Appliance for treating articles, particularly nursing bottles and accessories
First Claim
1. An article treating apparatus operating in treatment cycles for treating articles, particularly nursing bottles and nursing bottle accessories, wherein each nursing bottle includes a nursing bottle length, a nursing bottle exterior, a nursing bottle bottom, and a nursing bottle mouth fluidly coupled to a nursing bottle interior, the apparatus comprising:
- a fresh water tank functioning as a source of fluid for treating the articles independent of a water main, a chamber containing a cage wherein the articles are loaded for treatment with the nursing bottle being disposed upward, the chamber being in fluid communication with and downstream of the fresh water tank, a heater operatively controllable operative to heat the fluid and to produce steam, and a rotator operatively coupled to the cage for rotating the cage in continuous steps of angular rotation and dwell at a dwell station, wherein;
the cage is configured to retain each nursing bottle with the bottom being disposed upward and in controlled-looseness retention allowing limited lengthwise translation and rotation perpendicular to the nursing bottle length, a jet dispenser in fluid communication with and downstream of the fresh water tank, the jet dispenser being configured to produce at least one oblique and intermittent high-speed jet of fluid at a dwell station appropriately aligned to impinge on a spot inside the nursing bottle via the nursing bottle mouth, to slightly lift upward and rotate the bottle, and a removable spent water tank disposed downstream of the chamber for collecting spent waste water, permitting operation of the appliance independent of a sewage system, whereby the apparatus is portable and autonomous by being self-sufficient in fresh water supply and in spent water collection.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Appliance (100) having a housing (101) of compact dimensions wherein articles, particularly nursing bottles (123, 179) and accessories (119), are treated inside a chamber (1). Treatment is achieved with dosed amounts of fresh water retrieved from a fresh water tank (7), by successive cycles of washing, rinsing, and sterilizing. The treatment cycles use additives and high-speed jets of heated liquid and of steam, which are filtered for repeated use. At the end of the treatment, liquids are purged to a wastewater tank (33). Self-treatment of the appliance is provided by use of the same treatment cycles. The appliance is independent of external water supply, portable and automatic for use in situ, where electricity supply is available.
38 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An article treating apparatus operating in treatment cycles for treating articles, particularly nursing bottles and nursing bottle accessories, wherein each nursing bottle includes a nursing bottle length, a nursing bottle exterior, a nursing bottle bottom, and a nursing bottle mouth fluidly coupled to a nursing bottle interior, the apparatus comprising:
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a fresh water tank functioning as a source of fluid for treating the articles independent of a water main, a chamber containing a cage wherein the articles are loaded for treatment with the nursing bottle being disposed upward, the chamber being in fluid communication with and downstream of the fresh water tank, a heater operatively controllable operative to heat the fluid and to produce steam, and a rotator operatively coupled to the cage for rotating the cage in continuous steps of angular rotation and dwell at a dwell station, wherein;
the cage is configured to retain each nursing bottle with the bottom being disposed upward and in controlled-looseness retention allowing limited lengthwise translation and rotation perpendicular to the nursing bottle length, a jet dispenser in fluid communication with and downstream of the fresh water tank, the jet dispenser being configured to produce at least one oblique and intermittent high-speed jet of fluid at a dwell station appropriately aligned to impinge on a spot inside the nursing bottle via the nursing bottle mouth, to slightly lift upward and rotate the bottle, and a removable spent water tank disposed downstream of the chamber for collecting spent waste water, permitting operation of the appliance independent of a sewage system, whereby the apparatus is portable and autonomous by being self-sufficient in fresh water supply and in spent water collection. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
whereby continuous rotation and dwell of the cage provides enhanced treatment of the nursing bottle accessories and of both the interior and the exterior of each nursing bottle.
