Technical fieldThis invention relates to a disposable baby bottle kit according to the preamble of claim 1. More particularly, the disposable baby bottle kit of which can be assembled with reduced risk of contamination of the inside of the bottle and the teat unit.
Background of the InventionPre-sterilized disposable baby bottles are known to provide a convenient way to feed the baby without having to clean the bottle before or after use. Currently known disposable baby bottles require a great deal of effort to assemble and are at risk of post-unpacking contamination of the bottle or contamination during assembling of the bottle.
EP 1 714 631 A1, disclosed a baby bottle with a teat packaged in a cup sealed with heat-sealed plastic or wax coated aluminum foil. In order to assemble the baby bottle, the user must tear off the foil which could leave behind microscopic residues of the foil elements on the edge of the open cup. Such flakes may fall into the bottle during assembly. After opening the cup, the teat is then removed and placed in possibly the user's hand or any other surface which may not be clean. The kit does not provide a clean surface for the user to rest the teat unit, in particular when the user may be in public places other than their own home. Due to the way the kit is packaged, the user must reach inside the baby bottle with their fingers in order to pull the bottle away from the cup that holds the bottle. As a result, the likely hood of contamination of the bottle with health hazardous agents is greatly increased.
In addition to the contamination problem,
EP 1 714 631 A1 also has a cumbersome way of securing the teat unit to the bottle. The prior art uses a snap-fit method where leakage is common because consumers are required to press at 3 different points. Consumers who are not aware or fail to read the instruction will not seal the bottle properly. Leakage will occur.
US 2010/0193460 discloses a disposable baby kit according to the preamble of claim 1.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved disposable baby bottle kit.
Summary of the InventionThe present invention discloses a disposable baby bottle kit according to claim 1.
The first portion is constructed to be sufficiently wide such that it allows user finger to grip on to the exterior of the bottle and remove or expand the collapsed bottle from the first portion. The collapsible baby bottle includes an opened end, a body portion and a bottom end. The open end is provided with threading for coupling with the teat unit. The collapsible baby bottle may be extended to a desired length and may be filled with liquid infant food or drink. The collapsible baby bottle is also adjustable to suit the user's grip and suitable for feeding a baby in the upright position. Although intended for single use, the kit may be reused after sterilization.
Brief Description of the DrawingsAn exemplary embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by way of example with accompanying drawings in which:
- FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-section of an embodiment of the disposable baby bottle kit according to the present invention comprising a container with a first portion and a second portion and arrangement of a collapsible baby bottle and a teat unit inside the container;
- FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-section of the first portion with the collapsible baby bottle inside;
- FIG. 3 illustrates the teat unit fitted to the second portion of the container wherein the teat unit includes spiral threading at a connecting end;
- FIG. 4 illustrates an enlarged view of a groove in the second portion;
- FIG. 5 illustrates a collapsible baby bottle in the collapsed position where the bottle includes an opened end, body portion, and a bottom end;
- FIG. 6 illustrates an expanded collapsible baby bottle showing concentric rings on the body portion and spiral threading at the opened end;
- FIG. 7 illustrates the expanded collapsible baby bottle assembled to the teat unit;
- FIG. 8 illustrates the expanded collapsible baby bottle in a bended position having a teat unit assembled thereto;
- FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of the disposable baby bottle kit of which the first portion and the second portion coupled to each other via corresponding threading with exploded views of the corresponding threading on the said first and second portions;
- FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment of the disposable baby bottle kit of which the collapsible baby bottle is coupled to the first portion via a pair of grooves on the bottom wall of the first portion and a ridge ring prepared on the external surface of the bottom end of the collapsible baby bottle;
- FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of the disposable baby bottle kit in which the collapsible baby bottle is coupled to the first portion via a pair of grooves on the bottom wall of the first portion and a latching member on the bottom region of the disposable baby bottle.;
- FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment of the disposable baby bottle kit in which the collapsible baby bottle is coupled to the first portion via a pair of grooves wherein one member of the said groove is adapted to grasp onto the bottom concentric ring of the collapsible baby bottle;
- FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment of the disposable baby bottle kit in which the first portion and the second portion is connected by a hinge.
Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiment of the InventionFigs 1-13 show a disposable baby bottle kit 10 according to the principle of the invention.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the present invention disclosed a disposable baby bottle kit10 comprising a container comprising a first portion1 and a second portion2, a collapsible baby bottle3 positioned within the first portion1 and a teat unit4 fitted to the second portion2 of the container. The first portion1 and the second portion2 are coupled to each other forming a sealed capsule enclosing the collapsible baby bottle3 and the teat unit4 therein.
The first portion1 and the second portion2 are coupled together. The coupling mechanism can be by way of a capsule-like connection or corresponding threading or via biasing connecting web or hinge which their corresponding detail structure and characteristics will be further discussed below. The coupling may be further enhanced with plastic film wrapped around the kit of which may include instruction of use and other product information.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the disposable baby bottle kit10 according to the invention wherein the first portion1 and the second portion2 are coupled to each other by a capsule-like connection12. The coupling can be separated wherein the collapsible baby bottle3 remains inside the first portion1 as illustrated inFIG. 2 and the teat unit4 remains inside the second portion2 as illustrated inFIG. 3. The capsule-like connection does not leave residues on the edge of the first portion1 and the second portion2 after separation unlike the heat-sealed plastic or wax coated aluminum foil. In addition, the capsule-like connection12 is not permanently destroyed after the first portion1 is disengaged from the second portion2. Should the user decide to not assemble the collapsible baby bottle3, the user can simply reconnect the second portion2 to the first portion1 while keeping the collapsible baby bottle3 and the teat unit4 clean and sterile. Once the disposable baby bottle is used, the user can also use the empty first portion1 and second portion2 as a secure storage capsule for other baby amenities such as soothers/ pacifiers, teats/nipples or even milk powder formula.
The second portion2 includes a connecting means whereby the teat unit4 can be engaged to and disengaged from the second portion2. Said connecting means realized as a snap fit mechanism comprising a groove21 situated on the internal surface of the bottom wall of the second portion2. Said groove21, as shown inFIG. 4, comprising two slightly spaced apart circular parallel rings of which are capable of snugly engaging to a rim of a connecting end42 of the teat unit4 inserted there between. The teat unit4 includes a replaceable nipple41 assembled to the connecting end42 shown inFIG. 3. The connecting end42 can accommodate any regular sized nipples. The nipple includes any regular sized nipple with characteristics generally known in the art. The connecting end42 defines a shape corresponding to the shape of the opened end32 of the collapsible baby bottle3 and is configured to receive coupling of the nipple by way of coupling means as generally known in the art. The connecting end42 also includes internal spiral threading as a connecting means for coupling the teat unit4 to the collapsible baby bottle3. The second portion2 functions as a clean surface for resting of the teat unit while disassembling of the kit is in progress or while the user is preparing the formula. The user can simply put the teat unit4 in an upright position while still connected to the second portion2. This again will reduce the chance of contamination of the replaceable nipple41.
The collapsible baby bottle3 as seen inFIG. 5 includes an opened end32, a body portion33 and a bottom end31 which are integrally formed and wherein the opened end32 includes external spiral threading for receiving coupling of the connecting end42 of the teat unit4.
In order to provide a more compacted disposable baby bottle kit, while the teat unit4 remains coupled to the second portion2, a nipple or a portion thereof is arranged to enter the inside of the collapsible baby bottle3 as the first portion1 is coupled to second portion2 as shown inFIG. 1. This arrangement also reduces the cost for the manufacturing of the first portion1 and the second portion2 as lesser amount of material is needed.
As illustrated inFIG. 6, the collapsible baby bottle3 is extendable and the body portion33 includes multiple concentric rings34. The concentric rings34 eliminate spring-like resistance during the collapsing of the collapsible baby bottle3 resulting in a more compact structure as illustrated inFIG. 5 as well as facilitate bending of the body portion33 as illustrated inFIG. 8. The collapsible baby bottle3 also has graduated measurements on its body. This is to facilitate the user in providing the correct amount of baby formula for the baby. As an example, a fully extended collapsible baby bottle3, shown inFIG. 7, is capable of holding up to8 ounces of liquid. However, it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the capacity of the collapsible baby bottle3 may vary.
