Baby bottle design with improved heating efficiency

Abstract

A baby bottle comprises a container 1 with a midsection that is narrower than the top and bottom of the container. The container may comprise at least one flat surface, and be narrow in at least one continuous plane or axis. The container may have a cross-section that is rectangular, oblong, tri-star shaped, cross-shaped, curved shaped, wavy shaped, breast-shaped or dumbbell shaped. The container may further comprise recesses, dimples, grips, bulges or printing on its surface, and may have feet or a wider stabilizing base. It also comprise a thermometer or temperature read-out display. This enables thermal heat energy and microwave energy waves to penetrate more easily and / or faster to the middle volume area of liquid or milk 7 contained therein in use.

Description

The present invention relates to a baby milk feeding bottle and the suitability of the shape of the bottle in relation to certain methods of heating the liquid inside the bottle, particularly warm water heating and microwave heating. Many different types of baby bottle designs exist and are well known which are used for feeding a baby predominantly with milk, but also occasionally with water or other suitable drinks. Baby bottles are typically made up of several simple parts including a milk container part with an open top and a closed base to hold the liquid, a collar part which attaches to the open top of the container part, commonly with a circular threaded fixing, and a teat part which sits on top and is trapped by the collar which, as the collar is rotated and tightened onto the lower rim of the teat, creates a liquid proof seal onto the open top of the container part. A protective cap is then applied on top to cover the teat. This general assembly of parts allows the top collar and teat sub-assembly to be unscrewed, milk to be poured into the bottle, the collar and teat sub-assembly screwed back onto the top of the container to create the seal and then the whole bottle assembly turned upside-down into a suitable position for feeding the baby, with liquid only allowed out through the small hole in the end of the teat. Some baby bottles have the same basic construction but with a container part with an open bottom which also has a threaded fixing, similar but normally a different thread size to the top threaded fixing, to which a leak-proof valve sub-assembly part is screwed-on which allows air to enter the air space inside the bottle to balance out the air pressure inside the bottle as milk is sucked out by the baby. These valves are seen as a key method of creating a more natural flow of liquid akin to natural breast-feeding which helps the baby intake the milk more safely, more smoothly and more readily with less or no air being swallowed and therefore helping reduce the chance of colic. The valve sub-assembly generally includes a bottom collar or dish shape into which the valve and a sealing ring are fixed. The vast majority of baby bottles have circular shaped top and bottom openings to the container part enabling both the top collar and the bottom collar, holding the valve parts, to be screwed on with thread mechanisms which allows each part to be tightened up by the user rotating the said parts onto the top and bottom of the container openings to create the leak-proof seals necessary for the bottle to function. It is preferable for the parents, and for the brand, for parts to be interchangeable so that, for instance, different sized bottle container parts can be swapped onto a common top (collar) or common bottom (valve) part. This enables convenience, purchasing of less parts and creates brand loyalty. For the manufacturer / brand it is also important to maintain the same sized openings and threads on most parts across their product ranges to create an integrated system and therefore save unnecessary injection moulding tooling costs if parts otherwise had different fixing methods or fixing sizes. The vast majority of baby bottles are made with silicone rubber teats, or less common are natural rubber teats, silicone rubber seals and silicone rubber air-valve parts plus rigid plastic injection mouldings for the bottle container part, the top collar and the bottom collar holding the valve, typically using food safe plastics, although some use other materials such as glass and stainless steel are used for some rigid parts as they are deemed to be safer than plastics. No matter what the rigid parts are made from, albeit either semi-flexible plastic, rigid plastic, glass, metal or another material, the fixing of the top collar and the bottom collar are commonly circular in shape and incorporate circular shaped threads to fix all the parts together. The shape of the milk container part either side of the threaded areas vary depending on the particular design of the brand and product and are typically designed to look stylish and attractive, have good ergonomics to help the parent to hold the bottle easily and / or to mimic the shape of a human breast for visual and tactile comfort for the baby. However, due to the fact that the majority of parts are fixed together by circular shaped, threaded connections on at least one end it means the vast majority of the milk container parts are circular in the vertical axis in nature throughout the entirety of the product, as continuing a circular shape from the circular threads into the rest of the product shape is an easy, obvious and efficient shape to continue. So in general terms it means most baby bottles have a round in section, cylindrical, column or tube shape when stood upright on the table-top. However, this tall and wide cylindrical shape has a disadvantage when it comes to heating the milk in the bottle due to the effects of heat and energy transmission losses, whereby heat energy finds it difficult to reach the centre of the column of milk inside the cylindrical shaped bottle, namely in the container part which holds the majority of the volume of the milk. This is due to the depth and, more notably, the breadth of the liquid, or distance, that the heat energy has to travel through, whereby energy becomes weaker the further it travels, with the heat or energy being absorbed into the liquid as it travels through it and progressively reducing in strength, eventually to zero. So the wider a baby bottle is the longer period of time and the more difficult it is for heat to reach the centre of the milk. This creates a safety problem whereby the sides of the milk will typically be warmer than the middle volumetric area, or worse the sides where the heat and / or energy reaches most strongly can get dangerously hot. This problem creates inconvenience for parents who have to overcome the fact that the sides of the milk will be warmer or dangerously hotter than the middle and so have to remove the bottle from the warming device regularly and swirl it to mix the liquid together to eventually reach a consistent temperature throughout the liquid. It is difficult to know how hot or warm the outer region of the liquid is compared to the cooler centre region and how often to swirl the milk to mix it; therefore the milk temperature should always be tested by the adult before offering it to the baby. Heating the milk is a requirement to