Patent Application
20220279939
This disclosure relates to devices for the feeding of infants, in particular, to devices for positioning infants for feeding.
About four million babies are born in the United States every year, with 50% of those babies having signs or symptoms of reflux up to six months of age: that is two million new babies with reflux issues every year; many have reflux that will continue into the second year of life. Reflux in infants is generally caused by the immature tone of the esophagus, which leads to a to-and-fro motion of liquid in the esophagus when drinking and can lead to their stomach contents moving up and spilling over into the airway (aspiration), which can lead to wheezing pneumonia, poor feeding, and poor weight gain, and in rare cases, this can be life-threatening. This is a normal physiological condition that infants generally grow out of but causes much parent anxiety.
An infant feeding positioning cushion is designed to provide support to an infant during feeding. The infant feeding positioning cushion allows an infant to be placed on an infant feeding surface at a semi-upright angle in a prone position with the infant's head disposed to the side or in a side laying position. The infant feeding positioning cushion includes an upper surface, a lower section, and an inclinometer to determine if the infant feeding positioning cushion is disposed at a predetermined angle. The upper surface may include an inclined section that includes a recessed portion that is disposed beneath a plane of the upper surface and a raised portion that is disposed above the plane of the upper surface. The raised portion is configured to support the infant's head and the recessed portion is configured to support the infant's lower body.
The written disclosure herein describes illustrative embodiments that are non-limiting and non-exhaustive. Reference is made to certain of such illustrative embodiments that are depicted in the figures, in which:
The components of the embodiments as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein can be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of various embodiments, as represented in the figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, but is merely representative of various embodiments. While various aspects of the embodiments are presented in drawings, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale unless specifically indicated.
The phrase “coupled to” is broad enough to refer to any suitable coupling or other form of interaction between two or more entities, including mechanical interaction. Thus, two components may be coupled to each other even though they are not in direct contact with each other. The phrases “attached to” or “attached directly to” refer to interaction between two or more entities which are in direct contact with each other and/or are separated from each other only by a fastener of any suitable variety (e.g., mounting hardware or an adhesive).
The terms “proximal” and “distal” are opposite directional terms. For example, the distal end of a device or component is the end of the component that is furthest from a caregiver during ordinary use. The proximal end refers to the opposite end, or the end nearest the caregiver during ordinary use.
The infant feeding positioning cushion 100 may comprise an outer rim 110, an upper section 120 or upper surface, and a lower section 130. The outer rim 110 couples the upper section 120 to the lower section 130.
The upper section 120 may comprise a plurality of sections. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the upper section 120 comprises a first section 122, a second section 124, and a third section 129. The first section 122 and the third section 129 are substantially flat and are disposed in the same plane.
In the illustrated embodiment, the second section 124 is disposed between the first section 122 and the third section 129. However, alternative positioning of the first section 122, the second section 124, and the third section 129 is also contemplated by this disclosure.
The second section may comprise a plurality of a sections. In the illustrated embodiment, the second section 124 comprises a proximal portion 125, a central portion 126, and a distal portion 127. The proximal portion 125 angles downward and curves upward into the central portion 126 which curves downward into the distal portion 127. The proximal portion 125, the distal portion 126, and the distal portion 127 are angled relative to the plane of the first section 122 and the third section 129.
The central portion 126 may be inclined or slope distally upward at a predetermined angle. The predetermined angle of the central portion 126 may be between 20 and 28 degrees relative to the first section 122 and the third section 129 of the upper section 120. The angle of the central portion 126 may be constant over the length of the central portion 126 from the proximal portion 125 to the distal portion 127. Stated another way, the central portion 126 may have a positive slope from the proximal portion 125 to the distal portion 127.
The proximal portion 125 may slope distally downward at a predetermined angle. The predetermined angle of the proximal portion 125 may be between 62 and 70 degrees relative to the first section 122 and the third section 129 of the upper section 120. The angle of the proximal portion 125 may be constant over the length of the proximal portion 125 from a proximal end of the infant feeding positioning cushion 100 to the central portion 126. Stated another way, the proximal portion 125 may have a negative slope from the proximal end of the infant feeding positioning cushion 100 to the central portion 126.
The distal portion 127 may slope distally downward at a predetermined angle. The predetermined angle of the distal portion 127 may be between 62 and 70 degrees relative to the first section 122 and the third section 129 of the upper section 120. The angle of the distal portion 127 may be constant over the length of the distal portion 127 from the central portion 126 to a distal end of the infant feeding positioning cushion 100. Stated another way, the distal portion 127 may have a negative slope from the central portion 126 to the distal end of the infant feeding positioning cushion 100.
The second section 124 of the upper section 120 may include a recessed portion 121 and a raised portion 123. The recessed portion 121 of the second section 124 is disposed below the plane of the first section 122 and the third section 129 while the raised portion 123 is disposed above the plane of the first section 122 and the third section 129. The raised portion 121 of the second section 124 is configured to support the infant's head and the recessed portion 123 is configured to support the lower body of the infant.