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6. The article treating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:
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the jet dispenser is disposed downstream of and in fluid communication with the chamber, from which it receives, a succession of doses of fluid supplied thereto for controllably generating at least one intermittent high-speed jet of fluid for injection into the cage, the jet dispenser being aligned in operative association with the cage in opposite oblique orientation relative to the length of a nursing bottle, to sequentially inject the at least one jet of fluid for treatment of the interior of a nursing bottle via the nursing bottle mouth when at one dwell station, and to inject at least one jet of fluid for treatment of the exterior of the nursing bottle and of the nursing bottle accessories when at a next dwell station, whereby doses of fluid and intermittent doses of at least one high-speed jet of fluid save fresh water and enhance treatment efficiency, and a filter is intermediately mounted in the chamber and the jet dispenser, for filtering fluid received from the chamber before repeated use of filtered fluid by the jet dispenser, the filter enabling repeated use of a dose of fluid, whereby doses of fresh water necessary for treatment of articles are saved, permitting reduction of size of the fresh water tank and of the wastewater tank, to make the appliance portable.
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7. The article treating apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:
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at least one high-speed intermittent jet of fluid obliquely impinging on the interior of a nursing bottle and causing thereto longitudinal displacement and angular displacement perpendicular to the length of the nursing bottle, whereby at least one high-speed jet of fluid successively impinges on different spots inside the nursing bottle and enhances treatment solely by fluid treatment.
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8. The article treating apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:
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a basket of cylindrical and meshed construction to ensure fluid communication between the chamber and the articles and vice versa, the basket being disposed inside the cage, inside which the nursing bottle accessories are dispersed and retained in random distribution, and a distribution of dwell stations configured to have the at least one high-speed jets of fluid sequentially impinge on the nursing bottle accessories at one out of two dwell stations.
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9. The article treating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein
the jet dispenser generates a plurality of high-speed jets of fluid selected alone and in combination from the group of intermittent and of continuous jets of fluid. -
10. The article treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the heater is located at either one of both an inside of the jet dispenser and adjacent the jet dispenser.
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11. The article treating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
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a controller for commanding, controlling and sequencing operation of the apparatus, the controller being programmable to command automatic operation of the apparatus in treatment step parameters, selected alone or in combination with the parameters consisting of order of successive treatment cycles, number of treatment cycles, and duration of treatment cycles.
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12. The article treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
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a volume of water contained in the fresh water tank is in the range of 0.5 liter and 0.75 liter which is sufficient for treatment of up to five nursing bottles and nursing bottle accessories, whereby the appliance is capable of treating more than one load of articles and remains a portable appliance.
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13. The article treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the spent water tank is removable from the appliance for emptying, and is replaceable. -
14. The article treating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a self-treatment process operatively controllable to provide at least either one of both a single and a plurality of treatment cycles, selected alone and in combination, from the group of treatment cycles consisting of washing with either one of both cold and hot water, of rinsing with either one of both cold and hot water, and of sterilizing with steam, in a selectable order and number of cycles.
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15. The article treating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
at least one additive container from which an additive is controllably released, the at least one additive container being coupled in fluid communication and appropriately configured for adding the at least one additive to the self-treatment process, whereby the self-treatment process is enhanced.
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16. An article treating apparatus for treating articles, namely nursing bottles and nursing bottle accessories,
wherein each nursing bottle includes a nursing bottle length, a nursing bottle exterior, a nursing bottle bottom, and a nursing bottle mouth fluidly coupled to a nursing bottle interior, operating within a housing of compact dimensions, comprising: -
a fresh water tank functioning as a source of fluid for treating the articles independent of a water main, a chamber containing a cage wherein the articles are loaded for treatment with the nursing bottle bottom being disposed upward, the chamber being in fluid communication with and downstream of the fresh water tank, a heater operatively controllable to heat the fluid and to produce steam, and a rotator operatively coupled to the cage for rotating the cage in continuous steps of angular rotation and dwell at a dwell station, wherein;
the cage is configured to retain each nursing bottle in controlled-looseness retention for limited lengthwise translation and rotation perpendicular to the nursing bottle length, a jet dispenser in fluid communication with and downstream of the fresh water tank, the jet dispenser being configured to produce at least one oblique and intermittent high-speed jet of fluid at a dwell station in appropriate alignment to impinge on a spot inside the nursing bottle via the nursing bottle mouth, to slightly lift upward and rotate the bottle, and a removable spent water tank downstream of the chamber for collecting spent waste water, permitting operation of the appliance independent of a sewage system, whereby the apparatus is portable and autonomous by being self-sufficient in fresh water supply and in spent water collection. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification