Patent Publication Number: US-7213791-B2

Title: Baby bottle holder for self-feeding

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/427,591, filed Nov. 19, 2002. 

   BACKGROUND 
   The present invention is in the field of baby bottle holders. Specifically this invention relates to adjustable holders for holding a baby bottle such that infants can feed themselves. 
   There are many baby bottle holders in the prior art, with the intention of allowing infants to feed themselves. Many of these use the method of propping up the bottle. There are also a few baby bottle holders which use the method of attaching the bottle holder to a car seat or a carrier handle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,623 discloses a bottle sling, which holds the bottle, and has one strap with which it may be attached to a car seat. This design requires the baby to turn its head, it does not maintain a proper feeding angle, and it is not easily adjustable for different baby bottle sizes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,547 discloses a hanging adjustable baby bottle holder with two straps for attaching to a car seat handle. This design has a bar across the middle from which a ring is attached to hold the bottle. Hardware is used to secure the bottle, (a threaded bolt in the ring) which many people would not want in their infants face when the seat is moving. This design is also restricted to the unshaped carrying handle. 
   An adjustable baby bottle holder is desired which is of simple construction, and which would be adaptable to the many different types of carrying/stroller handles, or other support, which would adjust to any size bottle, which would hang at an appropriate feeding angle, which would return to position when knocked about by the infant, and which would be entirely flexible. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A baby bottle holder for baby self-feeding comprises an adjustable hanging means; and, a bottle holding means, attached to the adjustable hanging means, such that when hung, a bottle inserted into the bottle holding means hangs at an appropriate angle for feeding a baby positioned under the baby bottle holder. This baby bottle holder is made of a flexible material, and adjusts easily to fit on a variety of car seat/carrier/stroller handles, or other support. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a baby bottle holder according to an aspect of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a front view of a baby bottle holder according to an aspect of the invention. 
       FIG. 3  is an isometric view of a baby bottle holder installed on a carrier with a U-shaped handle according to an aspect of the invention. 
       FIG. 4  is an isometric front view of a baby bottle holder installed on a carrier with a sideways handle according to an aspect of the invention. 
       FIG. 5  is an isometric rear view of a baby bottle holder installed on a carrier with a sideways handle according to an aspect of the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Various aspects of the invention are presented in  FIGS. 1–5  which are not drawn to scale and in which like components are numbered alike. Referring now to  FIGS. 1–3 , according to an aspect of the invention, a baby bottle holder  1  for baby self-feeding comprises an adjustable hanging means  10 , and a bottle holding means  20 . The bottle holding means  20  is attached to the adjustable hanging means  10  such that when hung, a bottle  30  inserted into the bottle holding means  20  hangs at an appropriate angle for feeding a baby positioned under the baby bottle holder  1 . 
   According to a further aspect of the invention, the adjustable hanging means  10  comprises straps  12  attachable by an adjustable fastener  14 . In a preferred embodiment, the adjustable fastener  14  comprises a hook and loop fastener. One such hook and loop fastener which may be used is sold under the trademark Velcro. This is in no way intended to limit the adjustable fastener  14  to a hook and loop fastener, as any known adjustable fastener is within the purview of this invention. This not only allows adjustment for different types of carriers/car seats/strollers, or other supporting structures, but also allows for adjustment for different size infants. 
   In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottle holding means  20  is adjustable. According to a further preferred embodiment, the bottle holding means  20  is adjustable and comprises a bottle strap  22  with an adjustable closing means  24 . One preferred adjustable closing means  24  is a hook and loop fastener. This is in no way intended to limit the adjustable closing means  24  to a hook and loop fastener, as any known adjustable closing means is within the purview of this invention. This allows for any type/shape of bottle to be held securely. 
   According to a further aspect of the invention, the adjustable hanging means  10  comprises straps  12  and a body portion  16 , wherein the bottle holding means  20  is attached to the body portion  16 . According to a preferred embodiment, the bottle holding means  20  has a bottom end  26  and a top end  28 . In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottom end  26  of the bottle holding means  20  is attached directly to the body portion  16  of the adjustable hanging means  10 , and the top end  28  of the bottle holding means  20  is attached to an extension  18  which in turn is attached to the body portion  16 . According to a further aspect of the invention, this extension  18  is a piece of flexible material, such as a fabric, which has two ends, a first end  15  and a second end  19 , wherein the first end  15  of the extension  18  is attached to the body portion  16 , and the second end  19  of the extension  18  is attached to the bottle holding means  20 . This allows the bottle  30  to be held in a position in which gravity forces the liquid contents into the nipple area of the bottle  30 . Thus, even if the baby knocks the baby bottle holder  1  around, it will return to the baby at an appropriate angle for feeding. 
   In a further embodiment, the body portion  16  has a variety of fasteners  17  to further adjust the baby bottle holder  1 . In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the fasteners  17  are snaps, although any known fastener is considered to be within the purview of the invention. The baby bottle holder  1  may be made of a flexible material, including, but not limited to, plastics, fabrics, and webbings. In a preferred embodiment, the adjustable hanging means  10  and the bottle holding means  20  are made from a fabric material. This flexibility allows the fasteners  17  to change the shape of the baby bottle holder  1  to adapt it to various carrier/stroller handle configurations. Thus it may be used for the standard u-shaped handle as well as for the sideways handle now used on some models (see  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 ), as well as on many other structures.