bring otherwise cold milk up to body temperature so it is safe, comforting and suitable for the baby to drink. The milk may be cold due to it previously being stored in a refrigerator or made with cold water and a milk powder formula mix or simply due to it previously being made but was not drunk and so required re-heating from room temperature or a cool outdoor temperature up to body temperature (an average of 37 degrees centigrade). Parents need to warm the milk either before they pour it into the baby bottle or afterwards when it is already in the bottle. This present invention relates to the latter scenario. In this scenario it is preferable for the preparation of the milk to be as fast and trouble free as possible, mainly due to the urgency of the baby requiring feeding who may be in distress, agitated and crying. Heating milk already in a bottle is commonly done by placing the bottle in a bowl of warm water and waiting a considerable time for the heat to penetrate through the container wall and then all through of the milk from the outer edge to the middle part of the column of milk. This can be speeded up slightly by regularly picking up the bottle and swirling it around to get the milk to mix the cold centre zone with the warmer edge zones to try to achieve a constant temperature throughout the milk. Heating the milk by immersing the bottle with the milk inside m a bowl of warm water can also be speeded up by increasing the temperature of the water in the bowl, however this is dangerous for two reasons; the parent has to handle hot water, which could scald them or people around them, including their baby, and secondarily it means the milk will potentially be dangerously hot or hotter on the outer zones compared to the middle zone, which may still be warm or even cold, and so it is even more important that the milk is mixed together to ensure it reaches a safe median temperature of about 37 degrees C., ready to feed to the baby. Another way to heat milk in the bottle is to use a baby bottle warming device which is an electronic, work-top heater with digital heater and timer controls which mimics the way the aforementioned warm bowl of water works using thermal conductivity but still has the disadvantage that it takes a considerable amount of time for the heat to penetrate consistently throughout the column of milk, particularly to the centre of the column of milk. It should be noted that these electronic warming devices are uncommon, bulky and may be too expensive for many parents to own. An alternative method of heating milk in a baby bottle is to put it in a microwave oven. However this has a particular disadvantage due to the fact that microwaves struggle to penetrate their energy into the deeper parts of food and liquids and instead tend to heat the outer areas or zones more strongly and faster which can result in hotspots on the outer zones and cold areas in the middle zones, which can be dangerous if a baby was to try to consume the drink from a hotspot area in particular. A microwave oven heats food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range which excites molecules in the food or drink that the microwaves can reach to produce thermal energy in a process known as dielectric heating. However, microwave ovens typically used in households of 2.45 GHz micro wave power can only penetrate approximately 10mm into thicker foods meaning the inside portions of thicker foods are mainly heated by heat thermally conducted from the outer 10mm. Microwave energy penetration is better in homogenous, high water content liquids such as milk, with molecular excitation at up to approximately 25-3 8mm depth, but there is still a distinct weakening of the heating energy towards the middle part of the milk, particularly in a bottle that measures 70mm in diameter, a common size, and some are much wider, up to 100mm. Therefore, the wider and more voluminous the baby bottle the more difficult it is for the microwave energy to heat the milk evenly, with the middle zone often being left cold due to the heat / energy losing strength as it is absorbed into the first zones of liquid that it reaches. Uneven heating in microwaved food and drinks can also be partly due to the uneven distribution of microwave energy inside the oven due to standing waves and the way the waves bounce around inside the oven resulting in strong and weak power regions. Rotating carousels are used to attempt to overcome this uneven heating problem, but the rotating movement does not guarantee the food or drink item will pass through the correct, even amount of areas of energy. A further problem with microwave energy waves is that areas of high power or concentrated energy or excessively hot temperature localized areas in the milk can degrade the quality of the drink and even destroy otherwise healthy vitamins and nutrients. Due to the aforementioned problems with heating milk in baby bottles in a microwave oven it is a strongly discouraged practice according to most parenting and baby feeding advice groups and media sites due to the potential risks of burns from hotspots in the milk, uneven heating and molecular damage to the milk itself and its nutrients. However, in contrast, many parenting discussion media sites reveal that many parents do indeed use a microwave oven to heat their baby milk, but they do so safely and responsibly by heating it for several short periods of time to avoid hotspots and swirling the milk regularly between microwave heating sessions to ensure the milk is mixed to a safe and uniform temperature. This practice is done because these parents exclaim that it is much faster and considerably more convenient to heat the bottle in a microwave oven compared to the traditional method of thermal conductivity heating with a warm bowl of water or an electronic heating device. It is therefore evident that parents are eager to use the practice of microwave oven heating for their baby bottle milk that they are otherwise being advised not to use. An object of this invention is to provide a baby bottle which enables an easier transmission of thermal heat energy or microwave energy into all of the liquid inside the baby bottle with more uniform heat / energy penetration, more uniform heat / energy distribution, with a gentler and healthier heating process, which does not damage the molecules of the milk or its nutrients, and faster heat or energy transfer throughout all zones of the volume of the milk during the heating process, particularly to the middle zones, including using all heating methods such as using a bowl of warm water, electronic heaters and microwave ovens, resulting in a safer and healthier drink for the baby and a quicker and more relaxing milk bottle preparation experience for parents. Accordingly, this invention provides a baby bottle with a container part shape which has a predominantly, continuously shallow volumetric form in at least one axis, or a collection of predominantly, continuously shallow volumetric forms in different axis’ and / or directions, which allows any heat or heating energy to penetrate and transfer more easily, readily and naturally from the outer edges and all the way through to the middle part of the volume of milk with effective power and heating performance occurring more quickly