Bottle Protector and Handle
A baby-bottle protector and grip is secured to the bottle by screwing a mounting collar between the bottle and the cap, or by stretching the mounting collar around the bottle neck or cap. The protector forms a generally ball-shaped cage around the bottle, where bars or ribs of the cage can be grasped by an infant. The ribs help protect the bottle if it is dropped. In some embodiments, the protector pulls the bottle into the ball to provide better protection.
The invention relates to accessories for beverage containers. More specifically, the invention relates to structures for attachment to baby bottles that provide protection from impact damage and improved gripping features.
BACKGROUNDBabies and young children often lack manual dexterity, so they frequently drop toys and other objects. In particular, children may have difficulty holding formula bottles and “sippy” cups, and may become particularly frustrated when they drop them. Furthermore, although such bottles and cups are often made of an impact-resistant material, there remains the possibility of damage clue to a drop, as well as contamination of surfaces that are likely to be placed in the child's mouth later. Structures that protect bottles and cups from impact, and further help improve a child's grip (to reduce the chance of an accidental drop) may be of value to children and their parents.
SUMMARYEmbodiments of the invention form a flexible, resilient cage around a bottle or similar object. The “bars” of the cage are spaced and arranged so that they are easy for a small hand to hold.
Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean “at least one.”
Embodiments of the invention provide a flexible, resilient cage that can be secured to a bottle, such as an infant's bottle. The cage helps protect the bottle from breakage if it is dropped, and comprises a number of gripping features to make it easier for a child to hold.
All of the bottle protectors have openings in the protector shell so that a child can grasp the protector securely. These openings may be circular holes, as shown in
The applications of the present invention have been described largely by reference to specific examples and in terms of particular selections of features in representative embodiments. However, those of skill in the art will recognize that bottle protectors and handles can also be constructed by combining the features disclosed herein differently than the representative embodiments. Such alternate combinations and variants are understood to be captured according to the following claims.
Claims
1. A bottle protector and grip comprising:
- a circular neck adapted to be secured between a removable-top bottle and a top of the removable-top bottle;
- a skirt attached to the circular neck, said skirt formed of a resilient material and constructed so that the skirt surrounds the removable-top bottle substantially completely but exposes the top of the removable-top bottle, wherein
- the skirt has a bottle-admitting opening opposite the circular neck,
- the skirt has a plurality of handle openings therein, and
- the resilient skirt material between the handle openings is adapted to be grasped by an infant's hand.
2. The bottle protector and grip of claim 1 wherein the removable-top bottle is a screw-top bottle.
3. The bottle protector and grip of claim 1 wherein the circular neck is to be compressed between an upper extremity of the removable-top bottle and the top of the removable-top bottle when the top of the removable-top bottle is secured.
4. The bottle protector and grip of claim 1 wherein the circular neck has a female threaded insert adapted to accept a male threaded top of the removable-top bottle, and
- the circular neck has a male threaded protrusion to which the top of the removable-top bottle may be secured.
5. The bottle protector and grip of claim 1, further comprising:
- an accordion-fold structure connecting the circular neck to the skirt, said accordion-fold structure functional to withdraw a bottle secured to the circular neck toward an interior of the skirt so that the top of the removable-top bottle is less exposed on an exterior of the skirt.
6. The bottle protector and grip of claim 1 wherein the circular neck and skirt are formed of a silicone material.
7. A bottle protector and handle comprising:
- a semi-spherical hollow shell formed of a resilient material, said shell having:
- a first opening sized to admit a bottle into an interior of the shell;
- a second opening sized to permit a neck of the bottle to pass from the interior of the shell through the second opening and out of the shell; and
- a plurality of perforations in the shell to create a cage-like structure, wherein at least one portion of the cage-like structure is adapted to be grasped by an infant's hand.
8. The bottle protector and handle of claim 7 wherein an edge of the second opening is to be compressed between the neck of the bottle and a cap of the bottle, said cap comprising a collar and a nipple, said collar to be screwed to the neck of the bottle.
9. The bottle protector and handle of claim 7 wherein the second opening is to be compressed between the neck of the bottle and a cap of the bottle, said cap comprising a collar and a nipple, said collar to be secured to the neck of the bottle by a snap fitting.
10. The bottle protector and handle of claim 7 wherein the first opening is elastically expandable, said first opening to secure a base of the bottle.
11. The bottle protector and handle of claim 7 wherein the second opening is elastically expandable, said second opening to secure the neck of the bottle.
12. The bottle protector and handle of claim 7 wherein the plurality of perforations are circular holes.
13. The bottle protector and handle of claim 7 wherein the plurality of perforations are elongated holes.
14. The bottle protector and handle of claim 7 wherein the plurality of perforations are shaped like letters of an alphabet.
15. The bottle protector and handle of claim 7 wherein the plurality of perforations are shaped like animal silhouettes.
16. The bottle protector and handle of claim 7 wherein the semi-spherical hollow shell is formed of silicone.
17. The bottle protector and handle of claim 7 wherein the semi-spherical hollow shell is formed of a resilient polymer coated with a tactile material.
18-20. (canceled)
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 21, 2011
Publication Date: Jan 24, 2013
Inventors: Jason P. MARTIN (Lake Oswego, OR), Travis J. Hendricks (Portland, OR)
Application Number: 13/188,396
International Classification: B65D 25/30 (20060101); B65D 23/10 (20060101); B65D 25/20 (20060101);