It is preferable that the opened end32 of the collapsible baby bottle3 is made of the same material as other parts of the collapsible baby bottle3. The opened end32, however, is prepared with greater wall thickness in comparison to the thickness of the body portion33 or the bottom end31. The thickened wall of the opened end32 enhances rigidity of the structure to allow better connection between the opened end32 of the collapsible baby bottle3 and the connecting end42 of the teat unit4. In addition, thickened material at the opened end32 is needed to create a uniformed thickness of the disposable baby bottle 3. During production, the disposable baby bottle undergoes a blow molding process where having a thickened material at the opened end32 allows an even flow of material to create the disposable baby bottle3 with uniformed wall thickness. The uniformed thickness serves to maintain the concentric rings34 expansion to their predetermined scale to ensure a uniform and accurate volumetric capacity of each concentric ring. Hence the volume of the content to be filled into the collapsible baby bottle3 will correspond to the graduated markings prepared on the collapsible baby bottle3.
It is preferable that the entire collapsible baby bottle3 is made of environmentally friendly material and is recyclable. Since the collapsible baby bottle3 is made up of one type of material, there is less issue in separating different types of materials for recycling purposes.
A capsule-like connection between the first portion1 and the second portion2 in the above described embodiment may be replaced with corresponding threading wherein the first portion1 and the second portion2 are prepared with corresponding male22 and female threading11 enabling the first portion1 and the second portion2 to couple together as illustrated inFIG. 9.
In another embodiment, the disposable baby bottle kit10 comprising a container comprising a first portion1 and a second portion2; a collapsible baby bottle3 positioned within the first portion1 and a teat unit4 fitted to the second portion2 of the container. The first portion1 and the second portion2 are coupled to each other forming a sealed capsule enclosing the collapsible baby bottle3 and the teat unit4 therein. The features and characteristics of the second portion2, teat unit4 and other features of the first portion1 and the collapsible baby bottle3 are as described in the earlier described embodiments. However, in this embodiment, the collapsible baby bottle3 is coupled to the first portion1. That is, in this embodiment, the bottom end31 of the collapsible baby bottle3 is coupled to the interior of the bottom wall12 of the first portion1 via connecting means prepared on the collapsible baby bottle3 and the first portion1.
As illustrated inFig. 10, in this embodiment, the coupling between the first portion1 and the collapsible baby bottle3 may be a snap fit mechanism as generally known in the art or utilizing the same coupling mechanism as with the coupling of the teat unit4 to the second portion2 as previously described. That is, the first portion1 includes a connecting means whereby the bottom end31 of the collapsible baby bottle3 can be engaged to and disengaged from the first portion1. The said connecting means realizes a snap fit mechanism comprising a groove21" prepared on the internal surface of the bottom wall12 of the first portion1 and a ridge ring35 prepared on the external surface of the bottom end31 of the collapsible baby bottle3. Said groove21" comprising preferably circular parallels comprising an outer ring22 and an inner ring23. The outer ring22 and the inner ring23 are slightly spaced apart such that the space there between is able to snugly receive engagement of the ridge ring35 of the bottom end31 of the collapsible baby bottle3.
Fig. 11 shows another embodiment of the disposable baby bottle kit10. In this embodiment, the collapsible baby bottle3 is also coupled to the first portion1 utilizing the same snap fit mechanism but with different coupling elements. As shown in this embodiment, the first portion1 is prepared with a groove comprising an outer ring22 and an inner ring23 similar to the previously described. In this embodiment, the outer ring22 is, however, prepared farther apart from the inner ring23. The outer ring22 is also slightly taller than the inner ring23. The tip of the outer ring22 includes a hook member22". The said hook member22" is capable of latching on to a latching member36 prepared on the bottom of the collapsible baby bottle3 securing the collapsible baby bottle3 to the first portion1 as the collapsible baby bottle3 is pressed downward.
