Patent Publication Number: US-6986487-B2

Title: Baby bottle holder

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
   This invention relates to a baby bottle holder which permits a feeder free use of their arms. 
   BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
   There are many baby bottle holders. Most of them are over engineered and contain metal or fabric and thus pose hazards for their intended purpose. For example, metal devices are bad for growing teeth as babies love to bite anything within their reach. Moreover, fabric covered bottle holders present a cleaning problem and trap bacteria and mold. 
   A variety of designs have been proposed for bottle holders. Some of the designs rest on the baby&#39;s chest with straps to secure the bottle holder around the baby, while other designs use a clamp to secure the bottle holder. Other designs have to fix a supporting clamp and an adjustable arm which extends holding the bottle into place with a second clamp holds the baby bottle. Still other designs use a foam wedge and strap to secure the baby bottle. Yet other designs are weighted to rest and wrap around a baby&#39;s torso while others are disguised as animals. 
   While all of the aforementioned prior designs are adequate for the basic purpose and function of holding a baby bottle none of them are truly hands free and do not move with the infant. Many of the present designs will not release from the infant&#39;s mouth when feeding is completed resulting in liquid spills and tooth decay as liquid pools around an infant&#39;s teeth. 
   Thus there is a need for a bottle holder that allows for self-adjusting arms that move with the baby while providing gentle compressive forces holding the baby bottle around the infant child. There is a further need for a baby bottle holder designed using a one piece construction. There is also a need for a multifunctional device which can be used as a teething toy, can acts as a bottle handle, a bottle holder and wraps around the infant child without straps. 
   There is a further need for a baby bottle holder having a bottom portion that is concaved so that baby bottle holder can rest comfortable upon a baby&#39;s chest. There is also a need for a hands free baby bottle holder that may be used in a car seat, carriage or resting in a caregiver&#39;s arms. Another need is for a baby bottle holder that can be held in a vertical position to allow quick and easy removal of the bottle and which firmly grips the bottle yet allows easy removal. Yet another need is for a baby bottle holder that is self-locking to grip a variety of bottle shapes and widths and provides a wide base for stability. Still another need is for a baby bottle holder that tilts away from a baby&#39;s mouth when not in use preventing liquid from pooling near the mouth. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   These needs and others may be met by the present invention which is may be embodied in a baby bottle holder having a base member. The holder also has an upper portion having an aperture and a lower portion having two arms. The base member is flexible and allows the retention of a concave shape. The two arms may be swiveled away from the base member. 
   A second example of the present invention is a baby bottle holder that allows for a person feeding an infant to have their hands free. The bottle holder has a base having an upper portion and a lower portion with a surface which may be deformed in a concave shape for resting upon the infant&#39;s chest. Two arms are provided which are bendable horizontally outward from the base to provide compressive forces against the sides of the infant to prevent the bottle holder from moving. An ornamental shaped body portion is provided. A top portion of the bottle holder includes an aperture to provide frictional retaining of a baby bottle. 
   It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are not limiting but are intended to provide further explanation of the invention claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, are included to illustrate and provide a further understanding of the method and system of the invention. Together with the description, the drawings serve to explain the principles of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a front view of a bottle holder which is an example of the present invention with the arms in a retracted position; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the bottle holder in  FIG. 1  with the arms extended horizontally; 
       FIG. 3  is a front view of the bottle holder in  FIG. 1  with the arms extended vertically; 
       FIG. 4  is a top view of the bottle holder in  FIG. 1  with the arms extended horizontally; 
       FIG. 5  is a side view of the bottle holder in  FIG. 1  with the arms extended horizontally; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the bottle holder in  FIG. 1  holding a bottle and placed on a baby in a horizontal position; and 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the bottle holder of  FIG. 1  holding a bottle and placed on a baby in an upright position. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   While the present invention is capable of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described a presently preferred embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1–5 , a baby bottle holder  10  is shown. The baby bottle holder  10  has a wide base  12  with a concave top surface  14  and an opposite convex surface  16 . The base  12  further has an upper portion  18  and a lower portion  20 . The upper portion  18  is split into two halves  22  and  24  respectively. The lower portion  20  has two arms  26  and  28 . A keyhole cutout  30  is located between the two halves  22  and  24  of the upper portion  18 . The keyhole cut out  30  has a circular center  32  defined by two opposite cylindrical walls  34  and  36  respectively. The keyhole cut out  30  is further defined by two opposite vertical walls  38  and  40 . The cylindrical walls  34  and  36  are flexible and resilient. The two vertical walls  38  and  40  allow the cylindrical walls  34  and  36  to open and closed by virtue of the inherent resilience of the cut out  30 , to grip or release a baby bottle. It is to be understood that the upper portion  18  is not limited to the keyhole cut out shape  30  as an hourglass shape, a U channel, circles, square or hex and the like shapes with or without a cut out which may provide a frictional retention of a bottle may be used. 
