Patent Publication Number: US-2022218568-A1

Title: Feeding bottle for milk for small children

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of International patent application PCT/EP2020/078649 filed on Oct. 12, 2020 claiming priority from German patent application DE 10 2019 127 967.4 filed on Oct. 16, 2019, both of which are incorporated in their entirety by this reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a feeding bottle for milk for small children. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Generic feeding bottles are well known in the art. The known feeding bottles are used for feeding small children during the day but also during the night. 
     A problem when using the feeding bottles during the night occurs when a time period from a first awakening of the small child which indicates that the small child needs to be fed until readiness of a milk bottle that has the right temperature is long enough so that the small child is woken up completely and only goes back to sleep after a rather long time period after the drinking is completed. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a novel feeding bottle configured to receive milk for small children that facilitates starting a feeding process any time with minimum time delay. 
     The object is achieved by a feeding bottle configured to receive milk for small children, the feeding bottle including a water bottle; a suction nipple; a heater; a milk powder depot that is separate from the water bottle; and a temperature sensor coupled to the heater, wherein the feeding bottle includes a separate milk powder storage depot and the heater includes a temperature sensor. 
     The feeding bottle according to the invention has the advantage that a drinking bottle with water at a drinkable temperature and a milk powder reservoir are provided at the instant when first indications of hunger are audible from the small child which immediately provides drinkable milk after a short mixing process. Thus, it is advantageously prevented that the child wakes up completely and is then awake for a longer time period. 
     This also prevents that the mother, the father or siblings of the small child wake up completely and cannot go back to sleep again for a longer time period. 
     An advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the heater keeps the water that is filled into the water bottle and heated at a temperature of 37° C., after cooling down during nocturnal hours. 
     This device has the advantage that boiling water can be filled into the bottle before the sleeping period so that it is germ free and cools during the first hours of sleep due to heat dissipation slowly to a drinking temperature of 37° C. wherein a heating device is configured so that a drinking temperature of 37° C. is maintained. This provides a germ free content and on the other hand side low energy consumption since the heater only needs very low power. 
     Furthermore it is unlikely that the small child that has been fed before going to sleep wakes up within the cooling period from 100° C. down to 37° C. for the bottle content so that this does not pose a problem either for a quick provision of a feeding bottle ready to drink for receiving milk for small children. 
     Advantageously the temperature sensor of the heating device can cooperate with LEDs wherein the LEDs indicate a temperature that is too low, too high or nominal through different LED colors as a function of the temperature of the water that is filled in. 
     Thus, a person feeding the small child can determine instantaneously after waking up whether the water provided in the feeding bottle has the right temperature. 
     In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the milk powder depot includes an actuatable opening that is closeable again after use. Thus, the milk powder depot can be emptied very quickly into the water depot so that a mixture ready to drink can be produced by brief shaking. Producing finished ready to drink milk is not possible in the evening due to health reasons since the milk would be unfit for consumption and pose a health hazard after being heated for hours due to bacteria included in the milk powder. 
     Advantageously, it is also possible that the milk powder depot includes an opening device that is manually actuatable so that milk can be mixed anytime. Using this opening device that is actuatable e.g. by a finger facilitates emptying the milk powder depot immediately when required and producing a mixture ready to drink by brief shaking. 
     Advantageous the opening device can be formed by a disengageable base element of the milk powder depot and a plunger element whose actuation surface reaches into the suction nipple that is arranged above the milk powder depot so that the plunger element is manually actuatable through the suction nipple. In the opening device of this type, a plunger element and an annular portion of the disengagable base element is formed from hard plastic material. 
     Additionally the base element is formed in an advantageous embodiment in the center of the annular portion from a flexible synthetic material membrane in order to provide pressure balancing when the filled in heated water is cooled 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further advantages of the invention can be derived from the subsequent description of an embodiment with reference to drawing figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a feeding bottle configured to receive milk for small children; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an exploded view of the feeding bottle according to  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a sectional view of the suction bottle according to the sectional lines III, IV, V/III, IV, V in  FIG. 1   
         FIG. 4  illustrates a sectional view of the suction bottle according to  FIG. 1  without cover while emptying the milk powder depot; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a representation according to  FIG. 4  after emptying the milk powder depot; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of the opening device; and 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a circuit diagram of the heater. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In the drawing figures a feeding bottle for receiving milk for small children is designated overall with reference numeral  10 . 
       FIG. 1  illustrates the feeding bottle  10  with a water bottle  11  made from synthetic material, a milk powder depot  12  (c.f.  FIG. 2 ) a suction nipple  13  and a cover  14 . The water bottle  11  is fixed at a base element  15 . 
     The feeding bottle  10  is shown in  FIG. 2  in an exploded view. Viewed from below the base  15  made from two components  16 ,  17  is visible wherein the base can be screwed from below onto the water bottle  11 . Thus, the water bottle  11  (c.f.  FIG. 3 ) includes a thread  18  which corresponds to a thread  19  of the base element  15 . 
     The water bottle  11  is provided with a lower water receiving portion  20  and an upper receiving portion  21  for a milk powder depot  12 , wherein an outer thread  23  is formed at the upper receiving portion  21  at an outside of the water bottle  11 , wherein the outer thread is used for attaching a suction nipple ring  37 , 
     The milk powder depot  12  includes an outward protruding collar  25  at an upper fill in opening  24 , wherein the outward protruding collar is supported on a circumferential face  26  of the upper receiving portion  21  of the water bottle  11  as shown in  FIG. 3 . The base of the milk powder depot  12  is closed by an openable opening device  27  ( FIGS. 3, 6 ) which includes a base element  28  and a plunger element  29  that is provided with an actuation surface  30  which protrudes out of the milk powder depot  12  into an interior of the suction nipple  13 . 
