Patent Publication Number: US-2009224112-A1

Title: Detachable musical base for baby bottle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This document is a continuation application which is related to, and claims priority from, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/454,037, also entitled “Detachable Musical Base for Baby Bottle,” filed Jun. 16, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an accessory for a baby feeding bottle that contains a music producing device and upon which the baby feeding bottle may be seated and to which the baby feeding bottle may be releaseably clamped. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Baby bottles have been in continuous use for many, many years for nursing and feeding liquids to infant children. Conventional baby bottles are formed as elongated, tubular containers of glass or plastic having a closed bottom end and an open mouth at the opposite, top end. Rubber nipples are releaseably secured to the open, top ends of conventional bottles by means of annular plastic collars which provide a liquid-tight seal at the mouth of the bottle. Conventional infant feeding bottles of this type may be cylindrical in cross-sectional shape, but are sometimes formed with polygonal outer cross-sectional configurations. 
     Infant children are often quite temperamental during feeding. The distress of many infants during feeding may be relieved by playing soothing music to the infant. In many cases music relaxes and calms the child so that the infant is able to take nourishment without agitation by sucking liquid from the bottle through the nipple. 
     The soothing and calming effect of music has been used to advantage in a wide variety of children&#39;s products. Stuffed animals, mobiles, and dolls have all been manufactured with internal music boxes designed to capture and hold the attention of infant children and newborn babies. 
     Various liquid containers for feeding infants have been devised that contain music players for providing soothing music to calm a distressed infant. However, conventional musical baby feed bottles either require a bottle with a music player permanently attached thereto, or involve a musical baby bottle attachment that can only accommodate baby bottles of a specific size and shape. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,745 discloses a musical baby bottle adapter having a top chamber with an open ended cylinder that receives the bottom of a baby feeding bottle. However, such an adapter can only accommodate baby feeding bottles of a specific size and shape. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,898,060 and 4,944,704 disclose especially configured baby bottles to which specially configured musical bases are attached. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is an accessory or attachment for a baby feeding bottle that contains a music player and which has a unique system for releaseable attachment to baby feeding bottles of widely differing sizes and shapes. Furthermore, the detachable, musical baby bottle accessory of the invention may be easily and quickly secured to the lower portion of a conventional baby feeding bottle and will remain securely affixed thereto when desired. On the other hand, the detachable accessory may be just as easily released from the baby feeding bottle to permit the bottle to be washed or refilled and heated. 
     The quick coupling and decoupling mechanism of the musical baby feeding bottle attachment is quite simple in mechanical operation and very durable in construction. Consequently, it will not become damaged by a fall from between the bars of a baby&#39;s crib, or by impacts from other causes. The musical baby bottle attachment of the invention is constructed so that it can be engaged with the bottom of the baby feeding bottle very securely and very quickly. It can be detached from the baby bottle just as easily. 
     Furthermore, the musical baby feeding bottle attachment of the invention will securely grip the vast majority of commercially available baby bottles that are currently utilized for infant feeding. In one broad aspect the present invention may be considered to be an attachment for a baby feeding bottle having a bottom and upright side surfaces. The attachment of the invention is comprised of a seat, a music producing device, and a releaseable clamp mechanism. The seat receives the bottom of the baby feeding bottle. The music producing device is located within the seat. The releaseable clamp mechanism on the seat is operable to exert compressive forces from opposing directions against the side surfaces of the baby feeding bottle, and in the alternative is operable to release the side surfaces of the baby feeding bottle. 
     Preferably, the clamp mechanism includes at least one pair of opposing jaws facing each other and mounted upon opposing sides of the seat, and gear elements coupling the jaws together and movable in a first direction to draw the jaws toward each other and in an opposite direction to force the jaws apart from each other. Guide slots are preferably formed in the seat and a pair of transversely extending clamp arms are provided. Each of the jaws is mounted upon one of the transversely extending clamp arms. 
     The clamp arms for the jaws in each pair of jaws are disposed in mutual parallel alignment with each other and move in the guide slots formed in the seat. The transversely extending clamp arms for each pair of jaws are mounted for mutually parallel, reciprocal movement in a common clamp arm plane for that pair of jaws relative to the seat. Each of the clamp arms carries a separate one of the jaws at one of its extremities. The clamp arms have mutually facing longitudinal edges formed with teeth. The gear elements further include a pinion having an axis of rotation. The pinion is located between and engaged with the teeth on the clamp arms. The pinion axis of rotation is perpendicular to the clamp arm plane. In this way the pinion and the gear teeth on the clamp arms are engaged to form a rack and pinion jaw advancement and jaw retraction mechanism. 
