Feeding Apparatus

• US 20150122674A1
• Filed: 11/04/2014
• Published: 05/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dongguan Kidsme Industrial Limited
• Original Assignee: Dongguan Kidsme Industrial Limited
• Inventors: LO, Fu Man Herman
• Granted Patent: US 9,717,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 206/229
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 11/0015 by size or shape of the opening
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 11/008 Protecting caps
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 11/04 with means for fastening to bottles
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 17/02 Teething rings
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 9/001 with inner liners
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 9/005 Non-rigid or collapsible feeding-bottles
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 9/08 Protective covers for bottles

Abstract

A feeding apparatus includes a food container. The food container includes an open end and a closed end. The food container is provided on a surface thereof with one or more apertures. The food container is made of a resilient material for use with foodstuff.

Claims

1. A feeding apparatus comprising:

a food container, the food container comprising an open end and a closed end, the food container being provided on a surface thereof with one or more apertures, the food container being made of a resilient material for use with foodstuff;

a first coupling member comprising a platform, and an opening in communication with the container open end, the food container being engaged with the first coupling member; and

a second coupling member cooperating with the first coupling member and movable between an open configuration allowing food to pass through the opening and into the food container, and a sealed configuration where the second coupling member covers the opening of the first coupling member thereby sealing the open end of the food container, the second coupling member comprising a first protruding plug portion which snugly plugs into and seals the opening of the first coupling member when the second coupling member is in the sealed configuration;

wherein the open end of the food container comprises a flange which is adapted to be clamped between the platform of the first coupling member and the first protruding plug portion of the second coupling member, a bottom surface of the first protruding plug portion is pressed against a top surface of the flange of the food container, and a bottom surface of the flange of the food container is pressed against the platform of the first coupling member when the second coupling member is in the sealed configuration.

2. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flange comprises a first position indicator and the platform comprises a second position indicator, such that when the first position indicator and the second position indicator are aligned, the food container is in a desired rotational position.

3. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second coupling member further comprises a handle, and the food container is aligned with the handle when the second coupling member is in the sealed configuration and the food container is in the desired rotational position.

4. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the food container comprises one or more apertures closer to the closed end and one or more apertures farther from the closed end, and wherein the dimension of the apertures closer to the closed end is smaller than the dimension of the apertures farther from the closed end.

5. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the distance between two adjacent apertures is about 2 mm to about 10 mm.

6. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the food container further comprise a plurality of protrusions, the protrusions are formed between two adjacent apertures.

7. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resilient material for use with foodstuff is selected from the group consisting of silicone, latex, and rubber.

8. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the food container is generally in the shape of a nipple of a milk-feeding bottle.

9. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shape of the food container is generally cylindrical with a rounded head and being suitable for putting into infant'"'"'s mouth.

10. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the food container tapers into a rounded end.

11. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the food container is about 1 mm to about 6 mm.

12. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a notch is provided at one of the annular flange of the food container and the first coupling member, and a projection is provided at the other of the annular flange of the food container and the first coupling member, the notch and projection being interengagable to prevent or limit relative angular displacement of the food container and the first coupling member when the annular flange is clamped between the annular platform of the first coupling member and the second coupling member.

13. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second coupling member comprises a food-squeezing unit, the food-squeezing unit is employed to squeeze the food inside the food-squeezing unit towards and into the food container.

14. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the food-squeezing unit comprises a squeezable container.

15. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the food-squeezing unit comprises a hollow barrel and a push member, the second opening is provided at one end of barrel and a third opening is provided at the other end of the barrel, and the push member is slidably movable inside the barrel.

16. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 13, further comprising an intermediate member disposed between the second coupling member and the first coupling member for preventing the food inside the food container from moving back into the food squeezing unit.

17. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the intermediate member comprises a casing with at least one blocking plate, the casing defines a central space in which the at least one blocking plate is mounted.

18. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the intermediate member comprises one blocking plate extending across a center of the casing.

19. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the intermediate member comprises two blocking plates formed into the shape of a cross.

20. The feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the intermediate member comprises three blocking plates formed into the shape of an asterisk.