Abstract:
The improved baby bottle device includes a liquid holding container having a flexible liquid flow tube engaged thereto. A nipple is engaged to the distal end of the liquid flow tube, and a liquid flow control device is disposed within an adaptor that serves to engage the nipple with the liquid flow tube to control the flow of liquid from the bottle to the nipple, such that liquid neither leaks from the nipple when the nipple is disposed below the container nor drains from the nipple when the nipple is disposed above the container. In the preferred embodiment, the liquid flow control device includes a spring loaded check valve. A bottle attachment device, generally including two velcro straps joined at their midpoints is used to attach the bottle device to adjacent structural support members.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/572,760, entitled Improved Baby Bottle, filed Dec. 14, 1995.  
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates generally to baby feeding bottles, and more specifically to bottles having liquid flow path including a flexible tube extending from the bottle to the nipple, and wherein a liquid flow control valve is disposed within the liquid flow path, and where an attachment strap is provided for engaging the bottle to a support member.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    Baby feeding bottles are generally well known, and bottle devices having a flexible liquid flow tube engaged between a nipple and a liquid holding container are likewise known, as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,290, issued Feb. 6, 1990 to Cueto. A bottle device such as taught by Cueto allows a nipple to be disposed within an infant&#39;s mouth where the infant or its caregiver does not have to hold the bottle in an inverted position for liquid to flow. Rather, as taught by Cueto, the bottle can be placed adjacent to the infant and the tube permits the flow of liquid from the bottle to the nipple disposed in the infant&#39;s mouth.  
           [0006]    A drawback of the Cueto type bottle device is that fluid in the extended feeding tube will drain away from the nipple and back into the bottle when the nipple is sufficiently elevated above the bottle. This condition can lead to the infant sucking and ingesting air in a vain attempt to obtain liquid through the nipple. Conversely, fluid will leak from the nipple continuously where the nipple is sufficiently lowered below the elevation of the bottle. This condition can lead to the draining of the bottle contents into the bedding of the infant. Thus, either condition creates a less than optimum performance of the device. The present invention solves both of these problems through the utilization of a liquid flow control valve in the liquid flow path which prevents both liquid back flow and liquid drainage.  
           [0007]    The attachment strap mechanism of the present invention facilities the near vertical holding of the bottle, and does not appear to have a counterpart in the prior art.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved baby bottle device that has a liquid flow tube between the nipple and the liquid container and which includes a liquid flow control device.  
           [0009]    It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved baby bottle device wherein a remotely disposed nipple in fluid communication with a liquid containing bottle will not leak when the nipple is disposed in a lowered location relative to the bottle.  
           [0010]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a remotely disposed nipple in fluid communication with a liquid container, wherein liquid will not drain from the nipple when the nipple is disposed in an elevated location relative to the liquid container.  
           [0011]    It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an attachment strap mechanism which permits the user to easily attach the bottle to a variety of structural members, such that the bottle is orientated in a near vertical position. The improved baby bottle device of the present invention includes a liquid holding container having a flexible liquid flow tube engaged thereto. A baby nipple is engaged to the distal end of the liquid flow tube. A liquid flow control device is disposed within an adaptor that serves to engage the nipple with the liquid flow tube to control the flow of liquid from the bottle to the nipple, such that liquid neither leaks from the nipple when the nipple is disposed below the container nor drains from the nipple when the nipple is disposed above the container. In the preferred embodiment, the liquid flow control device includes a spring loaded check valve. A valve cracking pressure of approximately 0.94 pounds per square inch has been determined to be appropriate for controlling fluid movement through the tube, yet permit relatively unimpeded fluid access to the sucking infant. The attachment strap mechanism is preferably formed from two velcro straps that are joined at their center points utilizing a rivet or similar connection which permits the relative rotation of the straps. The attachment strap mechanism allows the user to engage the bottle in a near vertical orientation to structural members that have virtually any orientation.  
           [0012]    It is an advantage of the present invention that it provides an improved baby bottle device that has a liquid flow tube between the nipple and the liquid container and which includes a liquid flow control device.  
           [0013]    It is another advantage of the present invention that it provides an improved baby bottle device wherein a remotely disposed nipple in fluid communication with a liquid containing bottle will not leak when the nipple is disposed in a lowered elevation relative to the bottle.  
           [0014]    It is a further advantage of the present invention that it provides a remotely disposed nipple in fluid communication with a liquid container, wherein liquid will not drain from the nipple when the nipple is disposed in an elevated location relative to the liquid container.  
           [0015]    It is yet another advantage of the present invention that it provides a strap attachment mechanism that allows the user to attach the bottle in a near vertical orientation to other structural members.  
           [0016]    These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become well understood upon reading the following detailed description of the invention.  