     The baby feeding bottle attachment is further comprised of a manually operated latch engageable with the releaseable clamp mechanism to selectively permit and prevent movement of the jaws. The latch is a lever with an outboard operating end protruding from the seat. The latch has a toothed inboard end engageable with the pinion. The latch is rotatably mounted to the seat for rotation about a latch axis that is offset from and parallel to the pinion axis of rotation. 
     A detent is preferably provided on the seat. The latch moves past the detent when it is rotated about the latch axis. The detent thereby tends to hold the latch lever alternatively engaged with and disengaged from the rack and pinion gearing, as selected by the user. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the seat has an axial center and the releaseable clamp mechanism includes two pairs of opposing jaws. The jaws within each pair face each other and are mounted upon opposing sides of the axial center of the seat from each other. The pairs of jaws are oriented at right angles relative to each other. A retraction system is provided for concurrently moving all of the jaws toward the axial center of the seat and an extension system is provided for concurrently pushing the jaws away from the axial center of the seat. The retraction and extension systems are preferably comprised of rack and pinion gearing. 
     Each of the jaws is mounted upon an outboard end of a separate arm. The support arms each have a toothed side that forms a gear rack. A pinion is provided having an axis of rotation located at the axial center of the seat. The pinion is engaged with all of the gear racks so that rotation of the pinion in one direction of rotation concurrently draws all of the racks toward the axial center of the seat. Rotation of the pinion in an opposite direction of rotation pushes the jaws apart from each other and away from the axial center of the seat. In another aspect the invention may be considered to be a detachable baby bottle accessory comprising a base, a music player, at least one pair of opposing jaws, and a jaw adjustment mechanism. The base can support a baby bottle from beneath upon a flat surface. The music player is located within the base. Each pair of opposing jaws is located atop the base for receiving the baby bottle therebetween. The jaw adjustment mechanism moves at least one of the jaws in each pair to clamp the baby bottle between the jaws. Alternatively, the jaw adjustment mechanism releases the baby bottle from between the jaws. 
     In still another aspect the invention may be considered to be a detachable music box for a baby bottle. The detachable music box is comprised of a body structure, a musical sound player, and a bottle seat including a bottle clamp. The body structure has a base for resting upon a horizontal surface to support the body structure thereon in a stable manner. The musical sound player is housed within the body structure. The bottle seat is located at the top of the base. The bottle clamp grips the bottle to thereby releaseably secure the body structure to the baby bottle, and to alternatively release the body structure from the baby bottle. 
     The invention may be described with greater clarity and particularity by reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side elevational view illustrating a detachable baby bottle accessory according to the invention with a conventional baby bottle seated therein shown in phantom. 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the musical baby feeding bottle attachment of the invention showing the clamping jaws thereof immobilized and with the bottle seating platform removed to allow illustration of the rack and pinion gearing. 
         FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the baby feeding bottle attachment showing the clamping jaws thereof when retracted and extended and with the bottle seating platform removed to allow illustration of the rack and pinion gearing. 
         FIG. 3A  is a top plan view of the baby feeding bottle attachment with the bottle seating platform shown in position. 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom plan view of the baby bottle attachment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is an electrical schematic diagram showing the operation of the music player in the baby feeding bottle attachment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an attachment or accessory generally at  10  for use with a baby feeding bottle indicated at  12 . The baby feeding bottle  12  is a conventional baby bottle which may have cylindrical shape, or the shape generally of a hexagonal or octagonal prism, all of which are commercially available. The geometric shape and cross-sectional area of the baby feeding bottle  12  may vary considerably. 
     Most, if not all, commercially available baby bottles have a generally flat bottom  14  opposite the upper end at which a baby feeding nipple  16  is coupled to the mouth of the baby bottle. Baby feeding bottles  12  of the type shown have upright side walls  18  that typically define an interior bottle cavity of generally uniform cross section from the bottom  14  of the baby feeding bottle  12  up to the shoulders  20 , which narrow to form the mouth to which the nipple  16  is coupled. 