Fig. 12 shows another embodiment of the disposable baby bottle kit10. In this embodiment, the collapsible baby bottle3 is also coupled to the first portion1, still utilizing the same snap fit mechanism, but yet with further different coupling elements. As shown in this embodiment, the first portion1 is prepared with a groove comprising an outer ring22 and an inner ring23 similar to the previously described. In this embodiment, the outer ring22, however, is much farther spaced-apart from the inner ring23. The outer ring22 includes a latching member22" at the tip as earlier described. The outer ring22 is positioned immediately at the proximity of the circumference of the bottom end of the collapsible baby bottle3 and extending upward beyond the first concentric ring from the bottom of the collapsible baby bottle3 such that the latching member22" is able to engage with the said concentric ring of the collapsible baby bottle3 by securing the collapsible baby bottle3 to the first portion1.
In a further embodiment, the disposable baby bottle kit3 comprising a container comprising a first portion1 and a second portion2, a collapsible baby bottle3 positioned within the first portion1 and a teat unit4 fitted to the second portion2 of the container. The first portion1 and the second portion2 are coupled to each other forming a sealed enclosure enclosing the collapsible baby bottle3 and the teat unit4 therein. The features and characteristics of the second portion2, teat unit4 and the first portion1 and the collapsible baby bottle3 are as described in any of the earlier described embodiments. However, in this embodiment, first portion1 and second portion2 remains connected via a biasing connecting web or hinge13 or the like as illustrated inFIG. 13. The biasing connecting web or hinge is integrally formed to the first portion1 and the second portion2 at a predetermined location and preferably made of the same material as with the first portion1 and the second portion2. The biasing ability of the connecting web or hinge permits repetition opening and closing of the container. This will even further reduce the chance of contamination of the baby bottle and the teat unit4. In the embodiment where the first portion1 and the second portion2 are removed completely, the teat unit4 while maintaining on a clean surface of the second portion2, is exposed to elements while the user is preparing a feeding bottle. In an extreme environment, the teat unit4 could have been exposed to air-borne contaminants. With this embodiment, once the user has removed the collapsible baby bottle3 and is in the process of preparing the feeding bottle, the user can reclose the container keeping the teat unit4 inside the container at all times until the preparation of the feeding bottle is completed and ready to be assembled with the teat unit4.
It is preferable that the first portion1 and the second portion2 are sufficiently wide to allow finger access between the opened end32 and surrounding side wall of the first portion1 in order to grip the exterior of the opened end32 and disengage the collapsible baby bottle3 from the first portion1. Further, with this embodiment, the collapsible baby bottle3 may be extended but remain coupled to the first portion1 while preparation of a feeding bottle is in progress. This will provide a steadier placement of the extended collapsible baby bottle3 while being filled with baby formula or liquid. Once the filling is completed, the first portion1 then may be detached from the collapsible baby bottle3.
As illustrated inFIG. 8, the collapsible baby bottle3 facilitates bending of the bottle so that the user has a better grip of the collapsible baby bottle3, at the same time improves flow of the liquid even if the baby is in an upright position. This configuration is beneficial to the well-being of the baby as feeding in upright position is the preferred feeding position. The upright feeding position is regarded to reduce the incidence of colic and to prevent liquid from flowing into the baby's inner ear preventing ear infection.
From the above, it is clearly illustrated that the disposable baby bottle kit10 according to the principle of the present invention offers more conveniences and better solution against contamination.
Although the disposable baby bottle kit10 is most suitable for single use, it is also possible to be reused. The collapsible baby bottle3 and the connecting end42 of the teat unit4 can be sterilized by boiling or cleaned using a baby-bottle disinfecting solution. Since the replaceable nipple41 is detachable the user only needs to purchase a reusable nipple and insert the same into the connecting end42 of the teat unit4. The replaceable nipple41 also eases separation of different types of materials for recycling purposes. The replaceable nipple41 that is made of one type of material can be easily separated from the connecting end42 which is made of a different type of material. Each type of material can then be recycled separately.