Abstract:
A liquid-dispensing bottle includes a container and a liquid dispenser closing an open mouth of the container. The container includes several components that can be selected and assembled by a user to produce either a small-volume baby bottle or a large-volume baby bottle.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11,275,581, filed Jan. 17, 2006, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/645,208, filed Jan. 19, 2005, both of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to infant feeders, and particularly to bottles for dispensing liquids to infants. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to small and large baby bottles. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    According to the present disclosure, a liquid-dispensing bottle comprises a container and a liquid dispenser closing an open mouth of the container. In an illustrative embodiment, the container includes several components that can be selected and assembled by a user to produce either a small-volume (e.g., four ounce) baby bottle or a large-volume (e.g., eight ounce) baby bottle. This container “kit” comprises two “short” sleeves and a connector ring for interconnecting the two short sleeves to produce one tall sleeve in a first embodiment of the present disclosure. In a second embodiment of the present disclosure, a first short sleeve is configured to mate with a second short sleeve to produce one tall sleeve. Using such a container kit, a user can elect to use either (1) only one of the short sleeves to produce a small-volume baby bottle or (2) both of the short sleeves to produce a large-volume baby bottle. In either case, the liquid dispenser is mounted on top of a short sleeve to close the open mouth thereof. 
         [0004]    In illustrative embodiments, a bottom closure is also included in the liquid-dispensing bottle in accordance with the present disclosure. Such a bottom closure can be formed to mate with either one of the short sleeves to close a bottom opening formed therein. Alternatively, one of the short sleeves could be formed monolithically to include a bottom closure. 
         [0005]    In illustrative embodiments, the liquid-dispensing bottle further comprises a holder adapted to be gripped by an infant to retain the container at about the predetermined angle during feeding. The holder includes, for example, a mount ring configured to mate with the container and a pair of grip handles. In one embodiment, the mount ring is coupled to one of the short sleeves to lie at a “top” of the container. In another embodiment, the mount ring is coupled to one of the short sleeves to lie at a “mid-section” of the container. Each grip handle is cantilevered to the mount ring and arranged to extend at an acute angle with respect to a “horizontal plane” established by the mount ring. 
         [0006]    In other illustrative embodiments, the liquid dispenser can take many forms. For example, the liquid dispenser could include either a lid, spout, nipple, or straw holder. 
         [0007]    In other illustrative embodiments, the liquid-dispensing bottle further comprises a cap configured to mount on and cover exposed portions of the liquid dispenser. The cap includes, for example, a shell formed to include an interior region receiving portions of the liquid dispenser therein. The cap also includes a drip container coupled to the shell and arranged to lie in the interior region and mate with, for example, a nipple defined by the liquid dispenser while the shell is mounted on the liquid dispenser so that any liquid discharged from the nipple inadvertently is retained in the drip container while the cap is in place on the liquid dispenser. 
         [0008]    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  
         [0009]    The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a “short” liquid-dispensing bottle in accordance with the present disclosure showing a bottle including a cap, a liquid dispenser, a bottom closure, and only one “short” sleeve; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the short sleeve included in the bottle shown in  FIG. 1  that suggests that the sleeve is formed to include, at one end, a threaded top collar formed to include a top opening and, at an opposite end, a threaded bottom collar formed to include a bottom opening; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a short sleeve in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure wherein the sleeve is formed to include, at one end, a threaded top collar formed to include a top opening, and at an opposite end, a floor providing a base; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective assembly view of components that can be assembled to produce the short liquid-dispensing bottle of  FIG. 1  or a tall liquid-dispensing bottle of the type shown in  FIG. 5  showing a container comprising separate upper and lower sleeves, a connector ring for interconnecting the upper and lower sleeves, and a bottom closure including a valve and a valve base, a holder including a mount ring and a pair of grip handles coupled to the mount ring, a liquid dispenser including a nipple and a nipple mount, and a cap comprising a shell and a drip container depending from a ceiling of the shell, and also showing an alternative orientation of the holder (relative to the container) and three alternative configurations of the liquid dispenser; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view of a tall liquid-dispensing bottle assembled using components illustrated in  FIG. 4  and showing use of a connector ring to interconnect upper and lower short sleeves; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a modular bottle in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure showing an upper short sleeve mated with a lower short sleeve to establish a mid-section of a tall container and a mount ring of a holder coupled to the lower short sleeve and located at the mid-section of the tall container; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  shows several liquid-dispensing bottles wherein each bottle is made using a kit of components in accordance with the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0017]    A liquid-dispensing bottle  10  includes a container  12 , a liquid dispenser  14  coupled to a top end of container  12 , and a bottom closure  34  coupled to a bottom end of container  12  as suggested in  FIG. 1 . Bottle  10  also includes a holder  16  interposed between container  12  and liquid dispenser  14 , and a cap  18  mounted on liquid dispenser  14 . 