     The baby feeding bottle attachment  10  has a body portion  22  that houses a music player  24 , indicated in  FIG. 5 . The music player  24  may be any conventional type of music playing device, such as an electrically operated audio tape player powered by a battery  26  which is also housed within the body portion  22 . The music player  24  is electrically connected to a speaker  28 , which is positioned to face a perforated speaker panel  30 , shown in  FIG. 4 , in the underside of the body portion  22 . The annular, depending, peripheral rim  32  at the bottom of the musical baby feeding bottle accessory  10 , illustrated in  FIG. 4 , forms a stand for supporting the baby bottle  12  from beneath upon a flat surface, indicated at  34  in  FIG. 1 . 
     An electrical push button switch  29 , shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , may be connected between the battery  26  and the music player  24  to control operation of the music player  24 . As shown in  FIG. 5  the switch  29  may be a three-way, push button switch which may be toggled to alternatively turn the music player to an OFF position, indicated at  31 , to a continuously ON position, indicated at  33 , and to a position  35  in which the music player  24  is actuated or deactuated under the control of a position sensitive device  37 . That is, the position sensitive device  37  may turn the music player  24  OFF when the bottle  12  is in the upright position depicted in  FIG. 1  and alternatively turn the music player  24  ON when the bottle is tilted. One suitable position sensitive switching mechanism  37  is illustrated and described, for example, in our prior U.S. application Ser. No. 10/750,729 filed Jan. 5, 2004. This prior application is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     The novel feature of the detachable baby bottle accessory  10  of the present invention is the mechanism by which the accessory  10  is attached to and detaches from the baby feeding bottle  12 . As illustrated in  FIG. 3A , there is a disc-shaped seating platform  36  mounted atop the body portion  22  to form a seat for receiving the bottom  14  of the baby feeding bottle  12 . The diameter of the seating platform  36  is no greater that the width of the smallest baby feeding bottle  12  which the attachment  10  can accommodate. 
     A releaseable clamp mechanism  38  is mounted upon the body portion  22  beneath the seat  36  for exerting compressive forces from opposing directions against the side surfaces  18  of the baby bottle  12  at the bottom  14  thereof. In the alternative the releaseable clamp mechanism  38  is operable to release the side surfaces  18  of the baby bottle  12 . The releaseable clamp mechanism  38  is comprised of at least one pair, and preferably two pairs of opposing clamping jaws  40 ,  42  and  44 ,  46  which are respectively mounted upon transversely oriented clamping jaw support arms  50 ,  52 ,  54 , and  56 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The seating platform  36  is removed in the drawing views of  FIGS. 2 and 3  to allow illustration of the rack pinion gearing that operates the clamping jaws  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46 . 
     The clamping jaws  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  each have a generally arcuate-shaped configuration, curved concave facing the axial center of the body portion  22 , which is indicated as an axis  62  in the drawings. The support arms are arranged in two pairs,  50 ,  52  and  54 ,  56 . The support arms within each pair are mutually parallel to each other. That is, the support arms  50  and  52  in the first pair of support arms are mutually parallel to each other. The support arms  54  and  56  in the second pair of support arms are likewise mutually parallel to each other. 
     All of the support arms  50 ,  52 ,  54 , and  56  have interior side edges that are formed with a plurality of teeth  58  thereon. The toothed edges of the support arms  50 ,  52 ,  54 , and  56  thereby are formed as toothed racks comprising part of a rack and pinion gearing system. The toothed racks formed on the support arms in each pair reside in mutually coplanar relationship to each other and face each other on opposite sides of the axial center  62  of the body portion  22 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . That is, the toothed racks of teeth  58  formed on the mutually facing edges of the support arms  50  and  52  reside in a common plane  63  with each other. Similarly, the toothed racks on the support arms  54  and  56  likewise reside in a common plane  65  with each other that is parallel to and located beneath the plane  63  of the toothed racks on the support arms  50  and  52 . The support arms  50  and  52  for the first pair of jaws  40  and  42  reside in the first horizontal support arm plane  63  parallel to and above the second, horizontal support arm plane  65  in which the support arms  54  and  56  for the other pair of jaws  44  and  46  reside. The planes  63  and  65  are spaced longitudinally from each other and are both perpendicular to the axial center  62  of the body portion  22 . The seating platform  36  is also horizontal and is located above the level of the plane  63  and is parallel to both of the planes  63  and  65 . 
