Improvements in baby & infant feeding pouches

Abstract

A baby and infant feeding pouch 1 comprises with two or more food pouches 2, 7 which are shaped to form a novel animal or character, such as a tortoise or snail. The pouches have food outlet nozzles 3

Description

The present invention relates to feeding pouches for feeding babies, infants and children. Background The use of food pouches in food and drink related products has become common and has extended into many varieties of products. The pouches are often made from (LLDPE) linear low-density polyethylene. This material is used widely throughout the packaging industry because it is FDA approved and is safe for direct contact with food. A barrier film of this type is often lined with a foil, and has a spout and cap fitment that supports flowable liquid products. Pouches are designed with the flexible needs of the consumer in mind, as there are flexible sizing options to fit any product. The pouches contain a wide variety of food stuffs that are able to pass through the spout outlet, making baby and infant soft or liquid drinks ideal as a content. Baby foods come in the form of a meal and a pudding which are supplied in separate pouches and usually opened by the parent and fed to the baby or infant. The general use of separate pouches can add increased handling issues when, for example, babies become fractious when they have not had enough food and the parent or carer is trying to change from the main meal to a pudding while holding the baby in their arms and trying to handle the feed and other items such as spoons and the bib. If the pouches are attached to each other the parent or carer can easily switch instantly to the contents of the remaining pouch such as the pudding. The pouches currently available tend to be of a plain and simple shape and do not provide any visual stimulation to the baby or infant while they are feeding. Babies and infants are often keener to eat something if it is novel in shape, for example; alphabet spaghetti and other shaped food using faces. The prior art therefore shows that there is a need for a more effective design for baby and infant food pouches which provides a more convenient and easier way to handle the foods while handling the baby and other items and which also adds visual stimulation to the baby or infant to encourage them to eat various foods. The present invention aims to provide an improved food pouch for babies and infants which has at least two pouches releasably attached together forming a novel animal or similar character while integrating the convenience of two or more pouches into the animal or character shape and form. Summary of the invention According to the present invention there are provided at least two baby and infant feeding pouches which are releasably joined together, with each pouch providing a different food option. The pouches are preferably made of a (LLDPE) linear low-density polyethylene, this material is used widely throughout the packaging industry because it is FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved and is safe for direct contact with food types and liquids I drinks. These barrier film pouches are lined with a foil to ensure freshness when the food or liquid is installed within the pouches in the lined food containing sections and to ensure a bacteria free longer shelf life. The two or more pouches are shaped to form a novel animal or character which is attractive to the baby or infant, such as a tortoise or snail or any other suitably chosen animals or characters. The characters parts form the removable pouch or pouches in a novel way, wherein, the tortoise body is filled with a dinner of a savoury type and its shell is filled with a pudding or sweet, this may also be arranged in the opposite order and the shell is removable from the body of the tortoise, as shown in the accompanying Figures. A second example is where a snail character has a body is filled with a dinner of a savoury type and its shell is filled with a pudding or sweet and the shell is removable from the body of the snail character, as shown in the accompanying Figures. This can be provided in any character or animal providing the character or animal has a section which can be removed, with the removable pouch forming a novel and stimulating function for the baby or infant, for a further example; a bear holding a honeypot wherein a bear character has a body is filled with a dinner of a savoury type and its honey pot is filled with a pudding or sweet and the honeypot is removable from the body of the bear character. These examples are unlimited and remain within the scope of the invention disclosed herein in those variant forms. To attach the removable pouch to the main pouch or multiple pouches to the main pouch, a releasable fixture is provided between them. The releasable fixtures include two interconnected elongated sections which can either be torn or slid apart, located to part of the edge. A perforated elongated section is provided wherein the exterior low-density polythene is pressed in an elongated line to such an extent on the edge between a section of the main pouch and a corresponding section of the removable pouch or pouches, that it can be torn away by hand, in the known way. This forms a weak or tear able line between the two pouches as shown in Figures 1 and 2 and Figures 3 and 4. A closer view of this tearable line is shown in Figures 10 and 11. The pouches may also be releasably connected by way of an interlocking male and female flange, also located to the same area as the tearable line as aforementioned. The male flange is a shaped protrusion which is elongated, formed on the edge of the pouch and is slid inside the correspondingly