         [0018]    Container  12  is established by a short sleeve  13  in one illustrative embodiment as shown in  FIG. 2 . Short sleeve  13  includes a somewhat barrel-shaped side wall  15  and an externally threaded top collar  17  appended to a top end  21  of barrel-shaped side wall  15  and formed to include a top opening  23 . Short sleeve  13  also includes an externally threaded bottom collar  25  appended to a bottom end  27  of barrel-shaped side wall and formed to include a bottom opening  29 . 
         [0019]    In an alternative embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 , container  12  is established by short sleeve  113 . Short sleeve  113  includes a barrel-shaped side wall  15  and an externally threaded top collar  17  appended to a top end  21  of barrel-shaped side wall  15 . Short sleeve  113  also includes a floor or bottom wall  134  coupled integrally to a bottom end of barrel-shaped side wall  15 . In other words, short sleeve  113  is a monolithic element comprising side wall  15  and bottom wall  134 . It is within the scope of this disclosure to form a short liquid-dispensing bottle (similar to bottle  10 ) using short sleeve  113  instead of short sleeve  13  and bottom closure  34 . 
         [0020]    One example of a “kit” that could be used by a caregiver to custom make either a “short” bottle  10  of the type shown in  FIG. 1  or a “tall” bottle  110  of the type shown in  FIG. 5  is illustrated in  FIG. 4 . This kit comprises a pair of short sleeves  13  and a connector ring  33 . Connector ring  33  includes an annular band  35 , internal threads  37  and  39  on an inner wall of annular band  35 , and an annular grip member  41  on an exterior wall of annular band  35 . As suggested in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , connector ring  33  is configured to interconnect an upper short sleeve  13 ′ and a lower short sleeve  13 ″ by (1) mating internal threads  37  on annular band  35  with the external threads on bottom collar  25  of upper short sleeve  13 ′ and by (2) mating internal threads  39  on annular band  35  with the external threads on top collar  17  of lower short sleeve  13 ″. 
         [0021]    Bottom closure  34  of container  12  comprises a valve  36  and a valve base  38 . Valve base  38  is threaded to mate with sleeve  30  at the bottom end thereof to close bottom opening  32  and is formed to include an array  40  of vent apertures. Valve  36  is made of a pliable, sealing material and is formed to include an array  42  of vent apertures. Valve  36  is mounted in an interior region formed in valve base  38  for movement away from valve base  38  to a vented position opening the vent apertures in arrays  40  and  42  and toward valve base  38  to a sealed position closing the vent apertures in arrays  40  and  42 . Valve  36  functions as a “one-way” diaphragm valve to allow ambient air to flow into an interior region  44  of sleeve  13  or  13 ′ through aperture arrays  40 ,  42  as an infant is fed when the bottle is “inverted” or “inclined” (not shown) and to block flow of air and liquid through aperture arrays  40 ,  42  when the bottle is upright as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 . 
