Patent Publication Number: US-8109216-B2

Title: Liquid storage and dispensing device and method thereof

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This application relates generally to the storage of liquid. More specifically, this application relates to a liquid storage and dispensing device and method thereof. 
     SUMMARY 
     Breast milk is widely recognized as a superior form of nutrition for newborns and infants. However, storage of breast milk for future use is problematic as breast milk lacks preservatives to give it a longer shelf life. Typically, breast milk is stored in bottles and refrigerated or frozen and thawed and/or warmed when it is needed. Bottles, however, are relatively bulky and consume valuable space in a refrigerator and/or freezer. In addition, without proper labeling, it is difficult to determine how long any given bottle has been in storage. Therefore, there is a significant need for a breast milk storage device that is efficient in terms of storage space and determining how long any given unit of breast milk has been in storage for such that the units that have been in storage the longest are the ones first used. 
     This application discloses a liquid storage device that is economical to produce, of simple construction and capable of mass production, but also capable of providing a user a suitable means to store breast milk and other liquids. 
     In particular, this application discloses an apparatus for storing fluid containing bags comprising a shelf having a bag-supporting surface, and a pair of laterally extending projections. The device also includes a pair of opposed sidewalls with each sidewall comprising an inner surface, and a longitudinal groove for receiving one of said projections. The groove is disposed in the inner surface. A first support for supporting one of the projections in a first shelf position is disposed within said groove, and a second support for supporting one of the projections in a second shelf position is spaced apart from the first support and disposed within the groove. The shelf is disposed between the sidewalls such that each of the projections is disposed within a corresponding groove. The shelf is movable from the first shelf position wherein each of the projections is supported by a corresponding first support and the second shelf position wherein each of the projections is supported by a corresponding second support. 
     This application also discloses an apparatus for storing fluid containing bags comprising a shelf having a bag-supporting surface, and a pair of laterally extending projections. The device also includes a pair of opposed horizontally-extending sidewalls with each sidewall comprising an inner surface, a longitudinal groove for receiving one of said projections. The groove is disposed in the inner surface. A first support for supporting one of the projections in a first shelf position is disposed within said groove, and a second support for supporting one of the projections in a second shelf position is spaced apart from the first support and disposed within the groove. In addition, a rear wall is disposed between the sidewalls. The shelf is disposed between the sidewalls such that each of the projections is disposed within a corresponding groove. The shelf is movable from the first shelf position wherein each of the projections is supported by a corresponding first support and the second shelf position wherein each of the projections is supported by a corresponding second support. 
     Finally, this application discloses a method for storing fluid containing bags comprising the steps of: providing a pair of opposed sidewalls; providing a first shelf between said sidewalls; supporting said first shelf in a first shelf position; placing a first fluid containing bag on said first shelf; freezing said first fluid containing bag; moving said first shelf to a second shelf position; supporting said first shelf in said second shelf position; providing a second shelf between said sidewalls; supporting said second shelf in said first shelf position; placing a second fluid containing bag on said second shelf; freezing said second fluid containing bag; and removing said first fluid containing bag from said first shelf. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawings, when considered in connection with the following description, are presented for the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a liquid storage and dispensing device showing the device in a horizontal orientation; 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of a shelf; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial plan view of a groove; 
         FIG. 4  is a partial plan view of an alternative groove; 
         FIG. 5  is a partial plan view showing the device of  FIG. 1  in a vertical orientation; 
         FIG. 6  is a partial plan view showing the device of  FIG. 1  in a horizontal orientation; and 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a liquid storage and dispensing device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     While the present liquid storage and dispensing device is described with reference to several illustrative embodiments described herein, it should be clear that the present invention should not be limited to such embodiments. Therefore, the description of the embodiments provided herein is illustrative of the present invention and should not limit the scope of the invention as claimed. In addition, while following description references breast milk containing bags, it will be appreciated that the invention may be serve to store and dispense any fluid containing bags and is not limited solely to breast milk. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-5 , a first embodiment of a liquid storage and dispensing device  10  is shown. The device  10  may be constructed from any sufficiently durable and resilient material such as metal, polymer, composite, etc. The device  10  includes a pair of opposed sidewalls  15 , one or more shelves  20 , a rear wall  25 , and a pair of end walls  30 . Each shelf  20  includes a bag-supporting surface  45  and a pair of laterally extending projections  50 . As will be discussed further below, each shelf  20  is operable to support a breast milk bag  60  atop the supporting surface  45 , or support a breast milk bag  60  in the space  105  between two adjacent shelves  30 . The breast milk bags  60  are well known in the art and the device  10  is operable with any suitably configured bag  60 . In addition, each shelf  20  may include a rearwardly extending projection  65 . 
