Actively heated or cooled infant bottle system

• US 10,433,672 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2019
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ember Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ember Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Alexander, Clayton, Leith, Daren John, Wakeham, Christopher Thomas, Timperi, Mikko Juhani, Gschwandtl, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): LaFlame, Jr., Michael A
• Application Number:
  US16/260,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20190231121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 252 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/2416 with a heat storage element or material
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/2433 with electrical heating means
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/2438 for warming a water-bath or -jacket
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2331/803 Bottles
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 31/007 Bottles or cans

Abstract

An infant bottle feeding system includes an infant bottle with a chamber that receives a liquid, heating or cooling elements operable to heat or cool liquid in the chamber and sensors operable to sense parameters of the liquid in the chamber. The system optionally includes an electronic base removably attached to a bottom surface of the infant bottle and operable to deliver power to electronics in the infant bottle. The system optionally includes a thermal cover that fits over the infant bottle and releasably couples to the electronic base to enclose the infant bottle, the thermal cover insulating the infant bottle and inhibiting heat loss of the liquid in the chamber. The electronic base delivers power to the heating elements and sensors in the infant bottle only when the infant bottle is on the electronic base. The infant bottle, thermal cover and electronic base define a single travel pack unit when coupled together.

Claims

1. An infant bottle feeding system, comprising:

an electronic base configured to removably support an infant bottle on an upper surface thereof, the electronic base comprising;

one or more sensors, at least one of the one or more sensors configured to sense a weight of the infant bottle when placed on the electronic base,

a transceiver, and

circuitry configured to communicate with the one or more sensors and the transceiver, the circuitry operable to one or more of;

record one or both of a start time and start weight of the infant bottle prior to an infant feeding event,

record one or both of an end time and end weight of the infant bottle following an infant feeding event,

calculate one or both of an elapsed time between the start time and end time and a consumption amount based on a difference between the start weight and end weight, and

one or both of store the elapsed time and consumption amount in a memory of the electronic base and wirelessly communicate via the transceiver the elapsed time and consumption amount to one or both of a remote electronic device and a to the cloud-based data storage system for storage and from which data is accessible via a dashboard interface on an electronic device; and

a thermal cover configured to fit over the infant bottle and to releasably couple to the electronic base to completely enclose the infant bottle between the thermal cover and the electronic base, the thermal cover configured to insulate the infant bottle and inhibit heat loss of liquid in the infant bottle.

2. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 1, wherein the infant bottle, thermal cover and electronic base define a single travel pack unit when coupled together.

3. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 1, wherein the thermal cover extends between a closed distal end and an open proximal end through which the thermal cover receives the infant bottle, the thermal cover comprising an outer wall and an inner wall spaced apart from the outer wall to define a gap therebetween, the gap being under vacuum.

4. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 3, wherein the thermal cover further comprises a phase change material in thermal communication with the inner wall, the phase change material configured to absorb heat from the infant bottle to thereby cool the contents of the infant bottle.

5. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 1, wherein the electronic base comprises one or more batteries in communication with the circuitry.

6. The infant bottle feeding system, of claim 1, wherein the infant bottle comprises

a body with a chamber configured to receive a liquid therein,

one or more heating or cooling elements housed in the body and in thermal communication with the chamber, the one or more heating or cooling elements being operable to heat or cool a liquid in the chamber, and

one or more sensors in communication with the chamber and operable to sense one or more parameters of the liquid in the chamber.

7. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 6, wherein the electronic base further comprises one or more electrical contacts on a proximal surface thereof configured to contact one or more electrical contacts on a distal surface of the infant bottle configured to communicate with one or both of the one or more heating or cooling elements and one or more sensors, the electronic base configured to deliver power to one or both of the one or more heating or cooling elements and one or more sensors in the infant bottle via the one or more electrical contacts in the electronic base and in the infant bottle.

8. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 7, wherein the one or more electrical contacts in the infant bottle are one or more rings radially spaced apart from each other along and centered on an axis of the infant bottle, and wherein the one or more electrical contacts in the electronic base are one or more electrical pin contacts.

9. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 6, wherein the electronic base comprises one or more proximity sensors operable to communicate a signal to the circuitry in the electronic base when the infant bottle is on the electronic base, the circuitry configured to disallow transfer of power to the infant bottle unless said signal indicating the infant bottle is on the electronic base is received from the one or more proximity sensors.

10. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 6, wherein the transceiver is operable to wirelessly transmit information to an electronic device and to receive instructions from the electronic device, the circuitry in the electronic base configured to operate the one or more heating or cooling elements in the infant bottle based at least in part on the received instructions when the infant bottle is on the electronic base.

11. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 1, wherein the thermal cover removably couples to the electronic base via one or more electromagnets in the electronic base actuatable by the circuitry in the electronic base to releasably couple to one or more permanent magnets in the thermal cover.

12. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 6, wherein the infant bottle further comprises circuitry configured to communicate with one or both of the one or more heating or cooling elements and the one or more sensors.

13. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 7, wherein the one or more electrical contacts in the electronic base and in the infant bottle are operable to transmit power from the electronic base to the infant bottle as well as to transmit data from the one or more sensors in the infant bottle to the electronic base.

14. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 1, wherein the thermal cover comprises one or more thermoelectric elements operable to cool at least a portion of an inner wall of the thermal cover to thereby actively cool or heat one or both of the infant bottle and a liquid in the infant bottle when the infant bottle is disposed in the thermal cover, the electronic base configured to transmit power to the one or more thermoelectric elements in the thermal cover when the thermal cover is coupled to the electronic base.

15. The infant bottle system of claim 7, wherein the circuitry in the electronic base is operable to receive data from the one or more sensors in the infant bottle indicative of one or more of a temperature, a level, and a volume of liquid in the chamber, the circuitry configured to operate the one or more heating elements based on said data.

16. The infant bottle system of claim 15, wherein the circuitry is operable to measure a volume of liquid consumed during a feeding period based on the sensed data from the one or more sensors in the infant bottle and to wirelessly communicate said measured volume to one or both of the remote electronic device and the cloud-based data storage system from which the measured volume is accessible by a user via an electronic device.

17. An infant bottle feeding system, comprising:

an infant bottle having a body with a chamber configured to receive a liquid therein, the infant bottle comprising;

one or more heating elements housed in the body and in thermal communication with the chamber and operable to heat a liquid in the chamber, and

one or more sensors in communication with the chamber and operable to sense one or more parameters of the liquid in the chamber;

an electronic base removably attached to a bottom surface of the infant bottle and configured to deliver power to electronics in the infant bottle; and

a thermal cover configured to fit over a top of the infant bottle and to releasably couple to the electronic base to completely enclose the infant bottle between the thermal cover and the electronic base, the thermal cover configured to insulate the infant bottle and inhibit heat loss of liquid in the chamber,

wherein the electronic base is configured to deliver power to one or both of the one or more heating elements and the one or more sensors in the infant bottle only when the infant bottle is on the electronic base, and wherein the infant bottle, thermal cover and electronic base define a single travel pack unit when coupled together.

18. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 17, wherein the electronic base comprises one or more batteries and circuitry in communication with the one or more batteries.

19. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 17, wherein the electronic base further comprises one or more electrical contacts on a proximal surface configured to contact one or more electrical contacts on a distal surface of the infant bottle, the electronic base configured to deliver power to one or both of the one or more heating elements and the one or more sensors in the infant bottle via the one or more electrical contacts in the electronic base and in the infant bottle.

20. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 17, wherein the thermal cover extends between a closed distal end and an open proximal end through which the thermal cover receives the infant bottle, the thermal cover comprising an outer wall and an inner wall spaced apart from the outer wall to define a gap therebetween, the gap being under vacuum, the thermal cover further comprising a phase change material in thermal communication with the inner wall, the phase change material configured to absorb heat from the infant bottle to thereby cool the liquid in the infant bottle.

21. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 17, wherein the electronic base comprises a transceiver operable to wirelessly transmit information to one or both of a remote electronic device and a cloud-based data storage system and to receive instructions therefrom, the circuitry in the electronic base configured to operate the one or more heating elements in the infant bottle based at least in part on the received instructions when the infant bottle is on the electronic base.

22. The infant bottle feeding system of claim 17, wherein the one or more electrical contacts in the electronic base and in the infant bottle are operable to transmit power from the electronic base to the infant bottle as well as to transmit data from the one or more sensors in the infant bottle to the electronic base.

23. The infant bottle system of claim 21, wherein the circuitry in the electronic base is operable to receive data from the one or more sensors in the infant bottle indicative of one or more of a temperature, a level, and a volume of liquid in the chamber, the circuitry configured to operate the one or more heating elements based on said data.

24. The infant bottle system of claim 23, wherein the circuitry is operable to measure an amount of liquid consumed during a feeding period based on one or both of the sensed data from the one or more sensors in the infant bottle and a sensed weight of the infant bottle measured by one or more weight sensors in the electronic base that communicate with the circuitry in the electronic base, the circuitry operable to one or both of store the measured amount in a memory of the electronic base and wirelessly communicate via the transceiver said measured amount to one or both of a remote electronic device and a cloud-based data storage system from which the measured amount is accessible by a user via an electronic device.