       
    
    
     IN THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the improved baby bottle of the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is an exploded side elevational view of the improved baby bottle depicted in FIG. 1;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the disk  18  of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the adaptor  50  shown in engagement with the nipple  56  of the present invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the adaptor and check valve; and  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 6 is a plan view depicting the attachment strap mechanism of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0023]    The improved baby bottle of the present invention is best understood with a joint consideration of FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein FIG. 1 is a side elevational view and FIG. 2 is an exploded side elevational view. As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, the present invention  10  includes a standard liquid holding baby bottle  12  having a lower base  13  and a threaded neck  14  which defines an upper opening  16 . A bottle closure disk  18  is formed with an outwardly projecting edge portion  20  that sealingly engages the outer edge of the opening  16  of the bottle  12 . The disk  18  includes a centrally disposed upwardly projecting upper tube engagement member  22  having a barbed end  24 . A bottle cap  26  having internal threads (not shown) is threadably engagable with the threads  14  of the bottle  12 . The cap  26  is formed with a centrally disposed opening  32  therethrough, such that the upper tube engagement member  22  projects therethrough.  
         [0024]    A flexible liquid flow tube  36  is engaged at its lower end  40  to the upper tube engagement member  22 . The upper end  44  of the tube  36  is engaged to a tube engagement member  48  of a nipple valve adaptor  50 . A corrugated outer tube  52  surrounds the liquid flow tube  36  to give it strength and to prevent kinking of the tube  36 . The adaptor  50  includes a check valve device  54  disposed therewithin, and the adaptor  50  is shaped to be removably engagable within a nipple  56 . The nipple  56  has a feeding hole  58  (best seen in FIG. 4) formed therethrough and is formed from a standard, flexible PVC material for compression by an infant during feeding. A liquid removal tube  60  is disposed within the bottle  12  such that a lower liquid intake end  64  of the tube  60  is disposed towards the bottom  13  of the bottle  12 . The upper end  68  of the tube  60  is engaged with a lower tube engagement projection  72  formed within the disk  18 , as is best shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the disk  18  of the present invention. As depicted in FIG. 3, the disk  18  includes a flat disk portion  80  and a downwardly depending circumferential wall portion  84  that are integrally molded. The upper tube engagement projection  22  is integrally formed with the disk  80  and projects upwardly from an upper surface  88  of the disk  80 . The lower tube engagement projection  72  is integrally formed with the disk  80  and projects downwardly from a lower surface  90  of the disk  80 . A fluid passage channel  94  is formed through the lower tube engagement member  72  and through the upper tube engagement member  22 , such that fluid from the bottle  12  passes through the tube  60 , through the channel  94  and into the tube  36  when the bottle components are assembled.  
         [0026]    The walls  84  of the disk  18  are thickened in an upper portion  98  to create an upper cylindrical chamber  102 . The walls  84  have a thinner lower portion  106  which define a lower cylindrical chamber  110  having a larger diameter than the upper chamber. In the preferred embodiment, a rubber cleanout washer  114  is disposed in the lower chamber  110  such that the outer edges  118  of the washer  114  frictionally engage the inner wall surfaces  122  of the lower wall portions  106 . In the preferred embodiment, the wall surfaces  122  are tapered inwardly such that the upper edge  126  of the wall surface  122  has a smaller diameter than the outer edge  130  of the wall surface  122 . The inward taper serves to frictionally hold the washer  114  in place within the disk  18 , and a taper of 0.001 inches has proved sufficient where the diameter of the washer  114  is approximately equal to the diameter at the outer edge  130  of the wall surface  122  of the chamber  110 .  
         [0027]    It is to be understood that the cleanout washer  114  serves no function when the bottle is being used. Rather, it is utilized when the disk  18 , tube  36 , adaptor  50  and check valve  54  are being cleaned. Specifically, the diameter  130  of the lower chamber  110  is designed to be somewhat larger than the outer diameter of a standard kitchen faucet. When the disk  18  with attached flow tube  36  and adaptor  50  components (discussed below) are to be cleaned, the disk  18  is inverted from its orientation shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and  3  and pressed by hand onto the faucet opening such that the lower edge of the faucet makes a watertight seal with the outer surface  132  of the washer  114 . Then, warm water is run from the faucet into the disk  18 , and specifically through the channel  94 , flow tube  36  and adaptor components at a high velocity to clean the channel  94 , the flow tube  36  and the adaptor  50  components. Thereafter, the washer  114  is removed by hand and the washer and the remaining portions of the disk  18  are cleaned. The washer is then reinserted into its position within the disk  18  for later usage in cleaning the device  10  after it has been used again.  
         [0028]    The disk  18  is formed with an air intake channel  140  that is formed as a radially extending groove cut into the lower surface  90  of the disk portion  88  at an outer edge  20  thereof. It is to be understood that when the disk  18  is firmly engaged to a bottle  12  by the threaded engagement of the cap  26  to the threaded neck  14  of the bottle, that the removal of liquid from the bottle requires air to be replaced into the bottle; the air intake channel  140  serves this purpose.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the adaptor  50  in engagement with the nipple  56  of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing the check valve  54  within the adaptor  50 . As depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5, the adaptor  50  includes a molded body  160  having a top surface  164 , a sloped shoulder  166 , upper sidewall portions  168 , lower sidewall portions  172 , a lower surface  176  and a downwardly tapering tube engagement member portion  48  having a projecting barbed end portion  180  formed for the engagement with the upper end  44  of the flexible tube  36 . An outwardly projecting nipple engagement ridge  182  is formed in the upper sidewall portion  168  of the adaptor  50  to matingly engage a circumferential groove  183  formed in the inner surface of the nipple  56 . The groove  183  and ridge  182  serve to hold the nipple in frictional engagement with the adaptor  50 . An outwardly projecting nipple stop ring  185  is formed in the upper sidewall portions  168  of the adaptor  50  to provide a stopping surface against the insertion of the adaptor  50  into the nipple  56 .  