     Each sidewall  15  includes an inner surface  35  with a longitudinal groove  40  therein. The longitudinal groove  40  is sized so as to slidingly receive a corresponding lateral projection  50  from each shelf  20  therein. In addition, as best shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the longitudinal groove  40  may include a plurality of shelf supports  70  therein. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the supports  70  may be on the same side of the groove  40 . Alternatively, as best shown in  FIG. 4 , the supports  70  may alternate between each side of the groove  40 . The supports  70  are operable to support a shelf  20  so that the shelf  20  may support a breast milk bag  60  as described above. In addition, when sufficient force is placed on a shelf  20 , each support  70  is operable to cause a corresponding projection  50  of a shelf  20  to flex thereby allowing the shelf  20  to slide past the support  70  and slide within the groove  40  to the next support  70  in the groove  40 . In the illustrative embodiment, each support  70  has a semi-circular profile; however, it will be appreciated that the supports  70  may have any suitably shaped profile, including but not limited to, rectangular, square, triangular, etc. 
     In addition, each sidewall  15  may include an entrance slot  75  in communication with the groove  40  whereby a corresponding projection  50  of a shelf  20  may be received by the entrance slot  75  and moved into the groove  40  such that the shelf  20  is received between the sidewalls  15 . Also, each sidewall  15  may include an exit slot  80  in communication with the groove  40  and operable to allow a corresponding projection  50  of a shelf  20  to pass through in order to be removed from the groove  40  thereby allowing the shelf  20  to be removed from between the sidewalls  15 . As seen in  FIG. 1 , the entrance slot  75  is spaced apart from the exit slot  80 , each located near a respective end of the sidewalls  15 . 
     The device  10  may also include a rear wall  25  that extends between the sidewalls  15 . The rear wall  25  includes an inner surface  85 . The inner surface  85  may include a longitudinal groove  90  therein wherein the groove  90  is sized to slidingly receive a rearwardly extending projection  95  of a corresponding shelf  20 . The groove  90  may include a plurality of shelf supports (not shown) therein, which are configured and operate in conjunction with the rearwardly extending projection  95  similar to that of the sidewall groove  40  and lateral projections  50 . The rear wall  25  may also include one or more apertures  100  whereby a user may press on a breast milk bag  60  in order to loosen it from a shelf  20  in the event the bag  60  becomes frozen to a shelf  20 . The device  10  may also include a pair of end walls  30  where each end wall  30  is disposed at one end of the pair of sidewalls  15 . 
     In the illustrative embodiment, the device  10  may generally operate in two basic orientations. First, as best shown in  FIG. 5 , the device  10  may be oriented in a vertical fashion wherein the sidewalls  20  extend upwardly in a generally vertical direction such that the shelves  20  are in a generally horizontal orientation. In this arrangement, gravity acts on the breast milk bags  60  to cause them to rest substantially flat on a corresponding bag-supporting surface  45  of a shelf  20 . Advantageously, this allows for a greater breast milk bag  60  surface area which aids in faster and more uniform freezing and defrosting. In the second orientation, as best shown in  FIGS. 1 and 6 , the device may be oriented in a horizontal fashion wherein the sidewalls  20  extend laterally in a generally horizontal direction such that the shelves  20  are in a generally vertical orientation. In this arrangement, the shelves  20  are spaced from one another such that when a breast milk bag  60  is disposed in a gap  105  between two adjacent shelves  20 , the shelves  20  act to press the bag  60  substantially flat thereby providing the same advantages previously discussed. In the horizontal orientation, a user may put a slight compressive force on one shelf  20  in order to compress the bag  60  between the shelves  20  thereby assuring that the bag  60  is maintained substantially flat therebetween. Nevertheless, it will be appreciated that the shelves  20  and sidewalls  15  may be at any suitable angle with respect to one another. 