     While the actuation surface  30  of the plunger  29  and an annular portion of the base element  28  is formed from hard synthetic material (cf.  FIG. 6 ) the center of the base element  28  is configured as a flexible synthetic material membrane  32 , whereas the opening device  27  is overall coextruded from hard and soft synthetic material. 
     The flexible synthetic material membrane  32  serves the purpose of compensating pressure differences that are created when cooling the filled in water that has been heated to 100 degrees C. into the water bottle  11 . 
     The annular portion of the base element  28  includes a circumferential interlocking groove  33  at an outside while the milk powder depot  12  forms a circumferentially protruding interlocking ring  34  at a base side. With this configuration it is possible to interlock the opening device  27  from below into the milk powder depot  12  so that a closed container for the milk powder  22  is created that can be opened anytime. 
     A suction nipple  13  is arranged on the circumferential collar  25  of the milk powder depot  12  wherein the suction nipple includes a suction protrusion  37  including a suction opening  36 . 
     The suction nipple  13  is initially inserted into the suction nipple ring  37  from below. Then the suction nipple ring  37  is threaded with its inner thread onto the thread  23  at the receiving portion  21  of the water bottle  11  which also fixes the suction nipple  13  between the suction ring  37  and the collar  25  of the milk powder depot  12  is. 
     Last not least, a cover  38  is positionable on the suction nipple ring  37  wherein the cover  38  has a recess at a topside wherein the recess contacts and seals the suction opening  36 . 
     It is evident from  FIG. 3  that the base element  15  is threaded onto the water bottle  11  due to the cooperation of the threads  18  and  19  of the water bottle  11 . 
     Additionally, the opening device  27  is interlocked in the milk powder depot  12  and the milk powder depot  12  is inserted into the upper receiving portion  21  of the water bottle  11  after filling water with approximately 100 degrees C. into the lower receiving portion  20 . Thereafter the milk powder  22  is filled into the milk powder depot  12 . After inserting the suction nipple  13  into the suction nipple ring  37  the suction nipple ring  37  is threaded into the exterior thread  23  of the upper receiving portion  21  of the water bottle  11  so that the suction nipple  13  fixed at the feeding bottle  10 . Thus the feeding bottle  10  is ready for use during the night. 
     From the drawing figures its evident that a recessed base  40  of the water bottle  11  includes a stainless steel plate  41 , wherein a plate shaped heater  42  is arranged below the base  40  using a double sided heat conducting tape. 
       FIG. 7  shows a block diagram B of the heater  42  of the feeding bottle  10  for receiving milk for small children. A printer circuit board P is shown that is provided with SMD components at a bottom side. 
     The circuit board P is provided with power through an AC/DC USB adapter  33  and a USB cable that is insertable in a magnet bushing  45 . 
     The circuit board P furthermore includes a filter/protective switch  46 . This component includes a filter configured to pass EMV tests for CE certification and protective mechanisms which do not permit an unsafe condition of the appliance, e.g. with respect to fire protection. 
     Additionally the circuit board P includes a double comparator circuit  47  for a two level controller and for detecting the point for initial heating (37 degrees C.) after filling. 
     Furthermore the circuit board P is also provided with a component with 3 LEDs  49  with different colors in addition to a temperature sensor  48  wherein the LEDs can indicate a high temperature, the nominal temperature (37 degrees C.) and a low temperature. 
     Last not least a power switch  50  controls a heater  51  formed from four to eight resistors. 
       FIGS. 4-5  show a start-up of the feeding bottle  10 . 
     In case a small child indicates a need for feeding at night, the feeding bottle  10  that is heated to 37 degrees C. is available to the user. 
     After removing the magnet plug  44  (cf.  FIG. 7 ) and removing the cover  14  a finger F presses through the suction nipple  13  onto the actuation surface  30  of the opening device  27 . Thus, the base element  28  of the opening device  27  is unlocked so that the milk powder depot  12  is opened and the milk powder  22  drops into the water bottle  11  (cf.  FIGS. 4-5 ). After some shaking the milk mixture is ready and can be fed to the small child. 
     REFERENCE NUMERALS AND DESIGNATIONS 
       10  feeding bottle 
       11  water bottle 
       12  milk powder depot 
       13  suction nipple 
       14  cover 
       15  base element 
       16  portion of 15 
       17 ′ portion of 15 
       18  thread 
       19  thread 
       20  lower water receiving portion 
       21  upper receiving portion 
       22  milk powder 
       23  outer thread 
       24  upper fill in opening 
       25  collar of 22 
       26  circumferential face of 11 
       27  opening device 
       28  base element of 27 
       29  plunger element of 27 
       30  actuation surface of 27 
       31  annular portion of 28 
       32  flexible synthetic material membrane 
       33  circumferential interlocking groove 
       34  protruding interlocking ring of 22 
       35  suction nipple protrusion 
       36  suction opening 
       37  suction ring 
       38  cover 
       39  boss 
       40  recess base of 11 
       41  stainless steel plate 
       42  heater 
       43  AC/DC USB adapter 
       44  USB cable with tow pole magnetic plug 
       45  magnet bushing 
       46  filter-/protective switch 
       47  comparator circuit 
       48  temperature sensor 
       49  LED 
       50  power switch 
       51  heater 
     B circuit diagram 
     P circuit board 
     F finger 
     W hot water