Baby safe feeder with integral mesh bag

• US 6,524,272 B1
• Filed: 06/07/2000
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Donald P Berry Sr (Donald P. Berry)
• Original Assignee: Donald P Berry Sr (Donald P. Berry)
• Inventors: Berry, Donald P. Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US09/588,360
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 604/19, 604/57, 604/77, 604/79, 604/82, 604/264, 604/403, 604/408, 215/273, 215/274, 215/276, 215/277, 215/283, 215/DIG.3, 220/253, 220/256, 220/288, 606/234-236
• US Class Current: 604/77
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 17/00 Baby-comforters; Teething rings
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0046 Cups, bottles or bags
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0053 Syringes, pipettes or oral dispensers

Abstract

A device for feeding a young child or impaired adult without the threat of the person choking, this device comprising a handle member in combination with an elongate food dispensing container of mesh material, with the end of the container having an aperture permitting semi-solid food to be inserted therein. An end of the handle member has external threads, and an internally threaded ring is utilized in cooperation therewith. One of the embodiments of this invention involves the internally threaded ring being a part of a ring assembly constituted by inseparable inner and outer interlocking ring portions, with the part of the food dispensing container locked tightly therebetween, whereas another embodiment involves a rigid ring permanently secured in the end of the food dispensing container.

Claims

1. A device for feeding a young child or impaired adult without the threat of the person choking, said device comprising a handle member in combination with a food dispensing member in the form of an elongate container of mesh material, in the end of which container, an aperture is located so that semi-solid food can be inserted into said elongate container, said handle member having a circularly configured handle end around the exterior surface of which, securing means are disposed, a ring utilized in operative association with said handle end, around the interior surface of which ring, securing means complementary to the securing means on said handle end are disposed, with the securing means of said handle end and said ring able to interfit and be tightened so as to be interlocked together, means serving to hold said aperture of said elongate container in an open position to simplify the placement of food in said container, with said means being of a diameter as to make it highly unlikely that said elongate container could be swallowed by a child or impaired adult, whereby upon food being placed in said container, said ring can be tightened upon said handle end so as to form a unitary device, said elongate container, upon then being placed in the mouth of the person, enabling the food in said container to at least partially dissolve in the mouth of the person.

2. The device for feeding a young child or impaired adult without the threat of the person choking as recited in claim 1 in which said securing means disposed on the exterior of said handle end and on the interior of said ring are screw threads.

3. The device for feeding a young child or impaired adult without the threat of the person choking as recited in claim 1 in which said ring is part of a ring assembly constituted by inner and outer interlocking ring portions, with the part of said elongate container adjacent said aperture being locked tightly in a non-separable manner between the ring portions constituting said ring assembly.

4. The device for feeding a young child or impaired adult without the threat of the person choking as recited in claim 1 in which the aperture of said elongate container is held in the open position by a rigid ring, said rigid ring having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of said circularly configured handle end upon which external threads are disposed, whereby said rigid ring can be placed over and around said threads, and means for holding said rigid ring and the end of said elongate container in firm engagement with said handle end.

5. The device for feeding a young child or impaired adult without the threat of the person choking as recited in claim 4 in which said means for holding said rigid ring and the end of said elongate container in firm engagement with said handle end is said ring.

6. The device for feeding a young child or impaired adult without the threat of the person choking as recited in claim 4 in which a flange is provided adjacent said external threads of said handle end, and said rigid ring has a portion coming into tight contact with said flange at such time as said internally threaded ring has been tightened, assuring that said elongate container will be secured to said handle end in an essentially unitary manner.

7. A device for feeding a young child or impaired adult without the threat of the person choking, said device comprising a handle member in combination with an elongate food dispensing member of mesh material, in the end of which mesh container, an aperture is located so that semi-solid food can be inserted into said mesh container, said handle member having a circularly configured handle end around the exterior surface of which, securing means are disposed, a ring member utilized in operative association with said handle end, around the interior surface of which ring member, securing means complementary to the securing means on said handle end are disposed, with the securing means of said handle end and said ring member able to interfit an d be tightened so as to be interlocked together, means serving to hold said aperture of said mesh container in an open position to simplify the placement of food in said mesh container, with the diameter of said means being sufficiently large as to make it highly unlikely that said mesh container could be swallowed by a child or impaired adult, whereby upon food being placed in said mesh container, said ring member can be tightened upon said handle end so as to form a unitary device, said mesh container, upon then being placed in the mouth of the person, enabling the food in said mesh container to at least partially dissolve in the mouth of the person.

8. The device for feeding a young child or impaired adult without the threat of the person choking as recited in claim 7 in which said ring member i s part of a ring assembly constituted by inner and outer interlocking ring portions, with the part of said mesh container adjacent said aperture being locked tightly in a non-separable manner between the ring portions constituting said ring assembly.

9. The device for feeding a young child or impaired adult without the threat of the person choking as recited in claim 7 in which the aperture of s aid mesh container is held in the open position by a rigid ring, said rigid ring having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of said circularly configured handle end upon which external threads are disposed, whereby said rigid ring can be placed over and around said threads, and means for holding said rigid ring and the end of said mesh container in firm engagement with said handle end.

10. The device for feeding a young child or impaired adult without the threat of the person choking as recited in claim 9 in which said means for holding said rigid ring and the end of said mesh container in firm engagement with said handle end is said ring member.

11. The device for feeding a young child or impaired adult without the threat of the person choking as recited in claim 9 in which a flange is provided adjacent said external threads of said handle end, and said rigid ring has a portion coming into tight contact with said flange at such time as said internally threaded ring has been tightened, assuring that said mesh container will be secured to said handle end in an essentially unitary manner.