throughout all areas of the three dimensional volume of liquid, resulting in a faster heating process with more uniform heating with less risk of hotspots which requires less or zero requirement to pick up the bottle to shake it to mix the milk to the correct constant temperature. The predominantly, continuously shallow volumetric shape can also be described as an overall slimmer, flatter or shallower shape compared to the traditional and commonplace cylindrical in the vertical axis shaped baby bottles, and is, in one format, provided by a generally cuboid rectangular form for the majority of the container part, whereby the two narrower sides of the rectangular cuboid form would approximately be in line with the edge of the top and bottom collars of the baby bottle and the two broader sides of the rectangular cuboid form would be set inwards from the circular profile edge. The generally rectangular cuboid ‘flat box’ form (but can have tapered or curved forms for part or small proportion of it) would grow and blend at the top into the normal circular form of a traditional liquid container part with the traditional circular thread fixing detail to enable it to affix to the standard and common top collar and teat. Likewise, it would grow and transform in shape to fit and attach to a bottom collar and valve, if fitted, with the traditional circular thread detail. The generally cuboid rectangular form allows thermal heat and microwave energy to enter into the bottle from the large surfaces of both of the broad, generally flat, sides of the container part and into the milk, therefore having less distance to travel to the middle zone of the milk to create a heating effect. Using the shallow forms of the present invention increases the surface area of the bottle and so will naturally help heat transfer into the milk more readily. A benefit of having a shape on at least one end of the shallow container that fits onto existing tops and bases is that it enables brands to introduce, and for customers to purchase, the present invention container part with its inherent benefits whilst maintaining the same existing parts and fittings for the top collar, teats, seals, bottom collar and valves, thus offering efficient range continuation, good interchangeability of parts, cost savings and convenience for both the manufacturing brand and the parents. Babies also benefit from keeping the same teat and other tactile feeding parts because they will be familiar with size, shape and textures of those parts and therefore be relaxed and drink better using the same interactive and ergonomic feeding parts. A particular benefit of the present invention is that it would enable faster, gentler and more consistent heating of baby milk for those using the traditional, warm bowl of water heating method, with less, or no, requirement to remove the bottle from the water to swirl it to mix the different temperature zones together on a repeated basis until all of the milk is consistently warm at about 37 degrees C., as is a common practice required with traditional cylindrical baby bottles. The present invention would, in general, if heated in a microwave oven, offer very warm and warm temperature zones of the heated liquid, thanks to the shallow depth of approximately 25-3 8mm whereby the heat / energy only needs to travel half that depth of 12.5-19mm to reach the middle of the liquid, as opposed to a cylindrical baby bottle which, due to its typical diameter of 70mm with a radius depth of 35mm, would mean it heats up the liquid at different temperature zones from very hot, hot, very warm, warm, luke warm and cold measured from the outside to the middle of the liquid / milk. Due to the ease of the heat or energy being able to reach all areas of the liquid / milk thanks to the shallow volumetric form the present invention may also enable a lower level of energy to heat up the milk, resulting in energy savings and a less aggressive milk heating process which would maintain the nutrients of the milk better. It would also be quicker for those using electronic, thermal heating baby bottle heaters, if the present invention was fitted and was applicable for those devices. Importantly it would allow parents to heat the baby bottle in a microwave oven, which most households have installed in their homes, with a higher degree of scientific suitability, which would offer significant improvements in convenience, safety, quality of milk and time saving to help with their baby feeding preparation time. This opportunity, allowing parents to change to the alternative, faster and more convenient microwave heating method with the present invention baby bottle specifically designed for that purpose and which helps protect the nutrients in the milk, could open up significant benefits for the brand manufacturers in terms of product attractiveness and potentially increased sales and significant benefits for parents in terms of the aforementioned safety and convenience benefits including allowing consistency and usage of pre-manufactured, ready fitting parts, plus benefits for the babies themselves who would receive their milk in a quicker, safe and potentially more relaxed way, thanks to the parents being more relaxed with the milk preparation and warming process. Other embodiments of the present invention are possible and include a container which has no valve at the bottom whereby the rectangular cuboid form would end at the bottom with a generally flat shape such as a circular, flat disc or other shape, such as an oblong, rectangle, square, triangle, a flower, leaf, heart, animal, feet, star, swirl or cross shape for instance, for stability of the bottle. Other embodiments of the present invention are possible and include a container which has a generally flat or shallow volumetric form in a disc shape as this would also allow heat to transfer into the milk, or other liquid, quickly and readily through the large flat, round side walls. The baby bottle can be a combination of more than one generally flat and shallow volumetric forms such as a disc on the bottom, a disc on the top and a cuboid rectangular form between them, akin to a flat middle dumbbell shape, as this would still enable transfer of heat or energy more quickly and readily into each smaller, shallower volume compared to a single, bulky, wide, cylindrical column of milk or a squat bulbous bottle shape. Other embodiments of the present invention are possible and include a container which has other generally shallow volumetric forms but which still enable heat to transfer through the milk quicker than a circular column format bottle, such as a tri-star shape or a cross shape in section, preferably with generally rounded ends to each form for comfort and easy cleaning. The generally shallow volumetric forms for the milk container part can be curved, convex, concave, include part hemispheres, twisted, fluid shaped, wavy or have details such as dimples, recesses, bulges, grip areas, grooves, lines and the like. It can be hip flask shaped. It can mimic a breast shape with the teat in the middle or offset to one side. It can have a hole in the middle or elsewhere which would further enhance heat and energy transmission to the liquid. It can include drainage holes to help with drying in a dishwasher or