shaped elongated channel formed by the female flange interlocking them together and slid out again to separate them. The positions where the interlocking flanges are located on the edge are determined by the shape of the animal or character and the relation between the main pouch body and the removal pouch or pouches. For example; in the Figures 1 and 2 showing the tortoise example; the shell of the tortoise is the removable novel part of the design and the point where the shell meets the shaped body of the snail, which is shown with broken lines, is the line where the tearable line or the interlocking flange is located. This is because the removal of the shell should be complete and the shell which is the additional food pouch, in this example; should be removed as a single whole item, to adhere with a workable design but also the novelty that the baby or infant will see when it is removed. This novel positioning of the tearable or interlocking flanges extends to the snail example also, which shows the round shell as the additional food pouch of the snail being adjoined to the main body food pouch, with a tearable or interlocking flange. The male and female flanges vary in shape and profile as shown in Figures 5 and 6 and 9, with the male flanges sliding within and along the female flange. The ends of the flanges are open and therefore, the male flanges exit the opening at either end on completion of the male flange being slid away from the female flange. In the example of the snail character, the shell pouch is round and is therefore actually rotated until the flanges separate from each other and the male flange passes from inside its interlocked position within the female flange, as shown in Figures 7 and 8. The male flange is shown in Figure 12 on the outer edge of the snail shell food pouch after removal from the main shell body pouch. Interlocking flanges as described are of assistance to people who may have difficulty gripping or other hand issues due to conditions or older age. If a grand parent is feeding the baby or infant, they may find it much easier to simply slide the flanges apart rather than have to tear the pouches apart. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the Patent Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide new and improved baby and infant feeding pouches which have all the advantages of the prior art feeding pouches and none of the disadvantages. It is another object of the present invention to provide new baby and infant feeding pouches which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. It is a further object of the present invention to provide new and improved baby and infant feeding pouches which are of durable and reliable construction. An even further object of the present invention is to provide new and improved baby and infant feeding pouches which are susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labour, and which accordingly are then susceptible of lower prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such a product available to the buying public. Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide new and improved baby and infant feeding pouches which provides in the materials and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith. These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and detailed descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. Brief description of figures Figure 1 shows a side view of the baby and infant feeding pouches as a Tortoise character. Figure 2 shows a side view of the baby and infant feeding pouches as a Tortoise character with the shell pouch separated, using a tearable line. Figure 3 shows a side view of the baby and infant feeding pouches as a Snail character. Figure 4 shows a side view of the baby and infant feeding pouches as a Snail character, using a male and female interlocking flange. Figure 5 shows a close end profile view of the male and female interlocking flanges, interlocked. Figure 6 shows a close end profile view of the male and female interlocking flanges, separated. Figure 7 shows a side view of the Snail character feeding pouches in the process of being separated using the interlocking female and male flanges. Figure 8 shows a side view of the Snail character feeding pouches separated using the interlocking female and male flanges. Figure 9 shows a close end profile view of a further shape of male and female interlocking flanges, separated. Figure 10 shows a close end profile view of the tearable line connecting the feeding pouches. Figure 11 shows a close end profile view of the tearable line connecting the feeding pouches, after being separated. Figure 12 shows a dimensional view of the Snail shell feeding pouch separated with the male interlocking flange to its edge. Detailed description of figures A typical embodiment of the baby and infant feeding pouches is shown in Figure 1. It comprises at least two baby and infant feeding pouches 2 and 7 which are releasably joined together, with each pouch providing a different food option. The pouches 2 and 7 are preferably made of a (LLDPE) linear low-density polyethylene and are lined with a foil to ensure freshness when the food or liquid is installed within the pouches and to ensure a bacteria free longer shelf life. The two or more pouches have feeding outlet nozzles 4 with removable caps 3 and said pouches are shaped to form a novel animal or character 1 which is attractive to the baby or infant, such as a tortoise, as shown in Figure 1, or snail, to be shown in further Figures, or any other suitably chosen animals or characters. The tortoise 1 body is filled with a dinner of a savoury type 7 and its shell 2 is filled with a pudding or sweet, this may also be