     The rack and pinion gearing system is further comprised of a pinion  60  that extends longitudinally and vertically between the first and second support arm planes  63  and  65 . The pinion  60  is mounted for rotation on the body portion or base  22  about the pinion axis of rotation. The pinion  60  is located at the axial center of the body portion  22  and has an axis of rotation that is coaxial with the alignment of the baby feeding bottle  12  and which coincides with the body portion axis  62 . The pinion  60  extends vertically between and beyond both the first support arm plane  63  and the second support arm plane  65  in which the support arms  50 ,  52  and  54 ,  56  are respectively located. 
     The pinion  60  has teeth  64  defined in its periphery throughout its length. The pinion teeth  64  are configured to mesh with the teeth  58  on the toothed racks formed on the jaw support arms  50 ,  52 ,  54 , and  56 . The upper portions of the teeth  64  engage the teeth  58  in the toothed racks on the support arms  50  and  52  that reside in the first, upper plane  63 . 
     The lower portions of the teeth  64  of the pinion  60  engage teeth  58  on the toothed racks on the support arms  54  and  56  that reside in the second, lower plane  65 . Because the jaw support arms  54  and  56  are located at a lower level on the body portion  22  than the jaw arms  50  and  52 , the jaws  44  and  46  are taller in a vertical or longitudinal direction than the jaws  40  and  42 . All of the jaws  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  thereby grip the side walls  18  of the base  14  of the baby bottle  12  at the same vertical level above the seating platform  36 . 
     The body portion  22  of the detachable baby bottle accessory  10  is formed with transversely oriented slots  66  in the outer wall of its structure to accommodate the presence and allow reciprocal movement of the jaw support arms  50 ,  52 ,  54 , and  56 . Each of the jaw support arms has a retaining foot  68  on its end extremity remote from the jaw which it supports. The retaining feet  68  prevent the jaw support arms  50 ,  52 ,  54 , and  56  from being pulled completely out of the slots  66  in the body portion  22 . 
     The detachable baby bottle accessory  10  is provided with a pinion latch lever  70  that has an interior end  71  with teeth  58  formed thereon that mesh with the teeth  64  of the pinion  60 . The pinion latch lever  60  has an opposite, outboard operating end  72  that protrudes outwardly from the body portion  22  so that it can be adjusted by the user. The latch lever arm  70  is mounted to the body portion  22  for rotation about a latch axis formed by a vertical latch pin  74 . The latch pin  74  mounts the latch lever arm  70  to the body portion  22  for rotation about a latch axis that is offset from and parallel to the pinion axis of rotation which also the axial center  62  of the body portion  22 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the operating end  72  of the latch lever arm  70  may be rotated relative to the body portion  22  in opposing directions to either engage the latch lever arm teeth  58  with the pinion teeth  64 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , or disengage the latch lever arm teeth  58  from the pinion teeth  64 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The latch lever arm  70  is rotatable in a plane that is parallel to and which lies between the first jaw support arm plane  63  and the second jaw support arm plane  65 . A slot  73  is defined in the structure of the body portion  22  to allow movement of the operating end  72  of the latch lever arm  70 . 
     The body portion  22  of the baby feeding bottle accessory  10  is provided with a detent  76 . The detent  76  is a rounded plastic boss located in the slot  73  in the body portion  22  through which the outboard operating end  72  of the latching lever  70  projects. The detent boss  76  is located at the center of the slot  73 . The operating end  72  of the latch lever arm  70  is moved past the detent boss  76  when the latch lever  70  is rotated about the axis  74  of the latch pin. The latch lever  70  is flexible enough so that the operating end  72  of the latch lever  70  can move past the detent boss  76  when the latch lever  70  is rotated in either the clockwise or counterclockwise directions, as viewed in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . However, the detent boss  76  tends to hold the teeth  58  of the latch lever  70  alternatively either engaged with the teeth  64  of the pinion  60  in the rack and pinion gearing system as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , or disengaged from the pinion teeth  64 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the pairs of jaws  40 ,  42  and  44 ,  46  are oriented at right angles relative to each other. 