after cleaning the bottle by hand. It can be printed. It can include a temperature sensor and / or indicator. The aforementioned range of shallow volumetric forms can be oriented either mainly on the vertical axis or the horizontal axis or lying flat in relation to sitting on a work-top. A further benefit of the present invention’s predominantly shallow shape is that it can be stored easily and efficiently, which is good for home, storage, warehousing, distribution and retail environments. The shape also means it can be carried easily in a bag or on the person, e.g. in a pocket, which would enable the liquid contents to heat up to body temperature quickly and easily if it were carried close to the person’s body for the correct period of time to warm up or stay warm. Holding the bottle in the hand will also warm the milk efficiently. The slim body shape also gives the bottle a good ergonomic shape with excellent grip and an easy shape to hold. The improved heating efficiency of the present invention’s predominantly shallow shape and good thermal transfer properties also means it can be used to cool or even freeze liquid inside the bottle quickly and easily if required. A further benefit of the present invention’s predominantly shallow shaped container is that it has an obvious orientation. This can be useful if wishing to align other parts, such as the teat on top of the bottle, whereby many teats are not circular but oblong in shape and so it is important to align asymmetrical shaped teats correctly with the baby’s mouth. It would therefore be preferable to align the orientation of the teat with the present invention’s container part shape. Other embodiments of the present invention are possible and include a container part with generally shallow volumetric form but which has a new method and / or a different sized fixing system for connecting the other bottle parts (the collars, teat, cap and valve parts), of which those other bottle parts could also be new and matched to the same new fixing system and be of a smaller size in certain dimensions to be closer to or the same width as the shallow dimension of the container part, resulting in an altogether shallow baby bottle, which would be even more convenient for carrying m a bag and for storing. A new fixing method may not necessarily be with a circular thread fixing detail; instead being such a fixing system such as a push on, snap on or slide on attachment method for instance. The present invention could be made with a variety of materials including polymer plastic, bio-plastic, bio-materials, metal, stainless steel, silicone, rubber glass or flexible plastic. It is preferable for the container part to be injection moulded from clear plastic and have injection moulding tooling with little or no undercuts for ease and speed of moulding, however other manufacturing methods are possible, such as blow moulding, which would allow undercuts and shapes wider than the collar dimension, such as the aforementioned large disc shape, akin to some hip-flask shapes, and different styles such as a circle, oval, heart, star, flower, leaf or abstract shape for instance. Shapes wider than the collar dimension have an advantage in that they increase the capacity of the shallow bodied bottle form back to the equivalent capacity of a cylindrical bottle. Several manufacturing methods and materials are possible including injection mouldings, blow mouldings, rotation mouldings, compression mouldings, plastics, glass, steel, silicone, rubber, 3D printing, a pouch, a bag or a composite of different materials. It is preferable for the container part to have a depth of the predominant liquid storage area’s narrowest dimension to be approximately 25^38mm as this would allow microwave energy and thermal heat energy to penetrate into the milk more readily through all areas of the milk volume (only requiring to travel half of those distances to reach and heat up the middle zone of liquid, i.e. 12.5-19mm) due to the known, scientifically proven, natural effects of heat and molecular excitation energy transfer of microwaves through milk and other liquids. This dimension can vary and could be as little as 5mm or as large as 60mm or more depending on how effective the heat transfer is required for the liquid’s characteristics and the product’s end purpose and performance. The present invention can be applied to other devices, containers, cups, bottles and items where more efficient heat transfer is preferred, such as for restaurants, cafes, sports and retail facilities, transport and recreational purposes. Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is a front view of a baby bottle with a top sub-assembly made up of the collar, teat and cap (shown as transparent in all drawings) and a bottom sub-assembly made up of a bottom collar or cover holding a valve inside (not visible) with a liquid container part in the middle. FIGURE 2 is a side view showing the same parts but with a predominant area of the liquid container part made shallow in the middle area which gives that area a generally rectangular cuboid form which transforms into circular forms with the top and bottom for rotating onto and fixing onto the aforementioned sub-assemblies. This creates a milk storage volumetric 3D form made up of shallow disc-like forms on the top and bottom joined together with a generally rectangular cuboid form in the middle, i.e. a dumbbell type form. FIGURE 3 is a front view with a section through the container part only showing the liquid / milk inside. FIGURE 4 is a side view with a section through the container part only showing the liquid / milk inside. FIGURE 5 is an underside view of the milk bottle with only the bottom collar / cover visible. FIGURE 6 is a top view of the milk bottle with the teat, cap, top collar and bottom collar / cover visible. FIGURE 7 is a top, section through A-A view of the milk bottle showing the shape of the milk container part. FIGURE 8 is a front, exploded view of the baby bottle to illustrate the individual parts which includes a bottom air valve. FIGURE 9 is a top view of the container part only. FIGURE 10 is a side view of the container part only. FIGURE 11 is an underside view of the container part only. FIGURE 12 is a front view of a baby bottle with a top sub-assembly made up of the collar, teat and cap with a liquid container part connected by a threaded attachment method underneath. FIGURE 13 is a side view showing the same parts but with a predominant area of the liquid container part made shallow in the middle area which gives that area a generally rectangular cuboid form which transforms into circular forms with the top for rotating onto and fixing onto the aforementioned top sub-assembly and has a wide part of the moulding at the bottom flared out as feet for stability. FIGURE 14 is a front view with a section through the container part only showing the liquid / milk inside and moulding shape. FIGURE 15 is a side view with a section through the container part only showing the liquid / milk inside and moulding shape. FIGURE 16 is a top view of the milk bottle. FIGURE 17 is a top, section through A-A view of the milk bottle showing the shape of the milk container part. FIGURE 18 is an underside view of the milk bottle. FIGURE 19 is a front view of a