arranged in the opposite order. The shell 2 is removable from the body of the tortoise, as shown in the accompanying Figures. This can be provided in any character or animal providing the character or animal has a section which can be removed, with the removable pouch forming a novel and stimulating function for the baby or infant, for a further example; a bear holding a honeypot wherein a bear character has a body is filled with a dinner of a savoury type and its honey pot is filled with a pudding or sweet and the honeypot is removable from the body of the bear character. To attach the removable pouch 2, in this example, to the main pouch 7 or multiple pouches to the main pouch, a releasable fixture is provided between them. The releasable fixtures include two interconnected tearable line elongated flange sections 6 and 5 which can either be torn or slid apart, located to part of the edge of the pouches. The tearable line perforated elongated flange section 6 and 5 is provided wherein the exterior low-density polythene is pressed in an elongated line to such an extent on the edge between a section of the main pouch 7 and a corresponding section of the removable pouch 2 or pouches, that it can be torn away by hand, in the known way. This forms a weak or tearable line between the two pouches 2 and 7, as shown in Figure 1. In Figure 2 the tearable line perforate elongate flange sections 6A and 5A have been torn apart, thus separating the pouches 2A and 7A thereto. Within the pouches are the foil lined food containing sections 8 and 9 inside which the foods are stored. These are expelled through the food outlet nozzles 4A, by squeezing the pouches 2 or 7 or in some examples by sucking on the nozzle 4A into the mouth. A second example, which is only an example of a possible unlimited amount of character and animal examples, is where a snail character IB has a pouch forming a body 7B which is filled, as one example only, with a dinner of a savoury type and its shell 2B is filled with a pudding or sweet and the shell 2B is removable from the body 7B of the snail character. The pouches 2B and 7B have food outlet nozzles 4B and 10B, as shown and tearable line perforated elongated flange sections 6B and 5B. Figure 4 shows the food pouches 2C and 7C separated by being torn appart via way of said tearable line perforated elongated flange section 6C and 5C These examples are unlimited and remain within the scope of the invention disclosed herein in those variant forms. The pouches may also be releasably connected by way of an interlocking male and female flange 6D and 5D as shown in Figure 5, also located to the same area as the tearable line perforated elongated flange sections, as aforementioned. The positions where the interlocking flanges 6D and 5D are located on the edge of the pouches are shown and this is determined and varies slightly by the shape of the animal or character and the relation between the main pouch body and the removal pouch or pouches. For example; the tortoise shell 2D of the tortoise is the removable novel part of the design with its foil lined food containing section 9D inside. This has the male interlocking flange 6D. The female interlocking flange 5D is located on the upper edge, in this example, of the snail body food pouch 7D, which has its foil lined food containing section 8D inside. The male interlocking flange 5D is slid inside the elongated channel formed by the female interlocking flange 6D. The male and female flanges vary in shape as shown in Figures 5 and 6 and 9, with the male flanges sliding within and along the female flange. The ends of the flanges are open and therefore, the male flanges exit the opening at either end on completion of the male flange being slid away from the female flange. Figure 6 shows an inverted T shaped male interlocking flange 6E which is slid in and out of the channel formed by the female interlocking flange 5E, as shown. The foil lined food containing sections 8E and 9E are again shown inside the food pouches 2E and 7E. In the example of the snail character, the shell pouch 2F is round and is therefore actually rotated until the male and female flanges 5F and 6F separate from each other and the male flange 6F passes from inside its interlocked position within the female flange 5F located on the body food pouch 7F, as shown in Figure 7. Figure 8 shows the shell pouch 2G with its male flange 6F separated from the female flange 5F on the baby food pouch 7G. Figure 9 shows a further alterative shape for the male and female flanges, wherein the male interlocking flange 6H is slid in and out of the channel formed by the female interlocking flange 5H, as shown. The foil lined food containing sections 8H and 9H are again shown inside the food pouches 2H and 7H. Figure 10 shows an example of the tearable line elongated flange having connected flanges 6I and 5I which can be tom apart by hand, separating the food pouches 2I and 7I and the food containing sections 8I and 9I within. This is shown in Figure 11 with the separated tearable line elongated flanges 6J and 5J disconnected and therefore are food pouches 2J and 7J. Figure 12 shows a dimensional view of the snail shell pouch 2K and the male interlocking flange 6K which extends partially around the outer edge of the pouch 2K as previously described. The shown in Figure 12 on the outer edge of the snail shell food pouch is after removal from the main shell body pouch. Interlocking flanges as described are of assistance to people who may have difficulty gripping or other hand issues due to conditions or older age. If a grandparent is feeding the baby or infant, they may find it much easier to simply slide the flanges apart rather than have to tear the pouches apart.

