport, and store these components and can be placed in a dishwasher or a cabinet as suggested in  FIG. 3 . A basket  110  in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in  FIG. 4 . As suggested in  FIG. 5 , a basket  210  in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to hold all items used to feed a child during one meal.  
         [0012]     Basket  10  includes a first panel  12  coupled to a mating second panel  14  (in any suitable manner) for pivotable movement about a pivot axis  16  between a closed position shown in  FIG. 1  and an opened position shown in  FIG. 2 . It is within the scope of this disclosure to employ any suitable non-pivoting connectors for mating second panel  14  to first panel  12 . A first handle portion  18  is coupled to first panel  12  and a second handle portion  19  is coupled to second panel  14 . Handle portions  18 ,  19  cooperate to form a carrying handle  20  when panels  12 ,  14  are moved to assume the closed position. Any suitable releasable lock mechanism  22  can be coupled to (or formed in) panels  12 ,  14  or handle portions  18 ,  19  to retain panels  12 ,  14  in the closed position shown in  FIG. 1 . Panels  12 ,  14  and handle portions  18 ,  19  may be made of a plastics material or any suitable sturdy material.  
         [0013]     As suggested, for example, in  FIG. 2 , each panel  12 ,  14  is formed to include first, second, third, and fourth storage regions  101 ,  102 ,  103 , and  104 . These regions are aligned with one another when first and second panels  12 ,  14  are mated with one another as suggested in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0014]     In the illustrated embodiment, a baby bottle  24  includes an open-ended sleeve  25 , a closure base  26 , a nipple  27 , and a nipple mount  28 . Sleeve  25  includes a top opening  29  and a bottom opening  30 . First and second panels  12 ,  14  cooperate to define, for example, four separate storage compartments  201 ,  202 ,  203 , and  204  when they are moved to the closed position shown in  FIG. 1 . First storage compartment  201  holds three bottle sleeves  25 . Second storage compartment  202  holds three bottle closure bases  26 . Third storage compartment  203  holds three nipples  27 . Fourth storage compartment  204  holds four nipple mounts  28 . A first cut-out  31  formed in first panel  12  cooperates with a second cut-out  32  formed in second panel  14  to form an aperture  36  receiving a necked-down portion  38  of nipple  27  therein to retain nipple  27  in a selected position in third storage compartment  203  in spaced-apart relation to bottle sleeve  25  when basket panels  12 ,  14  are closed as shown in  FIG. 1 . When placed in a dishwasher as suggested in  FIG. 3 , cleaning water is able to flow easily through apertures formed in first and second panels  12 ,  14  and around sleeves  25  and clean closure bases  26 , nipples  27 , and nipple mounts  28  while those components are carried and organized in basket  10 .  
         [0015]     As suggested by arrow  105  in  FIG. 3 , after “use” baby bottles  24  can be disassembled and organized in basket  10  and placed in a dishwasher  40  to be cleaned. Once cleaned, basket  10  can be used as suggested by arrow  106  to carry those components to cabinet  42  and store them in an organized and easy-to-access manner in cabinet  42 . Then, at feeding time, basket  10  can be removed from cabinet  42  and placed on a countertop  44 . Then basket  10  can be opened to remove bottle components so that those components can be assembled to produce bottles  24 .  
         [0016]     Infant feeding apparatus basket  10  comprises a first panel  12  formed to include separate first, second, and third storage regions  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104  and a second panel  14  formed to include separate first, second, third, and fourth storage regions  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104 . Basket  10  also includes means for coupling first panel  12  to second panel  14  for pivotable movement about a pivot axis  16  between a closed position (shown in  FIG. 1 ) mating the first and second panels  12 ,  14  to align first storage region  101  of first and second panels  12 ,  14  with one another to produce a bottle sleeve storage compartment  201 , to align second storage region  102  of first and second panels  12 ,  14  with one another to produce a bottle closure base storage compartment  202 , to align third storage region  103  of first and second panels  12 ,  14  with one another to produce a nipple storage compartment  203 , and to align fourth storage region  104  of first and second panels  12 ,  14  with one another to produce a nipple mount storage compartment  204  and an opened position (shown in  FIG. 2 ) unmating first and second panels  12 ,  14  to allow movement of bottle sleeves  25 , bottle closure bases  26 , nipples  27 , and nipple mounts  28  into and out of first, second, third, and fourth regions  101 ,  102 ,  103 ,  104  formed in first and second panels  12 ,  14  to wash any bottle sleeves  25 , bottle closure bases  26 , nipples  27 , and nipple mounts  28  contained therein during exposure of first and second panels  12 ,  14  to dishwashing water while basket  10  is placed in a dishwasher during a dishwashing cycle.  
         [0017]     In use, as suggested in  FIG. 1 , at least two bottle sleeves  25  are located in the bottle sleeve storage compartment  201  following movement of first and second panels  12 ,  14  to assume the closed position and at least two bottle closure bases  26  are located in bottle closure base storage compartment  202  following movement of first and second panels  12 ,  14  to assume the closed position. Also, at least two nipples  27  are located in nipple storage compartment  203  following movement of first and second panels  12 ,  14  to assume the closed position as suggested in  FIG. 1  and at least two nipple mounts  28  are located in nipple mount storage compartment  204  following movement of first and second panels  12 ,  14  to assume the closed position.