     In use, the device may be stored in a freezer or moved into a freezer once one or more breast milk bags  60  are ready to be frozen. First, a shelf  20  is disposed between the sidewalls  15  by passing the lateral projections  50  through the entrance slots  75  and into corresponding sidewall grooves  40 . In addition, the rearwardly extending projection  65  is disposed within the rear wall groove  90 . The shelf  20  may then be moved within the grooves  40 ,  90  to a first set of supports  70  in the grooves  40 ,  90  on top of which the projections  50 ,  65  rest. The shelf  20  may then support a first breast milk bag  60 . Once a second breast milk bag  60  is ready for storage, the first breast milk bag  60  and corresponding shelf  20  are forced to the next set of supports  70 . 
     A second shelf  20  may then be disposed between the sidewalls  15  in the same manner as previously discussed. If the device  10  is placed in the horizontal orientation as described above, the second shelf  20  may be moved towards the first shelf  20  such that the first breast milk bag  60  is supported in a substantially flat orientation in the gap  105  between the first and second shelves  20 . Alternatively, in the vertical orientation as described above, each shelf  20  may support a breast milk bag  60  atop the bag-supporting surface  45 . The second shelf  20  may then support a second breast milk bag  60 . If the device  10  is in the horizontal orientation, a third shelf  20  may be disposed between the sidewalls  15  and moved towards the second shelf  20  such that the second breast milk bag  60  may be supported in a substantially flat orientation in the gap  105  between the second and third shelves  20 . Once the breast milk in the breast milk bags  60  is frozen, they may be removed from the device  10  and thawed for use. In the illustrative embodiment, the first breast milk bag  60  placed within the device  10  will be the first bag  60  removed from the device  10  for use (i.e. “first in, first out”). Also, while the forgoing description discussed only two breast milk containing bags  60 , it will be appreciated that any suitable number of breast milk bags  60  and/or any suitable number of shelves  20  may be employed and remain within the scope of the present invention. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , a second embodiment of a liquid storage and dispensing device  200  is shown. The device  200  includes a pair of opposed side belts  210 , a rear belt  220  and one or more shelves  230 . Each shelf  230  includes a bag-supporting surface  240  and a pair of laterally extending projections  245 . In addition, each shelf  230  is operable to support a breast milk bag  60  atop the supporting surface  240 , or support a breast milk bag  60  in the space between two adjacent shelves  230 . Also, each shelf  230  may include a rearwardly extending projection  250 . 
     Each belt  210 ,  220  rotates about a pair of spools  260  which are rotatably supported within a housing (not shown). It should be appreciated that the belts may rest within corresponding grooves (not shown) in the housing, and that the housing may also have entrance slots and exit slots similar to the forgoing illustrative embodiment whereby the shelves  230  may be easily inserted into and/or removed from the groove. In addition, each belt  210 ,  220  includes a plurality of supports  270 . Each support  270  is operable to support a corresponding projection  245 ,  250  of a shelf  230 . 
     In use, a shelf  230  is inserted between the belts  210 ,  220  such that each projection  245 , 250  is received by a corresponding support  270 . The shelf  230  may then support a first breast milk bag  60 . The belts  210 ,  220  may then be rotated by pressing downwardly on the first shelf  230  whereby the first shelf  230  is moved to a second shelf position, and whereby any other shelf  230  in the device  200  is moved to a subsequent shelf position. A second shelf  230  is then inserted between the belts  210 ,  220  such that each projection  245 , 250  is received by a corresponding support  270  and such that the second shelf  230  is above the first shelf  230 . The second shelf  230  may then support a second milk bag  60 . 
     Once the breast milk in the breast milk bags  60  is frozen, they may be removed from the device  200  and thawed for use. In the illustrative embodiment, the first breast milk bag  60  placed within the device  200  will be the first bag  60  removed from the device  200  for use (i.e. “first in, first out”). Also, while the forgoing description discussed only two breast milk containing bags  60 , it will be appreciated that any suitable number of breast milk bags  60  and/or any suitable number of shelves  230  may be employed and remain within the scope of the present invention. 
     While the present disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.