Rocking and self-righting device for feeding bottles, cups or cutlery

The field of this invention is utensils such as feeding bottles, cups or cutlery for the feeding of young infants. The particular technical area is feet for supporting said cups, feeding bottles or cutlery, for example, on a table, causing them to rock, and returning them to the equilibrium position.

The present invention relates to a rocking and self-righting device for feeding-related utensils for infants: cups, feeding bottles or cutlery, as described in the preamble of Claim 1.

"Self-righting" here means returning the axis of the utensil to the vertical position.

In this patent application the terms feeding bottles, cups and cutlery mean utensils specially developed for infants, especially of a young age, for feeding purposes, as in bottle-feeding or feeding with semisolids of various consistencies.

Round-mouthed receptacles with one or more handles for infants are known. Such cups or feeding bottles have a bottom with a flat surface enabling them to be stood on a supporting surface such as a table. In the case of cutlery, it can be said that they are usually laid on their side, so that their longitudinal axis is roughly parallel to the plane of the surface on which they are placed.

A great variety of materials may be used to make these objects, from glass to plastic - such as polycarbonate - to metallic materials. Usually, if the objects are unbalanced, they fall onto one side and do not return to their original equilibrium position, because said position of mechanical equilibrium is not usually the same as the initial position. Mechanical equilibrium refers to a condition in which the forces and moments acting on the body in question are equal to zero, when the utensil consequently does not move.

An additional point that may be made is that known cups, feeding bottles and cutlery have no play function for the infant because they are designed to perform their feeding-utensil function. At the very most they are decorated with ornamental designs to make their appearance attractive to the infant.

It is an object of the invention to develop a device that will enable feeding utensils, particularly feeding bottles, cups or cutlery such as spoons or forks, for feeding young infants, to rock and oscillate when the baby puts them on a supporting surface, such as a table, and gradually to right themselves by rocking and oscillating until they find a stable position of equilibrium.

This object is achieved by means of the features defined in Claim 1. Other advantageous developments of the invention are provided in the dependent claims.

Utensils provided with the rocking self-righting device will, when laid down, for example after being used, rock and return to a vertical

position, engaging the child in an entertaining activity before, during and after the meal. At present, no such device is known to the inventor or to those skilled in the art.

The other advantages provided by the present invention are principally as follows:

- greater stability

- introduction of a play component into the object - aesthetically pleasing shape

- more ergonomic handling

- improved hygiene for the infant, since the part of the cup or feeding bottle that is sucked never touches the surfaces of tables or chairs - greater safety for the child

The invention will now be further elucidated with reference to the appended drawings, which show in diagrammatic form preferred embodiments, presented purely by way of example without implying any limitation inasmuch as technical or constructional variants can always be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross section through an embodiment of the rocking and self-righting device 1 for a cup 10 with a drinking straw 11 and a cap 12;

Figure 2 is a cross section through an embodiment of the rocking and self-righting device 1 for a feeding bottle 20 having a cap 21 and a teat 22; and

Figure 3 is a cross section through an embodiment of the rocking and self-righting device 1 for a spoon 30, the bowl P of which is of approximately ellipsoidal form.

The device 1 which forms the subject matter of the invention is capable of rocking and righting infant feeding utensils such as, in particular, a spoon 30, a cup 10 or a feeding bottle 20.

"Righting" refers to the axis of the utensil: in Figures 1-3 the utensils in question can be seen to be in the vertical position. In this position the forces and moments acting on the body of the utensil are in equilibrium.

In one embodiment, the oscillation mentioned above depends on the amount of liquid contained in the container. Feeding bottles and cups containing up to 250 ml_ are reliably righted at once.

Said device 1 comprises an approximately spherically shaped part S of a size suitable to be grasped by an infant. Said part has a wall P, and the part S has a hollow region CA in its interior. The device 1 to which the invention relates has an axis A-A about which the device 1 is symmetrical. In the equilibrium position this axis is vertical.

On the bottom of the approximately spherical part S, the device is provided with a weight means CC. More precisely, there is a hollow region CA in the bottom section of the spherical part S containing an object suitable to act as a weight and exert a force and moment on the utensil connected to the device 1 such as to restore the utensil to a position of vertical equilibrium. The weight means CC is secured by suitable securing means to the base of, and inside, the spherical part S.

The function of the weight means CC is to restore mechanical equilibrium when the utensil is not in the equilibrium position; that is, when the forces and moments acting on the body in question are not equal to zero.

Oscillation of the device, whether cup, feeding bottle or cutlery, is made possible by the curvature of the wall P of the device, where said wall is in contact with an external support during rocking.

In one embodiment the weight section comprises a flat part perpendicular to the axis of symmetry A-A. The purpose of said shape is to give the utensil greater stability in the vertical position.

Said approximately spherical shape has been specifically designed for the infant's small hands: easy to grasp, it is ergonomical for the smallest baby and can be held securely by the child even when making his first attempts to handle the product for himself.

The weight means CC is inserted in the hollow portion CA of the device 1 in the bottom of the utensil. Said weight CC enables the utensil to oscillate. The utensil therefore not only returns to the initial position but continues to rock until it reaches stability. This rocking is not prejudicial to the product's functionality: in one embodiment the cups and feeding bottles are all provided with an anti-drip mechanism to prevent the escape of liquid during the motion, thus ensuring the hygiene and safety of the child. If oscillated without the lid, the products in question still however remain very hygienic because the part of the cup or feeding bottle which is sucked never touches the surface of tables or chairs.

The weight means CC is preferably made of a material such as high- density polyamide while the spherical body S of the device of the invention is preferably made of a thermoplastic elastomer or polypropylene, or both together, positioned in two adjacent layers.