Claims

1) Baby and infant feeding pouches comprising; two or more food pouches which are shaped to form a novel animal or character which is stimulating and attractive to the baby or infant, such as a tortoise or snail or any other suitably chosen animals or characters, the pouches have food outlet nozzles and caps and the pouches are releasably attached together with each pouch providing a different food option inside, the removable pouches are attached to the main pouch using a releasable fixture provided between them which can either be torn or slid apart by hand, these fixtures being a perforated elongated section or elongated male and female interlocking flanges.2) Baby and infant feeding pouches as claimed in claim 1 wherein the feeding pouches are preferably made of a (LLDPE) linear low-density polyethylene with a foil lining inside.3) Baby and infant feeding pouches as claimed in claim 2 wherein the animal or characters parts form the removable pouch or pouches, wherein as a single example of many possible variants; the tortoise body is a pouch and is filled with a dinner of a savoury type and its removable shell is also a pouch and is filled with a pudding or sweet.4) Baby and infant feeding pouches as claimed in claim 3 wherein said pouches are removable from each other by means of a perforated elongated weak or tearable line between the two pouches on the edges of the pouch’s exterior.5) Baby and infant feeding pouches as claimed in claim 4 wherein the low-density polythene is pressed in an elongated line to an extent that a weak or tearable line is formed between an edge of the main pouch and a corresponding edge of the removable pouch or pouches.6) Baby and infant feeding pouches as claimed in claim 5 wherein said pouches are also releasably connected by way of the interlocking male and female flange located to the same area as the tearable line option.7) Baby and infant feeding pouches as claimed in claim 6 wherein the male flange is a shaped protrusion which is elongated, formed on the edge of the pouch8) Baby and infant feeding pouches as claimed in claim 7 wherein, in use, the said male flange is slid inside the correspondingly shaped elongated channel formed by the female flange, interlocking them together.9) Baby and infant feeding pouches as claimed in claim 8 wherein the male flange, in use, as said, is slid out of the female flange again to separate the pouches from each other.10) Baby and infant feeding pouches as claimed in claim 9 wherein the interlocking flanges location facing each other on the edge of the pouches is determined by the shape of the animal or character and the relation between the main pouch body and the removal pouch or pouches.11) Baby and infant feeding pouches as claimed in claim 10 wherein the action of the removable of a pouch is affected by the pouches shape, wherein the snail character shell pouch is round and is therefore is rotated until the said interlocked flanges separate from each other and the male flange passes from inside its interlocked position within the female flange.12) Baby and infant feeding pouches as claimed in claim 11 wherein the male and female flanges vary in shape and profile.13) Baby and infant feeding pouches as claimed in claim 12 wherein, in use, said interlocking flanges are of assistance to people who may have difficulty gripping said pouches for tearing or other hand issues due to health conditions or older age.

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