   The two arms  26  and  28  of the lower portion  20  may be swiveled around pivot points  42  and  44  respectively. The arms  26  and  28  have ends  46  and  48  respectively which are located opposite from the points  42  and  44 . The ends  46  and  48  are wedge shaped having hook members  50  and  52  respectively. Of course other shapes such as a square or rounded shape may be used as well. The arms  26  and  28  may be stored in a retracted position as shown in  FIG. 1  with the ends  46  and  48  brought together. The arms  26  and  28  may also be swiveled out from the pivot points  42  and  44  at a parallel plane to the base  12  as shown in  FIG. 3 . Alternatively, the arms  26  and  28  may be swiveled in a perpendicular plane to the base  12  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The lower portion  20  has an arced bottom wall  54  which forms a resting surface to contact the infant as will be described below. 
   The bottle holder  10  is preferably fabricated from a resilient flexible material including open or closed foam, ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA), rubber such as sub butadiene rubber (SBR) or plastic. The example is fabricated from 12 Iron, (½″), 55–60 durometer EVA which allows flexibility in the base  12  and the arms  26  and  28  but retains the various parts in the positions manipulated by the user and cannot be torn. This material is also firm, yet resilient rubber which infants can teeth on without damaging teeth. In addition such material allows a one-piece construction which is lightweight and inexpensive and can be easily manufactured in large numbers. 
   Those of skill in the art will recognize that the design allows the adjustable arms  26  and  28  that apply gently compressive forces to the sides of the torso of an infant  102 , holding a bottle  100  in place as shown in  FIG. 6 . The lower portion  20  is concaved so that baby bottle holder  10  can rest comfortable upon the infant&#39;s chest. The bottle  100  is placed within the key hole cutout  30 . The two opposite vertical walls  38  and  40  are then pushed together to retain the bottle  100  between the cylindrical walls  34  and  36 . The baby bottle holder  10  retains the bottle  100  at an angle that allowing the flow of liquids for comfortable feeding to the infant  102 . 
   The bottle holder  10  is shown in  FIG. 6  placed on an infant  102  which is in a horizontal position. The bottom surface  16  rests on top of waist of the infant  102 . The two arms  26  and  28  can be extended as shown in  FIG. 2  and then be turned inward, gripping the torso of the infant  102  as pivoted in a slightly perpendicular plane to the base  12  as in  FIG. 6 . Since the bottle holder  10  is secured to the infant  102 , the baby bottle holder  10  moves with the infant  102  when sitting or laying on its side offering, totally hands free feeding so a care giver is free to perform other tasks. 
   Alternatively, the arms  26  and  28  may be extended vertically with the ends of the arms  46  and  48  keeping the bottle holder  10  from moving up as shown in  FIG. 2 . With arms  26  and  28  extended as in  FIG. 2 , the base  12  arches slightly as shown in  FIG. 7  adding compression forces to the cylindrical walls  34  and  36  to grip the bottle  100 . The arms  26  and  28  are then bent inward around the torso of the baby  102 . The bottle holder  10  thus acts as a fulcrum when the bottle  100  is inserted in the hole  30 . The majority of the length of the bottle  100  does not protrude through the hole  30  to the baby  102  which allows the bottle  100  to tilt back when the baby opens his or her mouth. 
   The configuration shown in  FIG. 7  allows the baby bottle holder  10  to be used in a car seat, carriage or resting in caregivers arms. The baby bottle holder  10  can be held in a vertical position to allow quick and easy removal of the bottle  100 . The baby bottle holder  10  retains the bottle  100  at an angle that allowing the flow of liquids for comfortable feeding of the infant  102 . 
   Since the arms  26  and  28  are adjustable, the baby bottle holder  10  can grip a variety of bottle shapes and widths that is self-locking. The ends  46  and  48  may act as handles for a user to carry the bottle  100  gripped in the bottle holder  10 . The baby bottle holder  10  is thin enough so it can be gripped easily by the baby to encourage and enhance eye and hand coordination. The size of the baby bottle holder  10  is such that it is portable and can be laid flat taking minimal amount of space. The baby bottle holder  10  can be easily cleaned and dried to prevent infection to the baby. 
   It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the method and system of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not limited by the foregoing descriptions but is intended to cover all modifications and variations that come within the scope of the spirit of the invention and the claims that follow.