In the illustrated embodiment, the second section 124 may have a substantially rectangular shape. However, the second section 124 may have a variety of different shapes that are configured to hold the infant, such as oval, polygonal, and the like. The second section 124 may be dimensioned so that the second section 124 may adequately support the infant. For example, the second section 124 may be dimensioned so that the second section 124 may support an infant from the age of newborn to the age one year.
As discussed above, the infant may be placed on the second section 124 in a prone position with the infant's head turned to either side (e.g., either facing the first section 122 or the third section 129) or in a side laying position with the infant facing the first section 122 or the third section 129. A bottle may be placed on the first section 122 or the third section 129 depending on which way the infant is facing to allow the infant to feed from the bottle that is placed on the first section 122 or the third section 129. In some embodiments, the first section 122 and the third section 129 may comprise a recesses that are configured to hold a bottle. The recesses may be configured to hold a bottle either vertically or horizontally. For example, the recesses that hold the bottle vertically may be circular. The recesses that hold the bottle horizontally may be shaped to hold the bottle on its side.
In some embodiments, the upper section 120 comprises an infant harness to secure the infant to the infant feeding positioning cushion 100. The infant harness may include straps and buckles to ensure a safe and secure feeding of the infant. The infant harness may be a single strap, two straps, a three point harness, or a five point harness. In the two strap embodiment, there may be a first strap that goes across the torso of the infant and another strap that is configured to go between the legs of the infant and couple to the single strap going across the torso of the infant. Alternative infant harnesses are within the scope of this disclosure.
The upper section 120 may be fabricated from a number of different materials. The material of the upper section 120 may be a material that is easily cleaned via a disinfecting wipe and the like. For example, the upper section 120 may be fabricated from silicone rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, fluoroelastomer polymer, neoprene, nitrile, and the like.
The infant feeding positioning cushion 100 may further comprise an inclinometer 112 that is configured to determine if the infant feeding positioning cushion 100 is sloped or tilted on the caregiver's lap at an acceptable angle for feeding an infant. An acceptable angle of the infant feeding positioning cushion 100 may be between 20 and 28 degrees relative to caregiver's lap. The infant feeding positioning cushion 100 may also be disposed on a surface. The surface may be a flat surface, such as a floor, with the inclinometer 112 disposed at the acceptable angle between 20 and 28 degrees. As discussed below, the lower section 130 may include microbeads that may be redistributed to ensure that the infant feeding positioning cushion 100 is disposed at the acceptable angle range.
The inclinometer 112 may be disposed on an upper surface 114 of the outer rim 110 so that the caregiver may easily see the inclinometer 112 to determine if they are at the acceptable angle or if the infant feeding positioning cushion 100 should be adjusted. In the illustrated embodiment, the inclinometer 112 is a tubular spirt level that extends distally. The inclinometer 112 may be a tubular spirit level, a bull's eye spirit level, and the like.
The outer rim 110 is disposed along an outer perimeter of the upper section 120. The outer rim 110 is also configured to couple the upper section 120 to the lower section 130. The lower section 130 may be placed on a caregiver's lap when the infant is placed and secured on the upper section 120 to feed the infant. The lower section 130 may be a molded foam wedge that is coupled to the upper section 120 via the outer rim 110. In some embodiments, the molded foam wedge may be covered with a cover 132 to protect the molded foam wedge. The cover 132 may be fabricated from a number of suitable materials, such as a fabric. The material of the lower section 130 may be a material that is easily cleaned via a disinfecting wipe and the like. In some embodiments, the cover 132 may be removably attached to the molded foam wedge for cleaning.
In some embodiments, the lower section 130 may include the cover 132 and the lower section 130 is filled with microbeads. The microbeads allow some adjustment of the angle on the lap by compressing or redistributing the microbeads in the lower section 130 to increase the caregiver's comfort.
The infant feeding positioning cushion 100 may further comprise a handle 140. The handle 140 enables the caregiver to easily grip and transport the infant feeding positioning cushion 100. The handle 140 is disposed on a proximal side of the infant feeding positioning cushion 100. In other words, the handle 140 is disposed on the side of the infant feeding positioning cushion 100 next to the torso of the caregiver when the infant feeding positioning cushion 100 is on the caregiver's lap. The handle 140 may be a coupled to the infant feeding positioning cushion 100 via one or more fasteners 142, such as screws, bolts, rivets, and the like. In the illustrated embodiment, the handle 140 is coupled to the lower section 130 of the infant feeding positioning cushion 100. However, the handle 140 may also be attached directly to the outer rim 110.
The infant feeding positioning cushion 100 may further include a plurality of bottle holders 150 coupled to lateral edges of the infant feeding positioning cushion 100. For example,
It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. The scope of the present invention should, therefore, be determined only by the following claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/157,420, filed on Mar. 5, 2021 and titled “Infant Feeding Positioning Cushion” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63157420 | Mar 2021 | US |