         [0022]    Liquid dispenser  14  includes a pliable nipple  54  and a nipple mount  56  as shown, for example, in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  5 , and  6 . A liquid-discharge aperture  58  is formed in nipple  52  as suggested in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . Nipple mount  56  is configure to mate with sleeve  13 ,  13 ′, or  113  at the upper end thereof to hold nipple  54  in a fixed position closing open mouth  31  and regulating discharge of liquid  11  from container  12 . Alternative liquid dispensers suitable for use with container  12  in the present disclosure include a lid  101  and spout  102 , as shown, for example, in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0023]    Bottle holder  16  includes a mount ring  60  and a pair of grip handles  61 ,  62  coupled to mount ring  60  as shown, for example, in  FIGS. 1 ,  4 , and  5 . Each of grip handles  61 ,  62  is arranged to lie at an angle  137  of about 37° with respect to a central axis  64  extending through bottle  10  as shown in  FIG. 5 . Mount ring  60  is sized and shaped to receive threaded collar  17  providing open mouth  23 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 5 , mount ring  60  is sized and shaped to be trapped between sleeve  30  and nipple mount  56 . 
         [0024]    In an illustrative embodiment, a soft material (stippled pattern) is overmolded onto portions of grip handles  61 ,  62  to provide easy-to-hold, non-slip, soft external grip portions on grip handles  61 ,  62 , It is within the scope of this disclosure to invert bottle holder (see, e.g.,  116  in  FIG. 4 ) and mount inverted bottle holder  116  in the manner suggested in  FIG. 4 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , bottle  110  is easy for an infant to hold during feeding, in part, owing to use of a “narrow-waisted” container  13 ′,  33 ,  13 ″ in container  12  along with splayed grip handles  61 ,  62  arranged to place the narrow-waist portion of container  12  therebetween. 
         [0025]    In an embodiment of the present disclosure illustrated in  FIG. 6 , short sleeves  213  are configured to be connected to one another to form a tall bottle  210  without using connector ring  33 . Each short sleeve  213  includes a somewhat barrel-shaped side wall  15 , a top collar  117  appended to a top end  21  of barrel-shaped side wall  15 , and a bottom collar  125  appended to a bottom end  27  of barrel-shaped side wall  15 . Top collar  117  includes external threads  151  and internal threads  153 . Bottom collar  125  includes external threads  155  configured to mate with internal threads  153  of top collar  117  as suggested in  FIG. 6 . It is within the scope of this disclosure to provide a suitable sealing ring or the like between the two interconnected short sleeves  113  to block liquid leakage at a joint between the two interconnected short sleeves  213 . 
         [0026]    In the embodiment of  FIG. 6 , mount ring  60 ′ of holder  16 ′ is configured to surround top collar  117  of the lower short sleeve  213 . Mount ring  60  is thus trapped between top end  21  of the lower short sleeve  213  and bottom end  27  of the upper short sleeve  213 . 
         [0027]    Bottle cap  18  includes a shell  70  having a ceiling  72  and a conical side wall  74  extending from ceiling  72  and terminating at an annular rim  76  adapted to mate with liquid dispenser  14  as suggested in  FIGS. 1 and 4 . Cap  18  also includes a drip container  78  located in an interior region  80  defined by shell  70  and arranged to depend from ceiling  72  as shown best in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . Drip container  78  is a cylinder-shaped side wall terminating at an annular rim  82  sized to mate with a tip  84  of nipple  54  and surround liquid-discharge opening  58  formed in nipple tip  84  as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . When the bottle is inverted, any liquid droplets discharged through liquid-discharge opening  58  will pass into a liquid reservoir  86  formed in drip container  78 . In the illustrated embodiment, ceiling  72  is formed to include one or more air vents  73  for venting air into interior region  80  of shell  70 . 
         [0028]    It is within the scope of this disclosure to provide modular kits containing many different combinations of components. These kits can be used by a caregiver to create a wide variety of liquid-dispensing bottles as shown, for example, in  FIG. 7 .