baby bottle with a top sub-assembly made up of the collar, teat and cap with a liquid container part connected by a threaded attachment method underneath with a wide flared out base for stability. FIGURE 20 is a side view showing the same parts but with a predominant area of the liquid container part made shallow in the middle area which gives that area a generally rectangular cuboid form which transforms into circular forms with the top for rotating onto and fixing onto the aforementioned top sub-assembly and has a wide flared out part of the moulding at the bottom for stability. FIGURE 21 is a front view with a section through the container part only showing the liquid / milk inside and moulding shape. FIGURE 22 is a side view with a section through the container part only showing the liquid / milk inside and moulding shape. FIGURE 23 is a top view of the milk bottle. FIGURE 24 is a top, section through A-A view of the milk bottle showing the shape of the milk container part and moulding shape with drainage holes visible to aid with immersing the bottle in warm water and for drainage after washing, especially in a dishwasher if upside-down. FIGURE 25 is an underside view of the milk bottle. FIGURE 26 is a front view of a baby bottle in a disc or circular shape with a top subassembly made up of the collar, teat and cap with a liquid container part connected by a threaded attachment method underneath with a slightly flared out base for stability. FIGURE 27 is a side view showing the same parts but with a predominant area of the liquid container part made shallow which gives that area a generally flat, shallow discus type form which transforms into a circular form at the top for rotating and fixing onto the aforementioned top sub-assembly. FIGURE 28 is a front view with a section through the container part only showing the liquid / milk inside and moulding shape. FIGURE 29 is a side view with a section through the container part only showing the liquid / milk inside and moulding shape. FIGURE 30 is a top view of the milk bottle. FIGURE 31 is a top, section through A-A view of the milk bottle showing the shape of the milk container part and moulding shape. FIGURE 32 is an underside view of the milk bottle. FIGURE 33 is a front view of a baby bottle in a circular disc shape with a top subassembly made up of the collar, teat and cap and a bottom sub-assembly made up of a bottom collar or cover holding a valve inside (not visible) with a liquid container part in the middle connected by threaded attachments. FIGURE 34 is a side view showing the same parts but with a predominant area of the liquid container part made shallow which gives that area a generally flat, shallow discus type form which transforms into a circular form at the top and bottom for rotating and fixing onto the aforementioned sub-assemblies. FIGURE 35 is a front view of the container part only showing the threaded details on each end. These are shown at a design and scale which is common for many baby bottle sub-assemblies to indicate that the present invention milk container part can be attached to pre-existing top and bottom sub-assemblies depending on the particular manufacturer or brand. FIGURE 36 is a side view of the container part only. FIGURE 37 is a top view of the milk bottle. FIGURE 38 is an underside view of the milk bottle. FIGURE 39 is a front view of a baby bottle in a square shape with rounded corners with a top sub-assembly made up of the collar, teat and cap and a bottom sub-assembly made up of a bottom collar or cover holding a valve inside (not visible) with a liquid container part in the middle connected by threaded attachments. FIGURE 40 is a side view showing the same parts but with a predominant area of the liquid container part made shallow which gives that area a generally flat and shallow form which transforms into a circular form at the top and bottom for rotating and fixing onto the aforementioned sub-assemblies. FIGURE 41 is a front view of the container part only showing the threaded details on each end. These are shown at a design and scale which is common for many baby bottle sub-assemblies to indicate that the present invention milk container part can be attached to pre-existing top and bottom sub-assemblies depending on the particular manufacturer or brand. FIGURE 42 is a side view of the container part only. FIGURE 43 is a front view of a baby bottle in a square shape with rounded corners with a top sub-assembly made up of the collar, teat and cap with a liquid container part fitted underneath connected by a threaded attachment. FIGURE 44 is a side view showing the same parts but with a predominant area of the liquid container part made shallow which gives that area a generally flat and shallow form which transforms into a circular form at the top for rotating and fixing onto the aforementioned top sub-assembly and with small feet at the bottom for stability. FIGURE 45 is a front view of the container part only showing the threaded detail on the top. These are shown at a design and scale which is common for many baby bottle subassemblies to indicate that the present invention milk container part can be attached to pre-existing top sub-assemblies depending on the particular manufacturer or brand. FIGURE 46 is a side view of the container part only. FIGURE 47 is a front view of a baby bottle in a disc shape with the top and bottom subassemblies shown at a smaller size, apart from the teat which remains the same size, and is close to the width of the shallow dimension of the container part. This makes the whole product more compact and slimline. FIGURE 48 is a side view showing the same parts but with a predominant area of the liquid container part being shallow which transforms into a circular form at the top and bottom for rotating and fixing onto the aforementioned top sub-assemblies, but could equally be an alternative fixing method such as push or snap on. FIGURE 49 is a top view of the baby bottle. FIGURE 50 is a bottom view of the baby bottle. FIGURE 51 is a front view of a baby bottle in horizontally shallow form mimicking a human breast shape for comfort for the baby. FIGURE 52 is a back view of a baby bottle in horizontally shallow form mimicking a human breast shape. FIGURE 53 is a back view of a baby bottle in horizontally shallow form mimicking a human breast shape. FIGURE 54 is an underside view of a baby bottle in horizontally shallow form mimicking a human breast shape. FIGURE 55 is a side view of a baby bottle in horizontally shallow form mimicking a human breast shape shown in vertical mode ready for the baby to drink from when the cap is removed. FIGURE 56 is horizontal section through a container part of a traditional cylindrical shaped baby bottle with thermal heat energy penetration and / or microwave energy wave penetration illustrated with wavy lines and notes added of the effective temperature zones of the liquid / milk. FIGURE 57 is horizontal section through the container part showing a rectangular form with rounded comers with thermal heat energy penetration and / or microwave energy wave penetration illustrated with wavy lines and notes added of the effective temperature zones of the liquid / milk. FIGURE 58 is horizontal section through the container part showing a rectangular form