Patent Application
20140013609
The present invention relates generally to a drying rack assembly and, more particularly, to an apparatus designed for drying and storing baby bottles and other component parts of baby bottles such as baby bottle nipples, collars and caps.
When handling and cleaning infant feeding equipment, the hygienic cleansing of baby bottles, baby bottle nipples and other component parts is of critical importance. Ideally, between each use, bottles and nipples should be thoroughly scrubbed and then sterilized for use. Proper cleaning and scrubbing after use is particularly important so as to get rid of and clear any remaining food or liquid particles such as fatty liquids, or liquids having suspended solids therein such as formula, cereal, or other infant feeding products. It is important to remove all such remaining food or liquid particles because these types of remaining particles and/or residue may serve as a breeding ground for bacteria, potentially causing illness or infection. Because baby bottles hold sustenance for infants, having clean and dry baby bottles are particularly important in order to minimize the risks of illness and/or infection.
A variety of items have been designed specifically for cleaning and drying baby bottles and these items are often found in households having young children as well as in a variety of caregiving facilities such as daycares and nurseries. Oftentimes, these items are one of many objects purchased to assist in maintaining a clean eating environment for babies. Because there are a wide variety of cleaning devices available to clean and sterilize containers/bottles which hold sustenance for infants, once these containers/bottles have been washed, they are typically left out on a countertop or elsewhere to air dry. Furthermore, the areas where these containers/bottles are left to air dry are frequently cluttered with a multitude of items including, but not limited to, bottle brushes, nipple brushes, collars, caps, bibs, towels, drying racks, formula containers, sterilizing equipment, pacifiers and other similar items. Leaving such containers/bottles and their component parts sitting out to air dry not only causes excessive clutter, but it also unnecessarily exposes the damp surfaces to germs, debris and dust. Consequently, there is a need for an improved drying apparatus that is compact, easy to use and which provides for a more thorough and quicker drying action. There is also a need to maintain clean, convenient storage spaces for items that come into direct contact with an infant's mouth so as to provide a clean sanitary environment.
The present invention is directed to a drying rack assembly and, more particularly, to an apparatus which is designed for drying and storing baby bottles and other component parts of baby bottles such as baby bottle nipples, collars and caps. The drying rack assembly may include a base housing for enclosing the mechanical and electrical components of the drying rack assembly. The base housing may further include at least one grate rack positioned on the top face of the base housing for storing the component parts of baby bottles thereon. A drip tray may be positioned directly beneath the grate rack for catching water which may drip from items stored on the drying rack assembly.
The base housing further serves to support at least one trunk module. Each trunk module includes at least one branch, each branch designed for storing an item such as a baby bottle after washing. In one embodiment, a trunk module may have a plurality of branches to provide increased storage space on the drying rack assembly. Furthermore, a plurality of trunk modules may be assembled in a modular arrangement, one on top of another, such that the branches are spaced in a configuration which allows for the storage of a multitude of baby bottles and similar items on the drying rack assembly. It is thus envisioned that trunk modules may be added or removed, as desired, to accommodate varying storage needs.
The drying rack assembly further includes a power source located within the base housing. The power source is electrically connected to a motor and provides power thereto. The motor is in mechanical communication with a fan which is positioned at the entry to an air duct, the air duct directing the linear flow of air produced by the fan through passageways or openings associated with both the trunk module and the branches. The air travels through the various passageways and exits an opening associated with the terminal end portion of each branch for drying the item positioned on the branch.
The drying rack assembly may further include a cap which may be secured to the top face of a trunk module to support the modular arrangement of trunk modules and to contain and direct the flow of air through the branches. The fan may be operably connected to a timing mechanism in order to facilitate the timed drying of items stored on the drying rack assembly. The fan may be further connected to an indicator to display when the fan is in operation.
Specific advantages and features of the present assembly will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and the description of several illustrative embodiments of the present invention.
It should be understood that the present drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments disclosed herein are sometimes illustrated by fragmentary views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should also be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein. Like numbers utilized throughout the various figures designate like or similar parts or structure.
Referring now to the drawings more particularly by reference numbers,
In one embodiment, the drying rack assembly 10 includes a base housing 12 for enclosing the mechanical components of the drying rack assembly 10 as will be hereinafter further explained. The base housing 12 may further include at least one grate rack 14 positioned on the top face of the base housing 12 for storing the component parts of baby bottles thereon such as baby bottle caps, baby bottle nipples, collars and the like in order to facilitate the drying thereof The grate rack 14 may be removably or fixedly secured to the top face of the base housing 12. As illustrated in
The base housing 12 may further serve to support at least one trunk module 18. In this regard, the housing 12 includes an air duct inlet or collar 29 which is configured to mate with and engage one end portion of a trunk module 18 as will be hereinafter further explained. Each trunk module 18 includes at least one branch 20, each branch 20 being configured for supporting and/or storing an item thereon such as a baby bottle after washing. In one embodiment, a trunk module 18 may have a plurality of branches 20 to provide increased storage space on the drying rack assembly 10. Each trunk module 18 as well as the branches 20 are hollow and/or each include a passageway or opening extending at least partially therethrough in order to expedite drying of items stored on the respective branches 20 as will be hereinafter further explained. In this regard, each trunk module includes a main passageway or main air duct 30 extending therethrough and each branch 20 includes a passageway or opening 32 extending at least partially therethrough. One end portion of the trunk air duct 30 is sized and shaped to engage the air duct inlet or collar 29 as best shown in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In one embodiment, the fan 28 may be operably connected to a timing mechanism (not shown) in order to facilitate the timed drying of items stored on the drying rack assembly 10. The timing mechanism may provide the user with a variety of options for timed drying, depending on the length of time desired. The fan may be further connected to an indicator 34 (
Thus, there has been shown and described several embodiments of a novel drying rack assembly. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required”. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present invention will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.
