Patent Application
20240228123
This disclosure relates to containers for use with foods and beverages. More particularly, this disclosure relates to a container for infants and toddlers having aesthetics along with improved structure that provides enhanced stability and functionality.
Improvement is desired in containers for food and beverages and in particular, containers used by infants and toddlers.
In training infants and toddlers to be able to drink independently, it is desirable to have a food/beverage container that is easily manipulated to expel the food or beverage from the container. The food in this circumstance is a puree or other fluid-like food such as apple sauce, yogurts, smoothie, and the like that can be expelled through a straw or spout.
The present disclosure advantageously improves over previous attempts to provide such containers.
The above and other needs are met by collapsible food and beverage containers according to the disclosure.
In one aspect, a container according to the disclosure includes a body having an open top, a thickened neck connecting the open top to a flexible reservoir having an interior configured to receive food or beverage.
The reservoir has a vertical shape with thin and flexible front and rear sidewalls squeezable toward one another to expel food or beverage from the reservoir via the open top, thickened side flanges and a base.
The thickened side flanges extend continuously from the base of the reservoir to the neck of the body to support and maintain the vertical shape of the reservoir to enable the reservoir to stand while static and full of food or beverage, and to avoid vertical collapse of the reservoir when the reservoir is squeezed to dispense food or beverage from the container.
Further advantages of the disclosure are apparent by reference to the detailed description when considered in conjunction with the figures, which are not to scale so as to more clearly show the details, wherein like reference numbers indicate like elements throughout the several views, and wherein:
With reference to the drawings, a container 10 according to the disclosure is shown. The container 10 is particularly configured for use by a baby or toddler to consume fluidic foods, such as apple sauce, purées, yogurts, smoothie, and the like, and beverages, shown generally by reference letter F.
The container 10 is configured to be flexible to enable contents to be expelled by squeezing of the container yet maintain vertical integrity of the container 10 to be able to remain standing when filled with food and beverage and not fall over. The container 10 also retains its vertical shape and does not vertically collapse when squeezed to dispense the food or beverage. This provides a container that
The appearance of the container 10 is also configured to be aesthetically pleasing and includes various ornamental aspects and features.
As shown, the container 10 is has a collapsible open top body 12 with a dispensing spout 14 seated on the open top of the body 12. The body 12 and spout 14 are each desirably made of non-petroleum plant-plastic silicones, such as a LFGB, platinum cured silicone made without PVC, BPA, BPS, BPF, BFDGE, NOGE or BADGE. LFGB is a European certification process. All the components utilized in the drinking container 10 are desirably dishwasher safe and made of materials that do not have potential harmful health effects or are irritating to infants and toddlers.
The container 10 is contoured in shape for aesthetics and for ergonomics to facilitate use by an infant or toddler to grasp and tilt the container during use. The body 12 is of one-piece molded construction and has a wide open top 12a to facilitate filling of the container 10. A thickened neck 12b having exterior threads 12bb connects the open top 12a to a flexible reservoir 12c, the interior of which is configured to receive the food or beverage.
The reservoir 12c is configured to have thin and flexible front and rear sidewalls 16a, thickened side flanges 16b and a wide and thickened arched base 16b.
The thin sidewalls 16a enable the reservoir 12c to be collapsed laterally toward one another by squeezing using hand pressure applied by an infant or toddler to reduce the interior volume of the reservoir 12c and expel the food or beverage F as depicted in
The thickened side flanges 16b extend continuously from the base 16c of the reservoir 12c to the neck 12b of the body 12 and serve as supporting spines to support and maintain the vertical shape of the reservoir 12c to enable the reservoir 12c to stand while static and full of the food or beverage F, and to avoid vertical collapse of the reservoir 12c when the reservoir 12c is being squeezed to dispense the food or beverage F as depicted. As shown, the thickness of the base 16b is multiple times the thickness of the sidewalls 16a.
The wide and thickened arched base 16c cooperates with the thickened side flanges 16b to aid in enabling the reservoir 12c to stand while static and to avoid vertical collapse of the reservoir 12c when the reservoir 12c is being squeezed to dispense food or beverage as depicted. As shown, the thickness of the base 16c is multiple times the thickness of the sidewalls 16a, and the base 16c is arched upwardly, having a central apex.
The dispensing spout 14 includes a bulbous body 14a having a straw-shaped upper port 14b extending upwardly from the body 14a. The area below the bulbous body 14a is open and a lower edge of the bulbous body 26 is configured as an annular ring 14c. A collar 14d having interior threads 14dd overlies the ring 14c, with the collar 14d being threadably engaged upon the corresponding threads 12bb of the neck 12b of the body 12.
Accordingly, it will be appreciated that present disclosure provides an improved container having improved aesthetics and that is constructed to be flexible to enable contents to be expelled by squeezing of the container, yet maintain vertical integrity of the container so as to be able to stand when filled with food and beverage and not vertically collapse when squeezed to dispense the food or beverage
The foregoing description of preferred embodiments for this disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments are chosen and described in an effort to provide the best illustrations of the principles of the disclosure and its practical application, and to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the disclosure in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the disclosure as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.