with rounded ends, (although any appropriately shaped ends would also be suitable for the present invention including intersecting radii and a mixture of flat and / or curved forms) with thermal heat energy penetration and / or micro wave energy wave penetration illustrated with wavy lines and notes added of the effective temperature zones of the liquid / milk.. FIGURE 59 is horizontal section through the container part showing a tri-star form with rounded corners and ends with thermal heat energy penetration and / or micro wave energy wave penetration illustrated with wavy lines and notes added of the effective temperature zones of the liquid / milk. FIGURE 60 is horizontal section through the container part showing a cross or ‘X’ form with rounded corners and ends with thermal heat energy penetration and / or micro wave energy wave penetration illustrated with wavy lines and notes added of the effective temperature zones of the liquid / milk. FIGURE 61 is horizontal section through the container part showing a shallow curved form with rounded ends with thermal heat energy penetration and / or microwave energy wave penetration illustrated with wavy lines and notes added of the effective temperature zones of the liquid / milk. FIGURE 62 is horizontal section through the container part showing a shallow wavy form with rounded ends with thermal heat energy penetration and / or microwave energy wave penetration illustrated with wavy lines and notes added of the effective temperature zones of the liquid / milk. FIGURE 1 shows a front view of a baby bottle with a top sub-assembly made up of the collar 2, teat 3 and cap 6 (shown as transparent in all drawings) and a bottom subassembly made up of a bottom collar or cover 4 holding a valve inside (not visible) with a liquid container part 1 in the middle. FIGURE 2 shows a side view showing the same parts but with a predominant area of the liquid container part 1 made shallow in the middle area which gives that area a generally rectangular cuboid form which transforms into circular forms with the top and bottom for rotating onto and fixing onto the aforementioned sub-assemblies. This creates a milk storage volumetric 3D form made up of shallow disc-like forms on the top and bottom joined together with a generally rectangular cuboid form in the middle, i.e. a dumbbell type form. FIGURE 3 shows a front view with a vertical section through the container part 1 only showing the liquid / milk 7 inside demonstrating how wide the surface area of the liquid 7 is and therefore how easy it is for the heat or microwave energy to penetrate to heat up the milk 7. FIGURE 4 shows a side view with a vertical section through the container part 1 only showing the liquid / milk 7 inside demonstrating how shallow the liquid 7 is and therefore how easy it is for the heat or microwave energy to penetrate to the middle of the milk 7. FIGURE 5 shows an underside view of the milk bottle with only the bottom collar / cover 4 visible. FIGURE 6 shows a top view of the milk bottle with the teat 3, cap 6, top collar 2 and bottom collar / cover 4 visible. FIGURE 7 shows a top, section through section A-A of the milk bottle container 1 showing the generally shallow rectangular shape of the milk container part 1 demonstrating how easy it is for the heat or microwave energy to penetrate to the middle of the milk 7. FIGURE 8 shows a front, exploded view of the baby bottle to illustrate the individual parts which includes a container 1, top collar 2, teat 3, bottom collar / cover 4, air valve 5 and cap 6. FIGURE 9 shows a top view of the container part 1 only. FIGURE 10 shows a side view of the container part 1 only. FIGURE 11 shows an underside view of the container part 1 only. FIGURE 12 shows a front view of a baby bottle with a liquid container part 1 in a generally rectangular shape. FIGURE 13 shows a side view showing the same parts showing a predominant area of the liquid container part 1 made shallow which gives that area a generally rectangular cuboid form which transforms into circular forms with the top for rotating onto and fixing onto the aforementioned top sub-assembly and has a wide part of the moulding at the bottom flared out as feet for stability. FIGURE 14 shows a front view with a section through the container part 1 only showing the liquid / milk 7 inside and the container part 1 moulding shape. FIGURE 15 shows a side view with a section through the container part 1 only showing the liquid / milk 7 inside and the container part 1 shallow moulding shape demonstrating how easy it is for the heat or microwave energy to penetrate to the middle of the milk 7. FIGURE 16 shows a top view of the milk bottle. FIGURE 17 shows a top, section through A-A view of the milk bottle showing the shape of the milk container part 1 and the liquid / milk 7 demonstrating how easy it is for the heat or microwave energy to penetrate to the middle of the milk 7. FIGURE 18 shows an underside view of the milk bottle. FIGURE 19 shows a front view of a baby bottle with the liquid container part 1 with a wide flared out base for stability. FIGURE 20 shows a side view showing the same parts but with a predominant area of the liquid container part 1 made shallow in the middle area which gives that area a generally rectangular cuboid form which transforms into circular forms with the top for rotating onto and fixing onto the aforementioned top sub-assembly and has a wide flared out part of the liquid container part 1 moulding at the bottom for stability. FIGURE 21 shows a front view with a section through the container part 1 only showing the liquid / milk 7 inside and the container part 1 moulding shape with drainage holes 8. FIGURE 22 shows a side view with a section through the container part 1 only showing the liquid / milk 7 inside and the container part 1 shallow moulding shape, demonstrating how easy it is for the heat or microwave energy to penetrate to the middle of the milk 7, with drainage holes 8. FIGURE 23 shows a top view of the milk bottle. FIGURE 24 shows a top, section through A-A view of the milk bottle showing the shape of the milk container part 1 and its moulding shape with drainage holes 8 visible to aid with immersing the bottle in warm water and for drainage after washing, especially in a dishwasher if being washed upside-down. FIGURE 25 shows an underside view of the milk bottle showing the shape of the milk container part 1 and its stabilizing base with drainage holes 8. FIGURE 26 shows a front view of a baby bottle with a circular disc shaped liquid container part 1 with a flattened base. FIGURE 27 shows a side view showing the same parts but with a predominant area of the liquid container 1 part made shallow or slim which transforms into a wider circular form at the top with a thread for rotating and fixing onto the aforementioned top sub-assembly and with a slightly flared out base for stability. FIGURE 28 shows a front view with a section through the container part 1 only showing the liquid / milk 7 inside. FIGURE 29 shows a side view with a section through the container part 1 only, showing the liquid / milk 7 inside and the slim or shallow moulding shape demonstrating how easy it is for the heat or microwave energy to penetrate to the middle of the milk 7. FIGURE 30 shows a top