Abstract:
A syringe-type baby feeder having a barrel and plunger mechanism and finger rings on the barrel and plunger to allow for one-handed feeding of an infant. A nipple portion is hermetically sealed to end of the plunger to allow for easy feeding, as well as easy attachment and removal of the nipple portion to the plunger.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/209,062, filed Aug. 24, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully recited herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Infants are typically fed pureed foods with a spoon by his/her caregiver or parent before moving on to solid food. Spoon-feeding, however, often results in much of the baby food over the infant&#39;s face and clothes and not in his/her mouth. 
         [0003]    Attempts to address this problem have included use of a spoon with a hollow core to feed baby food at a more controlled rate, a mesh bag that allows the baby to chew on solid food without the risk of choking, and a squeezable bottle with a spoon attachment for easy feeding. However, each of these solutions has its own apparent drawbacks. The present invention allows for easy feeding of a baby without the drawbacks presented by the aforementioned products. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    A syringe-style baby feeder is generally disclosed. The syringe-style baby feeder allows a user to feed the infant with a single hand, allowing the other hand to remain available for other uses. Once the baby feeder is assembled, baby food can be drawn though the attached nipple piece via the barrel (or cylinder) and plunger (or pusher) mechanism and then squirted into the mouth of the baby. The nipple piece is attached to the barrel via a hermetic seal, which allows for easy replacement of the nipple piece and also use of a variety of nipple pieces. 
         [0005]    In one embodiment, a syringe-type baby feeder comprises a barrel having a seal at one end thereof and two opposing finger rings provided on an outside of the barrel; a plunger sized to fit within the barrel; the plunger having a pusher portion at one end thereof to move baby food along the barrel; the plunger having a finger ring formed at the other end thereof; a nipple piece having a nipple, flange portion and a seal formed between the nipple and the flange portion; and the seal formed between the nipple and flange portion hermetically sealing to the seal at the one end of the barrel. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    A more complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained with reference to the Detailed Description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the syringe-type baby feeder in accordance with one aspect of the present invention; and 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is an assembled view of a syringe-type baby feeder of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , baby feeder  101  is shown. Baby feeder  101  has a barrel  102  and plunger  103  mechanism. Barrel  102  is hollow and is open at both ends to allow for the plunger  103  and baby food to move there through. At one end of barrel  102  is a seal  104  formed around an edge of the one end of the barrel  102 . At one end of plunger  103  is also a pusher  105 . Pusher  105  can be rounded. Seal  104  can be a variety of widths, but preferably ⅛ inch. Plunger  103  is sized such that plunger  103  can fit within and slide along barrel  102  and push baby food along barrel  102  via pusher  105 . 
         [0010]    Barrel  102  has opposing finger rings  106  on an outside surface of barrel  102 . Opposing finger rings  106  can be grasped by a user to allow a user to easily grip the feeder  101  and to allow for one-handed use. In one embodiment, opposing finger rings  106  are circular. Plunger  103  also has a finger ring  107 , which can also be grasped by a user during one-handed use. In one embodiment, finger ring  107  is also circular. These finger rings  106  and  107  can be a variety of sizes, but preferably circular, with a ¾ inch in diameter. These finger rings  106  and  107  can be grasped by the middle and index fingers and thumb of a user. 
         [0011]    Attached to the one end of barrel  102  having seal  104  is nipple piece  113 . Nipple piece  113  generally comprises three parts: a nipple  108 , a flanged portion  114  and a seal  110  formed between the nipple  108  and flanged portion  114 . An opening  109  is provided at one end of nipple  108  to allow for food to pass in and out of the baby feeder. The size of opening  109  can be varied to allow for various rates of food to be dispensed. Seal  110  of nipple piece  113 , abuts with seal  104  of barrel  102  when assembled. While other means to attach the nipple piece  113  to the barrel  102  are possible, such as a screw-type mean, use of seals  104  and  110  allows for a variety of nipple attachments to be used and interchanged. 
         [0012]    At an opposite end of seal  104  on barrel  102  is a flanged opening  111 , which allows for easy insertion of the plunger  103 . Similarly, at an opposite end from seal  105  on plunger  103  is flanged portion  112  to correspond with flanged opening  111 . 
         [0013]    General directions for use of the syringe-type baby feeder are as follows:
       1. Clean all components thoroughly before use.   2. Apply water to the inside of the nipple so that it slides over the lip/seal on the barrel/cylinder.   3. Slide the plunger/pusher inside the hollow cylinder.   4. Submerge the nipple portion into baby food and pull the plunger/pusher out of the barrel/cylinder portion, drawing the baby food in.   5. Carefully insert the nipple in the baby&#39;s mouth and slowly depress the plunger/pusher so that food enters the baby&#39;s mouth.   6. Remove the nipple from the baby&#39;s mouth once the food has been delivered.   7. Repeat steps 3-6 until finished.       
 
         [0021]    The baby feeder can be made of a variety of materials, but preferably one that is shatter-proof, light-weight, durable, non-toxic, and dishwasher-safe, such as plastic. The size of the baby feeder can also be varied (including the seals) to allow for various amounts of baby food to be dispensed at any given time. Measurements may also be provided on the barrel portion  102  to allow for precise dispensing of baby food. 
         [0022]    While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combination, and equivalents of the embodiments, methods, and examples provided herein. The invention should, therefore, not be limited by the embodiments and examples disclosed here, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.