         [0030]    A cylindrical cavity  184  is formed in the adaptor  50  downwardly through the upper surface  164 . The cavity  184  is defined by internal sidewalls  186  and a lower internal surface  188 . A check valve mechanism  54  having cylindrical sidewalls  192  is disposed within the cylindrical cavity  184  such that its sidewalls  192  are frictionally engaged within the sidewall  186  of the cavity  184 . A fluid passage channel  194  is centrally formed through the adaptor  50  from the tube engagement portion  48  upwardly to the lower surface  188  of the cavity  184 , such that fluid may pass through the channel  194  and into the cavity  184 . Sidewalls  192  of the check valve  190  are formed to make a fluid tight seal with the sidewalls  186  of the cavity  184 , such that the fluid passing through the channel  194  passes into the check valve  54 . In the preferred embodiment, the check valve  54  includes a check valve spring  196  which presses against a centrally disposed valve member  198 , and an O-ring  200  is disposed in a groove  202  formed in an upper end of the valve member  198  to provide a fluid seal against a ring-like opening  204  in the upper end of check valve  54 .  
         [0031]    In the preferred embodiment, the check valve  54  has a cracking pressure of approximately 0.94 pounds per square inch. The cracking pressure of the valve is chosen such that a baby can easily create sufficient sucking force to pull the valve element  198  forward against the spring, such that fluid will easily flow through opening  204  and thus through the adaptor upon sucking by an infant on the nipple  56 . However, the spring force must be strong enough such that fluid will not leak through the adaptor when the adaptor is in a downward position relative to the location of the bottle. In the preferred embodiment, the length of the flexible tube  36  is approximately 12 inches, and it has been determined that the cracking pressure of approximately 0.94 pounds per square inch is sufficient to withstand the fluid head created when the adaptor  50  is disposed 12 inches below the bottle  12 . A generally cylindrical liquid dispensing cavity  220 , having a sloped shoulder  224 , is formed in the nipple  56  to matingly engage the adaptor  50  therewithin. The generally cylindrical shape of the cavity  220  inhibits liquid retention within the nipple  56  and facilitates cleaning of the nipple  56 .  
         [0032]    The attachment strap mechanism of the present invention is depicted in FIGS. 1 and 6, wherein FIG. 1 is a prospective view thereof and FIG. 6 is a top plan view thereof. As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 6, the attachment strap mechanism  300  of the present invention includes two attachment straps  304  and  308  that are rotatably joined together at their mid-points utilizing an attachment means such as a rivet  312 . The rivet  312  is impacted loosely enough to allow the two straps  304  and  308  to rotate  316  relative to each other. In the preferred embodiment, each strap  304  and  308  includes a hook and loop attachment mechanism that is generally known as Velcro wherein hook members  320  are disposed on one side of each strap and loop members  324  are disposed on the opposite side of each strap  304  and  308  respectively. The straps  304  and  308  are preferably joined together such that the loop side  324  of each strap faces the other, whereby the loop sides  324  of each strap are disposed in frictional contact. In this configuration, the hooks and loops at the ends of each strap will become engaged when the strap is wrapped around an object, as depicted in FIG. 1 and next described.  
         [0033]    The attachment strap mechanism  300  of the present invention is utilized to engage the bottle  12  to a structural member such as tubular member  340 , shown in phantom in FIG. 1. Specifically, strap  308  is tightly wrapped around the bottle  312 , whereas strap  304  is tightly wrapped around structural member  340 , such that the respective hook and loop sides of each strap are engaged. The rivet  312  permits the straps  304  and  308  to rotate relative to one another, such that strap  304  is engaged to the generally horizontal structural member  340 , whereas strap  308  permits the bottle  12  to be oriented vertically, such that the lower end  64  of the tube  60  will be able to reach liquid disposed in the bottom of the bottle  12 . The loop side to loop side engagement of the two straps  304  and  308  facilitates the rotational movement of each strap relative to the other strap. In the preferred embodiment, the bottle  12  is formed with a relatively narrow waist portion  344 , such that the bottle  12  will not slip out of the strap  308 , as might occur if the sides of the bottle were straight.  
         [0034]    It is to be understood that while FIG. 1 depicts the attachment of the bottle  12  to a horizontal structural member  340 , the rotatable nature of the straps relative to each other, as facilitated by the rivet  312 , will allow the bottle  12  to be engaged in an approximately vertical orientation to structural members that are disposed in virtually any orientation; that is, vertically, angularly or horizontally (as shown in FIG. 1).  
         [0035]    While the present invention has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments, various alterations and modifications in form and detail will no doubt occur to those skilled in the art that have read and understood this disclosure. It is therefore intended that the following claims cover all such alterations and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.