view of the milk bottle. FIGURE 31 shows a top, section through section A-A view of the milk bottle showing the shape of the milk 7 in the container part 1. FIGURE 32 shows an underside view of the milk bottle. FIGURE 33 shows a front view of a baby bottle with the container part 1 in a circular disc shape with a top sub-assembly made up of the collar 2, teat 3 and cap 6 and a bottom sub-assembly made up of a bottom collar or cover 4 holding a valve inside (not visible) with a liquid container part 1 in the middle connected by threaded attachments (not visible). FIGURE 34 shows a side view showing the same parts but with a predominant area of the liquid container part 1 made shallow for the flat, shallow discus type form which transforms into a circular form at the top and bottom for rotating and fixing onto the aforementioned sub-assemblies. FIGURE 35 shows a front view of the container part 1 only showing the threaded details on each end. These are shown at a design and scale which is common for many baby bottle sub-assemblies to indicate that the present invention milk container part 1 can be attached to pre-existing top and bottom sub-assemblies depending on the particular manufacturer or brand. FIGURE 36 shows a side view of the container part 1 only. FIGURE 37 shows a top view of the milk bottle. FIGURE 38 shows an underside view of the milk bottle. FIGURE 39 shows a front view of a baby bottle with the liquid container part 1 in a square shape with rounded corners with a top sub-assembly and a bottom sub-assembly connected by threaded attachments. FIGURE 40 shows a side view showing the same parts but with a predominant area of the liquid container part 1 made shallow, for good heat and energy transfer, which transforms into a circular form at the top and bottom for rotating and fixing onto the aforementioned sub-assemblies. FIGURE 41 shows a front view of the container part 1 only showing the threaded details on each end. These are shown at a design and scale which is common for many baby bottle sub-assemblies to indicate that the present invention milk container part can be attached to pre-existing top and bottom sub-assemblies depending on the particular manufacturer or brand. FIGURE 42 shows a side view of the container part 1 only. FIGURE 43 shows a front view of a baby bottle with the container part 1 in a square shape with rounded corners with a top sub-assembly fitted and small feet visible. FIGURE 44 shows a side view showing the same parts but with a predominant area of the liquid container part 1 made shallow which gives that area a generally flat and shallow form which transforms into a circular form at the top for rotating and fixing onto the aforementioned top sub-assembly and with small feet at the bottom for stability. FIGURE 45 shows a front view of the container part 1 only, showing the threaded detail on the top. These are shown at a design and scale which is common for many baby bottle sub-assemblies to indicate that the present invention milk container part 1 can be attached to pre-existing top sub-assemblies depending on the particular manufacturer or brand. FIGURE 46 shows a side view of the container part 1 only. FIGURE 47 shows a front view of a baby bottle with the container part 1 in a disc shape with the top and bottom sub-assemblies shown at a smaller size including the collar 2, the cap 6 and the bottom valve co ver / collar 4, apart from the teat 3 which remains the same size as normal for ergonomic reasons for the baby to accept it as normal, and is close to the width of the shallowest dimension of the container part 1. This makes the whole product more compact and slimline. FIGURE 48 shows a side view showing the same parts but with a predominant area of the liquid container part 1 being shallow which transforms into a circular form at the top and bottom for rotating and fixing onto the aforementioned top and bottom sub-assemblies, but could equally be an alternative fixing method such as push or snap on. FIGURE 49 shows a top view of the baby bottle. FIGURE 50 shows a bottom view of the baby bottle. FIGURE 51 shows a front view of a baby bottle in horizontally shallow form mimicking a human breast shape for comfort for the baby and good visual semantics for the mother and baby whereby the container part 1 is a circular, shallow and rounded form, which could be made with silicone for a soft feel, connected to the top sub-assembly of a collar 2, teat 3 and cap 6. FIGURE 52 shows a back view of a baby bottle in horizontally shallow form with the container part 1 mimicking a human breast shape. FIGURE 53 shows a back view of a baby bottle in horizontally shallow form with the container part 1 mimicking a human breast shape. FIGURE 54 shows an underside view of a baby bottle in horizontally shallow form with the container part 1 mimicking a human breast shape. FIGURE 55 shows a side view of a baby bottle in horizontally shallow form with the container part 1 mimicking a human breast shape, shown in vertical mode ready for the baby to drink from the teat 3. FIGURE 56 shows a horizontal section through a container part 1 of a traditional cylindrical shaped baby bottle with thermal heat energy penetration and / or microwave energy wave penetration illustrated with wavy lines and notes added of the effective temperature zones of the liquid / milk 7. FIGURE 57 shows a horizontal section through the container part 1 showing a rectangular form with rounded corners with thermal heat energy penetration and / or microwave energy wave penetration illustrated with wavy lines and notes added of the effective temperature zones of the liquid / milk 7. FIGURE 58 shows a horizontal section through the container part 1 showing a rectangular form with rounded ends, (although any appropriately shaped ends would also be suitable for the present invention including intersecting radii and a mixture of flat and / or curved forms) with thermal heat energy penetration and / or microwave energy wave penetration illustrated with wavy lines and notes added of the effective temperature zones of the liquid / milk 7. FIGURE 59 shows a horizontal section through the container part 1 showing a tri-star form with rounded corners and ends with thermal heat energy penetration and / or microwave energy wave penetration illustrated with wavy lines and notes added of the effective temperature zones of the liquid / milk 7. FIGURE 60 shows a horizontal section through the container part 1 showing a cross or ‘X’ form with rounded corners and ends with thermal heat energy penetration and / or microwave energy wave penetration illustrated with wavy lines and notes added of the effective temperature zones of the liquid / milk 7. FIGURE 61 shows a horizontal section through the container part 1 showing a shallow curved form with rounded ends with thermal heat energy penetration and / or micro wave energy wave penetration illustrated with wavy lines and notes added of the effective temperature zones of the liquid / milk 7. FIGURE 62 shows a horizontal section through the container part 1 showing a shallow wavy form with rounded ends with thermal heat energy penetration and / or microwave energy wave penetration illustrated with wavy lines and notes added of the effective temperature zones of the liquid / milk 7.

