Patent Publication Number: US-2007108081-A1

Title: Baby Bottle Organizer

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to an organizer intended specifically for baby bottles.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      There are many inventions that are designed to facilitate life for new parents, ranging from improved strollers to diaper beds to bibs. As new parents quickly find out, staying organized with the various necessities of parenting is of prime importance when taking care of a baby or small child. One such necessity is always having clean, sanitized baby bottles on hand, and being able to find them quickly. A baby bottle organizer is therefore not only important, but also necessary to ensure cleanliness and prevent loss of bottles.  
      There are many relevant patents already in existence, but these pertain mainly to the organization and storage of drink bottles in restaurants, hotels, catering services, etc. Relevant art includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,435, issued to Taylor on Sep. 20, 1971. U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,747, issued to Wagner on Jul. 6, 1976 is a moisture-proof bottle tray. U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,841, issued to Arthurs on May 29, 1990, is a standard bottle tray. U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,748 issued to Apps on Feb. 9, 1993 is a tray for the transport of bottles. U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,814, issued to Hepp on Aug. 9, 1994 is a tray intended specifically for soda bottles. The aforementioned patents are unlike the present invention in that they are not intended for use with baby bottles. They are also inappropriate for storing baby bottles because baby bottles would ideally need to be stored in an individual&#39;s kitchen cabinets or counter space, and the aforementioned inventions are too large to be accommodated in a small space. The aforementioned patents can also not be used in the dishwasher, which is necessary to ensure that the trays are appropriately sanitized for receiving baby bottles.  
      Relevant art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,563, issued to Snow on Mar. 2, 1999; the invention is designed as a drying and storage unit for baby bottles, but unlike the present invention, it holds only 6 bottles and cannot be broken down to fit inside the dishwasher. U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,019, issued to Buchweitz on Feb. 10, 2004, is a baby bottle-dryer which only holds six to nine bottles at a time, needs to be plugged in, and is not intended for use as storage of baby bottles; furthermore, unlike the present invention, it is not dishwasher-safe. Relevant art also includes U.S. Design Pat. 411,349, issued to Johnstone on Jun. 22, 1999. This design patent is a baby bottle organizer as well, but it cannot be broken down to be used in the dishwasher. Additionally, it does not hold as many bottles as the present invention. The aforementioned patent has separate drawers for the nipples and lids, and unlike the present invention, baby bottles cannot be stored without fully disassembling them. It has been found that most parents do not disassemble the baby bottles when storing them, for the purposes of convenience.  
      Hence, there is a need for an invention that will facilitate the organization of baby bottles and assure a parent they will always have a bottle on hand; that will be machine-washable and made of a durable material; that can be stored in either a cabinet or on a countertop; and that will prevent the baby bottles from becoming lost or dirty. There needs to be a storage space for baby bottles where they can dry and also prevent them from tipping over. When baby bottles are empty, the weight of the nipple and lid is enough to cause the bottle to tip over.  
      Baby bottles also have a tendency to take up a lot of room. The parent or caretaker must be able to keep them out of reach of the child who might like to play with them, but the parent should be able to easily access them. Also, the parent or caretaker should have a way of determining which baby bottles have been sanitized as to prevent the baby from coming into contact with germs.  
      It is expected that none of the relevant and prior art is able to accomplish the goals of the present invention, and in this respect the present invention is an improvement on previous patents as it overcomes some of the disadvantages of the aforementioned inventions.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention is a baby bottle organizer that holds all or most baby bottle types. It is comprised of three trays that are stackable and is designed to fit up to 9 baby bottles. It has curved open chambers that functionally hold the bottles in place in a horizontal fashion so that they may easily be accessed and stored. The bottles are simply slid into the chambers and easily pulled out when ready for use. The present invention is designed to fit in a cabinet space or directly on the counter; it can also be stored in any conventional pantry area. The trays can be configured to sit side by side or can be stacked one on top of the other. The tray is configured to break down into three separate parts to fit easily into the top rack of a dishwasher.  
      Essentially, the present invention solves the problem of having to look for the baby bottles and its accessories when a parent or caretaker needs said materials. As any parent knows, having the necessary materials on hand without having to waste time looking for them will allow the parent to feel calmer and less harried, spend more time with their child, and greatly facilitate the task of feeding a hungry baby. A parent can also rest assured that the bottles, nipples and lids will be kept clean, as they simply need to be washed after use and can be safely and easily stored in the tray. Therefore, the present invention has two principal qualities that improve upon existing patents: first, the ability of the present invention to be broken down for dishwasher use, which sanitizes it; and second, the ability to hold and store up to nine baby bottles, which assures a parent that they will always have a clean bottle, nipple and lid on hand. It has been found through informal surveys that most parents or guardians do not take apart the bottle, nipple and lid but simply leave them together. The present invention would allow a parent or caretaker to store a bottle without having to disassemble it.  
      Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide for a) a baby bottle organizer that can be readily and easily manufactured; b) an organizer that can hold all or most bottle types and prevent them from becoming lost or dirty; c) a tray that can be broken down into three distinct parts and easily inserted into the top rack of a standard dishwasher, thereby assuring the cleanliness of the bottles; d) an organizer that holds up to nine bottles (three per tray), as baby bottles are typically sold in packs of three. The present invention therefore eliminates the tendency of bottles to tip over, and reduces the amount of space needed to store them.  
      The invention is described further in the detailed description.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an environmental view of the three separate trays of the present invention as stacked.  
       FIG. 2  is a frontal view of one of the trays of the present invention.  
       FIG. 3  is a back view of the three separate trays of the present invention as stacked. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      As shown in  FIG. 1 , the present invention essentially consists of three trays ( 10 ), ( 11 ) and ( 12 ), and chambers ( 20 ) for holding baby bottles. The first tray ( 10 ) and second tray ( 11 ) preferably measure seven cm in height each, and the third tray ( 12 ) measures four cm in height. The first tray ( 10 ) has a flat resting surface (sits flush with the countertop, cabinet or pantry shelving) while the second ( 11 ) and third ( 12 ) trays have feet ( 5 ) to insert into grooves ( 25 ) on the first tray ( 10 ) and second tray ( 11 ). In this fashion, the first, second and third trays ( 10 ,  11 ,  12 ) can fit securely together; they can also fit into standard cabinets as well as hold all baby bottle types. The rounded chambers ( 20 ) are seven cm in diameter preferably, as to fit all bottle types, even the widest. The present invention can also accommodate the longest and shortest bottles on the market. There is an additional small plastic wedge ( 30 ) which can be fitted into grooves of the chamber ( 20 ) that will prevent the shortest bottles from being hard to reach should they be pushed to the back of the chamber ( 20 ). The wedge ( 30 ) is removable if so desired.  
      In  FIG. 1 , feet ( 5 ) support the second tray ( 11 ) and third tray ( 12 ), and allow them to interlock. Each tray ( 10 ,  11 ,  12 ) has three identical rounded chambers ( 20 ), for holding a total of nine standard baby bottles. The rounded chambers ( 20 ) are semi-circular and preferably measure seven centimeters in diameter. This is so that the trays ( 10 ,  11 ,  12 ) can accommodate all of the baby bottles found on the market. The bottles will be functionally held in place in the chambers ( 20 ), and the fit is neither too tight nor too loose. The baby bottles, for example, will not be able to fall out of the chambers ( 20 ) on their own, nor will they become stuck in the chambers ( 20 ). The chambers ( 20 ) frictionally engage the bottles to hold them on place.  
      Four grooves ( 25 ) found on the first tray ( 10 ) and second tray ( 11 ) allow the feet ( 5 ) of second tray ( 11 ) and third tray ( 12 ) to interlock all three trays ( 10 ,  11 ,  12 ) and stack one on top of the other. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the trays ( 10 ,  11 ,  12 ) are therefore interchangeable and can be stacked. This allows the present invention to be stored in a cabinet space or directly on the countertop of a user&#39;s kitchen.  
      To use the present invention, a user would set up the tray in their cabinet, pantry or on the counter space of their kitchen. The baby bottles are then slid into the individual chambers ( 20 ) where they are laid horizontally and kept in place for drying and storage. The bottles are stored in place until ready for use. The present invention is disassembled to be fitted into the top rack of a dishwasher. Preferably, the present invention is made of a durable plastic material that is dishwasher-safe when placed in the top rack. The entirety of the invention can be placed in the dishwasher, assuring that the baby will not come into contact with germs.  
      The three-level organizer allows parents or caretakers to be able to distinguish which bottles have been sanitized and which ones are drying. For example, the parent may place the clean sanitized bottles on the topmost third tray ( 12 ) and use those first when needed. Perhaps they may place the bottles that need to dry in the first tray ( 10 ) and second tray ( 11 ).  
      Having illustrated the present invention, it should be understood that various adjustments and versions might be implemented without venturing away from the essence of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and should be interpreted as any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.