     With the bottom  14  of the baby bottle  12  seated on the seating platform  36  atop the body portion  22 , within the lateral confines of the jaws  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46 , the jaws in either of the opposing pairs may be pressed toward each other when latch lever arm  70  is moved to the disengaged position illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Opposing inward pressure against the jaws  40  and  42  in the first pair of jaws, for example, causes the racks on the jaw support arms  50  and  52  to rotate the pinion  60  in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in  FIG. 3 . The pinion  60  also engages the racks on the lower set of support arms  54  and  56 , so that its counterclockwise rotation, as viewed in  FIG. 3 , also causes the jaws  44  and  46  to be pressed inwardly against the side walls  18  of the baby bottle  12 . Once the concave surfaces of all four of the jaws  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  are pressed against and in contact with the side walls  18  of the baby feeding bottle  12 , the user rotates the latch lever arm  70  in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , to move the latch lever  70  from the disengaged position illustrated in  FIG. 3 , to the engaged position illustrated in  FIG. 2 . In moving the latch lever arm  70  from the disengaged to the engaged position, the operating end  72  of the latch lever arm  70  must be pushed past the detent boss  76 , which thereafter holds the latch lever arm  70  in the engaged position, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
     When the jaws  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  of the releaseable clamp mechanism of the invention are pushed in against the side walls  18  of the baby bottle  12 , and the latch lever arm is moved to the locked position, illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the baby feeding bottle accessory  10  tightly grips the side walls  18  of the baby feeding bottle  12  adjacent the bottom  14  thereof. The baby feeding bottle  12  is then lifted and tilted to the baby feeding position, with the detachable musical accessory  10  securely, but releaseably fastened to the bottom  14  of the baby feeding bottle  12 . The music player  24  can then be actuated, deactuated, or conditionally actuated by sequential depression of the stepping switch button  29  on the bottom of the detachable accessory  10 . 
     The rack and pinion clamping system of the invention may be easily operated to detach the accessory  10  from the bottom  14  of the baby bottle  12 . This is quickly accomplished by rotating the latching lever arm  70  from the locked position shown in  FIG. 2  to the disengaged position shown in  FIG. 3 , simply by pushing the outboard, operating end  72  of the latching lever  70  in a clockwise direction, as indicated by the directional arrow  80  in  FIG. 3 . Rotation of the latch lever arm  70  in the clockwise direction about its latch pin  74  withdraws the latch arm teeth  58  from engagement with the teeth  64  of the pinion  60 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The jaws  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  of the clamping system thereupon no longer tightly grip the side walls  18  of the baby feeding bottle  12 . To the contrary, when latching arm  70  is rotated past the detent  76  to the released position illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the baby feeding bottle  12  can be easily lifted out of the seat formed by the seat platform  36  at the top of the body portion  22  of the musical baby bottle accessory  10 . With the latching lever arm  70  in the position illustrated in  FIG. 3 , any of the opposing jaws  40 ,  42  and  44 ,  46  may be easily drawn apart if there. is any resistance whatsoever to withdrawal of the baby feeding bottle  12  from the musical baby bottle accessory  10 . 
     The single pinion  60  employed in the musical baby bottle accessory  10  is mounted to the body member  22  for-rotation relative thereto and is engaged concurrently with all of the toothed racks formed on the jaw support arms  50 ,  52 ,  54 , and  56 . The pinion  60  is rotatable in a first direction, namely a clockwise direction, to concurrently draw all of the jaws  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  radially toward each other when the latching lever  70  is in the released position depicted in  FIG. 3 . Alternatively, the pinion  60  is rotatable in the opposite, counterclockwise direction to concurrently push all of the jaws  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  radially apart when the latch lever arm  70  is in the released position of  FIG. 3 . When the latch lever arm  70  is in the engaged position depicted in  FIG. 2 , the pinion  60  is immobilized relative to the body member  22 , as are the jaws  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46 . The detent  76  on the body member  22  holds the latching lever arm  70  in a selected position of engagement ( FIG. 2 ) and alternatively in a position of disengagement ( FIG. 3 ) relative to the pinion  60 . 
     The rack and pinion gearing formed by the racks on the jaw support arms  50 ,  52 ,  54 , and  56  and by the pinion  60  comprise a retraction system for concurrently moving all of the jaws  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  toward the axial center  62  of the body portion  22 . These same rack and pinion elements also serve as an extension system for concurrently pushing the jaws  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  away from the axial center  62  of the body portion  22 . The manually operated latch lever arm  70  serves as a releaseable locking mechanism for engaging the pinion  60  to selectively permit and prevent movement of the jaws  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46 . 
     Undoubtedly, numerous variations and modifications of the present invention will become readily apparent to those familiar with musical baby feeding bottles. For example, the releaseable clamp mechanism could be formed with a retractable and extendable radial band like an oil filter wrench, rather than with a rack and pinion gear system. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should not be construed as limited to the specific embodiment depicted and described, but rather is defined in the claims appended hereto.