Claims

1. A baby bottle with a predominantly shallow proportioned shape and volume forthe container part.

2. A baby bottle with a predominantly shallow proportioned shape and volume for some or all of the parts.

3. A baby bottle with a predominantly shallow proportioned shape and volume for the container part and which transforms its shape on one end, two ends or more areas into a size, shape and detail that will enable pre-existing baby bottle parts to be fitted.

4. A baby bottle according to Claim 3 which includes the same threaded twist fittings and other fitting methods as pre-existing baby bottle collars, caps, teats, valves and covers from all brands and manufacturers.

5. A baby bottle with a predominantly shallow proportioned shape and volume, particularly for the liquid / milk container part, which enables thermal heat energy and microwave energy waves to penetrate more easily and / or faster to the middle volume area of the liquid or milk compared to a standard cylindrical shaped type of milk bottle.

6. A baby bottle according to any preceding Claims where the container part has at least one flat surface.

7. A baby bottle according to any preceding Claims where the container part isshallow in one continuous plane or axis.

8. A baby bottle according to any preceding Claims where the container part is shallow in more than one continuous plane or axis.

9. A baby bottle according to any preceding Claims where a section through the container part is generally but not limited to a rectangular shape, an oblong shape, a tri-star shape, a cross or ‘X’ shape, a curved shape, a wavy shape, a breast shape or a dumbbell shape ending with shapes, flat shapes, radii and intersecting radii of varying mixtures and degrees that create a good visual, technical and ergonomic balance.

10. A baby bottle according to any preceding Claims where the container part has a consistently shallow volumetric form but with other details including but not limited to recesses, dimples, grips, bulges and printing.

11. A baby bottle with a predominantly shallow proportioned shape whereby the shallow dimension is between 25-38mm.

12. A baby bottle with a predominantly shallow proportioned shape whereby the shallow dimension is less than 25mm and more than 38mm.

13. A baby bottle according to any preceding Claims that is made with injection mouldings, blow mouldings, rotation mouldings, compression mouldings, plastics, glass, steel, silicone, rubber, 3D printing, a pouch, a bag or a composite of different materials.

14. A baby bottle according to any preceding Claims where the product has feet or a wider stabilizing base.

15. A baby bottle according to any preceding Claims where the product has a thermometer or temperature read-out or display.

16. A baby bottle substantially as herein described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.Application No: GB2402491.1Examiner: Mr Henry YouClaims searched: 1-15Date of search: 11 October 2024Patents Act 1977: Search Report under Section 17Documents considered to be relevant:Category Relevant to claims Identity of document and passage or figure of particular relevance X 1-15 US 2007 / 108152 Al (HORTON &OSIP), see Figures 1-4 X 1-15 US 4570808 A (CAMPBELL &CAMPBELL), see Figures 3-5 X 1-15 WO 90 / 08068 Al (KINDER GRIP INTERNATIONAL), see Figures 1-6 v A 1-15 US 9907731 B2 (LAU et al.), see Figures 1-3D, 41 and 43 X 1-15 CN 203107721 U (ZHOU), see Figure 1 A - CN 201235086 Y (ZHAO), see temperature sensor 18 and temperature display 12Categories:X Document indicating lack of novelty or inventive step A Document indicating technological background and / or state of the art. Y Document indicating lack of inventive step if P Document published on or after the declared priority date but combined with one or more other documents of same category. before the filing date of this invention. & Member of the same patent family E Patent document published on or after, but with priority date earlier than, the filing date of this application.Field of Search:International Classification:Subclass Subgroup Valid From A61J 0009 / 00 01 / 01 / 2006 A61J 0009 / 02 01 / 01 / 2006

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